April 24, 2024 • 52 mins
In this week's episode, I had the pleasure of speaking with Suzanne Gibson-Foy. Suzanne hails from England and is a tutor at Arthur Findlay College, teaching courses in mediumship and spiritual development. Suzanne is also a psychotherapist and a medievalist. She combines her spiritual training and development with psychotherapy to help her clients release psychological and relational blockages that impede spiritual development and the development of mediumship.
As some of you know, I have taken many courses at Arthur Findlay College, and I consider it a home away from home. I first reached out to Suzanne two years ago for a spiritual assessment because I was having difficulty letting go and trusting more in my communication with the spirit world. It was a wonderful experience working with Suzanne. She connected with my spirit guides and loved ones on the other side to help me see myself in a different light and trust the path that I was on.
I discovered afterwards that Suzanne has walked The Camino De Santiago in Europe seven times! Last year she walked The Camino Frances from Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port, which is 500 miles, or 800km, or 1.15 million steps over the month of August.
If you are not familiar, The Camino de Santiago is a historic pilgrimage dating back to the 9th century. It is believed that the remains of the Apostle St. James rest in the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela in Spain, so all paths on The Camino lead to this cathedral; a spectacular homage to St. James which translates to “St. James of the Field of Stars.”
Show Notes:
Learn more about Suzanne's generous self-reflection about her last walk on the Camino on her website www.suzannegibsonfoy.uk and learn more about her many offerings related to mediumship courses, mediumship readings, spiritual assessments, dream analysis, and mentorships.
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Learn more about Kristen O'Meara here
The intro song “To Meet the Light” and outro song “Where the Light Is” by lemonmusicstudio
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Kristen O'Meara (00:00):
Hello everyone.
(00:01):
And welcome to intuition talks.
I am Kristen O'Meara.
And today I have the pleasure ofspeaking with Suzanne Gibson
Foy.
Suzanne hails from England andis a tutor at Arthur Finley
College teaching courses inmediumship and spiritual
(00:21):
development.
Suzanne is also apsychotherapist.
She combines her spiritualtraining and development with
psychotherapy to help herclients release psychological
and relational blockages thatimpede spiritual development and
the development of mediumship.
(00:44):
As some of you know, I havetaken many courses at Arthur
Finley College, and I considerit a home away from home.
I first reached out to Suzannetwo years ago for a spiritual
assessment because something wasblocking my ability to let go
and trust more in mycommunication with the spirit
(01:07):
world.
It was a wonderful experienceworking with Suzanne.
She connected with my spiritguides and loved ones on the
other side and helped me seemyself in a different light.
and trust the path that I wason.
So I discovered afterwards thatSuzanne has walked the Camino de
(01:31):
Santiago in Europe seven times.
Last year, she walked the CaminoFrancis from St.
Jean Pied de Port, which is 500miles.
or 800 kilometers or 1.
15 million steps over the monthof August.
(01:54):
So if you're not familiar withthe Camino de Santiago, it is a
historic pilgrimage dating backto the 9th century It is
believed that the remains of theApostle Saint James rest in the
Cathedral of Santiago deCompostela in Spain.
(02:14):
So all paths on the Camino leadto the Cathedral.
And it's a spectacular homage toSt.
James, which translates to St.
James of the Field of Stars.
So I was so curious aboutSuzanne's spiritual adventures
on the Camino that I asked herto join me today.
(02:39):
Hello, Suzanne.
Thank you for joining us.
How are you?
Suzanne Gibson Foy (02:43):
Hi, Kristen.
I'm well and um, it's such a,it's a real pleasure to be here
and to come and talk about this
Kristen O'Meara (02:50):
subject.
Yes, yes.
I have been dreaming aboutwalking the Camino for a long
time and I have this Amazon cartfilled with stuff from my
research.
So one day I hope to go and Ihave a who's getting ready to
go.
So I, I just want to let folksknow, and I'll put it in the
(03:13):
show notes, um, the details ofhow to, uh, go to Suzanne's
website, but there you talkabout your last trip on the
Camino and you describe it as abreaking down and rebuilding or
(03:34):
building up process.
So I thought it would be nicefor you to share with us.
Perhaps what led you to takemaybe your first walk on the
Camino and a little bit moreabout this breaking down and
(03:55):
building up process.
Suzanne Gibson Foy (03:58):
Okay, so, um, so, Kristen, I have, I can't
talk about the Camino withoutmentioning my husband, who
Kristen O'Meara (04:08):
is
Suzanne Gibson Foy (04:08):
a key part of the Camino experience,
because we were watching thefilm, the Martin Sheen film, The
Way.
Yes, I've seen it.
Kristen O'Meara (04:18):
Yeah.
Suzanne Gibson Foy (04:19):
Yeah.
It just kind of, now I didn'tknow this.
So we were watching this in theChristmas of 2011.
So it had just come out and sowe were sitting at home watching
it and, and my, my husband wasvery emotional watching it and
he just said, you know, shall wedo it?
(04:39):
And I looked at him and I said,are you mad?
Are you mad?
I can't walk 500 miles and, um.
He kind of said, well, why, whydon't, why don't we try?
And it was a, it was a big year,Kristen, because the summer
2012, I'd already decided atthat point I was leaving my job.
(05:01):
I was head of history, uh, in aprivate school.
And I was leaving that summer topursue work as a private
psychotherapist, but also tocreate the opportunity for more
mediumistic work, which Icouldn't do if I was in a tied
full time position.
So we decided that we would kindof tie all these things
(05:24):
together.
It would be the end of my, uh,kind of teaching career in terms
of teaching teenagers.
Uh, so that would be coming to aclose and it would be welcoming
in this new life.
And.
I could take five weeks offbecause, you know, this, uh,
summer holidays.
So I said, yes.
(05:46):
And, and the reason I said yes,mostly was because my background
is a medieval historian.
So it was, I
Kristen O'Meara (05:54):
read that you were medievalist and I was like,
Oh, I have to ask her what thatmeans.
Yeah.
Suzanne Gibson Foy (05:59):
So, so my first degree, which is in
history was 90 percent of it.
80, 90 percent of it wasmedieval history, medieval
European history, English andFrench in particular, a bit of
Spanish.
So my desire to do it was reallybased on, on the buildings,
(06:21):
because I love the buildings andI love churches.
So that was why I wanted to doit because I wanted, yes, the
religious aspect of it very muchso, and the walking through
history.
The touching of all thesewonderful places.
So I said yes.
(06:41):
And the other reason, and thisis just funny really, my husband
never likes going away.
So the idea that he's actuallyoffering, saying let's go away
for four weeks.
I thought if I say no to this,I'll never have a, have an offer
of a holiday again.
So I took it.
We went in July, we went, Ifinished school on, it would
(07:01):
have been something like, youknow, the 10th of July,
something like that.
And then the next day we wereoff.
We did lots of planning.
Um, my husband, I kind ofplanned the route, the logistics
of, of, uh, you know, thetravel, how we would get there,
where we would stay, how far wewould walk.
(07:22):
I did all of that.
And my husband did the, Theequipment side of things.
I'm just laughing because I tellyou what, every Camino we've
done, there's always beensomething slightly disastrous
about it, one way or another.
And, We prepared equipment wise,um, I didn't have time to do
(07:46):
any, any physical trainingbecause I was coming to the end
of my job and I was working sohard.
I think I went for one walk inthe park.
And I think the park was aboutthree miles round.
So, you know, so I walked itfive times.
So I had 15 miles under my belt.
Yeah.
That was it.
(08:08):
But the joke of it is, Krystal,and I have to share it, because,
because you learn things andthen, and then you unlearn them.
So then you make the samemistake again and then you
think, I can't believe I've justmade the same mistake again.
So this first time, Krystal, myhusband has an old shoulder
injury, so he thought that hecouldn't carry a rucksack.
(08:32):
Um, somebody who makes trailersfor walking the mountains found
them in Germany.
Really?
Yeah.
So this is like, so this 2012,so he found someone who
specifically makes trailers andyou can measure yourself up and
they measure them kind of foryou.
So we spent around a thousandpounds.
(08:53):
on this amazing trailer.
Um, and then we started to thinkof what we would need.
And, you know, just in casewe're just in case people,
Kristen, so just in case itrained, just in case there was
no food, Jim would need to cook,you know, just in case.
So the the tripod went, cameraswent, cooking equipment went,
(09:15):
um, it's sleeping bag went.
Anyway, we arrived and um, youknow, the getting there, it's
not an easy place to get to St.
John.
You can't get there directly.
So however you get there, it's,it's going to be tricky.
It's either going to be severaltrain rides or planes and trains
(09:38):
and whatever.
It's not easy.
But we set out on the firstmorning, my husband with his,
and my husband's called Carlos.
So, you know, he's half Spanish,doesn't speak Spanish, but he's
half Spanish.
So he has a love of Spain, whichat the time I'd never been to
Spain.
So I didn't, I didn't have thatmyself.
(09:58):
So we set off with him, with histrailer.
And you set off and you kind of,you're in the Pyrenees, and you
come out of Saint Jean, whichis, I mean, it's beautiful, it
is so beautiful, I could havespent days there.
And it's in, in France, it's,it's beautiful, it's in the
mountains, it's, there's lots ofNapoleonic, um, Defenses there.
(10:23):
It's just beautiful.
Anyway, so we set off to thePyrenees
Kristen O'Meara (10:28):
with
Suzanne Gibson Foy (10:28):
a trailer
Kristen O'Meara (10:29):
and Can you just tell me, the trailer, is he
pulling it?
How is the trailer working?
It kind of works around thewaist.
Oh, I see, so he pulls it fromhis waist.
He
Suzanne Gibson Foy (10:40):
pulls it from, it sits on the hips, yeah.
Ah, okay.
