retreat experience essay

Experience of a Retreat in the Spiritual Life Essay

The inner need to be alone with oneself has always guided people who wanted to achieve enlightenment. Suffice it to recall the famous examples of Gautama Buddha, who lived alone and attained nirvana, or Jesus Christ, who fasted for forty days. In many cultures, such seclusion is called a retreat and is seen as a way to explore oneself deeper. The time of a retreat is used for meditation, prayer, or meditation. This essay will focus on how the practice of a one-time retreat can affect spiritual life.

In the pursuit of fleeting pleasures in the stream of daily worries, people do not always have time to understand the meaning of existence. The practice of retreat makes it possible to realize and accept this meaning to find inner freedom. Fading away from the world and being alone is the ministry to God (Nouwen, 1995). During exercises, people try to go beyond habits, stereotypes, to overcome themselves, their emotional prohibitions, and restrictions, to break the existing blocks that prevent them from living a full life. In this sense, a retreat is a conscious attempt to organize one’s thoughts and protect oneself from reality.

Today, the meaning of spiritual solitude has slightly changed its form. Whereas retreat used to be a significant part of the lives of many monks and prophets, today, it is more of recreational activity. To achieve a state of complete spiritual solitude, people often go to distant countries or visit specialized institutions. Depending on the religious culture, retreat practices vary greatly: retreats can be both individual and collective. Sometimes the retreat is accompanied by complete silence, but other times it, on the contrary, implies active live communication. Such solitude is reduced to almost continuous meditation, which is only occasionally interrupted by sleep and food.

My spiritual experience of retreat was connected, first of all, with rethinking myself. In a moment of loneliness, being a beginner in this field, I quickly caught myself thinking that I could not control the flow of my thoughts.

However, immediately after the spiritual practice, there was an improvement in the perception of the present moment, attention, and consciousness, including the body’s feelings. This effect can be associated with short-term changes in dopamine and serotonin levels (Newberg, Wintering, Yamen, Zhong, Bowen, Averick, & Monti, 2018). Ordinary, rapidly changing everyday life has suddenly become more balanced and concentrated.

In a moment of silence and ritual, my mind was doing amazing things. It emphasized all the movements around me, the physical sensations, the contact with the air that touched my skin. At that moment, I had a bright feeling that the room was beginning to move, and I was with it. The masters asked me to be especially attentive to the process of my breathing, to concentrate on it. So, the state of trance enveloped me, and I started hearing inner voices.

Just a week after the retreat began, I realized how beautiful the world was. It is a confusing feeling, but I felt like I had a vision at the atomic level. At that moment, I loved not only myself but everyone else around me. According to Nouwen (1995), this feeling seems to be the union with God. This feeling did not leave me for a long time, and these days I felt like the happiest person on the planet.

Emphasizing all of the above, there are many religious ways to find yourself. In many cultures, there is a tendency towards isolation and spiritual loneliness to distract oneself from the bustle of the outside world. Spiritual practices of retreat today are somewhat different from what they used to be, but serve the same purpose. A retreat is a more potent form of meditation that can affect your world view and change values. This practice is closely linked to going beyond the comfort zone and discoveries. It is important not to lose this spiritual state after the course, but to learn to live with it.

Newberg, A. B., Wintering, N., Yaden, D. B., Zhong, L., Bowen, B., Averick, N., & Monti, D. A. (2018). Effect of a one-week spiritual retreat on dopamine and serotonin transporter binding: a preliminary study. Religion, Brain & Behavior , 8 (3), 265-278.

Nouwen, H. (1995). Moving from solitude to community to ministry. Leadership , 16 (2), 81-87.

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Bibliography

IvyPanda . "Experience of a Retreat in the Spiritual Life." July 30, 2021. https://ivypanda.com/essays/experience-of-a-retreat-in-the-spiritual-life/.

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Making a Good Retreat:  A Guide to a Transformative Experience

September 20, 2023

Retreat from the noise.  Hear God’s voice.

In today’s fast-paced world, finding moments of peace, reflection, and spiritual growth have become increasingly difficult but all together more important. Catholic retreats offer a unique opportunity to step away from the busyness of life and immerse oneself in prayer, contemplation, and communion with God.

Malvern Retreat House, nestled in the serene surroundings of Chester County, Pennsylvania, is a cherished destination for those seeking a meaningful Catholic retreat. For over 100 years, Malvern has welcomed men and women to retreat from life’s hectic commitments and hear God’s voice.

Making a good retreat starts with just that… going on retreat!  But we have come to know that retreatants get the most out of their experience when they follow a few simple steps.

Choose the Right Retreat

Malvern Retreat House offers a diverse range of retreats serving different needs and interests. Whether you are seeking a silent retreat, a themed retreat, a marriage enrichment retreat, or a men’s/women’s retreat, selecting the one that resonates with your current spiritual journey is crucial.

Many long-standing retreats at Malvern Retreat House have taken on unique names that reflect some aspect of the retreat.  A retreat may be named for a particular saint, or a retreat may be named in memory of an important member of the retreat community. These names do not mean that the retreat is for a private group! 

When thinking about going on retreat ask yourself: What are you looking for in a Catholic retreat experience? 

Consider your preferences, goals, and the specific aspects of your faith that you would like to deepen or explore further.

Prepare Your Heart and Mind

As you prepare for your retreat, take some time to quiet your heart and mind. Engage in prayer, reflection, and self-examination to discern your intentions and goals for the retreat.  Quiet prayer, reflection, and contemplation are not typical experiences for most people.  But these activities are at the heart of a retreat.  Practicing with prayer and quiet reflection for a few minutes each day prior to your retreat will help you prepare for the experience.

Consider what areas of your spiritual life you wish to nurture, what questions you seek answers to, or what challenges you hope to overcome. This preparation will help you approach the retreat with an open and receptive heart, ready to embrace the grace and insights that await you.

Embrace Silence and Solitude

Silence and solitude are integral components of a Catholic retreat. They create a sacred space for fostering an inner stillness that will help deepen your connection with God and hear His voice.

At Malvern Retreat House, the tranquil surroundings provide an ideal setting for entering into silence and solitude. Embrace this opportunity to disconnect from the noise and distractions of daily life, allowing yourself to be fully present in the retreat experience.  Enjoy our grotto.  Take time with our outdoor Stations of the Cross.  Pray at our shrines.  Visit our oratories. 

Engage in Spiritual Practices

During your retreat, participate wholeheartedly in the spiritual practices offered. Attend Mass, receive the sacraments, and pray the Liturgy of the Hours. Say the Rosary. Walk the Stations of the Cross.  Take advantage of opportunities for spiritual direction, confession, and adoration. Malvern Retreat House provides a supportive and nurturing environment for these practices, enhancing your retreat experience and deepening your spiritual connection.

Connect with Others

While silence and solitude are essential, retreats also offer an opportunity to connect with like-minded individuals on a similar spiritual journey. Engage in conversations, share experiences, and build relationships with fellow retreatants. Malvern Retreat House fosters a sense of community and camaraderie, providing opportunities for group activities, communal meals, and fellowship.

Carry the Retreat Experience Forward

As your retreat draws to a close, reflect upon the insights, graces, and spiritual growth you have experienced. Consider how you can integrate these newfound treasures into your everyday life. Create a plan for ongoing spiritual practices, such as regular prayer, reading Scripture, and engaging in acts of service. Malvern Retreat House offers resources and support to help you continue your spiritual journey long after the retreat concludes.

A Catholic retreat at Malvern Retreat House can be a transformative experience, offering a sacred space to deepen your relationship with God and nourish your spiritual life. By choosing the right retreat, preparing your heart and mind, embracing silence and solitude, engaging in spiritual practices, connecting with others, and carrying the retreat experience forward, you can ensure a meaningful and impactful retreat that will leave a lasting imprint on your spiritual journey.

May your time at Malvern Retreat House be a source of renewal, inspiration, and a deeper connection with God.

Elevating Serenity: the Transformative Power of Gravitational Wellness Retreats

This essay about gravitational wellness retreats explores a novel approach to relaxation and healing in diverse gravity environments. Going beyond conventional spa experiences, these retreats offer a spectrum of gravity settings, from reduced to heightened, providing a unique avenue for physical and mental rejuvenation. The science behind gravitational wellness reveals its impact on joints, muscles, stress levels, mood, and cognitive functions. Participants not only unwind but also tap into mental clarity and creative inspiration. These retreats, blending scientific principles with ancient practices, redefine well-being by inviting individuals to step outside their comfort zones and explore the transformative power of unconventional serenity in varied gravity environments.

How it works

In the hustle and bustle of our modern lives, where stress often wraps us in its tight embrace, the concept of gravitational wellness retreats emerges as a beacon of tranquility. Beyond the conventional spa experience, these retreats delve into the fascinating realm of varied gravity environments, promising not just relaxation but a unique avenue for healing.

Imagine a retreat where the force of gravity is not a uniform imposition but a carefully curated spectrum. Picture yourself basking in the therapeutic embrace of reduced gravity, where the burdens of daily life seem to lift effortlessly.

Such retreats, often equipped with state-of-the-art facilities, offer visitors the chance to recalibrate their minds and bodies in an environment that defies the constraints of traditional well-being sanctuaries.

The science behind gravitational wellness is as intriguing as the experience itself. Lower gravity settings ease the strain on joints and muscles, fostering a sense of weightlessness that promotes physical rejuvenation. This innovative approach to relaxation isn’t just about lying back and unwinding; it’s about giving your body the opportunity to heal from the inside out. It’s a nuanced dance between gravity and the human form, one that results in a unique and blissful escape.

One might wonder about the psychological implications of such an experience. Surprisingly, the mind, much like the body, responds to the altered gravitational conditions. Reduced gravity has been linked to reduced stress levels, improved mood, and enhanced cognitive functions. Participants often find themselves in a mental cocoon, shielded from the demands of daily life, allowing them to tap into a reservoir of mental clarity and creative inspiration.

These retreats are not limited to low-gravity settings alone; some venture into realms of heightened gravity. The experience of being gently pulled down to Earth creates a grounding sensation, fostering a connection with reality that is often elusive in our fast-paced lives. It’s a counterintuitive approach, yet the results are remarkable – a sense of stability and balance that transcends the retreat and accompanies participants back into their everyday routines.

Beyond the physiological and psychological benefits, gravitational wellness retreats serve as a testament to human curiosity and our innate desire for exploration. The juxtaposition of scientific principles with the age-old pursuit of well-being creates an experience that is both novel and rooted in ancient practices of self-discovery. It’s a retreat that speaks to the adventurer within us, inviting us to step outside our comfort zones, not just mentally but also in terms of our gravitational boundaries.

