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Reflections

Category: Prayer Cycle

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Women Mystics & Ancestors + Prayer Cycle ~ A Love Note from Your Online Abbess

Dearest dancing monks, artists, and pilgrims, Tomorrow I start teaching a 4-week e-course on practicing with medieval women mystics for the lovely team at Spirituality & Practice. Teresa of Avila, Julian of Norwich, Mechtild of Magdeburg, and Hildegard of Bingen will be our focus and each week brings a set of practices to help encounter their wisdom and deepen into our relationship with the holy.  The period of time in Europe, especially between c. 1000 and c. 1600, saw a flourishing of mystical experiences in both men and women. We have the stories and texts composed by many of these women left

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November 1, 2026

New Poetry Book Launch + Prayer Cycle ~ A Love Note from Your Online Abbess

St. Hildegard Has a VisionFirst came the whirl of colorand the cosmic song intensified,a symphony of music and imagerevealing the heart of the holy.You were often ill between visions,drinking tea as medicine.Your visions showed you the worldis so much more expansivethan what we see with dulled eyes.You saw the universe as an egg,full of potential, greening life forcepulsing through everything,knew this wonderdespite your ill health, knew it in your limbs, your heart, your eyes. Hours spent in bed, prone, vulnerable,prepared you to receive this gift.Is this what can happenwhen we surrender fully?What can enter through the open heart?–Christine Valters Paintner, What Enters Through the

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October 18, 2026

New Prayer Cycle Video Podcast! ~ A Love Note from Your Online Abbess

Dearest dancing monks, artists, and pilgrims, We are absolutely thrilled and delighted to release the first day of our new video podcasts for the Cultivating Seeds of Liberation prayer cycle! We are so grateful to Wisdom Council member and dear friend Betsey Beckman for all her video work and editing in putting these together. She invited many guest dancers to be a part of this project and helps us to bring the dance of liberation alive for all beings! She also provided generous financial support, which along with many other donations and wonderful Sustainers, which help us to continue to offer

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October 4, 2026

Celebrating 20 Years! ~ A Love Note from Your Online Abbess

Dearest dancing monks, artists, and pilgrims, On Monday, April 27th we will be gathering for a 20th anniversary celebration online! We would love for you to join us. We will be sharing some stories from how Abbey of the Arts ripened over the years and some of our lovely musicians will be there to offer the gift of song.  The official date of the 20th anniversary is May 2nd but John and I will be getting ready to welcome some of our Wisdom Council members to Galway, where we live in Ireland, the next day. We are thrilled to have several beloved members joining us to

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April 19, 2026

The Year Ahead at Abbey of the Arts ~ A Love Note from Your Online Abbess

Dearest dancing monks, artists, and pilgrims,  We hope you have had a restful and inspiring summer. We always cherish this time of quiet reflection and dreaming into the new academic year of programs. I have savored having some time to simply be and deepen into the sacred rhythms of life. Out of this wellspring of rest, flows forth our calendar for the coming months which you can find here.  Special thanks to our always amazing program coordinator Melinda Thomas for her wonderful work putting that together. So much happens at the Abbey due to her efforts! I am excited for the variety of

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August 3, 2025

Cultivating Seeds of Liberation Prayer Cycle Day 4 Audio Podcast ~ A Love Note from Your Online Abbess

Dearest dancing monks, artists, and pilgrims, Over the past few weeks we have released the audio podcasts for the first three days of our Cultivating Seeds of Liberation Prayer Cycle. This prayer cycle is deeply rooted in our commitment to contemplative practice as a way to ground ourselves in loving action. Today we are excited to share Day 4 on the theme of Justice. Here are two excerpts from morning and evening prayer. Day 4 Morning Opening Prayer by Claudia Love Mair We come together today, O Lover and Protector of all, because we understand that all of creation is made by

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May 25, 2025

Writing on the Wild Edges + Prayer Cycle Day 2 Audio Podcast ~ A Love Note from Your Online Abbess

Dearest dancing monks, artists, and pilgrims, In pre-pandemic times, John and I used to lead pilgrimages in Ireland (and Austria and Germany) and one of my favorites was called Writing on the Wild Edges on the island of Inismor off the coast of Galway.  The retreat was inspired by the story of St. Brendan, who was known as the navigator because he went on a seven-year journey by sea to find the Island Promised to the Saints. It is a wonderful story of preparations, prayer, discoveries, going in circles, and confronting monsters along the way, before arriving at their destination, and

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May 11, 2025