How to Hear God: A Simple Guide for Normal People

by Pete Greig

A twenty-four-hour silent retreat may seem intimidating, especially if you’re an extrovert, but it won’t be long before your little daily solitudes are not enough and you long for more! Silent retreats require planning (especially if you’re going to attempt one at home). Generally, it’s best to get away to a place where you can be undisturbed. Personally, I find it helpful to bookend my retreats with some direction at the start in the form of a conversation to set expectations, with a friend or spiritual guide, and a debrief at the end. During my retreat I tend to plan a very light structure incorporating six elements: exercise, sleep, meals, reading, journaling, and prayer. If I am in a monastic setting, I will attend some (but probably not all) of the seven daily offices, and if mealtimes are not silent (as they often are), I will make arrangements to take my meals in my room. In planning my schedule, I am careful to go easy on myself. My personal tendency is to place unrealistic expectations on myself and to become overly idealistic about the potential of my retreat. The fact is that I am not going to read more than one book, and I might not even read more than one chapter. And it’s okay to take a siesta—even an involuntary one while trying to pray. And I certainly don’t need to return from retreat with any great new epiphany.