In conclusion, gravitational wellness retreats redefine the conventional spa experience by introducing an element of scientific innovation and exploration. These retreats offer a unique blend of relaxation and healing, taking participants on a journey that transcends the limitations of traditional well-being practices. Whether it’s the gentle embrace of reduced gravity or the grounding pull of increased gravity, these retreats promise an experience that goes beyond the ordinary, providing a pathway to serenity in varied gravity environments. As we navigate the demands of our hectic lives, the gravitational wellness retreat stands as a testament to the transformative power of seeking solace in the unconventional.

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"Elevating Serenity: The Transformative Power of Gravitational Wellness Retreats," PapersOwl.com , 02-Mar-2024. [Online]. Available: https://papersowl.com/examples/elevating-serenity-the-transformative-power-of-gravitational-wellness-retreats/. [Accessed: 18-Apr-2024]

PapersOwl.com. (2024). Elevating Serenity: The Transformative Power of Gravitational Wellness Retreats . [Online]. Available at: https://papersowl.com/examples/elevating-serenity-the-transformative-power-of-gravitational-wellness-retreats/ [Accessed: 18-Apr-2024]

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three invitations

Monastic wisdom, for everyday living.

Three Brothers share their vision for how to shape a retreat experience to “enter more fully into the divine life.”  

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“ Times of retreat are essential elements in the rhythm of our life. They enable us to celebrate the primacy of the love of God above all else. Whenever we enter retreat we seek to be more available to God so that we may enter more fully into the divine life ” (SSJE Rule of Life , Ch. 29, “Retreat”). These lines encapsulate why we go on retreat: by setting aside the ordinary cares and patterns of our days, we hope to make ourselves more fully available to God.  

Many different settings, structures, and shapes of retreat can meet this aim. After all, God is available to us everywhere; the question is simply where and how we can best tune our perception to become aware of God’s presence. The answer will not be the same for each of us, nor even for each of us in every season.  

In these pages, three Brothers share three different visions for how one might shape a retreat experience. What framework might open your heart to God’s revelation at this season in your life? We pray that, however the Spirit leads you, your retreat will invite you to “ enter more fully into the divine life. ”

Return and Rest - recalling God's love on retreat

Return and rest, recalling god's love on retreat, br. david vryhof, ssje.

There are many ways of entering into retreat. At times we will want to use our time of retreat to listen and discern God’s purposes in our life, especially if we are in a place of confusion, conflict, or uncertainty. At other times we may be facing an important choice, and will find a period of silent retreat to be a helpful clearing space in which to weigh our options in prayer. At times, we will want to explore more deeply the nature of God, the person of Christ, or some aspect of our human condition. These are ways of using retreat to “advance” the spiritual life.

But as our Brother Curtis Almquist likes to remind us, most often “a retreat is not an advance.” Retreats invite us to return to the God we already know, to recall and to re-experience God’s love for us, to receive from God the gifts we need this day.  

“In returning and rest you shall be saved.” - Isaiah 30:15

In the Book of Common Prayer there is a collect that summarizes this last type of retreat. We pray,  

O God of peace, who has taught us that in returning and rest we shall be saved, in quietness and confidence shall be our strength: By the might of your Spirit lift us, we pray, to your presence, where we may be still and know that you are God; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

The prayer is drawn from Isaiah 30:15: “For thus says the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel: In returning and rest you shall be saved; in quietness and in trust shall be your strength.” It suggests that there are times when we need to return to God and find our rest in God’s presence, to draw from God’s strength in order to claim again the inner stillness and freedom that come from putting our trust in God’s wisdom and power rather than our own.

If you have ever watched young children playing on a playground you may have noticed how a child might from time to time interrupt his play in order to come over to his mother, sitting at the edge of the play area. She hugs him, tussles his hair, and rubs his back. He leans into her and receives her love. After a few moments, he pops up and returns to his peers to join again in their play. Retreat can be like that – a short break from the tasks of our life, during which we can lean into God to receive God’s love and affection, and hear God’s words of encouragement and support. Retreats can offer us this kind of refreshment and renewal, and can prepare us to re-enter the fray of our daily lives with new energy and hope.

Retreat can be a short break from the tasks of our life, during which we can lean into God to receive God’s love and affection.

How might we enter into such a retreat? I often encourage retreatants to begin their retreats by returning to a favorite passage of Scripture or to a favorite hymn, one that recalls for them God’s deep love and abiding faithfulness. Here are some possible starting places:

– Isaiah 43:1-9 “ Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine.”

– Psalm 23 “ The Lord is my Shepherd; I shall not be in want .”

– Psalm 139 “ it was you who formed my inward parts; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. ”

– Romans 8:31-38 “ Nothing can separate us from the love of God.”

– 1 John 4:7-21 “ In this is love, not that we loved God but that   God loved us… ”

– Hymnal 1982, 671 “Amazing grace! how sweet the sound”

– Hymnal 1982, 664 “ My Shepherd will supply my need ”

“Where can I go from your spirit? Or where can I flee from your presence? If I ascend to heaven, you are there; if I make my bed in Sheol, you are there...

It will help if we remind ourselves that prayer is a gift, not a task . We come to prayer to offer God thanks and praise, and to receive the good gifts God has for us, gifts that God knows that we need. We do not come to achieve a goal or to produce a specific result. Nor do we come out of obligation, to fulfill a sense of duty. Christian prayer stems from a loving relationship. God has invited us into the Divine Presence in order to offer us love and strength, patience and courage, healing and wholeness. Prayer is the primary place where we receive these things. Therefore, we ought to approach our times of prayer or times of retreat not with a sense of duty, but in a spirit of receptivity and expectation. We are coming to meet the One who has created and redeemed us in love, and who reigns over all things, to receive all that we need from God’s heavenly storehouse.

The author of the First Letter of John writes, “ We love because (God) first loved us ” (1 John 4:9). The first thing (“we love”) is dependent on the second (that we have received and experienced God’s love for us). If we hope to be agents of God’s love in the world, carriers of God’s grace and ministers of God’s compassion, then we need to receive those gifts of love and grace and compassion from the hand of God. Only then can we offer them to others. Prayer is the place where these gifts are received. When I have experienced God’s unconditional love for me, I can offer that same unconditional love to others. When I have known God’s forgiveness, I can extend that same forgiveness to others. When I know that God accepts me as I am, without judgment, I can open myself to others and approach them with curiosity and interest rather than with suspicion and judgment. “ We love because (God) first loved us .” This is the gift that God offers us in prayer and in retreat.

Begin your retreat, then, by returning to God, resting in God’s goodness and love, allowing God to restore your confidence in God’s protection and provision. God is at work in your life. “ Be still, and know that God is God .”

...For it was you who formed my inward parts; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.” - Psalm 139: 7-8, 13-14

Practices to Enrich Your Retreat

Recall specific moments when you have known God’s goodness and love in your life. How did you feel? What emotions spring up in you now as you recall those earlier times? Offer them to God.

Write a letter to God. What do you wish to say to God? What does God need to hear from you? It could be words of love or heartbreak or doubt. Be as honest as you can. One of our Brothers, at the end of this meditative practice, likes to take up another pen in a second color and write the words he hears God speaking back to him.  

You might find it helpful to meditate with an image. I love to pray with Katherine Brown’s image of the Good Shepherd, rejoicing as he holds his lost lamb. As you gaze at this icon, hear God welcoming you back home. You are God’s beloved creature, the one for whom God would leave the ninety-nine, just to bring you back.  

Sip and Savor - reading sacred texts on retreat

Sip and savor, reading sacred texts on retreat, br. keith nelson, ssje.

The spaciousness, silence, and freedom from distraction that retreat offers provide an ideal context for encountering Christ in scripture and sacred writings. Times of retreat free us from the obligation of assigned readings like the lectionary. They also beckon us away from the perpetual flow of the social media feed, headlines crafted to arrest us in our tracks, and images designed to hijack our attention. Unlike the reading we shoe-horn into a daily train commute or the spare, sleepy moments before bed, on retreat we are given the gift of genuine leisure to let our reading absorb, transfix, and even transfigure us. We can rediscover the grace-bearing potential of words by giving them our full and undivided attention. In the chapter entitled “Holy Scripture” in our Rule , we read: “ It is the Spirit dwelling within us who brings the revelation of Scripture into a vital encounter with our inmost selves, and brings to birth new meaning and life. ” When the texts we choose to take on retreat are selected with careful, prayerful discernment and approached with reverent expectancy, the living Word can open our deafness once more. Our lives may be forever changed by just a single phrase.  

“Without silence, words become empty.” – SSJE Rule of Life, Ch. 27, “Silence”

There are a few elements that can transform our engagement with printed words into sacred reading while on retreat. I’ll consider three: what we choose to read, the pace at which we read it, and the space we give ourselves to step away from our reading and rest in wordless silence. There is abundant literature on the classic monastic practice of lectio divina – a practice which I heartily recommend. Here, however, I will consider sacred reading practices a little more broadly.  

How do we choose what texts we read on retreat? This is a fairly personal choice, but remember that your aim is sacred reading. I prefer to avoid texts which are primarily didactic – whose basic purpose is to instruct, inform, or set forth an argument. Instead, I choose texts which I trust will efface themselves and usher me gently into encounter with God, toward whom they point. I particularly relish reading poems on retreat, because a good poem can communicate directly to the heart what prose can take a volume to express! The writings of the ancient and medieval church, though sometimes difficult and obscure, never fail to reward my patient attention with gifts of grace. Some retreats have become like intimate conversations between Jesus, myself, and the saint whose holy friendship is offered to me through her or his writings. As a consummate bibliophile, I need to be ruthless in limiting the number of books I take on retreat and remind myself that this is not an opportunity to catch up on the six to eight books from the Monastery library begging for my attention. My hard rule is no more than two, plus a Bible. In reading scripture, I often aim to delve deeply into one book, or sometimes a single chapter, though I leave room for detours if they are strong promptings from the Spirit. I must cultivate, again and again, a “less is more” approach.  

Learning to read slowly and meditatively can take practice, but this is the pace and approach that our ancestors in the faith most strongly recommend. Just as timeless works of visual art or music communicate freshly to each generation of artists or musicians, texts that contain true wisdom repay an infinite number of readings. Each inwardly repeated sentence can midwife new insights or lift the eyes of our hearts to whole constellations of meaning that our initial reading passed over unawares. In the ancient and medieval worlds, the act of reading was an awesome privilege demanding intense mental and physical concentration. Receiving even a one-page letter was a singular event. The precious words on the parchment were read aloud, repeatedly. This way of reading rendered the author mysteriously and intimately present. The Rule of St. Benedict makes provision for each monk to receive one book from the monastic library as his Lenten reading. A whole book to absorb in meditative prayer over the course of a liturgical season was a sublime gift. On retreat, we can follow their lead. Rather than gulp, we sip and savor.  

