Thin Places – Rob's Reflections

Who was St. James?

As I prepare for my Camino, it occurs to me that I should learn a little about St. James the Great whose relics are believed to buried at the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela. 500 miles is a long way to walk without knowing anything about the person who has inspired millions to make a pilgrimage toContinue reading “Who was St. James?”

My 25,000 year-old friend

Earlier this year I visited the Peche Merle caves, known for their prehistoric drawings, in the south west of France. Little is known about the purpose of the Peche Merle cave paintings. There is some speculation that they were used in sacred rituals. So, as I made my way down into the caves and alongContinue reading “My 25,000 year-old friend”

Three Everyday Thin Places

You don’t have to travel thousands of miles to find a thin place. In fact, it’s important to find them in your everyday life. But, you have to be looking for them. Here are three thin places that I try to visit on a regular basis.

Finding God at Elmina Castle

Each time I approach Elmina Castle on the Cape Coast of Ghana, I am struck by the beauty of its setting. The Castle sits on a bluff looking out over the Atlantic Ocean. Swaying palms. Breaking waves. Shimmering white sand on an endless beach. Blazing saffron sunsets. However, the beauty is counterfeit. Evil permeates Elmina.

The Old City of Jerusalem

The Old City in Jerusalem is chockablock with thin places. Countless worship and pilgrimage sites for the three Abrahamic faiths are packed within one square kilometer. I find it all overwhelming. For the most part I have not experienced the transcendent power of being in a thin place when I am in the OldContinue reading “The Old City of Jerusalem”

On the lookout for thin places

Have you ever had the sensation that the barrier between the temporal and the eternal has become porous or indeed disappeared entirely? Then you’ve found a “thin place.” One of my goals in this blog is to share my experiences of those places with you so that you can be on the lookout as well.