Merry Mirth: an online Advent Retreat of Joy

Advent begins in candlelight—a single flame holding back the dark, a quiet shimmer of joy waiting to rise in us again. Come sit beside that flame for a morning. Let it warm, soften, and surprise you.

🕯️ Giggles & Grace

We begin with an adaptation of Laughter Yoga, a holy playfulness that stirs the spirit and breaks open the heart just enough to let joy slip in.

🕯️ Creative Contemplation

Choose Sacred Collage or mandala coloring—gentle practices of arranging light, gathering color and meaning, listening for the quiet way God speaks through images, fragments, and imagination.

🕯️ Stillness & Reflection

We end in guided meditation, resting in the glow of the morning, holding our joy like a candle cupped in the hands, a small flame carried into the waiting world.

No experience required.

Just bring a willing spirit, a bit of wonder, and the hope that Advent joy might find you anew.

Led by Rev. Lee Self, a founding director of Spiritual Ministries Institute, which offers spiritual formation for spiritual directors and the broader spiritual community in the Dallas, TX area.