Episode 92 | How to create a solo day with God, with Dawn Gabriel

Welcome back to Soul Care for Therapists with your host, Dawn Gabriel. As we find ourselves in the midst of summer, Dawn reflects on how quickly time is passing. Summer brings a mix of fun, travel, and work, but she's particularly enjoying the beautiful weather.

Discovering the Solo Day with God 

Dawn shares a spiritual practice that has become essential to her, often raising questions from others about the practical aspects. She introduces the concept of a solo day—a combination of Soul Care and spending time alone with God. Despite the challenges of carving out time for oneself, Dawn emphasizes the importance of regularity in this practice and its profound impact on her spiritual journey.

Overcoming Challenges and Finding Sacred Spaces

Dawn acknowledges the difficulties of dedicating a half or full day to solitude with God. She explores the common obstacles and encourages listeners to confront and overcome them. Dawn recounts her personal experience of a recent solo day at a retreat center near Castle Rock, Colorado, called the Sacred Heart Jesuit Retreat Center. She highlights the serene ambiance, silence, and natural beauty of the surroundings.

Recommended Resources for Solo Days 

To provide direction and guidance for those interested in embarking on their own solo days, Dawn recommends the book Solo: Creating Space with God by Steven Smith and Peter Ivy. She finds this book to be a concise and practical resource, which she plans to summarize for her audience. Dawn emphasizes the importance of tailoring the solo day to individual preferences and needs.

Understanding the Purpose of the Solo Day 

Dawn delves into the significance of taking retreats and emphasizes the rhythm of rest and solitude as modeled by Jesus in the Bible. She encourages listeners to examine the excuses and challenges that hinder them from undertaking a solo day with God. By slowing down and creating space for God, one can recalibrate their life, tap into their purpose, and experience true spiritual renewal.

Preparing for a Solo Retreat 

Dawn outlines some practical considerations for planning a solo day, including finding a suitable space and blocking time off your schedule. She suggests informing others of your unavailability and temporarily disconnecting from electronic devices. Additionally, she advises contemplating what you hope to experience and addressing any obstacles that might arise.

Engaging in Spiritual Practices on the Solo Day

Dawn highlights various spiritual practices that can be incorporated into a solo day retreat. These practices include stillness, self-reflection, prayer, engaging the body through activities like hiking, creative expression through art or music, and reading spiritually enriching books by authors such as Henry Nowan, Thomas Merton, or Dallas Willard. She also mentions the daily examen, a reflective prayer practice, and Lectio Divina, an imaginative approach to scripture reading.

Taking the Leap and Connecting with Dawn 

Dawn urges listeners to give a solo day with God a try, assuring them of its transformative potential. She invites feedback and encourages them to reach out with questions or to share their own experiences. Dawn provides her contact information and invites listeners to sign up for her newsletter, which offers additional resources and support for integrating spiritual practices into daily life.

Tips for your own Solo Day

Set aside a half or full day for a solo day with God.

Acknowledge your feelings of guilt and the pull to be busy. 

Find a sacred space or retreat center, or create your own by disconnecting from technology and engaging with nature.

Prepare for the solo day by considering what you hope to experience and addressing any obstacles that may arise.

Engage in spiritual practices such as stillness, self-reflection, prayer, hiking, creative expression, or reading spiritually enriching books.

Resources and links

Solo: Creating Space with God by Steven Smith and Peter Ivy

Lectio Divina - means divine reading