In ancient times, wise men and women fled out into the desert to find a place where they could be fully present to the divine and to their own inner struggles at work within them. The desert became a place to enter into the refiner’s fire and be stripped down to one’s holy essence. The desert was a threshold place where you emerged different than when you entered.
Many people followed these ammas and abbas, seeking their wisdom and guidance for a meaningful life. One tradition was to ask for a word – this word or phrase would be something on which to ponder for many days, weeks, months, sometimes a whole lifetime. This practice is connected to lectio divina, where we approach the sacred texts with the same request – “give me a word” we ask – something to nourish me, challenge me, a word I can wrestle with and grow into. The word which chooses us has the potential to transform us.
What is your word for the year ahead? A word which contains within it a seed of invitation to cross a new threshold in your life?
Share your word in the comments section below by January 5, 2023 and you are automatically entered for the prize drawing (prizes listed below).
A FREE 12-DAY ONLINE MINI-RETREAT TO HELP YOUR WORD CHOOSE YOU. . .
As in past years, we are offering all Abbey newsletter subscribers a gift: a free 12-day online mini-retreat with a suggested practice for each day to help your word choose you and to deepen into your word once it has found you. Even if you participated last year, you are more than welcome to register again.
Subscribe to our email newsletter and you will receive a link to start your mini-retreat today. Your information will never be shared or sold. (If you are already subscribed to the newsletter, look for the link in the Sunday, December 11th email and at the bottom of each Sunday following).
WIN A PRIZE – RANDOM DRAWING GIVEAWAY ENTER BY JANUARY 5th!
- One person wins a space in our Lent retreat on A Different Kind of Fast
- Three people win a space each in their choice of self-study retreats
- Five people win their choice of one of our digital albums
- Seven people win one of our Dancing Monk Medallions
Please share your word with us in the comments below
(and it would be wonderful if you included a sentence about what it means for you)
Subscribe to the Abbey of the Arts newsletter to receive ongoing inspiration in your in-box. You can choose daily, weekly, or monthly. Share the love with others and invite them to participate. Then stay tuned – on January 8th we will announce the prize winners!
475 Responses
Wonderment was the word that came to me for 23. It is present everywhere I look…from the colors that emerge in sunset & sunrise, the stars that are always present but are only seen in the darkness. Wonder is present when realizing that every cell in our body knows it’s own special duty to keep us in balance. And the wonderful way each plant & blade of grass awakens @ just the right moment to grow. Wonderment is all around me to be noticed every moment!
My word is BEAUTY. It was gifted to me during our wkly Chants & Prayers for Healing with Simon. He played his rendition of “Beauty” by Betsy Beckman. It simply repeats, “Let the beauty you love, be what you do.”
I really didn’t want this word, and have sat open for something else to come. The word beauty is not a word that sits easy with me, as today too much weight is on superficial beauty.
I think it’s the whole phrasing of the song that has captured me. It seems to change beauty to a verb ~ one worth practicing.
I feel like my word is GREEN.
It has so many possible connotations for the year ahead. Especially to do with bringing God to birth in the world, brown giving birth to green, the importance of my mothering role this year, and so much more.
I’ve been vascillating between ENJOY and CONTENT as my word for this year. The past few years have been very stressful in many ways and very challenging. I want to be able to enjoy the journey that God has me on, instead of worrying or being faithless. My prayer and hope is to grow in being content and surrender in faith and joy to what God has planned this year for me.
Gather
“bring together and take in from scattered places or sources”
I saw this as both an outward and inward invitation.
And will see what else comes along with this….
But already, many images giving voice to it.
The word for me is ‘BOUNDARIES’. I recently read a book called, ‘Set boundaries, find peace’ as I was feeling that I had lost balance in my day to day life. I realised that I had allowed some my boundaries to be erased by circumstances and my want to help a particular close family member and this was extremely detrimental to my mental health and affected an other close relationship. I decided to begin only to respond and act day to day with the situation through the eyes and actions of love and this was the answer to me regaining some balance. When ‘GIVE ME A WORD 2023’ came, I went through the exercises and there were synchronicities and messages that I listened to and time and time again I came back to the word ‘BOUNDARIES’ and this has been such an important message for me and have learned to set boundaries around several areas of my life. Thank you for this guidance
Awaken
To life, to my belovedness, to God’s presence, to His creative work in and through me.
My word is river and literally flows from experiences of last year into this year. Having moved from lifelong nearness to river to a more landlocked area, I fine I am missing that adjacency and the calming moments beside still or rapid waters…
The word that resonates with me is BIRTH. When you behold the beautiful, innocent face of a new born babe I believe you are looking at the face of God.
Acceptance