‘Ithaca: healing the wound left by abuse in Ireland 2010'
 SUSAN COWMAN as she sets out on her journey outside Burgos in Spain. The entire journey was 530 kilometres from Burgos to Santiago covered in 21 days.
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 SUSAN and friends placing the shell at the Cross of Iron which is the gateway to the Camino.
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 THE shell which is the symbol of the Camino, bearing the message: Ithaca – Healing the wound left by abuse in Ireland 2010.
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In the March 2010 issue of The Celtic Connection, we reported the extraordinary efforts of Susan Cowman in Dublin to help make sense of the shock following the release of the Ryan and Murphy Reports into the sexual abuse of children.
Cowman pledged to undertake a spiritual journey to help bring about healing and closure to the many who were directly and indirectly affected by these traumatic events.
She said, “We have all felt the impact of the revelations in these reports on some level. We are a nation in grief and we need somewhere to bring this grief in an effort to heal.
“It is time to change the Irish psyche. It is time to change the eyes through which we see our children. This is our holocaust and until we, the citizens of this country, join together to heal, this wound will remain bleeding for further generations.”
She requested prayers and candles to be lit in support of her undertaking to walk for 21 days across the Camino from Burgos to Santiago from April 30 to May 21, arriving into Santiago on the first anniversary of the issue of the Ryan Report.
She said, “the period of 21 days is a full healing cycle in many traditions and it gives us a place to bring our grief. It gives us a focus and is such a simple yet powerful action that it will make a difference.
“We can, as a nation, come together in grief and pain, but most importantly in the hope of becoming a society that recognizes the atrocities that have occurred and by taking responsibility to ensure that our future generations of children grow up in safety, supported and loved by their community.”
Now, Susan has completed the walk and says, “it was an extraordinary experience.”
She recently sent us an update on her journey saying, “we left Dublin on April 29 and began our walk on May 1 from Burgos – outside Santander.
“Our journey began gently with the sun at our backs and quickly turned to dry and cold. We had a north wind accompanying us across the Meseta, which has a bad reputation.
“Flat, desolate, and the section most likely to be missed out by pilgrims running short of time, the plains can also be hauntingly beautiful. We had mild exposure by the time we came through this section and from there the weather became a daily challenge.
“Our most memorable moment was at the highest point of the Camino 5,000 feet above sea level at the Cross of Iron, which is the gateway of the Camino and the place that 'bears witness' to your purpose of the walk.
“On our way up to the cross it began to rain, followed by hail, followed by snow and by the time we got there, the place was completely white.
“We laid a shell (the symbol of the Camino) at the foot of the cross with the message “Ithaca, healing the wound left by abuse in Ireland 2010.”
“The snow brought an eerie silence and the purity of the scene was so appropriate. I believe a higher force was acknowledging the moment by creating a clean, pure, quiet environment for us to lay the burden of our history at peace.
“I cannot describe to you how moving it was and how privileged we felt carrying this intention for everyone touched by the disrespect of the children of this nation.
“We spent two days in a blizzard and a freezing fog, but we kept going. When we passed the 100 kilometre mark (that is 100k to Santiago), the sun came out and accompanied us into Santiago.
“We arrived in the square early in the afternoon on May 21, the first anniversary of the issue of the Ryan Report and lit candles for healing and for everyone involved with love and gratitude for sharing this journey with us.”
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