“He said to me, O mortal, eat what is offered to you; eat this scroll, and go, speak to the house of Israel. So I opened my mouth, and he gave me the scroll to eat...

In the sustained, meditative reading of a sacred text we expect to be impacted or transformed in some way because we honor the text’s spiritual authority or authenticity, but we don’t pretend to know how the encounter may change us. We are open to the text’s points of difficulty and obscurity (think for example of the prologue to John’s gospel, or the poems of T.S. Eliot). The Spirit patiently teaches us that when the fist of the mind closes around the words to wrest away a manufactured, quotable insight, they inevitably become opaque. The doors of perception close. Yet when we are receptive and open, without the compulsion to comprehend each particular nuance, words and phrases take on a transparent radiance. In the words of Eliot, “ Every word is at home … the complete consort dancing together. ” We are graced by a boundless, holistic, heart-centered way of knowing that can only be inspired — in-breathed by another power. In this moment, we close the book.  

Then what? Nothing and everything may quiver expectantly in that moment. We may remain still for a time, resting in the Word. We may gather together a few words of humble gratitude. We may turn our attention to something very different: a long walk in the cold air, a cup of tea beside the fireplace, a luxurious nap, an hour with the blessed Sacrament. The Word has used words to bear us into the silence that is their Source, and to which they will return. We let the words be, planted in the dark, mysterious soil of our hearts. We entrust their growth to the Author of Life, until the next time we take up the text, our attention refreshed and renewed, hungry again for the grace that sacred reading bestows.  

...He said to me, Mortal, eat this scroll that I give you and fill your stomach with it. Then I ate it; and in my mouth it was as sweet as honey.” – Ezekiel 3:1-3

Memorize a favorite passage from Scripture. Repeat the words aloud, slowly and meditatively. How do the words feel in your mouth as you “chew” them? After a while, let yourself become silent in the lingering presence of the Word. Trust that they have been written on your heart, and will be there for you when you need them.

Gaze at the icon of St. John the Evangelist. Momentarily lay aside your analytical mind and simply receive the figures, colors, and shapes just as they are.  

Now take a look at the angel hovering over John’s shoulder, whispering in his ear: a representation of the Word of God. The Word whispers to us through the printed words in front of us. But the same Word communicates in unexpected ways from the margins, or at the periphery of our vision – gently interrupting, inspiring, suggesting, or challenging.  

What is it like to “read” the Word present to you in both of these places – or to allow the Word to read you in this way?

Strive and Wrestle - facing spiritual trial on retreat

Strive and wrestle, br. jim woodrum, ssje.

Prior to coming to the Monastery, my experiences of retreat were of an extended time of sabbath with God, always in the context of community with fellow believers. While times of rest in community away from the familiar scenes, routines, and challenges of life were quite beneficial to me, it wasn’t until I arrived at SSJE to test my vocation as a monk that I encountered a deeper and richer experience of retreat. As a novice, when I first studied the chapter entitled “Retreat” in our Rule of Life , one paragraph captured my attention: “ Retreats will often be times in which we hear Jesus inviting us to be at rest with him. But we must expect retreats to expose us to spiritual trial. We may be tempted to tire ourselves or waste the time in busy work and preparation. We may find ourselves staying on the surface to avoid an authentic meeting with the living God. And the emptiness of retreat time may compel us to face painful signs of our need for healing which it was easier to overlook during our usual routines.” Spiritual trial!? Wasn’t retreat time about spending ‘quality time’ with God? I had never considered retreat to be so venturesome.

“We must expect retreats to expose us to spiritual trial.” – SSJE Rule of Life, Ch. 27, “Silence”

This vision of retreat reminds me of a story from Genesis which I loved as a kid but never really understood until now: the story of Jacob and his encounter with a divine being. The author of this particular Genesis story says that Jacob is on a journey with his family and all his possessions when, at one point, he sends them ahead of him, while he stays behind. When he is completely alone, Jacob encounters a man who engages him in a struggle. The two spend the long hours of the night wrestling, and eventually Jacob overpowers the man. Before conceding defeat the man dislocates Jacob’s thigh and exclaims, “ Let me go, for day is breaking .” But Jacob perceives something about this man with whom he has been wrestling. Aware that this is no ordinary encounter, Jacob asks his holy opponent for a blessing. The man declares that he will no longer be called Jacob, but Israel, “for you have striven with God and with humans, and have prevailed.” The name Israel means “a man seeing God.” The story continues: “ And there he blessed him. So Jacob called the place Peniel, saying, ‘For I have seen God face to face, and yet my life is preserved.’ The sun rose upon him as he passed Peniel, limping because of his hip.”

This story resonates with me because it highlights the truth that any encounter which brings us into real intimacy with God will be costly. It will involve sacrifice, intention, endurance, and a desire and willingness to be changed. Jacob sacrificed all that he had, sending his family and possessions ahead unguarded while he withdrew to be alone with God. He intentionally engaged God in struggle, perhaps processing and working out the self-doubts that had plagued him. We know that Jacob had a less-than-stellar reputation in the eyes of his family and was seeking reconciliation from his estranged brother Esau. He had to abide with God in a difficult struggle, perhaps wondering at times whether he would be able to endure God’s truth and judgment. He had to desire change and make that desire known to God. At the dawning of the new day, he asked God to bless him as he moved forward into new life. Jacob left that encounter with God, not only with the new name of Israel, but also bearing a wound of love, one that would be a constant reminder of God’s grace and blessing.

“There are many conflicts on the way into the experience of divine love. As the spirit exposes it to Christ’s healing touch in prayer we shall often have to struggle with our reluctance to be loved so deeply by God...

It may be helpful to you to pray with the story of Jacob’s encounter with God, especially on retreat, since a retreat may expose us to spiritual trial. We may enter into retreat with the intention of deepening our relationship with God, only to find ourselves distracted. We live in an age where we are constantly bombarded with advertising which promises a better life. And the lure of social media – with its premise to bring us connection – actually isolates us from real, meaningful relationships. God does not relate to us through Facebook and Instagram. Rather God is drawing us into silence, stillness, and solitude, in order to share the intimacy of adoring love with us. Like any relationship that we care about, our relationship with God requires us to put aside distractions in order to gaze into the face of our Beloved.  

It seems appealing to search for God somewhere ‘out there,’ in exotic places worthy of God’s glory. However, the desert fathers and mothers of the fourth and fifth centuries taught that the kingdom of heaven begins within us: “ Strive to enter the treasure chamber that is within you; that way you will see the heavenly treasure. Both are one in the same. The ladder to the kingdom of heaven is in your soul ... there you will find the steps on which you can climb up .” The Psalmist writes, “ Lord, I love the house in which you dwell and the place where your glory abides.” You are God’s abiding place!

Most often Jesus enters into our lives through the cracks of our brokenness. We need not be ashamed of the fissures in our heart. Instead we must have the courage to bare them to Jesus, whose desire is to fill us with grace so that we may know the power of his love. Acknowledging our need for healing, our desire for happiness, and our longing for abundance is a sacrifice we offer to God. In return, God gives us a morsel of bread and sip of wine, the heavenly food of his own body and blood to sustain and nourish us as we begin our journey to healing.

Like Jacob, we need the courage first to let go of everything, to engage God and to ask God to reveal our true identity, the person God has created us to be. Retreat can be the perfect time for such challenging, rewarding striving with God.

...Christ himself will strive with us, as the angel strove with Jacob, to disable our self-reliant pride and make us depend on grace.” – SSJE Rule of Life, Ch. 21, “The Mystery of Prayer”

What are you struggling with in your life – perhaps something in your past that has left you wounded? Do you share this struggle with God? Offer your wounds to Jesus in prayer, asking Him to transfigure the situation, that it might be a source of blessing to you.

Before going on retreat, note the amount of time you spend on social media each week. During the course of your retreat, resist the urge to connect virtually. Instead make a list of those whom you hold in your heart. Remember them to God in your prayer. Our founder, Richard Meux Benson, explains the power of intercessory prayer in this way: “....in praying for others we learn really and truly to love them. As we approach God on their behalf we carry the thought of them into the very being of eternal Love, and as we go into the being of him who is eternal Love, so we learn to love whatever we take with us there.” Carry those you love with you to God in prayer.

In times of spiritual trial, you may find it meaningful to meditate with an image of Christ crucified, like the one here. Reflect on how Christ is willing to share with you in your struggle.

About Br. David Vryhof

Br. David Vryhof, SSJE lives at Emery House in West Newbury and serves as Communications Brother. He loves that his day is grounded in the Daily Office (while his actual office is grounded in plenty of post-it notes and to-do lists). He is the most enthusiastic sports fan in the community.

About Br. Keith Nelson

Br. Keith Nelson, SSJE came to SSJE in February of 2014 and professed his Initial Vows in July of 2016. He has had a life-long passion for drawing and is an avid reader of ascetical theology, particularly fourteenth-century Middle English. He loves being a monk and a follower of Jesus.  

About Br. Jim Woodrum

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8 Tips to Enjoying Your Retreat Experience

As a counsellor, yoga teacher and group work facilitator who has been hosting retreats for seven years, I’ve developed some tips to help you to get the most out of your retreat experience. People attend retreats for a variety of reasons, for some down time, to find more meaning and purpose in life, to learn a new skill, travel to a new destination or at a transitional point, such as the death of loved one or change in career. People of course bring their own personalities, some are very outgoing and the life of the party others more gentle and introspective, all of them beautiful in their own way.

Retreats are for everyone. They are a place to open your heart fully to healing, peace, strength, joy, connection and love. A retreat is the place to reconnect with your true self, and find those things that you’re seeking. Sometimes you lose sight of who you are when you are facing challenges or as you get wrapped up in the day to day minutiae of relationships, jobs, responsibilities, LIFE!

Our  retreat videos  and  testimonials  can give you some indication of what people get out attending a Vibrant Women Retreat but I’ve added eight tips of my own below for you to consider.

