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 4, 2026 and you are automatically entered for the prize drawing (prizes listed below).
Read Christine’s book Give Me a Word: The Promise of an Ancient Practice to Guide Your Year for guidance and inspiration.
This book is designed to help you contemplate what holiness is birthing within your soul. Each day there are different practices offered to inspire, challenge, and support you in listening for the word that wants to be spoken to your heart.
The practices are not about resolutions or goal setting, they are not about achieving more in the new year or accomplishing tasks or goals. They are about listening for what is calling to you in a particular season of life. They ask us to trust a greater wisdom at work in the world than our own egos.
Through this book, you will be invited to release your thinking mind and enter into a space of receiving.
WIN A PRIZE – RANDOM DRAWING GIVEAWAY ENTER BY JANUARY 4th!
- One person wins a space in the mini-retreat Brigid’s Day (Imbolc) Deep Rest Retreat ~ Emergence with Christine Valters Paintner, Deirdre Ní Chinnéide, and Nóirín Ní Riain
- Two people win a space in our upcoming Way of the Monk, Path of the Artist retreat
- Two people win a space each in their choice of Self-Study retreats
- Three people win a Dancing Monk Medallion
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 11th we will announce the prize winners!
270 Responses
My word is SLOW…a desire to decrease my pace and pay more attention. Intrigued by the line from Teilhard de Chardin, “trust in the slow work of God.” How do I see Spirit slowly cultivating in my life?
My word is Realize. This year I’m called to complete, to recognize, to enact, to make real … and Realize can mean all of these. I’ve been seeking the word for a while now, and am grateful it came to me in time to offer it here.
My 2026 word is “intentional”.
My word for this year is “layers”. I want to uncover the layers, see beneath the surface, see more, look more, observe more deeply, look higher, explore the layers of things…
My word found me through the Consecrate box for clergy women. As soon as I saw it I knew it was truly meant for me this year. My word is rest. Rest is something I definitely need more of, yet find it difficult to get. That is why it is perfect for me this year.
My word is devotion…to the sacred in all things, to a daily practice of prayer, to listening to guidance and wisdom, etc.
My word (theme) for the year is wonder: in faith, hope and love….
Courage is my word for this new year. Courage. For myself. For each member of my family and for each of my friends. For each person I cross paths with in 2026. Courage.
My word is “bokeh” – the out of focus or blurred area of a photo which is important for giving attention to the in-focus or sharp part of the picture. I think we all need some bokeh in our lives to allow the bursts of joyous focus to stand out and be experienced fully.
My words for 2026 are Staying Open as I deal with whatever comes next.