Dr. Miles Neale is a psychotherapist, teacher of Tibetan Buddhism, and author with twenty-five years of experience integrating science and spirituality.
MOREHeed the soul’s call to adventure on this two-week pilgrimage of healing and renewal along the legendary Camino de Santiago in Spain, guided by renowned psychologist and author Dr. Miles Neale.
As you traverse the thousand-year-old trail, you'll encounter not only breathtaking landscapes, sacred Templar sites, and quaint old villages, but also journey through the soulscape within as you spark an alchemical process of spiritual transformation. Along the way, Miles will share his twenty-five years of experience synthesizing maps and tools drawn from Joseph Campbell's mythology, Carl Jung's psychology, and Tibetan Buddhist tantra coalesced in his groundbreaking new book Return with Elixir. READ MORE
Dr. Miles Neale is a psychotherapist, teacher of Tibetan Buddhism, and author with twenty-five years of experience integrating science and spirituality.
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Tour Description
Are you looking to heal wounds, memorialize loss, redefine your career, or create a renewed sense of meaning and purpose for the next stage of your life’s journey? Do you want to engage in a transformative process while learning timeless esoteric wisdom and meditative skills and do so on the road on an adventure of a lifetime? Do you want to travel with like-minded soul seekers, strangers that become life-long friends, with an experienced psychologist and spiritual guide, challenging yourself physically, while stretching beyond your emotional limits? Is it time to rediscover what makes you most alive and share your special gifts with the world? Welcome to the Walk of Renewal.
In the heart of Spain, amidst ancient cathedrals, whispering winds, and a rugged coastline, runs 500 miles of the legendary Camino de Santiago, undoubtedly one of the most fabled and often-tread pilgrimage routes in the world. A testament to human resilience and the enduring power of faith, from the Middle Ages to the present day, pilgrims from all walks of life have undertaken the arduous journey on foot to the sacred city of Santiago de Compostela.
Along the pilgrimage trail, you'll not only encounter Romanesque churches, medieval monasteries, and sacred Templar sites, but also the echoes of countless footsteps of past pilgrims reflecting our collective human stories of loss and grief, courage and compassion, debilitating doubt and renewed purpose. Let the long miles of the Camino's rich history and legacy inspire you to embark on an inner pilgrimage, one step at a time, turning deeper within yourself to face fears, memorialize loss, embrace struggles, and alchemize trials into treasure.
Led by the esteemed psychologist, Buddhist teacher, and international author, Dr. Miles Neale, this two-week pilgrimage is more than a mere walking trek—it is a universal quest for spiritual rebirth, perfectly timed with the launch of his groundbreaking third book, "Return with Elixir: Four Maps for the Soul’s Pilgrimage Through Death and Rebirth”. Along the 100-mile journey, you’ll read Miles’ new book and receive guidance on its theme of conscious rebirth drawn from Joseph Campbell’s mythology, Carl Jung’s psychology, and Tibetan Buddhist tantra. Making your way across picturesque landscapes and through physical challenges, you’ll use Miles’ Elixir maps to traverse the inner soulscape, implementing insights and tools to transform the paralyzing poisons of fear, loss, and self-doubt, into the nectars of courage, compassion, and confidence.
You’ll engage the collective unconscious through active imagination, discuss dreams, create art and poetry in a travel diary, experience powerful Tibetan-style visualizations in old churches, access the mysteries of sacred geometry, walk n’ talk with fellow pilgrims, enhance your empathy and intuition, embrace stretches of the Camino in solitude and silent reflection, and remerge as a large group for shared processing, support, and accountability to realize your aspirations.
Our inner work will be complemented by the outer walk. Imagine tracing the path of medieval pilgrims through sun-drenched vineyards and rolling hills, serene fields and rugged coastline, accompanied by an experienced local guide offering personalized service and revealing the history of a variety of sites and architecture. We’ll visit the 12th-century Templar church of Santa Maria, the 9th-century pre-Romanesque church of Santa Maria Real housing the holy grail, the Iron Age Celtic settlement of Castro de Castromaior, and the revered Cruz de Ferro, where pilgrims lay down their emotional burdens with a symbolic stone. Our customized itinerary is punctuated with off-the-beaten-track sites and villages less frequented by pilgrims walking in haste to their final destination.
