To receive this love note straight to your in-box, subscribe here (and also receive a free gift!) King Solomon made himself an enclosed litter of wood from Lebanon. He made its columns of silver, its roof of gold, Its seat of purple cloth, its interior lovingly fitted. —Song of Songs 3:9-10 Dearest monks and artists, I have mentioned before that my husband and I practice lectio divina together and we have slowly been working our way through the Song of Songs together, praying with just a couple of verses at a time in a practice of lectio continua. Several weeks

There are a couple more days left for our Community Lectio Divina practice this month with Isaiah 42:6-10.  Reading your responses has been very powerful for me, to listen to the Spirit at work weaving through our shared prayers.  Sunday we will post this month’s Photo Party which will continue breaking open the themes explored in the passage.

We have added a fourth and final set of dates for the Monk in the World: Pilgrimage to the Sacred Edge of Ireland in 2014. We love the poetry of now having one pilgrimage in each of the four Celtic seasons. There are only a couple of spaces left for March 18-26, 2014, so please contact me to register (or to be added to the waiting list for the other dates or advance notice of 2015 dates). Join your fellow pilgrims and monks in the world for an intimate and transformative journey to a sacred landscape. If Ireland calls to

Dearest monks and artists, This coming Tuesday represents two significant relationships in my life.  September 3rd is my mother’s birthday, she would have been 71 and it is also my 19th wedding anniversary with my beloved, and your online Prior, John. My mother’s death 10 years ago was unexpected and wrenching.  I was blessed to be by her side at the moment of her last breath. Truly it was one of the holiest moments of my life and one of the most terrible, as this woman I loved so dearly was torn from me too soon.  Her death plunged me into a depression for the

Eyes of the Heart: Conference in Chicago with Christine Valters Paintner Saturday, October 19, 2013 at Mundelein Seminary Join Benedictine Oblate, retreat leader, and widely acclaimed author, Christine Valters Paintner, as she invites us to consider how viewing the world through the lens of a camera (even a humble cell phone camera!) can become a means of “seeing” the Sacred all around us in a fresh, new way. Participants are encouraged to bring their cameras so that they, too, may capture the beauty of God in the world around us. (register at this link and scroll down to October 19th).

Hello monks and artists!  We are opening up a Facebook group for the *Holy Disorder of Dancing Monks* and ongoing conversation (facilitated by Wisdom Council member Melissa Layer but I will also check in as I can).  We want it to be a place of connection and ongoing support for the contemplative and creative journey, and we will see what evolves.  Part of being a monk in the world is stepping into the possibilities and seeing what happens! To join you can go to this link (you will need to be logged into your Facebook account to see it) and click “Join

With the advent of the Holy Disorder of Dancing Monks and the way this community continues to grow, I am finding myself called to listen to ways the Abbey can support you in creating your own small groups and gathering circles with others in your local community, for in-person dancing monk delight. 1. On all self-study and selected community online classes I am now offering a small group discount when you register together with others.  My hope is that this might encourage you to gather a small group of kindred spirits together and have a structured format of material to reflect on