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
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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
    • 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)
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Introducing the Earth Monastery Project

earthmonasteryprojectThis week I want to introduce a very special project that has been incubating for a while.  It began as a desire to share the spirit of generosity at the Abbey in a more visible way while also making a statement about causes we believe are vital.

The Wisdom Council, John the Prior, and I bring you the Earth Monastery Project.  This is a new small grant program designed to inspire and nourish you in creating projects rooted in contemplative wisdom and creative expression, that are of service to the community and the earth.

How necessary it is for monks to work in the fields, in the rain, in the sun, in the mud, in the clay, in the wind: these are our spiritual directors and our novice-masters. They form our contemplation. They instill us with virtue. They make us as stable as the land we live in.  —Thomas Merton

Take earth for your own large room and the floor of earth carpeted with sunlight and hung round with silver wind for your dancing place

—May Swenson, (excerpt)

The Earth Monastery Project is a small grant program funded by a combination of sources:

  • 5% of the net income from Abbey online classes
  • Donations from Abbey community members like you
  • Income from the Amazon Associates program (when you purchase something at Amazon using our affiliated links)

The EMP is a partnership between the Abbey and carefully selected applicants, who will receive resources to complete a Project which nourish an earth-cherishing consciousness and a cultivate a vision of the earth as our primary monastery.

Our hope at the Abbey, is that with a combination of funding, community support, inspiration, and a place to share the fruits of your work, this will be another way for the Abbey community to thrive and serve and offer witness to one another of what is possible on the monk and artist path.

The purpose of the Earth Monastery Project is to cultivate a culture of generosity within the Abbey community and to support one another with the resources needed to inspire new ideas.  We believe that small, thoughtful, and carefully stewarded programs can make a big impact on the world. Together we will celebrate the work completed and share it with the wider Abbey community so others might be inspired to try similar projects themselves.

For the first round of applications, we will be offering 2-3 small grants, of up to $1000.

Three main project areas:

  • Contemplative: develop a project which nourishes a contemplative awareness and presence to creation. For example through starting a community or church program which teaches people spiritual practices that connect them to the earth.
  • Creative: develop a creative project which draws on the media of writing, visual art, drama, dance, or music.  For example, creating a series of artwork or poems which honor the earth and finding ways to bring this to your community.  Maybe creating art out of recycled materials and crafting an accompanying reflection process or in response to a specific environmental issue such as the bee colony collapse.
  • Soul care ministry: develop a project which brings more earth awareness to your ministry of spiritual direction, chaplaincy, counseling, etc.  For example, gathering a tray of natural elements to engage clients in creating altar spaces, finding ways to bring your ministry outside into direct contact with the earth.

(Projects can also be a combination of 2 or 3 of these areas, the suggestions above are only possibilities, so you are encouraged to think beyond these.)

Click over to the Earth Monastery Project to read the application process. Applications will be accepted from September 1-October 31, 2013 and the winners of the first round chosen by December 1, 2013.

Please share this with friends who might be interested in applying.  Perhaps you know someone with great creative vision, who needs a little empowerment this kind of project could provide.

Please also consider making a small donation to support this project by visiting this link (bottom of the page) and help inspire your fellow monks to make a real difference in service to the world.

And the most beautiful part is that after six months dedicated to the project, those awarded will share what happened with the Abbey community as well.

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Leave a Comment August 23, 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

  • 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
  • Lift Every Voice: Contemplative Writers of Color – April Video Discussion and Book Group Materials Now Available

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