I am delighted to share another beautiful submission to our Monk in the World guest post series from the community. Read on for Wisdom Council member Jo-ed Tome’s reflection Slower. Softer. Simpler. I did not exactly set out to become a monk. If someone had told my younger self that “monk” would one day be part of my self-description, I probably would have laughed and then quickly apologized because I was raised to be polite. But over the years, this monk-in-the-world identity has slowly revealed itself, not through lightning bolts or desert visions, but through the gentle rhythm of days

We welcome you to submit your reflection for possible publication in our Monk in the World guest post series. It is a gift to read how ordinary people are living lives of depth and meaning in the midst of the challenges of real life. There are so many talented writers and artists in this Abbey community, so this is a chance to share your perspective. The link to the reflection will be included in our weekly newsletter which goes out to thousands of subscribers. Submit your own post from one of the following categories on the general theme of “How do I live

I am delighted to share another beautiful submission to the Monk in the World guest post series from the community. Read on for Kiki McGrath’s reflection and visual art essay Contemplative and Creative Practice. For the past year I have been drawing and painting in a copy of Revelations of Divine Love, responding to this visionary text with graphite, oil pastel, and watercolor paint. Inspired by Julian of Norwich’s mystical experiences, I find her medieval life equally compelling: for more than twenty years she lived alone in an anchorhold—a room attached to a church—and wrote what is now the earliest surviving

I am delighted to share another beautiful submission to the Monk in the World guest post series from the community. Read on for Jamie Alm’s reflection on contemplative presence and family life. How do I live as a monk in the world? How do I bring contemplative presence to my work and/or family? In my early days of motherhood, I would jealously read about monks with endless hours to contemplate beauty, goodness and truth in the silence of their cloistered lives. I envied their uninterrupted life. It looked so pure, so impenetrable. They lived in a spiritual fortress that could

I am delighted to share another beautiful submission to our Monk in the World guest series from the community. Read on for Rochelle Rawson Naylor’s reflection on the spiritual practice of being in the present moment while caring for a loved one with dementia. Be where you are. This has been my everyday mantra for myself over the decades of my adult life.  It is what I write inside the cover of my calendar in each new year, and it is below my name on my social media profile pages, so I hold it personally and share it publicly.   In earlier seasons

I am delighted to share another beautiful submission to the Monk in the World guest post series from the community. Read on for Lori DiPrete Brown’s reflection Hope through Uncertainty: Reflections Drawing on the Writings of Julian of Norwich. The writings of Julian of Norwich, a cloistered contemplative who lived in14th Century England, recount her mystical experiences and speak about the nature of God and the soul. Julian lived in times of plague, war and social strife, yet she offers a spirituality of hopeful, tender co-creation.  In February and March of 2024 I undertook 30 days of reflection on Julian’s writings

I am delighted to share another beautiful submission to our Monk in the World guest post series from the community. Read on for Amy Oden’s reflection on silence in academic settings. As a professor I live much of my life with students in learning and discovery. This happens in physical classrooms, outside classrooms, in retreat settings and in virtual spaces. I’m noticing how my contemplative journey continues to shape and transform my teaching. My monk-in-the-world speaks into course design and class sessions, drawing my attention to the rhythms we inhabit together as learners. Life with students has been a wonderful