Dearest Readers,
A few years ago a friend introduced me to the concept of poustinia, a word originally meaning a cabin where one goes to pray and commune with God. The way my friend described it, the word embodied the entire retreat experience, not just the cabin. So instead of saying, “I’m going to a poustinia,” one might say, “I’m going on poustinia.”
I’m going on poustinia.
Yesterday I had a session with my spiritual director and that wise decision was one of the outcomes of our session. After a two-month adventure and a couple of weeks back in full-swing mode I need some really focused time to reflect, to integrate, and to discern.
What I realized yesterday is that the time in the morning that I take, the time in the evening that I set aside, the Sunday “sabbath” I do my best to practice, are, of course, all good. Just not presently cutting it.
And it’s not enough to just “take a day off”. Inevitably I’ll end up engaged in some kind of activity that takes me away from the Quiet. To retreat from stimulation of all kinds, to experience the Higher Connection, I need to go somewhere, a cabin or a campground, and be in the Silence.
So I’ve committed to going on poustinia not this weekend but next. Thank you to my SD, who is so very good at helping me to see what I need.
So going “to” or going “on”, it don’t matter, I’m going period.
Inspiring Message of the Day: How do I feel about the idea of going on a personal, silent retreat? No distraction, no interaction, no noise. Just me and the Great Silence. I will explore my feelings around the idea of poustinia and see if one might be in order in my own life.
