Lately, I have been reflecting on Augustine’s journey back to Milan through various experiments in creating a rockin’ instrumental album. We know that in 387, Augustine and his friends, likely including Monica and his son, journeyed back to Milan from their retreat in the hills of Cassiciacum.
This marks a pivotal change in Augustine’s journey. He is returning to Milan for instruction in the faith and ultimately baptism.
As I have reflected on this trip from Cassiciacum to Milan, I have imagined a kind of slow and reflective vibe. According to what I could find, it seems the journey could be completed in a day with about 8 hours of walking at a nonstop brisk pace. At a comfortable pace, the journey can be made on foot in about 2 days, with an overnight rest.
In looking into potential stops along the route to Milan from Cassiciacum, I found that there was, at the time, a small town located about halfway between Cassiciacum and Milan called Modicia (modern-day Monza). This ancient town, I think, makes sense as a likely stop for the crew, especially when we consider that they were given to long talks, took care to rest, and had in their company a very young teenager and a woman in her mid-to-late fifties.
To me, this fits with the slow and reflective pace I imagine for the party. I don’t see them as being in too much of a hurry to arrive back in Milan, though I do think there was a growing sense of anticipation and excitement for what lies ahead. We might even say the journey is, to a degree, reflective of Augustine’s own spiritual journey from the heights of philosophy to the simplicity of faith.
So I picture the journey as beginning at the heights of philosophical reflection in the hills and then descending from those lofty places towards city life and faith-oriented reflections.
The album began as just 5 songs but quickly grew to 12. I have been listening to it for the past few weeks along with the album On the Immortality of the Soul. I am considering releasing them together. I especially enjoy the new album On the Immortality of the Soul and am excited to share it. I have also been experimenting with creating simple translations of that work and also past ones so that I can listen to the works themselves and share them for others to enjoy. Thanks for reading!