Softening The Soil: A Creative Lenten Retreat Journey
For Women with a Holy Hunger for Healing, Encounter, and Rest
Three Retreats During Lent | Saturday Mornings | February 28th, March 14th, and March 28th | Group Spiritual Direction + Creative Practice
Lent is not a season of punishment.
It is a season of tending.
Softening the Soil is a three-part creative retreat journey held in my home and studio through the season of Lent — a gentle, embodied way to walk through Lent with intention, beauty, prayer, and rest.
Rooted in the rhythms of the liturgical season and inspired by the work of gardening and cultivation, this retreat invites women to slow down, listen to their hunger, and allow God to do deep, healing work beneath the surface of their lives.
Together we will explore:
• Lent as a season of holy cultivation rather than deprivation
• Ashes as nourishment — what remains after love has fully given
• Hunger as a doorway into intimacy and communion with God
• The hidden, sacred work of healing and reconciliation
• The journey from soil to feast, from ache to fullness
Each gathering includes guided reflection, prayer, scripture, creative practice, and time for rest.
A Lenten Sketchbook Pilgrimage
Throughout the retreat journey, each participant will create and use a personal sketchbook — a sacred space for prayer, art, reflection, and noticing God’s work over the season of Lent.
In our first session, we will design the covers together, setting the tone for a season of honesty and gentle tending. Every creative practice afterward will take place within this sketchbook, becoming a visual and spiritual companion for the journey.
No art experience is needed — only openness and curiosity.
The Shape of Our Time Together
Each retreat is three hours and follows the same gentle rhythm:
First 90 Minutes: Listening & Spiritual Direction
We will gather around a shared prompt and practice deep listening—to God, to one another, and to what is stirring within us.
Second 90 minutes: Creative Response as Prayer
Using mixed media and collage, we will respond with our hands—creating visual prayers that hold what we are carrying and what is being revealed.
Retreat Dates
• February 28, 10am-1pm
• March 14, 10am-1pm
• March 28, 10am-1pm
Who This Retreat Is For
This retreat may be for you if:
you are curious about what Lent might offer you
you long for spiritual companions who offer safe, honest space
you are carrying grief, fatigue, or transition
you are drawn to prayer through creativity
you desire healing that is gentle and embodied while being connected to a Christian tradition
Details + Register
Dates: Three retreats in Lent on Saturday mornings, February 28th, March 14th, and March 28th
Length: 3 retreats that are 3 hours each, from 10am-1pm
Location: Kaysie’s Backyard Studio in Chattanooga, TN
Materials: All creative materials provided
Group Size: Intentionally small to allow for listening and care
Cost: $300 for all three retreats (payment plans available if you need one)