• Disconnect: Put down your phone, tablet, device, whatever connects you to distractions. You may need to check on your children, but everything else can wait until you get home. Know that those work e-mails will still be there and that your friends can wait to hear about your experience when you get home. The more connected you are to technology, the less likely you are to be connecting to yourself. Disconnect and enjoy the experience in the moment.
• Be open Maybe a meditative walk or a silent meal isn’t necessarily your thing. Allow yourself to be open to new experiences. Open up to vulnerability and let go of the negative thoughts like “I will look silly” or “This is weird” or “They want me to do WHAT?!” In yoga it is believed that the poses you don’t like are the ones you need the most. Open up to the idea that the experiences you are resisting may be exactly what you need. Who knows, be open to new things and you may find immense joy just from the act of trying.
• Be present Make the effort to be fully present: look around you, notice the beauty of your surroundings, listen to the sounds or the stillness, feel your body being massaged in long soothing strokes during your spa treatment, sit on a rock or your deck or the beach, breathe deeply. There is nowhere else you have to be and nothing else you have to do except be her now.
• Let go Your expectations, judgments, whatever doesn’t serve you – leave all those thoughts behind, and come to the retreat totally open to the joy of the experience. If you find you are holding on to something specific, gently let it go – imagine it floating up into the sky like a balloon – then bring yourself to the sensation of openness and freedom that comes from the act of surrendering. You CAN control your thoughts. Acknowledge the thought or distraction and be grateful. Think, “Thank you [distraction] for reminding me to stay present”. 
• Enjoy free time Sometimes there are so many wonderful activities happening at a retreat that you want to enjoy every single one of them. I don’t know about you, but nothing stresses me out more than a jam-packed itinerary. Instead of adding stress to yourself by scheduling as many activities as the day allows, try taking some down time to read, journal, or nap. You can schedule yourself silly when you get home, but a retreat is a perfect place to enjoy (without guilt!) the luxury of free time.
• Consider coming alone I know it seems scary, but know that a retreat is probably one of the best environments for you to be on your own: mentally, physically, and emotionally. When you come with friends you may be more likely to filter your experience through their expectations, or you may find that you are too distracted to experience the richness of the retreat. When you come alone you are opening yourself up to the possibility of new friends, new experiences, new thoughts, and new a perspective.
• Step out of your comfort zone Try or at least attempt to try something you never thought you would ever do, I’m not talking about something life threatening it may be visiting the monkey forest or having a facial or taking the initiative to talk to a new person. For some people just the act of attending a retreat is a big step out of their comfort zone.

When you make the effort to open your heart to the beauty of your life, you’ll find gratitude and the joy will overflow out of you. You may even inspire someone else to be open… to trying a retreat, to finding gratitude, to living fully.

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5 reasons for you to experience retreat

You’ve heard the word countless times. Your friends have gone on retreat, you’ve even considered it yourself. But… why? What is the point, the necessity, the draw? Isn’t it just like taking a vacation? There is a different intention to a retreat. The etymology of the word comes from “pull back” - and for many, this makes it the perfect antidote to the fast-paced overwhelm of our modern lives. To physically, mentally, and energetically pull away from all of that which drains us, and refresh in a somewhat-structured way. So, here’s five reasons why we think you should experience retreat!

#1 To create intentional space

The key here? A retreat is intentionally created and purposeful in its context. Stepping away gives you space to focus on what truly nourishes you at this point in your life, whether that’s yoga, meditation, dance, nutrition, or even goal-setting and business planning. What do you wish you had more time for in your everyday life? What feels crucial to your wellbeing, but often gets missed?

When you take a retreat, you can focus your energy on exactly that. Turn off your email. Leave your cell phone in your room. What do you really, really want to do with each moment?

#2 It provides a different perspective

By getting out of your normal routine and, in some cases, handing over the planning to someone else, you create an environment that lends itself to a shift in perspective. What aspects of your life could use a little refresh? Where could you benefit from seeing yourself, your job, your future vision, through a different lens? Particularly if you take a retreat in a different culture, you may find that your everyday way of interacting with the world changes in unexpected ways.

#3 You don’t have to worry about the details

Have you become a human doing rather than a human being? Set down your to-do lists and just practice being yourself. Someone else will coordinate the day trip to the local town. Someone else will worry about what you will have for dinner. If you’d like, someone else will even make your bed. A retreat is the perfect space to let yourself switch out of “get stuff done” mode and settle into “take care of myself” mode. Each retreat offers a varying level of service depending on what you seek. So go ahead, really relax. Which brings us to…

#4 To get inspired

Give yourself the gift of time and space to be inspired in ways you haven’t yet imagined. Many retreats have a focus: wellness, spirituality, healing, writing that book you’ve dreamed of for years, or being of service to a community in need. They can range from being highly structured with workshops and 1:1 consultations to a more vacation-esque vibe with some yoga and wellness support. Retreats (and their facilitators) are intended to help you tune in to something inspiring. Whatever your focus, you’re bound to stumble into unique and surprising things. So allow yourself to drink in the nourishment that can be found in unknown situations -- after all, to see different results in life you have to step outside of the same old routines!

 #5 To make lifelong connections

When you join a group of people who are coming together for the same purpose, whether it be a love of nutritious food or for deep personal growth, you’re bound to find greater resonance and possibility for connection than on your average social outing. There is something magical about a shared intent and interest that many find deeply nourishing. Whether you find your forever tribe or a more general sense of I’m not alone in this, the other people on your retreat will be a part of what makes it so memorable.

Why take a plain-old vacation when you can take a retreat and come home feeling inspired, refreshed, connected, and relaxed? It’s time to use those vacation days for something really life-changing.

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Jenalle is a lover of yoga, Registered Holistic Nutritionist, world traveller and content marketer. Jenalle founded Wakeful Travel , which is a brand that encourages people to travel consciously, whether that’s externally through world adventures or internally with psychedelic medicines.

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https://velvetashes.com/retreat-reflections-2017/

This is the part of our Velvet Ashes Online Retreat weekend where we circle up from around the globe and share our Retreat experiences. We’re so excited to hear about your time! One of our favorite responses so far has been from Cecily who says:

“Whenever I do these retreats, I wonder how the retreat can be for anyone but me because the way God speaks to me is SO personal. It is like it is only for me! He is an amazing God, how He ministers so intimately to each one of us.”

That is what it is all about. This Retreat sets the table, invites you to come, and trusts that God is going to show up in a very personal and intimate way for you. And now we want to hear about it.

So gather around, imagine we’re all together in our comfy pants eating chocolate, and let’s talk. Here are some questions to get us going, but feel free to share whatever you’d like.

– How was your heart coming into this Retreat?

– How did God meet you during this time?

–  What was his gentle whisper to you?

– What impacted you from the Scripture meditation?

– How was the exercise experience? What was it like to merge exercise and prayer? How did God meet you there?

– What touched you from the testimonies?

– How did you like praying in color?  What word or phrase did you use?

– Describe your experience with Centering Prayer. Was it new to you? How was it?

– Was it meaningful for you to draw/color Psalm 27:8?

– What did you think of the Fixed Hour Prayers? Are you interested in making that part of your daily life?

– What is your major take-away from the Retreat?

– What do you think it means for you to “return slowly”?

We look forward to processing with you in the comments. And don’t miss our Live Chat conversation (the next best thing to being together in real life!).

Sunday April 30 at 9:30pm EST – sign up here

Monday May 1 at 9:30am EST – sign up here

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27 comments.

We had our retreat a week early, last weekend. It is amazing how one day, breakfast to dinner, can be so meaningful. It really did seem like God spoke to each of us in our place of need. He definitely did for me. I absolutely loved the passage choice of Elijah in the wilderness. I think I’ve mostly skimmed over that part, or heard it mentioned in passing, on the way to the gentle whisper passage. But after a year of sickness, depression, and burnout – coming to the retreat still so weary, I could really understand where Elijah was in that place of having nothing left, of saying it’s too much.

What really stood out to me is how God provided for his physical needs, and how he rested and was fed, then rested and was fed again. God was not impatient, hurrying him on his way. I think that’s the biggest thing He spoke to me. I’ve been in a place of weakness and emptiness so long it seems like I ought to “get over it” by now and get back to doing, but God is saying, “No, I’m still giving you rest. I’m still feeding you.”

Returning slowly meant something different than I pictured – I was really sick with the flu all week. I hardly got out of bed for 5 days, which you know is no small feat with little kids. It was hard on the family, but I actually felt like the illness was a gift. When else would I have the chance to just lie there on my own and stare at the wall for hours on end?? I kept thinking about Elijah. And you know what, everyone survived without me, not even that worse for the wear. While physically I feel more weak and exhausted than before, I feel like it was a time of renewing for my spirit. God is creative in how he brings rest!

This retreat is so special every year. As someone else said, it seems intimately tailored to each of us. The resources are amazing. I loved Jana’s leading through the spiritual formation exercises (and I taught my kids the “chicken butt” joke). Everything is so well done – the professionalism and care put into it really speaks to us. I think in our line of work we are all used to taking whatever we get – and being glad about it – but those details and extras make us feel so valued! Blessings on all of you for your hard work in putting it together!

Ruth, your comment made me laugh (chicken butt) and cry. I cried because I am so very touched that the details and extras made you feel valued. You ARE valued, and that is what we want this retreat to remind you of. (And personally, it reminds me that all the work put into this is SO worth it). I am so thankful for the way God met you in the retreat and even afterwards in the returning. Praying physical strength and healing for you, friend. And may you rest in his tender care for you!

We love you, dear, wonderful Ruth!

You Provide I Kings 19 A broken, whispering, shattered voice My heart has an answer But words fail I fear the rushing Wind But glory in Its Power My heart shakes with each Tremor As this world is proven unstable Again And Again The Fire threatens to burn Because dross yet remains Then You Whisper Calming my heart You guide me To the shelter of a Tree You touch me Restoring my Hope Your people rally at Your Command For my protection The Journey is too great for me So You Provide KCM April 29-30, 2017, VA Retreat: Receive

We are still “retreating” but this was a reflection from yesterday.

That’s beautiful!

I’m reading this over lunch, still on retreat, after a morning of being absolutely undone by God’s tenderness toward Elijah and toward me. So I’m just gonna admit this poem made me cry over my pasta! Beautiful- thanks for sharing!

Ah, there is nothing like Kristi poetry… There are no words after you read this, only a glow inside.

Love this poem!

Kristi, I am always touched by your written creative expressions.It’s “deep calling to deep” kind of stuff!

This retreat has been a wonderful experience. Like Ruth mentioned above, for me, too, God spoke to me right in my place of need. Coming into the retreat I was kind of feeling dry, a little hard, kind of colorless (lacking the enthusiasm and brightness that I’ve had), not so low like Elijah was at but definitely the I Kings passage was perfect to study. There were so many things that stood out and that God taught me and showed me, but 1 Kings and Rhonda’s story especially spoke to me — just kind of reminding me of a recurring theme/thought recently about just being with God — being with Him before doing things for Him or getting answers/direction from Him, focusing on really loving Him and on knowing Him on a deeper level. Thank you, VA, for putting together this retreat for us and for giving us opportunities not only to do it but also to share our pictures and thoughts with our fellow retreaters! Already looking forward to next year!

So glad to hear this, Megann. Being before doing. Being before doing. This needs to be a mantra we (I) repeat daily (hourly!). Glad you liked sharing pictures and thoughts too.

Megann, may our Father continue to speak and woo you!

