"There is gold at the end of the rainbow." As a child, Karin Jarman
loved to gaze into the distance, longing to reach the horizon. She had
an urge to travel--the very word seeming to have an enchanting effect.
This, along with a deep connection to fairy tales, inspired her to
embark on her own magical journey to discover a mysterious castle by a
far-off Golden City.
Karin's opportunity came in her forty-ninth year, with her children
grown and independent. Entertaining many doubts, she eventually set
aside work and family and began a pilgrimage to the fourteenth-century
Gothic castle of Karlstein, which had been built by Charles IV near
Prague in the Czech republic. Unlike many modern-day pilgrims, however,
she made the entire journey on foot while gratefully accepting the
hospitality of strangers. Her purpose was not feats of endurance or
athletic prowess; rather, she was trying to create a mood of true
pilgrimage--to encounter the sacred through outer travels and inner
transformation. Her eventful travels covered more than 1,200 miles,
taking around twenty-two weeks, during which time she stayed with more
than a hundred hosts. Having confronted many issues of her biography,
she returned home a changed person with fresh resolve and initiative.
Touching the Horizon is Karin Jarman's remarkable story, from her
first inklings that such a journey might be possible, to the arrival at
the beautiful fairy-tale castle of Karlstein. She also describes the
aftermath of her pilgrimage and its effects on her and her family. This
is a rare and gripping narrative of possibility, realization and
metamorphosis.
C O N T E N T S
A Note on the Color Plates
Beginnings
Stepping Out
England
Hospitality
Water
I Need Help
A Small Interlude
Solitude
Roman Germany
Foot-and-Mouth Disease
New Meetings
Easter
Brother Max
Beyond the Iron Curtain
The Power of Destiny
The Ore Mountains
Dresden
Elbsandsteingebirge
Towards Prague, the Golden City
The Road to the Castle
Postscript
Foundation Stone Meditation
