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Wisdom Council: Guest Post from Kayce Stevens Hughlett

This week, our Wisdom Council guest post is from my dear friend and colleague Kayce Stevens Hughlett.  Kayce and I first got to know each other years ago when she attended Awakening the Creative Spirit in its early extended version and then again when we offered it as an intensive. Friendship bloomed from there, along with co-collaboration in several forms, including leading a supervision group together in Seattle, co-leading a retreat on the archetypes, and our recent pilgrimage to Vienna (and of course her contributions to several online classes).  Read on for more from Kayce: “I know artists whose medium is life itself

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Wisdom Council: Guest Post from Amber Andreasen

This week, our Wisdom Council guest post is from the lovely Amber Andreasen.  Amber has participated in several Abbey online programs including Way of the Monk, Path of the Artist and Practicing Resurrection through Creativity and Archetypes (which she mentions in her reflection) and has participated in our live intensive Awakening the Creative Spirit.  She has also been taking on a greater role in Abbey online retreats as a soul care presence and support for our participants. Read on for Amber’s reflections: It used to be That when I would wake in the morning I could with confidence say, “What

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Holy Disorder of Dancing Monks (a love note from your online Abbess)

To receive this love note straight to your in-box, subscribe here (and also receive a free gift!) Dearest monks and artists, I have been engaged in much reflection and wonderful conversation with the Wisdom Council while I take my summer break from teaching.  Did you see the video last week of the Catholic bishops gathered in Brazil with the Pope dancing freely?  It was very inspiring, especially in light of what I have been pondering this summer. I have long wanted to articulate more clearly what this community is about, and so this week I bring you the Holy Disorder of

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New Interview with Christine at Gentle Marketing

I am delighted to share a new interview with me at Joy Agcongay’s Gentle Marketing (as an introvert myself, her approach really resonates with me!)  Click over to her site to read on about some of my practices and how I nourish myself: I am a huge fangirl of AbbeyoftheArts.com! What is your background and how did your experience lead you to found the Abbey? Who do you think of reaching with this work? Thanks so much Joy!  It is such a delight to have folks who have been with me long-term and are committed to what the Abbey is about.  Most

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Wisdom Council: Guest Post from Michael Landon

I am delighted to share another guest post from one of our wonderful Wisdom Council members! This week we hear from Rev. Dr. Michael Landon.  I first met Michael a couple of years ago when he participated in our Awakening the Creative Spirit intensive and found kinship with him through his work with grief and lament.  He has a written a beautiful book, Grieving Hearts in Worship: A Ministry Resource, which explores the essential role of ritual in healing from losses of all kinds. Read on for Michael’s reflections: When I sit at my computer in my home office, my eyes are frequently

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Wisdom Council: Guest Post from Roy DeLeon

Time for another guest post from one of our amazing Wisdom Council members!  This week we have Roy DeLeon sharing his reflections with us on being a monk in the world.  I first met Roy at St. Placid Priory about ten years ago, where we are both Benedictine oblates. Roy is also a yoga teacher with a true monk’s heart. We collaborated on a retreat several years ago on praying the Hours through yoga. Read on for Roy’s reflections: Open Heart in Hell A Buddhist teacher said, “The practice is about keeping the heart open in hell.” Somehow, this statement stuck with me. As a yoga

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Wisdom Council: Guest Post from Cheryl Macpherson

I am delighted to introduce our next Wisdom Council member to you, Cheryl Macpherson.  Cheryl and I met about ten years ago when we were both in the same spiritual direction formation program, the Pacific Jubilee Program.  I remember being impressed by Cheryl’s quiet strength and wisdom during that time and was delighted to later reconnect when she participated in the online class Way of the Monk, Path of the Artist.  Now she brings her gifts as monk, artist, and spiritual director as co-facilitator of this class along with Stacy Wills,  another Wisdom Council member.  Read on for Cheryl’s reflections: Christine’s invitation to write

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Give up your endless searching (a love note from your online Abbess)

Give up your endless searching Lay down your map and compass, and those dog-eared travel guides. Rest your weary eyes from so much looking, your tired feet from so much wandering, your aching heart from so much hoping. Lay down on the soft green grass wet with morning dew, and watch as the tree heavy with pendulous pears bends her long branches toward you, offering you perfection in every sweet bite. Give up the weight of knowing, for the reverence of quiet attention and curiosity, for the delight of juice that runs in generous streams down your chin. —Christine Valters

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Wisdom Council: Guest Post from Melissa Layer

I first met Melissa Layer in person at a workshop I was leading at St. Placid Priory, as she lives in the beautiful Northwest as well. She took several online courses, including the very first one I ever taught on Benedictine Spiritual Practices, and then she then participated in the Awakening the Creative Spirit intensive and in monthly supervision groups I was co-leading for soul care practitioners, and later I asked her to assist me in the Sacred Rhythms Writing Retreat last summer.  She is a kindred spirit on many levels.  So I am delighted she is a part of the newly formed

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Wisdom Council: Guest Post from Richard Bruxvoort Colligan

Time to hear from another of our amazing Wisdom Council members!  I first met Richard Bruxvoort Colligan through his wife, Trish (another Wisdom Council member) several years ago in my very early time of blogging (under the name Sacred Art of Living – a few of you are still around from those days!)  I fell in love with the music they co-created as River’s Voice (which has been featured in several Abbey online retreats), and then got to work with them in person at the Spiritual Directors International conference in San Francisco, and fell in love with both of them even more. I love how they live out their partnership

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