This retreat far exceeded my expectations (which were already pretty high, I thought)! Last year I was on holiday and had very slow and inconsistent internet, so just barely got the audio sessions and retreat guide downloaded to my phone and wasn’t able to participate in everything (though I got to enjoy peaceful walks and beautiful views, so no complaints)! This year I stayed home and was able to take my time and enjoy everything offered- testimonies, spiritual formation, exercise- the whole thing. I am not exaggerating when I say that God met me in every single part of it. He touched such deep places in my heart through the scripture meditation especially, bringing healing where I didn’t even know I needed it. I loved being able to see other people’s sculptures and drawings and read their thoughts in the discussion, feeling connected while being able to move through the material at my own pace and enjoy His presence in solitude at the same time. Thank you so much for all the hard work and prayer that went into this! (Attaching a picture of my communion closing time).

Michele, I am impressed by your intentionality illustrated in this photo. I can’t help but wonder how much God has loved loving on His girls this past weekend!

So glad you shared this pic. Beautiful. Praising God for the way he touched deep places in you.

This was my first time joining VA for a retreat, and it was such an amazing encounter with God to have! I stayed in my room (with the AC on!) all day, resting and reading and writing and listening. I’m so thankful that this was such an easy and pleasant experience. Thank you!

For me, God just kept repeating that He knows. He knows what’s ahead, He knows how and what and who He will provide for me, He knows all my emotional instabilities. He knows, He knows, He knows. And, it’s funny, coming into this retreat, I knew I felt some distance or silence from God. The week after Easter, I found myself really identifying with Thomas–distant and doubting. So to read of “the sound of a thin silence” being exactly where God’s presence was–it brought such freedom and release to me. I’m leaving the field in 2 months, 18 days. And the transition is huge and unknown, so I found myself writing on my sticky-note that I needed to leave behind thoughts of the future, as well as answers concerning it. And He met me with His presence–that He knows. He knows and He’s leading me. Praise, praise be.

Can’t wait to chat more tonight!

Thanks so much for sharing how God met you. I love how He confirmed so clearly His knowledge of every part of you and your life, expressing His tender care and love for you.

I loved the Scripture meditation and the questions in the Retreat guide! When I opened my Bible to 1 Kings 19, I was surprised to see that parts of it were already highlighted from a previous realization (about God being in the gentle whisper and not the fire, earthquake, or wind), but this time the Spirit led me to notice something else from the passage – the journey to rest. My mind is still overflowing with awe at how God purposely led Elijah to Mount Horeb, His holy mountain, for him essentially to take a nap! How is that for resting in God!? And once he was all rested up and ready to listen to God, only then were further plans revealed. That spoke so much to me about God’s nurturing and patient character and His perfect timing, how He is still working out His plans during the “meanwhile”s of our rest. I wanted to share my Praying in Colour exercise because it kind of sums up my first VA Retreat experience – the quiet, gentle whisper of rest amidst fire and earth. Also, the bright colours symbolize the deep sense of joy resulting from this weekend 🙂 Thank you for all the hard work and thoughtfulness that went into creating this retreat!

I love the picture! I want it on my wall! 🙂

Adora, your painting excudes rest! Thank you for sharing it! God leading Elijah to His holy mountain so Elijah could take a nap is a new thought for me – I love it!

Oops! Exudes, not excudes! Ha ha!

I heard the question, “What are you doing here?” as a way I can check in with God and He can check in with me. Every day I can ask myself that question and respond honestly. I can use it to examine my heart and apply Truth. Do do that I must listen to Him and not become stuck in my own thoughts. I believe that if I listen and as the Father uses this question it will lead to both praise and repentance. I will listen for His guidance. and receive what He has for me. He provided all that is needed. All. I want to receive Him in food, His word, others and see Him in the “big” things (wind, fire, earthquake) and and the “small” things (whispers and silences). He gives rest and commands us to go.

During Emiilie’s testimony I was prompted to reflect on and ask God, “What are you speaking over me?” and to be mindful of the lies that I speak over myself and that I perceive are being spoken over my by the actions and words or the lack of action and words of others. I gotta keep filling in those well worn ruts in my thought patterns with Truth, Love, and Grace.

Kristi, thanks for sharing this. My biggest take-away from the 1 Kings passage was how Elijah seemed stuck in a narrative when God twice asked “What are you doing here?” I’m sure something must have shifted in Elijah as he experienced all he experienced on the mountain, but his story didn’t change. That has challenged me to consider where I am stuck in my own narrative and perspective. What am I seeing only from my own experience and interpretation? Where am I misunderstanding reality because of a lack of God’s perspective? I have a feeling I’ll be asking Him and processing that for the next stretch of time. I like the way you’ve highlighted those two questions – What are you doing here? What are you speaking over me? – and are using them to reflect and hear from Him. That’s helpful to me!

I was so excited for this retreat – my first time! A dear friend and supporter from our homechurch gifted it to me and my supportive husband urged me to take the entire day for it. I am in my first term on the field and the past 6 months have been extremely rocky. Rocky doesn’t even do it justice – we were close to going home. I love how God times things. A ministering group of counsellors was here this weekend so I booked an appointment for Friday afternoon and planned to retreat on Saturday. I return from the appointment encouraged to walk in truth and begin responding to what God was doing rather than reacting. And He invited me to put it into practice immediately. I pull into our driveway seeing my husband waiting for me. Before I have even taken my helmet off it is very clear that something has happened. Sure enough there is big news waiting for me and an invitation to respond rather than react – “Our co-workers are pulling off the team”. Velvet Ashes you need to hear from me just how important your ministry is! Friday evening I just couldn’t wait to begin the retreat that next morning. I NEEDED to bathe in His word, His presence and His provision. Yes this is too much for me – feed me Lord, help me get some rest and give me some sort of way forward. Ladies, it has been a devastating 5 days and yet an incredible time of responding to His quiet still voice. Thank you so much – God knew what I needed at such a time as this.

Natalie, I am so touched by God’s good provision of Himself in the midst of the earth shaking underneath you and the winds and fire blowing through plans and hopes. I have been pondering what Elijah must have been experiencing in that cave as the wind shattered rocks (that’s some wind!) and the earth quaking and fire roaring. It must have been intensely frightening! We know the end of the story – that God met him in stillness and with direction for him. But Elijah didn’t know what was ahead and what God had for him while he was experiencing devastation all around him. It takes courage to trust God in the hard places, and I hear that courage in you through what you’ve written. May you continue to experience His presence and rest and nurturing care for you.

I have been doing a lot of questioning about my calling, my ministry, my feelings of inadequacy, feelings of isolation even in being with people since the beginning of this year. But within the last month questioning and doubting even more. Did I really hear God’s voice or was it just something I wanted to hear. This weekend was busier than usual but yet God carved several times out for me to stop, rest, and to receive from Him. Studying 1 Kings 19 touched my heart and soul especially about God immediately coming to Elijah and ministering to his needs. The physical touch that brings comfort, healing, love, security, etc. The gentle whisper is what Elijah needed to hear–God’s gentleness, tenderness, caring, compassion, not his might and power. I so appreciate the details, planning, organizing that went into this retreat. I am especially grateful for your prayers covering and bathing this retreat in prayer. Thank you!

The retreat was such a blessing! This last year and half has been full of transitions and changes and relationship challenges and…well…just HARD. But God has been so good and faithful to give me what I need at each step of the journey. The retreat came at a time when I was actually fairly encouraged and thriving, but deeply feeling my need of Him. It was so good to just take time to soak in His presence and His Word.

But not much more than 24 hours after I finished the retreat, I walked into a couple days of deep discouragement–that kind of discouragement that is like a heavy black cloud that envelopes life. I felt like this was just too hard and I simply couldn’t do it anymore. Thoughts of packing up and plane tickets flitted through my mind. As I cried out and clung to Jesus, He brought 1 Kings 19 to mind again–and especially the words, “The journey is too much for you.” Oh. Yes. That’s right. I can’t do this. But God knows that. He’s not asking me to “do this.” HE has and will provide the sustenance, the strength that I need for this journey. He is tender and compassionate, and He is faithful–He never fails!

Thank you, thank you SO much to each of you who labored and gave of yourselves to make this retreat available. I know that A LOT of work goes into organizing and preparing something like this. May God pour back on you the blessing that you’ve poured out for all of us!

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Sample Reflection Essay on the Topic Retreat

A reflection essay requires you to share your experience of an event. The reader expects to hear what you learned, whether your expectations were met and if you would suggest improvements. A reflection on retreat may also involve a projection of events to come. If you have never been to a retreat, you will be expected to describe what you expect from this experience.

When tackling psychology essays, this service offers valuable insights and guidance https://en.ibuyessay.com/psychology.html . Their team understands the intricacies of the field and can help you craft well-informed and analytical essays.

Reflection writing may also come as a work of fiction. The prompt provides a scenario that you could participate in. For instance, you may be asked to write an essay on how a retreat would benefit me even though you are yet to attend one.

While reflective writing is about personal experiences, there are writing rules that you must follow. Here are expert tips on how to write the best reflective essay.

• Review the instructions

Each essay is guided by very specific instructions. The instructions come in the form of a prompt capturing such aspects as the formatting style to use, length of your paper, title, and submission deadline. Instructions will also indicate the structure to adopt. Revisit the instructions to clearly understand the expectations from this writing exercise.

Essay writing instructions are usually descriptive. This may make them difficult to understand or execute. Consult your tutor to better understand the entries that could be problematic. You may also check samples of reflection essays from the library or online databases.

• Draft a title

Craft an interesting title for your reflection about retreat. The title gives readers an idea of the discussion to expect in your paper. It also sets the boundaries for your discussion.

Make the title interesting so that the reader will look forward to a valuable time reading your paper. The title must accurately represent the idea of reflection. From the title, a reader should automatically know that it is a reflection retreat essay.

• Read other reflection essays

Sample reflection essays will guide you when drafting your own. Check the library or online databases for the best reflection essay samples. The sample helps you to understand the right structure, how to craft the title, cite your sources. Once these worries are taken away, you can focus on drafting the most captivating paper. The samples must be of the best quality to avoid being misled.

• Research retreats

Do you know what happens during retreats? How about learning from the experiences of other people? It is interesting to learn how expectations differ from reality for most people during retreats. In other cases, you realize that you could have done more. Read the words of other people about their experiences. It will enrich your retreat experience essay instead of sharing mundane points.

• Develop an outline

Plan your paper by developing an outline. An outline indicates the points you intend to discuss in your paper and the order in which they appear. With a retreat reflection, you may begin by showing your anticipation. You then proceed to demonstrate whether the expectations were met. The outline makes your paper organized. You avoid skipping any idea or repeating others.

Settle down and craft your paper. Consider the instructions and make your experience unique. Use an outline to deliver the most organized essay. Edit before submission to avoid errors that mislead your work.

