Sacred Seasons
A Yearlong Journey through the Celtic Wheel of the Year
- Online retreat
- Self-study, start anytime
- Move at your own pace, in your own place
- Lifetime access
Registration Fee: $250 USD
Do you long for a deeper intimacy with the rhythms of nature?
How would it feel to align your spiritual practice with the ancient wisdom of the seasons?
What is shimmering in the world around you, beckoning you to pay closer attention?
Program Description
The Celtic Wheel of the Year is an ancient way of understanding the unfolding of the seasons and the slow turning of the earth. These eight hinges have ancient, pre-Christian roots, and link us to a cyclical rhythm, rather than a linear one.
As the Christian Church developed, many of these festivals were supplanted by Christian liturgies, and reclaiming the connection helps us to deepen our understanding of the original inspiration for the sanctity of these times of year. We can begin to bridge the richness of possibility these potent times offer to us through a myriad of doorways.
A closer intimacy with the rhythms of creation offers us a wisdom about the patterns of rise and fall, fullness and emptiness in our lives. A great attentiveness to the liturgical rhythm connects us to an ancient way of praying through story and narrative.
The Celtic framework is an indigenous tradition for many of us and our ancestors. Even if we don’t live in Ireland or the British Isles, we may feel a kinship and connection to this understanding of the year’s rhythms.
Join us for a vibrant yearlong offering. For each of the 8 festivals and hinges of the year you will receive an invitation to dive into the spirit of this season through a PDF file with a mini-retreat. It will offer you a guided experience through audio and video of the webinar offered during the community version, reflections on the season written by Christine Valters Paintner, and biblical reflections by John Valters Paintner, invitations to contemplative practice and creative expression, poems, art, music, and dance. A wonderful way to spend a day of reflection as a holy pause and chance to tune into how your inner world is being called forth by the outer world.
We are also excited to include a series of meditative songs by Richard and Trish Bruxvoort Colligan for the feasts of Spring Equinox through Winter Solstice written for the Abbey, accompanied by movement prayers from Betsey Beckman.
*With sincere apologies to my southern hemisphere friends, but the alignment of seasons and liturgical feasts are reflective of the northern hemisphere. You are welcome to register but you will have to translate the materials into your context.
Note: This program was originally offered as a live retreat so please disregard any reference to sharing as a discussion forum is not included in this self-study version.
What's Included
November 1: Samhain, Feasts of All Saints and All Souls
December 21: Winter Solstice and the Feast of Christmas (December 25th)
February 1: Imbolc, Feast of St. Brigid, Presentation, and Candlemas
March 20: Spring Equinox and the Coming of Easter
May 1: Beltaine and Pentecost
June 21: Summer Solstice and the Feast of St. John the Baptist (June 24th)
August 1: Lughnasa, Transfiguration, Assumption, and Pilgrimage season in Ireland
September 20: Autumn Equinox and Feast of St. Michael (September 29th)
At each of the 8 sacred hinges of the year you will receive an email with a link to a pre-recorded webinar available with closed captions and a written transcript, and PDF with your mini-retreat. As described above, the mini-retreat will contain reflections and opportunities for practice and integration including music, dance, working with herbs, and other creative invitations.
What's Included
- At each of the 8 sacred hinges of the year you will receive an email with a link to a pre-recorded webinar available with closed captions and a written transcript, and PDF with your mini-retreat.
- 8 recordings of a webinar with Christine Valters Paintner in video and audio format
- 8 robust PDFs of the mini-retreat aligned with the sacred seasons
- Reflections and opportunities for spiritual practice
- Invitations for working with herbs
- Songs to align with the seasons
- Movement and dance video invitations with Betsey Beckman
- Closed captioning and transcripts
- Lifetime access to all material in our private and easy-to-navigate retreat platform
I believe deeply that the seasons have a great deal of spiritual wisdom to offer us if we make space to listen.
The Sacred Seasons
November 1st:
Samhain, Feasts of All Saints and All Souls
Samhain marks one of the two great doorways of the Celtic year. The Celts divided the year into two seasons: the season of light and the season of dark. Samhain begins the season of darkness and is considered the beginning of the year. In the ancient Celtic imagination, this was considered to be a “thin time” when the veil between heaven and earth grew more transparent and the wisdom of our ancestors was closer to us.
It aligns with the Christian feasts of All Saints and All Souls.
