Walking the Way of St Francis with Barb McAllister & Will Whitesmith — In-Studio

Be nourished by a spirituality that speaks of love for small things, and gratitude for all creation.

Join Barb and Will, two seasoned pilgrims, as they share their experience walking this challenging 375-mile journey with St. Francis from Florence to Assisi to Rome.

In their words…

“As we walked this beautiful path, the spirit of St. Francis accompanied us – sharing with us his spirit of compassion, kindness, cheerfulness and play. Not a day went by where we didn’t feel his presence encouraging us to see that all is well with the world, and that love is the unifying force of creation. We will share pictures, stories and our learnings from this marvelous adventure that is not for the light of heart. (But will give you a light heart!)”

Barb McAllister walked her first pilgrimage in the summer before she turned 60. It was a transformative solo journey that redirected her life and healed old wounds. Since then, Barb has walked four more – three with her good friend and fellow pilgrim Will. Each of these walks have been filled with meditation, prayer, curiosity, adventure and humor! They provide her with the necessary space and freedom to explore the wishes of her spirit.

Barb resides on Bainbridge Island and Chelan where her daughter, son-in-law and grandson (and soon to be granddaughter) live. Barb is retired from her government career at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and her second career as an Executive Coach. She is embarking on her third chapter as a Recovery Minister. To be determined…

Will Whitesmith is an itinerant walker and his favorite walks are pilgrimages that are at least several hundred miles long. He has walked six Camino’s since 2012: one in France, three in Spain, one in Portugal and one in Italy. All of these walks were connected to the Way of St. James, except for the walk in Italy which was of the Way of St. Francis. Three of these journeys Will has had the pleasure of walking with Barb McAllister as his pilgrimage partner.

For Will these journeys offer an opportunity to delve deeply into the inner realms of his inner consciousness; the meditative pace of the walk and the tranquility and beauty of the surrounding countryside create an atmosphere for unexplored feelings, ideas and realizations to surface and be examined and pondered. After each pilgrimage Will returns home with a renewed spirit and fresh insights to put into practice in his daily living. He also enjoys the history and culture of the lands traversed as well as the wonderful people he meets along the Way.

When Will isn’t walking he resides on Bainbridge Island where has a Shamanic Healing practice of over 20 years. His practice focuses on offering emotional, spiritual and physical healing through the ancient shamanic healing techniques as practiced by our ancestors since time immemorial.

Cost: $0-$20 Sliding Scale

**This event will be held in-person at the Dayaalu Center.

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