“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

What We’re Enjoying at the Moment:

Phoebe: BBC’s Hildegard von Bingen - In Portrait (1994)

Rachel: Knitting

The Spirit of Adventure in Swallows and Amazons