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Category: Abbess love notes

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The Love of Thousands Prayer Cycle, Book, and Album Launch ~ A Love Note from Your Online Abbess

“Walking, I can almost hear the redwoods beating. And the oceans are above me here, rolling clouds, heavy and dark. It is winter and there is smoke from the fires. It is a world of elemental attention, of all things working together, listening to what speaks in the blood. Whichever road I follow, I walk in the land of many gods, and they love and eat one another. Suddenly all my ancestors are behind me. Be still, they say. Watch and listen. You are the result of the love of thousands.” ―Linda Hogan, Dwellings: A Spiritual History of the Living World

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Sustainers Circle, Abundance, and Gratitude

Gratitude Blessing Spirit of Generosity, we come to you with hearts overflowing with gratitude for your abundant creation. As we awaken each morning, help us to remember this day is a gift, this breath is grace, this life a wonder. Remind us with every flower we see, every act of kindness, every moment of connection to something so much bigger than ourselves, to whisper thank you. Cultivate in us a sense of awe and trust in your lavish grace. Let each word of thanks we offer expand our hearts until delight inhabits us and we know love as our sustenance.

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Update on Writing Projects ~ A Love Note from Your Online Abbess

Dearest monks, artists, and pilgrims, I thought I would share with you some of the writing projects I am involved in at the moment. This has been a very fruitful time for books with my poetry collection Love Holds You coming out last spring from Paraclete Press, then The Love of Thousands on honoring angels, saints, and ancestors being published in August from Ave Maria Press, and I have a book coming out in January 2024 with Broadleaf Books titled A Different Kind of Fast: Feeding Our True Hungers in Lent which is now available for pre-order.  Right now, I am finalizing the edits to my

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Yoga and the Creative Spirit ~ A Love Note from Your Online Abbess

Dearest monks, artists, and pilgrims, This coming Friday, September 15th Abbey Program Coordinator Melinda Thomas will be leading a mini-retreat on Yoga and the Creative Spirit. Melinda has been with the Abbey for almost ten years and has taught monthly classes (now available as a self-study) and workshops, contributed to our retreats, and moderates the Sustainers Circle forum. Read on for Melinda’s reflection on the relationship between yoga and creativity.  “There is an underlying, in-dwelling creative force infusing all of life – including ourselves. When we open ourselves to the creator’s creativity, we open ourselves to the creator’s creativity within us and our lives.” ~

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Join Our Sustainers Circle or Make a Tax-Deductible Donation

We also have some exciting news – our Abbey of the Arts – Prayer Cycle, Book Club, and Scholarship Fund is now a sponsored project of Fractured Atlas, an arts-centered not-for-profit in the U.S. which means that any of our U.S.-based dancing monks who want to donate to support our scholarships and free programs can now get a tax-deductible receipt. You can visit our Donation page for more details. Another way to support the Abbey is to join our Sustainers Circle and receive access to our programs based on the level of support you choose. Enrollment is open through September 30th. Please note that we are

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Deep Calls Unto Deep: Exploring the Psalms ~ A Love Note from Your Online Abbess

Dearest monks, artists, and pilgrims, We are very excited to be welcoming Simon de Voil and David Wallace to teach a four-week series on the psalms starting this week. I hope you will consider joining them for an exploration of these ancient texts and their spiritual meaning for us today.  _______ My dear fellow seekers, I’m writing from the Atlantic coast of New England, watching the cadence of waves soothe and splash as over and over they act out their universal destiny.  I’ve come to Maine to attend the memorial of a beloved cousin felled young by pancreatic cancer, and the

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Join Our Sustainers Circle ~ A Love Note from Your Online Abbess

Dearest monks, artists, and pilgrims, One of my heart’s great joys is the global nature of this community. To know that there are monks and artists spread all over the world who commit to this way of life brings me tremendous comfort and encouragement.  I feel grateful daily for this vibrant and meaningful work and the amazing people I get to collaborate with to help create our programs and offerings. I am thankful every day for you and for the many notes of encouragement I receive about what our work means to you.  In October we will be adding a

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