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Monk in the World Guest Post Series

Monk in the World Guest Post: Justin Coutts

I am delighted to share another beautiful submission to our Monk in the World guest series from the community. Read on for Justin Coutts’ reflection “The Mystical Path of Poetry.” There is an ancient teaching in the Christian tradition about the soul’s journey into God. The spiritual journey is understood as a threefold path which begins by healing our spiritual wounds, passes through the beauty of creation, and culminates in ineffable union with Christ. You can read an introduction to the triple way which I wrote a little while back HERE. In this article, I will give you a brief glimpse

August 9, 2023

Abbess love notes

Transfiguration and Program Updates

A Blessing for Transfiguration Radiant God, open our eyes to all the ways the sacred shimmers before us, how gold pours forth from the robin’s throat, how sunlight returns each morning, how the moon glitters across still water, how laughter around the table kindles joy, how kindness can change lives. Free us from our need to seize these moments, to make of them stone monuments rather than tabernacles of light we carry with us in our hearts. This vision is not a call to stay on the mountain but to gather our treasures into an open embrace, to make the

August 6, 2023

Abbess love notes

Abbey of the Arts Welcomes New Wisdom Council Members!

Abbey of the Arts is extraordinarily delighted to welcome four new members to our Wisdom Council! Carmen Acevedo Butcher, PhD is an amazing scholar and translator of mystical texts (including most recently Practice of the Presence from Brother Lawrence and she will be leading a program for us on The Cloud of Unknowing in August). We were introduced by our mutual editor and discovered we were both fangirls of one another’s work. She has a beautiful warmth and is rooted deeply in the wellspring of Love. We also invited three young adult members recently to expand perspectives on our council

August 2, 2023

Lift Every Voice Book Club

Lift Every Voice: Contemplative Writers of Color – August Video Discussion and Book Group Materials Now Available

Join Abbey of the Arts for a monthly conversation on how increasing our diversity of perspectives on contemplative practice can enrich our understanding and experience of the Christian mystical tradition. Christine Valters Paintner is joined by author Claudia Love Mair for a series of video conversations. Each month they take up a new book by or about a voice of color. The community is invited to purchase and read the books in advance and participate actively in this journey of deepening, discovery, and transformation. This month’s selection is In My Grandmother’s House: Black Women, Faith, and the Stories We Inherit by Yolanda Pierce.

August 1, 2023

Abbess love notes

Lughnasa Blessing

I know some of you are enduring terrible heat right now, but here in Ireland the turning toward Lughnasa brings a shift in light and air that hints at autumn’s coming which I love. July is the hardest month for me because of both too much light and heat – although this year it was the rainiest month and cooler than usual thankfully – so I celebrate this feast as it brings my favorite seasons ahead when I feel more creativity and aliveness. Wherever you are in the northern hemisphere, you might honor this threshold of turning toward harvest. And

August 1, 2023

Abbess love notes

Day 7 Mary Prayer Cycle + Summer Sabbatical ~ A Love Note from Your Online Abbess

Dearest monks, artists, and pilgrims, This week we are pleased release the final video podcast for the Birthing the Holy Prayer Cycle. Day 7 Morning and Evening Prayer honor Madonna Protectress and Mirror of Justice. Here is an excerpt from Day 7 Evening: Opening Prayer Mirror of Justice, you lift up all those on the margins; reflect the justice of Christ who redistributes power structures and gives amplification to the most vulnerable. You call us to solidarity with those who are in need and to remember that our own liberation is intimately entwined with the liberation of the whole human community and

June 25, 2023

Monk in the World Guest Post: Kiran Young Wimberly

I am delighted to share another beautiful submission to the Monk in the World guest post series. Kiran Young Wimberly is a minister, spiritual director, and musician living in Ireland. Our next prayer cycle honoring angels, saints, and ancestors (coming this fall) will be integrating Kiran’s Celtic version of the psalms. Read on for her reflection and watch her version of Psalm 22. Before I ever knew I’d spend the majority of my adult life in Ireland, I was drawn to traditional Irish music. When I was young, someone asked what my favorite hymn might be, and after scanning the

June 21, 2023

Abbess love notes

Entering a Relationship with Radiance + Day 6 Mary Prayer Cycle

Dearest monks, artists, and pilgrims, We have three treats for you this week! The next installment of our Mary Prayer Cycle video podcasts is now available. Last Spring we created a prayer cycle and audio podcast series to accompany my book Birthing the Holy: Wisdom from Mary to Nurture Creativity and Renewal. Today we continue our release of the companion video podcasts for the Birthing the Holy Prayer Cycle with Day 6Morning and Evening Prayer. The full prayer cycle is available here. Day 6 morning and evening prayer takes as its theme Theotokos and Mystical Rose. Theotokos means God-Bearer and invites us to consider all

June 18, 2023

Monk in the World Guest Post: Jo-ed Tome

I am delighted to share another beautiful submission to the Monk in the World guest post series. Jo-ed Tome is new member of our Wisdom Council. Read on for his reflection A space where contemplative living can flourish. I had to sit quietly for several minutes after my conversation with Alex (not her real name). She brought up difficult questions about life and living. She had a lot of worries and fears. She was afraid her life could possibly be meaningless. She could not bear the thought that she might only be making up her purpose in life and that

June 14, 2023

Litany of Guadalupe and the Story of Dance

Here at Abbey of the Arts we have a commitment to seeking out and uplifting a wide range of cultural expressions of artistry and Spirit. Our culminating song/prayer dance on our Birthing the Holy CD/DVD features a tune composed by an indigenous Guatemalan composer, Tomás Pascual from the 17th Century. This song was adapted by our dear friend, Laura Ash with bilingual lyrics she wrote to honor Our Lady of Guadalupe. It’s a beautiful blend of ancient and new devotions! When we came to filming the dance/prayer, I found a gorgeous shrine to Our Lady of Guadalupe here in the Northwest at

June 13, 2023

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Monk in the World Guest Post: Justin Coutts

Transfiguration and Program Updates

Abbey of the Arts Welcomes New Wisdom Council Members!

Lift Every Voice: Contemplative Writers of Color – August Video Discussion and Book Group Materials Now Available

Lughnasa Blessing

Day 7 Mary Prayer Cycle + Summer Sabbatical ~ A Love Note from Your Online Abbess

Monk in the World Guest Post: Kiran Young Wimberly

Entering a Relationship with Radiance + Day 6 Mary Prayer Cycle

Monk in the World Guest Post: Jo-ed Tome

Litany of Guadalupe and the Story of Dance

Upcoming Programs

Recent Reflections

Monk in the World Guest Post: Rochelle Rawson Naylor

Easter and the Journey to Joy! ~ A Love Note from Your Online Abbess

Monk in the World Guest Post: Lori DiPrete Brown

Ripened (S)aging: A Good Friday Invitation ~ A Love Note from Your Online Abbess

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