Abbey of the Arts

Transformative Living through Contemplative & Expressive Arts

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    • About John Valters Paintner
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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
      • Embodied Spirits: Stories of Spiritual Directors of Color (Book Club – March 2021)
      • God Alone is Enough: A Spirited Journey with Teresa of Avila (Book Club – February 2021)
    • 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)
      • 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
  • Reflections
  • Contact

Abbess love notes

Sun's Pilgrimage (a love note from your online Abbess)

Galway Bay

Winter Solstice

At

this winter’s
turning
of the year
let us go gently
— for once –
into the night,
its dream-drenched,
glittering stillness
a haven for our souls.

There
is something
beyond the dull
brightness of mid-day,
fluorescent and buzzing.
Something to praise
beyond the sun,
triumphing over the intricacies
of shadowed moonlight.

Bring
in the old,
beautiful realm
of Holy Night,
echoing with ancient voices,
rustling with intimacy’s passion,
luminous with stars.

Cradled in darkness,
be restored to the embrace of mystery.

Glory wakes here.

Let it kindle
your joy.

—Rebecca Parker

Dearest monks, artists, and pilgrims,

In just a few days the northern hemisphere experiences the Winter Solstice which is that moment of pause and turning, Our apartment windows face east and south, so one of the great gifts I am experiencing is watching the sun make her pilgrimage across the horizon from summer solstice to winter solstice over the last six months. It is quite a long journey, and on Sunday she will rest at her point furthest south, appearing to stand still for three days before making the return journey again in the long walk toward summer.  It is a rhythm of journey, pause, and return, again and again. It reminds me a great deal of walking a labyrinth and the way I follow the path inward, pause and receive the gifts at the center, and then begin to move more fully out into the world carrying the light that is growing.

Of course, this is all happening in reverse in the southern hemisphere, and the whole world is experiencing a dance of movement and light waxing or waning, of the sacred rhythms of the sky and seasons.

I am grateful that in the last few years I have been able to step out of the rush of the holiday season for the most part. It is an intentional choice, my gift-buying is limited, we tend not to travel far, and so there is the grace of being present to the embrace of darkness and the descent into stillness. These days always kindle much reflection for me. Approaching the end of the calendar year also invites a look back on what the previous year has meant and what are the invitations as I enter another cycle around the sun. I have been listening closely for my word to arrive, savoring the possibilities that quicken my heart, and letting them ripen until ready to claim.

One of the invitations which seem to be laying claim to my attention and affections more fiercely these days are a call to deepen into this place that has chosen me, on the western edge of Ireland, perched by the sea, between the gorgeous landscapes of Connemara and the Burren, and to feel myself really at home. To learn the names and stories of this place, to deepen into its wisdom.

Another invitation is to continue leaning into this image of the Earth as Original Monastery which was given to me this year as both call and summons to deepen into my intimacy with the earth, the seasons, the tides, the landscape.

These two feel intimately connected one to the other, and are a living out of the monk's call to stability, of deepening into place, of descending rather than widening.

What are the invitations bubbling up for you in moments of stillness?

This Advent I am sharing a weekly series of reflections from the Abbey archives on honoring the four weeks of Advent through the four elements. This week we listen for the wisdom of water:

"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."

Click here to read the whole reflection>>
Click here for the reflection on fire>>
Click here for the reflection on air>>

We also have posted our Give Me a Word 2015 invitation with a free 12-day mini-retreat included and a chance to win one of many amazing prizes so generously shared from our Wisdom Council members. Be sure to stop by and see what is inspired in your heart for the year ahead.

Join us in the New Year for an online retreat on Illuminating the Way: Monks, Mystics, and Archetypes. Our Advent retreat is underway and a rich and glorious feast with a wonderful community gathered. We'd love to have you with us.

With great and growing love,

Christine

Photo above of Galway Bay by Christine

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2 Comments December 17, 2014

Upcoming Programs

  • The Two HT’s Harriet Tubman and Howard Thurman on Being Free with Therese Taylor-Stinson
    • Apr 17, 2021
  • Writing Into Bloom with Christine Valters Paintner
    • May 1, 2021
  • Revelations: The Mysticism of Julian of Norwich and Margery Kempe
    • May 13, 2021
  • View All Upcoming Programs

Recent Reflections

  • 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
  • Hildy Tails 12: Is ait an mac an saol ~ by John Valters Paintner
  • Easter Blessings + An Elemental Journey ~ A Love Note from Your Online Abbess

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