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Flinders Ranges, South Australia
Willow Springs Station
Photo of Flinders Sunset courtesy of Jennifer Taylor
Saturday 6pm 8th November – Friday 14th November 2008
Be still and know I am God
INVITATION
You are invited to consider coming to the wilderness of Willow Springs, 21km north of Wilpena Pound in the magnificent Flinders Ranges for 7 days of peace, silence and solitude.
You will experience a retreat in the tradition of Christian monastic life with the rhythm of each day including:
o Silent communal prayer at 7am
o 8am Breakfast
o 9.30am Brief input followed by time for silence, reading, reflection or walking.
o Each day you will have the opportunity to meet with a Spiritual Director if you wish to
o Silent communal prayer will be held each day at 5pm followed by dinner
o All meals will be in silence
o After dinner each evening will be a Reflective Prayer Service which will aim to bring the theme of the day together.
The Retreat will encourage a deep spirit of silence to open us to hear God through prayer and the stunning beauty of the Flinders Ranges wilderness.
Retreatants are welcome to attend all parts of the day’s program or select only those parts of the day that they feel drawn to.
COST: $450 and includes private room accommodation for 7 days, all meals, 4 wheel drive silent prayer pilgrimage through Brachina Gorge, various resources and Adnyamathanha welcome to country. Please note that the Retreat is being offered ‘at cost’. If the cost is prohibitive Roy’s Retreat are offering several subsidised scholarships to interested people who may not be able to afford the$450.
Please contact us if you would like to know more about how to qualify for a scholarship. If you are in a position to support someone else to attend, a donation for that purpose will always be welcome.
ELIGIBILITY: This Retreat is especially for people who have not participated in a silent Retreat.
There is no expectation or requirement that you are an active member of a faith community.
We strongly recommend that Retreatants be at least 25 years of age.
Those who may have attended a silent Retreat previously are also most welcome.
ACCOMMODATION: Each Retreatant will have an individual comfortable private bedroom. The Willow Springs Station has 4 delightful large houses – you will be located in one of the houses within easy, gentle walking distance of the main building where prayer, meals and sessions will take place. The 2008 Retreat is open to a maximum of 16 Retreatants.
MEALS: The 7 days will be fully catered with wholesome food. We welcome the opportunity to meet any special dietary needs you may have.
TRANSPORT: You will need to take your own vehicle or catch the regular bus service to Wilpena Pound Resort – we can arrange to transport you from Wilpena Pound Resort (21 km) and back there to catch the bus at the end of the Retreat. If these transport options do not suit you please let us know and we will do our best to explore car pooling with other Retreatants.
WILLOW SPRINGS STATION: Willow Springs is a 70,000 acre working sheep station, 21 km north of Wilpena Pound, creating a setting of mountainous, rugged, beautiful wilderness. There will be no mobile or land line access, however messages can be left at the homestead and can be passed on to you in emergency.
DATES AND TIMES: We will start the Retreat with dinner at 6pm on Saturday 6th November. You are welcome to arrive anytime after 4pm. Willow Springs is a comfortable 7 hour drive from Adelaide on sealed roads, with the last 21km on a safe unsealed road. The Retreat will finish after breakfast on Friday 15th November and all Retreatants will need to leave Willow Springs by 11am.
WHAT TO BRING:
· Comfortable clothes ( washing machines are available for you to use if needed during the Retreat )
· Rain coat (even though South Australia is in the grip of a drought … you just never know! When it rains in the Flinders Ranges it really rains )
· Hat
· Comfortable walking shoes
· Sleeping bag or blankets and sheets ( linen can be booked for $15 )
· Toiletries
· Towels
· Note book or journal and pens
· Torch
· Insect repellent ( flies and mosquitoes are not bad in November )
· Sun block
· Bible
· Fold up chair ( if you have one )
· One Black T-shirt ( or Polo shirt)
· One White T shirt ( or Polo shirt )
· Photo of yourself as a child (this will not be shared)
· Photo of a person or people you love (this will not be shared)
· Camera
· Lunchbox
· Water bottle
· Your paints, pencils or crayons etc if you wish
WHAT NOT TO BRING:
· Electronic equipment such as Lap Top computers, I Pods, PDAs
· Mobile phones
NOTE: An extensive Resource Library will be available including books, CDs and magazines for you to select from during the Retreat
RETREAT TEAM: The Retreat is being organised by Roy’s Retreat based at Willunga, South Australia. Roy’s Retreat is an ecumenical space where people can explore spirituality in the Christian tradition with a focus on justice and peace, non violent living, interfaith dialogue and respect and contemplative practice. The Retreat team will be led by Tim Deslandes who is a married layperson and parent of 4 adult children. Tim is completing the Adelaide College of Divinity Spiritual Directors Formation Program and has previously had 15 years experience in faith formation and Retreat work with young adults. Tim established Roy’s Retreat in October 2006. Joining him on the team for this Retreat will be two other experienced Spiritual Directors (one male and one female).
