Spiritual Retreat at Portsmouth Abbey

This past week I had the opportunity for a two-day spiritual retreat at Portsmouth Abbey in Portsmouth, Rhode Island. If you have never been there, Portsmouth Abbey is on a beautiful campus next to the ocean sharing its property with Portsmouth Abbey School.

I am very grateful that I live so close to Portsmouth Abbey so I can spend a couple of days there in silent meditation, prayer, reflection, walking, and singing with the monks. The monks who live in the monastery at Portsmouth Abbey are Benedictine monks. Each one is unique, kind and a pleasure to be in their presence. I visited Portsmouth Abbey for the first time back in March and really appreciated my time there. Last time, my meditation retreat was very focused and intense and felt hard-core. This past week’s spiritual retreat at Portsmouth Abbey was much more relaxing and provided space for me to reflect and just be present with myself and the surroundings.

For the first time this year, we are experiencing true spring weather here in Rhode Island, so it was great timing to be at the monastery and its grounds. I did a lot of walking and sitting on various chairs and benches throughout the property. Each landing space provided a different opportunity for me to enjoy the visual landscape and fresh air.

Both days, right after lunch with the monks, I took a walk out to the garden tended by Dom Damien. He does an excellent job of keeping everything tidy and full of beauty and vitality. I enjoyed just sitting and soaking in the beauty.

St. Gregory’s Chapel is my favorite space on the campus. It is a gorgeous architectural masterpiece full of all that beautiful energy of monks praying and singing all day, every day. The public is always welcome as guests and may join if they choose. Some of the students at Portsmouth Abbey School also choose to take part with the monks. The contrast between the monastic older men and the excited high school students makes for a nice balance of energy. I find singing with monks of any religion to be an amazing experience! On Friday afternoon, I spent a good hour just sitting inside the chapel and admiring the architectural design and beautiful stained glass windows.

My favorite space outside of the chapel is sitting in one of the Adirondack chairs on the grass overlooking the ocean. Even as a child, looking at and being in the ocean has always been an uplifting and peaceful experience for me. I can sit and stare at the ocean for hours and not get bored. The sense of vastness and eternal vitality connects to a very old place inside of me. The saltwater and air seem to cleanse me inside and out. This past week was no exception. I brought my notebook with me to write some Waka poetry, but I was so immersed in the ocean that my pen and paper never made it out of my sack. While writing now, I can feel that same sense of peaceful wholeness. The relentless nature of moving water is very captivating to me. One of the true benefits of living in Rhode Island.

In my two visits to Portsmouth Abbey, I’ve begun to build some relationships with a couple of the monks, and they have invited me to visit them when I have time. I look forward to taking a ride out there, maybe sometime next week in the afternoon, to connect with some of the monks, meditate, and enjoy the property. One would think after more than 20 years of daily meditation practice that, I would find it boring, but I do not. Each new meditation experience is unique and has its own teaching. I am grateful for the excellent meditation instruction and teachers I have experienced, including The Dalai Lama, Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche, Huston Smith, Grand Master T. K. Shih, Geshe Kachen Lobzang Tsetan, and Rev. Betsy Browder, among others.

If you would like more information about meditation, spiritual retreats, Reiki Counseling, or life coaching, please use the Contact tab below to contact me.

Michael Swerdloff

Providence Holistic Counselor, Coach and Reiki