The growth of the silent retreat travel trend

ISANTI, Minn. – When Minnesotans think of a trip up north, many might imagine a night filled with friends, laughter and maybe some wine while sitting by a lake.

But Belinda and I recently drove north to take part in a decidedly different getaway. We immersed in a silent retreat – no cell phones, no Netflix, no conversations. The whole point, advocates say, is to sit – on your own – in silence for hours or even days.

The thought left Belinda and I a little anxious.

Can we do it? Are we bored and ready to climb the walls?

We sought advice before embarking on our journey, from three silent retreat regulars. We met with Eric Howell, Donna McNear and Sherri Herman at the ARC Retreat Center in Stanchfield, Minnesota. It is one of more than 20 places in Minnesota that host these silent retreats.

Howell, McNear and Herman all come from different backgrounds, but share the common belief that spending time quietly in nature can be nothing short of life-changing.

“All I have to do is listen to nature,” Howell said. “And it allows me to just regroup and just empty, empty my mind, empty my thoughts, and just reset.”

However, he said the thought can be daunting at first.

“And so, you have to be like, be present with knowing, ‘I have nothing to do,’ and then accept that — and then go out and walk,” he said. emotions and starts to come.”

If you’re a first timer, like Bel and me, Donna McNear says it’s a good idea to start slowly, sitting quietly for a few hours or overnight before working your way up to a few days

“I think it’s personal development for life to learn to be in yourself and silence and reflection. It’s not necessarily easy to do,” he said.

If you commit to it, according to Sherri Herman, the results are so powerful they can change your life.

“Change your relationship with your mind. Change your relationship with your emotions,” Herman said. “It’s changed everything for me. I’m much more in tune with who I am and what matters most to me.”

After talking, it was time for Bel and me to experiment. Therefore, we drove to a Catholic hermitage retreat center in Isanti called “Pacem in Terris” – Latin for “peace on Earth”.

The staff helped us every move to one of the 19 cozy, but scattered, hermitages on the property. By 4 p.m., they were set up and ready to retire quietly.

For the next 18 hours, we listened to nature, walked the paths, read, prayed, watched the sun set and eventually woke up to a beautiful sunrise.

When we got back together the next morning, we both felt refreshed, relaxed and reluctant to leave.

Pacem’s executive director in Terris, Tim Drake, said he feels a lot.

“I mean most of the people that come in, you know, talk like you talk,” he said. “I mean, it’s for me, it’s interesting how each of us is an unrepeatable creation of God. That could be through some aspect of creation; it could be through something they read in Scripture; something they receive in prayer.

“When you open yourself to the silence and allow that space, something will happen, you will receive a word or some clarity or healing.”

Bel and I both felt that peace so strongly that we decided to come back again in the fall.

As we left, Drake shared his hope for people as they found their way back into the noisy world.

“I just pray, that for whatever reason it is that God calls people here, that they will receive what is needed, so that they can return to their home, to their workplace, to the community.”

“Because,” he added, “peace is what the world needs.”

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