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

Login Here

Reflections

Filter

Invitation to Photography: Silence

Welcome to the Abbey Photo Party! This is a (somewhat) new experiment and sort of a twist on the regular Poetry Parties.  Instead of my selecting a theme and image and inviting you to respond with words, I select a theme and invite you to respond with images. Our theme here at Abbey of the Arts for September is silence, so I invite you to reflect visually on what silence looks like for you. Since you can’t post images directly in the comments section here, I invite you to add them to the Flickr Group I have created (when you go to the

Read More
September 2, 2012

September Theme: Silence

Here at the Abbey, we work to offer you resources to support you in contemplative practice and creative arts.  One of the core expressions of what we believe is important to nurture life as a monk in the world is the Monk Manifesto. Each month for the next seven months, we will take one of the Monk Manifesto themes for the entire month and it will shape our Poetry Parties, (the return of) Photo Parties, and other reflections. Monk Manifesto Principle #1: I commit to finding moments each day for silence and solitude, to make space for another voice to be

Read More
September 2, 2012

Drink freely from the life you have been given

I ask for the gift of a moment to sit by Your side The work that I have in hand I can finish afterwards. Now it is time to sit quiet alone with You and to Sing a re-dedication of my life in this Silent and overflowing joy. —Rabindranath Tagore I have been away on a silent retreat this past week at a small retreat house in lower Austria called Die Quelle (meaning “The Source.”)  I went for a number of reasons: spending time in deep silence is integral to my spiritual life and my call to ministry; I wanted

Read More
August 28, 2012

The Call of Retreat: Silence (the Abbess is away until August 25th)

This week I follow the call to sink into the silence and stillness. Solitude calls my name and shows me my reflection as a sacred offering.  In this place the forest will ask me to embrace my truth once again. The hummingbird will invite me to sip holy nectar, the egret to stretch out my wings, the sparrows to remember my flock. Each pine cone contains an epiphany, each smooth stone offers a revelation. I will watch and witness as the sun slowly makes her long arc across the sky and discover my own rising and falling. The moon will sing of quiet miracles – like those which reveal and

Read More
August 18, 2012

Ancestral Pilgrimage

My newest Seasons of the Soul column is up at Patheos: As we grow older we have more and more people to remember, people who have died before us. It is very important to remember those who have loved us and those we have loved. Remembering them means letting their spirits inspire us in our daily lives. They can become part of our spiritual communities and gently help us as we make decisions on our journeys. Parents, spouses, children, and friends can become true spiritual companions after they have died. Sometimes they can become even more intimate to us after

Read More
August 18, 2012

Threshold: “ripened until it is real”

Transition (Excerpt) You are not surprised at the force of the storm —you have seen it growing. The trees flee. Their flight sets the boulevards streaming. And you know: he whom they flee is the one you move toward. All your senses sing him, as you stand at the window. . . Through the empty branches the sky remains. It is what you have. Be earth now, and evensong. Be the ground lying under that sky. Be modest now, like a thing ripened until it is real, so that he who began it all can feel you when he reaches

Read More
August 17, 2012

Women on the Threshold: Trish Bruxvoort Colligan (Part 2)

This is a guest post from Trish Bruxvoort Colligan, another of my amazing co-creators and collaborators on the upcoming Women on the Threshold program (see Trish’s video post from earlier this week here). Trish and I first met virtually when she was blogging as the Story Midwife and I fell in love with her spirit and music (check out her beautiful songs here – *and* she will be sharing music from her new album Thresholds with participants in our program.) Later I had the gift of meeting her in person at the Spiritual Directors International conference in San Francisco, where she and her

Read More
August 15, 2012

Women on the Threshold: Trish Bruxvoort Colligan (Part 1)

Trish Bruxvoort Colligan is another one of my amazing co-collaborators for this upcoming journey Women on the Threshold (I feel so incredibly blessed to me creating something so beautiful with such wondrous souls). She reflects here about the metaphor of midwife as a potent one for threshold-crossings. . . give yourself the gift of just three minutes to experience Trish’s radiant energy and welcoming presence: abbey thresholds video (direct link to Vimeo) Join us for Women on the Threshold.  Make space to nurture your own call across the threshold.  Let yourself be companioned on this path.  We are saving a space just for you.

Read More
August 11, 2012

Women on the Threshold: Dana Reynolds (Part 2)

This is a guest post from Dana Reynolds, another of my fabulous co-creators and collaborators on the upcoming Women on the Threshold program (see Dana’s video post from earlier this week here). I had the pleasure of first meeting Dana several years ago when she attended a retreat I led in the Pacific Northwest on praying the Hours through art and movement.  I felt a deep kinship to her spirit and vision and have been delighted to keep our connection going, first through her appearance as a guest teacher in last year’s online Advent retreat, and now for this wonderful

Read More
August 9, 2012