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Reflections

Category: Links & Resources

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God Loves Us When We Dance

My friend Rachelle over at Magpie Girl will be issuing a creative challenge and invitation twice a month to experiment with some sort of simple art process to get the creative juices going.  She posted her first one today–altering a photo.  Go here to read more about it and here to see the images already contributed. I have been praying a lot with this photo of my paternal grandmother (who was once a dancer) and decided to play with it in Photoshop Elements a bit.  I added a purple hue, some diffuse glow, and an antique border.  Then I wrote in a

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September 7, 2007

Moon Viewing

A cool event on Saturday my sweetie and I are planning on attending. If you’re in Seattle come join us! August 25: Moon Viewing at the Japanese Garden (Arboretum) 7 to 10 p.m. (Garden will open at 6:15 p.m.) Admission for all ages: $15  /  Tea tickets: $10 Enjoy a magical night in celebration of the autumn moon with the garden lit with luminaria, lanterns, and boats afloat on the ponds. View the moon through the powerful telescopes provided by the Seattle Astronomical Society. Participate in a tea ceremony with a bowl of match tea and sweets in the Shoseian

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August 24, 2007

A Visual Meditation

I have been tired today and not feeling all that well.  It has been a slow day.  So I make a simple offering tonight — go over to Anchors and Masts where Tess has created a beautiful video of images from Benedictine and Cistercian monasteries. It really is worth the click over (I am even too tired to figure out how to embed it here) and the four minutes of viewing time.  Turn up your volume and listen to the lovely song as well. Peace to you this day. -Christine Valters Paintner @ Abbey of the Arts

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August 14, 2007

Benedictine Resources

Sister Laura Swan, the former Prioress of St. Placid, where I am an Oblate, was interviewed on our local public radio station, you can find the link here. Sr. Laura has written several books on Benedictine tradition worth checking out: The Forgotten Desert Mothers: Sayings, Lives, and Stories of Early Christian Women Engaging Benedict: What The Rule Can Teach Us Today The Benedictine Tradition (Spirituality in History) I am off for a few days of creative inspiration.  I will still have posts each day this week and should have email access as well but I may be a bit slower than usual

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July 21, 2007

Listening Point

If you head over to Listening Point today, you can see a photo I took in Ireland in a wonderful forest near the ruins of Cong Abbey accompanied by one of my all-time favorite poems (which I posted here about a year ago, but it seemed time to bring it out again).  And while you’re over there, bookmark the site and keep going back to it.  Always good stuff posted there on the contemplative life and they are also looking for more regular contributors. -Christine Valters Paintner@ Abbey of the Arts

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July 12, 2007

Blogging Sabbatical

I am leaving for a pilgrimage to Ireland next week and so will be taking a blogging Sabbatical for the next month until early July.  We have done so much planning, the housesitter will be staying at the Abbey to care for our Abbess Tune, now all that is left is a few more details like packing and then heading off on our adventure.  The next few days will be busy, so I need to set aside any other work.  While I am away I have some resources for you to peruse.  K. at the blog Onehouse recently started a community blog called Listening Point about the contemplative

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June 7, 2007

Sacred Arts Ring

Have you visited the Sacred Arts Web Ring lately?  There’s lots of nourishment for the soul:  Poetry  Rich at Pilgrim Path is posting his wonderful poems, I especially love his latest two: “Eventually” and  “Angels of Comfort” about the beauty of Sabbath.  Kate at Thru My Lens Lightly shares about Happy Endings with a lovely poem and image. Visual Art  Bette at Surimono Garden shares the beautiful first budding of her iris.  Leah at This Far By Faith is playing around with her software to create a digitized painting of a Romans 11:5.  Britt-Arnhild at her House in the Woods always has lovely images

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April 27, 2007