Date & Time Details: Saturday, February 7, 2026, 9am-noon Pacific Time
Hybrid: Continuing Contemplative Rest (Monthly on First Saturdays)
With M Freeman
February 7, 2026
Continuing Contemplative Rest is for everyone who has completed a Contemplative Rest retreat or training series with M Freeman.
Contemplative Rest is a silent, present-moment, embodied meditation practice which draws somatically on previously lived moments of wonder, love, relief, connection, softening, mystery….
What to expect—
— The present-moment meditation practice at the heart of our gatherings
— With ritual guidance, M will regularly refresh the groundwork of dowsing,
savoring, and reflective writing.
— Short teachings and reflections on the evolving meditation practice.
— Deepening basic peace work. We will reckon with James Finley’s words,
“The essence of the violence of the world is in our hearts” and embrace
St. Benedict’s guidance to let peace be our quest and aim.
— Community! Gentle time for group sharing, connecting, and cherishing
communal contemplative practice.
— Most months will include a mid-month, online group meditation practice
offered at no additional charge.
Thich Nhat Hanh writes in How to Relax, “All living beings will profit from your relaxation and energy. This is the most basic kind of peace work.” And when we practice together? “The energy is amplified,” he writes, “and you will create a powerful collective energy…for your own healing and the healing of the world.”
Facilitator
M Freeman
Media artist, writer, spiritual director, and independent scholar, M Freeman works at the intersections of reckoning and resiliency, queerness and film, and contemplative, creative and social art practices. They are author of The Illuminated Space: A Personal Theory and Contemplative Practice of Media Art (The 3rd Thing, 2020) and creator of Cinema Divina—short films for contemplative practice. Their text and media arts essays have been published in or at The Fourth Genre, Ninth Letter, TriQuarterly, Blackbird, Rolling Stone and Abbey of the Arts. Their films are screened on PBS and in galleries, spirituality centers and festivals worldwide. marilynfreeman.com. Learn more about M Freeman
SISTERS SPEAK: OUR BLOG
Sisters post on our Blog monthly. See what our Sisters have to say about living Monastic Life in the 21st Century.
SR. LAURA ON YOUTUBE
See Sr. Laura’s youtube channelfor some of her work in “restoring women to the stories we tell.”
CLICK, TAP, OR SCAN QR CODE WITH PHONE FOR HANDY MAP & DIRECTIONS TO ST PLACID:
Programs
Date & Time Details: Saturday, February 7, 2026, 9am-noon Pacific Time
Hybrid: Continuing Contemplative Rest (Monthly on First Saturdays)
With M Freeman
February 7, 2026
Continuing Contemplative Rest is for everyone who has completed a Contemplative Rest retreat or training series with M Freeman.
Contemplative Rest is a silent, present-moment, embodied meditation practice which draws somatically on previously lived moments of wonder, love, relief, connection, softening, mystery….
What to expect—
— The present-moment meditation practice at the heart of our gatherings
— With ritual guidance, M will regularly refresh the groundwork of dowsing,
savoring, and reflective writing.
— Short teachings and reflections on the evolving meditation practice.
— Deepening basic peace work. We will reckon with James Finley’s words,
“The essence of the violence of the world is in our hearts” and embrace
St. Benedict’s guidance to let peace be our quest and aim.
— Community! Gentle time for group sharing, connecting, and cherishing
communal contemplative practice.
— Most months will include a mid-month, online group meditation practice
offered at no additional charge.
Thich Nhat Hanh writes in How to Relax, “All living beings will profit from your relaxation and energy. This is the most basic kind of peace work.” And when we practice together? “The energy is amplified,” he writes, “and you will create a powerful collective energy…for your own healing and the healing of the world.”
Facilitator
Media artist, writer, spiritual director, and independent scholar, M Freeman works at the intersections of reckoning and resiliency, queerness and film, and contemplative, creative and social art practices. They are author of The Illuminated Space: A Personal Theory and Contemplative Practice of Media Art (The 3rd Thing, 2020) and creator of Cinema Divina—short films for contemplative practice. Their text and media arts essays have been published in or at The Fourth Genre, Ninth Letter, TriQuarterly, Blackbird, Rolling Stone and Abbey of the Arts. Their films are screened on PBS and in galleries, spirituality centers and festivals worldwide. marilynfreeman.com.
Learn more about M Freeman
SISTERS SPEAK: OUR BLOG
Sisters post on our Blog monthly. See what our Sisters have to say about living Monastic Life in the 21st Century.
SR. LAURA ON YOUTUBE
See Sr. Laura’s youtube channel for some of her work in “restoring women to the stories we tell.”
CLICK, TAP, OR SCAN QR CODE WITH PHONE FOR HANDY MAP & DIRECTIONS TO ST PLACID:
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Ongoing Program Zoom: Prayer Practices Certification Program 2025-2026
September 1, 2025 - August 3, 2026
Weekend Silent Centering Prayer Retreat
February 20 - 22, 2026
Hybrid: The Sacred Art of the Line: An Exploration of Making Lines on Paper_
February 28, 2026
Hybrid: Dare To Write
March 13 - 15, 2026
Hybrid: R.E.S.T Rest in God’s Presence and Word
March 28, 2026
Forest Bathing at St. Placid Priory
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Metanoia in Motion: A Journey of Conversion Through Body and Spirit
May 16, 2026
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