5.0
Verified
Great gathering
It was wonderful being together
In Conversation with Mechthild of Magdeburg: Love, Longing, and the Divine (Session 1)
Online
In Conversation with Mechthild of Magdeburg: Love, Longing, and the Divine (Session 1)
5.007 reviews
6:30pm - 8pm
About this Retreat
Your Guides
Colette Lafia is a Spiritual Director and award-winning author who gives in person and online retreats to an international audience. Her work has been featured with Spiritual Directors International, Gratefulness.org, and the Shift Network.
Her newest book, Leaving the Shore: Experiencing Poetry as Prayer (Monkfish Press 2025), is a contemplative collection of poems accompanied by sacred practices of Lectio Divina and journaling prompts. With a foreword by James Finley, the book invites readers to experience poetry as a form of prayer, drawing them into reflection, surrender, and intimacy with the Divine. Endorsed by Richard Rohr as a work that reveals “how God's enduring love is present in all we experience,” Leaving the Shore offers readers an entryway into seeing their own lives as sacred texts.
Details of this retreat
What can a 13th-century woman mystic teach us about longing, love,
and our relationship with the Divine today?
As autumn invites us to slow down, let go, and become attentive to the quiet work of transformation, we will meet Mechthild of Magdeburg within the world of the Beguines and explore her passionate vision of relationship with God, marked by longing, intimacy, vulnerability, and love. Then, through poetry, contemplative reading, and spiritual journaling, we’ll listen for what her words might awaken within us today.
Session One: Mechthild and the Beguines
In this session, we’ll meet Mechthild and the remarkable women known as the Beguines, who created lives centered in prayer, contemplation, community, and service outside traditional monastic structures. We’ll explore how this spiritual movement shaped Mechthild’s life and writing and reflect on what these medieval women can teach us about living contemplatively in the world today.
and our relationship with the Divine today?
As autumn invites us to slow down, let go, and become attentive to the quiet work of transformation, we will meet Mechthild of Magdeburg within the world of the Beguines and explore her passionate vision of relationship with God, marked by longing, intimacy, vulnerability, and love. Then, through poetry, contemplative reading, and spiritual journaling, we’ll listen for what her words might awaken within us today.
Session One: Mechthild and the Beguines
In this session, we’ll meet Mechthild and the remarkable women known as the Beguines, who created lives centered in prayer, contemplation, community, and service outside traditional monastic structures. We’ll explore how this spiritual movement shaped Mechthild’s life and writing and reflect on what these medieval women can teach us about living contemplatively in the world today.
Schedule
No meals.
Note: Schedule is approximate and may change
Customer Reviews
Verified
5.0
Verified
24 Hour Silent Retreat
Cranaleith is my very favorite place to go for retreats. The facility is peaceful and the staff are excellent. Meals are generous and delightful. A great experience all around.
5.0
Verified
April Retreat for Women Veterans
5 stars
5.0
Verified
Peaceful Retreat Setting
I've been bringing groups of students to Cranaleith for retreats for over 10 years now....and we will keep coming back! The staff is always so welcoming, the food nourishes my body and soul, and as soon as I step foot on the grounds I feel at peace. I highly recommend Cranaleith for their own retreat offerings and programs, as well as, a place to bring your work or school group to!
5.0
Verified
7 Day Individually Directed Silent Retreat
This was my second 7 day retreat at Cranaleith, in addition to ongoing individual spiritual direction since 2014. I recommend the sisters at Cranaleith for their compassionate and insightful direction. If you are looking to spend time in the serenity of God and nature, it is a worthy destination.
