The Way of the Pilgrim: A Spiritual Path for the New Age

The Way of the Pilgrim: A Spiritual Path for the New Age

by Bryant W. Rogers
The Way of the Pilgrim: A Spiritual Path for the New Age

The Way of the Pilgrim: A Spiritual Path for the New Age

by Bryant W. Rogers

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Overview

In the scenic mountains of western North Carolina, two old friends come together for a week of recreation, including fishing and hiking. During their week of adventure, they discuss a prophecy about the transformation in consciousness of the human race that will take place during the new Age of Aquarius. Humanity is approaching a major crossroads; we will face a decision to either continue on our current path of self-destruction or free ourselves from our addiction to power, greed, and selfish acquisition. This spiritual study considers humankind's new path, or pilgrimage, which will change humans' identification with their egos and reveal their true identities as Soul. It reveals how humanity took a wrong turn back in the time of Atlantis, resulting in the total destruction of the world. Now the long path back to redemption will come to its end during the coming age. The Way of the Pilgrim offers a revelation about the salvation of both the planet and the millions of suffering humans populating it. This exploration of spirituality presents the results of one man's search for God and truth and describes the ways that humanity must change to survive.

Product Details

ISBN-13: 9781982220822
Publisher: Balboa Press
Publication date: 02/13/2019
Pages: 110
Product dimensions: 6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.26(d)

About the Author

Bryant W. Rogers is a direct descendant of several of the pilgrims who came to America on the Mayflower. While his career included thirty years as an intelligence officer with the CIA, his main purpose in life has been to pursue a spiritual path. He belongs to a group of disciples dedicated to teaching the Ageless Wisdom, derived from the works of Lucille Cedercrans. Now retired, he lives with is wife in Asheville, North Carolina.

Read an Excerpt

CHAPTER 1

Emilio

* * *

After packing the car with all the fishing gear, I went back in the house to tell my wife, Barbara, I was off to pick up my buddy and then proceed to Lake Logan for a week of fishing.

"Give my love to Emilio, and have fun at the lake," she said.

I kissed her goodbye and headed south of Asheville to pick up Emilio, who was flying into the airport from Spain to join me for some outdoor recreation at Lake Logan.

While driving to the airport, I thought about when we had first met. Back in the 1970s, I was assigned to the US embassy in Madrid as a young political officer. Being an aficionado of the bulls, I had wanted to see the famous matador El Cordobez and had learned that he was appearing in Pamplona that Sunday. I convinced Barb to travel with me to Pamplona to attend the bullfights. We met Emilio at the hotel bar in Pamplona, and it turned out that he was also an aficionado and a friend of El Cordobez. He arranged for us to meet and talk with the matador before the corrida, a very special meeting for both Barb and me since we were adoring fans.

We still have the ear, a trophy from the bull he killed that afternoon, which the matador threw to Barbara in the stands, while she and everyone applauded him enthusiastically. This visit to Pamplona was the beginning of a very close relationship between Emilio and me. During my tour in Madrid, we got together frequently for bullfights and trout fishing. It turned out, like me, he was an avid fisherman. This friendship has endured over the succeeding years, and since we retired in Asheville, Emilio and his wife, Manuela, had visited us once, and we had visited them a couple of times in Salamanca, Spain. It had been a few years since we had gotten together.

Emilio had retired a few years ago from his teaching job at the University of Salamanca, where he taught history and English. Raised Roman Catholic, he had strayed somewhat from his traditional faith and become more of a spiritualist. He now believed that while Christianity provided many valid concepts for a faith in Christ and God, humanity required a new faith to meet the needs of a new civilization rather than a two-thousand-year-old religion appropriate for the Middle Ages. While I myself had been brought up as a Christian, I had also long since strayed from these orthodox beliefs and found many of the New Age spiritual concepts provided more practical answers to the meaning of life. I had difficulty with the concept of God as an old, bearded man in the sky. Whenever Emilio and I got together, I would take the opportunity to pick his brain on issues dealing with spirituality, as he was much more knowledgeable on these matters than I was. I often jokingly referred to him as my guru. So while I very much looked forward to the fishing, I also cherished those inevitable conversations on spirituality.

