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

Visual Meditation: “I was called for this”

“At the entrance, my bare feet on the dirt floor, Here, gusts of heat; at my back, white clouds. I stare and stare.

It seems I was called for this: To glorify things just because they are.”

-Czeslaw Milosz

(most of these photos have appeared on this blog before, but the quote inspired me to group them together) 

-Christine Valters Paintner @ Abbey of the Arts

** Come back on Monday for our 21st Poetry Party  **

You might also enjoy

A Midwinter God Named a Best Spiritual Book of 2024

Christine’s book A Midwinter God: Encountering the Divine in Seasons of Darkness was named A Best Spiritual Book of 2024 by Spirituality & Practice! Jon M. Sweeney of Spirituality & Practice also wrote a lovely review. “No one combines teaching wisdom with spiritual practice quite

Read More »

Monk in the World Guest Post: Susan Miller Setiawan

I am delighted to share another beautiful submission to the Monk in the World guest post series from the community. Read on for Susan Miller Setiawan’s reflection “the way is made by walking.” This past April, my partner and I returned from Indonesia, where we

Read More »

7 Responses

  1. Oh my…thank you for pairing this beautiful quote with these breathtaking photos–giving the breath of spirit, the caress of luminosity, the spaciousness of each image…how can we not praise the sacredness of existence? You too were called for this…

  2. I love the quote as well. It is a very evocative summation of what the writer, the artist does….
    Thank you, Christine.