Your Online Monastery for Your Spiritual Practice

Messy Spirituality

I freely admit that I crave a certain degree of order in my life. On the Myers-Briggs I am an INFJ with a fairly strong organizational J. That J serves me very well in work and thrives on deadlines. It is certainly what got me through a PhD program in under 6 years. I love my home to be neat and I have a hard time getting to work if its not (okay, so maybe it helps me procrastinate sometimes). I can be the queen of planning and every day make lists of things to get done (although I often don’t accomplish

September 5, 2007

Awakening the Creative Spirit

Time for another invitation to come join me and my delightful teaching partner Betsey Beckman in November for a week of integrating creative expression and spiritual practice. We already have several brave and beautiful souls signed up and there are just a handful of spots left, so won’t you come and play? Awakening the Creative Spirit: Experiential Education for Spiritual Directors in the Arts & Imagination with Betsey Beckman, MM and Christine Valters Paintner, PhD November 11-17, 2007 St. Andrews Retreat Center Union (Hood Canal), WA A week-long experiential intensive exploring tools for integrating the arts and imagination into spiritual

September 4, 2007

Freedom: On Being Uncaged

I am so very moved at the poetic response to my post of a few days ago. I have absolutely loved reading your words and have really gathered them close to my heart and reflected on the meaning of freedom and why the cage can sometimes be so inviting, so comfortable and what it takes to really claim my freedom. If you haven’t read the latest contributions, please scroll down (or just click here) and relish them. One of the poetic forms I often use with groups is the French Pantoum. It is a delightful and easy form to use,

August 30, 2007

Words

After spending much of my summer immersed in both images and words I have been contemplating the relationship between them. In my lettering class, the teacher began by saying that words are “bearers of meaning.” I like the image the poem offers, that we come to know things more deeply in naming them. And while words can feel ethereal or disembodied, it is true that there is something much more intimate about jasper, rather than red stone. The words help to root us in the beauty of the particular which is what an incarnational spirituality is about. My life is filled with

August 29, 2007

Invitation to Poetry: Freedom

I had such fun with my first Invitation to Poetry posted a couple of weeks ago and loved reading all of your contributions so here is another invitation for you, my wonderful readers, to add your own words to the image below. This is a simple collage I made in about five minutes during a design elements class I took while at the art retreat, but something about it really speaks to me — the tension between the open cage and the open feathers speak to me of the promise of freedom. What does the image evoke for you? Feel free to leave

August 27, 2007

Delight Under a Cloudy Sky

“O shy moon don’t give in to the pushy clouds you are above them” -one of the Haiku read aloud at the end of the evening written by a fellow moon-gazer (I apologize for not catching the name) We attended the Moon Viewing event at the Japanese Garden last night and I was entranced the whole evening despite the fact that the moon never fully appeared from behind the cloud cover. This is an annual event to celebrate the autumn moon (which will be full on Tuesday). There was beautiful music (I am now entranced by the koto), dancing, singing, launching

August 26, 2007

Paying Attention

“The moment one gives close attention to anything, even a blade of grass, it becomes a mysterious, awesome, indescribably magnificent world in itself.” -Henry Miller (photo taken at Glendalough, Ireland) -Christine Valters Paintner @ Abbey of the Arts

August 25, 2007

Creating Space

I had a dream the other night: In the building where we live one of the condos is going to be rented out for a couple of months, so I decide to go take a look at it. When I first walk in, there is a small cramped kitchen with a stairway going up from the middle of the room. I climb the stairs and discover a lovely room up above with floor-to-ceiling windows and a view of some lovely old stone church ruins (similar to the ones I saw in Ireland–photo above is on the Dingle Peninsula) and beyond

August 24, 2007

Moon Viewing

A cool event on Saturday my sweetie and I are planning on attending. If you’re in Seattle come join us! August 25: Moon Viewing at the Japanese Garden (Arboretum) 7 to 10 p.m. (Garden will open at 6:15 p.m.) Admission for all ages: $15 / Tea tickets: $10 Enjoy a magical night in celebration of the autumn moon with the garden lit with luminaria, lanterns, and boats afloat on the ponds. View the moon through the powerful telescopes provided by the Seattle Astronomical Society. Participate in a tea ceremony with a bowl of match tea and sweets in the Shoseian

August 24, 2007

Endings and Beginnings

Yesterday my sweet husband started back to work. It was faculty meeting day and today he gets to meet all of his students. I am always a bit sad at the end of summer–we get to spend so much time together and he truly is my best friend so we have a lot of fun, a lot of time to play and be. This summer felt especially rich with treasures to explore together. He really enjoys his work, the school where he teaches, his students, his co-workers, but it is hard to transition back to waking at six a.m. while I roll over

August 23, 2007

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

Reflections

Filter

Messy Spirituality

Awakening the Creative Spirit

Freedom: On Being Uncaged

Words

Invitation to Poetry: Freedom

Delight Under a Cloudy Sky

Paying Attention

Creating Space

Moon Viewing

Endings and Beginnings

Upcoming Programs

Recent Reflections

Give Me a Word Reviewed by Library Journal!

Monk in the World Guest Post: Jill Ore

Joy and Rest + Prayer Cycle Podcast Day 5

Monk in the World Guest Post: Veronica Spasaro

Connect with Us