Abbey of the Arts

Transformative Living through Contemplative & Expressive Arts

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      Photography as a Christian Contemplative Practice
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    • Water, Wind, Earth & Fire: The Christian Practice of Praying with the Elements
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      Bringing the Arts to Spiritual Direction
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    • Lift Every Voice: Contemplative Writers of Color Book Club
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      • God Alone is Enough: A Spirited Journey with Teresa of Avila (Book Club – February 2021)
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      • Harriet Tubman and Howard Thurman-on Being Free
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        with Christine Valters Paintner
      • Revelations: The Mysticism of Julian of Norwich and Margery Kempe
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        Yoga and the Benedictine Way
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        An Online Retreat with St. Hildegard of Bingen
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        A women’s discernment journey through the story of the Selkie
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        A Companion Retreat to the Book (SELF-STUDY)
      • Exile and Coming Home:
        An Archetypal Journey through the Scriptures
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        Photography as Contemplative Practice
        (Companion retreat to the book)
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        Online Retreat for the Season of Remembrance
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        The Sacred Art of Reading the World
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        Making a Conscious Underworld Journey (SELF-STUDY)
      • Sacred Rhythms of Sky, Sun, Sea & Stone:
        A Creative Retreat with the Elements (SELF-STUDY)
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        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)
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        in the Hebrew and Christian Scriptures
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        A 12-Week Companion Retreat to The Artist's Rule
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        A 10-Week Online Companion Retreat to the Book
      • The Wisdom of Mary and the Sacred Feminine
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      • Writing on the Wild Edges (Ireland)
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      • Awakening the Creative Spirit: Experiential Education for Spiritual Directors in the Expressive Arts (Northwest)
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Writing on the Wild Edges: Participant Poems (Julia Morris-Meyers)

 This past October we led one of our Writing on the Wild Edges retreats on the beautiful island of Inismor off the coast of Galway. We will be sharing some of the writing which participants gave us permission to share here in the next few weeks. Up next are poems by Julia Morris-Meyers.

Coming? ?home,? ?Christmas
to? ?dusty? ?high? ?plains
front? ?door? ?opening
smells? ?of? ?turkey,? ?more
stockings? ?bulge,? ?fire? ?lit
smiling? ?parents,? ?happy? ?we’re? ?here.

Twinkling? ?lights? ?beckon
while? ?Dad? ?carves? ?the? ?bird
dear? ?Aunt? ?Dot? ?samples
Mother? ?juggles? ?pans.

Table? ?set? ?with? ?best
crowded,? ?we? ?don’t? ?mind
cold? ?night? ?kept? ?at? ?bay
hearts? ?warm,? ?filled? ?with? ?cheer.

Yearning? ?for? ?those? ?days
long? ?gone,? ?they? ?now? ?are
Dad? ?and? ?Dot? ?are? ?passed
a? ?stranger? ?lives? ?there
high? ?standard? ?to? ?keep
me,? ?I? ?can’t? ?compete
memory? ?my? ?comfort
and? ?love,? ?in? ?my? ?heart.

And? ?after? ?visiting? ?St? ?Ciaran’s? ?sacred site,? ?this? ?haiku:

Rag? ?tree? ?prayers? ?for? ?babe
holy? ?well,? ?seven? ?times? ?‘round
connecting? ?stone,? ?heal

(grandson? ?#2? ?is? ?expected? ?in? ?the? ?spring!)


Julia Morris-Meyers takes great joy in teaching others about the beauty of music, whether it is as choral conductor, organist and pianist, or private instructor.  Through her international travels as an accompanist she has seen the power of music to bring diverse cultures and peoples together and she strives for this goal in all her musical endeavors.  Julia lives on the Eastern Shore of Maryland and leads contemplative studies, retreats and weekly prayer at her Episcopal church. Her husband and pets provide great companionship and she relishes her new role as “Nana.”

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2 Comments November 17, 2017

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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