Abbey of the Arts

Transformative Living through Contemplative & Expressive Arts

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      • 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
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        Earth as the Original Icon
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        Earth as the Original Sacrament
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  • Books
    • Sacred Time:
      Embracing an Intentional Way of Life
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    • 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
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      • Monk in the World art series by Kristin Noelle
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    • Walk the Ancient Paths: Pilgrimage
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      • Awakening the Creative Spirit: Experiential Education for Spiritual Directors in the Expressive Arts (Northwest)
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      • 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
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Monk in the World Guest Post Series

Monk in the World Guest Post: Christine S. Davis

I am delighted to share another beautiful submission for the Monk in the World guest post series from the community. Read on for Christine Davis' reflection "Losing the Weight."

Weighted down by worries, work, and weariness, I struggle to release the anxious thoughts, monsters in my mind, problems building and consequences looming. Sick dog still, a daily trial for her and us, every day for six weeks now, distress and hope, 

 

I breathe, let the breeze wash over me as I embrace my self today.

 

compassion and caution. Work piling and time ending, summer is almost over–the four saddest words in the English language to a 

 

I honor commitment, the power of the promise, reminders of the road taken, vows made.

Let go of more–more things to do, things to have, things to keep. Open your hand.

 

teacher. The muse has left town, she cannot handle the knot in my stomach and ache on my brow. Summer is almost over and I am still carrying the extra 40 pounds, still haven't trained for a triathlon, taken a pottery class, traveled to the islands, 

 

I appreciate courage, willingness to step out and overcome, overlook, face the lump of fear in your throat.

Let go of striving–the sun and the rain sustain my Yoshino cherry trees.

 

finished my book, or kayaked. Prince Charming, Superman, and Wonder Woman have all gone with the muse, and I am left with ordinary living, breathing, tiring, dying, 

 

I dream of a soft touch, a soft voice saying my name, a soft smile, crinkling at the joke.

Let go of dissatisfaction–be content with the love in your life and in your heart.

 

humans and beings. It seems life is lived in heartbeats and breaths rather than outcomes or accomplishments, and I did drink wine on the Rhine River, and at cafes in Colmar and Basel, did walk labyrinths in Switzerland and Inis Mor; did write poetry sitting amidst ancient gravestones and 8th century monastic ruins, 

 

I celebrate surprises, sudden adventures, and invitations into the unknown.

Let go of fear–trust in soft landings and ultimate strength.

 

and in a courtyard garden in Basel. I did read about romance and adventure, poetry and laments; share secrets and failings; lie in arms of love; play backgammon with a friend and patty-cake with a child; eat and move my body in various ways; spoon feed a baby 

 

I respect action and activity, purposeful practice, making, enjoying, and being.

Let go of shame–you are human and there is much joy to be found in that.

 

and feel the delicious drool of him sleeping soundly on my chest. I did write about death and love and I practiced it in daily moments upon returning home, in moments of spoon feeding a sick dog and cleaning vomit from a carpet and a sad furry face, disappointments and discouragements, 

 

I yearn for openness and compassion, much too rare today, love in action and word.

Let go, let the waters run through your fingers, what will be will be.

 

cancellations and crises. I am far from Inis Mor and Basel, Colmar and Weil em Rhine, and my mountaintop retreat, train rides, city strolls, art museums and border crossings, hiking trails and swimming holes,

 

I need novelty, excitement, change positions, try something new.

I am letting go of what will not be, being patient for what is to come, accepting what is, appreciating what has been, and remaining open to the holy tenses in all things.

 

but I am immersed in love as a verb, in writing poetry and editing drafts, dealing with the messy everyday dust and dirt, blockages and blockades, wrong turns and dead ends, frustrations and fatalizations, friends holding on, talking me down, pulling me up, lending an ear, a shoulder, and a hug.

 

Watch the morning dove land, spread her white wings. Do likewise.

 

© Christine Salkin Davis, 2017, previously published in my blog on August 5, 2017.


Dr. Christine S. Davis is Professor in the Communication Studies Department at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. Her research interests are in the intersection of family, health, and disability. Christine publishes regularly on topics such as children’s health, end-of-life communication, family disability, and arts-based and qualitative research methods. Her blog was inspired by her participation in the “Writing on the Wild Edges” retreat and is an exploration of arts-based, poetic, and narrative thoughts on living and dying, caring and being.

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3 Comments September 20, 2017

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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