“The path you must tread is not outside, but within you”
Youth for Peace Group of Belo Horizonte
With backpacks, clothes and footgear fit for walking, bonnets or hats to protect from the sun, joy and willingness to live the journey toward the Bandeirinhas Canyon.
On June 30, 2018, the Youth Group for Peace of Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil, conducted an expedition to the National Park of the Cipo Ridge, located in the Southern region of the Espinhaço Ridge, an important divisor of two great Brazilian hydrographic basins: San Francisco Basin and Doce River Basin. “The experience of the expedition was very gratifying: it collaborated to strengthen the bonds among the members of the group and also the group integration with nature”, declared Daniel Damaso.
Inner path
Track in the National Park of the Cipo Ridge
The National Park of the Cipo Ridge is a unit of environmental preservation protected by law, and, in this spirit, the group of youths entered the ridge with the reverence of being in a sacred ground. As Friar Thomas, from the Grace Mercy Order, oriented: “We will walk seeking the internal alignment, the fraternal spirit with the brother that walk by one’s side, the joy and gratitude of being in a space of nature that is beautiful and preserved, where the divine makes its dwelling”.
The pilgrimage comprised 24 km, round trip, having as destination the place known as the Bandeirinhas Canyon. The distance did not frighten Cristina Santana, a participant of the expedition and mother of one of the youths: “I went to the walk with courage and determination, as if it were the road of my life. In no moment, the fact of being relatively sedentary and of walking with much younger people made me hesitate”.
River crossing over
The river on the way
The track, relatively long, though flat, was filled with magnificent natural landscapes, gorgeous vegetable species and mountains on the horizon. During the route, there was a shallow river, which was crossed by the group. This episode of crossing the river drew the attention of Daniel by its symbolism: “The experience of crossing a river of running waters, removing shoes, treading stones and crossing.. There, you have to exercise courage, trust and independence. Many pilgrims had to ask for help, others managed to cross by themselves, some surrendered to the river, lying on the stones and letting the water run over them”.
The heart of the Ridge
The group in the Bandeirinhas Canyon
Upon arriving in the Bandeirinhas Canyon, the pilgrims were free to appreciate the place, alternating moments of contemplation, internalization, fraternization and sharing of food. Before the return, all the group gathered among the rocks to celebrate the communion with nature by means of a prayerful offering. The guiding principle of the expedition was read out loud: “A youth of peace is like a guardian of the Kingdoms of Nature. They manage to feel in themselves the expression of each Kingdom and, making it part of themselves, the youth of peace can feel the suffering of the planet, of the Mother Earth, and does the impossible to relieve it”. Then, the Prayer for the Kingdoms of the Planet was repeated 72 times, radiating a request of forgiveness for all the imbalances generated by the humanity of surface to nature.
“During the attunement in the Bandeirinhas Canyon, the sensation was that our connection with the nature present there was at its peak. Our expanded heart united to the heart of the Ridge in a single pulsing”, expressed Alessandra Pardini.
The return seemed longer than the outward journey, but the contentment derived from the overcoming and from the healing contact with the elements of nature was perceptible in the countenance of all participants. Bruno Costa concluded with a testimony about the experience of the expedition: “I learned what is to share challenges. I overcame my own being and I become touched upon talking about our group, they are beings on the path of light!”.
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