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Call for Submissions: Monk in the World guest post series

We welcome you to submit your reflection for possible publication in our Monk in the World guest post series. It is a gift to read how ordinary people are living lives of depth and meaning in the midst of the challenges of real life. This summer the Abbey is taking a break from this series but will return in the fall again. There are so many talented writers and artists in this Abbey community, so this is a chance to share your perspective. The reflection will be included in our weekly newsletter which goes out to more than 8000 subscribers. Please follow these instructions carefully: Details:

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May 30, 2014

Community & Solitude (a love note from your online Abbess)

Dearest monks, artists, and pilgrims, John and I just completed another pilgrimage here in Ireland with a beautiful group of pilgrims. We are continually amazed and humbled at the deeply soulful and wise folks that join us for our programs. Dancing monks are the most wonderful folks there are. Dwelling in these holy places where countless have prayed for thousands of years is an experience of connection to the community of monks across time. We step into thin time and place together, where the veil between the sacred and ordinary becomes sheer, the division is no longer clear. Again, my heart came alive in

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May 30, 2014

Monk in the World guest post: Martha Jane Petersen

I am delighted to share another beautiful submission for the Monk in the World guest post series from the community. Read on for Martha Jane Petersen’s wisdom on quilting as contemplative prayer: At age 65, I encountered a major turn in my life’s road. I slowly heeded a Divine call to become an artist. My hesitations gripped me long and hard. At this stage of life? I exclaimed. And what do I do about my writing, and being a minister?  Whenever I found myself enmeshed in art – among artists, or at galleries, or in my own art making – my energy revved up, excitement mounted, and joy flooded

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May 29, 2014

What I know for sure (guest post from Ronna Detrick)

This week Ronna Detrick is sharing a guest post of her love of scripture stories about women. Make sure to join her this summer at the Abbey (along with John Valters Paintner, Richard Bruxvoort Colligan, and Roy DeLeon) for an exploration of the scriptures and the questions to which they call us. Exile and Coming Home: An Archetypal Journey through the Scriptures is a six-week online class which begins June 16th! What I know for sure: When I read the ancient, sacred stories of women I am ever-finding intimate, generous, wise companions who come alongside to strengthen me; who make sense of the

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May 26, 2014

Invitation to Dance: Sacred Ordinary

We continue our theme this month of “Sacred Ordinary” through the practice of dance (please visit our Community Visio Divina practice with our newest dancing monk icon of St Francis, Invitation to Photography, and Invitation to Poetry which all explored this theme for May). I invite you into a movement practice.  Allow yourself just 5-10 minutes this day to pause and listen and savor what arises. Begin with a full minute of slow and deep breathing.  Let your breath bring your awareness down into your body.  When thoughts come up, just let them go and return to your breath. Hold the

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May 25, 2014

Monk in the World guest post: Sara Hillis

I am delighted to share another beautiful submission for the Monk in the World guest post series from the community. Read on for Sara Hillis’ poetic wisdom on yielding to the divine Artist at work in us: Mold me, O Potter, for I am Your clay. Shape me, O Sculptor, for I am Your stone. Play me, O Harper, for I am Your Instrument. Sing me, O Bard, for I am Your song. Live me, O Life, for I die without You. Cherish me, O Love, for I pine without You. Speak me, O Word, for I am Your silence. Breathe me, O Breath,

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May 22, 2014

St. Hildegard Strolls through the Garden

To receive this love note straight to your in-box, subscribe here (and also receive a gift!) St. Hildegard Strolls through the Garden Luminous morning, Hildegard gazes at the array of blooms, holding in her heart the young boy with a mysterious rash, the woman reaching menopause, the newly minted widower, and the black Abbey cat with digestive issues who wandered in one night and stayed.  New complaints arrive each day. She gathers bunches of dandelions, their yellow profusion a welcome sight in the monastery garden, red clover, nettle, fennel, sprigs of parsley to boil later in wine. She glances to make sure

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May 20, 2014

How I Came to Love the Old Testament (Guest Post from Prior John)

This week John Valters Paintner is sharing a guest post about how he fell in love with the Old Testament. Make sure to join him this summer at the Abbey (along with Ronna Detrick, Richard Bruxvoort Colligan, and Roy DeLeon) for an exploration of the scriptures and the questions to which they call us. Exile and Coming Home: An Archetypal Journey through the Scriptures is a six-week online class which begins June 16th! When Christine & I moved to Seattle eleven years ago, I had just taken a job teaching an Old Testament course at an all-boys Catholic high school. I

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May 19, 2014

Invitation to Poetry: Sacred Ordinary

Welcome to Poetry Party #78! I select an image (the photo above is by fellow dancing monk Anneclaire LeRoyer) and suggest a theme/title and invite you to respond with your own poem. Scroll down and add it in the comments section below or join our Holy Disorder of Dancing Monks Facebook group and post there. Feel free to take your poem in any direction and then post the image and invitation on your blog (if you have one), Facebook, or Twitter, and encourage others to come join the party!  (If you repost the photo, please make sure to include the credit link

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May 18, 2014

Monk in the World guest post: David Ford

I am delighted to share another beautiful submission for the Monk in the World guest post series from the community. Read on for David Ford’s wisdom on the journey of becoming a monk in the world: How do I live as a monk in the world? Labels are so necessary but can also be misleading, so I usually try to avoid them. Am I really a ‘monk in the world’? It is a label that does have some resonance, so perhaps you will bear with me while I wear it for a few minutes. Admittedly, I have always felt drawn to the monastic. Having a

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May 15, 2014