ROCKLAND – Star of Wonder, a one-day Advent retreat and spa, will be held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 8, at the Rockland Congregational Church, 180 Limerock St.

Author and director of education Carole Hallundbaek will lead the event.

“The holidays are a very busy time of year,” she said in a press release announcing the event. “Our hands seem filled constantly with to-do lists, to-buy lists, calendars, decorations, Christmas cards, credit cards, postal packages and so much more. And sometimes, in the hubbub, we can all but miss our true inner connection to the holiday as it arrives.

“But Advent,” she continued, “like a mirror to Lent, is a time of preparation, or as St. Augustine said, of ’emptying our hands’ in order to clear the way to better receive the greatest gift.”

People who attend the retreat will be invited to relax, calm their minds and connect with the peace and mystery of the holiday, according to Hallundbaek. Activities will include focusing on music and breathing, gentle movement, lunch and reading from Hallundbaek’s new book, “Saints in Love,” and “Angel Country: Angelic Encounters – True Stories of Maine.”

The retreat will conclude with the lighting of the Celtic Advent spiral.

“The Advent spiral is a moving and memorable ritual that closes the retreat,” Hallundbaek said. “It allows adults a simple way to express their lives, memories, prayers and hopes in silence along an evergreen pathway symbolizing life.”

There is no fee for the retreat but participants are asked to register at the church office, 594-8656, or by e-mailing congl@midcoast.com with their names and phone numbers.