But we had it, you know,overloaded, Kristen.
I mean, it was a joke.
It was literally, it wasliterally beyond overloaded.
And people were laughing as wewalked by, you know.
They
Kristen O'Meara (10:58):
were
Suzanne Gibson Foy (10:59):
like,
Kristen O'Meara (11:00):
look, we're not going to go hungry on this trip.
Suzanne Gibson Foy (11:02):
But we didn't have any food with us.
You know, you look at the mapand there's one place to stop on
the day one, one place.
And it's only seven kilometersalong, which is about four
miles.
And I just thought, I don'tbelieve it.
I thought, I don't believethere's only one place.
So I didn't believe it, but itwas true.
(11:26):
So, so we're going up, you know,going up a mountain, which is,
it's on the road to begin with.
And then you come off the roadand you're on the grass.
Um, But it was tough.
And then we had a disastrousfirst day.
You know, we set off at seven inthe morning.
It's about roughly 25kilometers.
It's about 18 miles.
(11:47):
Um, and it's up and up and downand up and down and up and down
and up through a forest, whichis a nightmare.
It's a nightmare.
Um, And I think in the forestyou come down.
Pretty steep.
It was just, we arrived at ourdestination at 9 o'clock at
night.
(12:08):
So we've been 14 hours.
I'm laughing because it was themost horrendous experience.
We were in 14 hours, we arrivedat this place, unbeknownst, I
had been very silly.
I brought walking shoes that,that, that, um, seemed to fit my
foot.
And of course, walking for 14hours, my foot had doubled in
(12:28):
size, but my shoe hadn't.
So, So I won't be too graphic,but I lost, I think, three
toenails on day one, and wedidn't have any food.
So we arrived at nine o'clock atnight and we got to the
reception place and, um, youknow, They weren't very
(12:51):
interested, they were answeringthe phone, doing this and doing
that.
And I just burst into tears.
I just burst into tears.
It was, it
Kristen O'Meara (12:59):
was all
Suzanne Gibson Foy (13:00):
too much.
Kristen O'Meara (13:02):
And then I'm sure, are you thinking like, how
am I going to continue weekafter week?
Because that was your
Suzanne Gibson Foy (13:07):
Well, my, my husband was, I have to say, was
like, I don't want to do this.
That was him.
I don't want to do this.
Whereas I was actually You know,no, come on, come on.
We can do this.
We've, you know, we've, we'regoing to do it.
It was set in my mind.
We were going to do it.
Um, and that night my feet hurtso much.
(13:29):
I couldn't sleep.
I was just in agony all night.
And then the next day we threw,you know, we left in the hotel.
That's the other thing I need tomention, you know, in the hotel,
we left an erect camera tripod,sleeping bags.
Cooking equipment.
You know, we left about 500worth of equipment.
(13:49):
Um, we set off the next day, butI think, you know, most people
when they do the Camino,Kristen, they, they tend to
think of doing it that they'regoing to stay in hostels, which
are called, um, Orberg's, andthey're going to really, you
know, be very, very basic andbeing dormitories and we were
never going to do that.
(14:10):
We were always going to do.
Nice buildings, when possible,because it's not always
possible, but when possible,nice buildings, historic
buildings, nice places, um, andhave some quality time.
Because, you know, I was naive,I was, I thought I was having a
holiday.
Right.
And that I was going to see allthese magnificent sites and walk
(14:35):
as well.
And so, And so the next day,right, I dragged, come on, come
on, I said to my husband, we'regoing to do this.
Um, but he didn't want to do it.
And we walked, we probablywalked about seven miles the
next day.
And day two on the Camino, um,you've come down the Pyrenees.
Oh, it's beautiful.
It's still, I think to me, themost beautiful day.
(15:01):
on the Camino.
The scenery is beautiful.
The smells are wonderful.
Um, the villages are just,they're so pretty.
There's cows everywhere.
It smells, it's, you know,you've got the lush green grass
of, of the fields and you cansee the mountains in the
(15:22):
background.
It's beautiful.
Beautiful, absolutely beautiful.
Um, but we, we struggled and Ihave to say that first Camino
we, we did about, we must havedone about six days but we
really struggled and I had setthis itinerary, Kristen, that we
were gonna, you know, who needsto do one day at a time?
(15:46):
Well, I walk 25 kilometers ifyou can walk 40.
So I had these crazy, I hadthese crazy schedules, crazy
schedules.
And that, you know, you can lookat it as a breaking down, but
yeah, we had to really sit andsay, okay, what are we going to
do here?
Because we can't.
(16:07):
We can't do this the way thatwe've planned it we can't do it.
And, and I couldn't see all thebeautiful buildings that I
wanted to see.
And so the first Camino weactually after about five days
we quit.
Kristen O'Meara (16:21):
And
Suzanne Gibson Foy (16:23):
we hired a car and we went back to the
places we'd been and visited allthe places that I hadn't been
able to go to.
And, and then we drove toBurgos, beautiful city, we
stayed there.
And then we, We traded in thecar and we got back on the road
again, um, at Leon.
(16:45):
So we did kind of about, we didprobably, what would you say,
two thirds of the wholedistance?
With that, with that bit in themiddle on the car, but we had to
just start again.
And, and, you know, at the endof it, There's so much, so much
(17:06):
you learn the first time aroundthat you really don't need very
much at all.
You know, when I got home andyou look at all the stuff, you
just think, I just don't needthis stuff.
A lot of it I like, but I don'tneed it.
And I think that's the bigdifference of I like it, but I
(17:26):
don't need it.
I like it.
But if it went tomorrow, it's nolonger the end of it.
The world.
Kristen O'Meara (17:35):
If you don't mind, I just, I had a thought
of.
The movie, um, I don't rememberthe name.
It could have been called theway I think with Martin Sheen.
Um, and I don't want to giveaway too many spoilers, but
there is a point in the moviethat he, I think he loses his
backpack a couple times, right?
(17:56):
I think once it was stolen andit was returned perhaps and I
find that really interesting toobecause there was a process I
think for him that he didn'tneed all this stuff.
Absolutely.
You really, really
Suzanne Gibson Foy (18:09):
don't need it, you know, and I think that's
in a literal sense.
as well as the metaphoricalsense.
In the literal sense, you're notin the middle of nowhere.
There are, there are a few dayswhere you don't hit many towns
at all, but most of the timeyou're within Let's say seven to
(18:34):
ten miles of a town
Kristen O'Meara (18:35):
at
Suzanne Gibson Foy (18:37):
any one time.
So you can always get what youneed.
And yeah, you don't need tocarry so much stuff, either
physically or metaphorically.
So, so, you know, that firstCamino, when we got, when we got
home, um, you know, I, Or evenwhen we got to Santiago, I
(18:58):
thought never again.
I'm not doing that again.
So the first experience, I was abit disappointed because I had
wanted to walk the whole thing,but we couldn't do it the way
that I planned it.
And as I said, my husband wasquite, he wasn't really having
(19:19):
any of it until we, wereestablished.
And from then on, I think hereally enjoyed it.
But it is that what You do startto question, you know, what's
important, what, what do I need?
And one of the things thatreally struck me was that I, at
the start of it, I, I was unfit.
(19:40):
I hadn't done anything exercisewise for quite a while.
But in my youth, I was very fit.
And, and the body remembers.
And even just walking up thePyrenees when it was, you know,
It didn't, I didn't find it hardtill towards the end.
And I was like, this is amazing.
My body is just, you know, backinto feeling something, feeling
(20:05):
good.
And that was remarkable to methat having not really done
probably, at that point I was42, I probably hadn't done any
decent exercise for about 10years.
Yeah.
And the body, remembered.
And that was amazing.
And I, and I'd been reallyworried about a very badly
(20:28):
sprained ankle I'd had from myearly twenties.
And I just thought my foot is noway is that gonna, and it was,
it was fine.
And I went from walking in theseheavy boots to protect my ankle
and shoe.
And we ended up walking in, um,walking sandals.
So they're really flexible shoesand because you're going over
(20:52):
stones all the time and youknow, uncomfortable terrain, you
actually need flexibility andnot stiffness.
So I had these shoes that wereat least one size too big for
me, um, leather but reallyflexible and they had holes in
them so my feet could breathethe whole time and.
(21:12):
Oh, that's great.
So, you know, almost theopposite to what you expect it
to be.
What brought you to go again?
Your second time.
Oh, precisely.
So again, so got home thinkingno way.
And then we watched the filmagain.
We've watched this film manytimes.
And my husband just, I just lovethat.
Kristen O'Meara (21:34):
So beautiful.
Suzanne Gibson Foy (21:36):
And my husband is like, you know, let's
do it again.
And I said, on the one hand, Ithink you're mad.
But on the other hand.
We have unfinished business.
So two years later, we did itagain, same route.
(21:57):
Um, but being, I'm going to sayslightly more sensible, but only
slightly, this is, you know, howlong does it take you to learn a
lesson?
So there's, there's severalbooks about the Camino and with
all the maps and how to walk it.
And, um, There's a really commonone, which I think is excellent.
I've got it here.
The John Brierley one.
(22:18):
Okay.
I've seen that.
Um, yeah, when I was goingthrough my Amazon.
It's the most used one and it isexcellent, Kristen, and he does
it in 33 days.
Kristen O'Meara (22:29):
Oh, wow.
Suzanne Gibson Foy (22:30):
Okay.
And so, and so we did it.
in 27.
So the second time we did it, Ilaughing because I was really, I
see it starts off fine and then,you know, then I just got really
miserable and I got reallymiserable because I can remember
(22:56):
one place in particular wherethe earth is kind of really red,
real red orange, and you leavethis town, uh, called, uh,
Puente la Arena, beautiful,beautiful medieval bridge.
