ECO MINI-RETREAT
At the beginning of the bible God put Adam and Eve in a garden to be their home, people all over the world have been creating and caring for gardens throughout history. There is even a saying that ‘you are closer to God’s heart in a garden…’
This retreat is designed to be done at home in your garden if you have one, or in a garden like place – a nearby churchyard can be a particularly good spot or a local park. It can be done at any time of year and in any weather (though for health and safety reasons it might be best to avoid thunder storms or high winds!). It is intended to last about 3 hours so can be done in a morning if you are an ‘early bird’ (or in an afternoon if you are not), but you can take longer if you like.
Equipment:
- Notebook and Pen/Pencil to record your thoughts
- Bible
- Something to sit on
- A piece of fruit to eat (preferably an apple or other fruit with pips or a stone)
- Water to drink
- Suitable weather gear e.g. sensible shoes, suncream / hat if it’s hot, umbrella if it’s rainy, coat and gloves if it is cold.
- You might see something you want to take a photo of, or hear something you would like to record, so you are allowed your phone, but make sure voicemail is on, and it is set to silent!
Preparation:
Preparation ideally starts the night before, you will get more from the retreat if you get a good night’s sleep beforehand. What helps you unwind? Switch off the TV, take a relaxing bath, or go to bed early and re-read part of a favourite book.
In the morning don’t be tempted to lie in, but get up as if it was a normal day, try to spend a maximum of an hour checking email/texts etc. and ‘clearing the decks’ of urgent jobs so that the rest of your retreat time can be undisturbed.
Aim to be at your chosen retreat space for 10am if starting in the morning, or 2pm if starting in the afternoon to give you plenty of time.
The retreat has two main parts.
Senses in Creation - a contemplative meditation, helping to still busy minds and focus on God.
followed by
When Things Aren't Right - an active meditation, helping to put words and thoughts into symbolic actions.
For a printer friendly version of both meditations click here
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