On Saturday morning December 18th, a small intimate group of us gathered at Prana, the home of the Traveler, for a Spiritual Exercises (SE) Workshop. For most, if not all of us, it was the “Living in Grace Retreat” at Prana. The excitement filled the Small Seminar Room where the workshop took place as we settled in our little nooks with our pillows and blankets. Just like the old days. Good old fashioned group SE’s.
Our facilitators, Yvonne Petrie and Audrey Reed, called us into a silence at 9:00 a.m. We started by calling in the Light, followed by Ani-Hu group chanting. We did introductions and brought ourselves into one accord. After the guidelines were read, we did some sharing about what we all wanted during the weekend. Afterwards, we had a chance to share more about that in an exercise as a group of four.
Throughout the day we did spiritual exercises in various ways that were a real treat. There were some very pleasant surprises in all of that. The joy, laughter, and closeness we all had together in the intimacy of such a small group was enjoyable. There was a lot of opportunity to check in with ourselves and see how we can improve and go to a deeper level of having communion with God inside ourselves. Opportunities to listen to the sound current, listen to what blocks our communion, or takes our eyes off of the Lord. During the silent breaks there was such a sweetness and gentleness among us. We gathered together in the dining room. We walked through the meditation gardens, the labyrinth, and throughout the grounds of this beautiful oasis of peace.
By Sunday, we all agreed that it was a solid and fulfilling experience. There was consensus that this gathering would be a good thing to do every year while the Grace Retreat is going on in Northern California. We indeed did experience God’s grace and goodness during this slice of heaven at the Traveler’s home. There was talk of great value in everything we did. We had a person among us that flew out from Arizona to take this weekend retreat. It was very special. It was an anchoring of an inward journey for the season.
