Abbey of the Arts

Transformative Living through Contemplative & Expressive Arts

  • Welcome
    • Prayer Cycle
      • Day 1 Morning & Evening Prayer:
        Earth as the Original Cathedral
      • Day 2 Morning & Evening Prayer:
        Earth as the Original Scriptures
      • Day 3 Morning & Evening Prayer:
        Earth as the Original Saints
      • Day 4 Morning & Evening Prayer:
        Earth as the Original Spiritual Directors
      • Day 5 Morning & Evening Prayer:
        Earth as the Original Icon
      • Day 6 Morning & Evening Prayer:
        Earth as the Original Sacrament
      • Day 7 Morning & Evening Prayer:
        Earth as the Original Liturgy
      • Prayer Cycle Leader Resources
    • About the Abbey
    • About Christine Valters Paintner
    • About John Valters Paintner
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  • Books
    • 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
    • Walk the Ancient Paths: Pilgrimage
      • Monk in the World (Ireland)
      • Writing on the Wild Edges (Ireland)
      • Poetry and the Sacred Garden of the World (Ireland)
      • Vienna Monk in the World (Austria)
      • Hildegard of Bingen (Germany)
    • Live Programs and Spiritual Retreats
      • Awakening the Creative Spirit: Experiential Education for Spiritual Directors in the Expressive Arts (Northwest)
    • Community Online Retreats
      • Lift Every Voice: Contemplative Writers of Color
      • The Way of the Hermit:
        A Spiritual Survival Guide for Dark Times
        with Kayleen Asbo, PhD
      • The Spiral Way:
        Celtic Spirituality and the Creative Imagination
      • Journey with the Desert Mothers and Fathers (Lent 2021)
      • Sacred Time: Embracing an Intentional Way of Life (Spring 2021)
    • 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
      • 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
  • Calendar
  • Reflections
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Monk in the World Guest Post Series

Monk in the World Guest Post ~ Patricia Campbell Kowal

I am delighted to share another beautiful submission for the Monk in the World guest post series from the community. Read on for Patricia Campbell Kowal's reflection on living the mystery:

"I commit to finding moments each day for silence and solitude, to make space for another voice to be heard, and to resist a culture of noise and constant stimulation."

This is the first expression of commitment in the Monk of the World Manifesto which has become a foundation for my life. One way I practice this first expression is by sometimes putting my prayer- thoughts on paper. If it stirs a God-thought for me or another this gesture seemingly becomes a spiritual gift.  Recently as I practiced this commitment, I went into the loft of my home—a sacred place for me. With pen and journal in hand (just in case) I listened to a visualization meditation I had read in one of Christine's books and had recorded on my smart phone (sometimes too smart for me!)  Alas, I sat in quiet, put the ear buds in and listened to my own voice saying the words and directions of another's suggested meditation.  One prompt was to just be with the strongest emotion I was feeling and then listen for a word to come.  My emotion was “powerlessness” as I was experiencing many transitions around me. Then the word that came was “mystery” as it was beyond me to figure everything out! So, I sat with the word mystery and then I found my pen on paper as I began to realize that we experience mystery in all the passages of our lives, which is I believe, the call of the soul.

The following poem flows from that quiet meditation. It had meaning for me and perhaps it may have meaning for you, so I humbly share it here.

Call of the Soul

The unknown a newborn faces upon its birth She wails in anticipation with her first breath

. . . mystery

like cacophony from geese in the sky heard during spring migration.

 

The unknown the teen confronts upon his introduction to the adult world He craves the call to independence

                                   . . . mystery

like the feeling of wind on his face while racing downhill on his bicycle.

 

The unknown a betrothed embraces in a life-partner commitment Neither knows where this excitement will lead

                                 . . . mystery

like the delight of running with abandon in an open field.

 

The unknown of choosing one’s life-path The final outcome beyond understanding

                               . . . mystery

like experiencing starlight glitter across the sky.

 

The unknown in accepting divine guidance Hope and trust guide the sojourn

                              . . . mystery

like the fulfillment of longing that was always deep within, but secret.

 

The unknown of letting go of the familiar Conflicting feelings create confusion

                             . . . mystery

like choosing between sweet and sour, both enticing.

 

The unknown of saying good-bye to a relationship—once loved or not Sometimes great sadness, sometimes great relief, perhaps both

                          . . . mystery

like sitting by a runway seeing an airplane vanish into the sky.

 

The unknown of relinquishment of the earthen body to its final rest A new level of living is the hope

                         . . . mystery

like deep sleep before awakening.

 

                      . . . mystery—The Call of the Soul


Patricia KowalPatricia Campbell Kowal offers Spiritual Direction and Grief Recovery Workshops as a Certified Grief Recovery Specialist. Pat lives with her husband, Bob, in Spokane, WA and together they have three grown children and a first grandbaby due any day!  She is grateful for the paths her life has taken.

 

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6 Comments November 12, 2015

Upcoming Programs

The Way of the Hermit:
A Spiritual Survival Guide for Dark Times

January 22-24, 2021
with Kayleen Asbo, PhD

The Spiral Way:
Celtic Spirituality and the Creative Imagination

Hosted by the Rowe Center
February 1-21, 2021
with Christine Valters Paintner, PhD

Recent Reflections

  • Hildy Tales 2: Tús maith leath na hoibre – by John Valters Paintner
  • New Book Club for 2021: Lift Every Voice ~ A Love Note from Your Online Abbess
  • Hildy Tales One: Dia dhuit, is mise Hildy! by John Valters Paintner, Your Online Prior
  • Celebrate the Earth Monastery Prayer Cycle podcast with us!
  • Join us for A Midwinter God & Epiphany! ~ A Love Note from Our Online Abbess

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