with Murshida Saki Lee
Lioba Monastery
Herenweg 85
1935 AH Egmond Binnen, Netherlands
“I thanked the darkness that brought me to the light, and I valued the veil which prepared me for the vision in which I saw myself reflected, the vision produced in the mirror of my soul…”. — Hazrat Inayat Khan
The Winter Solstice invites us into the stillness of the longest night — a threshold where we can pause, breathe deeply, and listen for the soul’s quiet song.
Our retreat also falls in the final days of Advent, a sacred season of waiting and expectancy as we approach Christmas and the mystery of light being born into the darkness. Across spiritual traditions, this turning of the year reminds us that darkness need not be merely something to overcome. It can also be a place of gestation, deep listening, and preparation for what is waiting to be born.
In the sacred atmosphere of Lioba Monastery, we step back from the demands and distractions of everyday life and enter a sanctuary for the soul. Through silence, meditation, Sufi practices, sacred music, and the Dances of Universal Peace, we will explore the mystery of this luminous darkness — listening to the deeper longings of the heart and to what may be quietly waiting to be born within us.
At a time of profound uncertainty and change in our world, retreat offers us a space to renew and deepen our inner life, while cultivating a healing presence for ourselves and for those around us. Nourished by silence, spiritual practice, and the companionship of fellow travelers, we tend the light within so that we may carry it with renewed presence and purpose into the world.
This is an intimate residential retreat, with limited space in the monastery guesthouse, Tabor. The retreat is given in English.
For registration, payment, accommodations and fees, practical information, and further details, please use the links in the menu.
About Saki Lee
Saki Lee is a senior teacher and spiritual guide in the international Inayatiyya Sufi community. Since meeting her beloved teacher, Pir Vilayat Inayat Khan, in 1974, she has walked the Sufi path with dedication and joy.
Alongside her Sufi path, Saki has a deep connection with Benedictine spirituality and its contemplative traditions of prayer, silence, and sacred community. These two streams of contemplative life meet and enrich one another in her spiritual practice and work.
Her approach to healing is also deeply grounded in the wisdom traditions of East Asian medicine, as well as in sacred music and the Dances of Universal Peace. Drawing upon these different streams, she invites others into a deeper listening to the heart and soul and seeks to foster healing, community, harmony, and beauty in our world.