It takes a lot of work to keep an online monastery running smoothly. We have been in need of admin support for a while now and finally are able to welcome in the help we need. We are delighted to introduce Liz Rasmussen and Melinda Thomas Hansen. Liz will be helping reply to some of the emails which come through and Melinda will be working behind the scenes to get blog posts up and the email newsletter sent out. Melinda Thomas Hansen practices living as a monk in the world through meditation, writing, art, yoga, and engaging in relationship. A long time yoga teacher

It is truly amazing and inspiring to read through the words that have chosen you, our dear dancing monks, to guide and challenge for the year ahead. You can read them in the comments here. (And if you still need support for finding a word, the free 12-day mini-retreat is still available at this link). I am delighted to announce the winners of our random drawing for a whole host of wonderful prizes. To claim your prize, please email us and we will get you set up. One space in the upcoming online Abbey retreat Illuminating the Way: Epiphany and New Year

  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

1. Tell your friends, share the love! We do very little advertising, most of our growth happens through word of mouth which is the best kind there is. Share this newsletter, share on FB, “like” our articles and like our Facebook page. 2. Make a donation to support our Earth Monastery Project and Scholarship Fund (to assist those who otherwise could not participate in programs) 3. Give the gift of an online class to a friend. Any class can be gifted. Email us to find out more. 4. If you are shopping through Amazon.com, please consider using this link which provides us with a small percentage of your purchase price without any extra