December 21:
Winter Solstice and the Feast of Christmas (December 25th)
The Winter Solstice marks the day when the sun rests at her point furthest south, appearing to stand still for three days before making the return journey again in the long walk toward summer. Winter is also the season of entering into the gifts of earth and her stillness. It is the time of being in the stillness.
It aligns with the Christian feast of Christmas celebrating the incarnation and the return of light in the world.
February 1:
Imbolc, Feast of St. Brigid, Presentation, and Candlemas
March 20:
Spring Equinox and the Coming of Easter
The spring equinox is on March 20th when the sun hovers above the equator, and day and night are equal length. Spring is a time of balance, renewal, and welcoming new life into the world. We are called to listen deeply to the blossoming within and attend to the blooming in the world around us.
The Spring Equinox occurs near the Feast of Easter when we celebrate resurrection and new life.
May 1:
Beltaine and Pentecost
Beltane (which means bright fire) represents the mid-point between the vernal equinox and the summer solstice and it is often experienced at the height of spring. In Ireland it is considered to be the beginning of summer and the beginning of the light half of the year.
The holy fire that comes to rest on the heads of the Apostles at Pentecost is like the bonfires lit on Beltane or the eternal flame of Brigid.
June 21:
Summer Solstice and the Feast of St. John the Baptist (June 24th)
Summer Solstice marks the sun’s northernmost point in the celestial sphere, before the earth tilts back and the days begin to shorten once again. Summer summons forth blessings for abundance and gratitude for provision.
The Summer Solstice occurs near the feast of St. John the Baptist which celebrates the sacrament of baptism by water and fire.
August 1:
Lughnasa, Transfiguration, Assumption, and Pilgrimage season in Ireland
Lughnasa (pronounced Loo-nassah) is one of the ancient Celtic feasts celebrated on August 1st marking the time of the beginning of the harvest and the gathering in.There is also an ancient tradition at this time of year in Ireland to go on pilgrimage, especially to climb the sacred mountains. Pilgrimage is both inner and outer walk and can be traversed without ever leaving home.
This time of year is associated with the feasts of the Transfiguration of Christ and the Assumption of Mary.
September 20:
Autumn Equinox and Feast of St. Michael (September 29th)
Rhythm of Content
At each of the 8 sacred hinges of the year you will receive an email with a link to a pre-recorded webinar available with closed captions and a written transcript, and PDF with your mini-retreat. As described above, the mini-retreat will contain reflections and opportunities for practice and integration including music, dance, working with herbs, and other creative invitations.
Your Guides for the Journey
Christine Valters Paintner, OblSB, PhD, REACE
Christine Valters Paintner is the online Abbess and director of AbbeyoftheArts.com, a virtual monastery exploring contemplative practice, creative expression, and ways to nourish an earth-cherishing consciousness. She is a spiritual director, teacher, pilgrimage guide, Benedictine oblate, and author of numerous books on spirituality and the arts. Her deepest belief is that the earth is the original monastery—a wisdom guide and mentor in living a soulful and vibrant life. Visit the “About Christine” page for more information.
John Valters Paintner, MTS
John studied education and earned a teaching certificate in his home state of California. John later went on to earn a Masters in Theological Studies at the Jesuit School of Theology in Berkeley. After working in parish ministry for several years, John returned to the classroom, teaching high school religion for twelve years. He now works as Prior of the Abbey of the Arts alongside his wife of twenty years, Abbess Christine. Visit the “About John” page for more information.
Betsey Beckman, MM
Betsey Beckman is nationally acclaimed as a spirited dancer, storyteller, teacher of SpiritPlay and dancing Spiritual Director. With her extensive repertory of sacred storydances, she is regularly featured as artist/presenter at national conventions as well as local churches. She earned her Masters in Ministry degree from Seattle University, her certificate in Movement Therapy from the Institute for Transformational Movement, and is a certified InterPlay leader. Betsey’s publications include books (she is co-author of Awakening the Creative Spirit: Bringing the Expressive Arts to Spiritual Direction), recordings (including producing the Abbey of the Arts CD collections), and The Dancing Word series of DVDs on embodied prayer, many of which companion the Abbey CDs. Find out more about her work at her website, TheDancingWord.com.
All experience has the potential to be revelatory and God is singing one unending song seducing each of our hearts.
Praise for the Course
Registration
$250
Registration Fee
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