The Walk for Homeopathy started on my 60th birthday in the North of Holland. There were several reasons for that: I got many invitations from Dutch homeopaths, the country is flat and they speak my language. Since nobody did a Walk like mine before, we had to invent how to do it along the way. And as I was going to walk into the winter, the idea was that Holland would be my pilot country. If that went well, I would continue and if not, I would round it up by the end of the year.
Christel Lombaerts, my former student , now the director of the Center of Homeopathy and my colleague in the practice, accepted to be the coordinator of The Walk. There couldn’t have been a better one. She created a blog with all the practical information, with pictures and a web shop. Anybody who would like to walk with me could see there on which day I was going to be where. She made reservations for trains, B&B’s and with people who wanted to organize a meeting, a seminar or wanted a consultation. Usually she knew better where I was going to be when, than I did.
In the North of Holland I followed a well-known hiking track, which goes all the way south. It’s about 500 km, of which I did almost half. There were days I walked alone and days others walked with me. I gave lectures and saw patients, most of the time with homeopaths sitting in. The weather was extremely mild and sunny, the heaths and woods beautiful. This all took off well.
The rug sack on my back though was problematic because I took my computer, GPS, camera , cables and adaptors. In short I was too heavy loaded. The second week after I weighted it, I understood why my knee and hips hurt and why my shoulders were bruised: 15 kilo! This was definitely too heavy in proportion to my weight! And I doubted whether I didn’t over estimate my physical capacities.
But I liked the hikes, and the meetings with people. Everywhere I was warmly received, there were meeting with locals groups of homeopaths, a few little articles in the new papers and many patients. I enjoyed the talks along the walk and getting to know new people or known people better.
It started to snow beginning of December and from then on it seemed that whenever I stuck my nose out the door, it started to snow. I’ve never seen so much snow in my live. It snowed in Belgium in January; it snowed in February and March in Germany. In the in between periods when I was home with husband, children and grandchildren and in which I saw patients in my clinic at home or was teaching, it rained a lot or was just icy cold and windy. Times I was glad I didn’t have to go out for the Walk. The snowy landscapes were so fabulous and I was lucky to be able to enjoy them maximum. Obviously the weather plays an important role in this!
I rounded the Walk in the Netherlands and Belgium off with a celebration and a dance party. There are pictures of all my moves: in the evenings on arrival in my place to stay overnight I wrote my blog and put some news on Facebook and made movie clips of the pictures. It is maybe hard to imagine but I spend a few hours per day at the computer. Arrangements, appointments, mails home, patients, Skype sessions, articles, blogs, preparations for lectures and seminars. I even did the Master Apprentice in San Francisco from a hotel room in Germany. On the Walk I am still at work and with the computer it allows to do both.
Many people follow the blogs and Facebook and it is heartwarming to receive the encouragements of them from all over the world. It supports and validates the action I am undertaking, bearing in mind that it is a strong symbolic statement as an appeal to everybody. Three times I had the great pleasure to hand over a check with more than 2000 euro to a homeopathic project (ARHF of Peter Chappell and Harry van der Zee, HHA from Jeremy Sherr and Homeopaths without Borders) . This was the result of the total sum of money collected by my work (consultations, lectures, and seminars) and donations from people. The next project I am walking for is Carol Boyce’s movie on Homeopathy on the Farm. Hopefully other people will be invited to change from ‘get’ modus into ‘give’ modus and experience the joy of that. The nomadic existence pleased me more and more. The feeling I am on my path becomes stronger with the day. And the content of the name of the project ‘The Next Step’ as well. When the words are there: all will be published.
After Israel I’ll walk and Alonnissos where Vithoulkas invited me; then in the summertime Scotland, Denmark and Brazil. Finally the last week I’ll walk to Paris to end at Hahnemann’s grave the 15th of October. We want to arrive there with a big crowd, so please join us all!
