Siena Retreat Center

A poem for Sunday reflections.

"Walk, don’t run.
That’s it.
Walk, don’t run.

Slow down, breathe deeply,
and open your eyes because there’s
a whole world right here within this one.
The bush doesn’t suddenly catch on fire,
it’s been burning the whole time.

Moses is simply moving
slowly enough to see it. And when he does,
he takes off his sandals.

Not because
the ground has suddenly become holy,
but because he’s just now becoming aware that
the ground has been holy the whole time.

Efficiency is not God’s highest goal for your life,
neither is busyness,
or how many things you can get done in one day,
or speed, or even success.

But walking,
which leads to seeing,
now that’s something.
That’s the invitation for every one of us today,
and everyday, in every conversation, interaction,
event, and moment: to walk, not run. And in doing so,
to see a whole world right here within this one."

by Rob Bell

"...The mystic is not a special kind of human being; rather, every human being is a special kind of mystic."
—Brother David Steindl-Rast

Author David Brooks writes, "There is one skill that lies at the heart of any healthy person, family, school, community organization...to accurately know another person, to let them feel valued, heard, and understood.” You'll find Brooks' new book and hundreds of others on our Bookstore shelves. The Bookstore is open Monday through Friday, 9-5, and Saturdays, 9-noon. Walk-ins are welcome!

Because hospitality is fun!

The next Spiritual Guidance Training Program group is forming. Have you thought of deepening your listening skills to be better present to others? This is the perfect time to discern this Program which begins next January. Start the conversation by contacting Nicki Nelson at (262) 898-2590 or by visiting https://www.sienaretreatcenter.org/spiritual-guidance/spiritual-guidance-training-program/

Siena Retreat Center has some new neighbors! Several Sinsinawa Dominican Sisters have moved into the Sisters' Residence on the Siena campus. A warm welcome to our new neighbors!

New in the bookstore! We've added some mini ceramic labyrinths to our collection. Swing by to try out these meditative tools for yourself, we are open Monday-Friday, 9-5, and Saturdays, 9-noon. Walk-ins welcome!

"Mindfulness helps you go home to the present. And every time you go there and recognize a condition of happiness that you have, happiness comes." - Thich Nhat Hanh

Are you a spiritual guide supervisor looking to deepen your supervision skills? This practicum intensive consists of eight live virtual group gatherings as well as an outside practicum component. Groups gatherings begin on Sat., Aug. 10, 2024, and conclude on Sat., Mar. 8, 2025. Each participant will offer monthly supervision sessions to two spiritual guides, for a total of twelve sessions. Each participant will also meet monthly with one of two assigned staff supervisors, three sessions with each supervisor, for a total of six sessions. We invite you to learn more >> https://www.sienaretreatcenter.org/retreats/isg_supervision/

“Ours is not the task of fixing the entire world all at once, but of stretching out to mend the part of the world that is within our reach...”
―Clarissa Pinkola Estes

When's the last time you really slowed down and took time for yourself to rest and recover? A Private Retreat is a chance to do just that. Whether you choose to spend your time in prayer, making art in the Creativity Room, or contemplating the waves on the Lakeshore, time away on a Private Retreat can help you to re-center and rest.

To explore dates for an individual retreat, please connect with Nichole, our Arrangements Coordinator, at [email protected] or explore https://www.sienaretreatcenter.org/private-retreats

Meet a few of our upcoming retreat leaders! Tom Buhler is a spiritual guide and mindfulness instructor in Racine. Dr. Charmaine Jake-Matthews, LCPC, is a psychotherapist and baking enthusiast in the Chicago area. Susan Lincoln is a classical singer, teacher, and retreat leader in Austin, Texas. Craig Welch is a retired Milwaukee Police Officer and volunteer in the Milwaukee area. Take a look at all retreats and programs coming up at https://www.sienaretreatcenter.org/retreats/

Our reflection is a simple one today. We invite you to pause and contemplate these two quotes that call up our spiritual relationship with nature.

"The world is holy. We are holy. All life is holy. Daily prayers are delivered on the lips of breaking waves, the whisperings of grasses, the shimmering of leaves." - Terry Tempest Williams

“I’ve realized that it’s not just that the wilderness invites us into the presence of the sacred; there’s the mysterious reality that the sacred also calls us into the wilderness.” - Victoria Loorz

Happy National Trails Day! Our own small paths at Siena Retreat Center fill us with gratitude and wonder every day.

