So why did I go, where did I go, and what did I do?
I went away on a silent retreat so that I could focus on a time of prayer and contemplation. I chose the Mother House of the Order of the Holy Paraclete, Sneaton Castle, Whitby because it is an Anglican order and the women observe four daily Offices which I attended every day: Lauds, Midday, Vespers and Compline. They give a structure to the day and emphasise the priority of worship, praise and prayer which, good as my intentions are, are lacking in my daily life at home - good stuff.
There are just two rooms for guests in the Priory. Spiritual direction is not provided there, but is available elsewhere. Details are on their website: www.ohpwhitby.org. I fixed my own breakfast to eat in my room; everything was provided. I ate with the sisters at lunch, the main meal, and supper, both silent with a few exceptions; then I was provided with a tray in my room. There is a good working library which I've checked out, but don't use. That's not why I go.
Why was silence so important? It freed me from interaction with other people which is a normal part of daily life, but which I need to step aside from occasionally. Was I bored? No. What did I read? The very first time I did a silent retreat I discovered the importance of virtually no reading. Like conversation it's part of my everyday life. The words of the Offices were sufficient for thought. This time I brought an essay on Silence and before sleep read a few pages of Gerald Durrell's Fillets of Plaice.
It took a couple of days to put off the sense of usual responsibilities and get on with the primary activity for the week: BEING. I need silence for that, and great chunks of solitude which the community provides in its grounds, in an oratory, in a small side chapel, and in my room. The place is soaked in their lives of prayer and silence, and I participate.
Did I come back restored? Yes, but it's simpler than that. It's deeper than that. I was embarking on an adventure: a journey into silence. The first day one of the novices gave me a scallop shell, a gift to her as she went on pilgrimage. She could either keep it or pass it on to another pilgrim. By the second day I realized I was indeed on a pilgrimage to be in silence with God, True Silence
Alice Bullough