Abbey of the Arts Brochure

Welcome to Abbey of the Arts!

Ultimately, our greatest creative act is the living of our daily lives. Creativity is about making space and listening deeply to our lives and the world around us, seeing beneath the surface of things to the depth dimension of the world, opening ourselves to the newness that stirs there, cultivating a sense of spontaneity and playfulness, and giving form in a loving and intentional way to our commitments. Our whole lives are the arenas for creative work and living by giving expression and voice to the vision and newness being birthed within us when we make space to breathe deeply — in our jobs, our relationships, our leisure time, and longing for justice. The primary mission of the Abbey is to cultivate the sacred art of living through teaching, spiritual direction, writing, and art.

The Abbey springs from a love of monastic spirituality which is rooted in contemplative and communal rhythms as well as its long tradition of supporting the arts. In monastic tradition, hospitality is a foundational spiritual practice - welcoming in the stranger to discover the holy in new ways. The Abbey logo of an open door symbolizes this sense of welcome I hope you feel as you explore this website or enter our home.

There are three ways you might get involved with the Abbey:

It is in part a virtual Abbey, an online sacred space where creativity is nurtured and nourished and artists rooted in a faith tradition or spiritual practice can gather together to support and inspire each other especially through the blog. Comments are always welcome. If you have a blog or website that actively explores the connection between spirituality and the creative arts consider joining the Sacred Arts web ring here.

Our home in Seattle is the physical Abbey, the place where I do most of my creative work, where I sit with people for spiritual direction and dreamwork, where I prepare for teaching, and the place where we invite friends both old and new for hospitality and breaking bread. Our home is a sanctuary, a place for renewal and cultivating connections. If you live in Seattle, consider joining me for a class or exploring spiritual direction. If you don’t live nearby and ever find yourself in our beautiful city, please stop by for tea.

Abbey of the Arts is also the publishing name. Click on “Offerings” to see books and art currently available for purchase to support your spiritual journey.

If you’d like to receive announcements about Abbey updates, including the Awakening the Creative Spirit program, other workshops and retreats, new articles, and new offerings for purchase, please email me at Christine (at)AbbeyoftheArts (dot) com to sign up.  To receive emails when new posts are added to the blog, use a feedreader such as Blogarithm.

In ancient times, one sign of the holiness of mystics and Saints was a special connection to animals. Animals have their own wisdom that comes in part from their otherness, they open a window to dimensions of God we might not otherwise see.

Abbess Petunia “Tune”

Former Abbott “Duke”, In Loving Memory (1996-2006)