Walking Home: A Pilgrimage from Humbled to Healed Hardcover – September 30, 2014

I found this book Brave, Candid and Refreshing.I am a big fan of Sonia's work and have attended her workshops. Like many spiritual authors and teachers of our time, it's easy to look up to her and think she's a modern soothsayer that has it all figured out and is immune to the issues of her readers and clients. As she reveals in her book, this is not the case at all.She is guided to walk The Camino following a triple doozy of life events: death of her brother, followed by the death her father and her own impending divorce. Realizing she must face the music she gets very personal and pulls everything hidden in the basement of her psyche out into the light to be dissected as she places her perpetually sore feet on the Spanish trail.She takes to the Camino armed with 75 Power Bars, a small backpack she wears each day and a much larger one she hilariously names "Cheater" since she pays a shuttle service to transport it for her each day. Sonia is gifted with the archetype of Storyteller. The juicy parts of her books are always the stories and this makes Walking Home quite a captivating read since it's a long story containing many little stories or reflections within it. The book is written in a diary style logging both the daily mundane (but important to a pilgrim) events: breakfast, sleep and weather, along with the daily troubling thoughts, emotional ups and downs, provocative insights and moments of clarity.We've all been there in one way or another and that's why its so good. Sonia is funny and you feel the annoyance of having nothing but crappy toast and bad coffee for breakfast when you are walking miles a day, and you cheer with her when she finds an amazing spread or great company. More importantly you may also resonate with the struggle of acknowledging your so-called negative feelings towards loved ones marred with the shame that doing so brings. Unlike many of us who tuck away those feelings in a judgie file labeled "Not Spiritual Behavior," she actually GOES there. In order to get away from the darkness she has to walk through it and face her shadow. Calmly? No! While kicking, screaming and cursing. The physicality of walking so much along with the burdens she carries inside, including strong past-life memories of the Knights Templar, wear her down and it is this pairing aligned with the mystical energy of The Camino that give way to understanding, acceptance and forgiveness.Unlike every other book of hers, there is not a psychic prediction or reading to be had in these pages. Ironically it may be one that teaches the most and possibly my favorite! I know it will get re-read many times.For anyone that doesn't know Sonia or her work- if you liked "Wild" and "Eat, Pray, Love," You'll LOVE Walking Home.

This was an easy, engaging read that offered a new perspective on someone that I’ve liked and admired as an intuitive teacher and guide. It was interesting to see her struggles, willingness to unearth her own failings, hindrances, and burdens to find peace and forgiveness. Her adventures and insights gained during an arduous and painful (physically and emotionally) trek were well documented into a heartfelt story.

This book is not a travel guide. I stopped reading at 192 yesterday to see what I was sure would be rave reviews, and I expected some less excited about it. If I read the reviews first I would never have purchased the book. Many, very many are really negative. After reading the terrible reviews I decided I would not finish the book. However, I picked it up again and today finished it entirely. I did not tire of the story of of sore feet because I saw this book as a journal ... sort of. It is not quite written in "journal" format but it is her day to day experience. There were some monotonous repetitions, however, since I thought of it as a "journal" I did not mind the repetitions too much. Someone suggested she may have been sponsored by the makers of the "bars" she ate or "Coke" and it did seem unnecessary to mention them by name so often.As I read I thought about my own efforts at negotiating healing. The effort to walk the Camino is only one way to isolate one's self from demands in her personal life. I am not inspired to make that journey but I'm inspired by the honesty she came to terms with. Each revelation she had made me think about my own circumstances and I found that very thought provoking and helpful. I have gone to great extremes for my own healing journey...and the , deepest healing has come from removing myself from demands of daily life for an extended period of time. I am still learning and healing and her insights gave me plenty of food for thought.One reviewer commented she tore her husband apart...I see it as her honesty about the way SHE THOUGHT about him BEFORE she realized she was not seeing him for the good man he is. She came to realize she was terribly wrong and did not understand him.Like someone else said it would be good to see how her real life was impacted as a result of her self revelations which how I see this journal. I'm betting there is another book on the way!! I saw one reviewer said she is going to walk the Camino again. I wonder if her husband is going with her this time?I purchased this book with a Christmas gift card but just got it a week ago. When the Hay House had their recent on line free summit I heard an interview with Sonia and I loved what she said and the calmness of her voice. Since I am critiquing, I will also say "Mother-Father God" turns me off...but I love the prayers.I've come to the conclusion that I was just ready for this book. I felt it held a lot of wisdom when she realized she was the problem and came to terms with her own soul's dark side.

Incredibly healing. Although I was at home and not on the trail with Sonia I felt like I was there with her. Reading it helped me through my own painfull struggles this week. I had intended to read anotherbook, but this book opened up in my Kindle. But it must have been gifted to me by my spirit guides who knew there would be upcoming challenges this week.