Californians and Illinoisians, this is your moment! (Your last-minute moment, but your moment nonetheless.) I’m coming your way this month, and both retreats have a few more spots. I would absolutely love to see you there. Keep reading for more info.
And, of course, if you aren’t local to these places but want to come anyway pack that suitcase, baby!
Bay Area (Burlingame, CA)
Do you find exclusively masculine representations of God exhausting, incomplete, and even harmful? Are you curious about what people mean when they speak of “the divine feminine,” and wonder if you have permission to speak that yourself? Join us for a tender, safe, and empowering weekend of healing the narrow idea of God that was pushed upon us and liberating the parts of ourselves that intuitively know there is so much more.
Whether you have never before heard the phrase “divine feminine” or have known this spirituality for decades, there is a place for everyone on this retreat. We will give language to the harm done by the exclusive masculinization of the divine, voice the quiet inner knowing that has long fought for our attention, and explore the feminine nature of God through guided meditations, generative writing, nature encounter, an inclusive drum circle (no experience necessary!), and individualized embodied practices that best support your unique needs and makeup.
The Divine Feminine will feature a special guest, Bay Area favorite and Chief Rhythm Activator, Jeni Swerdlow, on Saturday July 26, from 1-3 pm. This fabulous Drum Circle experience is included in the retreat price. Drums will be provided. Don’t miss this rich offering!
Find out more and register here.
Chicago Area (La Grange Park, IL)
Moms of all ages and stages, you are invited to pause from caregiving for three blissful days to focus on nurturing your own soul. We will offer spiritual nourishment, foster the honest conversations you crave, and give you the opportunity to try a variety of new practices for prayer and grounding, as well as for finding your voice again. Come sleep late, let someone else cook and clean for you, and find restoration in the circle of mothers.
My annual retreat with my ordination classmates, St. Mary of the Lake 1966, is going to be at the Wellness Spirituality Center in La Grange in early September. First time there. We've been doing it for decades at the scene of the crime, Mundelein, but the joint has become a bizness and requires insurance and the filling out thousands of millions of pages of paperwork so we changed it. We've been giving ourselves a self-directed three day retreat for about 30 years now (wow!). Forty of us were ordained. More than half left and got married. There are about 18 of us still kicking. We love this annual get together. I know your retreats will be great.