SACRED DARKNESS
A Winter Solstice online retreat
I used to hate the autumn weekend the clocks change, knowing that it marked the descent into winter darkness. But that all changed when I started to recognise the darkness as sacred.
The last few years have been a journey of discovering the treasures of the darkness, of befriending this dark half of the year and what it invites me into.
That journey began with recognising that there were parts of me that I'd hidden in the darkness that needed to be found, accepted and integrated.
It continued when I did a deep dive and discovered some of the stories of most intimate connection with the Divine are described as taking place in deep darkness.
And it's continuing as I start to discover the mystery and fertility of the darkness. There is courage and fierceness in the dark. There is also radical rest and resistance.
The dark is where we began and it is sacred.
This Winter Solstice I'm offering an online retreat for the second year running.
Come if you are curious.
Come if you need to rest.
Come if you need to be rooted.
Come if you are ready to rise.
Come to encounter the Divine in the Dark.
WILL THE ONLINE RETREAT BE RECORDED?
Yes. The retreat itself will be recorded and the recording will be available to you for 30 days after the event.
Retreatants are invited to stay after the 90 minutes are done if they would like to talk together and share what arose for them. This part is optional and will not be recorded.
DO I NEED TO BE A CHRISTIAN TO JOIN?
My own spirituality is deeply rooted in the Christian religion, but I dance on the margins of that faith where the mystics and contemplatives gather. If you are open to ideas and stories gathered from the Christian tradition and beyond, and if you want to encounter the Divine in your own life, then my hope is you will find a rich and welcoming space to retreat here.
WHAT IS AN ONLINE RETREAT LIKE?
Retreats are such a gift to us in our daily lives. They offer the space and time to pause, to rest, and to consider the invitation of God in our life.
And yet getting away for a weekend or even a day can feel impossible sometimes. I offer short online retreats as an accessible but rich way to offer yourself that gift of stepping aside from the normal rhythm of your day and seeking the Divine.
The 90 minutes is all for you - there are no small groups, no discussions to be part of, no expectation of contributing. You are welcome to keep your screen switched off, and create a space in your home that helps you fully enter the retreat experience.
I offer a mix of guided meditation, poetry, content from me on the theme, music and visuals to help you rest and reflect.
WAIT, ISN'T GOD DESCRIBED AS LIGHT?!
Yes! But also in the Jewish tradition, some of the stories of profound encounter with God are described as a deep darkness. And Christian mystics down the centuries have attested to a journey into the mystery of God that is often described as darkness.
We work always with metaphor and images when we describe the Divine, and so imagining God in the Dark does not cancel out or invalidate our experience and images of God as Light. I am just keen to explore an often overlooked element of that mystery!