WEATHER: November is mid spring in South Australia. Daytime temperatures can be expected to be between low 20’s and low 30’s with minimal chance of rain.
THE FLINDERS RANGES, SOUTH AUSTRALIA: The Flinders Ranges are arguably South Australia’s most beautiful landscape. Magnificent rugged mountains and stunning gorges are a feature of this unique wilderness area. This ancient landscape is the perfect backdrop for calling us to deep prayer and communion with our God. The Adnyamathanha people are the traditional owners of this land and we acknowledge and recognise them as the custodians of the law and land.
BE STILL AND KNOW I AM GOD: As Augustine of Hippo wrote; “our souls are restless until they rest in You O God”. The human spirit longs for deep peace and a sense of being connected both to ourselves and the whole universe. The mystics in our Christian tradition tell us time and time again that the language of God is silence. Although there are a multitude of ways we can come to know God, our tradition, both through the scriptures and the mystics, teach us that by being still and being silent, we can open ourselves to know God at a deeper level.
Be still and know I am God (Psalm 46:10) is God’s invitation to us each day of our lives. In the hustle and bustle of 21st Century living it is often hard to find the time and space where we can meet the God of stillness and silence. Sometimes this God needs to draw us out of our everyday routine into the wilderness to speak to us and reveal God’s self to us.
PREPARING TO COME
We invite you to consider preparing for this Retreat by doing some or all of the following:
· See the film, ‘Into Great Silence’ http://www.diegrossestille.de/english/
· Do an evening tour at an observatory or planetarium http://www.unisa.edu.au/planetarium/
· Visit the World Christian Mediation Community website http://www.wccm.org/
· Attend a Christian Meditation or Centering Prayer community (SA list) http://www.christianmeditationaustralia.org/Groups/SA.pdf
· Read any of the works of Thomas Keating, Laurence Freeman or John Main (sample reading list) http://www.wellsprings.com.sg/nzc/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=63 or http://www.mediomedia.com/shopexd.asp?id=1777
· Begin to keep a prayer journal
· Try to spend 25 minutes a day in stillness and silence
· Practice by having a day of ‘listening’ only
PROCESSING EXPRESSION OF INTEREST
Upon receiving your Expression of Interest we will contact you to progress your registration within seven days of receipt of your expression of interest.
Upon successful admission to the Retreat you will be required to make a non-refundable $125 deposit within 14 days to secure your place. The remaining fees will need to be paid in full by September 1st 2008. Payments are by cheque or money order only are payable to Roy’s Retreat.
Roy’s Retreat reserves the right not to progress this Expression of Interest to full registration stage for the 2008 Willow Springs Flinders Ranges Retreat.
Please register your interest as soon as possible as there are already expressions being received.
To contact Roy’s Retreat:
P.O. Box 142 Willunga SA 5172
(08 ) 85564686
roysretreat@gmail.com
www.roysretreat.com
EXPRESSION OF INTEREST
If you are interested in attending the ‘BE STILL AND KNOW I AM GOD’ Retreat at Willow Springs Station in November 2008, please complete the attached Expression of Interest and forward to Roy’s Retreat by August 29th 2008.
Your name: ____________________________________________________________
Address: _______________________________________________________________
_____________________________________Postcode:_________________________
Telephone: _________________________ Best Time to Call _________________
Email: _________________________________________________________________
Please can you tell us in no more than 100 words why you want to attend this Retreat at this point in your life. This information is confidential.
Please post to:
ROY’S RETREAT
P.O. Box 142
Willunga
South Australia 5172
Or via email
roysretreat@gmail.com
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email roysretreat@gmail.com |
