Fresh forest air, places of peace and relaxation, mystical granite formations and breathtaking vantage points await pilgrims on the well-known Johannesweg in the Mühlviertler Alm region such as patience, humor, generosity and helpfulness – and have been for ten years. Twelve stations with spiritual content support the hikers on their journey to themselves and to personal happiness,” says initiator and “inventor” Johannes Neuhofer.
What brought him to the “Johannesweg” more than a decade ago? “This idea was suddenly there – like an inspiration from the universe. And I would not have let anyone dissuade me,” says the dermatologist and OÖN doctor. Apparently it was exactly the right time: The “Johannesweg” has developed into a tourist lighthouse project for the region. Numerous businesses and jobs have been created, and tourism has increased its added value.
slowness and simplicity
The concept of pilgrimage is of course not new, but has been a primal symbol for being on the move, for transitions and new beginnings for thousands of years. “Pilgrimage means saying goodbye to the hectic pace of everyday life, to abundance and sensory overload – to the slowness and simplicity of life,” says Johannes Hessler, Values Director at the Sisters of Mercy Clinic in Linz, theologian, former monk and pastor. The special thing about pilgrimage is moving at walking pace. Constant contact with the ground alone provides support. Walking contributes to deceleration, and people find their own rhythm and also their spirituality. “And that’s important for mental health,” says Neuhofer.
Pilgrims in an hour
Because not everyone can hike more than 80 kilometers, Johannes Neuhofer invented the “pilgrimage in one hour” last year. The Johannesweg to Maria Laab in Naarn im Machland leads through a small, flat forest and is also largely barrier-free. Of course, there are also twelve stations here that stimulate thinking and rethinking with impulses and wisdom.
Source: Nachrichten
