The blood: the Life that flows through us, taken in as breath, fresh each second, flowing out to be renewed in the world of nature; natural, given.

The stone: the fixed structures we rely on to ensure persistence of that life-force made flesh. The riddle, the contradiction – the mystery… beginning with that most profound and persistent structure: the body…

There is no more beautiful a coastline in which to explore the mystery of our being than Northumberland. The beaches are wonderful, the climate is usually mild late into the Autumn. The mellowness of September will be perfect.

This former Kingdom in its own right is rich in history; ancient and modern. Yet, it remains unvisited by most. Look on a map and you’ll see how it’s lovely hills and coast form a separate realm between England and Scotland.

( Image above: Northumberland – an ancient Kingdom between England and Scotland. (Google Maps))

There is no finer symbol of the dilemma of life and survival than the castle or the fortified tower; and Northumberland is full of them. They mirror its history, from its ancient political and religious roots to its lawless centuries when gangs – land pirates – roamed, unchecked, in the days of the Border Reivers.

(Image above: the Pele Tower – about which, more later….

Pilgrims have always come this way, drawn by the Holy Isalnd of Lindisfarne. We, too, will be drawn towards its mysterious and ancient shores, the birthplace of English (Celtic) Christianity. But, before we make that last odyssey across the causeway (or sands, for the adventurous) to that final island of the soul, we will make other journeys along the edge of the land, journeys that use coast and castle to explore the seemingly contrasting nature of survival and spirituality.

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