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Monk in the World Guest Post: Jean Wise

I am delighted to share another beautiful submission to the Monk in the World guest post series from the community. Read on for Jean Wise’s reflection The Spiritual Practice of Writing a Poem Each Day. At the end of my third-grade year, my teacher gave me a book of poetry. “When I saw this book, I thought of you,” she said. “Keep writing, Jeanie.” This is the first memory I have of someone else recognizing me as a writer. Even though I was young yet and as life unfolded, took different routes, her encouragement and gift of poetry seeded deep

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Abbess love notes

Sabbath as Contemplative Practice ~ A Love Note from Your Online Abbess

Dearest dancing monks, artists, and pilgrims, One of the things that makes contemplative life so counter-cultural is the active resistance against living a life of busyness and exhaustion, of not making that a badge of pride, of making time to ponder, to be more present, and to live life more slowly and attentively.  We are surrounded by messages of scarcity and so our anxiety gets fuelled. One of the most profound practices to resist this kind of anxiety, to fast from its hold on me, is the practice of Sabbath. Walter Brueggemann, in his wonderful book Sabbath as Resistance, writes that the

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Monk in the World Guest Post: Carmen Acevedo Butcher

I am delighted to share another beautiful submission to our Monk in the World guest post series from the community. Today’s post is an offering from Wisdom Council member Carmen Acevedo Butcher. Read on for Carmen’s reflection on exploring the history of words as a contemplative practice. Thank you, soul sister Christine, for your friendship, Hildegardian abbess wisdom, invitation into the Wisdom Council, its conversations and belonging among diverse insights, and the joyful dancing. I’m grateful for all the Abbey of the Arts community! Living in community and awareness of interconnectedness is essential to being human, as Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel reminds us. We remember.

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Abbess love notes

Writing as a Spiritual Practice ~ A Love Note from Your Online Abbess

Dearest dancing monks, artists, and pilgrims Tomorrow we begin a 4-week series on Writing as a Spiritual Practice. The online program begins with a live Zoom retreat and then offers 27 days to follow with a daily pre-recorded writing prompt designed to take you about 20 minutes as a way to cultivate a writing habit. There are two additional prompts each day as well for when you have more time to spend diving into your creative well.  I am deeply inspired by monastic tradition, one of the great contemplative and mystical strands of Christian heritage, and also present in other religions.

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Tea with the Abbess August 2024

We had a lovely time as a community gathering for tea, poetry, lectio divina, writing exploration, program updates, and questions. View our calendar for full listings of our 2024-2025 academic year. You are most welcome to join us!

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Monk in the World Guest Post: Jodi Blazek Gehr

I am delighted to share another beautiful submission to the Monk in the World guest post series from the community. Read on for Jodi Blazek Gehr’s reflection on her word for the year. Choosing a word to focus on each year has become a nourishing, soulful ritual. I love participating in an ancient practice of contemplation recommended by Christine Valters Painter: “This tradition (for desert mothers and fathers) of asking for a word was a way of seeking something on which to ponder for many days, weeks, months, sometimes a whole lifetime…A word was meant to be wrestled with and slowly grown

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Calling on the Sacred Feminine ~ A Love Note from Your Online Abbess

Dearest dancing monks, artists, and pilgrims, This coming Thursday is the Feast of the Assumption which is a day set aside to honor the archetype of Mary as Queen. She has been given the titles of Queen of Heaven, of Angels, and of Saints and her sovereignty is a gift and inspiration to us all.  I will be leading a mini-retreat with singer and retreat leader Nóirín Ní Riain on calling on the sacred feminine in times of unravelling. We will explore Mary as Mother of the Keen, an Irish tradition of imagining Mary as the one who gifted the Irish people with that

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Dancing Monks Icon Series

Dancing Monk Feast Day: St Clare of Assisi

Sunday August 11th is the feast of St Clare of Assisi (1194-1253). We are pleased to offer a reflection, creative prompt, and prayer to guide your celebration of this remarkable saint. We become what we love and who we love shapes what we become.  Clare was born and raised in Assisi, where she lived her entire life. She was the oldest daughter of a local nobleman but gave up her wealth and position to follow a life dedicated to prayer and service. While Clare is often known as a friend of Saint Francis, she was a spiritual force all her

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Monk in the World Guest Post: Sarah Pickering

I am delighted to share another beautiful submission to the Monk in the World guest post series from the community. Read on for Sarah Pickering’s reflection Creating a way through. Creating, a way through.(because punctuation matters). Spring is happening all around me, the trees are exploding with the limiest of greens and I want to move with the season, I would love to bloom into spring, but I live in winter. I was born on the winter solstice and on the first full day of my life there was a snow storm that brought London to a standstill. I understand

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Abbess love notes

2024-2025 Programs ~ A Love Note from Your Online Abbess

Dearest dancing monks, artists, and pilgrims, We hope you have had a restful summer. We always cherish this time of quiet reflection and dreaming into the new academic year of programs. I have savored having some time to simply be and deepen into the sacred rhythms of life.  Some of my time this summer has been spent working on a book about seven medieval women mystics. It is a tremendous gift to have some expanses of time to savor their visions and listen for their wisdom to us.  Out of this wellspring of rest, flows forth our calendar for the coming months

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