Here is a sample of a reflection essay on the topic retreat.

Getting lost in body and finding myself in spirit: a retreat that changed my life

I had never thought of attending retreats. While I was religious as a kid, my college life was nothing close to spiritual. But on this day, the stars aligned to realign my life, for good.

I entered the wrong room, missing the party by a whisker. I had been directed to the wrong building and there happened to be a speaker on stage. I could not leave immediately after I entered, so I opted to pretend for a few minutes.

While the speaker was delivering his sermon, something struck me. It could have been the old spiritual spirit that was awakened. I had a moment to reflect on my life, and how much I had gone off the course. From the reflection of the speaker, I could hardly recognize myself.

I abandoned my plans to attend the party and took a new path. I started reading spiritual and personal nourishment books. I attended other retreats and got deeper into spirituality. A year down the line, I have no regret about changing my perspective in life. That mistaken retreat had changed my life forever.

• A Letter From Paris

Planning the perfect writing retreat

The greatest gift for any writer is time and space to write, and in order to finish your book, you have to give this gift to yourself.

If you’re struggling to find undistracted time to finish your memoir, or even get a fair whack of the word count down on the first draft, I recommend creating your own writing retreat. 

What is a writing retreat?

A writing retreat is simply a chunk of time and space you are giving yourself, fashioned to deliver the best results in terms of your writing. Since we’re living in a pandemic right now, the closer-to-home you can do this (or even – at home!), the better.

Short or long, fancy or inexpensive, a writing retreat can be as extravagant or as simple as you like. 

The key is that you are giving yourself the gift of a chunk of time to work, uninterrupted, to make progress and think deeply (and lightly, but always on some level) about your story. I’ve taken expensive writing retreats in foreign countries and I’ve locked the door and turned off the phone and done 5 days on my own at home – and do you know what? I got much more done at home. Don’t make the mistake of thinking you need to spend thousands of dollars to get some time to work on your book. The key is to carve out the space, time – and commit to it.

“I learned this, at least, by my experiment: that if one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavours to live the life which one has imagined, one will meet with a success unexpected in common hours.” Thoreau

I don’t think I couldn’t have written the first draft of A Letter From Paris so quickly (I had 110 000 words down in less than two months) if I hadn’t turned my city apartment into a self-styled cabin in the woods – and hey, I live in the inner-city of Melbourne. I shut the blinds, didn’t answer the phone, and spent days on end without talking to a soul. It was such a contrast of gruelling internal work, and sheer luxury, to have the time to focus on such a huge project as a book.

When you’re working on a memoir, even when you’re not writing, your mind is processing your story, your life, the patterns and webs that interweave in your history and personal experience. You need large chunks of uninterrupted time to do it justice. And it’s not necessary all time that you’ll spend writing – it’s the time on either side of your writing time that’s even more important. It’s also often when you make the biggest breakthroughs with the story. I know I did.

If you live with children, or a partner, or care for someone, or work from home or share a space, or work  full-time, or have daily interruptions in other ways, you will need to set extra strong boundaries in order to create an at-home writing retreat. Get meals delivered, have a room with a door you can close, turn off the wi-fi if possible, get up early (or stay-up late) etc etc. I think Cheryl Strayed booked a motel for the final stretch she needed to finish WILD when it was due to the publishers – as she shared on Elizabeth Gilbert’s Magic Lessons podcast a few years back. 

The main thing is that your writing retreat gives you a focused break from the trivial distractions of life that keep you from deep diving into the big picture of your personal story. Try not to go anywhere too stimulating!

As writers, our ‘food’ is internal story, and when you’re constantly getting trivial and unnecessary stories from the local environment, you need to work to shut it off so you can dive deep.

Why you need a writing retreat

Having time to focus and ‘stretch out’ your brain into the story, uninterrupted by tedious concerns and petty daily details, is a real luxury and will improve both your writing and your creative practise.

The real goal of a writing retreat is that you can live in the world of your story and nothing else, which will help you make huge breakthroughs in your writing.

We all do our best creative work when we’re relaxed, well-fed, well-slept and happy. And, like it or not, good writing takes plenty of solo time.

Give yourself the gift of a writing retreat – self-catered or otherwise. Get yourself into the zone via binaural beats or hot baths and music. And pack plenty of chocolate, coffee, and ingredients to make a big batch of soup if your accommodation has a kitchen. There’s something very soothing about stirring the soup as you chew on your latest plot conundrum. Can you turn the garden shed into your own cabin in the woods? Even better. 

1: What to take on a writing retreat

Writing a memoir is deep and profound and exhausting (if you’re doing it right!). Make sure whether you choose to book a fancy hotel, or just take your cat (like I once did) to an abandoned country house for a few days, keep your creative self happy by taking whatever makes you feel comfortable and relaxed. Animals are wonderful, because they offer company yet they’re non-verbal (ie. They won’t rip you out of the story!) and it’s said that they always exist in the theta state, so they relax you, too.

Comfort things

Pack blankets, ingredients to make soup for dinner, inspirational poetry, magazines that might help you wind down, and / or music that helps you disconnect from a writing session at the end of the day. Perhaps you want to take some music that helps you get into the groove to write  (I’ve always worked better with soft non-lyrical background music, but you might prefer silence).

Writing prompts

 If you’re currently working through 90 Day Memoir, why not take one of the story prompt guidebooks for a stage of the Hero’s Journey you’re not overly familiar with?. I like a book of quotes or poetry to dip in and out of, sometime i use it like an oracle to help me answer a philosophical question I might be chewing over, or pondering.

I find podcasts with other writers about the creative process can be comforting in the evening, after a long writing session. Download them before you leave (while you still have wi-fi!) and listen to one each night as you cook your dinner – it’s almost like you’re catching up with mentors and peers to cheer you on.

Walking shoes and warm, comfortable clothes

You won’t be walking for fitness, you’ll be walking for creativity. I don’t know what it is about walking in nature, particularly, that ALWAYS sees me running back to the page that i was stuck on, having had a breakthrough. I recommend 2 walks a day during your writing retreat!

“None of your knowledge, your reading, your connections will be of any use here: two legs suffice, and big eyes to see with. Walk alone, across mountains or through forests. You are nobody to the hills or the thick boughs heavy with greenery. You are no longer a role, or a status, not even an individual, but a body, a body that feels sharp stones on the paths, the caress of long grass and the freshness of the wind. When you walk, the world has neither present nor future: nothing but the cycle of mornings and evenings. Always the same thing to do all day: walk. But the walker who marvels while walking (the blue of the rocks in a July evening light, the silvery green of olive leaves at noon, the violet morning hills) has no past, no plans, no experience. He has within him the eternal child. While walking I am but a simple gaze.” ―  Frédéric Gros, A Philosophy of Walking

2: Set a goal  for your writing retreat

What will the end result look like for you? The first chapters of your new book written, or a complete re-draft of your non-fiction? Or will it simply be to write two pages in your journal each day and give your brain (and heart, and body) a break from striving? perhaps you’re taking this retreat to regenerate your creative self, so you don’t want to be too specific with word counts – that’s fine, too!

Be realistic about how long you’ll need (hint: you’ll need more than a couple of days for 10 000 words) and remind yourself that you’re giving yourself something very valuable with this time. More than anything, I find space and time away from distractions gives precious perspective on my work, and you can’t rush that.

One of my writing retreats

In 2018, I was asked to write a long-form essay for a literary magazine as part of the pre-publication promotion for A Letter From Paris . I was living in a tiny flat with my partner, and fielding loads of unexpected interruptions every day as we came closer to book launch day, plus my study also doubled as our kitchen / living space. I wanted to do a good job and being around someone 24/7 is not at all conducive to a really quality piece of work – for me. So I booked a hotel room across town for two nights just to get that 2500 word essay done. It was so necessary to have morning to evening to think about nothing but the essay, and then the night to leave what I’d written but work on it subconsciously a little more. Although I probably only spent 3-4 hours actually writing both of those days, it was the time on either side that I could think about certain lines, re-frame things and go back to the story that was really valuable. Writers are always thinking about the story, even when they’re not. Bonus: the hotel was also near the beach, so I walked on the shore each night for a lovely wind-down ritual.

Writing retreats don’t need to be complicated to be effective: Some extra tips – if pandemic and travel permits

• Offer to housesit for friends in the country (or in the city, if you’re used to the country) – sometimes you just need a break from the norm!
• Book an air BnB for a few days near a beach – walking on sand in between writing sessions is really grounding and therapeutic
• If you live in a country area, you might benefit from a creative retreat in the city. You could write in a library during the day and go to the cinema / gallery at night. The key is that you want it to re-fill the tanks when you’re emptying them out on the page all day.
• Clear out the shed and make that your little cabin in the woods  – even if it’s just for six hours every Saturday. Keep your creature comforts on your desk: chocolate, music, a favourite memoir for inspiration, a quote, a card….
• Get creative – if you can’t leave the house, renovate a tiny space and make that your Virginia Woolf “room of one’s own”. Have an agreement with your family that they are not to disturb you when you’re in that space! Hang signs on the door, do whatever it takes!
• Book a hotel for a couple of nights (try wotif, last minute or expedia for a great deal). Pack a travel candle and a favourite blanket or mug just to make it feel a bit more cosy.
• Take social media apps and alerts off your phone, or better yet, go somewhere sans wi-fi!
• Make soup for the week or order home-cooked meals so you can just have short meal breaks, not be consumed by hours of prep every night. 

11 Comments

Thanks Louisa. Great post!! x

Thanks, Anne. And your farm-sitting retreat avec chien et cheval sounds very magical indeed!

Thanks Louisa. Time away helps so much. Enjoyed your post enormously. Have moved to Warburton 70klms from Melbourne and setting up a space for writers to stay to do just what you suggest.

Thank you. Inspiring –

What a brilliant idea Louisa! I loved reading this post xx

Thank you for this great post, Louisa! I did a self-styled (organised) writing retreat last year. I loved it, although I probably had more wine than soup, and not enough sleep! I wrote about it here: https://chandlertania.wordpress.com/2018/04/02/writing-retreat/

Nice! I find gazing out at beautiful quiet landscapes help my creativity, too 🙂

Another great blog!! Thanks so much. This already has my mind going wild, and i’m now on the search for secluded cabins in the hills I can visit to give myself a writing retreat. Thank you

Thank you so much this was so good has given me a lot to think about . Great ideas.

This was such a great idea! I’ve always wanted to do a writing retreat but they seemed super expensive :((

I struggle a bit wihh boundary setting but this will be a great opportunity to practice!

Oh good! Yep all about being strong with boundaries or you don’t get ANYTHING done!

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Step out of the busy-ness of daily life, into the sanctuary of your heart.

