January 4-February 7, 2015 (5-week online retreat) Description The feast of Epiphany launches us into the new year with a commitment to see the world anew. Full of enthusiasm for the way and the possibility of beginning again, we are joined by several monks and mystics as wise guides. Francis of Assisi, Amma Syncletica (one of the desert mothers), writer Rainer Maria Rilke, the Hebrew prophet Miriam, and modern monk Thomas Merton. They each offer us profound wisdom for giving birth to the divine presence in our own lives. They also function as archetypes, which means that they break

Share your Word for 2015 In ancient times, wise men and women fled out into the desert to find a place where they could be fully present to God and to their own inner struggles at work within them. The desert became a place to enter into the refiner’s fire and be stripped down to one’s holy essence. The desert was a threshold place where you emerged different than when you entered. Many people followed these ammas and abbas, seeking their wisdom and guidance for a meaningful life. One tradition was to ask for a word –  this word or

We are delighted to have Liz Rasmussen now offering some support at the Abbey blog in the coming months. She will be checking in with our weekly blog post invitations to lectio, photography, poetry, and dance and offering support and responses to those who post. Liz had a stroke last year and I am beyond grateful for her process of recovery (even though it might be slower than she would like). Here are some words from Liz: Just before the stroke, Christine asked me if I would work for her. At that time she was switching over from Ning to Ruzuku and

It is in the silence that my hope is, and my aim. A song whose lines I cannot make or sing sounds men’s silence like a root. Let me say and not mourn: the world lives in the death of speech and sings there. —Wendell Berry, excerpted from “The Silence” Advent blessings my dear dancing monks! As we begin this holy season I wanted to invite you into the deep stillness of the heart which is the real gift of this time ahead. Two years ago we had a photography party on the theme of “silence” and I created this

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For the last several months, we have been embarking on an exciting creative project and collaboration.  It started with choosing 12 dancing monks to be a part of the original Dancing Monk Icon series painted by Marcy Hall.  These icons were meant to depict some beloved monks and mystics in a joyful and colorful way, reminding us of our call to dance through this life. We had the inspiration to feature a dancing monk for each week of our Advent/Christmas and Epiphany/New Year’s online retreats. My dear friend and collaborator Betsey Beckman was inspired to have songs created for each dancing monk

For the last several months, we have been embarking on an exciting creative project and collaboration.  It started with choosing 12 dancing monks to be a part of the original Dancing Monk Icon series painted by Marcy Hall.  These icons were meant to depict some beloved monks and mystics in a joyful and colorful way, reminding us of our call to dance through this life. We had the inspiration to feature a dancing monk for each week of our Advent/Christmas and Epiphany/New Year’s online retreats. My wonderful teaching partner Kayce Hughlett, is a trained SoulCollage® facilitator and will be offering this gift