You leave the town and then youstart walking up this hill
that's like that, which Most ofthem are and you've got this
(23:17):
blue sky above you and your noseis like two foot from the ground
as you're Walking up this hilland I just thought what am I
doing?
I can't even look up to see thesky.
I'm just, you know, focused onnot tripping and not, oh, and I
(23:39):
just, I had a bit of a fit withmyself, Kristen.
Um, and I think it's one ofthose things I then started
into, you know, why do I makelife so hard for myself?
Why do I keep creating this kindof struggle?
You don't, it doesn't need to bethat.
Why do I make it so difficult?
And that kind of, you know,starts off that inner journey
(24:01):
of, Of that Camino was.
That was one of the realizationsof just, you just keep walking.
One foot in front of the other,one foot in front of the other,
no matter how hard it is.
You just, one foot in front ofthe other, that's all you focus
on.
And you can, you can keep going.
Kristen O'Meara (24:22):
Oh, I'm so sorry to interrupt.
I just got excited.
It reminds me of what you wroteon your website about
resistance.
So it's almost like I canimagine because it would be hard
for me.
I'm not in shape.
I have injuries and I imaginedoing this, this journey and
(24:45):
walking at such a steep inclineAnd also wanting to enjoy where
you are or where I am say, I canimagine fighting with that, with
that Hill and being inresistance to one more step.
(25:07):
Darn it.
I just want to look, I want tolook and enjoy.
And isn't this a, also a holidayand, but.
It's like a letting go and anacceptance of, of where you are.
I imagine.
Absolutely.
Suzanne Gibson Foy (25:21):
And I think each, each community that I've
done has been difficult in itsown way, partly because of the,
you know, the, the, Partlybecause of my logistics of how
far we can walk, which is alwayswhat I've set, nobody else.
(25:42):
And although I've always builtdays in, I've each, apart from a
couple of times, I've had tokeep rescheduling it.
So my days off disappear as Itry to make, make the walk more
reasonable.
So it ends up that, you know, nodays off.
Well, you've had one day off.
on each of them.
(26:03):
Um, but, but the resistance, andthat's so the right word,
Kristen, because, because we goin the summer, we usually go
July or August, and it getsreally hot, you know, by one
o'clock, it's going to be 30degrees, sometimes, sometimes
higher.
Kristen O'Meara (26:20):
And
Suzanne Gibson Foy (26:22):
walking in that becomes miserable.
So you have to get up early, getout on the road early, sometimes
in the dark because it doesn'tget light there.
Until gone seven in the morning.
So if you're going to startwalking at six, you need a
torch.
Um, and that was this kind ofbreaking down.
(26:44):
I think, I think there werethree, maybe more things that
over time, really, I came toenjoy.
One was you have to get upearly.
You have to.
And I, I, I hated that at first,you know, going to bed.
I don't get to bed at nineo'clock so I can get up at five
(27:05):
o'clock so I can be out on theroad for 5.
30.
You know, why am I doing this?
But in the end, I loved that.
And food, you know, The Spanish,they don't really get going
until eight o'clock in themorning.
So you're not, you're not goingto get breakfast, you're not
going to get, yeah, you're notgoing to get breakfast unless,
(27:28):
you know, something's been leftover from the night before.
So I was very much a three meala day, nibble person and, and I
would say by the end of eighth,maybe even the last one,
actually, maybe the last one bythe end of last year, I'd come
into being a one meal a dayperson.
(27:50):
Oh, that's a radical shift.
Um, you know, from someone whowould get grumpy with low sugar
and all of that.
Um, yeah, I got through that andthat.
Then that's the Camino that didthat.
Absolutely.
Kristen O'Meara (28:07):
Wow.
Suzanne Gibson Foy (28:08):
Absolutely.
So I'm not always a one meal aday person, but I can, but I can
be.
Right.
That's the thing.
I can, and at home normally Ijust would have two meals, don't
have three meals anymore athome.
Kristen O'Meara (28:21):
Do you feel that there's a resiliency?
I, I imagine an inner and a, aphysical resiliency that builds.
Because of the pilgrimage you'reon for whatever reason,
everyone's got their own reason,but for the extent that you're
putting in this, this energy,you know, you're, you're going
(28:44):
every day walking so much that.
I, I, I can see it just beingalmost like an athlete training
where you just have to let goof, of these expectations that
you would have and, um, and, andaccept that, okay, a meal,
(29:05):
you're not going to have themeal.
And it's like this, almost likea, I see this ping pong kind of
like, you know, aware, beingaware of it and let, trying to
let it go, or maybe even nottrying, but, um, Yeah.
Coming into that acceptance ofthree, we're going to have three
hours of walking and there's notgoing to be a breakfast for me.
(29:26):
I get really frustrated when I'mnot, when I'm hungry, like food
is really important to me, butfor everyone, of course, but I
really, um, I used to get reallyhungry.
Yeah.
It gets, it activates a very,uh, old wounding for me.
And, yeah.
Suzanne Gibson Foy (29:46):
Absolutely.
So that food was a big theme, abig theme.
And, um, I think if I'd havejust done one Camino, that would
not have been solved if youlike.
So it's, it's doing the manythat has, has changed my
relationship with food and And,and I quite like that.
(30:11):
I think that's a good thing.
And I, and I actually like thediscipline of the Camino.
Whereas, whereas the first two,I really resisted it, really
resisted it.
I wanted to, I didn't want tobe, um, you know, constrained so
much by time.
And I think that's partly, youknow, having taught for many
(30:31):
years, when you are by the bell.
All the time you are ruled by avery strict timetable and you're
ruined by the bell and you're,you know, you're training people
to, what you're teaching peopleto sit exams.
So you have a daily bells, butyou've also got through the
year, you've got, you know,specific points that you're very
(30:53):
constrained by.
So I think I wanted to go onholiday and, you know, be free.
So I found it really I didn'twant to do it,
Kristen O'Meara (31:05):
but
Suzanne Gibson Foy (31:05):
in the end, and I think this is, this is
the, you know, the spiritualpart of it, the same when, you
know, you look at any religiouspractices with prayer and
meditation, it starts off withperhaps a desire, then it
doesn't go how you want to, soyou don't want to do it, and
(31:27):
then you have to do it, and thenyou come to okay, you grudgingly
trudge through it, and then fromtrudging you start to enjoy it,
and then you start to lookforward to do it, and then you,
then you, you need to do it foryour own inner well being.
So I think the walking is thesame as a meditation practice, a
(31:50):
prayer practice, this whole, arelationship that we have with,
with God.
It, it is this dance ofsomething I want and I don't
want and I don't want it on yourterms, I want it on my terms.
You can't have it on your terms,you have to surrender.
So there is this, this dancethat gets played out through the
(32:14):
physicality of the Camino.
Kristen O'Meara (32:17):
Oh, wow.
And so I, I imagine, and Iremember you writing about more
specifically about your lasttime, but every time you go, I
love what you said that, You'renot the same person, even though
you're going perhaps maybe inthe same, um, starting on the
(32:39):
same path.
I know you've done itdifferently because all paths
lead to, to the church, to thecathedral.
Okay.
Yeah.
So you, you're going perhapsthrough the same terrain, but
you're not the same.
No.
Suzanne Gibson Foy (32:51):
I would love to hear
Kristen O'Meara (32:53):
about that self reflection.
Well, do
Suzanne Gibson Foy (32:55):
you know, I think what was really
interesting because the last,last year when we did it, it was
probably, I'm going to say it'sthe hardest, but that's not
true.
It was as hard as one of theearlier ones, particularly
because Kristen, I was reallyunfit.
And
Kristen O'Meara (33:14):
I've
Suzanne Gibson Foy (33:15):
gained a lot of weight over the last couple
of years because we hadn't beenduring COVID.
We booked it and had to cancel,booked it and canceled
Kristen O'Meara (33:23):
it.
Suzanne Gibson Foy (33:24):
So yeah, so we hadn't done it for a while.
And I was really, um, Yeah.
a bit heavy.
Yeah.
And it made it very hard, madeit hard.
And, and again, you see,Kristen, I'd stupidly had us
doing doubles here and one and ahalf there in terms of the
distances.
(33:45):
So again, I had to reschedule itand, and scale it back.
So it was, it was tough, but Ithink, I think what was very
different.
Is, is the expectation of it andI took, I took a lot of books
(34:06):
with me on my Kindle and, and Iread a lot and I took it as a
time of the walking.
The first half was hard.
And then after that, you know,again, the body.
was much better and I'd lost, Ilost a bit of weight, thank
goodness.
So the walking got easier and Iread, I just read and I read,
(34:32):
um, and it was, you know, a realtime for just, just reading and,
and having space rather thanjust collapsing in a heap, being
exhausted.
It was the having space to readthese other, you know, these
spiritual writers and to, and tojust, yeah, to take stock.
(35:02):
But it was hard and, and Ithink, I suppose the doing it
over the time span, and I knowthat we'll probably do it again
next year, and it's then thetaking into account your age
and, yeah, changes.
So it's being kind of realistic.
(35:22):
It's being realistic, isn't it?
That's the thing.
Kristen O'Meara (35:26):
Well, and I think that's, I can relate so
much to what you're saying.
When I, when I apply it tocaregiving, cause I have a, a
teenager on the autism spectrumand I'm taking care of my mother
in the home.
We all live together and I gothrough almost my own, um,
(35:47):
Camino in a way where sometimesI feel like my wings are
clipped.
I, I'm in a situation where Ihave to really.
Accept that I'm doing certainthings that are perhaps, uh,
repetitive and exhausting and,but when I step back and through
(36:17):
a practice, like what you'resaying of that, uh, mindfulness
or meditation or prayer, howeverI can connect, I have to.
