About me

My name is Rachael (Felicity Grace) Barham and I live on the banks of the beautiful Skutik / Saint Croix River in New Brunswick, Canada, which you can see in lots of photos here. Born and raised in England, I moved to Eastern Canada in 2008, with my husband Jeremy and daughter Amélie, and we love it here. 
Contemplative spirituality, time in nature, writing, and deep conversation about mysteries like life, the universe, God and everything are a few of the things I love, and that support me in continuing to grow into Love and Presence.
In my work, I hold space for other people to explore their spirituality and go deeper on their own journey into Love. I do this through spiritual direction, contemplative teaching, retreat facilitation, and guided meditations.

Spiritual Direction

As a spiritual companion, my main role is simply to listen to your story – offering you my engaged, compassionate, and accepting presence, and asking questions you may not think to ask yourself – in order to create a safe and supportive space for you to explore your spirituality.
It is an honour for me to walk alongside individuals from any faith tradition or none as they travel on their unique spiritual paths, and to offer the genuine interest, listening presence, and invitation to deepening compassion and wisdom that have been such a gift to me in my own life.

Teaching & Retreats

It is a privilege and pleasure to facilitate spiritual exploration and learning, growth and restoration in a variety of ways – through contemplative courses at St. Stephen’s University, in talks and presentations, and by offering retreats and guided meditations.


Updraft


Keep walking upward

under bending trees

till the woods open

onto high rock.

Plant your feet

to face the force

of wind rising

from the river far below.

Then lower onto granite bed

and lie beneath the spreading sky,

where clouds bloom

and great birds circle.

Watch an eagle

glide and soar with ease.

As you follow, feel

in your own small body

how every feather, muscle,

sinew is active

in this passivity, trained

on allowing the wind

to carry, lead, move.

Feel with your entire being

the grace of it all,

the unseen force that holds

and leads you too.

Let go.

Trust yourself again

to the gracious currents

that move your life.

Writing

Writing is a transformative and creative practice that I can’t imagine life without. I hope that the poems I share act as spaces of healing encounter with Love, and invitation into deeper Presence.

I have been processing my experience and reflections in a journal (well, actually, over 50 journals now!) for more than three decades. Sometimes I also share reflections, in prose or poetry, on my blog.