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Stop by Trust Tending for an interview with me about seasonal wisdom

The lovely Kristin Noelle has created a beautiful new blog called Trust Tending: Reflections, Conversations, and Art to Nourish Life Beyond Fear. She offers a monthly theme, regular reflections, and these wonderful sketches that are so profound in their simplicity. This month the theme is nature and she invited me to participate in a written interview with her about the role of the seasons in my own life. Stop by to see the perfect sketch she created to accompany my words (reminds me a lot of this visual meditation I posted last month) and linger over some reflections by me on

March 11, 2011

New Review of Water, Wind, Earth, & Fire

The lovely Edith O’Nuallain posted this great review of Water, Wind, Earth & Fire: The Christian Practice of Praying with the Elements to Story Circle Network: In her book Water, Wind, Earth and Fire, author and contemplative artist Christine Valters Paintner explores the four natural elements named in the title and traditionally associated with ancient philosophies and nature-based religions. Paintner examines each element in turn as a metaphor for the myriad ways spiritual seekers can learn to connect with the divine matrix and unfathomable mysteries which fill the earth we walk upon. Hence, this book is primarily about learning to

March 4, 2011

Ash Wednesday: Practice Truth-Telling

Ash Wednesday marks a threshold when we leave ordinary time to enter into the journey of Lent through the desert. The desert is that uncharted terrain beyond the edges of our seemingly secure and structured world, where things begin to crack. We begin this desert journey marked with ashes, the sign of our mortality. There is wisdom in these ashes. If you have ever been near death or had a loved one die, you know the clarity that an awareness of our bodily limits can bring. How suddenly what is most important in life rises to the surface. This is

March 3, 2011

Sabbath Time and Abbey Dreaming

I have been taking some Sabbath time recently, scaling back on a number of projects and clearing space for healing and integration. It has been a gift to savor longer stretches of time for journaling, prayer, and reflection as well as my practices of yoga and walking each day. The photo is of our new dog Amma Winter at her favorite place – the dog park. While our previous dogs didn’t care much for other dogs, Winter loves to play and watching her romp, swim, and run has stretched my heart even wider with joy. As always happens when I slow down

February 27, 2011

Happy Valentine’s Day from the Abbey!

Saints Bowing in the Mountains Do you know how beautiful you are? I think not, my dear. For as you talk of God, I see great parades with wildly colorful bands Streaming from your mind and heart, Carrying wonderful and secret messages To every corner of this world. I see saints bowing in the mountains Hundreds of miles away To the wonder of sounds That break into light From your most common words. Speak to me of your mother, Your cousins and your friends. Tell me of squirrels and birds you know. Awaken your legion of nightingales— Let them soar

February 13, 2011

Visual Meditation: Savoring Stillness

When I was in Vienna over Christmas my husband and I took a magical walk on the Winter Solstice through the snow-covered gardens of Schonbrunn Palace. The peace of that foggy day still sings in my heart. Celebrate the gifts of winter with me. Breathe deeply and feel the invitation to savor stillness. Those of you who read here regularly know that winter calls to me and I am called to share her gifts. Early Registration Extended Register for the Lenten Online Retreat with the Desert Mothers and Fathers and receive a free gift (a mini-retreat on Stirring in the Belly).

January 30, 2011

Stirring in the Belly: Listening for New Life

My latest Seasons of the Soul column for Patheos is now available here: The most important events make no stir on their first taking place, nor indeed in their effects directly. They seem hedged about by secrecy. It is concussion, or the rushing together of air to fill a vacuum, which makes a noise. The great events to which all things consent, and for which they have prepared the way, produce no explosion, for they are gradual, and create no vacuum which requires to be suddenly filled; as a birth takes place in silence, and is whispered about the neighborhood.

January 26, 2011

Invitation to Poetry: Fierceness and Courage

Welcome to Poetry Party #49! I select an image and suggest a theme/title and invite you to respond with your poems or other reflections. Scroll down and add your responses 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) and encourage others to come join the party! (permission is granted to reprint the image if a link is provided back to this post) On Friday, January 28th, I will draw a name at random from the participants and send the winner a free registration for

January 22, 2011

The Gifts of Winter

Meet Amma Winter. Amma is the title given to those sage women who lived in the desert in the 3rd century offering their wisdom to seekers. They lived in harsh and barren landscapes and so were intimate with the wilderness of the soul. Winter is a rescue, she entered our lives last week and has been slowly settling into the rhythm of life here at the Abbey. She has a heartbreaking story. She was abandoned with some other dogs on a farm and left to freeze to death. When the rescuers arrived she survived but her litter of puppies did not. Because of this

January 17, 2011

Words of the Heart

To see the word cloud enlarged either click on the image or click here Nearly 300 of you responded to my invitation to allow a word to choose you which you might live into for the coming year. The responses have been inspiring, beautiful, and profound. Pour yourself a cup of tea and linger over them and listen for your own stirrings in response. The image above is a Wordle (word cloud) created from all the words shared. You can click here for a larger image or here for a PDF Version. (*Please note: the word size is in proportion to the number of

January 3, 2011

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Stop by Trust Tending for an interview with me about seasonal wisdom

New Review of Water, Wind, Earth, & Fire

Ash Wednesday: Practice Truth-Telling

Sabbath Time and Abbey Dreaming

Happy Valentine’s Day from the Abbey!

Visual Meditation: Savoring Stillness

Stirring in the Belly: Listening for New Life

Invitation to Poetry: Fierceness and Courage

The Gifts of Winter

Words of the Heart

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Sabbath as a Way of Being in the World ~ A Love Note from Your Online Abbess

Monk in the World Guest Post: Elaine Breckenridge

Seven Gates of Mystical Wisdom for Lent ~ A Love Note from Your Online Abbess

Monk in the World Guest Post: Mary Francis Drake

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