After arriving at the airport, I made my way to the baggage claim area to await the arrival of my close friend. While reading the Ashville Times, I heard Emilio's greeting as he emerged in a crowd of passengers.

"Bryant, how are you, my friend?"

I recognized that familiar Spanish accent of his. "Hola, amigo," I replied as I got up. We immediately embraced.

"I have brought you two bottles of your favorite sherry, Tio Pepe, along with some Jamón Ibérico."

"Thank you kindly, Emilio. You know how much I enjoy the fino from Spain along with that Iberian ham."

"I wish I could have brought you more, but they only allow us two bottles."

"No, this is fine. Thank you again."

"Por nada. So how is Barbara doing?"

"She is fine, thank you, and sends you her love."

"I am sorry I will not be able to see her this trip, but I must get back in time to start the new class that I will be teaching."

"I thought you were retired, Emilio."

"From the university, yes, but now I shall be teaching a small class on the nature of the soul."

"Well, I want to hear more about your class, but that can wait till later. Tell me: How is Doña Manuela doing?" Manuela, like Barbara, had little interest in joining us for fishing.

"She is well and sends you a warm abrazo," Emilio replied.

"Well, let me get my luggage so that we can get on our way. I appreciate your providing me with fishing gear and tackle, which saves me from bringing extra baggage."

"Not a problem, Emilio. As you know, I have more lures, rods, and reels than any man can use."

"Gracias," he replied.

I grabbed one of Emilio's bags, and we headed out to the parking lot and got in my SUV.

On the two-hour drive to the lake, I asked Emilio what he had been up to since we last saw him and Manuela.

"Well, my friend, I don't think I have mentioned this to you, but a couple of years ago, I walked the Camino de Santiago."

When I lived in Spain, I had heard about the Camino, famous for Spain's patron saint, Santiago (St. James). He was one of the twelve apostles. "As I recall, Emilio, the Camino is about five hundred miles long. How long did your pilgrimage take?"

"Over two months, because the walk can be slow and grueling, especially through the Pyrenees Mountains."

"Did you do this for the physical challenge or as a spiritual pursuit?"

"Well, it is a challenge that I had always wanted to undertake since I was young, and as I grew older, I knew that the time would come when I would not be up to the physical rigors of walking every day for two or more months. Because of the physical demands, Manuela did not opt to join me. But it turns out that it became a very spiritual pilgrimage, because of someone I met along the way."

"Was he a guru or something?"

"No, she was a very mysterious woman who was more like a psychic or fortune-teller. We became friends and talked about all sorts of occult concepts. I have rarely found anyone that knowledgeable on occult matters. Because of our mutual interest, I would seek out her company more so than others. Our paths frequently crossed for the last two-thirds of the pilgrimage."

"Was this a romantic relationship that Manuela should not know about?" I asked, smiling.

"No, no," he said while laughing. "Nothing like that."

Then he explained. "I was certainly attracted to her because she was so intriguing. She had white hair, a small and very slim body, and wrinkles in the corners of her eyes. While I found out that she was middle-age, she did not look her age. She always kept herself quite clean. You got used to everyone's body odor, but she never had that problem. Any stream we would come to, she would take the opportunity to wash her feet, face, and arms.

"She also had a small dog with her she called Freddy, who followed her everywhere and even slept with her in the albergues. She claimed that if they did not allow pets, she said that he was her seeing-eye dog, a little white lie that allowed her to take him everywhere. The dog would also protect her from any unwanted advances from strangers.

"Because of her small stature, you would not expect it, but she showed tremendous courage. It is not unusual on the Camino to encounter hostile dogs, and at one point along the way, we were attacked by two angry, snarling dogs. She grabbed up Freddy and with her walking stick fought back, yelling at the dogs to go home. They wanted no part of her and ran off with their tails between their legs."

"So how did you meet this mysterious woman?" I asked.

