get a soul
[from Schuman Declaration,
May 9, 1950]
STARRY PATH CHEMIN DES ÉTOILES
Valuefull on the road + Getting Europe on the move
The most original form of travel was probably pilgrimage (pilgrims were also called “Reyssläufer” in the Middle Ages). This has always stood for the longing for an overarching (life) goal and meaning and for the desire to engage with the world and foreign cultures with empathy and curiosity. Encounters with the unfamiliar encourage the willingness to take a self-critical look at the patterns of one’s own habits of thought and action. Those who also open themselves up to reflecting on their own values in the mirror of the society in which we live and exchanging ideas with others not only gain inner strength and courage to face life, but also the motivation to help shape reality.
As part of the European model project “Starry Path/
The following canon of values provides inspiration for the “spiritual luggage” when walking along the stars. The values described therein summarize the social, spiritual and cultural foundations of Europe and are intended - without claiming to be exhaustive - as a source of inspiration and guidance for reflection and further thought. In this way, these values can be creatively reflected on along the way or when pausing to reflect and contribute to a new self-image of social cohesion and fundamental European values.
Level Values
Selection of basic social values as a framework condition for self-determined, humane and creative coexistence.
Peace
For there to be peace in the world, nations must live in peace.for there to be peacebetween nations, cities must not rise up against each other.for there to be peace in cities, neighbors must understand each other. for there to be peace between neighbors, there must be peace in one’s own house. for there to be peace in one’s house, one must find it in one’s own heart.
Lao Tzu, Chinese philosopher, 4th-3rd century B.C.
Peace refers to a state between individuals, groups or states that is free from (violent) conflict and war and in which emerging conflicts are resolved non-violently with the help of rules and laws. An important prerequisite for this is the virtue of “peacefulness” and the willingness to actively strive for peace. Individuals can also achieve a feeling of “contentment”, a so-called “inner peace”, through self-awareness and self-examination. Seeking (inner) peace means embarking on a path in life that is geared towards living in harmony with oneself. This is the basis for being able to find peace on the outside and to carry it out into the world.
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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 stands as a term for (co-)
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Freedom
Peter Michael Lupp
Freedom is a privilege from which many people are still excluded. Being free means being able to make decisions in a self-determined manner and without external coercion. However, part of the experience of freedom is the ability to feel the difference between freedom and unfreedom. Paradoxically, this means that in order to unfold, freedom also requires limits, which must be reflected in the pursuit of one’s own freedom. Freedom requires self-knowledge and self-responsibility in thought and action. Free is he who is in harmony with himself and shapes the gift of freedom with gratitude and meaning.
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Democracy
Democracy always means: the willingness to see not only one’s own interests and the ability to balance and compromise.
Frank-Walter Steinmeier
Democracy (from the ancient Greek δημοκρατία’ rule of the people of the state) forms the basis of our European society. In democratic states, the government emerges from the people through (free and equal) political elections. The most important features of democracy include freedom of expression and of the press, separation of powers, constitutionality, and protection of fundamental, civil, and human rights. A democratic culture must neither ignore nor negate the ethical and religious forms of life that come together in a pluralistic polity; rather, it must embrace them and integrate them in such a way that the principle of respect applies equally to all citizens. Democracy needs people who have an interest in the community and the common good and who are willing to actively work for them. This presupposes that people respect each other as equals, do not make their own interests absolute, and have the courage to engage in an open, fair debate, but also to compromise. In this respect, democracy is also the decisive prerequisite for freedom, equality and solidarity. A democratic way of life within communities therefore always seeks a constructive balance between the I and the We.
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Level Emotions
Human social behavior, which is based in particular on emotions, is an essential factor in ensuring that ethical and moral values are not only understood and respected, but also internalized. Only in this way can they be made relevant in everyday actions and promote and advance peace and the common good.
Tolerance
Without tolerance we cannot develop compassion.
Dalai Lama
Tolerance means accepting and respecting the views, actions and customs of others and is a central characteristic of democracy. Tolerance is also an important prerequisite for equality, diversity and the avoidance of exclusion. Tolerance is of great importance in social discourse. It is discussed, for example, in connection with religiosity, sexual inclinations, cultural differences and alternative value systems and communities. The limits of tolerance lie where others are denied this basic form of respect and equal treatment. 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 and to treat others with forbearance, patience and mindfulness.
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Friendship
Unknown author
Friendship is a relationship characterized by affection, based on mutual sympathy, appreciation and trust. Friendships are of great importance for our social interaction. Aristotle described friendship as “one soul in two bodies”. Cicero recognized “the safe friend in an uncertain situation”. Friendship with another person also goes hand in hand with a constant deepening of self-knowledge in the other person. In a figurative sense, friendship also refers to a good and often contractually regulated political relationship between peoples or nations (e.g. “Franco-German friendship”).
