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Reflections

Category: Advent Christmas Epiphany

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New Year Blessings ~ A Love Note from Your Online Abbess

Dearest monks and artists, I pray this note finds you well and thriving as we move through the season of Christmas and this turning point of the calendar to a new year. I have had a time of mini-sabbatical these last few weeks as my health continues to be a challenge. Rest is such a gift and I am grateful for the space to ease my fatigue and pain. As I sit in quiet moments, my heart always turns to this beautiful work I am privileged to do and to you, our beloved dancing monks, who make this work such

December 31, 2023

Winter Solstice Wisdom and Offerings ~ A Love Note from Your Online Abbess

Of Price and Worth Let the ordinary be in your hand; hold it open and imagine a bird landing, offering all it possesses in trust to come to you. Learn to look for the little things that weigh nothing at all, but fill the heart with such light they can never be measured. -Kenneth Steven, Seeing the Light Dear monks, artists, and pilgrims, We are delighted to be offering two programs this week to help you slow down and savor the gifts of this time of year as we wait for the tipping point of darkness to light in the

December 17, 2023

Give Me a Word Retreat ~ A Love Note from Your Online Abbess

Dear monks, artists, and pilgrims, 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

November 30, 2023

Preparing for Advent + Prayer Cycle Day 7

Dear monks, artists, and pilgrims, Today we share the final two audio podcasts of our 7-day prayer cycle on the theme of The Love of Thousands. The theme for morning is on ancestral earth and deep time, honoring that our ancestors are not just our human kin, but the mountains whose minerals form our bones and the seas that swim in our blood. We are connected to all of life. The evening theme is the love of thousands, bringing the whole journey through honoring angels, saints, and ancestors together. Advent begins in a week! Every year before Christmas since 2008 we have

November 26, 2023

New Year Blessings and Gratitude ~ A Love Note from Your Online Abbess

Dearest monks, artists, and pilgrims, For the last 14 years we have hosted our annual Give Me a Word mini-retreat and invitation for you to share your word for the year with our community. You can find out more about it at this post. Some years my word comes quickly and some years it demands a lot more listening and waiting until I receive it. Sometimes I feel certain the word is shimmering and other times I am uncertain and so hold whatever seems to come lightly and with openness. As many of you know the first half of last year was a

January 1, 2023

Advent Begins! + Prayer Cycle Day 4 ~ A Love Note from Your Online Abbess

Dearest monks, artists, and pilgrims, In November and December, we are releasing our brand new 7-day prayer cycle of morning and evening prayers on the theme of Soul of a Pilgrim. The audio podcasts for Day 4 morning and evening prayer are being released today on the theme of Making the Way by Walking! This is one of the many free resources we offer to our community to help support your contemplative practice and prayer. (If you are able to support this work financially in any way, we gratefully accept contributions at this link.) Advent begins today, this holy season that honors

November 27, 2022

Mary, Keeper of Thresholds + Prayer Cycle Day 3 ~ A Love Note from Your Online Abbess

Dearest monks, artists, and pilgrims, In November and December we are releasing our brand new 7-day prayer cycle of morning and evening prayers on the theme of Soul of a Pilgrim. The audio podcasts for Day 3 morning and evening prayer are being released today on the theme of Crossing the Threshold! This is one of the many free resources we offer to our community to help support your contemplative practice and prayer. (If you are able to support this work financially in any way, we gratefully accept contributions at this link.) A week from today we begin the sacred season of

November 20, 2022

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Visit the Abbey of the Arts online retreat platform to access your programs:

Reflections

Category: Advent Christmas Epiphany

Filter

New Year Blessings ~ A Love Note from Your Online Abbess

Winter Solstice Wisdom and Offerings ~ A Love Note from Your Online Abbess

Give Me a Word Retreat ~ A Love Note from Your Online Abbess

Preparing for Advent + Prayer Cycle Day 7

New Year Blessings and Gratitude ~ A Love Note from Your Online Abbess

Advent Begins! + Prayer Cycle Day 4 ~ A Love Note from Your Online Abbess

Mary, Keeper of Thresholds + Prayer Cycle Day 3 ~ A Love Note from Your Online Abbess

Upcoming Programs

Recent Reflections

Monk in the World Guest Post: Diana Turner-Forte

St Patrick and Answering the Call ~ A Love Note from Your Online Abbess

Monk in the World Guest Post: Jennifer Scott Mobley

St Colman, Solitude, and Pilgrimage ~ A Love Note from Your Online Abbess

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