"I met her at one of the albergues, where pilgrims overnight, outside of Leon. In the dining area, she was sitting with four men, and at first, I thought they were playing cards. Out of curiosity, I approached the group and saw that she had spread out some tarot cards in front of the man with whom she was talking. They were conversing in English, and it became apparent that she was a fortune-teller, reading the man's fortune.

"When she looked up and saw me, she asked if I would like to join them. I thanked her and sat down. The other pilgrims were quite impressed with her card reading and thoroughly entertained with her predictions. She smiled at me and asked if I wished to have a free reading. She asked me to shuffle the cards and then placed three cards face down. As she turned each card up, she revealed my past, present, and future. She was amazingly accurate about my past and present and indicated that I was still to make my mark in the world. 'How do you know these things?' I asked. She simply replied that the cards reveal your destiny. We talked for a while about the Camino, and then we all retired to our beds for the night.

"I met her the next day on the trail, and we struck up a conversation. It turned out that her name was Catherine, and she was from England. She was traveling the Camino for the third time in her life, but this was her first trip with Freddy, the dog. I asked how she had learned to read tarot cards. She laughed and explained that she was a professional astrologer who made her living from astrology. She had clientele from all over Europe. She explained that the cards helped bring out her psychic abilities and added considerably to her astrological readings. But, she said, she had immediately noticed my aura the night before, which was why she asked me to join in. She explained that she was able to see people's auras, and mine indicated to her that I was either a religious or spiritual person. I admitted to her that I had been on a spiritual path for most of my life and had much interest in astrology and tarot cards. Because of our mutual interest, we immediately bonded. She then asked me what my astrological sign was. I told her that I was a Scorpio, and she indicated that would certainly account for my interest in the occult. She mentioned that she would be glad to read my chart if I was open to that sort of thing. I let her know how much I would appreciate an astrological reading."

I asked Emilio what her reading revealed to him.

"It was several nights later, at another albergue, that she had the opportunity to get my birth data and cast a chart for me. She told me while looking at my chart that I was walking the Camino to find my spiritual purpose in life. She went on to say that I was destined to become a spiritual teacher with a large following. I told her that I was a retired professor and had not planned on teaching anymore. She informed me that I had much to contribute in the field of spirituality and encouraged me to share it with the world. She had other things to say about me, but this stands out in my memory because I have spent so much of my life reading and studying occult books."

"Emilio, it sounds like this miracle woman made a huge impression on you."

"Bryant, I tell you, she had amazing talents."

"Like what?"

"Well, a few days later I twisted my ankle coming down a steep hill and was in quite a bit of pain. I was not sure if I could make it to the next town to see a doctor. She told me to relax and said that she also was trained in reiki healing and could help ease the pain. I could feel the energy from her hands as she gently manipulated my ankle. She worked on me, or my vital body, as she called it, for about fifteen minutes, and later I was able to limp into town with the aid of my walking sticks. She advised me to not walk for a day, but that I should be able to continue my journey after a day's rest. She was right because after a day, I had no pain in my ankle. She had gone on without me, but several days later I caught up with her and thanked her for healing me."

"Were there any other miracles?" I asked Emilio with a laugh.

"Yes, one other incident happened, which I find hard to explain. It was toward the end of our journey, when we had stopped to rest on a hill overlooking Santiago de Compostela. It was a clear day with blue skies and beautiful white, fluffy clouds hanging over the city. We were sitting on a rock with a clear view of the city below, when she exclaimed with excitement. 'Look at the clouds!' Right above the great cathedral, the white clouds had moved together to form a huge white cross. I just sat there in awe, watching this unbelievable cloud formation. I shall never forget it."

"Do you think she had something to do with the cloud formation?"