Look at my experiencedifferently and, and know that
even though I may want to gotake a week away or have more
(36:39):
time for myself, the spiritualaspect of, of.
Connecting and being with myfamily, um, is more important
and I have to see myself andthem as spiritual beings to
like, it has to, it needs toeclipse the, oh my gosh, you
(37:02):
know, the toilets clogged andAustin's having a hard time, you
know, putting too much toiletpaper in the, you know, it's
just that thing where it's just,it's happening constantly.
And, and, um, It's always anopportunity for me, as hard as
it can be, to help me change myperspective.
Suzanne Gibson Foy (37:25):
I think that's the bigger thing.
I think it is the, the, theletting go of certain
expectations that obviously arenot just to do with the Camino,
that are much more about, aboutthe bigger picture.
In your own life, you know, thedisappointments are tied up with
(37:50):
expectation, aren't they really?
So once you, once you start tolet go of expectations and the
idea of how things should be,then your perspective actually
changes.
Yes.
And the more you, you know, themore you align to that inner
(38:12):
power.
I can remember one Camino and itwas, um, it was a really short,
it was a short one actually.
It must have been 2015 when wejust did what's called the
English route and it's onlyabout five days.
It's about 120 kilometers, butit's about five days and
there's, it's not a route thatmany people do.
(38:33):
So there's not many facilities.
on that route at all.
Um, and it's, so it was quitetough.
There weren't many, you know,weren't many places to grab a
coffee or to sit down.
And, and I just remember on thatone, because of things that had
happened in my own life, I juston that one got to the point
(38:57):
where I just, I justsurrendered.
I just surrendered.
And it is a kind of, as long as,as long as I serve you.
That's all that matters in thisworld.
And so there was a big, Isuppose that was the movement
from, I want it on my terms to,okay, I'll have it on your
(39:21):
terms.
And that was a big, big shift,
Kristen O'Meara (39:27):
a big shift.
Did your trips to, on theCamino, did they help you in
your development, uh, as amedium and as a teacher?
Suzanne Gibson Foy (39:39):
I, I think it, it's that, that big, as I
talked about, you know, it's thedance that you do between this
is what I want.
You know, I want to be a medium.
I want to be a tutor at thecollege.
I want it to be this way intothe, into the letting go of that
(40:00):
completely and moving into,well, if it's your will.
Okay.
I will be there.
So, so I think there's that onthe one hand, but the other,
Kristen, more and more, I wouldsay I now see, and it's not very
popular view, but I now seemediumship as a by product of
(40:25):
the relationship between betweenus as individuals and our
spiritual self
Kristen O'Meara (40:33):
and
Suzanne Gibson Foy (40:36):
those who work with us and God.
And I think our mediumship is abyproduct of that and a
reflection of that.
So while mediumship has been atthe center of my world for a
long time, um, and it still isat the center of my world, my
(40:57):
way of approaching it.
is different.
It's almost like my mediumshipsits on the side and all the
other stuff is what's important.
And my mediumship changes,changes as I change.
As I change and my energychanges, my mediumship
Kristen O'Meara (41:17):
changes.
So, so let me understand.
So what you're saying is, isthat your connection, your
communication, your spiritualself connecting with, and having
a relationship with God, withspirit is paramount.
And the mediumship is just this,uh, experience or, uh, avenue or
(41:41):
path or a way, but you don'tmaybe, and I'm, I'm guessing, I
don't want to put words in yourmouth, but you don't necessarily
need it.
Is that, is that what
Suzanne Gibson Foy (41:52):
it is?
I'm not saying that I disagreedto it, I'm saying that I'm
saying that needed
Kristen O'Meara (41:57):
to communicate or to connect or yeah,
Suzanne Gibson Foy (42:00):
I'm saying my mediumship changes as I
change and I change because ofall of those other things.
Kristen O'Meara (42:10):
I see.
So that's where the byproductcome in.
Your mediumship changes.
Yeah.
As you change.
So it's not the stagnant.
I do this and I, you know, itgoes this way.
Suzanne Gibson Foy (42:24):
And I, and I would say then your mediumship
is a reflection of your ownrelationship with, with your own
spirit and God and the spiritworld.
So, oh, yes.
Do you see what I mean?
So it's no longer I'm trying toachieve x, y, and z.
It's more that I do these thingsand the result is that my
(42:48):
mediumship's better.
Kristen O'Meara (42:50):
Yes.
I totally agree with that.
Oh, yeah.
I feel that.
And let me see if I understandyou because I think what you're
saying is so important.
I really want to get it.
Every time I go to ArthurFinley, kind of like what you're
describing with the Camino.
It's the same place.
The teachers seem, you know,many of them are the same.
(43:10):
Even the courses can be similar.
But every time I go, I'mdifferent.
My mediumship is different.
I've experienced a lot of thingsup until the year before.
I'm trusting more.
I'm letting go more.
I'm able to connect more and myexperiences are are different.
(43:34):
They're clearer.
I trust more and I haveexperiences that I, I wouldn't
have been able to have per sethan the year before.
Is that kind of what you'resaying?
Yeah.
Suzanne Gibson Foy (43:49):
Yeah,
Kristen O'Meara (43:50):
absolutely.
Suzanne Gibson Foy (43:51):
So yeah, so there has to be an inner journey
taking place for your mediumshipto come into its potential and
to keep evolving.
There has to be an inner journeyand a willingness to undergo
(44:13):
that inner journey, which meanssometimes you do things that
feel like it's taking you awayfrom your mediumship, but it
isn't.
You're just doing, you know, aslight, you're going off route
slightly, but you'll come backon and you'll be, you'll be
stronger.
(44:35):
Oh, I love that.
So there is that, that sense ofsometimes you get pulled away
deliberately because of thechanges that are going to take
place within you so that whenyou return to your mediumship
You know, something has changedor something, something, yeah,
something will be more beautifulcan happen.
(44:56):
So to me, mediumship is alwaysabout the mystery of life.
And in a way with mediumship,we're trying to demystify it.
But as you know, that what wetalked about beforehand, they
keep showing us.
They keep showing us that it isall about the mystery of life.
(45:21):
And so as you, as you unfoldyourself and you let go of all
the kind of human expectationswe have, you know, that's the
stripping away, isn't it?
The stripping away is of allthe, all the material and what
goes with that material andpsychological expectations that
(45:42):
we have, all of that getsstripped away.
And you're just, you getstripped to the core in that
sense.
And it's within that, that you,that the spirit in a way becomes
stronger because you have tosurrender to it.
You have to surrender to it.
You're not in control anymore.
That's, that's the point whereyou recognize you're not really
(46:03):
in control here.
So there's a That's been thehardest
Kristen O'Meara (46:07):
for me to learn, is the surrendering.
And I can imagine you on theCamino so many times just doing
just that, but in a differentway.
I, I just, I, I admire you somuch for, for all of the trips
that you've taken there.
(46:28):
And, and, um, it's so inspiring.
It really is.
Suzanne Gibson Foy (46:37):
Well, there are, there are times when it is,
it is so beautiful and it's so,you know, wonderful to be doing
it.
Wonderful to be alive.
And then you think you're justso lucky to be in a position
where you can do it.
Kristen O'Meara (46:54):
Yes.
Oh gosh.
I can't wait to go.
I just can't wait to go.
Well, thank you so much forsharing time with me and us and,
um, I just really appreciate it.
And I appreciate you.
And I hope one day I can get toArthur Finlay and take a class
(47:17):
with you.
Suzanne Gibson Foy (47:19):
That would be lovely, Kristen.
And just before I go, I have to,I have somebody sitting next to
me that I have to show youbecause it's just funny.
So this is, if I can lift him,so this is St.
James.
Oh, I love that.
Who sits by my fireplace.
(47:39):
And this is, uh, St.
James that you probably won'tfind one like this.
Because this was from the firstCamino.
And I found him in a shop, andthe shop seller did not want to
sell him.
And, um, and we left that place,but then of course we hired a
car and we went back and, youknow, he was for sale.
(48:04):
So I didn't barter.
I offered the full price.
So the shopkeeper had to partwith him because he's not a mass
produced one.
I think he's a properly,properly carved one.
But the joke is, Kristen, thatthat my husband then, when we
started the Camino again, myhusband had to carry this.
(48:30):
I don't think it's light.
No, it's over a stone, so it'sover 15 pounds.
Oh my gosh.
He carried this.
About 200 miles.
Oh
Kristen O'Meara (48:45):
my
Suzanne Gibson Foy (48:45):
gosh.
Kristen O'Meara (48:46):
Oh my gosh.
Suzanne Gibson Foy (48:47):
In his rucksack.
Sometimes on his trailer, othertimes in the rucksack.
Kristen O'Meara (48:55):
So special.
And I know folks can, can GoogleSt.
James, but before we go, I dowant to, I'm going to share with
everyone how to get in touchwith you.
If they want to learn more aboutyou and your thoughts about the
Camino and your offerings, butcan you share just a little bit
about St.
James before we wrap up?
Suzanne Gibson Foy (49:17):
Well, I can't share a visual because I'm
not from a Christian background,but yes, James is one of the
apostles and he is believed tobe buried at Santiago.
Yes.
So, so when you get to Santiago,you can I don't know if they can
do it anymore, but you used tobe able to go into where he is
(49:38):
and to put your hands on thestatue above him and to, to give
your thanks, your gratitude, allyour prayers, which just before
they started to, um, do a lot ofwork on the cathedral, I, I did.
And as I, I put my hands on the,on the head where so many other
hands have been, I just feltthis beautiful presence.
(50:02):
Oh, you did.
Oh, wow.
I'm not saying who it was, butjust a beautiful presence.
Um, and it was, it waswonderful.
So yeah, so James, one of theapostles, he goes off to spread
the word.
The word,
Kristen O'Meara (50:19):
yeah.
