Linda Courage – North East
I am pleased to be a contact person for people in the North East region of England who are interested in Living Spirituality Connections (LSC). I have been a part of LSC since its inception and enjoy the work we do, and the way we work.
I recently retired from a wonderful and varied career in nursing and am enjoying a slower pace of life. I’m an introvert who likes people – very interested in people and their stories, and in introducing the arts as a way of expressing and understanding ourselves in ways that the intellect can’t.
I co-ordinate the Arts and Spirituality Special Interest area of our activities within LSC which includes hosting a private Facebook page and helping to curate ‘The Gallery’ within the website. Wordsmiths and creatives who might be interested in sharing poems and images are welcome to e mail me at linda.courage60@gmail.com.
You might also be interested in the following local and online activities:
An ecumenical meditation group in Selby Abbey meets every Monday (market day) at 2pm beside the ‘Icon of Friendship’ for 20 minutes of silence. There are toilet facilities and a cafe, and members of staff are happy to answer questions about the fascinating history of the Abbey, where they regularly run tours.
A contemplative service in Portholme Church (a Methodist:URC affiliation) in Selby at 6pm on the second Sunday of each month. This lasts for about 45 minutes and includes a requested extended period of silence.
St Bede’s Pastoral Centre in York, where I occasionally lead events with a focus on the arts and spirituality. The centre offers a whole range of programmes and courses that you might find helpful and interesting at www.stbedes.org.uk We are lucky to have the centre in our region.
And finally, I am a member of the holy disorder of dancing monks! The Abbey of the Arts, whose strap line is ‘transformative living through contemplative and expressive arts’, is my primary spiritual home. It is an online community that offers a whole range of retreats and activities, some of which are free of charge. You can see their programme at www.abbeyofthearts.com
