Dearest monks, artists, and pilgrims,
It has been a wonderful time of sabbatical this summer, time spent resting, time spent dreaming, time spent writing. I even made a trip to the Collegeville Institute at St. John’s University in Minnesota for a memoir writing workshop with Lauren Winner which was a wonderful experience on so many levels, can’t recommend the Collegeville Institute or Lauren as a teacher (and writer) of memoir craft enough. But I also spent lots of days following my own rhythms, going to arts festival events, and taking our sweet dog Sourney on long walks up the canal and down the riverside here in Galway, all while dreaming into the future of the Abbey.
I do have some exciting resources and updates to share with you!
First, is the Contemplative Light podcast where I was interviewed about contemplation, the arts, and working with archetypes. You can find that here>>
Second, I recently published a cover feature for U.S. Catholic magazine on pilgrimage and they have posted it in two parts on their website. Part One explores the eight principles of pilgrimage (drawn from my book The Soul of a Pilgrim) and Part Two offers seven suggestions for pilgrimages you can take without needing to travel far away.
With great and growing love,
Christine
Christine Valters Paintner, PhD, REACE
P.S. We just passed the Celtic feast of Lughnasa in the northern hemisphere and Imbolc in the southern hemisphere on August 1st. It was also the feast of St. Dearbhla on August 3rd. She is one of the Irish saints. Click the links for more reflections.
Photo © Christine Valters Paintner