Dearest monks, artists, and pilgrims, This spring I have completed the manuscript for my next book due out in spring 2020 tentatively titled Earth as the Original Monastery. I have been working with this image for several years now and have taught retreats both live and online to explore a deepened intimacy with the earth. To remember that earth is the primal teacher of prayer and sacrament is to cherish it as truly holy, as the truth of the incarnation. It is work that really calls to my heart more and more, especially in this time of our human journey

Fling wide the gates, open the ancient doors, and the Holy One will come in! —Psalm 24 Dearest monks, artists, and pilgrims, In preparation for our Jubilee year of sabbatical I have been reading Maria Harris’ book Jubilee Time: Celebrating Women, Spirit, and the Advent of Age. She begins with the image of Crossing the Threshold which has been a potent one for me for many years, perhaps because I have felt my life to be a whole series of thresholds summoning me to new mysteries and adventures. She draws from the biblical text which John explored for you in

Dearest monks, artists, and pilgrims, In honor of our upcoming sabbatical year, this week we hear from John Valters Paintner about the scriptural roots of Sabbath and Jubilee: The biblical Jubilee is a big, if rarely discussed topic. So, we’re going to back up a bit and get a good running start at it from a point that is far more familiar with all of us. One of the Ten Commandments is to “keep holy the Sabbath” (Exodus 20:8-11 & Deuteronomy 5:12-15). There is controversy, or at least vigorous debate, over the most basic of details. Catholics and Protestants don’t

Dearest monks, artists, and pilgrims, Contemplative rhythms are essential here at Abbey of the Arts, both in terms of what we teach as well as what we practice. Each week we try to take a Sabbath day as a time to celebrate the lavish gift of rest. Each summer we take a month of sabbatical time to refresh and renew our bodies and spirits. We both long for a longer time of sabbatical. If we still worked in a university or church setting this might be built in to the financial support, but since we are entirely self-supporting taking this