Share your Word for 2015
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 below by Tuesday, January 6, 2015 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. . .
As in past years, 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. Even if you participated last year, you are more than welcome to register again.
Sign up here and you can start your mini-retreat today. Once you subscribe you will receive the first email within an hour and then one email each day for 12 days. Your information will never be shared or sold.
Win a Prize – Random Drawing Giveaway on January 6th!
I am delighted to offer some wonderful gifts from the Abbey and friends and supporters of the Abbey’s work:
- One space in the upcoming online Abbey retreat Illuminating the Way: Epiphany and New Year Retreat with Monks, Mystics, & Archetypes (a fabulous way to begin the year!)
- A copy of Dana Reynolds‘ fabulous gold medal winning novel Ink and Honey
- A 6-week self study course from Dana Reynolds: Your Sacred Life Artisan’s Book of Wonderment
- A New Year Sacred Reading from the Ronna Detrick (let a woman from scripture accompany you into the new year!)
- A copy Betsey Beckman’s fabulous dance of The Creation on DVD (be inspired to dance into the new year)
- A copy of As I Lay Pondering from Kayce Hughlett (a wonderful book of daily reflections to accompany you into the new year)
- A 2015 calendar from Stacy Wills featuring her alcohol ink paintings (be blessed with Stacy’s stunning images each month)
- A copy of Richard Bruxvoort Colligan’s new album Love Stands With, with songs based on justice-oriented Psalms (be moved by powerful music to inspire your heart to prophetic action in the coming year)
- 4 people will win a copy of Sick and You Cared for Me: Homilies and Reflections for Cycle B with one reflection by Christine, plus also Richard Rohr, Rob Bell, Jan Richardson, and many more!
- 4 people will win their choice of self-study online classes from the following: Creative Flourishing in the Heart of the Desert: A Self-Study Online Retreat with St. Hildegard of Bingen, Soul of a Pilgrim: An Online Art Retreat, Seasons of the Soul, Lectio Divina: The Sacred Art of Reading the World, or Eyes of the Heart: Photography as a Contemplative Practice.
So please share your word (and it would be wonderful to include a sentence about what it means for you) with us below. Subscribe to the Abbey newsletter to receive ongoing inspiration in your in-box. Share the love with others and invite them to participate. Then stay tuned – on January 6th I will announce the prize winners!
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804 Responses
Dance!
My word for 2015 is Dance. I feel God whispering ‘ Come dance with me!’.
It has been a year of study, teaching, leading, working. And it has been a couple of years of family tragedies. My studio work has come to a screeching halt in the process and my body is in need of movement.
What I wrote in my journal yesterday:
DANCE! (Delight is second word)
My word is Dance!
Last night I observed Winter Solstice and celebrated my mother’s life by participating in a labyrinth walk. Through Advent I have been learning dances in honor of archtypes, the one this week will be for my Inner Mother. And this morning in a course on non-violence I practiced a prayer movement. I realized that what all these things have in common for me is the exploration of movement, of creativity of being comfortable with myself and not being concerned with what others think, just moving, being in motion as I’m led to be. To dance with life, to be in flow.
This encompasses words that have been coming up for me.
Intimacy – my dance with God, with others, with myself
Compass – being able to come back to focus on my direction and space as I twirl!
Veriditas – Hildegard, one of my spiritual guides believed that the greening power of God was in everything, a spark, a celebration
Custody – owning my movements, being true to what I feel
Vision – Being able to see the dance in everything and explore it.
Yes! – Just do it!
Dance!
I feel God whispering … Come dance with me!
My word is MAGIC… Inspiration from my photo — morning mists in Glastonbury
THE INVITATION
”My BELOVED speaks to me and says, arise…and come AWAY with me.” Song of Songs
to MOVE…….. to WALK ……..to WANDER……..to WONDER at all things….a PILGRIMAGE……….. to explore praying with my body…… a walking meditation…DELIGHTING in creation… observing…. and making poems and ART reflecting my delight in creation…. an INVITATION… to take the Words of my BELOVED with me…. BREAD for the journey…….an invitation to meet the STRANGER who is me and the one who is on the road …..to bless her or him (and me) in whatever way seems appropriate…. for a whole year…..
The word that embraces all of these words, the word that is choosing me is INVITATION ….my response, iI hope, is a resounding YES…. I look forward with joy to discovering the meaning of this INVITATION for me in the year 2015.
Invitation.
Wow! I posted shortly after you, the same word! It spoke to me in a wonderfully exciting way!
Uplift … when darkness and sadness start nudging around the edges, uplift those concerns and lift up the blessings.
Uplift … when darkness and sadness start nudging around the edges, uplift those concerns and lift up all the blessings.
Inspire! Thank you
Stillness.
The word that arrived for me is WITNESS.
My word is power. I kept wanting it to be something more soft, mystical. Nope, “power” kept speaking its name. Now I am reframing my old–non too positive–definition of power.
Power and I are on a new journey.