Vacations for the Spirit: Refresh and Renew Your Life With a Personal Retreat

Taking time out from everyday activities, duties, and problems is a proven way for men and women to affirm meaning and spiritual value in their lives. Many people seek a few days' refuge in a religious environment such as a monastery. However, personal retreats can also take the form of short, intensive periods of entirely private, personal reflection and renewal in the midst of everyday life. This inspiring book offers practical advice on how to get benefit from all types of retreat. The author recommends creative exercises and meditations drawn from many spiritual traditions. He guides readers in the act of reviewing their life's events and milestones as a first step toward setting future personal goals. For readers who prefer to keep the spiritual retreat personal and private, he advises on creating a schedule that allows time for meditation, and setting aside a space in which to meditate. There is also advice for those who wish to choose a spiritual director, or who wish to make a group retreat. He asserts that now, in our machine-driven age, we need to take control of time and discover proven routes to spiritual renewal and growth. His advice is enhanced with 60 color illustrations.