Abbey of the Arts

Transformative Living through Contemplative & Expressive Arts

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  • Books
    • Breath Prayer:
      An Ancient Practice for the Everyday Sacred
    • 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
    • Poetry Videos
    • Dancing Monk Icons
    • Other Art Collaborations
      • 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
    • Lift Every Voice: Contemplative Writers of Color Book Club
    • Community Online Retreats
      • Harriet Tubman and Howard Thurman-on Being Free
      • Writing Into Bloom
        with Christine Valters Paintner
      • Revelations: The Mysticism of Julian of Norwich and Margery Kempe
      • The Wisdom of Wild Grace: A Weekend Retreat Online
      • The Spiral Way:
        Celtic Spirituality and the Creative Imagination
      • Sacred Balance:
        Aligning Body and Spirit Through
        Yoga and the Benedictine Way
    • 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)
      • Journey with the Desert Mothers and Fathers
        (SELF-STUDY)
      • 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 (SELF-STUDY)
      • 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
    • Live Programs: Pilgrimage & Retreats
      • Writing on the Wild Edges (Ireland)
      • Hildegard of Bingen (Germany)
      • Awakening the Creative Spirit: Experiential Education for Spiritual Directors in the Expressive Arts (Northwest)
  • Calendar
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Monk in the World Guest Post Series

Wisdom Council: Guest Post from Stacy Wills

Stacy WillsI am delighted to introduce our next member of the Wisdom Council to you: Stacy Wills.  I first met Stacy through the Way of the Monk, Path of the Artist online class.  She continued on with the community for several classes, and I had the pleasure of meeting her (and her delightful husband) in person when I went to Mississippi to lead a workshop for spiritual directors in the arts.  Stacy now brings her monk, artist, and spiritual director gifts in service to the Abbey through co-facilitating the Way of the Monk, Path of the Artist classes (along with Cheryl Macpherson, a another Wisdom Council member).  Read on for Stacy's reflections:

For as long as I can remember, my father called me “Monk.” No one else ever called me that…you know, in the way a nickname will sometimes catch on over time…and while I’m pretty sure it was short for “Monkey” and might have had something to do with the size and shape of my ears, it was meant as a term of endearment, and I took it as such. But I also have to wonder if my father might have been unwittingly prophetic. For although I certainly accepted the moniker as a child, and even internalized it…I now seek, as an adult, to embrace and embody it in the truest and best sense, as one who commits to living life whole-heartedly.

When Christine invited me to write a guest post about what being a monk in the world and an artist in every day life means to me, I said, “Yes, I would love to…BUT…I’m much better with images than words.” So I pondered (a very “monk-ish” thing to do, btw) how I might best express what my life as a monk and artist looks like and concluded that for me…it looks a lot like wandering and wondering…and following breadcrumbs through the proverbial forest. It’s as simple as that, really…I’m a follower of breadcrumbs…and I end up, quite serendipitously it would seem, in some of the most interesting places that way. It has also been my very good fortune to have met some of the most remarkable people, too. I also tend to fill my pockets (metaphorically speaking) along the way with all manner of things that eventually find their place in my life, or in the lives of others.

As a monk and artist, it seems I do a lot of listening…to everything…and I do mean EVERYTHING…because I’m convinced that everything…and everyone…has a voice…has something to say…and wants to be heard.

Being a monk and artist means that I will seek to offer hospitality…to all the “whosoevers” that cross my path, and to hold sacred space for them as they make their own spiritual journeys. It also means extending that same hospitality to myself…especially in the areas of my life that have been “left in storage” as one friend recently put it.

As a monk, I desire to become increasingly aware of the present moment…to see it and accept it as the precious and beautiful gift it is.

In recent years, I have become more and more comfortable with silence and find that I actually crave it, whereas once upon a time, I would have avoided it at all costs. I also find it important to balance time in solitude with time in community.

If I were living in a real monastery, I’m sure I’d be the monk sitting behind the reference desk in the library. I’m a resource person, you see…a connector of dots…a crackerjack web-surfer,  expert “googler” and I LOVE to help people find what it is they’re looking for if I possibly can.

I’m not entirely sure this falls under the monk/artist label, but I also have an unusual appreciation for the absurdities of life, a wry sense of humor and I am known for being given to fits of uncontrollable laughter.

As an artist, I delight in exploring and experimenting with new techniques, mediums and forms of creative expression. I find great joy in introducing others to what I’m learning and seeing creative sparks fanned into flame.

I particularly love sharing the way of the mandala, especially with children, and seeing their eyes gleam with pride as they show me their creations.

For decades I had been cut off from my creative self, until, thankfully, one day the dam burst, and creativity came flooding back in to my life. Art-making has truly become a healing and spiritual path for me, and I currently maintain two blogs to chronicle that journey. (Mandalas and Altered Art)

As a monk and an artist, I am in the habit of finding Beauty in the world, and I’d be delighted to have you join me!

Stacy Wills 2

Click here to find out more about Stacy's work>>

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8 Comments June 30, 2013

Upcoming Programs

  • Writing Into Bloom with Christine Valters Paintner
    • May 1, 2021
  • Revelations: The Mysticism of Julian of Norwich and Margery Kempe
    • May 13, 2021
  • The Wisdom of Wild Grace: A Weekend Retreat Online
    • May 15, 2021 - May 16, 2021
  • View All Upcoming Programs

Recent Reflections

  • Monk in the World Guest Post: Reverend Deb Goldman
  • A mini-poetry reading from Christine plus other publishing news
  • St. Kevin Holds Open His Hand and Radical Hospitality ~ A Love Note from Your Online Abbess
  • Monk in the World Guest Post: Greta Kopec
  • Monk in the World Podcast + Harriet Tubman Mysticism ~ A Love Note from Your Online Abbess

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