Abbey of the Arts

Transformative Living through Contemplative & Expressive Arts

  • Welcome
    • Prayer Cycle
      • Introduction to the Earth Monastery 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
    • Live Programs: Pilgrimage & Retreats
      • Monk in the World (Ireland)
      • Writing on the Wild Edges (Ireland)
      • Vienna Monk in the World (Austria)
      • Hildegard of Bingen (Germany)
      • Awakening the Creative Spirit: Experiential Education for Spiritual Directors in the Expressive Arts (Northwest)
    • Lift Every Voice: Contemplative Writers of Color Book Club
    • Community Online Retreats
      • The Spiral Way:
        Celtic Spirituality and the Creative Imagination
      • Journey with the Desert Mothers and Fathers (Lent 2021)
      • Dancing with Fear in Troubled Times
      • Novena for Times of Unraveling
      • The Two HT’s-Harriet Tubman and Howard Thurman-on Being Free
      • Writing Into Bloom
        with Christine Valters Paintner
      • Sacred Time: Embracing an Intentional Way of Life (Spring 2021)
      • Poetry and the Sacred Garden of the World:
        An Online Writing Retreat
    • 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
  • Contact

Earth Monastery Project

Earth Monastery Project ~ Salal + Cedar Curriculum Boxes

I am pleased to share one of the beautiful projects created with the Earth Monastery Grant. Read on to learn how Salal + Cedar piloted a program to bring scripture and the elements of the natural word to nurture children's sense of wonder in God's creation.

What did they do?

IMG_1576Salal + Cedar Watershed Discipleship Ministry used their Earth Monastery grant to produce and pilot three curriculum boxes—portable, self-contained lesson material–for multi-age groups. The project was designed to bring together scripture and elements of the natural world from the lower Fraser watershed to nurture children’s sense of wonder in God’s creation. The pedagogy draws from three quite different sources Messy Church, Godly Play, and Forest Schools. The format for each lesson includes a scripturally based story and actions lead by an adult, a series of open-ended wonder questions and several hands-on learning and explorations stations. The three boxes explore:

  • Water
  • All the Birds of the Air
  • Trees of Field and Forest

Most of the work was undertaken by Salal + Cedar’s priest in charge, Laurel Dykstra (LD)and community member Cameron Gutjahr (CG).

Who was served?

Between Jan 1 and June 30, approximately 60 children at different 5 churches in Lower Mainland British Columbia took part in a biblically-based environmental learning experience using the curriculum boxes. Five adults contributed to and practiced with the written and hands-on materials and are able to deliver the curriculum in various settings.

They now have 3 curriculum boxes that are available for use when Salal + Cedar visits different churches on Sunday Mornings, for Messy Church programs, and when they help to animate retreats, church picnics and other events.

The print material is available for free download from the Salal + Cedar website.

Samples of the work:

IMG_1563 copyWater
“This is the water of creation, the dangerous water of the flood, the water the people through into freedom, the water Jesus was baptized in, the water you were or will be baptized in, and so much more.”

Water is all around us, in our bodies, in plants, animals, rivers, lakes, oceans, underground and even in the air. Water moves, it flows in streams, rivers, oceans. Water evaporates (lift hand) becomes clouds, falls back to earth as rain (make a circle with your arm indicating water cycle).

Sample Wonder questions:

  • I wonder what it means to be thirsty for God?
  • I wonder what you use water for?
  • I wonder how we can take care of water?
  • I wonder what people who don’t have clean water do?

IMG_3289All the Birds of the Air
A long, long, long time ago the prophet Ezekiel told a story. Ezekiel said this is what God’s people are like:

I will go to the lofty top of a cedar tree
And take a tender young twig from the very top
I will plan that twig high on a mountain
And it will grow tall, and sprout branches and become a giant cedar tree
And every kind of bird will come and live in it
And all the winged creatures will build their nests in the shade of its branches.

Sample Wonder Questions:

  • I wonder what kind of birds you know?
  • What kind of bird would you be?
  • I wonder how the birds felt when they found a safe place for their nests?

IMG_1535Trees
Did you know there are trees at the beginning and middle, and the end of the bible?

In the very beginning of creation God said, ‘Let the earth put forth vegetation: plants yielding seed, and fruit trres of every kind on earth that bear fruit with the in it.’ And it was so. The earth brought forth vegetation: plants yielding seed of every kind, and trees of every kind bearing fruit with the seed in it. And God saw that it was good.

Sample Wonder Questions:

  • I wonder if you the names of some trees that grow in the forest?
  • I wonder what kinds of plants are used for medicine?
  • I wonder how a seed feels when it goes into the dark, dark, earth to grow a tree? Is is scared? Excited?
  • I wonder if there is a tree that you love best?

What did they learn/next steps?
The materials as written proved very popular with the different host communities. Greatest success was with a Salal + Cedar member taking the key leadership/storyteller role and hosts supporting. For facilitators who have thought about faith and the environment the materials were easy to follow and adapt. For those new to the ideas or uncomfortable with adlib some more detail could help.

In the future they will refine the instructions so that the material is more universally accessible and expect to create more boxes as their ministry grows.

Click here to visit their ministry site and download the printed material>>

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Leave a Comment July 22, 2016

Upcoming Programs

The Spiral Way:
Celtic Spirituality and the Creative Imagination

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

Journey with the Desert Mothers and Fathers
Retreat for Lent 2021

February 17-April 1, 2021
with Christine & John Valters Paintner and Betsey Beckman

Recent Reflections

  • Celtic Spirituality and the Spiral Way ~ A Love Note from Your Online Abbess
  • Hildy Tales 3: Ní heolas go haontíos ~ by John Valters Paintner
  • Humility + Join us today for live prayer! ~ A Love Note from Your Online Abbess
  • 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

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