Pinhel - Hawks. Heart. Hands. Where the past kisses the present.
December 5, 2025
Learning from a man of the Pinhel soil and his feisty daughters, was a deep lesson in stepping away from living in the head and moving towards a heart based life. As I watched the method of laying the green nets beneath the olive trees, to catch the olives as they were shaken from the tree by beating the branches with a stick, I pondered on what modern life has removed from the true essence of our souls. As I observed and moved my body in rhythm with the practical task of collecting the olives, I was reminded of my early childhood picking apples and blackcurrants with my grandmother. The simple thrill of the colours, the smells, the touch and the satisfaction of a job well done at the end of the day, together with a tasty apple pie to eat, left me wondering what all that modern education of passing exams and collecting certificates took away from my soul.
As I re-wild myself and gather up those lost bits which make my heart sing, I feel a deep peace. Here in Pinhel where history is the easy breath of the present, there is a sense of cultural rootedness I respect, and feel it’s important to save for those coming up the rear.
The falcon is the symbol of Pinhel. But they are captured birds. Hawks fly high and free and observe with a knowing of what is really happening on the earth. A free soul is like the hawk. Its navigational compass is the heart.
This is the deep meaning of pilgrimage. When symbols speak to you in a way words don’t touch. And so it has been for me in Pinhel. Where there are symbols everywhere. The path remains always mysterious. Come for yourself and see where the journey leads you.
