Visit the Abbey of the Arts online retreat platform to access your programs:

Christine’s Reflection on Honoring the Body

Christine has a new reflection published at Bearings journal online on Honoring the Body:


“My story is not a one-way hero’s journey. I have not overcome or done battle; I don’t want to be anybody’s inspiration. Stories that give the impression that one can achieve victory over the body’s vulnerabilities do a great disservice to the collective imagination by pushing away the discomfort of grief. I want my story to reveal that tenderness and surrender instead of fortitude and domination are signs of strength. I want my story to say that yielding to my body’s needs rather than forcing myself onward is a sign of wisdom. “

Read the whole article here.

You might also enjoy

For Trust in Abundance ~ A Love Note from Your Online Abbess

For Trust in Abundance*Spirit of Generous Abundance,remind us there is always more than enough—enough food, enough love, enough time, enough resources.Help us to see how our disconnected patterns of livingamplify our scarcity.Bring us into the joy and challenge of communitywhere bread divided multiplies, where laughter

Read More »

Monk in the World Guest Post: Jaqui Eicher

I am delighted to share another beautiful submission to our Monk in the World guest post series from the community. Read on for Jaqui Eicher’s reflection and poem. After reading Christine Valters Paintner’s poem, “St. Gall and the Bear,” I responded in writing to the prompt:

Read More »