Suzanne Gibson Foy (50:20):
So he goes off to spread the word and ends
up allegedly in Galicia.
Kristen O'Meara (50:26):
Yes,
Suzanne Gibson Foy (50:27):
takes his way across from
Kristen O'Meara (50:28):
Galicia.
Oh, that's so special.
Well, everyone.
I've had two spiritualassessments with Suzanne.
She's amazing.
Amazing.
I highly encourage you to checkout her offerings.
She offers mediumship readings,spiritual assessments, and
(50:50):
mentorship courses.
And dream analysis, which isamazing.
So her website is SuzanneGibson, foy.
uk, and I'll have it in the shownotes.
Please check out Arthur Finleycollege.
She's teaching quite a bit thisyear and thank you so much.
(51:12):
Thank you.
Thank you.
Thank you for having me.
Been a pleasure.
Hello everyone.
(00:01):
And welcome to intuition talks.
I am Kristen O'Meara.
And today I have the pleasure ofspeaking with Suzanne Gibson
Foy.
Suzanne hails from England andis a tutor at Arthur Finley
College teaching courses inmediumship and spiritual
(00:21):
development.
Suzanne is also apsychotherapist.
She combines her spiritualtraining and development with
psychotherapy to help herclients release psychological
and relational blockages thatimpede spiritual development and
the development of mediumship.
(00:44):
As some of you know, I havetaken many courses at Arthur
Finley College, and I considerit a home away from home.
I first reached out to Suzannetwo years ago for a spiritual
assessment because something wasblocking my ability to let go
and trust more in mycommunication with the spirit
(01:07):
world.
It was a wonderful experienceworking with Suzanne.
She connected with my spiritguides and loved ones on the
other side and helped me seemyself in a different light.
and trust the path that I wason.
So I discovered afterwards thatSuzanne has walked the Camino de
(01:31):
Santiago in Europe seven times.
Last year, she walked the CaminoFrancis from St.
Jean Pied de Port, which is 500miles.
or 800 kilometers or 1.
15 million steps over the monthof August.
(01:54):
So if you're not familiar withthe Camino de Santiago, it is a
historic pilgrimage dating backto the 9th century It is
believed that the remains of theApostle Saint James rest in the
Cathedral of Santiago deCompostela in Spain.
(02:14):
So all paths on the Camino leadto the Cathedral.
And it's a spectacular homage toSt.
James, which translates to St.
James of the Field of Stars.
So I was so curious aboutSuzanne's spiritual adventures
on the Camino that I asked herto join me today.
(02:39):
Hello, Suzanne.
Thank you for joining us.
How are you?
Suzanne Gibson Foy (02:43):
Hi, Kristen.
I'm well and um, it's such a,it's a real pleasure to be here
and to come and talk about this
Kristen O'Meara (02:50):
subject.
Yes, yes.
I have been dreaming aboutwalking the Camino for a long
time and I have this Amazon cartfilled with stuff from my
research.
So one day I hope to go and Ihave a who's getting ready to
go.
So I, I just want to let folksknow, and I'll put it in the
(03:13):
show notes, um, the details ofhow to, uh, go to Suzanne's
website, but there you talkabout your last trip on the
Camino and you describe it as abreaking down and rebuilding or
(03:34):
building up process.
So I thought it would be nicefor you to share with us.
Perhaps what led you to takemaybe your first walk on the
Camino and a little bit moreabout this breaking down and
(03:55):
building up process.
Suzanne Gibson Foy (03:58):
Okay, so, um, so, Kristen, I have, I can't
talk about the Camino withoutmentioning my husband, who
Kristen O'Meara (04:08):
is
Suzanne Gibson Foy (04:08):
a key part of the Camino experience,
because we were watching thefilm, the Martin Sheen film, The
Way.
Yes, I've seen it.
Kristen O'Meara (04:18):
Yeah.
Suzanne Gibson Foy (04:19):
Yeah.
It just kind of, now I didn'tknow this.
So we were watching this in theChristmas of 2011.
So it had just come out and sowe were sitting at home watching
it and, and my, my husband wasvery emotional watching it and
he just said, you know, shall wedo it?
(04:39):
And I looked at him and I said,are you mad?
Are you mad?
I can't walk 500 miles and, um.
He kind of said, well, why, whydon't, why don't we try?
And it was a, it was a big year,Kristen, because the summer
2012, I'd already decided atthat point I was leaving my job.
(05:01):
I was head of history, uh, in aprivate school.
And I was leaving that summer topursue work as a private
psychotherapist, but also tocreate the opportunity for more
mediumistic work, which Icouldn't do if I was in a tied
full time position.
So we decided that we would kindof tie all these things
(05:24):
together.
It would be the end of my, uh,kind of teaching career in terms
of teaching teenagers.
Uh, so that would be coming to aclose and it would be welcoming
in this new life.
And.
I could take five weeks offbecause, you know, this, uh,
summer holidays.
So I said, yes.
(05:46):
And, and the reason I said yes,mostly was because my background
is a medieval historian.
So it was, I
Kristen O'Meara (05:54):
read that you were medievalist and I was like,
Oh, I have to ask her what thatmeans.
Yeah.
Suzanne Gibson Foy (05:59):
So, so my first degree, which is in
history was 90 percent of it.
80, 90 percent of it wasmedieval history, medieval
European history, English andFrench in particular, a bit of
Spanish.
So my desire to do it was reallybased on, on the buildings,
(06:21):
because I love the buildings andI love churches.
So that was why I wanted to doit because I wanted, yes, the
religious aspect of it very muchso, and the walking through
history.
The touching of all thesewonderful places.
So I said yes.
(06:41):
And the other reason, and thisis just funny really, my husband
never likes going away.
So the idea that he's actuallyoffering, saying let's go away
for four weeks.
I thought if I say no to this,I'll never have a, have an offer
of a holiday again.
So I took it.
We went in July, we went, Ifinished school on, it would
(07:01):
have been something like, youknow, the 10th of July,
something like that.
And then the next day we wereoff.
We did lots of planning.
Um, my husband, I kind ofplanned the route, the logistics
of, of, uh, you know, thetravel, how we would get there,
where we would stay, how far wewould walk.
(07:22):
I did all of that.
And my husband did the, Theequipment side of things.
I'm just laughing because I tellyou what, every Camino we've
done, there's always beensomething slightly disastrous
about it, one way or another.
And, We prepared equipment wise,um, I didn't have time to do
(07:46):
any, any physical trainingbecause I was coming to the end
of my job and I was working sohard.
I think I went for one walk inthe park.
And I think the park was aboutthree miles round.
So, you know, so I walked itfive times.
So I had 15 miles under my belt.
Yeah.
That was it.
(08:08):
But the joke of it is, Krystal,and I have to share it, because,
because you learn things andthen, and then you unlearn them.
So then you make the samemistake again and then you
think, I can't believe I've justmade the same mistake again.
So this first time, Krystal, myhusband has an old shoulder
injury, so he thought that hecouldn't carry a rucksack.
(08:32):
Um, somebody who makes trailersfor walking the mountains found
them in Germany.
Really?
Yeah.
So this is like, so this 2012,so he found someone who
specifically makes trailers andyou can measure yourself up and
they measure them kind of foryou.
So we spent around a thousandpounds.
(08:53):
on this amazing trailer.
Um, and then we started to thinkof what we would need.
And, you know, just in casewe're just in case people,
Kristen, so just in case itrained, just in case there was
no food, Jim would need to cook,you know, just in case.
So the the tripod went, cameraswent, cooking equipment went,
(09:15):
um, it's sleeping bag went.
Anyway, we arrived and um, youknow, the getting there, it's
not an easy place to get to St.
John.
You can't get there directly.
So however you get there, it's,it's going to be tricky.
It's either going to be severaltrain rides or planes and trains
(09:38):
and whatever.
It's not easy.
But we set out on the firstmorning, my husband with his,
and my husband's called Carlos.
So, you know, he's half Spanish,doesn't speak Spanish, but he's
half Spanish.
So he has a love of Spain, whichat the time I'd never been to
Spain.
So I didn't, I didn't have thatmyself.
(09:58):
So we set off with him, with histrailer.
And you set off and you kind of,you're in the Pyrenees, and you
come out of Saint Jean, whichis, I mean, it's beautiful, it
is so beautiful, I could havespent days there.
And it's in, in France, it's,it's beautiful, it's in the
mountains, it's, there's lots ofNapoleonic, um, Defenses there.
(10:23):
It's just beautiful.
Anyway, so we set off to thePyrenees
Kristen O'Meara (10:28):
with
Suzanne Gibson Foy (10:28):
a trailer
Kristen O'Meara (10:29):
and Can you just tell me, the trailer, is he
pulling it?
How is the trailer working?
It kind of works around thewaist.
Oh, I see, so he pulls it fromhis waist.
He
Suzanne Gibson Foy (10:40):
pulls it from, it sits on the hips, yeah.
Ah, okay.
But we had it, you know,overloaded, Kristen.
I mean, it was a joke.
It was literally, it wasliterally beyond overloaded.
And people were laughing as wewalked by, you know.
They
Kristen O'Meara (10:58):
were
Suzanne Gibson Foy (10:59):
like,
Kristen O'Meara (11:00):
look, we're not going to go hungry on this trip.
Suzanne Gibson Foy (11:02):
But we didn't have any food with us.
You know, you look at the mapand there's one place to stop on
the day one, one place.
And it's only seven kilometersalong, which is about four
miles.
And I just thought, I don'tbelieve it.
I thought, I don't believethere's only one place.
So I didn't believe it, but itwas true.
(11:26):
So, so we're going up, you know,going up a mountain, which is,
it's on the road to begin with.
And then you come off the roadand you're on the grass.
Um, But it was tough.
