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Monk in the World Guest Post Series

Monk in the World Guest Post: Teresa Calpino

I am delighted to share another beautiful submission to the Monk in the World guest post series from the community. Read on for Teresa Calpino’s reflection on wisdom from Mary Magdalene as the apostle and prophet of grief “I know why we try to keep the dead alive: we try to keep them alive, to keep them with us. I also know that if we are to live ourselves there comes a point at which we must relinquish the dead, let them go.”― Joan Didion, The Year of Magical Thinking Joan Didion is one of our prophets of grief. She testifies that

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Monk in the World Guest Post: Anne Marie Cribbin

I am delighted to share another beautiful submission to the Monk in the World guest post series from the community. Read on for Anne Marie Cribbin’s reflection Embracing Celtic Rhythms through Sobriety. In a world that spins with relentless speed, I have found my sanctuary in the gentle rhythms of the Celtic calendar. Sobriety, an anchor in my life, has opened a door to a monastic way of being—a life steeped in mindfulness, simplicity, and sacred connection to the earth’s cycles. This journey is not just about abstaining from alcohol but about embracing a life that is intentional, reflective, and

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Abbess love notes

Brother Lawrence and the Practice of the Presence + Prayer Cycle Day 6 ~ A Love Note from Your Online Abbess

Dearest dancing monks, artists, and pilgrims, This Friday, June 13th we are delighted to welcome Wisdom Council member and award winning translator Carmen Acevedo Butcher to lead us in a retreat on Brother Lawrence and the Practice of the Presence. Read on for Carmen’s reflection Courageous Brother Lawrence and His Easy Practice. In the Paris of King Louis XIV, Brother Lawrence was little noticed. Born Nicolas Herman into poverty, he was uneducated, a disabled war veteran, and the cook for a local monastery. Over 300 years later, though, his Practice of the Presence is beloved for its easy-on-the-heart wisdom for living with love and

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Books

Give Me a Word Reviewed by Library Journal!

Christine’s forthcoming book Give Me a Word: The Promise of an Ancient Practice to Guide Your Year was reviewed by Marjorie Mann at Library Journal. “The tradition of asking “Give me a word” is a spiritual and meditation practice rooted in early third-century Christianity, which Paintner (Journey to Joy: A Fairy Tale for Thresholds and Transitions) seeks to reintroduce to modern audiences. The practice is Christian in its genesis, but Paintner also pulls from other religious traditions to illuminate and guide readers through slowing down their lives and connecting with the divine via meditating on a word. This book is

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Monk in the World Guest Post: Jill Ore

I am delighted to share another beautiful submission to the Monk in the World guest post series from the community. Read on for Jill Ore’s reflection on the parallels between a monastic cell and an offshore lighthouse. I am currently writing a book that identifies and explores the common features found in the locations and lives of Christian monasteries and monks that are shared with isolated offshore lighthouses and their historical keepers. Integrating contemplative practices into my routine as a modern-day offshore lighthouse keeper facilitates recognizing and experiencing those connections fostered in the solitude and simplicity of lighthouse life. I

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Joy and Rest + Prayer Cycle Podcast Day 5

Dearest dancing monks, artists, and pilgrims, At Easter I published a beautifully illustrated fairy tale titled Journey to Joy and later this month over the summer solstice I will be leading a two-day mini-retreat with guest musician Te Martin.  The story is about Sophia, a writer and woman in search of physical healing as she has experienced a long bout of illness and the joy in her village has also been depleted. I want to share an excerpt from it near the beginning, after Sophia decides to has to leave the village and find the Medicine Woman:  ***** At the river marking the eastern

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Monk in the World Guest Post: Veronica Spasaro

I am delighted to share another beautiful submission to the Monk in the World guest post series from the community. Read on for Veronica Spasaro’s reflection Bread of Life. Early morning and I enter the kitchen. I lift the mason jar off the top of the modem, the heat of which has kept the jar just warm overnight. I inspect the sides of the jar for signs of life. Bubbles have formed in the brownish sludge pressing against the glass sides. They form black holes reminiscent of craters on the moon’s surface and signify that life is indeed thriving within.

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Abbess love notes

Cultivating Seeds of Liberation Prayer Cycle Day 4 Audio Podcast ~ A Love Note from Your Online Abbess

Dearest dancing monks, artists, and pilgrims, Over the past few weeks we have released the audio podcasts for the first three days of our Cultivating Seeds of Liberation Prayer Cycle. This prayer cycle is deeply rooted in our commitment to contemplative practice as a way to ground ourselves in loving action. Today we are excited to share Day 4 on the theme of Justice. Here are two excerpts from morning and evening prayer. Day 4 Morning Opening Prayer by Claudia Love Mair We come together today, O Lover and Protector of all, because we understand that all of creation is made by

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Monk in the World Guest Post: Jo-ed Tome

I am delighted to share another beautiful submission to our Monk in the World guest post series from the community. Read on for Wisdom Council member Jo-ed Tome’s reflection Slower. Softer. Simpler. I did not exactly set out to become a monk. If someone had told my younger self that “monk” would one day be part of my self-description, I probably would have laughed and then quickly apologized because I was raised to be polite. But over the years, this monk-in-the-world identity has slowly revealed itself, not through lightning bolts or desert visions, but through the gentle rhythm of days

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Christine Interviewed on the Podcast Find Your Center, Find Your Feet

Christine was interviewed on the podcast Find Your Center, Find Your Feet: Going Deeper in the Spiritual Life produced by the Moravian Seminary. She had a lovely conversation with hosts Pam Rotelle Robertson & Marcella Kraybill-Greggo, Director of the Spiritual Direction Training Program at Moravian Seminary about writing, expressive arts, ancestors, and her new fairy tale Journey to Joy. Listen here.

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