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Abbess love notes

Lughnasa Blessing

I know some of you are enduring terrible heat right now, but here in Ireland the turning toward Lughnasa brings a shift in light and air that hints at autumn’s coming which I love. July is the hardest month for me because of both too much light and heat – although this year it was the rainiest month and cooler than usual thankfully – so I celebrate this feast as it brings my favorite seasons ahead when I feel more creativity and aliveness. Wherever you are in the northern hemisphere, you might honor this threshold of turning toward harvest. And

August 1, 2023

Abbess love notes

Day 7 Mary Prayer Cycle + Summer Sabbatical ~ A Love Note from Your Online Abbess

Dearest monks, artists, and pilgrims, This week we are pleased release the final video podcast for the Birthing the Holy Prayer Cycle. Day 7 Morning and Evening Prayer honor Madonna Protectress and Mirror of Justice. Here is an excerpt from Day 7 Evening: Opening Prayer Mirror of Justice, you lift up all those on the margins; reflect the justice of Christ who redistributes power structures and gives amplification to the most vulnerable. You call us to solidarity with those who are in need and to remember that our own liberation is intimately entwined with the liberation of the whole human community and

June 25, 2023

Monk in the World Guest Post: Kiran Young Wimberly

I am delighted to share another beautiful submission to the Monk in the World guest post series. Kiran Young Wimberly is a minister, spiritual director, and musician living in Ireland. Our next prayer cycle honoring angels, saints, and ancestors (coming this fall) will be integrating Kiran’s Celtic version of the psalms. Read on for her reflection and watch her version of Psalm 22. Before I ever knew I’d spend the majority of my adult life in Ireland, I was drawn to traditional Irish music. When I was young, someone asked what my favorite hymn might be, and after scanning the

June 21, 2023

Abbess love notes

Entering a Relationship with Radiance + Day 6 Mary Prayer Cycle

Dearest monks, artists, and pilgrims, We have three treats for you this week! The next installment of our Mary Prayer Cycle video podcasts is now available. Last Spring we created a prayer cycle and audio podcast series to accompany my book Birthing the Holy: Wisdom from Mary to Nurture Creativity and Renewal. Today we continue our release of the companion video podcasts for the Birthing the Holy Prayer Cycle with Day 6Morning and Evening Prayer. The full prayer cycle is available here. Day 6 morning and evening prayer takes as its theme Theotokos and Mystical Rose. Theotokos means God-Bearer and invites us to consider all

June 18, 2023

Monk in the World Guest Post: Jo-ed Tome

I am delighted to share another beautiful submission to the Monk in the World guest post series. Jo-ed Tome is new member of our Wisdom Council. Read on for his reflection A space where contemplative living can flourish. I had to sit quietly for several minutes after my conversation with Alex (not her real name). She brought up difficult questions about life and living. She had a lot of worries and fears. She was afraid her life could possibly be meaningless. She could not bear the thought that she might only be making up her purpose in life and that

June 14, 2023

Litany of Guadalupe and the Story of Dance

Here at Abbey of the Arts we have a commitment to seeking out and uplifting a wide range of cultural expressions of artistry and Spirit. Our culminating song/prayer dance on our Birthing the Holy CD/DVD features a tune composed by an indigenous Guatemalan composer, Tomás Pascual from the 17th Century. This song was adapted by our dear friend, Laura Ash with bilingual lyrics she wrote to honor Our Lady of Guadalupe. It’s a beautiful blend of ancient and new devotions! When we came to filming the dance/prayer, I found a gorgeous shrine to Our Lady of Guadalupe here in the Northwest at

June 13, 2023

Abbess love notes

Where Love Lives Poem + Day 5 Mary Prayer Cycle

Dearest monks, artists, and pilgrims, We have two treats for you today! The first is the video podcasts from Day 5 of our Birthing the Holy Prayer Cycle. Last Spring we created a prayer cycle and audio podcast series to accompany my book Birthing the Holy: Wisdom from Mary to Nurture Creativity and Renewal. Today we continue our release of the companion video podcasts for the Birthing the Holy Prayer Cycle with Day 5 Morning and Evening Prayer. Day 5 morning and evening prayer explores Mother of Sorrows and Greenest Branch. Through her own experience with deep grief and loss Mary, Mother of Sorrows tends the

June 11, 2023

Christine Interviewed by Leadership Conference of Women Religious

I was recently interviewed on Leadership Conference of Women Religious on “Entering a Relationship with Radiance” for their summer journal. Read the interview below or download the PDF to see the printed version. Christine Valters Paintner heads Abbey of the Arts, a virtual monastery and global community offering programs and resources for contemplative practice and creative expression. She is the author of 20 books on prayer and creativity including three collections of poetry. Christine lives out her commitment as a Benedictine oblate and monk in the world in the west of Ireland. You have studied and written extensively about the mystics

June 8, 2023

Monk in the World Guest Post: Adam Brooks Webber

I am delighted to share another beautiful submission to the Monk in the World guest post series from the community. Read on for Adam Brooks Webber’s reflection and poem on kinship with creation and adventures with God. The fourth point of the Monk Manifesto emphasizes our kinship with creation. That speaks to me strongly, because the earliest religious experiences of my childhood began with that sense of kinship. In the first such experience I can remember, I was about ten years old. I was sitting alone in a willow tree, when suddenly, unaccountably, I knew I was not alone. I

June 7, 2023

Books

Christine’s Article on Ancestors as Creative Allies in U.S. Catholic

Christine’s article Our Ancestors are Allies on Our Creative Journey was published in the May 2023 issue of U.S. Catholic. It is adapted from her forthcoming book The Love of Thousands: How Angels, Saints, and Ancestors Walk with Us Toward Holiness (releases from Ave Maria Press August 18, 2023). Here is an excerpt: We are alive because of our ancestors, that “great cloud of witnesses” mentioned in the letter to the Hebrews (12:1). Our grandmothers and grandfathers struggled, grieved, celebrated, and endured, and we can live our lives in ways that honor their memories. We can imagine that our ancestors

June 5, 2023

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Lughnasa Blessing

Day 7 Mary Prayer Cycle + Summer Sabbatical ~ A Love Note from Your Online Abbess

Monk in the World Guest Post: Kiran Young Wimberly

Entering a Relationship with Radiance + Day 6 Mary Prayer Cycle

Monk in the World Guest Post: Jo-ed Tome

Litany of Guadalupe and the Story of Dance

Where Love Lives Poem + Day 5 Mary Prayer Cycle

Christine Interviewed by Leadership Conference of Women Religious

Monk in the World Guest Post: Adam Brooks Webber

Christine’s Article on Ancestors as Creative Allies in U.S. Catholic

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Recent Reflections

Gratitude Blessing + The Love of Thousands Prayer Cycle Day 7~ A Love Note from Your Online Abbess

Monk in the World Guest Post: Janeen Adil

Spirituality of Blessings and The Love of Thousands Prayer Cycle Day 6 ~ A Love Note from Your Online Abbess

Monk in the World Guest Post: Michael Moore

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