And then we had a disastrousfirst day.
You know, we set off at seven inthe morning.
It's about roughly 25kilometers.
It's about 18 miles.
(11:47):
Um, and it's up and up and downand up and down and up and down
and up through a forest, whichis a nightmare.
It's a nightmare.
Um, And I think in the forestyou come down.
Pretty steep.
It was just, we arrived at ourdestination at 9 o'clock at
night.
(12:08):
So we've been 14 hours.
I'm laughing because it was themost horrendous experience.
We were in 14 hours, we arrivedat this place, unbeknownst, I
had been very silly.
I brought walking shoes that,that, that, um, seemed to fit my
foot.
And of course, walking for 14hours, my foot had doubled in
(12:28):
size, but my shoe hadn't.
So, So I won't be too graphic,but I lost, I think, three
toenails on day one, and wedidn't have any food.
So we arrived at nine o'clock atnight and we got to the
reception place and, um, youknow, They weren't very
(12:51):
interested, they were answeringthe phone, doing this and doing
that.
And I just burst into tears.
I just burst into tears.
It was, it
Kristen O'Meara (12:59):
was all
Suzanne Gibson Foy (13:00):
too much.
Kristen O'Meara (13:02):
And then I'm sure, are you thinking like, how
am I going to continue weekafter week?
Because that was your
Suzanne Gibson Foy (13:07):
Well, my, my husband was, I have to say, was
like, I don't want to do this.
That was him.
I don't want to do this.
Whereas I was actually You know,no, come on, come on.
We can do this.
We've, you know, we've, we'regoing to do it.
It was set in my mind.
We were going to do it.
Um, and that night my feet hurtso much.
(13:29):
I couldn't sleep.
I was just in agony all night.
And then the next day we threw,you know, we left in the hotel.
That's the other thing I need tomention, you know, in the hotel,
we left an erect camera tripod,sleeping bags.
Cooking equipment.
You know, we left about 500worth of equipment.
(13:49):
Um, we set off the next day, butI think, you know, most people
when they do the Camino,Kristen, they, they tend to
think of doing it that they'regoing to stay in hostels, which
are called, um, Orberg's, andthey're going to really, you
know, be very, very basic andbeing dormitories and we were
never going to do that.
(14:10):
We were always going to do.
Nice buildings, when possible,because it's not always
possible, but when possible,nice buildings, historic
buildings, nice places, um, andhave some quality time.
Because, you know, I was naive,I was, I thought I was having a
holiday.
Right.
And that I was going to see allthese magnificent sites and walk
(14:35):
as well.
And so, And so the next day,right, I dragged, come on, come
on, I said to my husband, we'regoing to do this.
Um, but he didn't want to do it.
And we walked, we probablywalked about seven miles the
next day.
And day two on the Camino, um,you've come down the Pyrenees.
Oh, it's beautiful.
It's still, I think to me, themost beautiful day.
(15:01):
on the Camino.
The scenery is beautiful.
The smells are wonderful.
Um, the villages are just,they're so pretty.
There's cows everywhere.
It smells, it's, you know,you've got the lush green grass
of, of the fields and you cansee the mountains in the
(15:22):
background.
It's beautiful.
Beautiful, absolutely beautiful.
Um, but we, we struggled and Ihave to say that first Camino
we, we did about, we must havedone about six days but we
really struggled and I had setthis itinerary, Kristen, that we
were gonna, you know, who needsto do one day at a time?
(15:46):
Well, I walk 25 kilometers ifyou can walk 40.
So I had these crazy, I hadthese crazy schedules, crazy
schedules.
And that, you know, you can lookat it as a breaking down, but
yeah, we had to really sit andsay, okay, what are we going to
do here?
Because we can't.
(16:07):
We can't do this the way thatwe've planned it we can't do it.
And, and I couldn't see all thebeautiful buildings that I
wanted to see.
And so the first Camino weactually after about five days
we quit.
Kristen O'Meara (16:21):
And
Suzanne Gibson Foy (16:23):
we hired a car and we went back to the
places we'd been and visited allthe places that I hadn't been
able to go to.
And, and then we drove toBurgos, beautiful city, we
stayed there.
And then we, We traded in thecar and we got back on the road
again, um, at Leon.
(16:45):
So we did kind of about, we didprobably, what would you say,
two thirds of the wholedistance?
With that, with that bit in themiddle on the car, but we had to
just start again.
And, and, you know, at the endof it, There's so much, so much
(17:06):
you learn the first time aroundthat you really don't need very
much at all.
You know, when I got home andyou look at all the stuff, you
just think, I just don't needthis stuff.
A lot of it I like, but I don'tneed it.
And I think that's the bigdifference of I like it, but I
(17:26):
don't need it.
I like it.
But if it went tomorrow, it's nolonger the end of it.
The world.
Kristen O'Meara (17:35):
If you don't mind, I just, I had a thought
of.
The movie, um, I don't rememberthe name.
It could have been called theway I think with Martin Sheen.
Um, and I don't want to giveaway too many spoilers, but
there is a point in the moviethat he, I think he loses his
backpack a couple times, right?
(17:56):
I think once it was stolen andit was returned perhaps and I
find that really interesting toobecause there was a process I
think for him that he didn'tneed all this stuff.
Absolutely.
You really, really
Suzanne Gibson Foy (18:09):
don't need it, you know, and I think that's
in a literal sense.
as well as the metaphoricalsense.
In the literal sense, you're notin the middle of nowhere.
There are, there are a few dayswhere you don't hit many towns
at all, but most of the timeyou're within Let's say seven to
(18:34):
ten miles of a town
Kristen O'Meara (18:35):
at
Suzanne Gibson Foy (18:37):
any one time.
So you can always get what youneed.
And yeah, you don't need tocarry so much stuff, either
physically or metaphorically.
So, so, you know, that firstCamino, when we got, when we got
home, um, you know, I, Or evenwhen we got to Santiago, I
(18:58):
thought never again.
I'm not doing that again.
So the first experience, I was abit disappointed because I had
wanted to walk the whole thing,but we couldn't do it the way
that I planned it.
And as I said, my husband wasquite, he wasn't really having
(19:19):
any of it until we, wereestablished.
And from then on, I think hereally enjoyed it.
But it is that what You do startto question, you know, what's
important, what, what do I need?
And one of the things thatreally struck me was that I, at
the start of it, I, I was unfit.
(19:40):
I hadn't done anything exercisewise for quite a while.
But in my youth, I was very fit.
And, and the body remembers.
And even just walking up thePyrenees when it was, you know,
It didn't, I didn't find it hardtill towards the end.
And I was like, this is amazing.
My body is just, you know, backinto feeling something, feeling
(20:05):
good.
And that was remarkable to methat having not really done
probably, at that point I was42, I probably hadn't done any
decent exercise for about 10years.
Yeah.
And the body, remembered.
And that was amazing.
And I, and I'd been reallyworried about a very badly
(20:28):
sprained ankle I'd had from myearly twenties.
And I just thought my foot is noway is that gonna, and it was,
it was fine.
And I went from walking in theseheavy boots to protect my ankle
and shoe.
And we ended up walking in, um,walking sandals.
So they're really flexible shoesand because you're going over
(20:52):
stones all the time and youknow, uncomfortable terrain, you
actually need flexibility andnot stiffness.
So I had these shoes that wereat least one size too big for
me, um, leather but reallyflexible and they had holes in
them so my feet could breathethe whole time and.
(21:12):
Oh, that's great.
So, you know, almost theopposite to what you expect it
to be.
What brought you to go again?
Your second time.
Oh, precisely.
So again, so got home thinkingno way.
And then we watched the filmagain.
We've watched this film manytimes.
And my husband just, I just lovethat.
Kristen O'Meara (21:34):
So beautiful.
Suzanne Gibson Foy (21:36):
And my husband is like, you know, let's
do it again.
And I said, on the one hand, Ithink you're mad.
But on the other hand.
We have unfinished business.
So two years later, we did itagain, same route.
(21:57):
Um, but being, I'm going to sayslightly more sensible, but only
slightly, this is, you know, howlong does it take you to learn a
lesson?
So there's, there's severalbooks about the Camino and with
all the maps and how to walk it.
And, um, There's a really commonone, which I think is excellent.
I've got it here.
The John Brierley one.
(22:18):
Okay.
I've seen that.
Um, yeah, when I was goingthrough my Amazon.
It's the most used one and it isexcellent, Kristen, and he does
it in 33 days.
Kristen O'Meara (22:29):
Oh, wow.
Suzanne Gibson Foy (22:30):
Okay.
And so, and so we did it.
in 27.
So the second time we did it, Ilaughing because I was really, I
see it starts off fine and then,you know, then I just got really
miserable and I got reallymiserable because I can remember
(22:56):
one place in particular wherethe earth is kind of really red,
real red orange, and you leavethis town, uh, called, uh,
Puente la Arena, beautiful,beautiful medieval bridge.
You leave the town and then youstart walking up this hill
that's like that, which Most ofthem are and you've got this
(23:17):
blue sky above you and your noseis like two foot from the ground
as you're Walking up this hilland I just thought what am I
doing?
I can't even look up to see thesky.
I'm just, you know, focused onnot tripping and not, oh, and I
(23:39):
just, I had a bit of a fit withmyself, Kristen.
Um, and I think it's one ofthose things I then started
into, you know, why do I makelife so hard for myself?
Why do I keep creating this kindof struggle?
You don't, it doesn't need to bethat.
Why do I make it so difficult?
And that kind of, you know,starts off that inner journey
(24:01):
of, Of that Camino was.
That was one of the realizationsof just, you just keep walking.
One foot in front of the other,one foot in front of the other,
no matter how hard it is.
You just, one foot in front ofthe other, that's all you focus
on.
