Playlist

Walk this Way. Aerosmith and Run-D.M.C 1986

I thought I would start us off with an epic Rap Rock standard to really pump us up. In addition to being one of the songs that helped break Aerosmith into the mainstream in the 1970s, it also helped revitalize their career in the 1980s when it was covered by rappers Run–D.M.C. on their 1986 (incidentally, the year I was born) album Raising Hell. 

The lyrics, tell the story of a high school boy losing his virginity. A milestone moment in ones life for sure and not completely dissimilar to the spiritual ecstasy and acheivement of a pilgrimage perhaps?

Just a Closer Walk With Thee. Multiple Artists. 1800s. 

Sung below by Patsy Cline

Today, tens of thousands of pilgrims and many others set out each year from their front doorsteps or from popular starting points across Europe, to make their way to Santiago de Compostela. Many are hikers who walk the route for non-religious reasons: travel, sport, or simply the challenge of weeks of walking in a foreign land. Also, many consider the experience a spiritual adventure to remove themselves from the bustle of modern life. However the routes religious history and importance is indisputable.

The Camino de Santiago in English The Way of St. James was one of the most important Christian pilgrimages during the Middle Ages, together with Rome and Jerusalem. The pilgrimage is to the shrine of the apostle St. James the Great in the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela in Galicia in northwestern Spain, where tradition has it that the remains of the saint are buried. For centuries Many have taken up this route as a form of spiritual path or retreat, for their spiritual growth.

In recognition of the incredible religious and spiritual history of the walk my next walking tune "Just a Closer Walk with Thee" which is a beautiful traditional gospel song that has been covered by many artists but is here sung by one of my faves, Patsy Cline. The title and lyrics of the song allude to the Biblical passage from 2 Corinthians 5:7 which states, "We walk by faith, not by sight"