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THIS ONLINE RETREAT IS OVER AND IS NO LONGER AVAILABLE. CHECK BACK TO THIS PAGE IN A WEEK TO REGISTER FOR AN ON-DEMAND VERSION OF THE RETREAT.

In the Christian monastic tradition, every day follows a rhythm of eight "Hours," which mark nuances of morning, noon, night, and between times. “Lauds” is the coming of the light, an opportunity to nourish your soul for the coming day. “Prime” – when you get to your workplace – allows you to make a deliberate beginning. “Terce” is a joyful mid-morning prayer break. “Sext” is a lunch-time meditation that renews commitment and fervor. “None” comes as shadows lengthen and you need a boost for the last hours of your work day. “Vespers” is an evening celebration, and “Compline” completes the cycle right before bed. Connecting the circle of Hours is “Vigils,” the night watch.

Patricia Carlson, drawing on the resources of A Network for Grateful Living (ANG*L), founded by Br. David Steindl-Rast and best known for its interactive website, www.gratefulness.org, has developed this e-retreat on “Living the Hours.” Spirituality & Practice is pleased to present this teaching to the online community.

This e-retreat explores two questions: How can these Hours enhance our lives outside of a monastic setting? And how can they be made universal, so that people of any spiritual tradition or no tradition can experience their extraordinary value? Our explorations are based on the premise that practicing the Hours, although rooted in an ancient tradition, can work wonders for restoring our peace of mind and enjoyment of life in a fast-paced world.

During this six-week retreat, you will receive emails on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. On Mondays, we'll introduce the traditional meaning of the Hours, starting with the key pivot points of dawn, noon, and dark. Wednesdays will give us a chance to expand our consideration and, as the retreat progresses, to introduce more Hours. You'll also have access to a private online Practice Circle, where we'll all discuss our experiences living these Hours. You can also ask questions of the retreat leaders, which will be addressed in the Friday emails.

Throughout this online retreat, we'll also encourage you to collect materials for each Hour that are meaningful to you, with the idea of creating your own Book of Hours that you can use for prayer. On Fridays, we'll share on this project, pointing to your prayers, photos, poems, and quotes posted in the Practice Circle. We expect to collect quite a bounty of prayer prompts as our spiritual community builds over the weeks.

Please come and refresh your spirits with us this fall! To sign up, click on "Subscribe to E-Course" below.

Continuing Education Hours Available (Email brussat@spiritualityandpractice.com for details)