After each day’s walk, we’ll retire to luxurious accommodations such as the historic Hotel Palacio de los Blasones and the enchanting Aurea Palacio de Sober and enjoy sumptuous local culinary delights. As a counterpoint to the physical and emotional efforts we’ll undoubtedly expend, we’ve elected to blend high-end, modern comfort and the charm of centuries-old architecture with unforgettable local gastronomy and attentive, private guide, providing you with the optimal conditions for reflection and rejuvenation.
The journey begins with the Gothic Cathedrals of Burgos and León, ventures through the heartland of Spain’s picturesque old country, and culminates at Fisterra, where the Atlantic Ocean stretches endlessly before us, marking the symbolic end of our pilgrimage. Here, amidst the tranquil beauty of the "End of the World," we’ll reflect on our transformational journey, guided by Miles through the mythopeotic stages of departure, initiation, and return. As a result of your efforts, you’ll have much more to celebrate than your Compostela certificate in recognition of our 100-mile walk. At our culminating farewell dinner, we’ll savor new friends and a renewed life’s purpose.
This highly curated journey combines elements of adventure, learning local history and culture, the physical rigors of trekking, insights, and skills from meditative traditions, the healing process of psychotherapy, and the sense of community we crave for in our ever-disconnected world. Whether in motion or in stillness, while walking or during meditation, through fields and along the coastline, in village churches and under the open sky, while revisiting past memories and envisioning future possibilities, in solitude and with others, we will come to understand what wisdom cultures have long affirmed; it is the heroic journey itself that transforms us.
Due to the physical and emotionally challenging nature of this journey please only register if you are in excellent physical and mental health, confident in completing the 100 mile walk, and willing to participate in meditations and coaching exercises with partners and the group designed for spiritual transformation.
If arriving on Day 1, June 15, your flight arrival time can be no later than 10:30 am. If this is not possible, then please arrive Madrid on June 14. We can assist you in booking the extra night.
Today we will transfer to Burgos, a journey of approximately 2 hours and 45 minutes. Once there, enjoy a guided tour of the city's historic sites. Enjoy a welcome dinner featuring Spanish culinary delights and meet your tour leader, local guide, and fellow pilgrims for the journey ahead.
Later, Miles will introduce the concept of the inner pilgrimage of rebirth, sharing maps to traverse the skullcap drawn from his new book Return with Elixir.
(Overnight in Burgos at Rice Palacio de los Blasones or similar)
Our first stage of the Camino de Santiago takes us across the meseta, with its serene fields, hills, and picturesque villages, offering a peaceful start to our 100-mile journey. We’ll explore Convento de San Antón, once a pilgrim hospital that offered shelter and medical care to walkers during the Middle Ages. Today it has become a small refuge for pilgrims, run altruistically by a hospitalero who wants to keep the tradition alive.
At the Convento, Miles will guide a tantric meditation inspired by the Tibetan Book of the Dead, allowing you to experience visceral surrender in the face of change, loss, and death, encountering these inevitable challenges not as terminal fates of oblivion but as doorways to renewed life. After a simple picnic lunch, we’ll transfer to León (a 90-minute journey) to explore the city’s hidden gems. If time allows, we’ll end the day reflecting on our experiences and sharing stories.
(Overnight in León at Parador de León or similar)
The day starts with a one-hour transfer to Foncebadón, where the landscape and pilgrimage atmosphere change dramatically. In Foncebadón, we'll see the 12th-century ruins of the Templar church of Santa María.
We then begin our walk to El Acebo de San Miguel, passing the Cruz de Ferro, a revered Camino landmark. Pilgrims traditionally carry a stone from their place of origin lay it at the foot of the Cruz de Ferro as a symbolic gesture of letting go. This act is deeply personal and will be enhanced by the intimate reflections, discussions, and intentions for letting go shared the day before.
