Share your Word for 2013
In ancient times, wise men and women fled out into the desert to find a place where they could be fully present to God 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 or phrase would be something on which to ponder for many days, weeks, months, sometimes a whole lifetime. This practice is connected to lectio divina, where we approach the sacred texts with the same request – “give me a word” we ask – something to nourish me, challenge me, a word I can wrestle with and grow into. The word which chooses us has the potential to transform us.
- What is your word for the year ahead? A word which contains within it a seed of invitation to cross a new threshold in your life?
Share your word in the comments section by Tuesday, January 8th and you are automatically entered for the prize drawing (prizes listed below).
A free 12-day online mini-retreat to help your word choose you. . .
This year I am offering all Abbey newsletter subscribers a gift: a free 12-day online mini-retreat with a suggested practice for each day to help your word choose you and to deepen into your word once it has found you.
Sign up here and you can start your mini-retreat today. Once you subscribe you will receive a confirmation email with access to the mini-retreat content (and you are free to unsubscribe at any time). If you are already a subscriber, the invitation will be in this week’s email newsletter.
Win a Prize – Random Drawing Giveaway on January 7th!
Some wonderful friends of the Abbey have offered fabulous prizes to be included in this drawing held from all of the names who participate:
- from Christine Valters Paintner of Abbey of the Arts: a space in the online Lenten retreat with St. Hildegard of Bingen
- from Kayce Stevens Hughlett of Diamonds in the Soul: a signed copy of her book As I Lay Pondering: Daily Invitations to Live a Transformed Life
- from Dana Reynolds at Sacred Life Arts: a space in her online class The Book of Wonderment and a signed copy of her brand new novel Ink and Honey
- from Ronna Detrick: a space in her online class Soulstice: Develop a Meaningful Spiritual Practice
- from Roy DeLeon of Now Praying: a signed copy of his book Praying with the Body and personalized body prayer for your favorite Psalm
- from Tess Giles of Pilgrim’s Moon: a print of the beautiful banner art by Rima Staines
- from Velma Frye: a copy of her CD “Seven Sacred Pauses” and “Take Heart”
- from Richard Bruxvoort Colligan: a copy of each of his Psalm CDs “Sharing the Road” and “Shout for Joy”
- from Trish Bruxvoort Colligan of River’s Voice: a copy of her CDs “Breath” and “Unfolding”
- from Mary Sharratt: a copy of her novel Illuminations: A Novel of Hildegard of Bingen
- from Waverly Fitzgerald of Living in Season: a copy of her French Republican Calendar for 2013 and a copy of her New Year Dreams E-book
- from Betsy McCall of the Art Monastery: an original art print
- from Paula Huston: a copy of her latest book Season of Mystery: 10 Spiritual Practies for Embracing a Happier Second Half of Life
Pretty wonderful, isn’t it? Make sure to check out the links to their websites for all kinds of goodness and thank them for supporting the Abbey!
So please share your word (and a sentence about what it means for you) with us below. Subscribe to the Abbey newsletter for your free gift. Share the love with others and invite them to participate. Then stay tuned – on January 7th I will announce the prize winners!
844 Responses
The word for 2013 for me is … RELATIONSHIPS. This is a year to focus on the most important relationships in my life, starting with God and me and my husband of 38 years and our three little grandchildren (ages 3, 2, and 1) and our two sons and daughters-in-law. Of course, there is also extended “family of choice” and “family of chance.”
Watching SUNDAY MORNING on TV this morning, in one of the segments, there was a quote painted across a wall. It said:
“Ultimately it’s about relationships.”
My word is TODAY. I spend so much time thinking about details from the past and the future. I know that the past is gone and the future is not yet here and that what is important is today. This year I want to be open to the adventure of each day. The beauty, grace, friendships, love, compassion, laughter, pain, sorrow, and awe of this day. I would like to be able at the end of each day to say… this day is over and I have lived this day with openness to all that has come my way. My mantra is ” See with the eyes of your heart, listen with the ears of your heart, speak with the mouth of your heart and live with an open heart.”
My first attempt did not go through.
The phrase I’ll be living into is ABUNDANT BLOSSOMING.
Thank you for the mini-retreat, Christine. It was grace filled.
I have chosen two words: prudence and gratitude. 2013 will bring opportunities to make important decisions. I want to be prudent in my responses so that I can continue to see life as a gift.(Gratitude).
“Abundance” is my word for 2013. In 2011 my boss stripped me of some of my responsibilities and job title and some of my salary. In 2012 my husband of 20 years stripped me of our 20-year partnership and the judicial system cooperated with him to strip me of part of my retirement savings, which he did nothing to deserve.
So, I am leaning into “abundance” as a prayer and and attitude shift for 2013. The attitude shift has to do with wanting to detach from my associating money with security and from the importance of possessions. If I own less, I need less space, I have less to take care of. Instead, may I have abundance of time for giving, for creating, for noticing, for being in stillness and awe
The word that has chosen me for this moment in time is “change” . I am so reluctant to face change,but as I will be moving to a new home soon, I will face change, like it or not. I choose to trust that this change will be good and trust that God has a plan, greater than I can imagine, for my life.
SeeK
simply to seek First the kingdom of God, allowing the mysteries to be revealed rather to be hidden, and to be in awe and rejoice at first sight…no matter what
Initially I thought my word was ‘observe’ but then 3 things happened in succession that opened a word that was unexpected.
I had a vivid dream of a priestly figure in the sidelines preparing to anoint me and I stripped naked so the anointing would be total. Initially I thought I must have been really hot and the dream told me to throw off a blanket and forgot about the dream. I had been reviewing a dvd (by my teacher Vladislav Andrejev) on the icon Immanual, Practice of Mind, Hand and Heart. On the section showing the application of an oil mixture when the icon is finished, Vladislav said “anointing the icon [whoa! I thought, I am an icon….made in the image of God] symbolized baptism with fire from the inside, to baptise with Fire and Spirit. This second arrival of the word anointing made me rethink the dream. Then in the next day or two the first reading at mass was from 1 John; 1:27 “As for you, the anointing that you received from him remains in you so that you do not need anyone to teach you. But his anointing teaches you about everything and is true and not false; just as it taught you, remain in him.”
So “anointing is my word for 2013 and observing is still there, perhaps as a supportive undercurent.
Unglamorous, perhaps, the word that has found me is ‘foundation’. Just emerging from the life-shattering loss of a child, the world is at once familiar and profoundly unknown, and I am newly finding my way.
First challenge – how is taking up my journey related to foundation which is, in turn, related to stabilitas – stability?
My long-awaited word is “UNKNOW-LING”. I am middle aged yet at such a beginning stage of unknowing all my previous self-destructive beliefs, that I am an unknow-ling:)