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Wage Peace

Wage peace with your breath. Breathe in firemen and rubble, breathe out whole buildings and flocks of red wing blackbirds. Breathe in terrorists and breathe out sleeping children and freshly mown fields. Breathe in confusion and breathe out maple trees. Breathe in the fallen and breathe out lifelong friendships intact. Wage peace with your listening: hearing sirens, pray loud. Remember your tools: flower seeds, clothes pins, clean rivers. Make soup. Play music, memorize the words for thank you in three languages. Learn to knit, and make a hat. Think of chaos as dancing raspberries, imagine grief as the outbreath of

November 3, 2008

Encountering Coyote

Two weeks ago I shared my journey to the nearby cemetery on a foggy morning as a way of being present to my mother on the anniversary of her death. One thing I did not share then was my brief encounter with coyote on this walk of remembering, in part because I needed to reflect more on this meeting before speaking of it. Despite the fact that I live in a very urban neighborhood of Seattle I had heard there are coyotes roaming who come from the many green spaces and Arboretum of our beautiful city, but I had never

November 2, 2008

Sacred Artist Interview: Leah Piken Kolidas

Leah Piken Kolidas is another artist I discovered in my art editing work for Presence journal. I fell in love with her piece “Betwixt and Between” (seen just below). It evoked in me that exhilirating sense of being on the border of something new, of entering a new landscape. I especially loved when I went to look it up in her shop and read her inspiration behind the piece because she refers to the term “antevasin” from Elizabeth Gilbert’s book Eat, Pray, Love, a phrase that captured my imagination immediately when first I read it in her book myself. It

October 29, 2008

Altar of Remembering

On Saturday a wonderful package arrived in the mail. It was a commission I ordered from artist Marcy Hall (see her Sacred Artist Interview) of my two beloved animal companions — Duke who died over two years ago and Tune who is of course alive and well. When I discovered Marcy’s delightful art, I knew she would be the right person to create an icon to honor the role that canine wisdom plays in my life. I also adore the tree of life in the center with crows and the full moon. In front of the altar are various seasonal symbols I have gathered

October 28, 2008

Invitation to Poetry: Honoring Our Ancestors

Poetry Party #26! I select an image and suggest a title and invite you to respond with your poems, words, reflections, quotes, song lyrics, etc. Leave them in the comments or email me and I’ll add them to the body of the post as they come in along with a link back to your blog if you have one (not required to participate!) I’ll add your contributions all week and then I will draw a name at random on Friday morning from everyone who participates and will send the winner a copy of my newest zine Crossing the Threshold: New Year, New Beginnings.

October 27, 2008

Visual Meditation: Autumn in Seattle

*** Again the wind Flakes gold-leaf from the trees And the painting darkens—as if a thousand penitents Kissed an icon Till it thinned Back to bare wood, Without diminishment. -Jane Hirshfield *** -Christine Valters Paintner @ Abbey of the Arts (all photos except for the last one taken at the Seattle Arboretum, end photo taken at Lakeview Cemetery in Seattle) ** Come back Monday, October 27th for our next Poetry Party ** ** Wednesday, October 29th will be our next Sacred Artist Interview with Leah Piken Kolidas **

October 24, 2008

I long for You so much (a time of retreat)

I long for You so much I have even begun to travel Where I have never been before. -Hafiz (excerpt) Last week on Tuesday I piled my things into the car, the essentials like my journal, my yoga mat, my camera, and of course my sweet Petunia. We headed north on I-5 to the Canadian border. Two elements of getting to a retreat that feel important to me are a border crossing and a ferry ride and this time I had the gift of both. When I arrived at the guard booth though, to my disappointment the guard waved me through with half a

October 21, 2008

What Endures

Today is the fifth anniversary of my mother’s death. My time away on retreat the last few days was a time of ritual and remembering. I will post more about the retreat itself in the next couple of days. Thank you for all of your beautiful blessings in comments and emails. Last night after I returned home we went to a friend’s house for Sukkot. It is a 7-day festival that comes after the Jewish high holy days of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur and during it, celebrants build sukkahs or tents and live in them as a remembrance of the Israelites time of wandering. As my rabbi friend reflected, it

October 19, 2008

Going on Retreat

How necessary it is for monks to work in the fields, in the rain, in the sun, in the mud, in the clay, in the wind: these are our spiritual directors and our novice-masters. They form our contemplation. They instill us with virtue. They make us as stable as the land we live in. -Thomas Merton On this night of the full moon, I am off for a few days of retreat with my spiritual director Abbess Petunia. I will be listening to the wind, rain, and sunlight for their sacred whispers. I will root myself among trees and allow the call of

October 14, 2008

Sacred Artist Interview: Anne Ierardi

I am delighted to be returning to these interviews again after a long hiatus. I was introduced to Anne Ierardi‘s art through my work as art editor with Presence: An International Journal of Spiritual Direction. I am grateful to Anne for saying yes to my invitation to share her insights into the connections between art and spirituality with all of you, my wonderful readers. ______________________________________ Are you rooted in a particular faith tradition? I’ve had a marvelous faith journey. The tree of life is still growing. My early roots are in Catholicism influenced by Thomas Merton’s ideas on faith as social action

October 13, 2008

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

Reflections

Filter

Wage Peace

Encountering Coyote

Sacred Artist Interview: Leah Piken Kolidas

Altar of Remembering

Invitation to Poetry: Honoring Our Ancestors

Visual Meditation: Autumn in Seattle

I long for You so much (a time of retreat)

What Endures

Going on Retreat

Sacred Artist Interview: Anne Ierardi

Upcoming Programs

Recent Reflections

Monk in the World Guest Post: Kathleen Bolduc

A Blessing for the Underworld Journey ~ A Love Note from Your Online Abbess

Give Me a Word 2025 Prize Drawing Winners

Monk in the World Guest Post: Kate Kennington Steer

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