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Monk in the World Guest Post: Pat Butler

I am delighted to share another beautiful submission to the Monk in the World guest post series from the community. Read on for Pat Butler’s reflection “Microbursts.” Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I say, rejoice.—Philippians 4:4  Until I sat with my sister on a couch for five minutes, I thought of celebration as a rowdy birthday party, an extravagant wedding, or a solemn liturgy. Weddings, holidays, a newborn, or a new job—all are causes for celebration, but occasional. As a monk in the world, I needed to rejoice more frequently—always, Scripture says. How could I inject celebration into my daily

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January 5, 2022

Monk in the World: Moving with Mystery ~ Dancing Retreat with Betsey Beckman

February 5, 2022 9am-12pm Pacific with Betsey Beckman, hosted by St. Placid Priory $45, Partial scholarships available. Please contact the Priory for more information. What would it be like to be a Dancing Monk?  How might a practice of Moving with Mystery help us navigate these trying times?  Come spend a morning dancing your way through the Monk Manifesto*, a set of 8 principles for contemplative, creative, and compassionate living.  At Abbey of the Arts, we have created dances for each of the 8 Monk practices, and you will have a chance to learn and embody some of our favorite dances

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January 4, 2022
Abbess love notes

Slowing Down to See: Epiphany Blessings

Illuminated I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened —Ephesians 1:18 The window fills with sky one half pewter, laden with drops that splash the cold concrete the other half brilliant blue sunlight pours sidewalk glimmers in that midday dazzle you feel like it could be the first day of creation or the last and you know this moment will not persist you know you will forget later in the drudgery of evening, but for now you remember how rain and sun conspire to show you everything you need to carry on to the end of day. -Christine

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January 2, 2022
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Monk in the World Guest Post: Laurie Klein

I am delighted to share another beautiful submission to the Monk in the World guest post series from the community. Read on for Laurie Klein’s reflection titled “Alphabet of Presence.” I keep sensing, maybe as an amateur mystic, that the whole world is every moment saying the name of God. —Li Young Lee After my father died, ragged bereavement steamrolled my days. Journaling, therapy, and medication helped. I also took up calligraphy. A focused return to the ABCs might reawaken curiosity, make me feel less numb, more present.  Cautiously hopeful, I tackled Uncial, an uppercase medieval script historically used by monks. Ancient

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December 22, 2021
Abbess love notes

Winter Solstice and Christmas Blessings ~ A Love Note from Your Online Abbess

Dearest monks, artists, and pilgrims, I love the quiet invitation of this time of year to descend into stillness. I will be leading an event on the Winter Solstice with my wonderful friends Deirdre Ni Chinneide and Aisling Richmond who both live in Ireland as well and are deeply enriched by the Celtic imagination and spirit. We will be honoring the ancient invitation to listen for the call in the heart of the fertile darkness. Imagine the ancient Irish – over 5000 years ago – constructing Newgrange and many other stone monuments aligned with the solstices and equinoxes. It is powerful to

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December 19, 2021

Christine Around the Web

I have been featured in numerous articles, poems and podcasts podcasts in recent weeks. Pour a cup of tea and enjoy these resources. Breath Prayer article at US Catholic magazine A conversation on Breath Prayer at Ruah Space podcast A conversation on Breath Prayer (includes a short practice) at Podcast with Presence & Practice A lovely review of Breath Prayer at Spirituality & Practice Waning and Waxing (a poem) at Bearings online journal Three poems at Impspired online journal Also . . . you can pre-order my next book Birthing the Holy: Wisdom from Mary to Nurture Creativity and Renewal (coming in April 2022!) Breath Prayer: An Ancient Practice for the

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December 15, 2021

Monk in the World Guest Post: Hillel Brandes

I am delighted to share another beautiful submission to the Monk in the World Guest Post series from the community. Read on for Hillel Brandes’s reflection, “Sound of Snowfall”. ” . . . The only other sounds the sweepOf easy wind and downy flake.The woods are lovely, dark and deep . . .”Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening by Robert Frost Stopping by woods on a snowy evening…well, not evening at the moment, but late afternoon. The silence of the winter woods is real, is grounding, and is wondrous. I could call it magical, and so it is. But

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December 15, 2021
Abbess love notes

Mary as Mystical Rose Invites Us to Bloom ~ A Love Note from Your Online Abbess

Dearest monks, artists, and pilgrims, Today is the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe and this is an excerpt from my forthcoming book Birthing the Holy: Wisdom from Mary to Nurture Creativity and Renewal (which will be published April 2022). It contains reflections on 31 names and titles of Mary including Mary as the Mystical Rose. In December 1531 Our Lady of Guadalupe appeared to Juan Diego, a Mexican peasant, four times. She spoke to him in his native language and asked him to erect a church on that site in her honor. He went to speak to the Archbishop but was

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December 12, 2021
Monk in the World Guest Post Series

Monk in the World Guest Post: Jane Thorley Roeschley

I am delighted to share another beautiful submission to the Monk in the World guest post series from the community. Read on for Jane Thorley Roeschley’s reflection “Give Me a Word.” I was introduced to the practice of choosing a “word of the year” by spiritual directees and others who were saying things like, “My word this year is ‘unfurl’” or “hope” or “surrender.” I didn’t immediately have interest, though I was intrigued by how the directees’ comments about their words suggested that they had found their words to provide a sort of framework for spiritual reflection. I also needed to let

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December 8, 2021
Abbess love notes

Give Me a Word ~ A Love Note from Your Online Abbess

Dearest monks, artists, and pilgrims, In ancient times, wise men and women fled out into the desert to find a place where they could be fully present to the divine and to their own inner struggles at work within them. The desert became a place to enter into the refiner’s fire and be stripped down to one’s holy essence. The desert was a threshold place where you emerged different than when you entered. Many people followed these ammas and abbas, seeking their wisdom and guidance for a meaningful life. One tradition was to ask for a word – this word

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December 5, 2021