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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. 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 to empathize with the thoughts of the other person, to understand them, to respond to them and to react accordingly. Compassion for other human and non-human beings requires acceptance of one’s self and love for oneself.
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Solidarity
Peter Michael Lupp
Solidarity is derived from the Latin word meaning “solid, genuine, firm” and is therefore associated with consistency, continuity and stability. Solidarity describes sticking together with and supporting other people whose ideals, values and goals you share. It requires a public space and proximity in order to express sympathy, solidarity and compassion towards others. It is also about growing together in a cosmopolitan community with a friendly attitude in order to peacefully stand up for common values.
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Encounter of cultures
Peter Michael Lupp
In the encounter with other cultures, landscapes and with the foreign, new impressions and connections always arise involuntarily. People can resonate with them and thereby contribute to a sense of European togetherness. The goal is to cultivate an ethically sustainable and mindful connection between people, their diverse cultural imprint, origin and spiritual attitude. The cosmopolitan encounter and friendly exchange with people from other cultures is also accompanied by an awareness of the importance of respect for human dignity, equality and the protection of human rights.
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Level Ecology
Preserve creation
Peter Michael Lupp
Due to unreflective growth thinking, the power of markets and our consumer behavior, mankind’s natural sense for the “Blue Planet Earth” - creation - is creeping out of kilter. Mankind currently consumes around 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.
Against this backdrop, the “emergency call” - preserve creation - is a reminder of humanity’s responsibility for its unique habitat full of diversity: planet Earth. Although it is taken from the Christian world, it also stands for the interdenominational mission of peoples and cultures to stop the overexploitation of our natural resources in order to preserve our common habitat for future generations.
It is also about the human measure of frugality: the realization that renouncing our consumer behaviour can even lead to a more satisfying life in many cases. This requires a constant public discourse. Preserving creation leads to an ecologically and ethically sustainable relationship between humans and nature and also succeeds sustainable lifestylesin its spiritual dimension through spiritual dimension. How can we cultivate a lifestyle of “less” with joy, meaning and spirit, build a society that consumes less, recognizes and avoids risk spirals? Everyone has room for maneuver - that is our privilege
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Level Spirituality
Spirituality
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
Spirituality is about the “way art” of becoming oneself. 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, away from purely rational ways of looking at things.
The spiritual dimension ignites in the purposeful pause and in the sincere devotion. On a higher level, the inclusion of the spiritual dimension opens up to humanity the opportunity to make the meaning of human existence and its ethical and moral task more comprehensible and to act accordingly. Herein lies a spiritual resource to cope with the upcoming change within our society in favor of a better world.
An access to experience spiritual reality is offered by exercises of slowing down, mindfulness, undivided devotion, meditation or inner prayer (in an interdenominational context). This requires places where these exercises can be celebrated undisturbed and time in which something can mature and heal. Meditative journeying on the “Starry Path” and pausing at special places of the past offer a variety of individual spaces of experience for this.
What idea of my own do I have for today’s path?
Tips for on the road
- Plan alone or with friends a pilgrimage walk on the “Stars Way/
Chemin des étoiles”. - Pick out two or more medieval cultural monuments along a route of the project space in the interactive map or illustrated book.
- Choose a starting point and plan your individual pilgrimage tour from there to the selected destination points, even if it is off the official marked routes. Hiking trails or cycle paths away from the marked routes of the Way of St. James pilgrims can be requested from the relevant tourist information offices, planned using the various navigation options on the internet etc. or simply ask for directions along 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?
- Stop along the way at special places in nature and at the selected medieval destinations. Try to experience or sense what impulse nature or the cultural heritage of the Middle Ages has in store for you. Realize that you are embarking on a path of knowledge that often also offers 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 breathing during meditation and let any thoughts that arise drift away like clouds.
- Along the way, consciously pay attention to details in the landscape or when you meet others. Many people have been here before you and many will follow you. Everything is interconnected. Take the opportunity for an inner dialog or an exchange with those who accompany you. A rest stop offers the opportunity to read a suitable text (literature, poem), pray, sing or even write and paint.
- Keep a record of your encounters and experiences along the way with notes or drawings.
- Collect pilgrimage stamps in your Starry Path stamp card along the way and link them to one of the impulses listed in the stamp fields.
Meditation
The breath flows slowly and deeply in and out through the nose.
Inhaling and exhaling stabilizes your inner balance.
The deep inhalation and exhalation centers your self.
Let yourself be carried deep inside to the bottom of your soul with full devotion.
Thoughts drift away like clouds and gradually dissolve as if warmed by the sun.
The source of creation emerges from the emptiness of thought. The essential emerges tangibly. The path of the good life opens up.
After the meditation, stand up and let the moment resonate, breathe in and out through your nose again deeply and calmly.
Into the bottom of the soul.
Out to continue your way courageously.