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Reflections

Category: Advent Christmas Epiphany

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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Slowing Down to See: Epiphany Blessings

Illuminated I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened —Ephesians 1:18 The window fills with sky one half pewter, laden with drops that splash the cold concrete the other half brilliant blue sunlight pours sidewalk glimmers in that midday dazzle you feel like it could be the first day of creation or the last and you know this moment will not persist you know you will forget later in the drudgery of evening, but for now you remember how rain and sun conspire to show you everything you need to carry on to the end of day. -Christine

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Advent Blessings! Please Join Us on Retreat ~ A Love Note from Your Online Abbess

Dearest monks, artists, and pilgrims, Tomorrow we begin a journey through my newest book Breath Prayer: An Ancient Practice for the Everyday Sacred. We are so excited to be diving deeply into this beautiful contemplative practice in community with our retreat starting tomorrow. I will be leading a weekly live Zoom session on Mondays (always recorded) with poetry, songs, and meditation. John will be reflecting on scripture passages which highlight breath and Amanda Dillon will be inviting us into sacred seeing with reflections on art that illuminate these passages. Wisdom Council member Jamie Marich will be inviting us into embodied practices each

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