An Exploration of Art Journaling

I’ve been on many retreats this one at the Genesis center by far was one of the best ones I’ve been on. They had everything you could need and the food was outstanding. I will definitely come back here again.

Wonderful place for a retreat. The staff are top notch.

I have been going to Genesis since 1980. As usual, my experience was wonderful. Sr. Nancy is extremely wise and caring. I love being with her. It's also great to have liturgy twice during the week. The house is very comfortable, warm when it needs to be and very cool when necessary. The schedule and the food is great. I have no complaints. Please God I will return next summer.
Sr.Christine Lavoie

As a frequent flyer in nature based retreats this was my second experience with "forest bathing". Jeannette and Simon were a powerful pair of facilitators and I thoroughly enjoyed the experience. Genesis as a retreat center was also very good. The staff were all very helpful and the facility exuded care and quality.

The Genesis Nature Immersion Experience with Simon de Voil and Jeanette Banashak was a deeply enriching and transformative offering. Rooted in both contemplative practice and ecological awareness, the experience gently guided participants into a renewed sense of connection; with themselves, one another, and the living world around them.

Simon and Jeanette bring a rare combination of wisdom, attentiveness, and reverence to their facilitation. They create a space where participants can slow down, listen deeply, and rediscover the sacred rhythms of the natural world. Through their guidance, nature is not simply observed but encountered as a teacher, a companion, and a mirror.

A central gift of the experience is the invitation to rediscover our interconnectedness. Participants are reminded that we are not separate from the more-than-human world, but intimately woven into it. This awareness opens the door to a deeper sense of reciprocity, recognizing that just as we receive from the earth, we are also called to respond with care, presence, and gratitude.

The practices and reflections offered throughout the immersion reveal how profoundly the natural world can teach us. We begin to notice patterns of patience, resilience, and mutuality that illuminate our own lives. Relationships, both human and ecological, are seen in a new light, inviting greater compassion, balance, and attentiveness. Even our understanding of the Divine is expanded, as we encounter God not only within but also alive and active in the unfolding of creation.

This experience is both grounding and awakening. It offers participants not just a retreat from daily life, but a return to what is most essential; connection, presence, and sacred belonging. Anyone seeking a deeper relationship with the natural world and a more integrated spiritual life would find this program profoundly meaningful.