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Awakening the Creative Spirit

Spring is the season when the earth awakens after her long slumber. It is the season associated with the element of air and breath.  That moment of inhale, of breathing in the fullness of divine life, is the moment of dawn when the sun scatters the long night and the day begins. It is always such a privilege to do this work.  I am so incredibly blessed to be able to offer this kind of transformative space for others, to have wonderful women with whom I work and facilitate, and to welcome in participants longing to dive deep and discover what

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May 28, 2009

Six Word Memoir

lucy is inviting us to consider what six words would make up our memoir in this moment.  Mine are: urban monk bearing witness to beauty I’d love to hear what your own six word memoir would be.  Feel free to share it in the comments or at your own blog.

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May 26, 2009

Soultribe Interview

The lovely Rachelle at Magpie Girl interviewed me for her series on creating Soultribes (a generous soulcare community).  Go over and read about my own experience of creating and sustaining a small group for deep soul work and then share some of your own wisdom. Make sure you also read yesterday’s Sacred Artist Interview with Patricia Ariel. _______________________________________ © Christine Valters Paintner at Abbey of the Arts: Transformative Living through Contemplative & Expressive Arts Become a fan of the Abbey on Facebook, follow this blog on Facebook, friend me on Facebook or follow me on Twitter

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May 26, 2009

Sacred Artist Interview: Patricia Ariel

I met Patricia Ariel recently online when she left a comment at one of my previous Sacred Artist Interviews.  I went to her website link and discovered her beautiful artwork.  I love the sensuality and vibrancy of her images which enter the viewer into the mythical realm. I found myself exploring their inner landscape in my imagination and loved the places they took me.  As always, I am so grateful to her for taking the time to respond to these questions and offer you, my dear readers, another window into the connection between creativity and spiritual practice. ________________________________________ Are you

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May 25, 2009

Art and Spiritual Practice

So have you missed the Abbey this week?  I have been on an amazing journey for five days with even more amazing women.  We close our time together this morning and then I will head back home to rest and renew and will return to blogging Monday.  In the meantime, visit my article on Art and Spiritual Practice at Patheos, a new site offering resources to explore the gifts of different religious traditions.

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May 22, 2009

Dare to be Powerful

When I dare to be powerful— to use my strength in the service of my vision— then it becomes less and less important whether I am afraid. -Audre Lorde We must learn to realize that the love of God seeks us in every situation, and seeks our good. God’s inscrutable love seeks our awakening. True, since this awakening implies a kind of death to our exterior self, we will dread God’s coming in proportion as we are identified with this exterior self and attached to it. But when we understand the dialectic of life and death we will learn to

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May 15, 2009

Praying in God

I am feeling in a reflective mood these days. I have been working quite hard lately and over the last several weekends have had a lot of time to interact with some wonderful folks and to create sacred space for retreat.  So knowing that next week brings another amazing time of immersion with wonderful folks and creative expression, my inner hermit is asking for some nurture.  The news about Tune adds to my desire to just be still with her, to simply relish the unfolding of each moment. At my work with the Ignatian Spirituality Center we offer some programs through

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May 14, 2009

The Poet’s Obligation

The Poet’s Obligation To whoever is not listening to the sea this Friday morning, to whoever is cooped up in house or office, factory or woman or street or mine or harsh prison cell: to him I come, and, without speaking or looking, I arrive and open the door of his prison, and a vibration starts up, vague and insistent, a great fragment of thunder sets in motion the rumble of the planet and the foam, the raucous rivers of the ocean flood, the star vibrates swiftly in its corona, and the sea is beating, dying and continuing. So, drawn

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May 12, 2009

Invitation to Poetry: Guardians of the Threshold

Welcome to Poetry Party Number 35! I select an image and suggest a theme/title and invite you to respond with your poems or other reflections. If you have your own blog, please use the Mister Linky widget below to add a link back to your website.  If you don’t have your own blog (not required to participate) or if you just want to post your poem here, please skip Mister Linky and go straight to the comments section to add your poem.  Make sure to check the comments for new poems added and I encourage you to leave encouraging comments for each

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May 11, 2009

Notes from the Abbess

The other day I posted about the great autumn to be found in the midst of spring.  We are constantly immersed in the rising and falling of our lives, as close as our own breath.  Tune, aka Abbess Petunia (or more commonly, “The Abbess”), will be turning twelve in June. We have had her for nearly two and a half years and what a treasure she continues to be. When we adopted her we thought if all we do is give her the best retirement, then that is enough (after spending her life neglected in a breeding kennel).  She is my

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May 8, 2009