The tradition symbolizes pilgrims letting go of burdens, sins, and worries to move forward lighter on their journey to Santiago de Compostela. If time allows, Miles will lead a discussion on Joseph Campbell’s themes of the hero’s journey, which we can reflect on during our walk.
We will then reach Manjarin, home to the unique and eccentric albergue "El Refugio de Gaucelmo," founded by "Tomasín," often called the "last templar." Known for preserving the medieval pilgrim spirit, this albergue encourages communal activities like cooking and storytelling.
We will enjoy a picnic lunch at Manjarín before making our way to El Acebo de San Miguel, where, upon arrival we will be transferred to our accommodation near O Cebreiro where we will engage in further discussions and teaching with Miles.
(Overnight in Ambasmestas at Paraiso del Bierzo & Rural Hotel la Pandela or similar)
We’ll take a short 20-minute journey to O Cebreiro, where today’s walk begins. The village is famous for its stone houses with thatched roofs and the 9th-century Santa María Real church, home to the revered "Santo Grail." The church, with its stunning architecture and spiritual significance, draws pilgrims and visitors alike from around the world. O Cebreiro's rich cultural heritage and stunning views of the surrounding countryside attract pilgrims and visitors worldwide.
Nearby, Miles will lead a tantric Buddhist visualization, introducing the concept of an inner pilgrimage within the subtle body. Mirroring the outer architecture of the Santa María Real church housing the sacred grail, the subtle body mandala is an inner sanctuary, for our nascent divinity, beckoning us to imbibe the elixir from the sacred chalice at our heart chakra. The day’s walk to Triacastela will offer time for contemplation and discussion, followed by a transfer to Ribeira Sacra.
(Overnight in Ribeira Saca at Aurea Palacio de Sober or similar)
Today you can discover the region's rich religious heritage on a boat trip through the River Sil canyons. We will enjoy lunch in a local restaurant and visit a winery to enjoy the regions produce. Afterwards you can seek out panoramic viewpoints scattered throughout the region to enjoy sweeping vistas of the river valleys, vineyards, and forests below ass well as capture the dramatic landscape and immerse yourself in the natural beauty of the Ribeira Sacra. We will then find a beautiful vista for a group lecture and discussion on sacred liminality, the post-death, pre-rebirth womb serves as an open space for spiritual incubation and redesign. Miles will share the tantric dynamics and elements comprising alchemical transformation, solve et coagula, to dissolve and reconstruct. Nearing the mid-point of our journey, it’s fitting we transition from looking back and processing the past, to future-gazing and reimagining the future.
Afterwards we will embark on a 75 minute journey to Portomarín.
(Overnight in Portomarín at Pousada de Portomarin or similar)
To start the day we will make a short 30 minute transfer to Sarria. You will then walk along a rural path or “correidoiras” under oak trees and small villages like Lavandeira or Ferreiros. Already at the gates of Portomarín, you will cross the River Miño, under whose water rests the old Portomarín. You will visit the Church of San Nicolás of Portomarín, rebuilt stone by stone. Throughout the walk, Miles will continue discussing the tantric approach to reconstructing life, just like this church, after loss and tragedy, converting instinctual poisons into elixirs, like fear-based energies into the vibrations of confidence and compassion. Every hardship or crisis in life can be alchemized with wisdom. As long as we are willing to enter the shadow we can learn to transform trial, terror, and trauma into treasure.
(Overnight in Portomarín at Pousada de Portomarin or similar)
Today’s walk begins with a climb to Castromaior, an Iron Age archaeological site which is notable for its defensive structures and strategic position atop a hill with stunning views of the surrounding area. We’ll then continue through the Sierra de Ligonde, descending through the villages of Eirexe and Ligonde to Palas de Rei.
From here, we’ll visit the 13th-century Church of Santa María de Vilar de Donas, considered one of the most significant examples of Romanesque architecture in Galicia. The church is adorned with beautiful medieval frescoes and is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Miles will discuss the tantric process of self-redesign and the link between facing ordeals and claiming treasure. Eight days in, we’ve likely pushed past our limits, discovering new strengths individually and as a group.
