Welcome to our 39th Poetry Party!
I select an image and suggest a theme/title and invite you to respond with your poems or other reflections. Add them in the comments section and a link to your blog (if you have one). Make sure to check the comments for new poems added and I encourage you to leave encouraging comments for [...]
Posted in Poetry Party Invitation | 27 Comments »
On a day
when the wind is perfect,
the sail just needs to open and the world is full of beauty.
Today is such a day.
-Rumi
** Our next Poetry Party will be on Monday! **
© Christine Valters Paintner at Abbey of the Arts:
Transformative Living through Contemplative & Expressive Arts
Floating on the wind,
What do I resemble?
A solitary gull
Between the heavens and the earth
-Du Fu
Photos taken at Golden Gardens in Seattle in honor of my father’s 77th birthday.
** Our next Poetry Party will be on Monday! **
© Christine Valters Paintner at Abbey of the Arts:
Transformative Living through Contemplative & Expressive Arts
END OF SUMMER SALE [...]
Posted in Visual Meditation | 9 Comments »
I have been thinking about moments a lot lately – those holy doorways where I am lifted out of time and I encounter the sacred in the most ordinary acts – and then a friend emailed me this video. It has me contemplating what it is I am here to do as an artist and as a [...]
Posted in Art and Spirituality | 5 Comments »
What’s In The Temple?
In the quiet spaces of my mind a thought lies still, but ready to spring.
It begs me to open the door so it can walk about.
The poets speak in obscure terms pointing madly at the unsayable.
The sages say nothing, but walk ahead patting their thigh calling for us to follow.
The monk sits [...]
Posted in Photos, Poetry | 1 Comment »
Do you have a body? Don’t sit on the porch!
Go out and walk in the rain!
If you are in love,
then why are you asleep?
Wake up, wake up!
You have slept millions of years
Why not wake up this morning
-Kabir
“In a world where faith is often construed as a way of thinking, bodily practices remind the willing that [...]
Posted in Abbey Bookshelf, Embodiment | 4 Comments »
A series of images celebrating embodied prayer.
© Christine Valters Paintner at Abbey of the Arts:
Transformative Living through Contemplative & Expressive Arts
Posted in Visual Meditation | 2 Comments »
I always find these end of summer days difficult. There is the last spate of hot weather which I really dislike. My sweet husband, a high school teacher, has summers off and so these slow days of spending time together will be coming to an end soon. And probably most significant (more so than I used [...]
Posted in Uncategorized | 10 Comments »
From the door sill of a dream they called my name…
It was the good voice, the voice I loved so much.
“-Listen,” said the voice. “Will you go with me to visit the soul?…”
And a soft stroke reached up and touched my heart.
“With you always” … And in my dream I walked
Down a long and solitary [...]
Posted in Poetry | 2 Comments »
I rested into a quiet weekend which did my spirit good. It is challenging to slow down after a long period of fullness and so I am being present with curiosity to all those internal judgments about the value of my downtime — where do those voices come from? Living a contemplative life is at [...]
Posted in Uncategorized | 7 Comments »
