Day 1 - Stillness

“It is not wise to dash about.
Shortening the breath causes stress.
Use too much energy, and
You will soon be exhausted.
That is not the Natural Way.
Whatever works against Tao
Will not last long.”—Tao Te Ching, Lao Tse

“Behold God beholding you, and smiling.” –Anthony de Mello, S.J.

Your life, this present moment, is a mystery and a gift of the divine. Be present in the moment.

“The present is the point in time which most closely touches eternity.” –C.S. Lewis

As we enter more deeply into the present, and touch the eternal, we begin to awaken more fully.

“Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment.”—Buddha

You are invited to begin your retreat by spending time in silence, being still. Spend some time clearing your mind and allowing yourself to be quiet. Find a quiet, comfortable place to be. Sit in the stillness of the present moment, letting go of all other thoughts, concerns, and distractions as best you can. Sometimes simply focusing on your own breath, the sacred and mysterious gift of your breathing can help you to be still.

Suggested Activity

Write down what came to you in the stillness. Write it all down—including the distractions. They also point you toward the truth. If it’s helpful, use the following questions in your reflection and writing:

• What is it like to be still?
• Who do others see when they behold you? Who does God see?
• What does it mean to be fully alive and awake?

Day 2 - Authenticity

“We stumble and fall constantly even when we are most enlightened. But when we are in true spiritual darkness, we do not even know that we have fallen.”—Thomas Merton

"A man cannot be redeemed until he recognizes the flaws in his soul and tries to mend them. A nation cannot be redeemed until it recognizes the flaws in its soul and tries to mend them. Whoever permits no recognition of his flaws, be it man or nation, permits no redemption. We can be redeemed to the extent to which we recognize ourselves." —The Rabbi of Lelov said to his Hasidim

“Rabbi Zusya said, "In the coming world, they will not ask me, 'Why were you not more like Moses?' They will ask me: 'Why were you not Zusya?'"

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The great master Mat-su, as a youth, was a fanatic about sitting in meditation for many hours at a time. One day, his patriarch's disciple Huai-jang asked him what on earth he hoped to attain by this compulsive cross-legged sitting.

"Buddhahood" said Mat-su.

Thereupon Huai-jang said down, took a brick, and started to polish it assiduously. Mat-su looked at him, perplexed, and asked what he was doing.

"Oh," said Huai-jang, "I am making a mirror out of my brick."

"You can polish it till doomsday," scoffed Mat-su, "you'll never make a mirror out of a brick!"

"Aha," smiled Huai-jang. "Maybe you are beginning to understand that you can sit until doomsday, it won't make you into a Buddha."

Suggested Activity

• Growing into your authentic self is a continuing journey. Who are you right now? Think about it and write down 5 words that best describe you.

• Check in on your physical senses. Do you have a sense of well-being? Of being tired? Hungry? Energized? etc. Sit with these feelings for a bit. Don't judge them, just accept them. Journal about the experience.

Day 3 - Work and Study

“Work is love made visible.”—Khalil Gibran

“Monotony is the law of nature. Look at the monotonous manner in which the sun rises. The monotony of necessary occupations is exhilarating and life-giving.”—Mahatma Gandhi

“And (as for) those who believe and their offspring follow them in faith, We will unite with them their offspring and We will not diminish to them aught of their work; every man is responsible for what he shall have wrought.”—interpretation of the Qur’an 52.21

“I long to accomplish a great and noble tasks, but it is my chief duty to accomplish humble tasks as though they were great and noble. The world is moved along, not only by the mighty shoves of its heroes, but also by the aggregate of the tiny pushes of each honest worker.”—Helen Keller.

Suggested Activity

Some reflection questions:

• What aspects of your job or course of study are mundane?

• What aspects of your job or current course of study are you most passionate about or are most life-giving to you?

Write a letter to yourself describing how you might bring deeper life and love to your work or course of study.

Day 4 - To Love

In a world of great diversity we’re reminded that love and living together in harmony are universal. As you review the following quotes see which ones resonate with you about love.

"The heart of the person before you is a mirror. See there your own form."—Shintoism

“Not one of you is a believer until he loves for his sister and brother what he loves for himself.”—Islam. Forty Hadith of an-Nawawi 13

"All things are our relatives; what we do to everything, we do to ourselves. All is really One."—Black Elk

"This is the sum of the Dharma [duty]: do naught unto others which would cause you pain if done to you.”—Mahabharata 5:1517 [Hinduism]

“I am my beloved's, and my beloved is mine, that feedeth among the lilies.”
-- Song of Solomon 6

For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. – Romans 8:38-39

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Suggested Activity

• Which of the quotes was particularly moving for you?

• Reflect on a relationship that seems broken, how might it be able to be mended?

• Write a symbol, word, memory, place, or person that represents love to you.

Day 5 - From Fear to Freedom

“Envy and fear cause the face to pale, and love makes it glow.”- Paramhansa Yogananda

“The essence of the Way is detachment”.--Bodhidharma

When we are freed from our deepest fears we are given the gift of freedom—we are free to love, to act in compassion, to give of ourselves.

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that frightens us. We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented and fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your planning small does not serve the world. There’s nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you. We were born to manifest the glory of God with us. It’s not just in some of us, it’s in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people the permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”— Marianne Williamson

“In detachment lies the wisdom of uncertainty... in the wisdom of uncertainty lies the freedom from our past, from the known, which is the prison of past conditioning. And in our willingness to step into the unknown, the field of all possibilities, we surrender ourselves to the creative mind that orchestrates the dance of the universe.”--Deepak Chopra

Suggested Activity

Reflection questions:

• Where do you find yourself on the spectrum between fear and freedom?

• What are some things you might need to detach from to open yourself to freedom?

• Reflect upon an event or relationship in your life where you have felt and known fear. Describe it. Where was God in the fear?

Ritual:
Take some pieces of paper. Write down a fear or fears you would like to let go of on the sheet or sheets of paper. Pray or set the intention to detach from the fears. Sit with them briefly. Imagine that you are going to hand these fears over to the divine. You do not need to shoulder the burden of them any more. You are infinitely loved and cared for.

When you are ready, crumple up the sheets of paper and dispose of them, giving the fears up as you do so. Feel what it's like to be liberated from them.