Connecting to Place, our Bodies, the Divine
Added about a year ago by Christine Barnabas
GUEST BLOG: Christine Barnabas, author of Consecrated Celibacy: A Fresh Look at an Ancient Calling, discusses the importance of being connected, to the places we live, to our bodies, and to the Divine.
In my book Consecrated Celibacy I explore why I believe that our sexuality is all about connection and how we connect, to ourselves, others, the world around us and the Divine, in short: everything.
I am currently on Sabbatical and have been using this time to continue my explorations of the area I now live in and reflecting on how my move to County Durham in 2021 has deepened my connection to the land. Whilst living in London, I often sought solace on the South Downs, and I can now see how spaciousness and far stretching views seem to especially resonate with my body. Is it that by being in a large, open space, I catch a glimpse of my place in the world? A reminder maybe that there is more than the small world I inhabit on a day-by-day basis? Something foundational to keep me grounded when I feel overwhelmed by the news and all that is going on around me? I am comforted that there is something larger that surrounds me, both a place and a story, and that there are still huge areas on this planet that are untouched by humanity’s tendency to devour and consume. Being back in the South recently, I noticed how my relationship to the land there has changed, how domesticated it felt to me compared to the Dales and North Pennines I now call my next-door neighbours. Perceptions change!
In Spring 2021 I literally explored the land in the Northeast of England, deciding whether I could see myself living here after it became clear that I could no longer afford living in London after the news had broken that I had to leave my flat by the summer. Although I had journeyed with the Celtic Saints as a Northumbria Community companion for a good number of years, it was the first time I really connected with the land which so many of them had called their home. There was something about the wildness I sensed. It felt like a greeting came from down the ages, reached out to me and touched my spirit.
Over the last decade or so I have increasingly learnt to check in with my body, and how it reacts to situations, places, people, ideas, plans… and a trust has grown that my body has a way of knowing that is on a deeper level then my mind can advise. This of course does not mean that I am ignoring my brain in making considerations and coming to decisions, but experience has taught me that I certainly cannot rely on reason alone to find the place I need to be in or discern what is life-giving for me and what isn’t. In my searching for God’s guidance and peace regarding my move in 2021, I came across the practice of the Celtic Saints to leave home, start a journey with no fixed place to arrive at and trust their bodies to lead them step by step until they found their ‘place of resurrection’: the place where they could live more deeply in their true self, their vocation, and the unique gifts the world was waiting to receive from them. It feels that I have come a lot closer to this place since last year. After another move, I now live in a house I can truly call ‘home’ and relish that within minutes I am in the countryside. My body opens up every time I am out there, especially on the moors where the horizon stretches as far as the eye can see in every direction.
Just as our bodies are sacred dwelling places and ask to be honoured and trusted, so does the land we connect with and depend upon. As I say in my book, this is the “mystery of the invitation to our surrender and union with the Divine with and in our bodies. … If we want truly to connect, we need to pay attention to our bodies and make use of our senses: touch, smell, sight, taste, hearing. These are the gateways into fully ‘living’ our life—not thinking.”
Maybe see you on the moors?
Christine Barnabas is a spiritual director, retreat leader and writer. She also works for and is a Companion of the Northumbria Community, a dispersed, new monastic community rooted in Celtic Spirituality. As a consecrated celibate, Christine now lives in County Durham, where she is seeking a deeper connection with the land, solitude and silence. You can visit her website here and buy your copy of Consecrated Celibacy here!
Please note: Sacristy Press does not necessarily share or endorse the views of the guest contributors to this blog.