Resilient Seeker Coaching | Ross Raymond Nunamaker

Tolkien’s appeal is due to the vastness of the world he created.

Personally, I’ve always enjoyed studying history and thinking about philosophy. I take great joy in family genealogy. I appreciate music and art, as I am not very good at either. I also have come to enjoy walking and appreciating the nature all around me. I’ve taken to gardening and have always enjoyed writing and looking upon the stars.

I find all of this in Tolkien’s writing and there is so much more.

In this week’s Tolkien Thought I want to discuss sanctuary.

I used to kid that the only two places in my home over which I had any say were my garage and my home office. 

They were more refuge than sanctuary.

When I divorced and the whole house was my own it became a sanctuary for me. It was a place of peace and of comfort.

In writing about Crickhollow on Tolkien Reading Day the significance of having a sanctuary resonated deeply with me.

Frodo and Bilbo had Bag End, Sam his home on Bagshot Row, Merry and Pippin the Smials, and they all had the Shire. Crickhollow was next on their journey and then the Homes of Bombadil and Elrond.

Each location had food and safety, but moreover comfort and love in the form of companionship and camaraderie.

With the exception of their homes, each succeeding location is arrived at following a harrowing experience. 

They are in need of safety, to be able to rest peacefully, to have drink and food to rejuvenate themselves and most important to have one another to speak to one another about their feelings and questions they may have of one another.

All of this is healing and rejuvenation, but these places also afford them time to think and contemplate to plan and organize for their next stage.

To do this well requires comfort. Merry goes to great lengths to make Crickhollow as much like Bag End as possible not knowing how rough the journey will have been. He expected them to be physically tired, but not coming in fear having been chased.

Having a personal sanctuary is critical to personal well-being. Familiarity is relaxing and makes you feel you belong. Having your own place is personal. It reflects who you are and what you like.

Beyond my home, I went one step further and created a Tolkien Reading Room in my house. The room gets all day and evening sunlight. I have a desk to work at (for personal work, I have a separate home office for work) and a recliner to read in.

I also have prints and my books, along with the Society’s Mallorn and Amon Hen.

This is my true getaway where I can get fully absorbed and block out everything else.

Tolkien understood this and incorporated it into his works.