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Yin Yoga is wonderful and so is the Samarya Center (for my Seattle friends)

For those of you in the Seattle area who might be looking for a wonderful yoga studio or who are curious about trying yin yoga which I mention sometimes, consider coming to the Samarya Center in the Central District (click on “drop-in classes” for the current schedule).  Samarya does amazing work with the community, bringing yoga to veterans, those in hospice, and much more.  They are a non-profit studio with an emphasis on integrating yoga philosophy into practice and creating a very welcoming and loving atmosphere.  This will be one of the places I miss most after my move. I will

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May 1, 2012

The Great Migration

It is the time of the great migrations; wild winged ones fly in ragged formations away from the summer fields of plenty, down from the tundra, up from the tropics, ordinary hearts beating against the winds, resisting the updrafts, into the storms, through the autumnal fogs that hide the hunters and the seductions of rest; wild finned ones turn against the familiar ocean currents to slip through narrow stony channels, leaping against the steepness of the grade, following an ancient invocation of leave and return. Fin and feather, flesh, blood and bone: the earth calls its creatures to leave the

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May 1, 2012

The Artist Begins Again and Again

University of St Andrews is hosting an art and monasticism symposium at their Transpositions blog.  I wrote about beginning again and again as an artist: As artists and creative people we are filled with the best of intentions. We are inspired with big visions and a longing to express ourselves freely and fully. We begin a project – whether writing a book, painting a canvas, or composing a song – with enthusiasm and full of confidence. Then somewhere along the way we find our energy waning, and the artwork we once felt such delight in has now become a source

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May 1, 2012

Invitation to Poetry: The Center and the Edges

Welcome to the Abbey’s Poetry Party #57! 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) I have recently discovered a stash of copies of my first book on lectio divina (published

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April 28, 2012

It’s not too late to make a journey through the desert!

My four-week online class on the Wisdom of the Desert Fathers and Mothers has begun over at Spirituality and Practice, if you want to join us it is not too late.  You can still register and once you log on you will be able to read any emails from the first couple of days you might have missed at the website.  Then you can dive right in and continute the journey. . .   If you love becoming a monk in the world, the wisdom of the desert elders is really foundation to this practice.    Consider joining me!

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April 22, 2012

May all your dreams break into blossoms

For see, the winter is past, the rains are over and gone. The flowers appear on the earth, the time of pruning the vines has come, and the song of the dove is heard in our land. The fig tree puts forth its figs, and the vines, in bloom, give forth fragrance. Arise, my beloved, my beautiful one, and come! –Song of Songs 2:11-13 Dearest kindred souls, I am finally starting to catch up with myself after a few very full weeks. You mean, your online Abbess gets busy and overwhelmed too? Yes, indeed. Sometimes it is impossible to avoid

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April 19, 2012

Join me on a journey through the desert

Hello dear monk friends,   I am so excited to be offering a 30-day course on desert wisdom and spirituality through the wonderful folks at Spirituality and Practice.  I have been working on completing my manuscript on the desert mothers and fathers this past year, and have absolutely fallen in love with the wisdom and insights they have to offer us in our twenty-first century world.  If you want to explore the roots of Christian monasticism and contemplative practice, this is where you begin.  If you are intrigued by these fierce companions on the journey, here is your chance.   

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April 17, 2012

How will you practice resurrection? An invitation to deep soul nourishment

Easter blessings my dear monk friends! I hope your Lent was a rich and meaningful journey through the desert to the place of your resurrection. Beyond bunnies, baskets, chocolate, and jelly beans, Easter calls us to the profound practice of resurrection of the body. Resurrection is about entering the fire of our passion and letting it burn brightly. It is about what enlivens us and makes us feel vital, releasing fear and anxiety over what is to come, and embracing this moment here and now.  Resurrection calls us to experience the full weight and lightness of our physical being. In the

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April 10, 2012

Winner of this week’s drawing

A deep bow of gratitude to everyone who participated in this week’s poetry party “In praise of detours.”  As always, the Abbey community came through with a beautiful gathering of poems – definitely worth a visit and some time to linger. The winner of the random drawing for a book of their choice is Deanna Cattell.  Deanna, send me your snail mail address and which of my books you’d like for me to send you (signed of course) and I will get that out to you. I am away this coming week leading a retreat on the archetypes and expressive arts with a

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March 25, 2012