And you can, you can keep going.
Kristen O'Meara (24:22):
Oh, I'm so sorry to interrupt.
I just got excited.
It reminds me of what you wroteon your website about
resistance.
So it's almost like I canimagine because it would be hard
for me.
I'm not in shape.
I have injuries and I imaginedoing this, this journey and
(24:45):
walking at such a steep inclineAnd also wanting to enjoy where
you are or where I am say, I canimagine fighting with that, with
that Hill and being inresistance to one more step.
(25:07):
Darn it.
I just want to look, I want tolook and enjoy.
And isn't this a, also a holidayand, but.
It's like a letting go and anacceptance of, of where you are.
I imagine.
Absolutely.
Suzanne Gibson Foy (25:21):
And I think each, each community that I've
done has been difficult in itsown way, partly because of the,
you know, the, the, Partlybecause of my logistics of how
far we can walk, which is alwayswhat I've set, nobody else.
(25:42):
And although I've always builtdays in, I've each, apart from a
couple of times, I've had tokeep rescheduling it.
So my days off disappear as Itry to make, make the walk more
reasonable.
So it ends up that, you know, nodays off.
Well, you've had one day off.
on each of them.
(26:03):
Um, but, but the resistance, andthat's so the right word,
Kristen, because, because we goin the summer, we usually go
July or August, and it getsreally hot, you know, by one
o'clock, it's going to be 30degrees, sometimes, sometimes
higher.
Kristen O'Meara (26:20):
And
Suzanne Gibson Foy (26:22):
walking in that becomes miserable.
So you have to get up early, getout on the road early, sometimes
in the dark because it doesn'tget light there.
Until gone seven in the morning.
So if you're going to startwalking at six, you need a
torch.
Um, and that was this kind ofbreaking down.
(26:44):
I think, I think there werethree, maybe more things that
over time, really, I came toenjoy.
One was you have to get upearly.
You have to.
And I, I, I hated that at first,you know, going to bed.
I don't get to bed at nineo'clock so I can get up at five
(27:05):
o'clock so I can be out on theroad for 5.
30.
You know, why am I doing this?
But in the end, I loved that.
And food, you know, The Spanish,they don't really get going
until eight o'clock in themorning.
So you're not, you're not goingto get breakfast, you're not
going to get, yeah, you're notgoing to get breakfast unless,
(27:28):
you know, something's been leftover from the night before.
So I was very much a three meala day, nibble person and, and I
would say by the end of eighth,maybe even the last one,
actually, maybe the last one bythe end of last year, I'd come
into being a one meal a dayperson.
(27:50):
Oh, that's a radical shift.
Um, you know, from someone whowould get grumpy with low sugar
and all of that.
Um, yeah, I got through that andthat.
Then that's the Camino that didthat.
Absolutely.
Kristen O'Meara (28:07):
Wow.
Suzanne Gibson Foy (28:08):
Absolutely.
So I'm not always a one meal aday person, but I can, but I can
be.
Right.
That's the thing.
I can, and at home normally Ijust would have two meals, don't
have three meals anymore athome.
Kristen O'Meara (28:21):
Do you feel that there's a resiliency?
I, I imagine an inner and a, aphysical resiliency that builds.
Because of the pilgrimage you'reon for whatever reason,
everyone's got their own reason,but for the extent that you're
putting in this, this energy,you know, you're, you're going
(28:44):
every day walking so much that.
I, I, I can see it just beingalmost like an athlete training
where you just have to let goof, of these expectations that
you would have and, um, and, andaccept that, okay, a meal,
(29:05):
you're not going to have themeal.
And it's like this, almost likea, I see this ping pong kind of
like, you know, aware, beingaware of it and let, trying to
let it go, or maybe even nottrying, but, um, Yeah.
Coming into that acceptance ofthree, we're going to have three
hours of walking and there's notgoing to be a breakfast for me.
(29:26):
I get really frustrated when I'mnot, when I'm hungry, like food
is really important to me, butfor everyone, of course, but I
really, um, I used to get reallyhungry.
Yeah.
It gets, it activates a very,uh, old wounding for me.
And, yeah.
Suzanne Gibson Foy (29:46):
Absolutely.
So that food was a big theme, abig theme.
And, um, I think if I'd havejust done one Camino, that would
not have been solved if youlike.
So it's, it's doing the manythat has, has changed my
relationship with food and And,and I quite like that.
(30:11):
I think that's a good thing.
And I, and I actually like thediscipline of the Camino.
Whereas, whereas the first two,I really resisted it, really
resisted it.
I wanted to, I didn't want tobe, um, you know, constrained so
much by time.
And I think that's partly, youknow, having taught for many
(30:31):
years, when you are by the bell.
All the time you are ruled by avery strict timetable and you're
ruined by the bell and you're,you know, you're training people
to, what you're teaching peopleto sit exams.
So you have a daily bells, butyou've also got through the
year, you've got, you know,specific points that you're very
(30:53):
constrained by.
So I think I wanted to go onholiday and, you know, be free.
So I found it really I didn'twant to do it,
Kristen O'Meara (31:05):
but
Suzanne Gibson Foy (31:05):
in the end, and I think this is, this is
the, you know, the spiritualpart of it, the same when, you
know, you look at any religiouspractices with prayer and
meditation, it starts off withperhaps a desire, then it
doesn't go how you want to, soyou don't want to do it, and
(31:27):
then you have to do it, and thenyou come to okay, you grudgingly
trudge through it, and then fromtrudging you start to enjoy it,
and then you start to lookforward to do it, and then you,
then you, you need to do it foryour own inner well being.
So I think the walking is thesame as a meditation practice, a
(31:50):
prayer practice, this whole, arelationship that we have with,
with God.
It, it is this dance ofsomething I want and I don't
want and I don't want it on yourterms, I want it on my terms.
You can't have it on your terms,you have to surrender.
So there is this, this dancethat gets played out through the
(32:14):
physicality of the Camino.
Kristen O'Meara (32:17):
Oh, wow.
And so I, I imagine, and Iremember you writing about more
specifically about your lasttime, but every time you go, I
love what you said that, You'renot the same person, even though
you're going perhaps maybe inthe same, um, starting on the
(32:39):
same path.
I know you've done itdifferently because all paths
lead to, to the church, to thecathedral.
Okay.
Yeah.
So you, you're going perhapsthrough the same terrain, but
you're not the same.
No.
Suzanne Gibson Foy (32:51):
I would love to hear
Kristen O'Meara (32:53):
about that self reflection.
Well, do
Suzanne Gibson Foy (32:55):
you know, I think what was really
interesting because the last,last year when we did it, it was
probably, I'm going to say it'sthe hardest, but that's not
true.
It was as hard as one of theearlier ones, particularly
because Kristen, I was reallyunfit.
And
Kristen O'Meara (33:14):
I've
Suzanne Gibson Foy (33:15):
gained a lot of weight over the last couple
of years because we hadn't beenduring COVID.
We booked it and had to cancel,booked it and canceled
Kristen O'Meara (33:23):
it.
Suzanne Gibson Foy (33:24):
So yeah, so we hadn't done it for a while.
And I was really, um, Yeah.
a bit heavy.
Yeah.
And it made it very hard, madeit hard.
And, and again, you see,Kristen, I'd stupidly had us
doing doubles here and one and ahalf there in terms of the
distances.
(33:45):
So again, I had to reschedule itand, and scale it back.
So it was, it was tough, but Ithink, I think what was very
different.
Is, is the expectation of it andI took, I took a lot of books
(34:06):
with me on my Kindle and, and Iread a lot and I took it as a
time of the walking.
The first half was hard.
And then after that, you know,again, the body.
was much better and I'd lost, Ilost a bit of weight, thank
goodness.
So the walking got easier and Iread, I just read and I read,
(34:32):
um, and it was, you know, a realtime for just, just reading and,
and having space rather thanjust collapsing in a heap, being
exhausted.
It was the having space to readthese other, you know, these
spiritual writers and to, and tojust, yeah, to take stock.
(35:02):
But it was hard and, and Ithink, I suppose the doing it
over the time span, and I knowthat we'll probably do it again
next year, and it's then thetaking into account your age
and, yeah, changes.
So it's being kind of realistic.
(35:22):
It's being realistic, isn't it?
That's the thing.
Kristen O'Meara (35:26):
Well, and I think that's, I can relate so
much to what you're saying.
When I, when I apply it tocaregiving, cause I have a, a
teenager on the autism spectrumand I'm taking care of my mother
in the home.
We all live together and I gothrough almost my own, um,
(35:47):
Camino in a way where sometimesI feel like my wings are
clipped.
I, I'm in a situation where Ihave to really.
Accept that I'm doing certainthings that are perhaps, uh,
repetitive and exhausting and,but when I step back and through
(36:17):
a practice, like what you'resaying of that, uh, mindfulness
or meditation or prayer, howeverI can connect, I have to.
Look at my experiencedifferently and, and know that
even though I may want to gotake a week away or have more
(36:39):
time for myself, the spiritualaspect of, of.
Connecting and being with myfamily, um, is more important
and I have to see myself andthem as spiritual beings to
like, it has to, it needs toeclipse the, oh my gosh, you
(37:02):
know, the toilets clogged andAustin's having a hard time, you
know, putting too much toiletpaper in the, you know, it's
just that thing where it's just,it's happening constantly.
And, and, um, It's always anopportunity for me, as hard as
it can be, to help me change myperspective.
Suzanne Gibson Foy (37:25):
I think that's the bigger thing.
I think it is the, the, theletting go of certain
expectations that obviously arenot just to do with the Camino,
that are much more about, aboutthe bigger picture.
In your own life, you know, thedisappointments are tied up with
(37:50):
expectation, aren't they really?
