Poetic Prayer Walking

In the late spring of 2026, I had the enormous privilege of walking the Camino de Santiago during a sabbatical from my church. The history of pilgrimage in the life of faith is deep and wide. I found my own life enriched by the conversations and the integration that emerged as my body, mind, and spirit worked in harmony together. Through pilgrimage (peregrination), we can discover what many Celtic teachers refer to as “thin spaces” – places where the veil between this world and the next is almost permeable. While walking the Camino, I also found myself memorizing poetry and reciting it as a mantra to accompany the journey. More than just memorizing, was “learning them by heart” as my elementary teacher called it. The words took up residence within my body, where they lived and breathed new life into my own way of seeing the world.

The practices on this page are intended to help bring some of that experience home and make it more widely available to others. The intent is for a person to set aside one hour in their week to simply go for a walk. It does not have to cover any set distance, reach any particular destination, or be done at any prescribed pace. The primary goal is that it be intentional. While you could certainly do this from the comfort of a couch, Celtic spirituality insists on the deep connection between the Divine and the natural world. We can often experience God more attentively when we remove distractions and allow our body to move through creation. You can do this in your neighborhood, a park, or a nature trail. Do what you can, as your abilities allow.

While you are walking, spend the first 30 minutes listening to the guided meditation below. It includes a guided practice for attentiveness, a time of prayer, and a meditative reading of a selected poem. The poems focus on traditional Celtic themes of experiencing God in nature, mystery, the immanence of the Divine, and the sanctity of human life. These readings are paired with Celtic-style music to give space for reflection and meditation. After walking, I encourage you to take some time in silence savor the experience and to listen for the Spirit’s invitation to transformation.

Unfortunately for many of us, our experience of poetry stems from high school or college classes where we were forced to analyze and dissect poetry to discover its “true meaning.” Instead of doing that here, I encourage you to consider the advice of U.S. Poet Laureate, Billy Collins, in the selection below.

Introduction to Poetry
by Billy Collins

I ask them to take a poem
and hold it up to the light
like a color slide

or press an ear against its hive.

I say drop a mouse into a poem
and watch him probe his way out,

or walk inside the poem’s room
and feel the walls for a light switch.

I want them to waterski
across the surface of a poem
waving at the author’s name on the shore.

But all they want to do
is tie the poem to a chair with rope
and torture a confession out of it.

They begin beating it with a hose
to find out what it really means.

In that spirit, let’s put on our walking shoes, and go for a walk. As you do, I hope that you will spend some time listening, reflecting, and hiding these poetic gems in your heart. My prayer is that you will find your heart on pilgrimage to a “thin place” where God feels as close as the breath in your lungs.

Week One
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