Abbey of the Arts

Transformative Living through Contemplative & Expressive Arts

  • Welcome
    • Prayer Cycle
      • Introduction to the Earth Monastery Prayer Cycle
      • Day 1 Morning & Evening Prayer:
        Earth as the Original Cathedral
      • Day 2 Morning & Evening Prayer:
        Earth as the Original Scriptures
      • Day 3 Morning & Evening Prayer:
        Earth as the Original Saints
      • Day 4 Morning & Evening Prayer:
        Earth as the Original Spiritual Directors
      • Day 5 Morning & Evening Prayer:
        Earth as the Original Icon
      • Day 6 Morning & Evening Prayer:
        Earth as the Original Sacrament
      • Day 7 Morning & Evening Prayer:
        Earth as the Original Liturgy
      • Prayer Cycle Leader Resources
    • About the Abbey
    • About Christine Valters Paintner
    • About John Valters Paintner
    • About the Wisdom Council
    • Monk Manifesto
    • Join the Holy Disorder of Dancing Monks
    • Subscribe to Our Love Notes
    • Website privacy notice
  • Books
    • Sacred Time:
      Embracing an Intentional Way of Life
    • The Wisdom of Wild Grace: Poems
    • Earth, Our Original Monastery:
      Cultivating Wonder and Gratitude through Intimacy with Nature
    • Dreaming of Stones: Poems
    • The Soul's Slow Ripening:
      12 Celtic Practices for Seeking the Sacred
    • The Wisdom of the Body:
      A Contemplative Journey to Wholeness for Women
    • Illuminating the Way:
      Embracing the Wisdom of Monks and Mystics
    • The Soul of a Pilgrim:
      Eight Practices for the Journey Within
    • Eyes of the Heart:
      Photography as a Christian Contemplative Practice
    • The Artist's Rule: Nurturing Your Creative Soul with Monastic Wisdom
    • Desert Mothers and Fathers: Early Christian Wisdom Sayings Annotated & Explained
    • Lectio Divina–The Sacred Art: Transforming Words and Images into Heart-Centered Prayer
    • Water, Wind, Earth & Fire: The Christian Practice of Praying with the Elements
    • Awakening the Creative Spirit:
      Bringing the Arts to Spiritual Direction
    • Lectio Divina: Contemplative Awakening & Awareness
  • Poetry | Art | Music
    • Music + DVD
    • Poetry by Christine Valters Paintner
    • Poetry Videos
    • Dancing Monk Icons
    • Other Art Collaborations
      • Monk in the World art series by Kristin Noelle
      • Saints & Animals art series by David Hollington
      • Sacred Time art series by Alexi Francis
      • Mary block print art series by Kreg Yingst
  • Programs
    • Walk the Ancient Paths: Pilgrimage
      • Monk in the World (Ireland)
      • Writing on the Wild Edges (Ireland)
      • Poetry and the Sacred Garden of the World (Ireland)
      • Vienna Monk in the World (Austria)
      • Hildegard of Bingen (Germany)
    • Live Programs and Spiritual Retreats
      • Awakening the Creative Spirit: Experiential Education for Spiritual Directors in the Expressive Arts (Northwest)
    • Community Online Retreats
      • Lift Every Voice: Contemplative Writers of Color
      • The Way of the Hermit:
        A Spiritual Survival Guide for Dark Times
        with Kayleen Asbo, PhD
      • The Spiral Way:
        Celtic Spirituality and the Creative Imagination
      • Journey with the Desert Mothers and Fathers (Lent 2021)
      • Sacred Time: Embracing an Intentional Way of Life (Spring 2021)
    • Self-Study Online Spiritual Retreats
      • Creative Flourishing in the Heart of the Desert:
        An Online Retreat with St. Hildegard of Bingen
      • Dreaming of the Sea:
        A women’s discernment journey through the story of the Selkie
      • Earth, Our Original Monastery
        A Companion Retreat to the Book (SELF-STUDY)
      • Exile and Coming Home:
        An Archetypal Journey through the Scriptures
      • Eyes of the Heart:
        Photography as Contemplative Practice
        (Companion retreat to the book)
      • Honoring Saints and Ancestors:
        Online Retreat for the Season of Remembrance
      • Lectio Divina:
        The Sacred Art of Reading the World
      • A Midwinter God:
        Making a Conscious Underworld Journey
      • Sacred Rhythms of Sky, Sun, Sea & Stone:
        A Creative Retreat with the Elements (SELF-STUDY)
      • Sacred Seasons:
        A Yearlong Journey through the Celtic Wheel of the Year
      • The Soul of a Pilgrim:
        Eight Practices for the Journey Within
        (a companion retreat to the book)
      • The Soul's Slow Ripening: 12 Celtic Practices for Seekers of the Sacred (a companion retreat to the book)
      • Water, Wind, Earth & Fire
      • Watershed Moments
        in the Hebrew and Christian Scriptures
      • Way of the Monk, Path of the Artist:
        A 12-Week Companion Retreat to The Artist's Rule
      • The Wisdom of the Body:
        A 10-Week Online Companion Retreat to the Book
      • The Wisdom of Mary and the Sacred Feminine
  • Calendar
  • Reflections
  • Contact

The Soul of a Pilgrim:
Eight Practices for the Journey Within

by Christine Valters Paintner, PhD, REACE, OblSB

Ave Maria Press 2015

Register for our self-study online companion retreat

Description

The renowned author of eight books and abbess of the online retreat center Abbey of the Arts, Christine Valters Paintner takes readers on a new kind of pilgrimage: an inner journey to discover the heart of God. Eight stages of the pilgrim's way--from hearing the call to coming home--are accompanied by scripture stories of great biblical journeys and the author's unique and creative practices of prayer, writing, and photography.