Tomorrow is June 1st already! If you are still looking to plan out your summer, we have space available in two of our week-long retreats.

Contemplative Retreat for Women
July 7th - July 13th

Nurturing Life's Blessings
July 14th - July 20th

For more information or to register, follow the link to our retreat programs:
https://www.sienaretreatcenter.org/retreats/

Blooming on campus now! Wild geranium are lining the south path to the lake and make for a lovely contemplative walk.

We always carry a unique selection of cards in our bookstore! Stock up for summer! Our bookstore is open Monday-Friday from 9am-5pm and Saturdays from 9am-Noon.

We just added a new program to our summer retreat line-up and we are very excited about it! Join Dr. Charmaine Jake-Matthews, founder & CEO of Buy the Pound Bakery, on August 11th for a unique workshop on baking as a pathway to mindfulness and mental wellness.

Learn more and sign-up at https://www.sienaretreatcenter.org/retreats/mindfulness-through-baking/

“The arc of the moral universe is long but it bends toward justice."
―Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

For this Sunday reflection, we invite you to try out the 5-4-3-2-1 Grounding Method with us! You can do this activity wherever you are and it is very helpful for reducing anxiety, relaxation, and helping you appreciate your surroundings. Here's how it works:

Close your eyes and take three slow, deep breaths. Open your eyes and look for:

5 beautiful things you can see around you. It could be a bright coffee mug, beautiful flowers, or the fluffy clouds in the sky.

4 interesting textures you could touch. Maybe there is a fluffy carpet beneath you, the rough bark of a tree, or a smooth stone.

3 things you can hear. Close your eyes again and listen for the birds chirping, the hum of your fan, or rain on the rooftop.

2 things you can smell. Maybe it is the smell of the air off the lake or someone cutting grass.

1 thing you could taste. Did you just brew a pot of coffee? Or maybe dinner is in the oven!

Next time you are at Siena Retreat Center, we invite you to go for a 5-4-3-2-1 Sensory Walk on the grounds and center. Doing this mindfulness activity while walking can help you see things you've missed before and sink into a deeper state of relaxation and presence in the moment.

A pair of monarchs visits the prairie 🦋

What is a retreat? It's a time to pull back from the busy-ness of life, to reconnect with what is most meaningful to you. It's a time to reflect, pray, journal, or rest. It's a time to re-center. What do you find most meaningful about a retreat?

“Stay with it. The wound is the place where the Light enters you.”
– Rumi

Join us for Day of Mindfulness for Helpers and Healers event on Thursday, June 20th. Presenters Craig Welch and Tom Buhler will lead us in exploring the profound teachings of Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh, known as the "father of mindfulness." Register at the link below and swing by our bookstore to look through our collection of Thich Nhat Hanh books!

https://www.sienaretreatcenter.org/retreats/a-day-of-mindfulness-for-helpers-and-healers/

Do you have expertise you could bring to our committees? As Siena Retreat Center looks ahead to a healthy organizational future, we invite your expertise in areas such as business insurance, employee benefits, and finance. Committees typically meet monthly. Please contact Claire at (262) 898-2588. Thank you for considering this opportunity!

The Oak Room is getting ready for Contemplative Yoga next Thursday! Are you registered? https://www.sienaretreatcenter.org/retreats/contemplative-yoga-series-may-session/

This week for our Sunday Reflection we wanted to share one of our staff favorites! This artwork graces the wall between the Siena Retreat Center and the Racine Dominican Chapel. The piece is titled "God's Embrace" by Joseph R. Marco, a Racine Dominican Associate. We invite you to take a moment to contemplate this beautiful work of art!

What emotions does this painting evoke for you?

Do the different perspectives in each photograph bring to light different feelings?

Does knowing the title change your interpretation of the work? How?

Would your perception of the painting change if the colors or textures were different?

If this isn't your first time seeing the painting, does seeing it here help you discover any new details or emotions you hadn't noticed before? Is your understanding different seeing it digitally versus when you saw it in person?