Finding Radical Regenerative Creative Spaces of Resistance
It has been my tradition to spend my birthday on a retreat. When my spiritual formator asked what grace I desire to receive, I told her I hope to experience God in a radical, authentic, creative, and indigenous way. 2022 is a very disruptive year for me. Learning about feminist theology and decolonization, I have questioned many areas of my faith and lived experiences. My heart desires to experience God and the world differently, freely, and lovingly. And so I traveled to Baguio City for an eco-social-spiritual immersion.
In her book entitled Yearning, feminist writer and activist bell hooks defines radical creative spaces as locations that recognize and sustain our subjectivity and where we can articulate our sense of the world. Quoting the Vietnamese Buddhist monk Thich Nhat Hahn, bell hooks sees these spaces as locations for resistance. Thich Nhat Hahn considers resistance at its core as going against being conquered, controlled, and corrupted by the dominant oppressive system. He taught that communities of resistance should be places where people can return to themselves more easily, where the conditions are such that they can heal themselves and recover their wholeness. Baguio City contains so many of these radical creative spaces. And they are regenerative because they bring healing and a sense of peace to the soul.
While being in Baguio for two weeks, I usually took my lunch at the Ili-Likha Artists' Wateringhole. It is a food and art hub conceptualized by National artist Eric de Guia, also known as "Kidlat Tahimik", a renowned film director and writer. Ili is an Ilocano word for town or village and likha is the Filipino word for create. Looking up in the dictionary, I learned that a watering hole is a place where people gather socially. The establishment showcases creativity, pagkamalikhain, in various forms: sculptures, woodcrafts, paintings, artworks, and food. Its eccentric design is such a beautiful disruption and resistance amid commercialization all around.
I also visited the Maryknoll Ecological Sanctuary and went through the Cosmic Journey for the third time. In 14 stations, Cosmic Journey tells the story of the Earth and its inhabitants. It seeks to instill in the sojourners the recognition, appreciation, and protection of our interconnection and interdependence with the Earth. The trail begins with a commitment “I pledge allegiance to the flora, fauna and human life, that it supports one planet, indivisible with safe air, water and soil, economic, justice, and equal rights for all”
I spent four days of my stay in Baguio at the House of Prayer of the Congregation of the Immaculate Heart of Mary. I lived in the compound from 2013-2014 when I had my religious formation with the congregation. But coming back here was different. I looked at the place, the garden, and the people with a different set of eyes. I saw so many spaces of healing and regeneration. Their garden contains various species of flora which invites different species of birds and insects. They have spaces for beekeeping and mushroom farming. The place is teeming with life! One of my favorite spaces in the House of Prayer is the labyrinth. I came here every morning to walk. Every step was like a stride forward to understanding myself more deeply and experiencing the Divine more intimately. It was in this labyrinth where I committed to being a regenerative and creative resistance to the world, to contribute to engendering more alternative systems to counter structures of domination, subjugation, and exploitation.
I commit to promoting the cause of gender equality in doing and teaching Theology. I will support the efforts done by reconstructionist feminist theologians in examining and exposing patriarchal influences in Scriptures, Church teachings, and practices and reclaim the liberating structures of our faith tradition. I commit to journey with victims of gender-based violence through peer support and counseling. In a future research project, I hope to develop with a community of environmentally-displaced people a decolonized theology of home. So help me God!
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