The daily retreat program includes teachings and guidance on heart-centered silence with teachers Bruce Davis PhD, Ruth Davis and Nicole Becker.  Bruce and Ruth have been leading retreats worldwide since 1983 and are teachers of the world philosophies.

We offer 3 group meditation sessions daily along with silent sitting, silent meals, non-doing periods with optional guided relaxation and gentle yoga. Take time for a silent walk along meandering paths, and rest amidst the expansive contemplative gardens. Both of our locations are set on acres and acres of natural beauty.

Our approach emphasizes nurturing the heart through; simplicity, heart centered meditation and slow living. The daily program provides a gentle container where we can let go of effort and practice receiving the presence available in the present moment. This is about the simplicity of just being which leads to inner peace.

The beauty of silence is that it is spacious, and universal. Our non-denominational retreats allow each person to feel and listen to what is naturally sacred within. Resting in silence, guided by the intention of receiving the gifts of quiet, we find a deep commonality and community in the Heart.

Journaling, reading, meditating in the calm quiet of our heart, we can reconnect to the depth of our inner being. Daily life activities can cover up the qualities of the heart. The gift of silence is having nothing to do, nothing to say, while listening and learning from the silence.  Here we can experience resting our mind in the spacious quiet of our heart.​

‍ Silent Stay Retreats are held at two locations:

Pacifica Graduate Institute in Santa Barbara, CA

The Ojai Hermitage in Ojai, California

Welcome to the peace found in the silence.

Next Retreats

Aug. 30-sep. 2, september 20-23, nov. 29-dec. 2, jan. 17-20, 2025, learn more about our retreats....

I had been attending various Silent Retreats for over 10 years before I finally found the magic that is Silent Stay. That very first retreat was such a profoundly transformative and life-changing experience, and with every retreat thereafter my inner peace, my healing, my spiritual practice, my growth, my self-love and compassion has deepened, and my light and my heart continue to expand. ​Ruth and Bruce teach us how to take these practices home with us. Thank you eternally, Ellen

Our Writings

Featured in this fall's socal life magazine, mindfulness is giving birth to heartfulness meditation, a silent retreat does not have to be a boot camp for the soul, how does meditation lead to compassion.

II. Initiation

In the main part of the story the hero is initiated into true heroic stature by various trials and rites. Through daring and battle, the true character emerges.

III. Return

After initiation the hero can cleansed and return in triumph to deserved recognition, although this in itself may not be without its trials and tribulations.

As with other frameworks, Campbell receives his fair share of criticism, typically that not all stories are like this. His much-admired and much-copied pattern has also been criticized as leading to 'safe' movie-making, in which writers use his structure as a template, thus leading to 'boring' repeats, albeit in different clothes. The same has been said about Shakespeare, of course, as well as other classic writers.

Propp's Morphology of the Folk Tale , Vogler's story structure

Campbell, J. (1949). The Hero With a Thousand Faces , New York: Bollingen

And the big paperback book

What are your chances of acceptance?

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3 Superb Santa Clara University Essay Examples

What’s covered:, essay example 1 – ethical dilemma (food waste).

• Essay Example 2 – Ethical Dilemma (Healthcare in Latin America)
• Essay Example 3 – Why Santa Clara?
• Where to Get Feedback on Your Essay

Santa Clara University is a private Jesuit university in California. The acceptance rate is around 50%, so it’s important to write strong essays to help your application stand out. In this post, we’ll go over some essays real students have submitted to Santa Clara University and outline their strengths and areas for improvement. (Names and identifying information have been changed, but all other details are preserved).

Alexandra Johnson , an expert advisor on CollegeVine, provided commentary on this post. Advisors offer one-on-one guidance on everything from essays to test prep to financial aid. If you want help writing your essays or feedback on drafts, book a consultation with Alexandra Johnson or another skilled advisor. 

Please note: Looking at examples of real essays students have submitted to colleges can be very beneficial to get inspiration for your essays. You should never copy or plagiarize from these examples when writing your own essays. Colleges can tell when an essay isn’t genuine and will not view students favorably if they plagiarized. 

Read our SCU essay breakdown for a comprehensive overview of how to write this year’s supplemental essays.

Prompt: At SCU, we push our students to be creative, be challenged, and be the solution. Think about an ethical dilemma that you care about that our society is currently facing. This can be something happening in your local community or more globally. How can an SCU education help you prepare for and address this challenge? (150-300 words) 

When I am not studying or filling out college applications, you can find me in the kitchen trying a new recipe and experimenting with ingredients. Spending so much time cooking made me aware of the massive amount of food waste that I produce. So I changed my behavior; I now plan ahead the recipes I make to ensure that all ingredients will be used, only buy what I need for the week, and freeze leftovers for future use. Making these changes wasn’t easy. It makes me wonder how much harder it must be for larger institutions to scale up these solutions.

In my research of Santa Clara University, I came across the Food Recovery Network at SCU that aims to fight the same concerns I experience while in the kitchen. This community of dedicated students proves that there are possible ways to reduce food waste on large scales. I can contribute to help address this familiar challenge by involving myself with this network and the courses SCU offers in sustainable food systems. Additionally, SCU leads by example; their efforts in attaining food sustainability are inspiring to me as a potential student. They purchase locally grown produce and follow the Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch program for their dining services. Broadening its impact, SCU has made it a goal to become a zero-waste campus aligning with my values of sustainability to aid our environment. A university that shows this much care to attaining sustainable food options and reducing food waste is the perfect place for me to help be the solution.

What the Essay Did Well

This writer did a great job choosing an ethical dilemma to write about that they care about and that uniquely connects to Santa Clara University, which is exactly how you want to respond to a global issues prompt . Based on the anecdote about cooking at the beginning of the essay, it’s clear that food waste is an important ethical issue in the writer’s personal life. They describe working to change their behavior to address the issue after discovering that it was a problem through something they love, cooking! It was smart of the writer to use this as an opportunity to share a hobby that they may not have had the opportunity to include elsewhere on their application. 

The essay is also clearly written and does a great job of providing details about why the writer wants to go to Santa Clara University. The second half of the essay answers the part of the prompt that asks: “How can an SCU education help you prepare for and address this challenge?” This half is written like a “Why This College?” essay, but narrowly focused on the college’s connection to the ethical dilemma discussed in the essay.

In a “Why This College?” essay, it’s important to use specific details. That’s exactly what the writer does here when they mention the Food Recovery Network and SCU’s adherence to the Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch Program. Mentioning these programs shows that the student has done their research on Santa Clara University, which goes a long way in showing that they want to be a student there!

Finally, the ethical dilemma that the writer chose is great. This essay shows that an interesting and unique topic doesn’t have to be so specific that the reader has never heard of it; rather, it’s something specific that the reader has a personal connection to and could connect to their interest in attending Santa Clara. 

What Could Be Improved 

One part of this essay that the writer could improve is the ending. They share an ethical issue they care about, why they care about that issue, and what the school is doing to address the issue. Then they end with, “A university that shows this much care to attaining sustainable food options and reducing food waste is the perfect place for me to help be the solution.” This response answers the prompt; however, the writer could have strengthened the ending by connecting SCU’s work back to the writer’s own future and goals. 

An alternate conclusion sentence could mention how the writer plans to use the knowledge that SCU would give them to address food waste. This would allow the writer to remain the focus of the essay, rather than the focus at the end being on SCU’s programs to tackle food waste. Because while this is an essay about the student’s views and ethics, it’s also a chance for the student to share more about themself with the admissions officers. 

Finally, the writer is currently under the word count. While it is okay to be under the word count, the writer could use this space to improve their conclusion. They could mention any ideas that they have for how SCU could better address the problem of food waste. Currently, what the school does well is included, which is great. However, if the writer chose to share their own ideas at the end, then it would help the reader better imagine a few ways that the writer will be a positive addition to the Santa Clara community. 

Prompt 2 – Ethical Dilemma (Healthcare in Latin America)

“Coca-cola da más vida”, but does it really? In towns like San Cristóbal de las Casas, Chiapas, Mexico coca-cola can be found easier, at relative cost, and safer to drink than water leading to high levels of consumption. As imagined, such consumption has caused devastating health effects throughout Chiapas. In these under-resourced communities, the diabetes crisis has become a leading cause of death and its treatment has brought upon ethical dilemmas. Clinicians in these areas are forced to make life-saving or fatal decisions with minimal resources or support. With having family members in Mexico, the thought of losing them due to simple issues like dosage amounts is truly heartbreaking. Santa Clara’s fast-paced quarter system will allow me to pursue a major in bioengineering, biomolecular track, and a minor in Spanish and public health. Classes like Evidence-Based Public Health, Engineering World Health, and Medicinal Chemistry and Drug Design I & II, will provide me with a strong foundation for truly understanding the issues behind our world’s leading health problems and effectively advocating and helping to engineer new medicines in the US and Latin America. Also, the university’s strong focus on global engagement will allow me to go on cultural immersions to widen my perspective and engage in international internships to deepen my understanding of healthcare and medical research around the globe. Besides the amount of opportunity available for me overseas, the Santa Clara campus is oozing with its own. I can become involved with on-campus bioengineering research on topics such as protein engineering or utilize Handshake and the Career Center to apply for internships in Silicon Valley. No matter where my experiences at Santa Clara take me, I will apply the knowledge I received to create a world where we are one step closer to eliminating the medical disparities between us.

This “global issues” essay starts off with a strong hook, which immediately draws us in to the student’s topic. The level of detail, such as the specific entry point of San Cristóbal de las Casas and its unique problems, are both effective ways to make this essay shine out of a sea of other responses, right from the very beginning. Additionally, the author’s distinctive approach to answering the question helps present them as a passionate and sophisticated storyteller with deep knowledge and care for this issue.

The student also does a great job of citing highly specific details throughout their response. For example, naming specific classes that will set this applicant up for success is a great touch that shows this student did their homework on what at Santa Clara would aid them in their journey of solving this issue. They also show an understanding of Santa Clara’s bigger picture values, such as global engagement, which demonstrates that the author can think on both a large and small scale.

While this student does a great job of considering everything from particular classes to studying abroad, they also don’t limit themselves to imagining their life on campus. They also think beyond their college career, when they talk about utilizing Santa Clara’s alumni network and connections to position themselves well for internships and postgrad life. Colleges like to know that you have future plans, and will one day be an alum that they can be proud of. This student shows them that they’re prepared to take full advantage of their Santa Clara education not only on campus, but throughout their life.

The flow of this essay could be improved with the help of an editor or peer reviewer. Some of the sentences are awkward, and there are some grammar errors present. For example, “…will allow me to pursue a major in bioengineering, biomolecular track, and a minor in Spanish and public health” should read “…and minors in Spanish and public health.”

