ISANTI, Minn. — When Minnesotans think of a trip up north, many might envision a night full of friends, laughter and maybe a little bit of wine while sitting near a lake.
But Belinda and I recently drove north to take part in a decidedly different kind of getaway. We immersed ourselves in a silent retreat — no cell phones, no Netflix, no conversation. The whole point, advocates say, is to sit — by yourself — in silence for hours or even days.
The thought left Belinda and me a little anxious.
Could we do it? Would we be bored and ready to climb the walls?
We sought out advice before we embarked on our journey, from three silent retreat regulars. We met up with Eric Howell, Donna McNear and Sherri Herman at ARC Retreat Community in Stanchfield, Minnesota. It is one of more than 20 places in Minnesota that host these soundless retreats.
Howell, McNear and Herman all come from different backgrounds, but share the common belief that spending time silent in nature can be nothing short of life-changing.
“All I have to do is listen to nature,” Howell said. “And it just allows me to just sort of regroup and just empty myself, empty my mind, empty my thoughts, and just reset.”
However, he said the thought of it can be intimidating at first.
“And so, you have to sort of like, be present with knowing: 'I have nothing to do,' and then accepting that — and then going outside and walking," he said. "And then you start tackling those inner thoughts and emotions and it starts coming.”
If you’re a first-timer, like Bel and me, Donna McNear says it’s a good idea to start slow, sitting in silence for just a few hours or one night before working your way up to a few days.
“I think it's lifelong personal development to learn to be within yourself and silence and reflection. It's not necessarily easy to do,” she said.
If you commit to it, according to Sherri Herman, the results are so powerful it can change your life.
“It changes your relationship with your mind. It changes your relationship with your emotions,” Herman said. “It changed everything for me. I'm a lot more in tune with who I am and what matters most to me.”
After talking about it, it was time for Bel and me to experience it. For that, we drove to a Catholic hermitage retreat center in Isanti called “Pacem in Terris” — Latin for "peace on Earth."
The staff helped us each move into one of the 19 cozy, but sparse, hermitages on the property. By 4 p.m., were settled in and ready to retreat into silence.
For the next 18 hours, we listened to nature, walked the trails, read, prayed, watched the sun go down and eventually woke to a beautiful sunrise.
When we met up again the next morning, we both felt refreshed, relaxed and reluctant to leave.
The executive director at Pacem in Terris, Tim Drake, said he hears that a lot.
“I would say the majority of folks who come, you know, speak kind of how you're speaking," he said. "I mean, it's to 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 up to the silence and allow that space, something is going to happen. You’re going to receive some word or some clarity or some healing.”
Bel and I both felt that peace so strongly that we decided we'd like to go back again in the fall.
As we left, Drake shared his hope for people as they head back into the noisy world.
“I just pray, that for whatever reason it is that God calls people here, that they will receive what it is that they need, so they can take that back to their home, to their workplace, to the community."
"Because," he added, "peace is what the world needs.”
For a more in-depth discussion with Drake, click here.
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