THE UN-SILENT RETREAT: Listening Deeply to the Sounds of the Desert- SOLD OUT

As retreatants drawn to the desert, we often seek to cultivate the practice of silence, quieting ourselves to hear the voice of God. Yet the desert monastics were deeply attentive to the sounds around them: the wind, the raven, the thunder of a desert storm. They cultivated the practice of deep listening–– not to silence the world but to be attuned to nature and learn from it. As we are mindful of the sounds around us, we can cultivate inner harmony and care for the earth and its inhabitants. In this retreat, we will draw from the wisdom of the desert fathers and mothers, and include the voices of Pope Francis and Thich Nhat Hanh, theologian Kim Haines-Eitzen, acoustic ecologist Gordon Hempton, and the poetry of various artists.