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Monk in the World Guest Post: Celeste Boudreaux

I am delighted to share another beautiful submission to the Monk in the World guest post series from the community. Read on for Celeste Boudreaux’s reflection “Healing Art.” For Celeste I see you, though you try to hide Blending into the wall Daughter of a defective mother (Whose empty eyes betray her lipstick toothed smile) You lurk in the corner, timid and sad and skinny Child of a deceptive poverty Cinderella’s colorless little sister Dwelling in the big house, eating ashes Bearing in silence your public shame and private anguish Called to be the strong one, the good one Who

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Monk in the World: Hospitality 2 – Scriptural Reflection by John – A Note from Your Online Prior

Dearest monks, artists, and pilgrims, During this Jubilee year of sabbatical we are revisiting our Monk Manifesto by moving slowly through the Monk in the World retreat materials together every Sunday. Each week will offer new reflections on the theme and every six weeks will introduce a new principle. Principle Two: I commit to radical acts of hospitality by welcoming the stranger both without and within. I recognize that when I make space inside my heart for the unclaimed parts of myself, I cultivate compassion and the ability to accept those places in others. Genesis 18:1-15 A Son Promised to Abraham and Sarah The LORD

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Poetry News from Christine

Christine Valters Paintner’s poem “St. Gall and the Bear” has been published in the most recent issue of Crossways which can be read online at this link. This artwork to the right is by the wonderful UK artist David Hollington who we are commissioning to put several of Christine’s poems in a series about saints and animals into visual form. This painting accompanies the published poem above. Christine has also officially signed a contract with Paraclete Press for her next poetry collection titled The Wisdom of Wild Grace and it includes a section of about 35 of these saint and

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Featured Poet: Bonnie Thurston

Last spring we launched a series with poets whose work we love and want to feature and will continue it moving forward. Our next poet is Bonnie Thurston, whose work facilitates “seeing through” the particular to universals  Read her poetry and discover more about the connections she makes between poetry and the sacred. Compassion in a Cold Climate After mild December, sudden cold scalpeled in sharply, dropped snow, a bandage covering wounds. We are all wounded, rent asunder by our intransigent opinions, by our palavering politicians interested in positions of power but not good, ordinary folk who keep the engine of state

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The Soul’s Slow Ripening DVD now available!

In Fall 2018 Christine Valters Paintner released her book The Soul’s Slow Ripening: 12 Celtic Practices for Seeking the Sacred which has been really well received as a wonderful resource to break open Celtic spirituality for the contemporary seeker. We followed that book up with our second album, The Soul’s Slow Ripening: Songs for Celtic Seekers (available from CDBaby as a digital download or CD), which includes twelve songs from wonderful musician friends to deepen your experience of Celtic tradition and prayer. We are delighted to announce we now have our DVD available, The Soul’s Slow Ripening: Dancing the Sacred

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Monk in the World: Hospitality 1 – A Love Note from Your Online Abbess

Dearest monks, artists, and pilgrims, During this Jubilee year of sabbatical we are revisiting our Monk Manifesto by moving slowly through the Monk in the World retreat materials together every Sunday. Each week will offer new reflections on the theme and every six weeks will introduce a new principle. Principle Two: I commit to radical acts of hospitality by welcoming the stranger both without and within. I recognize that when I make space inside my heart for the unclaimed parts of myself, I cultivate compassion and the ability to accept those places in others. “All guests who present themselves are to be welcomed as Christ,

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Notes from the Jubilee: Ancestral Pilgrimage to Latvia

During this sabbatical year I have several ancestral pilgrimages planned and we are traveling back now from the first one to Latvia. A few months ago I asked Olga Tomchin of Genealogy Yenta to help me with some research and she found an article online about an oak tree that was planted in 2017 for my great grandfather. It turns out that he was the first Chief Justice of the Latvian Supreme Court when the independent state was formed after World War I and for their centenary celebration they decided to honor his memory in this way. My father was born

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Monk in the World Guest Post: Cathy Warner

I am delighted to share another beautiful submission to the Monk in the World guest post series from the community. Read on for Cathy Warner’s reflection “Two and a Half Horsepower Zen.” A few months ago I ran an extension cord across the backyard, plugged in my mini-wood chipper, dragged downed limbs and small dead trees into a pile, stood in a sunny spot, and fed branches one at a time into the hopper where a whirling blade chipped, shaved, bit, and spit the cedar, rhododendron, and maple into a heap of garden muesli. Often when gardening or cleaning house,

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Monk in the World: Reflection Questions and Blessing (Silence and Solitude) ~ A Love Note from Your Online Abbess

Dearest monks, artists, and pilgrims, During this Jubilee year of sabbatical we are revisiting our Monk Manifesto by moving slowly through the Monk in the World retreat materials together every Sunday. Each week will offer new reflections on the theme and every six weeks will introduce a new principle. Principle One: I commit to finding moments each day for silence and solitude, to make space for another voice to be heard, and to resist a culture of noise and constant stimulation. Spend some time in quiet reflection on the following questions. You might take out your journal and pen and free-write in response

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Featured Poet: Joel McKerrow

Last spring we launched a series with poets whose work we love and want to feature and will continue it moving forward. Our next poet is Joel McKerrow whose work is inspired by liminal spaces.  You can watch Joel’s poem videos and read more about the connections he makes between poetry and the sacred. Joel McKerrow- WIND (with Spike Mason). from Joel McKerrow on Vimeo. Themes of His Work I have just finished working on a book, a creative non-fiction all about the spiritual journey. Its called WOVEN: A Spirituality for the Dissatisfied and is being published in November. So a

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