Impulses for being on the Way on the Starry Path in the Heart of Europe

The time is ripe to set out on new paths. A better world is possible and this is paving its way in the spiritual attitude of each individual. The large regional network of paths of the European model project “Starry Path/Chemin des étoiles” would like to offer an exemplary open space for living, experiencing and meeting. Along the way - as shown on the interactive map - more than 350 medieval cultural monuments along 16 different routes invite pilgrims to walk and pause. Sunken traces of the pilgrims of the Middle Ages can be glimpsed along the way. Those pilgrims’ ideas of the “holy” or “soul-salvation” can be redefined in the present. Encounters between time, space and people can occur in this attitude.

For which values am I on the road?

As part of the European model project “Starry Path/Chemin des étoiles”, people are invited to sound out the world we want to live in - in the mirror of the past - and the values we stand for while on pilgrimage. Pilgrimage has always stood for “far-away-ness” and for the desire to engage with the world with empathy for foreign cultures. This special way of being on the road goes hand in hand with leaving everyday life with all its constraints and burdens behind for a while. The encounter with the foreign promotes the willingness to take a self-critical look at the patterns of one’s own habits of thought and action. Those who, along the way, also open themselves to reflecting on their own values in the mirror of the society in which we live and to exchanging them with others, not only gain inner strength and courage to face life, but also the motivation to help shape reality. Within a cultural community, values for shaping a good life must be understood and won over again and again. Every voice counts!

“Spiritual baggage” - impulse generator for a compass of values

The following explanations of a selection of socially relevant values are of great importance in the current public discourse in European society for an ethically sustainable worldview of a modern and humanistic Europe. They reflect, as it were, in summary, the social, intellectual and cultural foundation of Europe and are to be understood - without claiming to be complete in terms of content and completeness - as a source of impetus and orientation for thinking in and out. As “spiritual luggage”, these values can be used creatively on a pilgrimage or during a pause (see below). Recommendation for the pilgrimage on the Sternenweg) and contribute to a new self-understanding of social cohesion and jointly lived European basic values. Already in the mental argument with these topics and the most different levels, on which they become relevant, you take influence on the collective process of a value formation and their binding force within our European society and you take over beyond that responsibility for yourselves and others! A common thinking, shaping and above all living of these values creates a sense of life, promotes political participation and provides an active contribution to the civic competence within our free, European society. Symbolically, this canon of values is represented in a mission statement, which should motivate pilgrims along the stars.

Humanity

The purpose of our existence is directed to the formation of humanity. Our rational activity should be formed to reason, our finer senses to art, our instincts to genuine freedom and beauty, our motive forces to human love.

Johann Gottfried von Herder (1744-1803)

Humanity (lat. humanitas) as a term stands for humanity, fellow humanity and the continuous cultural formation of the mind, which aims at the realization of human rights, helpfulness and participation. It is about the position of man in the world and for the world: to be responsible, to follow the truth on the trail and to fathom the innermost part of what constitutes being human. What is meant is to understand the very mission of being human - the conditio humana - and to live accordingly. With this grounding of humanity, humanity belongs to the very destiny of man in all his spheres of life. It is defined and brought to life both by the individual and by the particular culture concerned, which practices it. The humanitarian worldview in most cultures includes the values of dignity, connectedness, compassion, kindness, charity, helpfulness and mercy. The elementary prerequisites of a humane way of life include openness and kindness. The ability to recognize the polarities that arise on each individual life path and to balance them in the interplay between the inner and outer worlds, if possible to reconcile them, is one of the essential characteristics of humanity.

Freedom

Democracy

Democracy always means: the willingness to see not only one’s own interests and the ability to balance and compromise.

Frank-Walter Steinmeier

If we don’t take care of her, she’ll go….

Peer Steinbrück

Democracy (from the ancient Greek δημοκρατία’ rule of the people) today refers to forms of rule, political orders or political systems in which power and government emanate from the people. It forms the basis of our European society. At the same time, democracy is also the most vulnerable of all forms of government that regulate the common good, in which the people participate either directly (direct democracy) or through the selection of decision-making representatives (representative democracy) in all decisions that bindingly affect the general public. In democratic states and political systems, the government emerges from the people through political elections. Freedom of opinion and freedom of the press are essential to the formation of political will. Other important characteristics of a modern democracy are free and equal elections, the majority or consensus principle, protection of minorities, acceptance of a political opposition, separation of powers, constitutionality and protection of fundamental, civil and human rights.

Tolerance

Without tolerance we cannot develop compassion.

