Abbey of the Arts

Transformative Living through Contemplative & Expressive Arts

  • Welcome
    • Prayer Cycle
      • Day 1 Morning & Evening Prayer:
        Earth as the Original Cathedral
      • Day 2 Morning & Evening Prayer:
        Earth as the Original Scriptures
      • Day 3 Morning & Evening Prayer:
        Earth as the Original Saints
      • Day 4 Morning & Evening Prayer:
        Earth as the Original Spiritual Directors
      • Day 5 Morning & Evening Prayer:
        Earth as the Original Icon
      • Day 6 Morning & Evening Prayer:
        Earth as the Original Sacrament
      • Day 7 Morning & Evening Prayer:
        Earth as the Original Liturgy
      • Prayer Cycle Leader Resources
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    • About Christine Valters Paintner
    • About John Valters Paintner
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  • Books
    • Sacred Time:
      Embracing an Intentional Way of Life
    • The Wisdom of Wild Grace: Poems
    • Earth, Our Original Monastery:
      Cultivating Wonder and Gratitude through Intimacy with Nature
    • Dreaming of Stones: Poems
    • The Soul's Slow Ripening:
      12 Celtic Practices for Seeking the Sacred
    • The Wisdom of the Body:
      A Contemplative Journey to Wholeness for Women
    • Illuminating the Way:
      Embracing the Wisdom of Monks and Mystics
    • The Soul of a Pilgrim:
      Eight Practices for the Journey Within
    • Eyes of the Heart:
      Photography as a Christian Contemplative Practice
    • The Artist's Rule: Nurturing Your Creative Soul with Monastic Wisdom
    • Desert Mothers and Fathers: Early Christian Wisdom Sayings Annotated & Explained
    • Lectio Divina–The Sacred Art: Transforming Words and Images into Heart-Centered Prayer
    • Water, Wind, Earth & Fire: The Christian Practice of Praying with the Elements
    • Awakening the Creative Spirit:
      Bringing the Arts to Spiritual Direction
    • Lectio Divina: Contemplative Awakening & Awareness
  • Poetry | Art | Music
    • Music + DVD
    • Poetry by Christine Valters Paintner
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      • Monk in the World art series by Kristin Noelle
      • Saints & Animals art series by David Hollington
      • Sacred Time art series by Alexi Francis
      • Mary block print art series by Kreg Yingst
  • Programs
    • Walk the Ancient Paths: Pilgrimage
      • Monk in the World (Ireland)
      • Writing on the Wild Edges (Ireland)
      • Poetry and the Sacred Garden of the World (Ireland)
      • Vienna Monk in the World (Austria)
      • Hildegard of Bingen (Germany)
    • Live Programs and Spiritual Retreats
      • Awakening the Creative Spirit: Experiential Education for Spiritual Directors in the Expressive Arts (Northwest)
    • Community Online Retreats
      • Lift Every Voice: Contemplative Writers of Color
      • The Way of the Hermit:
        A Spiritual Survival Guide for Dark Times
        with Kayleen Asbo, PhD
      • The Spiral Way:
        Celtic Spirituality and the Creative Imagination
      • Journey with the Desert Mothers and Fathers (Lent 2021)
      • Sacred Time: Embracing an Intentional Way of Life (Spring 2021)
    • Self-Study Online Spiritual Retreats
      • Creative Flourishing in the Heart of the Desert:
        An Online Retreat with St. Hildegard of Bingen
      • Dreaming of the Sea:
        A women’s discernment journey through the story of the Selkie
      • Earth, Our Original Monastery
        A Companion Retreat to the Book (SELF-STUDY)
      • Exile and Coming Home:
        An Archetypal Journey through the Scriptures
      • Eyes of the Heart:
        Photography as Contemplative Practice
        (Companion retreat to the book)
      • Honoring Saints and Ancestors:
        Online Retreat for the Season of Remembrance
      • Lectio Divina:
        The Sacred Art of Reading the World
      • A Midwinter God:
        Making a Conscious Underworld Journey
      • Sacred Rhythms of Sky, Sun, Sea & Stone:
        A Creative Retreat with the Elements (SELF-STUDY)
      • Sacred Seasons:
        A Yearlong Journey through the Celtic Wheel of the Year
      • The Soul of a Pilgrim:
        Eight Practices for the Journey Within
        (a companion retreat to the book)
      • The Soul's Slow Ripening: 12 Celtic Practices for Seekers of the Sacred (a companion retreat to the book)
      • Water, Wind, Earth & Fire
      • Watershed Moments
        in the Hebrew and Christian Scriptures
      • Way of the Monk, Path of the Artist:
        A 12-Week Companion Retreat to The Artist's Rule
      • The Wisdom of the Body:
        A 10-Week Online Companion Retreat to the Book
      • The Wisdom of Mary and the Sacred Feminine
  • Calendar
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Spirituality

