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
My word is ‘belong’. To belong to myself and God, to find a community where I feell like I am at home
Relentless is my word for 2023 and I just love it. I have chosen to be relentless in my pursuit of art. Today I went to gather some dishes for my refugee family and the fellow parishioner said I also have these art supplies are you interested for yourself. I ended up with paints. journals, watercolour brushes everything I needed. I am relentlessly putting out in the quantum field everything I need and it’s working. Yahoo. I am about to teach art journaling to our local cancer society and I am so ready.
CONVERSION and TRANSFORMATION both resonated with me today. I don’t know if this is pandemic related or not and it really doesn’t matter. However, during the pandemic I had an opportunity to engage in contemplative study with an online spiritual group and I was very much aware of an ongoing, vibrant Mystery helping to remove the veil of gray from my eyes. It clearly is a visceral experience and it continues even though I am no longer with the online group.
Faith – Holding the faith that more will be revealed
Receptive – Remaining receptive to the faith that I am not alone and that more will be revealed.
imagine – a word that came early on and has stuck with me – so its the one
Today’s word has to be LOVE. When I connect with my God child and see her happily exploring her new dance class, my pores literally ooze out LOVE. Such joy.
Forgive – Remembering that I am deserving of my own forgiveness, and if not now, what is the forgiveness asking for?
The word that chose me is “Fun!” :-) I’m surprised! A bit shy to write it here! However, my eyes sparkle when I think of it, and my heart opens with joy…I’m taking that as a very good sign.
Clarity is the Word that found me. I have life changes from the loss of my husband last year. This year I am more able to go forward. Some years it has taken a while for my word to show up. But it was the second day that Clarity SHINED It seems to me that clarity is what I need to make decisions and the questions that need to be asked. Thank you for this opportunity in possibilities