Tentative Daily Schedule
A bell ringer will come by your room and gently summon you. Down at our "meditation hall" (Brookfield, for those of you familiar with Star Island), there will be coffee, tea and yoga mats, if you want to get there early.
6:30 - 8:00 Meditation
We begin our formal schedule in silent meditation together. There will be two half-hour sitting sessions, with a walking meditation in between.
8:00 - 9:00 Breakfast
Breakfast is available buffet-style in the dining hall. This week we share the island with a larger non-silent conference, who will no doubt be making energetic sounds at breakfast. However, we will have our own designated tables, and our retreatants are encouraged to remain silent during this period.
9:30 - 12:30 Meditation
This is our main formal time together, consisting entirely of silent meditation, alternating periods of sitting meditation and walking meditation.
12:30 - 1:30 Lunch
Our schedule becomes informal in the afternoon. At lunch, some of us may wish to chat peacefully, while others may wish to remain silent, but we'll all try to eat mindfully and savor the flavors.
1:30 - 3:30 Solitary Contemplation
During this period, participants are encouraged to engage in some sort of personal spiritual discipline. Some of us will know how they want to use this time. For those who prefer some guidance, there will be suggested exercises and activities. This is a splendid time to head out to the rocks or sit under a tree and contemplate nature. Or it could be a time for a practicing yoga or tai chi. Nonverbal activities are usually preferable, but some might choose to use this time for reading or journaling. Our meditation hall is also always available for continued sitting.
3:30 - 5:30 Free Time
Now that we're so relaxed and peaceful from meditating all day, we will be primed for all of Star's traditional enjoyments -- like hitting the snack bar for a Lime Ricky, lounging in a rocking chair on the hotel porch, visiting the Marine Lab or the Art Barn, etc. This is also the beginning of our most social time of day. Unlike many meditation retreats where people are silent all day, here we encourage people to get to know each other. (However, of course, we will respect the wishes of anyone who wishes to remain silent -- and participants are cautioned not to go "hog wild" and talk themselves out, but rather to remain mindful and speak carefully/deliberately.)
Afternoon Miscellaneous
There will be various other one-time and ad hoc activites in the afternoons. For example, early in the week, there will be a gathering for beginners to ask questions and seek advice. If the weather is tempestuous, we will have a fireplace going. One day, we will have a low-tide walk led by the island's Marine Biologist. And Rev. Scheuneman will be available for one-to-one consultation and "process facilitation".
5:30 - 6:30 Social Hour
We will regather before dinner for a cheese-n-crackers sort of social hour, to hang out and compare notes on our day's experiences.
6:30 - 7:30 Dinner
Another chance to meditate on flavors while we get to know each other better.
8:00 - 10:00 Program Time
After Dinner, we get formal again. In the evening there will be a variety of activities throughout the week, such as small group discussions, theme talks, chapel services, and a "bonfire meditation" (complete with marshmallow roasting meditation!) We will then close each day with a return to silent contemplation.