Hello! I’m Susan Mansfield. I have been running retreats and Quiet Days in Edinburgh since 2010. I trained in contemplative spirituality and spiritual direction with the Epiphany Group and Ignatian Spirituality Centre, Glasgow (I’m now part of the leadership team for the Epiphany Group). The spirituality of St Ignatius is at the heart of what I do, but I also draw on a number of other contemplative and creative traditions.
During covid-19 lockdown in 2020, I was encouraged to start offering retreats online, which led to the birth of www.heartinpilgrimage.org.uk. Just as the ‘in person’ Quiet Days are a mixture of guided reflection and individual quiet time, with space to rest and be creative, the online retreats on this site are an invitation to take some time to rest, reflect and reconnect at your own pace.
On this site you can find out about my latest retreats and events, browse a range of retreat packages which are available, and if you’re interested in exploring spiritual direction, there’s more on that here. In the past, I have offered weekend retreats on subjects like Change and Decision-making, and I hope to be able to do that again in the future, and there just might be a short course in the pipeline! I am also available to lead retreats for groups, in person or online. Contact me, any time, on info@heartinpilgrimage.org.uk.
The name ‘Heart in Pilgrimage’ comes from George Herbert’s poem ‘Prayer’. This marvellous poem from the 17th century reads like a list of many of the experiences we have in the spiritual journey, from blessings and surprises to despair and frustration. He ends with two words: “Something understood.” My hope for myself and others is that we can keep reaching those moments when we “understand something” and take another step along the road.
Prayer the church's banquet, angel's age, God's breath in man returning to his birth, The soul in paraphrase, heart in pilgrimage, The Christian plummet sounding heav'n and earth; Engine against th' Almighty, sinner's tow'r, Reversed thunder, Christ-side-piercing spear, The six-days world transposing in an hour, A kind of tune, which all things hear and fear; Softness, and peace, and joy, and love, and bliss, Exalted manna, gladness of the best, Heaven in ordinary, man well drest, The milky way, the bird of paradise, Church-bells beyond the stars heard, the soul's blood, The land of spices; something understood. George Herbert