Abbey of the Arts

Transformative Living through Contemplative & Expressive Arts

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    • About the Abbey
    • About Christine Valters Paintner
    • About John Valters Paintner
    • About the Wisdom Council
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  • Books
    • 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
  • Icons
  • Music & DVD
  • Videos
  • Programs
    • Walk the Ancient Paths: Pilgrimage
      • Monk in the World (Ireland)
      • Writing on the Wild Edges (Ireland)
      • Honoring Saints and Ancestors (Iona)
      • Vienna Monk in the World (Austria)
      • Hildegard of Bingen (Germany)
      • Sacred Rhythms of Sky, Sun, Sea, and Stone:
        An Embodied Writing and Voice Retreat (Ireland)
      • The Soul's Slow Ripening (Ireland)
    • Live Programs and Spiritual Retreats
      • Awakening the Creative Spirit: Experiential Education for Spiritual Directors in the Expressive Arts (Northwest)
      • Earth Monastery Intensive:
        Nourishing Intimacy with Nature for Soul Care Practitioners (Scotland)
    • Community Online Retreats
      • Jubilee Year Community Retreat:
        Exploring Sacred Rhythms of Time
    • Self-Study Spirituality Online Classes
      • 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
      • 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 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

Music

Earth, Our Original Monastery: Singing Our Way to the Sacred

A CD with 12 songs inspired by Christine Valters Paintner's newest book to be released in April 2020 - Earth, Our Original Monastery: Cultivating Wonder and Gratitude through Intimacy with Nature (Ave Maria Press). Musicians include Richard & Trish Bruxvoort Colligan, Peter Mayer, Simon De Voil, Betsey Beckman, and Lorraine Bayes.

PURCHASE A DIGITAL DOWNLOAD OR CD (Link coming soon!)
DOWNLOAD THE ALBUM LYRICS HERE (Link coming soon!)

If CDs are unavailable at the link above, they can also be ordered at thedancingword.com/store ›

The Soul's Slow Ripening: Songs for Celtic Seekers

A CD with 12 wonderful songs inspired by Irish monks and the journey of Celtic pilgrimage. This album was created in conjunction with Christine Valters Paintner's newest book to be released in September 2018 - The Soul's Slow Ripening: Twelve Celtic Practices for Seekers of the Sacred (Ave Maria Press). Musicians include Sherri Hansen, Richard Bruxvoort Colligan, Deirdre Ni Chinneide, Simon De Voil, Sara Thomsen, Margaret McClarty, and Margo Hennebach.

PURCHASE A DIGITAL DOWNLOAD OR CD
DOWNLOAD THE ALBUM LYRICS HERE

If CDs are unavailable at the link above, they can also be ordered at thedancingword.com/store ›

Singing with Monks and Mystics

A CD with 13 fabulous songs to accompany each of the twelve dancing monk icons plus a bonus second song for St. Benedict by composers Laura and David Ash, Betsey Beckman, Carmel Boyle, and Richard Bruxvoort Colligan.

PURCHASE A DIGITAL DOWNLOAD OR CD
DOWNLOAD THE ALBUM LYRICS HERE

If CDs are unavailable at the link above, they can also be ordered at thedancingword.com/store ›

The Soul's Slow Ripening

Our newest resource!  This DVD was commissioned by Abbey of the Arts to accompany Christine Valters Paintner's recent book – The Soul's Slow Ripening: Twelve Celtic Practices for Seeking the Sacred.   Filmed in soulful, wild and thin places in Scotland, Ireland and the Pacific Northwest.  Dance along  with the Celtic Saints: Brendan, Brigid, Ciaran, Colman, Columcille, Dearbhla, Enda, Gobnait, Ita, Kevin, Patrick, and Sourney.  12 Celtic-inspired dances for Every-body!

PURCHASE THE DVD
PURCHASE A DIGITAL DOWNLOAD
VIEW THE SOUL'S SLOW RIPENING TRAILER
Dancing with Monks and Mystics

Twelve prayerful and playful participatory dances for every-body! With choreography and instruction by Betsey Beckman and music commissioned by Abbey of the Arts.  Enter into dances inspired by 12 monks and mystic through the ages including the Prophet Miriam, King David, Mary Mother of God, Amma Syncletica, Brigid of Kildare, Benedict of Nursia, Brendan the Navigator, Hildegard of Bingen, Francis of Assisi, Rainer Maria Rilke, Dorothy Day, and Thomas Merton. Filmed in locations that evoke and celebrate the gift of each monk and mystic!

PURCHASE THE DVD
PURCHASE A DIGITAL DOWNLOAD
VIEW THE DANCING WITH MYSTICS AND MONKS TRAILER
DOWNLOAD THE FREE DANCING WITH MONKS AND MYSTICS PDF PRAYER GUIDE
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Upcoming Programs

Jubilee Year Community Retreat:
Exploring Sacred Rhythms of Time
(ONLINE)

June 2019-June 2020
with Christine & John Valters Paintner and Wisdom Council members

The Wisdom of Mary and the Sacred Feminine:
A 30-day self-study retreat
(Use code Mary20 for 20% off in December)
with Christine & John Valters Paintner, Betsey Beckman, Jamie Marich, and Sibyl Dana Reynolds

Recent Reflections

  • Monk in the World Guest Post: Jen Arendt
  • Monk in the World: Kinship with Creation 2 – Scripture Reflection by John ~ A Note from your Online Abbot
  • Featured Poet: Mary C. Earle
  • Monk in the World: Kinship with Creation 1 ~ Reflection by Christine
  • Dancing Monk Icons on Sale!

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