Abbey of the Arts

Transformative Living through Contemplative & Expressive Arts

  • Welcome
    • Prayer Cycle
    • 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
    • Breath Prayer:
      An Ancient Practice for the Everyday Sacred
    • 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
    • Lift Every Voice: Contemplative Writers of Color Book Club
    • Community Online Retreats
      • Harriet Tubman and Howard Thurman-on Being Free
      • Writing Into Bloom
        with Christine Valters Paintner
      • Revelations: The Mysticism of Julian of Norwich and Margery Kempe
      • The Wisdom of Wild Grace: A Weekend Retreat Online
      • The Spiral Way:
        Celtic Spirituality and the Creative Imagination
      • Sacred Balance:
        Aligning Body and Spirit Through
        Yoga and the Benedictine Way
    • 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)
      • Journey with the Desert Mothers and Fathers
        (SELF-STUDY)
      • 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 (SELF-STUDY)
      • 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
    • Live Programs: Pilgrimage & Retreats
      • Writing on the Wild Edges (Ireland)
      • Hildegard of Bingen (Germany)
      • Awakening the Creative Spirit: Experiential Education for Spiritual Directors in the Expressive Arts (Northwest)
  • Calendar
  • Reflections
  • Contact

Music & DVDs

Click the banner above to be taken directly to our Bandcamp music and video store.

Monk in the World: Songs for Contemplative Living

The Monk Manifesto is a set of 8 principles for contemplative, creative, and compassionate living. It is the Rule of Life for the Holy Disorder of Dancing Monks community at Abbey of the Arts. We embrace the practices of Silence and Solitude, Hospitality, Community, Kinship with Creation, Work, Sabbath, Conversion, and Creative Joy. In our last album (Earth, Our Original Monastery) we explored Kinship with Creation. This album is an opportunity to celebrate the other 7 practices through the joy of song while cultivating our capacity for becoming monks in the world.

PURCHASE A DIGITAL DOWNLOAD OR CD
DOWNLOAD THE ALBUM LYRICS HERE
Sound and Stillness: An Audio Collection of Poems from Christine Valters Paintner

14 tracks of poems being read by Christine Valters Paintner from her two collections - Dreaming of Stones and The Wisdom of Wild Grace - with accompanying music by Jake Morgan, Simon de Voil, and Giants and Pilgrims. Also includes two songs composed by Margo Hennebach inspired by two of Christine's poems.

Available only as digital download. 

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

A CD with 14 songs inspired by Christine Valters Paintner's book - 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
PURCHASE THE MUSIC SCORE (PDF)
DOWNLOAD THE ALBUM LYRICS HERE
Earth, Our Original Monastery

This DVD was commissioned by Abbey of the Arts to accompany Christine Valters Paintner’s recent book – Earth, Our Original Monastery.    13 prayer dances for every-body…and one poem video!
with choreography and instruction by Betsey Beckman.

With simple meditative movements, Dance Along to celebrate Earth as our original Cathedral, Scriptures, Saints, Spiritual Director, Icon, Sacrament, and Liturgy. Move with the gifts of Air, Fire, Water and Earth. Pray with Saint Gobnait, Saint Francis, and walk with beauty in honor of the Diné Navajo tradition.

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PURCHASE A DIGITAL DOWNLOAD
VIEW THE EARTH, OUR ORIGINAL MONASTERY DVD TRAILER
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
PURCHASE THE MUSIC SCORE (PDF)
DOWNLOAD THE ALBUM LYRICS HERE
The Soul's Slow Ripening

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!

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PURCHASE A DIGITAL DOWNLOAD
VIEW THE SOUL'S SLOW RIPENING DVD TRAILER
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
PURCHASE THE MUSIC SCORE (PDF)
DOWNLOAD THE ALBUM LYRICS HERE
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 DVD TRAILER
DOWNLOAD THE FREE DANCING WITH MONKS AND MYSTICS PDF PRAYER GUIDE

Upcoming Programs

  • Writing Into Bloom with Christine Valters Paintner
    • May 1, 2021
  • Revelations: The Mysticism of Julian of Norwich and Margery Kempe
    • May 13, 2021
  • The Wisdom of Wild Grace: A Weekend Retreat Online
    • May 15, 2021 - May 16, 2021
  • View All Upcoming Programs

Recent Reflections

  • St. Kevin Holds Open His Hand and Radical Hospitality ~ A Love Note from Your Online Abbess
  • Monk in the World Guest Post: Greta Kopec
  • Monk in the World Podcast + Harriet Tubman Mysticism ~ A Love Note from Your Online Abbess
  • Lift Every Voice: Contemplative Writers of Color – April Video Discussion and Book Group Materials Now Available
  • Hildy Tails 12: Is ait an mac an saol ~ by John Valters Paintner

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