Sloooow Down:
A Mindful Advent
an online retreat
Our annual Advent online retreat begins with a "soft start" the evening of Tuesday, December 3, 2019 and a formal start on Wednesday, December 4.
It will run through Christmas Eve, December 24
Sloooow Down: A Mindful Advent will be a combination of living the spirituality of Advent --waiting, hoping, imagining the future, drawing on the wisdom of the past, and often mourning or rejoicing along the way-- and gentle, supportive, non-competitive "clearing the clutter" in our lives. Not just the clutter of "stuff" but the clutter of time and schedules, of regret and anxiety, of whatever keeps us from hearing the word of God afresh and from living the advent of "God-with-us," Emmanuel.
We will focus not only on "preparing the way," but on "living the day." Is that a paradox? You betcha. Christian faith and practice are full of them.
The retreat and its resources will take into account --and work with-- the fact that most of us not only have to earn a living but are engaged in housework, cooking, care-giving for family, commuting, and/or volunteer work.
The retreat will help us to slow down, to be more mindful of the season and of the present, assisting us with resources that include images of Advent, sounds of Advent, biblical wisdom and poetry, prayers, and simple spiritual exercises and practices.
There will be a resource every day to offer you inspiration and support. You will benefit most from the retreat if you check in daily, but you can and may check in at any time of day or night, whenever it suits you, and even 10 minutes a day can make a difference in your life.
We register for the retreat as individuals, but we make the retreat in community. As always you will have the choice whether to engage others through comments and sharing of experiences or simply to absorb the retreat resources and stay silent and invisible.
As always, we have a sliding scale for retreat fees, from broke to benefactor.
See below the image for a little on how an online retreat works, and for a registration link.
Image: Paul Shakespear, "Remolino " (acrylic on canvas, 2014).
An online retreat? Really?
The retreat offers its resources online on a blog. More specifically, a closed blog.
What's a closed blog? It's a blog like this one, but unlike this one, it is not public: it is open only to those whom the blog owner-administrator (that's me, Jane) has signed in. In other words, it is not open to anybody wandering around the internet. It is not searchable: random web surfers will not be able to view either the blog or our conversations in the comments.
This kind of retreat is ideal if you are a busy person or if you are geographically isolated from retreat centers or other spiritual resources, or if mobility is a challenge. Even a short daily check-in can be refreshing and beneficial. What matters is faithfulness.
It doesn't matter whether you are a night owl or and early riser. The retreat has a structure, but is flexible enough to integrate into your daily life. You can take part in it from home, on a break from work, in a coffee shop, on vacation, anywhere you have a computer or a tablet and some intentional time apart: read, reflect, meditate, pray, and practice with the retreat resources in a way that suits your schedule.
The resources will be there on the retreat blog, waiting for you, every day of Advent from December 4 to December 24.
Once you have registered for the retreat, I will send instructions for the sign-in mechanism for the retreat blog. After you first sign on to the retreat blog, the blog will always recognize you when you visit it.
Registration
Please register via the PayPal secure link below, which takes credit and debit cards in addition to PayPal. (It will NOT show me your credit card number.)
You don't have to have your own PayPal account to use this online payment method.
If you prefer paying by check, please e-mail me to let me know and I will send you the mailing address.
Some discounts and scholarships are available for those in financial hardship. If you are too broke for the discounted rates in the drop-down menu below, please write me.
The benefactor rate helps offset costs and makes scholarship aid and discounts possible.
Payment is non-refundable and due upon registration.
Register here:
O Wisdom,
O holy Word of God
You govern all creation
with your strong yet tender care.
Come
and show your people
the way to salvation.
O holy Word of God
You govern all creation
with your strong yet tender care.
Come
and show your people
the way to salvation.
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