Montreat is a place where nature and reflection come together. This guide offers options to deepen your connection with the natural world around you and with the Creator who fashioned it all. These activities invite you to engage all your senses, fostering a healing relationship between yourself, the natural environment, and the divine Spirit that moves through all things.
Remember that these contemplative activities are invitations, not obligations. Follow where the Spirit leads you and your own comfort level. You may find that different practices resonate with you at different times. The most important aspect is your willingness to be present and open to the experience of God in creation.
Follow the Montreat Pilgrimage Way
The Montreat Pilgrimage Way is a unique pilgrimage experience through the Montreat community. A Pilgrimage is different from a walk. A walk takes you somewhere. A pilgrimage changes you along the way.
Utilize roadways, pathways, and trails to go on your own personal pilgrimage as a group or an individual using these self-guided reflections.
The Inner Journey
Time needed: 2 hours | Location: Lake Susan to the Walk Jones Wildlife Sanctuary
This round-trip pilgrimage begins at Lake Susan and follows Graybread Trail Road to the old Reservoir pond and back down. The guided meditation leads you on a inner journey to focus on the way God has and is forming you into a new creation. This route is mostly paved road, but it is steep, so go at an easy pace.
Montreat Prayer Path
Time needed: 45–60 minutes | Location: Walk Jones Wildlife Sanctuary
Visit our Wildlife Sanctuary for a walking pilgrimage that encircles the old reservoir. This beautiful area is set aside for quiet reflection, environmental learning, and communion with God. The path features stations for contemplation and prayer, offering opportunities to listen to the Spirit speaking through creation.
The Wildlife Sanctuary is located up Graybeard Road across from the Greybeard trailhead. You can get directions and a physical copy of the booklet at the front desk of Assembly Inn, the Nature Center, or the Campground Ranger.
Engage Your Senses
Time needed: 20-30 minutes | Location: Any wooded area or garden
Find a comfortable spot—a bench, a rock, or beneath a tree. Close your eyes or lower your gaze and take three deep breaths. Then engage each of your senses in sequence:
- Listen: Pay attention to the symphony of nature around you. What birds do you hear? Can you detect the sound of leaves rustling or water flowing? What is the farthest sound you can identify? Notice the absence of mechanical or electronic noises that typically cause stress. In this listening, be open to how God might be speaking through the natural world.
- Look: Observe how sunlight filters through the trees, creating patterns of light and shadow. Notice the colors of plants, the movement of insects, and the diversity of life forms. Our eyes evolved to process natural light and patterns—give them this gift. Consider how each element of creation reflects the creativity and wisdom of the Creator.
- Smell: Breathe deeply and notice the fragrances around you. Trees and plants release phytoncides—essential oils that protect them and benefit us. How would you describe these scents? Fresh? Earthy? Citrus-like? Each fragrance is part of God’s design for healing and connection.
- Touch: Connect physically with nature. Feel the texture of tree bark, the smoothness of leaves, or the coolness of grass. Notice temperature changes near water features. Consider how these natural elements have existed long before us and will remain after we’re gone—a testament to the eternal nature of the Creator’s work.
- Taste: While we don’t recommend eating plants or drinking from natural water sources, take a moment to enjoy a sip from your water bottle. Reflect on how the earth nourishes us and consider your relationship with food and its sources. Give thanks to God for the sustenance that comes from the earth.
Conclude by “drinking in the flavor of the forest”—spending a few moments in silent appreciation of the complete sensory experience and the divine presence that permeates it all.
Make Your Own Meditation
Avoid overthinking this. Sometimes, we just need to be where we are. Here are few additional ideas to help you along the journey.
Make Your Hike Intentional
Walking as a spiritual practice is less about using your path for the sake of transportation and more about engaging the trail for ongoing transformation. Each day of this track we will spend time immersed among the elements of wild nature that make themselves known on forest trails. Montreat has approximately 20 miles of trails. Trail maps can be picked up from the Nature Center, the Montreat Store, or downloaded here. More information about the Montreat Wilderness can be found here.
Do a Walking Meditation
Choose a path and walk at a deliberate, slow pace. This practice can become a moving prayer, a conversation with the Spirit as you journey. Focus on:
- The sensation of your feet touching the ground created by God
- Your breathing rhythm, the very breath of life given by the Creator
- The gentle movement of your body, a temple of the Holy Spirit
- The changing scenery as you progress, revealing God’s ongoing creation
Take a Sacred Pause
To busy for a walk? Not in the mood for a walk or hike? This brief practice can be done between classes or meetings:
- Sit or stand in a comfortable position
- Close your eyes
- Take five slow, deep breaths
- With each exhale, think “In this moment”
- With each inhale, think “God is here”
Allow yourself to fully arrive in the presence of the Creator before continuing with your day.
Reflection On Your Experience
After engaging in any of these practices, consider:
- What did you notice that you hadn’t before? How might God be revealing something new to you?
- How has your relationship with the natural world and its Creator shifted?
- What feelings or insights from the Spirit emerged during your practice?
- How might you incorporate elements of these practices into your daily spiritual life?
- In what ways did you sense God’s presence during your time in nature?
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