Visit the Abbey of the Arts online retreat platform to access your programs:

Reflections

Filter

Women on the Threshold: Ronna Detrick (Part 1)

Ronna Detrick is one of my fabulous co-collaborators for this upcoming journey Women on the Threshold, and reflects here on her own experience of thresholds and how transition is so often the experience of women. . . take just two minutes to experience Ronna’s beautiful energy and enthusiasm: Thresholds from Ronna Detrick on Vimeo. Join us for Women on the Threshold.  Step into the conversation with us.  Let yourself be companioned on this path.  There is now an even more affordable option for participating.

Read More

Listening (and Responding) to the Spirit – new option for Women on the Threshold!

One of the great gifts of this upcoming Women on the Threshold program is the opportunity for wondrous phone calls I have had the privilege of sharing with Trish, Ronna, and Dana, as part of our planning for this program.  Something magical happens when women collaborate together and help to make space for the Spirit to move.  Sometimes you can’t be afraid to shift course mid-stream. We have had great response to our fall experience, and we have also had women who either don’t have the resources for the full program with the small group spiritual direction component, or who

Read More

Thresholds: “Listen more carefully / To what is inside of you right now”

O listen – Listen more carefully To what is inside of you right now. In my world All that remains is the wondrous call to Dance and prayer Rising up like a thousand suns Out of the mouth of a Single bird. —Hafiz Dearest fellow monks and friends, Where do I even begin? As many of you know, five months ago my husband and I made a life-changing decision. We sold our home, our car, most of our belongings, paid off all debts, my husband resigned from his job, we said goodbye to dear friends, we even found a new

Read More

The Sweetness (and Joy!) of Arriving

Click on individual photos for larger views and a glimpse into your online Abbess’ new life in Vienna, Austria: 1st Row: L & R views of our beautiful historic apartment building near the center of Vienna 2nd Row: L – the view from the courtyard / R – the Naschmarkt is around the corner, a half mile of food stalls including meat, cheese, wine, vegetables, fruit, olives, spices, flowers 3rd Row – L & R a nearby flower stall 4th Row – L – the Hofburg Palace (10 minute walk away) / R – one of many beautiful statues 5th

Read More

Monk Manifesto – a visual meditation gift for you

Hello my dear and beautiful monks, I have made the long journey across the ocean and am settling into my new home in Vienna, Austria.  More about the pilgrimage to be posted here soon as well as photos, but in the meantime I have a present for you! Don’t you just love presents! Pour yourself a cup of tea, close your eyes, and take three slow deep breaths. Then open your eyes, enlarge the Vimeo screen below, press play, and allow the meditation to take you into the landscape of the Monk Manifesto through art and music. Three and a half minutes inviting you to

Read More

Make friends with sunflowers

Hello beautiful monk friends, I have been relishing my summer sabbath time, savoring the sweetness of so many goodbyes.  When I chose the word “savor” for this year (or more accurately, when it chose me) I had no idea that I would be spending several weeks without a home or car, saying goodbye to many dear friends, and heading off on this adventure.  We are making our way slowly toward Vienna, stopping along the way to spend time with friends and family.  So many moments of unbridled joy tinged with the sadness of letting go.  I am making room for

Read More

The winner of this week’s Poetry Party drawing is. . .

Amber Andreasen!   Amber, let me know your choice of self-study/on-demand classes for your prize (which you can also give as a gift). Thank you to everyone who participated in this week’s Poetry Party celebrating summer.  Pour yourself a cup of tea (maybe iced!) and go linger for a while with the words offered there. Abbey Poetry Parties will be on a break for July but will return again as a monthly feature in August.

Read More

Sharing the Love! and last chance for the Poetry Party and Summer Sale!

I have the tremendous privilege of working with several beautiful souls in this Abbey work, each of whom has their own flourishing body of work.  Here are some recommendations for other resources to explore to support your own deepening journey: The lovely Kayce Stevens Hughlettt is a Soul Care Institute core faculty member, with whom I teach the powerful live retreat Exploring Archetypes through the Expressive Arts (offered next in 2013) and who is also the solo facilitator for the online class Live it to Give it: Essential Practices of Soul Nourishment and Self-Care (offered next this fall). She is also the author of

Read More

Invitation to Poetry: Shine

Welcome to the Abbey’s Poetry Party #58! I select an image and suggest a theme/title and invite you to respond with your own poem. Scroll down and add it in the comments section below. 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! (permission is granted to reprint the image if a link is provided back to this post). In the northern hemisphere we are entering the season of summer – a time of ripeness

Read More