Though I haven’t written much about our adventures through Europe in the past year, my family and I have been busy exploring Europe. We have seen and done a lot in our brief time here and it feels like there is still so much more to see.

We have established a new rhythm in the way that we travel. There is a gentler pace and a more curious posture as we try to inhabit the place we are in. We try to understand the people and the history without rushing around to see all of the sights. (We do some of that but we no longer try to see it all.) We would rather spend our time experiencing what life is like in this place in what has been defined by many as slow travel and this has inspired these 30 page retreats that offer a guide to discover what your soul needs most in this particular place. Each downloadable retreat has scripture, prayers, reflections and simple practices to engage with that particular place. I am so excited to release these materials in my shop on Dandelion Marketplace.

After releasing Retreat to the Garden and Retreat to the Beach last Lent, I highlighted some of the things that I think make these retreats special in this celebratory post.

Retreat to the Woods marvels at the wisdom of trees and makes space for the trees to teach and guide. Pulling from the multi-sensory concept of forest bathing offered by Cyndi Gilbert, I offer opportunities to engage with the forest in conversation and to cultivate an ongoing relationship. I lean into the the wisdom of ecologists like Suzanne Simard and Peter Wohlleben and further insight from Thomas Merton, Mary Oliver, Henry David Thoreau, and Katherine May. There are practices that lean into the magic of the forests like practicing tree pose in the middle of the woods, walking barefoot and even building fairy houses. (The last one is admittedly my favorite.) It’s a retreat to explore vast, huge networks of trees like in the National Parks or the smaller groves and wooded areas near your home.

Retreat to the City explores a totally different kind of place that might be a largely populated urban center nearest to where you live or the huge metropolis of New York City from which I hail. While the city might not be the first place one thinks to retreat, there is so much to experience and behold in “taking a long loving look at the real.” There are so many people that we might be challenged on how to love and there is so much to see that people watching from a coffee shop window seems like the only valid prayer practice, but I also offer an opportunity to explore the city on a labyrinth walk and create space for an agape meal for one. For this Retreat to the City, I also created a series of meditative coloring pages.

There is a lot about solitude in this opportunity for retreat which might be something you want to pass on if you are feeling rather lonely. Or it could be a way to reframe your experience with new meaning and depth as you wander through the city streets hunting for hope.

Just as Retreat to the Garden and Retreat to the Beach in this series, there is a similar format to both of these experiences that include scripture, prayers, reflections and some simple prayer practices all written by me. Once downloaded, the individual gets to decide how they will structure their time. These two retreat planners included in each of the retreats seek to aid in the shape of the retreat.

I have been dabbling with these two new additions to this retreat series for a whole year. I’ve added a little bit here and a little there. I’ve daydreamed about it and they’ve been so much fun that I finally had to release them. There is so much possibility in these retreats and they are just so fun to imagine. I can’t help but pray for each person that embarks on this adventure and grants themselves this time. I know it’s not easy to do but I hope to be a support in taking this time for renewal with an invitation for one-on-one spiritual direction on Zoom for anyone who chooses this style of retreat through my growing spiritual direction practice.

I have a draft working on mountains and I’ve already found some wonderful stuff for that retreat. There may be other places too and if there is one you would like to explore in your backyard, please let me know.

I hope that these resources are indeed a blessing.