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Category: Path of the Artist

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Way of the Monk, Path of the Artist starts tomorrow! ~ A love note from your online abbess

Dearest monks and artists, With our Way of the Monk, Path of the Artist online retreat starting tomorrow, I offer you these lovely and wise words from Sister Macrina Wiederkehr, who so generously wrote the preface to my book The Artist’s Rule: “When Benedict of Nursia abandoned his studies in Rome, he found his way to a cave in the hills of Subiaco. This cave would become his sacro speco (sacred space), for it was there that Benedict devoted three years of his life to search for God. Out of his deep listening in the cave of solitude was born one

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Falling in Love with the Monastic Way ~ A Love Note from Your Online Abbess

Dearest monks and artists, With our online retreat Way of the Monk, Path of the Artist starting later this month, I offer you an excerpt from the introduction to The Artist’s Rule which shares a bit of my story of how I came to this work of bringing the contemplative and creative paths together: “You may be coming to this book as an artist or writer seeking spiritual practices to help ground and support your creative expression. Or you may be someone who is already familiar with the treasures of monastic tradition, but are looking for another window onto this way

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Way of the Monk, Path of the Artist ~ A Love Note from Your Online Abbess

Dearest monks and artists, Like many of you, global events lately feel quite overwhelming at times and I ponder and pray about my response. One thing I keep coming back to is a sense of deep certainty that the way of the monk and path of the artist make a difference in the world. What distinguishes these two ways of being is that each are called to live deliberately on the edges of things, in active resistance to a world that places all its value on speed and productivity, that reduces people to producers and consumers, and reduces the earth

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Join us for Way of the Monk, Path of the Artist ~ A love note from your online abbess

Dearest monks and artists,  Be. Here. This Moment Now is all there is, don’t go seeking another. Discover the sacred in your artist’s tools, they are the vessels of the altar of your own unfolding. Look at this cup of holy water, washing clean the brushes. See the blank page, awaiting your blessing. Gaze on the colors before you, each one a name of God: Saffron, Cobalt, Azure, Ruby. Say each one slowly and taste its juice in your mouth. Let this be your prayer. Brush them across the page. First the small strokes, then the larger sweeps. Lose track

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