SHARE YOUR WORD FOR 2016
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 January 6, 2016 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.
Subscribe to our email newsletter and you will receive a link to start your mini-retreat today. Your information will never be shared or sold. (If you are already subscribed to the newsletter, look for the link in today’s email).
WIN A PRIZE – RANDOM DRAWING GIVEAWAY ON JANUARY 6TH!
We are delighted to offer some wonderful gifts from the Abbey:
- One signed copy each of Soul of a Pilgrim, Eyes of the Heart, The Artist’s Rule, and Water, Wind, Earth, and Fire.
- One space in Sacred Seasons: A Yearlong Journey through the Celtic Wheel of the Year
- 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 we will announce the prize winners!
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712 Responses
My word is “acceptance.” Acceptance of myself, others, what people have to give, what I am to receive, and I’m sure I will grapple with what I am able to accept and what is just absolutely unacceptable (and deciding prayerfully what I’m going to do about it).
My word for 2016 is “listen.” In 2015 I experienced several losses, which I am still grieving. Sadness and emptiness seemed to be my constant companions, and I felt them so distinctly that I realized I was grieving some loss I could not even name. Coming through most of the sadness and emptiness (I hope) I am listening for what is next. I want to explore listening to and for God, to and for other people, and to and for my own voice.
SURRENDER: letting go of so many things—old habits, bad memories, past hurts, failures, regrets, avoidance mechanisms, negative people and situations. And willingness to give up control and lose the control-centered mindset.
Creativity
This is my 3rd year to participate in the annual Give me a Word. This past year was very interesting in that I began the year with the word Choices. It resonated with me deeply until the month of August when I made an important decision chosing between two different things. The word left me at that point, and a new word appeared, Bridges. I have been living with this word since August and it doesn’t feel ready to leave yet even though a new year has come. I will keep this as my word for 2016.
My word for this year is “discernment.” I am facing some major transitions, and need a period of stillness and quiet listening to discern the path I am meant to follow.
I was ‘thinking’ “patience”, but the still small presence within sought to name beyond this. It gifted me my word to take onward into this year – “quieten”.
My word: Listen
The first word that came to me was “stuck”. Stuck describes where I was at the end of the year 2015. I knew I did not want to stay there in 2016, so I pondered what would help me become unstuck. Finally, “release” came to mind. RELEASE is my word for 2016. Releasing old clothes , books, appliances, clutter, and other things that keep me stuck. Releasing fears and over-worry, negative thoughts and self-imposed limitations. This is how I greeted 2016. Release is what I will recall in 2016, when I find myself feeling stuck. Peace to all.
unforgettable in memory of many dear ones who have transitioned this year unforgettable