Returning: Some Highlights

I went on a journey for 12 days down the east coast which you can read more about.  I have lots to process, but here are some initial offerings of things for which I am grateful (both silly and sublime):

  • renting the cheapest car level possible and ending up with a Ford Mustang convertible
  • wandering through Edgell Grove cemetery where my mother is buried and sensing the peace of her resting
  • visiting with my uncle's ex-wife, the mother of one of my cousins who so graciously shared stories with me
  • stopping in the town of Wiscasset, Maine on my drive up to stay with my aunt and having lunch with another blogger (who is perfectly delightful)
  • spending three days in Boothbay Harbor, ME, walking for hours along the water
  • the stories and photos my aunt was able to share with me, spending time with her and her husband
  • visiting an old friend and being able to offer some support through a difficult time
  • arriving in New York City for the first time in 12 years, the last time I was there was when my father died
  • walking half a block from my hotel to the building where I grew up and seeing one of the doormen who has been there since I was a child, now 80 years old
  • the fact that this wonderful man immediately recognized me, exclaiming "Christine!" with a sense of joy and telling me that my beautiful smile had not changed at all
  • seeing a friend I grew up with and sharing memories, including our shared crush at age 13 on Rick Springfield (who apparently now is making a comeback)
  • having time to go see the Cloisters, my favorite museum in all of Manhattan
  • visiting Ground Zero and having the breath knocked out of me as I emerged from the subway and took in the vast cavern of space where those towers once stood
  • indulging in one of my guilty pleasures — staying in an anonymous hotel room with a comfy bed, room service, and in-room movies
  • watching three powerful films, each in their own way — Juno, Atonement, and Into the Wild
  • attending the Leadership Institute of the SDI Conference and engaging in meaningful conversations about ways to support people in ministry

(photos from top to bottom: my zippy little rental car I used to drive from Massachusetts to Maine and back again, the doorman from the building where I grew up, the Empire State Building in New York City taken from Bryant Park) 

There are a lot more stories running through my veins and I know some of them will find their way to this space over time.  I have much to reflect on, many gifts to hold within me for a while to see what they say to me.  I spent a lovely weekend at home reconnecting with my beloved husband, my sweet Petunia, and watching Season 3 of Battlestar Galactica (another guilty pleasure, but a great show).

As busy as my time away was, I did have some time to reflect on my dreams for myself and the things I long to have time for.  I realized that as much as I love blogging and the relationships I have made here, that trying to maintain a five-day-a-week schedule has taken a lot of time that I could put toward some other writing projects that need my attention.  So for a while I am cutting back to three days a week, keeping many of the features I have enjoyed posting here in a less frequent format:

Mondays: alternating Poetry Party and Spiritual Reflection

Wednesdays: alternating Abbey Bookshelf and Sacred Artist Interview

Fridays: Visual Meditation

Of course there may be times I am inspired to write more often, but I am trying to find the balance of a discipline and allowing myself enough room for other possibilities to emerge.  I am so grateful for all of the support I receive here (and no, none of this is an April Fool's joke) :-).

-Christine Valters Paintner @ Abbey of the Arts

** Visit this week's Poetry Party **

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8 Comments April 1, 2008

Upcoming Programs

The Way of the Hermit:
A Spiritual Survival Guide for Dark Times

January 22-24, 2021
with Kayleen Asbo, PhD

The Spiral Way:
Celtic Spirituality and the Creative Imagination

Hosted by the Rowe Center
February 1-21, 2021
with Christine Valters Paintner, PhD

Recent Reflections

  • Hildy Tales 2: Tús maith leath na hoibre – by John Valters Paintner
  • New Book Club for 2021: Lift Every Voice ~ A Love Note from Your Online Abbess
  • Hildy Tales One: Dia dhuit, is mise Hildy! by John Valters Paintner, Your Online Prior
  • Celebrate the Earth Monastery Prayer Cycle podcast with us!
  • Join us for A Midwinter God & Epiphany! ~ A Love Note from Our Online Abbess

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