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More from Christine Around the Web This Week

Christine was featured on the Ave Explores podcast this week to talk about “The Soul of the Artist” Christine has a new poem titled “Spring Ephemerals” in Bearings journal online which celebrates spring’s arrival and our intimacy with the more-than-human world. You can read it here>> St. Michael’s Episcopal Church in Arlington, VA is having an online art exhibition in response to the pandemic – here is a collection of poems shared including mine on p. 27 “Always” under the theme of Solace. This poem comes from her second poetry collection The Wisdom of Wild Grace, being published by Paraclete

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Creativity and Social Transformation

Dearest monks, artists, and pilgrims, Last week I shared that 2016 marks the 10th anniversary of Abbey of the Arts’ existence as a virtual monastery. I will be reflecting back on some of my reflections from the Archives and tracing the development of the Abbey this year.  From the beginning, my heart has been sparked by the conversation between contemplative practice and creative expression and how it might be a force for transformation in the world. Here is a reflection I wrote in the first month of creating the blog on Creativity and Social Transformation: If in the Judeo-Christian tradition

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The Elements as Wise Guides and Companions | January 29, 2016

10.00am – 4.30pm | Arrupe Room, Milltown, Ranelagh, Dublin 6 Join me in Dublin for a day of retreat with the AISGA (All Ireland Spiritual Guidance Association, non-members welcome to register). As we approach the feast of Imbolc and St Brigid, we will gather together to pause and listen for how each of the four elements of wind, fire, water, and earth might offer us wisdom and guidance for the season ahead. As the earth reawakens to new life we will listen to the seed rumblings in our own bellies. Through song, gentle movement, writing, photography, reflection, stillness, and conversation

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Earth Monastery Project Grant Winners

The Earth Monastery Project is a small grant project we administer to help encourage projects which nourish an earth-cherishing consciousness through contemplative practice and creative expression. We were delighted with our batch of applications and have selected the following four to receive a small grant for the first half of 2016. We will post more details as they complete their work and report back to us. Laurel Dykstra, Vancouver, BC, Canada   Earth-Bible Curriculum Boxes: to encourage multi-age (3-11 years) groups of children to engage with scripture and creation. Sandi Howell, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada Creating a series of art photographs

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Everything is holy now

Betsey Beckman and I led the Friday evening plenary session for the Spiritual Directors International conference in Atlanta on “Cultivating the Elements of a Compassionate Heart” where we explored the four sacred elements of water, wind, earth, and fire through visual art, writing, movement, and song.  Below is the visual meditation I created for the opening.  These are my photos which were received in prayer accompanied by Peter Mayer’s beautiful song “Holy Now” (which you can order here).  I am very grateful to Peter for his permission to post this video to the Abbey blog so others can receive its

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The Gifts of Winter

Meet Amma Winter.  Amma is the title given to those sage women who lived in the desert in the 3rd century offering their wisdom to seekers.  They lived in harsh and barren landscapes and so were intimate with the wilderness of the soul.  Winter is a rescue, she entered our lives last week and has been slowly settling into the rhythm of life here at the Abbey.   She has a heartbreaking story.  She was abandoned with some other dogs on a farm and left to freeze to death.  When the rescuers arrived she survived but her litter of puppies did not.  Because of this

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The Call of Retreat: Unfurl

I go on a long walk through the forest listening for the word calling to me.  It is a form of lectio divina I practice where nature is the sacred text revealing holy wonders to my heart.  I step further into the silence of trees and moss and ferns.  The forest floor is covered with ferns, creation’s lush and extravagant gesture.  At first I notice the large and mature ones with their wide leaves, but soon my gaze is called to tend to these tender shoots unfurling themselves.  If I listen closely I can hear the quiet movements of a

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