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
My word is “welcome.” After Birthing the Holy I have come to desire welcoming whatever or whoever the guest is who arrives at my door in a Holy or wholly way. I don’t know that I am always welcoming of the difficult or dark things in my life and find that to be a challenge. Maybe that is the threshold that is calling me this year.
Thanks to Starbucks: Re-Kindle. Specifically, so far;
ambition
old dreams/heart’s desire
joy
friendships
wonder
creativity
strength
Thank you Christine for this process. It was very helpful in putting a focus to my life over the next year.
Blessings and Light!
Lorette
I worked a few over before “Presence” somehow came to mind. It fits my needs both for the presence of the Holy Spirit in troubling times and my need to practice being in the present moment, i.e. having presence in the place that I am. This is my word for 2013.
At first I thought “thresh” was the word – to help me separate the seeds from the straw with a vigorous, stomping, hard-working gesture. When it comes to being more kind, especially in a fifty year marriage, my snappishness seems to need something physical to help me change. The scripture, “if your right eye offends you pluck it out” came unexpectedly to mind. Change is difficult. Is it impossible?
Then I came to sojourning, and felt that I knew at once that the snappisness has come from our deep uprooting (moving away from), from new responsibilities (care giving), from a loss of self-identity (aging) and other stressors. And I knew this sojourning time has had worth as a quest of our own. Wandering and searching contain the hidden possibility of a great build-up of energy…as well as loss and the concurrent letting go. Thank you!
My word for 2013 is “awareness”.
My word is CURIOUS. This year I want to move past my well rooted habit of interpreting others’ stories through the lens of my own experiences, beliefs and expectations rather than being as open as I can to just listening and wondering. I want to be more real in my relationships, even if that exposes warts I usually work to conceal, and to grant others freedom and permission to do the same with me.
“Clarity” is my word for the coming year – informing my intentions for this year and my emerging lifework, and as a guiding principle for communication in relationships.
My word came to me in a flash this afternoon. I have been doing the 12 day mini retreat and had come up with nothing. Then as I saw the reminder email in my box to post my word, it appeared before my eyes: Blossom. Afte many years of hard work and effort to get my working life in line with my passions (versus the day in day out at a corporate job to pay the bills and get health insurance) I am finally doing the work I love. And as this year progresses, I hope to see all my artistic endeavors, now the core of my life, grow and flourish even more. I feel like I am a bit of a late bloomer, so to speak, however I am finally coming into my own artistic sphere that has been waiting for me to blossom into my own garden.
Mine is not a single word, but the phrase “finding my way back home” keeps coming back to me in so many ways. I have been feeling so lost and adrift lately, so this feels like exactly what I need for this year.
My word came to me in a flash this afternoon. I have been doing the 12 day mini retreat and had come up with nothing. Then as I saw the reminder email in my box to post my word, it appeared before my eyes: Blossom. Afte many years of hard work and effort to get my working life in line with my passions (versus the day in day out at a corporate job to pay the bills and get health insurance) I am finally doing the work I love. And as this year progresses, I hope to see all my artistic endeavors, now the core of my life, grow and flourish even more. I feel like I am a bit of a late bloomer, so to speak, however I am finally coming into my