As she did in The Artist's Rule and Eyes of the Heart, Christine Valters Paintner once again helps readers travel to the frontiers of their souls to discover the hidden presence of God. In The Soul of a Pilgrim, Paintner identifies eight stages of the pilgrim's way and shows how to follow these steps to make an intentional, transformative journey to the reader's inner "wild edges." Each phase of the exploration requires a distinct practice such as packing lightly, being uncomfortable, or embracing the unknown. Paintner shows how to cultivate attentiveness to the divine through deep listening, patience, and opening oneself to the gifts that arise in the midst of discomfort.

Each of the eight chapters offers reflections on the themes, a scripture story, an invitation to the practice of lectio divina, and a creative exploration through photography and writing.

The Soul of a Pilgrim has been named one of the best books of 2015 by Spirituality and Practice!

Order Details

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Order from Ave Maria Press
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When you purchase books through the links to Bookshop.org or Amazon.com, Abbey of the Arts is provided with a very small percentage of your purchase price at no extra cost to you. We apply these funds toward scholarships for our online programs. Thank you for your support!

Supplemental Materials

Download a printable bookmark with the 8 practices
8 practices of a good pilgrimage (article at U.S. Catholic)
7 pilgrimages you can go on right now (at U.S. Catholic)

Praise for the Book

This creative, moving book beckons the pilgrim into the inner journey through daily life. Deeply grounded in creative spiritual practices, it is both a guidebook and an inspiration."  -Sheryl A. Kujawa-Holbrook, Author of Pilgrimage--The Sacred Art

Of all the books that Christine Paintner has written, this is by far my personal favorite. To refer to it as a comprehensive manual for the journey doesn't do justice to the incredible richness of its resources. It definitely reawakened the inner pilgrim in me!" -Wil Hernandez, Obl. OSB, Founder and Executive Director, CenterQuest.org

Making our own pilgrimage to the heart inside our heart is perhaps the most challenging and yet most rewarding journey we can make. The Soul of a Pilgrim is the perfect companion to have in our pocket along the way."  -Bruce Davis, Retreat Leader, SilentStay.com

Christine Valters Paintner and her husband John beckon the reader toward a transformative way of pilgrimage. Poetry, practices, and midrash weave this wisdom into daily life." -Mary C. Earle, Author of Marvelously Made: Gratefulness and the Body

Christine Valters Paintner's latest work is an invitation to take leave of the familiar and go on pilgrimage--not necessarily by traveling abroad, but by simplifying one's life, letting go of pre-conceived and perhaps deeply rooted notions, and opening oneself up to the Spirit of wisdom in one's heart. Complemented by the scriptural reflections of her husband, John, and her own creative poetry, this marvelous book takes the reader on a journey of discovery that can profoundly change the direction of one's life." -Edward Sellner, Author of Pilgrimage: Exploring a Great Spiritual Practice

Because Paintner is a spiritual director herself, she seems keenly aware of the questions that true pilgrims of the spiritual life ask, hold, and seek. . . Interspersed are the author's thought-provoking poems and prayers, yet another opportunity to get a glimpse of her unusual life. . . This book like Paintner's others, is about process. That is, it is meant to be savored and practiced with deliberation, not skimmed, or read all at once. . . This book is testimony to the author's deep listening, total commitment to the pilgrimage within, and her willingness to share the gifts that she has received along the road." -Donna Erickson Couch in Presence: An International Journal of Spiritual Direction

For those who appreciate thoughtful writing that encourages a look inward, without the nose rub into our imperfections or improvement that might only come with severe discipline and Herculean achievement, The Soul of a Pilgrim will not disappoint. The latest writing of Benedictine oblate, artist, and spiritual director Christine Paintner, beckons us to pilgrimage, not simply travel but seeking: a creative exploration of our interior life, trusting the wisdom and current of Spirit as we journey in the loving presence of God." -review in Liguorian Magazine

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Upcoming Programs

The Way of the Hermit:
A Spiritual Survival Guide for Dark Times

January 22-24, 2021
with Kayleen Asbo, PhD

The Spiral Way:
Celtic Spirituality and the Creative Imagination

Hosted by the Rowe Center
February 1-21, 2021
with Christine Valters Paintner, PhD

Recent Reflections

  • Humility + Join us today for live prayer! ~ A Love Note from Your Online Abbess
  • Hildy Tales 2: Tús maith leath na hoibre – by John Valters Paintner
  • New Book Club for 2021: Lift Every Voice ~ A Love Note from Your Online Abbess
  • Hildy Tales One: Dia dhuit, is mise Hildy! by John Valters Paintner, Your Online Prior
  • Celebrate the Earth Monastery Prayer Cycle podcast with us!

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