Dalai Lama

Tolerance refers to “letting others’ views, beliefs, actions and customs be so” and is a central characteristic of democracy. Tolerance also stands as a description of equality, diversity and the avoidance of exclusion. Tolerance has great significance in social discourse. It is discussed, for example, in connection with religiosity, sexual inclinations, cultural differences and principled dissenters (value systems and value communities). The limits of tolerance do not soften as a result, but become clearer. They lie where others are denied this basic form of respect and equality. However, the responsibility for ensuring that these limits are respected cannot be completely ceded to the state. In the first place, it is the people themselves who are obliged to practice tolerance “rightly understood.” Tolerance, patience and attentiveness are closely related to tolerant behavior.

Friendship

Compassion

Compassion for all creatures is what makes people truly human.

Albert Schweitzer

Compassion describes the sympathy for the situation of another individual and is a natural human ability. One’s own feelings resonate with the feelings of another living being. This is a significant factor in the formation of emotional intelligence. In sympathizing with the feelings of others, people learn to better deal with their own emotions. A variation of compassion is empathy, which helps people empathize with the thoughts of the other person, understand them, respond to them, and react accordingly. Our mirror neurons in the brain can mirror other people’s feelings to us. Compassion for other human and non-human beings requires acceptance of one’s self and love for oneself.

Solidarity

Solidarity (Latin: solidus) is derived from the word meaning “solid, genuine, firm” and is thus associated with permanence, continuity and stability. An attitude of solidarity, usually named in an ethical-political context, which actively supports the ideas, activities and goals of others, is described as solidarity. Solidarity requires a public space and proximity in order to express sympathy, attachment and compassion towards others. It is also about growing together in a cosmopolitan community in an attitude of friendship to peacefully stand up for common values. The opposite concept to solidarity is competition.

Encounter of cultures

Preserve creation

Due to unreflective growth thinking, the power of the markets and our consumer behavior, man’s natural sense for the “Blue Planet Earth” - creation - is creeping out of kilter. Mankind currently consumes about 50 percent more resources each year than the earth can regenerate and thus provide sustainably within this period. As a result, the earth, but also humanity itself, is increasingly losing its ecological and ethical balance, which is essential for survival.

Spirituality

Spirituality is about the “art of the way” of self-development, which goes hand in hand with a search for the actual meaning of life. In this process, the wonders of life and the meaning of one’s own life mission become more conscious and can be experienced in their actual (carrying) breadth, apart from purely rational ways of looking at things.

The spiritual dimension is, so to speak, the essence of the search movement for the source of life in the present. It ignites in conscious pausing and in full devotion. As soon as man seriously follows the spiritual path of connection with nature and the spiritual, he becomes more sensitive and permeable to a truly free life. The soul begins to breathe a sigh of relief and to mobilize the powers of transformation, the gaze is directed to the essential, paths open up.

Discover what connects

Recommendations for the value pilgrimage on the starry way

• Plan alone or with friends a pilgrimage walk on the “Starry Path/Chemin des étoiles”
• Pick out two or more medieval cultural monuments along a route of the project space in the interactive map or picture book.
• Choose a starting point and plan your individual pilgrimage tour from there to the selected destinations, even if it runs off the official marked paths. Hiking trails or bike paths off the marked routes of the paths of the pilgrims of St. James can be asked at the responsible tourist information, plan with the help of the many navigation options on the Internet (etc.) or simply ask for directions on the way.
• Take (in addition to sufficient provisions) a (value) theme with you on your way. The focus could be on the question: What values do I stand for in the present, what is my attitude today as a pilgrim along the stars?
• Pause along the way at special places in nature and at the selected medieval destinations. Try to experience or feel what impulse nature, the cultural heritage of the Middle Ages holds for you. Become aware of the fact that you are embarking on a path of knowledge, which often also gifts you with small gestures along the way. If possible, meditate in quiet places in nature that you intuitively choose for yourself, or in the (medieval) churches along the way. Concentrate on your breath during meditation and let arising thoughts move on like clouds (for a suggestion of a meditation for pilgrimage walking see appendix).
• Along the way, consciously pay attention to details in the landscape or when meeting others. Many people have been here before you and many will follow you. Everything is interrelated. Take the opportunity for an inner dialogue or exchange with those who accompany you. A rest stop offers the opportunity to read a suitable text (literature, poem), to pray, to sing or even to write and paint.
• Preserve your encounters and experiences along the way with notes, drawings.
• Along the way, collect pilgrimage stamps, if you have them, in the attached stamp boxes and connect it to one of the impulses listed there.