Additionally, in the line “Classes like Evidence-Based Public Health, Engineering World Health, and Medicinal Chemistry and Drug Design I & II, will provide me with a strong foundation for truly understanding the issues behind our world’s leading health problems and effectively advocating and helping to engineer…” there should be a “for” after “advocating.”

While these flaws don’t ruin the essay whatsoever, polishing it up would present the student in an even better light, as a student who is not only talented, but also detail-oriented. Finally, also on a structural level, this essay would look cleaner on the page if it were split into at least three paragraphs. Having just one big block of text is a little hard on the eyes, and using multiple paragraphs also makes the presentation of your ideas more organized, as it clearly shows your reader where one point ends and the next one starts.

For example, they could have one paragraph focused on introducing the issue, one on the academic resources at Santa Clara, and one on the university’s value of global engagement. That structure would allow the reader to focus on each point, one at a time, rather than getting all the information dumped on them at once.

Prompt 3 – Why Santa Clara?

When I started my college search, I could only envision myself at a big college 2 hours away from home. Santa Clara University was the school that changed it all. The moment my eyes landed on the site, everything clicked. From the small class sizes that would allow me to engage and form connections with my classmates and professors to the large state of California that is filled with opportunity; it all seemed to attract me. Though it’s a school small in size, the spirit and clubs are large in number. From clubs like Bread Lovers Club to Biomedical Engineering Society, the variety and diversity entices me. There are clubs like Together for Ladies of Color, where I will be an indispensable member who empowers the women around me. Furthermore, weekly Sunday mass will help me strengthen my connection with God and develop a good headspace for the new week so I can work hard and thrive in my classes and outside commitments. Overall, I will be a Bronco that works hard not only for herself but to better the community around her. I am devoted to becoming a Bronco alumnus working to change the world ad majorem dei gloriam.

This prompt is an example of the “Why This College?” prompt, which is best answered by doing some research and providing specific reasons for why the school you’ve chosen is the school for you. This applicant does an excellent job of answering that question, by talking about both academic considerations, like class sizes, and clubs and extracurricular activities, like Bread Lovers Club or attending Mass.

Through the examples provided, we get to know the author a bit more, which is another strength of this essay. Rather than only talking about aspects of Santa Clara that would appeal to anyone, this writer shows her unique interests through her selection of more personal aspects of the school. From this essay, we learn that the student is a woman of color who also attends church, loves bread, and is passionate about improving herself and her community. This means that the admissions committee isn’t just learning about what she loves about their school; they’re also learning what Santa Clara might gain by admitting her.

One thing that would strengthen this essay is being as specific about the academic draw of Santa Clara as the non-academic side, as that would give us an even clearer sense of the student’s personality. The prime location and small class sizes are attractive aspects of Santa Clara, but they don’t give us much information about the applicant. Almost anyone would be excited about these benefits, so they’re too general for this kind of essay.

In the same vein, these facts are self-evident, in the case of the location, or something that can be found at many other colleges, in the case of the small class sizes. This kind of prompt exists so that you can show off your research skills and deep knowledge of that school. Admissions teams read countless essays that talk about the most common compelling attributes of their school, so instead try to choose elements that will make you stand out as an applicant who is both unique and engaged.

Additionally, this essay could benefit from an anecdote to anchor it. While the image of stepping on campus is powerful, it’s one shared by many applicants who have had the opportunity to tour. Even a sentence or two describing a more personal moment that connects the student to Santa Clara would help illustrate that her future plans are rooted in her current life or values.

For example, after the line “From clubs like Bread Lovers Club to Biomedical Engineering Society, the variety and diversity entices me,” she could say something like “During the pandemic, I went a little overboard with the breadmaking trend, so I designed my own bird feeder so I didn’t have to throw out the bits my family couldn’t finish. Santa Clara is just the place for me to continue making these kinds of quirky connections between my interests.”

This addition would put the writer over the word count, so she would have to make cuts elsewhere in the essay. That’s okay, though, as it’s better to include fewer details about the school, but take the time to explain your personal connection to them, then to just pack in as much as possible.

If you don’t have an anecdote that fits with the aspects of Santa Clara that appeal to you, consider imagining what your future on campus would look like and describing that. Solid images or ideas (for example, imagining some of the hymns you might sing in Mass), versus stated commitments, help admissions teams better picture you on campus, and create a more dynamic essay structure, even within the limited space allowed for these short supplements.

Finally, like in the previous essay, the student’s writing would flow more smoothly with a paragraph break or two. For example, starting a new paragraph with “Though it’s a school small in size” would make sense, as here, the writer is pivoting from talking about her initial draw to Santa Clara, to more specific features of the school that are intriguing to her.

Where to Get Feedback on Your Essay 

Do you want feedback on your Columbia University essays? After rereading your essays countless times, it can be difficult to evaluate your writing objectively. That’s why we created our free Peer Essay Review tool , where you can get a free review of your essay from another student. You can also improve your own writing skills by reviewing other students’ essays.

If you want a college admissions expert to review your essay, advisors on CollegeVine have helped students refine their writing and submit successful applications to top schools. Find the right advisor for you to improve your chances of getting into your dream school!

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California Missions

By: History.com Editors

Updated: August 21, 2018 | Original: December 21, 2017

The California missions began in the late 18th century as an effort to convert Native Americans to Catholicism and expand European territory. There were 21 missions in all, lasting from 1769 until about 1833.

The California missions began in the late 18th century as an effort to convert Native Americans to Catholicism and expand European territory. Spain was responsible for the missions, which scholars believe were attempts to colonize the Pacific coast of North America. There were 21 missions in all, lasting from 1769 until about 1833. The mission system brought many new cultural and religious ideas to California, though critics charge the systematic oppression of Native Americans amounted to slavery.

Junipero Serra

Although Spain claimed California as its territory in 1542, Spaniards didn’t try to occupy the land until the late 1700s.

Around the time of the first missions, Spain had a considerable presence in Mexico . In 1769, the Spanish king ordered land and sea expeditions to depart from Mexico to California. He also sent military troops and Franciscan missionaries to the new land.

Franciscan priest Father Junipero Serra founded the first mission in 1769. This was known as Mission San Diego de Alcalá and was located in present-day San Diego. San Diego Mission

The native Indians who occupied the region were initially resistant to the mission. In 1775, hundreds of local Tipai-Ipai Indians attacked and burned the San Diego Mission, killing three men, including Father Luis Jayme. The missionaries rebuilt the mission as an army fort.

Junipero Serra went on to establish eight more missions before his death in 1784.

Goals of the Missions

The main goal of the California missions was to convert Native Americans into devoted Christians and Spanish citizens.

Spain used mission work to influence the natives with cultural and religious instruction.

Another motivation for the missions was to ensure that rival countries, such as Russia and Great Britain, didn’t try to occupy the California region first.

California Missions List

The 21 California missions, listed in the order they were founded, are:

1. (1769) Mission San Diego de Alcalá 2. (1770) Mission San Carlos Borromeo de Carmelo 3. (1771) Mission San Antonio de Padua 4. (1771) Mission San Gabriel 5. (1772) Mission San Luis Obispo de Tolosa 6. (1776) Mission San Francisco de Asís (Mission Dolores) 7. (1776) Mission San Juan Capistrano 8. (1777) Mission Santa Clara de Asís 9. (1782) Mission San Buenaventura 10. (1786) Mission Santa Barbara 11. (1787) Mission La Purísima Concepción 12. (1791) Mission Santa Cruz 13. (1791) Mission Nuestra Señora de la Soledad 14. (1797) Mission San José 15. (1797) Mission San Juan Bautista 16. (1797) Mission San Miguel Arcángel 17. (1797) Mission San Fernando Rey de España 18. (1798) Mission San Luis Rey de Francia 19. (1804) Mission Santa Inés 20. (1817) Mission San Rafael Arcángel 21. (1823) Mission San Francisco Solano

Life in the Mission

The missions created new communities where the Native Americans received religious education and instruction. The Spanish established pueblos (towns) and presidios (forts) for protection.

The natives lived in the missions until their religious training was complete. Then, they would move to homes outside of the missions.

Once the natives converted to Christianity , the missionaries would move on to new locations, and the existing missions served as churches.

The native converts were known as “neophytes.” After they were baptized, they were expected to perform labor. Typically, men worked in the fields, and women cooked. Both learned Spanish and attended church.

Farming was an especially important job in the mission community. Wheat, barley and maize were some of the staple crops that were grown. The Spanish missionaries also brought fruits from Europe, such as apples, peaches and pears.

Other jobs included carpentry, building, weaving and leather-working.

Padres, or religious leaders, oversaw the mission. They were assigned six soldiers to protect them and the mission properties.

Mission Architecture

The mission period greatly influenced architecture in California. Many of the buildings, houses and churches still exist today.

Native Americans used all-natural materials, such as stone, timber, mud brick, adobe and tile to build mission structures. Typically, buildings had large courtyards with tall adobe walls. Missions were built around patios that contained fountains and a garden.

The buildings of this period are sometimes labeled as “mission style” to describe the signature design and craftsmanship.

End of the Mission System

By 1821, Mexico won its independence from Spain. For several years, there was debate about what to do with the mission system.

In 1833, the Mexican government passed a law that secularized and ended missions. California was part of Mexico during this time.

Some of the mission land and buildings were turned over to the Mexican government. While much of the property was intended to be given back to the natives, private owners ended up with the majority of land.

Later, missions were used as U.S. military bases in the 1846 war with Mexico.

After gold was discovered at Sutter’s Mill in 1848, Americans began to migrate by the masses to California. In 1850, California officially became a state.

Abraham Lincoln granted the Catholic Church ownership of some of the California missions in 1865.

Today, many of the missions are tourist attractions with their own museums.

Impact of the Missions

The California missions, which stretched from San Diego to Sonoma, had a significant impact on the Native Californians.

The mission era influenced culture, religion, architecture, art, language and economy in the region.

But, the missions also impacted California Indian cultures in negative ways. Europeans forced the natives to change their civilization to match the modern world. In the process, local traditions, cultures and customs were lost.

Some critics have charged that the Spanish mission system forced Native Americans into slavery and prostitution, comparing the missions to “concentration camps.”

Additionally, Spanish missionaries brought diseases with them that killed untold thousands of natives.

Prior to the California missions, there were about 300,000 Native Californians. By 1834, scholars believe there were only about 20,000 remaining.

A History of California’s Missions, Los Angeles Times . The California Missions, California Missions Foundation . California Missions: A Journey Along the El Camino Real, California Museum . Spanish Exploration , The Spanish Missions of California . California Missions History – 5 Facts You Need to Understand, Old Mission San Luis Rey. Map of the California Missions, California Missions Resource Center. Easter Sunday protest over Serra planned at Carmel Mission. Monterey Herald .

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