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
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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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Advent Christmas Epiphany

Week 3 Advent Practices: Water's Wisdom

This is a weekly Advent series by Christine from the Abbey archives. If praying with the four elements kindles a spark in you, consider my book Water, Wind, Earth, & Fire: The Christian Practice of Praying with the Elements.

The bass and trout hiding in the deep pools of the river are canonized by their beauty and their strength. The lakes hidden among the hills are saints, and the sea too is a saint who praises God without interruption in her majestic dance. —Thomas Merton

For this third week of Advent I invite you to consider the element of water as an inspiration for your prayer and a way to grow in intimacy with creation. The gospel reading for this week is from John and celebrates water's life-giving qualities through John's call to baptize in preparation for the one who is to come.

Hildegard of Bingen coined the term viriditas to describe the "greening power of God." She applies this word to the moistness of the earth as well as the soul.  The natural world is not simply inert, but filled with life and power. Hildegard writes that "earth wears her green vigor." Her emphasis on greenness symbolizes the inner dynamism of life in all its burgeoning growth, vibrancy, freshness, and fecundity as emanating from the life-creating power of God. It expresses her conviction of God as the source, sustainer, and energizer of all life. We are called in this season to tend to the places in our own lives where we need to invite in greater greenness and life-giving waters to nourish us.

During Advent, our anticipation over the new birth coming from the ancient womb of creation may be trying our patience as we enter the third week of waiting. Yet the call is to patience, to honor the slow unfolding of creation and of our own lives. Rather than force life into our own plans and expectations, can we remain open-hearted, and listen for the invitation of water's gifts to us? The process of birthing takes nine long months in the sacred holding space of the womb's water. Where are we tempted to rush things in our own lives that require still more tending, more waiting, and more patience?

In Cherokee tradition, water is associated with the season of autumn and the hour of dusk. Autumn and dusk call us to become aware of the movement toward endings in our lives. Water invites us to enter life's flow and to honor the cycles and rhythms of life. In the northern hemisphere as the darkness continues to grow we are also invited to become present to our own mortality. The element of water reminds us to honor our own rhythms of rising and falling and in this coming season to allow time for rest and hibernation.

There is a story from the Russian Orthodox tradition where a young man goes to Fr. Seraphim to learn how to pray. He is sent out to the ocean to learn the wisdom of ebbing and flowing. He learns to synchronize his breath with the "great breathing rhythm of the waves." As he floats on the sea he also discovers the great calmness of the sea below its undulating surface and he learns to hold awareness of his own distinct self without being carried away by the rhythm of breathing.

This week let the element of water offer wisdom for your journey. Listen for how the presence of the sacred is pulsing through this divine gift and the flow of your life.

Practices for Advent

  • Water calls us to tend to our own natural rhythms. See if you can allow yourself one day, or even an afternoon, during the Advent season where you simply listen to the rise and fall of your energy and desires. What happens when you eat when you are hungry, sleep when you are tired, and walk when your body longs for movement? What gifts might await you if you allow your life to have its own flow? In our world of 24-hour illumination and productivity we forget the call of our bodies and responding to their needs. Instead of drinking another cup of coffee to stay awake, try sinking into a long nap. Instead of a quick energy bar to stave off hunger, consider making time to lovingly prepare a meal from scratch.
  • Clean water is a tremendous gift we often take for granted in the first world. As you shower each morning, offer a prayer of exuberant gratitude. When you drink a glass of water throughout the day, allow it to be an act of self-blessing and remember those who don't have access to clean water. Remember that water hydrates and sustains you so you might offer your gifts back in service to the world. Consider making a donation to support access to clean water in poor communities around the world.
  • If you have an altar for Advent, consider placing a shell or bowl of water there as a reminder to honor water's gifts.
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2 Comments December 16, 2014

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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