"I wish I had asked her, but after the fact, I have heard that some people can perform this kind of magic. It is called shape shifting." He paused for a minute and then continued. "That same day, we went down to the cathedral, which holds the remains of Santiago, the saint. We entered the church, where a Catholic mass was in progress. I can tell you, Bryant, that it was a tearful, emotional ending to a very special time in my life. I think she felt the same emotion, although she had made the pilgrimage twice before. After we got our passports stamped to prove we completed the Camino pilgrimage, I asked her if she would join me for coffee at a café nearby. She said she would be glad to but had to stop by the airline office to confirm her return trip and would join me in half an hour. Bryant, I never saw her again. I have checked the internet for astrologers in Britain but never came up with a Catherine King, so from the beginning, there was a mystery about her. But what I learned from her has been invaluable to me. In a way, she has given purpose to my life. It is said that when the student is ready, the teacher will appear. She taught me a lot," he said sadly.

"I don't know, Emilio; if I did not know you for all these years, I would have a hard time believing your story. A mysterious woman materializes on the Camino and then dematerializes at the end of the trail?"

"I know, it is hard for even me to believe. When I told Manuela about Catherine, she called her my guardian angel. Quien sabe?"

CHAPTER 2

Lake Logan

* * *

As we turned into the Lake Logan parking lot, Emilio commented on how beautiful the area looked. I agreed and told Emilio that I had been coming to the Lake Logan Episcopal Center to fish since 2002. I first became aware of Lake Logan in the 1960s when driving through the mountains of Western North Carolina. I came across this beautiful wilderness lake nestled in the mountains, surrounded by tall pine trees and some log cabins, with a boathouse on one side on the lake. I was always looking for a spot to fish and noticed several boats out on the lake. I stopped to talk to a caretaker at the boathouse, and he informed me that it was a private lake, owned by the Champion Paper Company. They did not allow public fishing, so I continued on my way. However, I never forgot about this beautiful, clear-blue mountain lake, thinking that it would be ideal lakeside property, should it ever come up for sale.

Years later, in 2000, the Champion Paper Company fell upon hard times, and they were forced to sell the lake property and surrounding real estate. They had to maintain rights to the dam and lake, as the water was needed by their paper plant down the river for the production of paper products. The recreational facilities, including boats, boathouse, cabins, dining hall, office, and meeting rooms, were used by the company officers for recreation, seminars, and business meetings. With competition for paper production coming from abroad, the company felt its profit margins squeezed and found selling their considerable real estate holdings a good way to raise some badly needed cash to help fund operations.

This was ideal mountain property with beautiful views of the lake and mountains, close to Asheville, so real estate developers were anxious to buy up the property for resale to wealthy out-of-towners. At the same time, the Episcopal church was looking for a large conference center to accommodate meetings for priests and bishops located throughout the southern states. They also needed a suitable site for their annual children's summer camp, and this facility had a couple of large buildings that could serve as dormitories for the kids. While the real estate developers were willing to offer more money for the property, the church was willing to preserve the pristine beauty of the area, which appealed both to Champion and the residents in the area. The church won the bid for the property, and this became the Lake Logan Episcopal Center, which opened in 2002.

This was a major undertaking for the Episcopal church, and to help cover the expenses of maintaining this large facility, they were willing to rent out the cabins on the lake and provide daily meals to vacationers, along with the use of the boats for recreational boating and fishing. While the rentals were not widely advertised, I had become aware of the sale and quickly established myself with the staff so I could fish on the lake. I, and my fishing buddy, Tom, started fishing here right after they opened to the public in 2002 and found this to be a wonderful spot to visit in the spring when the trout and bass were very active.

We walked over to the main office building to check in, and Brad, the office manager, stood up to greet us.

"Hello, Bryant, great to see you back again."

(Continues…)


Excerpted from "The Way of the Pilgrim"
by .
Copyright © 2019 Bryant W. Rogers.
Excerpted by permission of Balboa Press.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.

Table of Contents

The Great Invocation, ix,
Introduction, xi,
Chapter 1 Emilio, 1,
Chapter 2 Lake Logan, 11,
Chapter 3 Meditation, 19,
Chapter 4 Fishing for Bass, 31,
Chapter 5 Finding Our Purpose in Life, 45,
Chapter 6 Cold Mountain, 55,
Chapter 7 The Blue Ridge Parkway, 65,
Chapter 8 The Pigeon River, 75,
Afterword, 87,
Resources, 93,

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