Holy Pause: A Winter Solstice Time of Reflection
with Christine Valters Paintner, Deirdre Ni Chinneide, and Aisling Richmond
Tuesday, December 21, 2021
8-9:30am Pacific
11-12:30 Eastern
4-5:30 pm Ireland/UK time
Program Description
Over 5000 years ago the ancient ones of Ireland revered the movements of the sun across the sky as it brought insight into the gifts of light and darkness into their lives. The Neolithic monuments of Newgrange and Dowth are oriented to the rising and setting sun of the winter solstice respectively. These massive stone passage tombs reveal a profound alignment to the sun’s pilgrimage as a guide for the soul.
In current times, especially these days leading up to Christmas, New Year’s, and other winter festivities are often filled with rushing, shopping, travel, and exhaustion.
We invite you in the midst of the clamor to make time for a Holy Pause, an intentional embrace of winter’s invitation into stillness. Give yourself the gift of slowing down and attuning to the season’s call for reflection.
Join us for a Zoom mini-retreat. During these sacred ninety minutes together we will carve out a space for descent into the wisdom of darkness and incubation as well as the threshold of light returning. We will attend to how our breath opens a doorway into this pause and we will honor our own rhythms of ebb and flow through loving witness.
Christine, Deirdre, and Aisling invite you into a restful space of poetry, song, gentle movement, reflection, and meditation to tune into your body and heart’s desires in this season.
The program will be recorded for those who pre-register but are unable to attend at the scheduled time.
Your Guides for the Journey
Christine Valters Paintner, PhD, REACE
Christine is the director of AbbeyoftheArts.com, a virtual monastery exploring contemplative practice, creative expression, and ways to nourish an earth-cherishing consciousness. She is a spiritual director, teacher, pilgrimage guide, and author of numerous books on spirituality and the arts. Her deepest belief is that the earth is the original monastery–a wisdom guide and mentor in living a soulful and vibrant life. Visit the “About Christine” page for more information.
Deirdre Ni Chinneide
Deirdre Ni Chinneide is trained as a psychotherapist / spiritual director and workshop facilitator. She has worked all over Ireland, the U.S.A. and Europe including Bosnia and Kosovo. The Aran Islands with its unique history, culture and natural beauty provides a special setting for the retreat work, and was the place of inspiration for Celtic Passage, a journey of the heart which she leads through music, reflection and prayer.
Deirdre divides her time between the Aran Islands and the mainland offering retreats, workshops and performances of spiritual music and also works part time with Partners in Faith, a Catholic adult faith education programme working in marginalised areas in Ireland. Deirdre has also co-authored the book Journey to the Well: Connecting to Celtic Ways and Wisdom
Aisling Richmond
Aisling Richmond is a Somatic Therapist and transformative guide who is deeply inspired by nature and the wisdom of the soul. Aisling is currently undertaking a PhD in Psychology and Transformative Leadership to work with cultural change. She shares a home with her partner in the rugged wildness of Donegal, North West Ireland. Aisling works as a therapist, supporting people to resolve trauma and life challenges through body-psyche-soul wisdom. She also mentors people in finding their deep soul purpose, and teaches a rich range of transformative programs online. Aisling is passionate about soul centred living, where nature and the feminine are deeply valued. Having worked collaboratively with many organisations including Amnesty International, Aisling has also been a guest lecturer with both Galway and Limerick Universities. She is a member of the Abbey’ s Wisdom Council.
Aisling is available for somatic therapy, for mentoring sessions, and for group programs online. Feel welcome to contact her to inquire. Visit Aisling’s website here>>
Registration
If you need a different payment plan or a greater scholarship to make this program accessible, please get in touch with us.
Terms and Conditions
Please consider your purchase carefully and review the many free materials we have on our website to make sure the program will be a good fit or get in touch with any questions.
We ask that you honor our work by not sharing the program materials with others who are not enrolled.
Please contact us for permission to quote in settings beyond the program
These videos are made available to registered participants and may also be included in future versions of the program including self-study. If you choose to speak during a recorded gathering, you are giving us your consent to record that contribution. If you prefer not to be seen or heard, you can of course switch off or mute your camera or microphone at any time. Chat sessions are recorded and posted as well. Participation in the chat function is also giving consent to their recording. Breakout groups are never recorded.
If you choose a payment plan and stop payment before fulfilling the commitment without contacting us to make other arrangements, your access to the program will be removed.
