Make the most of your retreat with us
Include some Spiritual Direction
Retreat Guide
A retreat guide can support you during your retreat in the hope of having a deeper, more intentional experience.
Spiritual Direction
Spiritual Direction is a one-on-one session where you explore part of your daily experiences in order to become aware of your inner life and deepen your relationship with God/Spirit/Divine.
Facilitated Retreat Days
We can design a Retreat Day program to suit your group, drawing on elements from our other workshops such as nature connection, Active Hope activities and contemplation.
Retreat Guide
Having a Retreat Guide is a great way to be supported during your retreat. You will meet with your Guide at the beginning and the end for one-on-one sessions. During these sessions you will reflect on your intention for the retreat, and what your soul needs. A retreat could include many different spiritual practices, such as contemplation, nature connection, fasting, meditative walks or sitspots. With the help of a Guide we often find we are able to better commit to these practices and delve deeper into what they offer, regardless of whether we are a beginner or well-practiced. The average stay during a Retreat is 3 days, with a day in between meeting with your guide to connect to your practice. If you would like additional sessions, they are available through Jane’s Spiritual Direction work which can be ‘added on’ to your stay.
As your Guide, Jane comes with ten years of intentional retreat experience on the Gembrook Retreat property. She has practiced Contemplative Prayer Weekends on the land every few months with fellow community member Samara. She knows the difference that support can make in achieving her intentions for a retreat rather than struggling on her own. During these retreats she has deepened her own spiritual life more than she could have imagined through practices of contemplation, silence, fasting, praying in the middle of the night, as well as being apprenticed by the flora and fauna of God's very own Creation. She has discovered that mysticism is not just for some interesting folk who lived long ago. The wild spiritual practices that can deepen our connection to land and the Divine can be practiced here today. We often just need a bit of guidance and support.
Jane is incredibly interested in your spiritual life, whether you feel you are a beginner, well experienced, or somewhere in between. She would love to hear where you are in your life's journey and what is drawing you to be on retreat. At the end of your retreat she will be eager to hear your adventure story and help reflect on what your experience is telling you. While Jane identifies as a Quaker who seeks to follow Christ she welcomes people of all walks of life regardless of spiritual beliefs.
Sliding scale fee: $60/$90/$120/$150
Additional Spiritual Direction: $30/$45/$60/$75/$100 per session
Contact us to find out more, or book a Retreat Guide with your retreat accommodation below.
Spiritual Direction
Spiritual direction is a contemplative exercise, whereby you sit with your guide (Jane) in silence. There is an invitation to speak ‘your soul into the silence’. Everything is permissible, and all will be witnessed and held in a compassionate, caring manner. Jane has a deep interest in people’s souls and encourages inner work through a non-judgemental and non-violent approach. There is no striving for an outcome, rather making room for one to just ‘be’ and ‘be with’ whatever arises.
The sessions usually last for 50 minutes and are held in the Worship Room at Gembrook Retreat. Jane has a particular interest in helping people connect to their deeper selves, to connect with land, with others, with God/Spirit. This can be especially beneficial during times of crisis or upheaval, when grief or loss are experienced, there is a questioning of one’s faith and/or beliefs, or relationship troubles. Being held in a calm, compassionate manner throughout the trials and tribulations can have a deeply healing effect on one’s resilience in the world.
These sessions can be offered as a once-off during a stay at the Retreat, or, as part of a more regular monthly session.
Jane is a qualified Spiritual Director/Companion through the Wellspring Centre. While Jane herself is a Christian Quaker, she welcomes anyone to her spiritual direction sessions whether you have a particular spiritual practice or not.
The invitation is to come as you are, all are welcome.
Sliding scale fee: $30/$45/$60/$75/$100 per session
Contact us below to find out more.
Facilitated Retreat Days
We can design a Retreat Day for your group, drawing on elements of our other offerings and workshops, and incorporating whatever you want to focus on for the day. We can run a half or full day for you. We find that including facilitation helps to provide structure for your group during your stay here.
Retreat Days are suitable from a group of 6-20 people. They take place in the Meeting House and on the land. You will need to self-cater, whilst we can provide tea and coffee.
Some example themes of a 2 hour facilitated sessions we can offer include:
Nature Connection, Active Hope, Tour around the Land, Quakers and Quakerism, and Singing.
Prices start from $100 for a group of 6 – with $20 added for each person thereafter.
We can also run a full-day Active Hope workshop, although that is inclusive of facilitation only, catering needs to be provided by the group itself.
Prices start from $300 for a group of 6 - which includes hiring of the Meeting House.