So once you, once you start tolet go of expectations and the
idea of how things should be,then your perspective actually
changes.
Yes.
And the more you, you know, themore you align to that inner
(38:12):
power.
I can remember one Camino and itwas, um, it was a really short,
it was a short one actually.
It must have been 2015 when wejust did what's called the
English route and it's onlyabout five days.
It's about 120 kilometers, butit's about five days and
there's, it's not a route thatmany people do.
(38:33):
So there's not many facilities.
on that route at all.
Um, and it's, so it was quitetough.
There weren't many, you know,weren't many places to grab a
coffee or to sit down.
And, and I just remember on thatone, because of things that had
happened in my own life, I juston that one got to the point
(38:57):
where I just, I justsurrendered.
I just surrendered.
And it is a kind of, as long as,as long as I serve you.
That's all that matters in thisworld.
And so there was a big, Isuppose that was the movement
from, I want it on my terms to,okay, I'll have it on your
(39:21):
terms.
And that was a big, big shift,
Kristen O'Meara (39:27):
a big shift.
Did your trips to, on theCamino, did they help you in
your development, uh, as amedium and as a teacher?
Suzanne Gibson Foy (39:39):
I, I think it, it's that, that big, as I
talked about, you know, it's thedance that you do between this
is what I want.
You know, I want to be a medium.
I want to be a tutor at thecollege.
I want it to be this way intothe, into the letting go of that
(40:00):
completely and moving into,well, if it's your will.
Okay.
I will be there.
So, so I think there's that onthe one hand, but the other,
Kristen, more and more, I wouldsay I now see, and it's not very
popular view, but I now seemediumship as a by product of
(40:25):
the relationship between betweenus as individuals and our
spiritual self
Kristen O'Meara (40:33):
and
Suzanne Gibson Foy (40:36):
those who work with us and God.
And I think our mediumship is abyproduct of that and a
reflection of that.
So while mediumship has been atthe center of my world for a
long time, um, and it still isat the center of my world, my
(40:57):
way of approaching it.
is different.
It's almost like my mediumshipsits on the side and all the
other stuff is what's important.
And my mediumship changes,changes as I change.
As I change and my energychanges, my mediumship
Kristen O'Meara (41:17):
changes.
So, so let me understand.
So what you're saying is, isthat your connection, your
communication, your spiritualself connecting with, and having
a relationship with God, withspirit is paramount.
And the mediumship is just this,uh, experience or, uh, avenue or
(41:41):
path or a way, but you don'tmaybe, and I'm, I'm guessing, I
don't want to put words in yourmouth, but you don't necessarily
need it.
Is that, is that what
Suzanne Gibson Foy (41:52):
it is?
I'm not saying that I disagreedto it, I'm saying that I'm
saying that needed
Kristen O'Meara (41:57):
to communicate or to connect or yeah,
Suzanne Gibson Foy (42:00):
I'm saying my mediumship changes as I
change and I change because ofall of those other things.
Kristen O'Meara (42:10):
I see.
So that's where the byproductcome in.
Your mediumship changes.
Yeah.
As you change.
So it's not the stagnant.
I do this and I, you know, itgoes this way.
Suzanne Gibson Foy (42:24):
And I, and I would say then your mediumship
is a reflection of your ownrelationship with, with your own
spirit and God and the spiritworld.
So, oh, yes.
Do you see what I mean?
So it's no longer I'm trying toachieve x, y, and z.
It's more that I do these thingsand the result is that my
(42:48):
mediumship's better.
Kristen O'Meara (42:50):
Yes.
I totally agree with that.
Oh, yeah.
I feel that.
And let me see if I understandyou because I think what you're
saying is so important.
I really want to get it.
Every time I go to ArthurFinley, kind of like what you're
describing with the Camino.
It's the same place.
The teachers seem, you know,many of them are the same.
(43:10):
Even the courses can be similar.
But every time I go, I'mdifferent.
My mediumship is different.
I've experienced a lot of thingsup until the year before.
I'm trusting more.
I'm letting go more.
I'm able to connect more and myexperiences are are different.
(43:34):
They're clearer.
I trust more and I haveexperiences that I, I wouldn't
have been able to have per sethan the year before.
Is that kind of what you'resaying?
Yeah.
Suzanne Gibson Foy (43:49):
Yeah,
Kristen O'Meara (43:50):
absolutely.
Suzanne Gibson Foy (43:51):
So yeah, so there has to be an inner journey
taking place for your mediumshipto come into its potential and
to keep evolving.
There has to be an inner journeyand a willingness to undergo
(44:13):
that inner journey, which meanssometimes you do things that
feel like it's taking you awayfrom your mediumship, but it
isn't.
You're just doing, you know, aslight, you're going off route
slightly, but you'll come backon and you'll be, you'll be
stronger.
(44:35):
Oh, I love that.
So there is that, that sense ofsometimes you get pulled away
deliberately because of thechanges that are going to take
place within you so that whenyou return to your mediumship
You know, something has changedor something, something, yeah,
something will be more beautifulcan happen.
(44:56):
So to me, mediumship is alwaysabout the mystery of life.
And in a way with mediumship,we're trying to demystify it.
But as you know, that what wetalked about beforehand, they
keep showing us.
They keep showing us that it isall about the mystery of life.
(45:21):
And so as you, as you unfoldyourself and you let go of all
the kind of human expectationswe have, you know, that's the
stripping away, isn't it?
The stripping away is of allthe, all the material and what
goes with that material andpsychological expectations that
(45:42):
we have, all of that getsstripped away.
And you're just, you getstripped to the core in that
sense.
And it's within that, that you,that the spirit in a way becomes
stronger because you have tosurrender to it.
You have to surrender to it.
You're not in control anymore.
That's, that's the point whereyou recognize you're not really
(46:03):
in control here.
So there's a That's been thehardest
Kristen O'Meara (46:07):
for me to learn, is the surrendering.
And I can imagine you on theCamino so many times just doing
just that, but in a differentway.
I, I just, I, I admire you somuch for, for all of the trips
that you've taken there.
(46:28):
And, and, um, it's so inspiring.
It really is.
Suzanne Gibson Foy (46:37):
Well, there are, there are times when it is,
it is so beautiful and it's so,you know, wonderful to be doing
it.
Wonderful to be alive.
And then you think you're justso lucky to be in a position
where you can do it.
Kristen O'Meara (46:54):
Yes.
Oh gosh.
I can't wait to go.
I just can't wait to go.
Well, thank you so much forsharing time with me and us and,
um, I just really appreciate it.
And I appreciate you.
And I hope one day I can get toArthur Finlay and take a class
(47:17):
with you.
Suzanne Gibson Foy (47:19):
That would be lovely, Kristen.
And just before I go, I have to,I have somebody sitting next to
me that I have to show youbecause it's just funny.
So this is, if I can lift him,so this is St.
James.
Oh, I love that.
Who sits by my fireplace.
(47:39):
And this is, uh, St.
James that you probably won'tfind one like this.
Because this was from the firstCamino.
And I found him in a shop, andthe shop seller did not want to
sell him.
And, um, and we left that place,but then of course we hired a
car and we went back and, youknow, he was for sale.
(48:04):
So I didn't barter.
I offered the full price.
So the shopkeeper had to partwith him because he's not a mass
produced one.
I think he's a properly,properly carved one.
But the joke is, Kristen, thatthat my husband then, when we
started the Camino again, myhusband had to carry this.
(48:30):
I don't think it's light.
No, it's over a stone, so it'sover 15 pounds.
Oh my gosh.
He carried this.
About 200 miles.
Oh
Kristen O'Meara (48:45):
my
Suzanne Gibson Foy (48:45):
gosh.
Kristen O'Meara (48:46):
Oh my gosh.
Suzanne Gibson Foy (48:47):
In his rucksack.
Sometimes on his trailer, othertimes in the rucksack.
Kristen O'Meara (48:55):
So special.
And I know folks can, can GoogleSt.
James, but before we go, I dowant to, I'm going to share with
everyone how to get in touchwith you.
If they want to learn more aboutyou and your thoughts about the
Camino and your offerings, butcan you share just a little bit
about St.
James before we wrap up?
Suzanne Gibson Foy (49:17):
Well, I can't share a visual because I'm
not from a Christian background,but yes, James is one of the
apostles and he is believed tobe buried at Santiago.
Yes.
So, so when you get to Santiago,you can I don't know if they can
do it anymore, but you used tobe able to go into where he is
(49:38):
and to put your hands on thestatue above him and to, to give
your thanks, your gratitude, allyour prayers, which just before
they started to, um, do a lot ofwork on the cathedral, I, I did.
And as I, I put my hands on the,on the head where so many other
hands have been, I just feltthis beautiful presence.
(50:02):
Oh, you did.
Oh, wow.
I'm not saying who it was, butjust a beautiful presence.
Um, and it was, it waswonderful.
So yeah, so James, one of theapostles, he goes off to spread
the word.
The word,
Kristen O'Meara (50:19):
yeah.
Suzanne Gibson Foy (50:20):
So he goes off to spread the word and ends
up allegedly in Galicia.
Kristen O'Meara (50:26):
Yes,
Suzanne Gibson Foy (50:27):
takes his way across from
Kristen O'Meara (50:28):
Galicia.
Oh, that's so special.
Well, everyone.
I've had two spiritualassessments with Suzanne.
She's amazing.
Amazing.
I highly encourage you to checkout her offerings.
She offers mediumship readings,spiritual assessments, and
(50:50):
mentorship courses.
And dream analysis, which isamazing.
So her website is SuzanneGibson, foy.
uk, and I'll have it in the shownotes.
Please check out Arthur Finleycollege.
She's teaching quite a bit thisyear and thank you so much.
(51:12):
Thank you.
Thank you.
Thank you for having me.
Been a pleasure.
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