I am delighted to share another beautiful submission to the Monk in the World guest post series from the community. Read on for Christine Lee Smith’s reflection “Contemplative Presence in Creative Practice.” One afternoon while serving as a TA in an introductory photography course during my MFA program, a student asked me about the thesis body of work I was making. As it was my final year in the program I was already deep into the making of the project, but not yet full of articulate language around what I was pursuing in this photography-based portrait project. So I paused,

I am delighted to share another beautiful submission to the Monk in the World guest post series from the community. Read on for Kathleen Bolduc’s reflection Unplugged. As a spiritual director and retreat leader, I love to guide retreatants in unplugging from technology and plugging into rich rhythms of the spiritual disciplines and the harmonies of nature. Photography as contemplative practice, Lectio Divina, Visio Divina, and contemplative prayer are part of my well-worn path.  A teacher can only teach well that which she knows well, so these practices are the leaven of my daily life; enabling a daily rising, feeding my soul

I am delighted to share another beautiful submission to our Monk in the World guest post series from the community. Read on for Kate Kennington Steer’s reflection “i am limited.” A few months ago I wrote these words in response to a series of photographs (some of which are pictured here) I made in collaboration with the Kinship Photography Collective, for their project ‘between bodies’: information remainsteasingly just out of reachbehind the darkest bottle-green blur of a hedgeor perhaps a single leaf,here where size is distortedand volume compacted.there are limits to this seeing.I am limited.so I am compelled to askhow meaning

I am delighted to share another beautiful submission to the Monk in the World guest post series from the community. Read on for Melanie-Préjean Sullivan’s reflection on her morning prayer practice. I have always been a student of spirituality. From the time I could read, my life was filled with books on the lives of saints and anything I could find on religious sisters.  Over the years, a few happy situations helped me to discern a different call― to research and teaching, to counseling, and eventually to campus ministry. But there was always a lingering desire to lead a more

I am delighted to share another beautiful submission to the Monk in the World guest post series from the community. Read on for Laurie vandenHurk’s reflection Mindfulness of everyday life – caring for children. Quote: Thich Nhat Hanh, “If you touch one thing with deep awareness you touch everything.” (1.) “Look out,” said the sign, so Jasper stopped to look out at the view. I stopped too. As I waited for Jasper, I felt a call to wake up and look out, to come out of my interior funk/fog and be present, mindful and fully embodied in the moment. Last

I am delighted to share another beautiful submission to the Monk in the World guest post series from the community. Read on for Janeen Adil’s reflection and poem on home. Home. In any language, it’s among the most evocative of words. My own memories and associations of home are deeply positive; for others, alas, they are breathtakingly sad. In either case, the word has a universal pull. I see that tug at the heartstrings, for what home was or could be or should be, as leading us all into a contemplation of our yearnings. While home will naturally look different