(Overnight in Arzúa at A Painza or similar)
We will begin our walk to Melide after a short transfer to Palas. You will walk through beautiful rural roads and medieval bridges to Melide, where you can stop to try a portion of its famous octopus “á feira,” one of the most famous Galician dishes.
Today we’ll have plenty of time to continue with our practice of guided tantric visualization and finalize our discussion of the middle phase of the heroic journey, focusing on the nectar or treasure, the newly discovered skills or insights hard won through our courageous efforts having faced challenges within and without.
After this we will transfer to our accommodation town of Pazo de Santa María in Arzúa where you will then have the afternoon free to explore or relax at your leisure.
(Overnight in Arzúa at A Painza or similar)
Todays part of our walk begins in Melide where you will continue on through an agricultural landscape that will take you to Arzúa after crossing the beautiful river Iso. Here you can rest for a while and dip your feet in the water, next to the public pilgrims' hostel.
Just as we turn a corner on our outer journey three days prior to our arrival at Santiago de Compestella, it’s time to reflect on the final phase of the heroic journey, known as the return. Miles will emphasize altruism and engagement in our visualization practice, we will discuss common obstacles and fears to integration, and contemplate how to “step up” or “step in” to embody our ideal.
(Overnight in Arzúa at A Painza or similar)
You can’t leave Arzúa without savoring its delicate cheese of Designation of Origin Arzúa-Ulloa and without stamping your credential in the Church of Santiago de Arzúa. Green hills will be your traveling companions to the town of Rúa. You will also find hermitages like Santa Irene.
Just as we savor the local delights, we also savor the nectar boon within us and vow to share it with others. We’ll have ample time for more guided visualization and continued discussion and reflection on the themes of integrating and embodying new insights and skills discovered on the heroic journey. The Camino is not just for the lucky ones who travel the long miles and make it to their destination, but also for the world who become the recipients of the gifts of courage and compassion we’ve cultivated along the way.
(Overnight in Arzúa at A Painza or similar)
After bypassing Pedrouzo, you will climb through Amenal and drop down to Lavacolla, and then climb again to the Monte do Gozo. From here you will get your first view of the Cathedral's towers of Compestella in the distance. You will visit the famous sculpture of the pilgrims, which honors all those who, like you, dedicated themselves to walking the spiritual path of renewal. You are now just 4 km from our destination, which you will reach through meandering the beautiful streets of the old town.
This is a very good day for silence and solo walking, as you approach your destination we’ll contemplate all we have surrendered, faced, discovered, and metabolized on our journey. Bursts of focused reflection and prayer will help “seal” the nectars of our discovery deep into our memory and nervous system.
(Overnight in Santiago at San Francisco, San Martin Pinario or similar)
Embarking on a spiritual day trip from Santiago to Fisterra offers pilgrims a condensed yet profound journey to culminate and capstone the Camino de Santiago's sacred path. Upon arrival in Fisterra, the vast Atlantic Ocean reminds us that the spiritual journey continues, with limitless possibilities ahead. In this serene coastal setting, you can meditate, pray, and reflect on your final aspirations.
Reaching Fisterra, the "End of the World," symbolizes the completion of the pilgrimage and represents that the completion of one's spiritual journey is just the beginning of a new chapter in life's unfolding path.
Miles will lead a visualization on altruism, with each of us envisioning ourselves fully embodying our highest ideal and serving the world. We’ll conclude with a group discussion on our journey articulating our hopes and aspirations for the future, how we plan to continue our spiritual progress when we return home, and how our newfound friends and the legacy of the Camino can be a cornerstone of accountability and strength for us to rely on in the days to come. After lunch at a local restaurant, we’ll return to Santiago for a farewell dinner, celebrating our journey, new friendships, and shared experiences.
(Overnight in Santiago at San Francisco, San Martin Pinario or similar)
After breakfast our journey together ends and you are free to make your way to the airport or enjoy your remaining time in Spain.
(B = Breakfast; L = Lunch; D = Dinner)
Note: This itinerary is subject to change due to conditions beyond our control.
