“What does the Lord want of me? Of course, this is always a great adventure, but life can be successful only if we have the courage to be adventurous, trusting that the Lord will never leave me alone, that the Lord will go with me and help me.”
– Pope Benedict XVI
For this episode of Risking Enchantment, Rachel and Phoebe discuss Arthur Ransome’s series of children’s books known as the Swallows and Amazons series. These books are full of wonder and imagination as well as practical detail, as they follow a group of children spending their holidays in the Lake District of northern England. The children sail, set up camp, climb mountains and have many delightful adventures. In our podcast discussion we explore the importance of this sense of adventure for both children and adults, and how this relates to our spiritual lives and how we embrace God’s plan for us. We discuss the balance of duty and responsibility with the sense of freedom that this kind of adventuring perspective brings, and we highlight the connection with Creation that can come from being out in nature.
Works mentioned in this episode
Swallows and Amazons by Arthur Ransome
Swallowdale by Arthur Ransome
Winter Holiday by Arthur Ransome
The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien
Matilda by Roald Dahl
‘Swallows and Amazons for Ever!’ Slightly Foxed, by Jim Ring
Spe Salvi by Pope Benedict XVI
“Encounter of His Holiness Benedict XVI with the Youth, Saint Peter's Square, Thursday, 6 April 2006”
S2:9 EP18: Wonder in a Digital Age, Born of Wonder podcast
“Swallows, Amazons and Adventure, Part 1” by Jon Sparks
“Oxford Junior Dictionary’s replacement of ‘natural’ words with 21st-century terms sparks outcry”, The Guardian, Alison Flood
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Rachel: Knitting
The Creation of Music and the Music of Creation with Katie Marquette
Publishing Catholic Voices with Mary Finnegan, Deputy Editor at Wiseblood Books
The Great Expectations and Romantic Ideals of Dickens's Heroes
This Mortal Coil: An Album of Loss and Subtraction, ‘Offerings’ by Typhoon
Poetic Vision: The Catholic Case for Everyday Poetry
The Reed of God and the Potent Emptiness of Advent
Childish or Childlike: Labyrinth and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang on Growing Up
The Mystery and Manners of Flannery O’Connor
The Sublime Mystery of Thin Places: Numinous Experiences and Liminal Spaces
Rest and Recreation: Holidays and the Opportunity for Holiness
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Making Whole: Finding Healing in Community and Nature
Animating Creation: The Natural Landscapes of Studio Ghibli
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The Doom and Gift of Men: Stories of Death and the Desire for Immortality
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Something Inside: Hope and the Inner Life in The Shawshank Redemption
Entering the Anglo-Saxon Seasons: Poetry, Liturgy and Festivity, with Eleanor Parker
Let Nothing You Dismay: The Ghost of Christmas Storytelling
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