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

The Art of Disappearing

Tomorrow I head off to the Spiritual Directors International Conference being held this year in Vancouver, BC.  I am especially looking forward to my workshops on First Nations cosmology and one on animal companionship and spirituality.

When I return Sunday I have two projects I really need to focus some time and energy on, so I am going to take a blogging break until the end of next week just to clear some space for myself.

-Christine Valters Paintner @ Abbey of the Arts

You might also enjoy

Monk in the World Guest Post: Janeen R. Adil

I am delighted to share another beautiful submission to the Monk in the World guest post series. Read on for Janeen Adil’s reflection and poem about liminality. Thresholds and doorways make for evocative images; as a monk in the world, I am drawn to a

Read More »

Preparing for Advent + Prayer Cycle Day 7

Dear monks, artists, and pilgrims,  Today we share the final two audio podcasts of our 7-day prayer cycle on the theme of The Love of Thousands. The theme for morning is on ancestral earth and deep time, honoring that our ancestors are not just our human

Read More »

Monk in the World Guest Post: Susan Blagden

I am delighted to share another beautiful submission to the Monk in the World guest post series from the community. Read on for Susan Blagden’s contemplative photographs and poems inspired by the work of Thomas Merton. As a contemplative photographer, coach and priest, I seek

Read More »

7 Responses

  1. Thank you Cathleen and Suz! Suz, it would be great to have you join us in November, I got to promote that program a lot at the conference with folks so I am excited about the group that will be formed for that.

    Thanks so much chartreuseova! I am very honored.

  2. Christine…
    I so wanted to go…it filled up very quickly. Several of the grads from my spiritual direction program tired to get a presentation together (as our program was largely based on cosmology and the universe story). Alas, we never got it together!

    I hope you are having a wonderful and enlightening time…what a great place to be!

    I am still very serious about your program in the fall…just overwhelmed with things right now!

  3. Your conference sounds wonderful and I, along with many others I’m sure, will look forward to all that will come forth from your time there. And like Bette said, we will miss your “presence” but I wish you good health while you’re away and all the riches the conference has to offer. Blessings!

  4. Oh I do wish I lived in Seattle – I’d love to do your workshop on animal companionship and spirituality.
    Enjoy Vancouver, look forward to more of your writings when you get back.

  5. oh Christine – i hope you enjoy your Conference which sounds wonderful and very interesting! will miss your presence but we will live. i will just mope around here with a big sad bottom lip hanging down, waiting for you to return :) I will continue to vote for you!!!

    this Disappearing poem is unusual, but i am warming up to it. (to me) it seems there is some hidden humour in it? makes me think of what a few other blogging friends of mine have been talking about lately . . .something to do with having to weed-out friends who are no longer “healthy” for our spiritual life.

    anyways, girl…..be well and have FUN!
    HUGS