At the end of August, 17 creative souls gathered with us for our retreat on Inismor – Writing on the Wild Edges of the World. We had a wonderful group with participants from all over the U.S., Canada, Singapore, and Australia. I am delighted to share some of their poems over these next few weeks. Pour a cup of tea, imagine yourself on a windswept limestone island in the Atlantic, and savor for a while. From Linda Courage: Back yard spaces With buckets and overturned containers Diggers and trailers Useful and necessary at certain moments But left to befriend passing

At the end of August, 17 creative souls gathered with us for our retreat on Inismor – Writing on the Wild Edges of the World. We had a wonderful group with participants from all over the U.S., Canada, Singapore, and Australia. I am delighted to share some of their poems over these next few weeks. Pour a cup of tea, imagine yourself on a windswept limestone island in the Atlantic, and savor for a while. From Francine E. Walls: The Abbot of Inis Mor turns to his Flock Pow!  Waves stomp on sand, a fringe of lace spreads out, rooted

Christine joins Carl McColman at Encountering Silence to explore the intersections of silence, spirituality, contemplation, creativity, and living as a monk in the real world. “I believe in the revolutionary power of stillness and spaciousness, and of practicing presence to life’s unfolding. I believe this commitment can change the world.” — Christine Valters Paintner Christine offers a special treat at the end of the conversation — she reads a never-before-published poem of hers, “Saint Francis and the Grasshopper.” Listen to the interview here >>

“I believe in the revolutionary power of stillness and spaciousness, and of practicing presence to life’s unfolding. I believe this commitment can change the world.” — Christine Valters Paintner Christine joins Carl McColman at Encountering Silence to explore the intersections of silence, spirituality, contemplation, creativity, and living as a monk in the real world. She also offers a special treat at the end of the conversation — she reads a never-before-published poem of hers, “Saint Francis and the Grasshopper.” Listen to the interview here >>

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This week I had the delight of being interviewed on two different radio shows about my new book The Soul’s Slow Ripening: 12 Celtic Practices for Seeking the Sacred. Tune into The Soul-Directed Life to hear me talk about encircling prayer, seasonal rhythms, and three essential things and to hear my answers to Janet’s three intriguing questions about prayer at the end of our conversation. Tune into Radiantly You! to hear me talk about the gifts of autumn and some of the stories of the Irish monks, including St. Gobnait and her dream and St. Kevin and the blackbird.