I am delighted to share another beautiful submission for the Monk in the World guest post series from the community. Read on for Carolyn Ash’s wisdom about gardening and the gift of weeds: My Garden, My Monastery A day in my Southern California garden sparkles with peace, quiet, calm. Turning soil, tending plants, spraying a bit of water eases my spirit, energizes my body, and creates space in my mind. Repeated motions become a mantra for my hands and body. The mundane becomes sacred: sifting arid soil through my fingers, pulling weeds, feeling the heft of my tools, noticing earthy things with fresh vision. My

This week in our Monk in the World guest post series we have two beautiful poems from fellow monk and artist Asther Bascuna-Creo who lives in Australia. Read on for her wisdom about silence and the contemplative path: Silence And in her middle years she discovers silence. Not the kind you find In a remote abbey nor on a grand cathedral, Not the type you seek in silent retreats nor in places of meditation. But the sitting down in the kitchen bench type The standing in front of the stovetop type The folding the week’s washing type While dinner sizzles over

I am delighted to share another beautiful submission for the Monk in the World guest post series from the community. Read on for Hana Truscott’s wisdom about showing up in the world and where it has taken her: REFLECTION “Ten thousand hours felt like ten thousand hands. Ten thousand hands, they carry me.” My monk in the world mantra is “show up.” The more hours I show up for my daily practice of being a monk in the world, the more my “monkness” carries into other facets of life. I was recently inspired by the lyrics above from the song 10,000 Hours by Macklemore and Ryan Lewis.

I am delighted to share another beautiful submission for the Monk in the World guest post series from the community. Read on for Kevin Peterson’s wisdom about practicing the presence of God in the tasks of daily life: Being a monk in the world…what does that mean to me? When Christine asked me to consider writing about being “a monk in the world” I was at once excited and apprehensive. What do I have to offer to this tremendous conversation on the contemplative life that wouldn’t be better said from someone else?  What could I possibly say that would be profound or inspiring? I looked

I am delighted to share another beautiful submission for the Monk in the World guest post series from the community. Alizabeth Rasmussen has been part of our community for several years and I have been blessed to spend time with her in person at a previous Abbey retreat. She suffered a stroke last year and has been on an incredibly arduous and courageous (with courage here also referring to the root of that word, meaning “with heart”) journey. Read on for her powerful wisdom about remembering: Remembering and Forgetting After the stroke, the credit card machine makes little sense, which way does the strip

I am delighted to share another beautiful submission for the Monk in the World guest post series from the community.  Read on for Rachel Regenold’s wisdom about the power of rhythm to bring more presence to life: Drumming Myself into the Present Moment I have frequently read about the power of being present as a means to live a more peaceful, contemplative life. Yet, I find myself whining, “Isn’t there an easier way?” While on retreat in the fall I succumbed to the beauty of being present when I didn’t have to worry about the details of everyday life. But when I

I am delighted to share another submission for the Monk in the World guest post series from the community. Read on for Jason Jones’ wisdom about listening with the ear of our hearts.: Hospitality of Listening “He listens,” is what a new friend told me when we were both on retreat together.  We both had daily times to visit with a retreat leader, and my friend asked how my session went.  “Good,” I told him.  “It was good.  How about you?”  “He listens,” is how my friend replied.  The two words he listens said there was hospitality, openness, welcome, and safety in that time.  My friend’s