To receive this love note straight to your in-box, subscribe here (and also receive a free gift!) Dearest monks and artists, I have been engaged in much reflection and wonderful conversation with the Wisdom Council while I take my summer break from teaching.  Did you see the video last week of the Catholic bishops gathered in Brazil with the Pope dancing freely?  It was very inspiring, especially in light of what I have been pondering this summer. I have long wanted to articulate more clearly what this community is about, and so this week I bring you the Holy Disorder of

I am delighted to share a new interview with me at Joy Agcongay’s Gentle Marketing (as an introvert myself, her approach really resonates with me!)  Click over to her site to read on about some of my practices and how I nourish myself: I am a huge fangirl of AbbeyoftheArts.com! What is your background and how did your experience lead you to found the Abbey? Who do you think of reaching with this work? Thanks so much Joy!  It is such a delight to have folks who have been with me long-term and are committed to what the Abbey is about.  Most

Give up your endless searching Lay down your map and compass, and those dog-eared travel guides. Rest your weary eyes from so much looking, your tired feet from so much wandering, your aching heart from so much hoping. Lay down on the soft green grass wet with morning dew, and watch as the tree heavy with pendulous pears bends her long branches toward you, offering you perfection in every sweet bite. Give up the weight of knowing, for the reverence of quiet attention and curiosity, for the delight of juice that runs in generous streams down your chin. —Christine Valters

To receive this love note straight to your in-box, subscribe here (and also receive a free gift!) To hear Christine read the poem and love note to you, listen below (you do need flashplayer for it to work) or download the file here: [audio:http://www.mediafire.com/download/lned8f3di2n220f/This_is_what_is_it_like_to_yield_-_July_1%2C_2013.mp3] This is what it is like to yield: to finally feel that place of tightness – your left shoulder, the crick that has been in your neck for as long as you can remember, the hard point between your eyes – soften, and all that is left is the overwhelming desire to dance, to stop resisting the

Ireland is calling so many hearts, souls, and bodies to dwell in her landscape.  In my last newsletter I put a small note at the bottom of the calendar that I was planning a Monk in the World pilgrimage to the west coast of Ireland and to drop me a note if you wanted advance notice.  I received many responses, and last Saturday we opened advanced registration for 11 pilgrims to come May 20-28, 2014, and yesterday – just three days later – we have filled those dates!  That is amazing (and please email me if you want to be on

How to Feel the Sap Rising (a poem for summer) Walk as slowly as possible, all the while imagining yourself moving through pools of honey and dancing with snails, turtles, and caterpillars. Turn your body in a clockwise direction to inspire your dreams to flow upward. Imagine the trees are your own wise ancestors offering their emerald leaves to you as a sacred text. Lay yourself down across earth and stones.  Feel the vibration of dirt and moss, sparking a tiny (or tremendous) revolution in your heart with their own great longing. Close your eyes and forget this border of skin.  Imagine

About a month ago I was inspired to invite several friends and long-time supporters and participants in the Abbey to join me in forming a Wisdom Council.   To my great delight, all 12 of those I invited offered me an enthusiastic yes in response.  I am looking forward to drawing on their wisdom and insight as the Abbey continues to grow and thrive, and to have others with whom to reflect on the best ways to sustainably serve this community. I asked each of them to send me three words that came to them spontaneously when they thought of the Abbey’s