Retreats

For readers of Walden, Wild, Pilgrim at Tinker’s Creek, A Book of Silence, A Gift from the Sea and other celebrations of the inner adventure. An utterly engaging dive into our modern ways of retreat — where we go, why we’re drawn, and how it’s urgent From pilgrim paths to forest cabins, and from rented hermitages to arts temples and quiet havens for yoga and meditation, In Praise of Retreat explores the pleasures and powers of this ancient practice for modern people. Kirsteen MacLeod draws on the history of retreat and personal experiences to reveal the many ways readers can step back from society to reconnect with their deepest selves — and to their loftiest aspirations in life. In the 21st century, disengaging, even briefly, is seen by many as self-indulgent, unproductive, and antisocial. Yet to retreat is as basic a human need as being social, and everyone can benefit, whether it’s for a weekend, a month, or a lifetime. Retreat is an uncertain adventure with as many peaks and valleys as any mountain expedition, except we head inward, to recharge and find fresh energy and brave new ideas to bring back into our everyday lives.

Normally, retreats are built to blend in to their surroundings for the sake of secrecy, and are built by those who don’t want others to know anything about their retreat. Dave Black explores these places and gets to go where most people never go—through the chain link fence, past the guard dog, and into the rarely seen survival retreat. You will learn how to: Protect and defend your retreat Build in the right location Live safely in your retreat Harvest food and water Plan the perfect survival strategy Dave Black goes into detail to teach you everything you ever needed to know about survival retreats. Not only will you learn how to protect them, but you will learn how and where to build them, and most importantly, what to do after you’ve fortified. There’s a lot to know and with this book you’ll be prepared for the inevitable apocalypse . . .

An Indispensable Resource for Pastoral Agents Responding to the need for resources to set up, sponsor, and lead retreats, Planning and Implementing Retreats: A Parish Handbook provides an array of simple yet creative tools to achieve a successful outcome. This book is a practical, time-saving guide for those who are involved in designing experiences to enhance people's spiritual lives--in parishes especially, but also in hospitals, campus ministries or other locales where Christian adults gather for spiritual formation. At the heart of this resource are five planning and design strategies for professionals and volunteers who want to create a well-organized and spiritually sensitive retreat experience. Other chapters deal with the theological and scriptural bases for retreat design, as well as special areas of concern, worship and liturgy, and participation evaluation. The strategies and tips outlined in this book can help planners--novice or experienced--nourish their own spiritual life as they prepare for the task of journeying with those in search of the living God. This is truly a fundamental and much-needed resource.

From camp-like mountain retreats to urban sanctuaries to remote enclaves of miraculous natural beauty, this guidebook catalogs nearly 100 of the state's best sites for soul-searching through informative descriptions and full-color photographs. Photos.

This extraordinary body of work tells the story of yoga as it's never been told before. With almost 200 images, it traces the photographic journey of Michael O'Neill, the photographer and yogi who spent a decade traversing America and India to capture the essence of yoga and the most influential yogis of our time as a physical, spiritual, and...

"Covers such information as why people go on retreats, what types of retreats are available, what role the retreat companion plays, how people prepare for retreats and subsequently sustain their retreat experience, and how to find a retreat center that is nearby."--from amazon.com.

Sylvia Drummond Wright needs to escape. A Toronto-based, Giller-longlisted novelist who's been married thirty years, she secretly buys a dilapidated old lodge in New Brunswick and plans to move there with her grandmother and her disabled adult daughter. But her husband, Kent, takes over and, capitalizing on his wife's success, turns the lodge into a business venture -- a writing retreat. Sylvia is determined not to have anything to do with the Wright Retreat, but as an eclectic group of people converges in the renovated lodge by the water, compelling stories and beautiful friendships emerge, and Sylvia finds herself drawn in. There's Janice, a residential school survivor. Irma, whose husband has dragged her here, and who carries an unbelievable grief. Veronica and Dot, who each carry terrible secrets connected to this very lodge, which used to be a Catholic girls' home and was the site of unbelievable cruelty. By the time the retreat is over, not a single person is unchanged -- least of all Sylvia. Even the lodge itself has been transformed from a place of terror to one of healing. The Wright Retreat is an irresistible celebration of story, friendship, and the astonishing power of connection.

"In the depths of their hearts, many people feel a deep longing for God to shape their lives. They are in search of true prayer and personal union with God. In this book, the author offers guidance based on his personal life, spiritual growth, and extensive pastoral experience. Step by step, in ten units, he leads the participant toward an immediate awareness of the reality of God and of his presence. The book can be used as a practical guide for a closed retreat or for a retreat in everyday life"--Publisher's description, back cover.