Exile and Coming Home
An Archetypal Journey through the Scriptures
- Online retreat
- Self-study, start anytime
- Move at your own pace, in your own place
- Lifetime access
Registration Fee: $150 USD
Are there stories you would like to remember and honor?
Do you long to reinvigorate your relationship to biblical stories and themes?
Program Description
The scriptures can seem foreign and out of date to modern readers. The Bible is often ignored, misused, or abused even by those who claim it as their own sacred text. And yet, beneath all its modern baggage, it holds great sacred truths. Only through careful reading and reflection can we find a deeper kinship with our spiritual ancestors. It is time to put aside what we think we know and read again with fresh eyes what the scriptures have to teach us.
This six-week course will explore the universal experiences of exile and return home again through personal reflection on the stories of several Biblical figures and Psalms. These offer invitations into different archetypal themes of what it means to live meaningfully as a contemplative and creative person in the world. How might these potent stories and ancient prayers from the Hebrew Scriptures deepen our journey into becoming monks in the world and artists of everyday life?
Each week we will explore a different theme which breaks open the great archetypal themes of exile and coming home at the heart of the scriptures, a male and female voice from scripture, and a Psalm which deepens our understanding of the theme, connecting our prayers to the great lineage of monastic tradition.
The retreat includes reflections by John Valters Paintner, Richard Bruxvoort Colligan, and Ronna Detrick whose passions are the wisdom of the Scriptures for our world today, as well as nine Psalm-based songs by Richard. Roy DeLeon will be inviting you into a gentle movement prayer for the week’s psalm, to explore its meaning in an embodied way.
Each week you will be invited into reading, questions to ponder, the practice of lectio divina, and creative invitations through movement prayer.
What's Included
- Five days a week you receive an email with a link to the day’s content. The materials are in written, video, and/or audio format which you can view and listen to at any time. The sixth and seventh days are for rest and integration.
- Written reflections to introduce the week's theme from John Valters Paintner
- Written reflections on women in the bible from Ronna Detrick
- Written reflections on psalms from Richard Bruxvoort Colligan
- Song recordings of psalms from Richard Bruxvoort Colligan
- Body prayer movement invitations from Roy DeLeon
- Closing reflections from John Valters Paintner
- Lifetime access to all online programs.
Weekly Themes
Week 1: The Angry One
Week 1: The Angry One
Week 2: The Contemplative One
and Psalm 87
Week 2: The Contemplative One
Week 3: The Silent One
Week 3: The Silent One
Week 4: The Hopeful One
Week 4: The Hopeful One
Week 5: The Dedicated One
Week 5: The Dedicated One
Week 6: The Active One
Week 6: The Active One
Being a monk in the world is not about being saintly, but about adhering to religious practices that help us move closer to the being God calls us to be and naming our wounds so they might be healed.
Weekly Themes
Week 1:
The Angry One
Amos, Hagar, and Psalm 109
Several Biblical figures teach us that feeling anger is sometimes the right emotional response to a situation. But what do we do with that righteous anger?
Week 2:
The Contemplative One
Hosea, Mary (of Martha),
and Psalm 87
When faced with a difficult situation, the temptation can be to look away or ignore it. But scripture gives us example of the importance of deep, personal reflection.
Week 3:
The Silent One
Ezekiel, Jepthah's Daughter, and Psalm 62
Words often fail us. And sometimes, not saying anything can be the most profound statement there is.
Week 4:
The Hopeful One
Ezekiel, Hannah, and Psalm 27
It’s been said that one should never take hope away from another, as it may be the only thing they have left.
Week 5:
The Dedicated One
Ezra, The Woman who Anointed Jesus' Feet, and Psalm 101
In a world increasingly filled with distractions, the power to focus and dedicate one’s self to a single task is all the more necessary.
Week 6:
The Active One
Nehemiah, Eve, and Psalm 15
Just as action without contemplation can be foolish, contemplation without action can be meaningless.
Weekly Rhythm of Content
Five days a week you receive an email with a link to the day’s content. The materials are in written, video, and/or audio format which you can view and listen to at any time. The sixth and seventh days are for rest and integration.
Day 1: Reflection on the week’s theme by John Valters Paintner
Day 2: Reflection on women in the bible by Ronna Detrick
Day 3: Reflection on a psalm by Richard Bruxvoort Colligan (with songs included)
Day 4: Body Prayer by Roy DeLeon
Day 5: Closing Reflection by John Valters Paintner
Days 6 and 7 are a time for Sabbath rest and integration.
The materials are mainly in written format, with the weekly song as an mp3 download, and Roy’s body prayers in video format with streaming available. You have forever access to the materials in the course and can move through the lessons at your own pace.
Your Guides for the Journey
John Valters Paintner, MTS
John Valters Paintner studied education and earned a teaching certificate in his home state of California. John later went on to earn a Masters in Theological Studies at the Jesuit School of Theology in Berkeley. After working in parish ministry for several years, John returned to the classroom, teaching high school religion with a focus on the Hebrew Scriptures for twelve years. After a sabbatical year abroad, John now works as Prior of the Abbey of the Arts along side his wife of twenty years, Abbess Christine, living together in Galway, Ireland. Visit the “About John” page for more information.
Richard Bruxvoort Colligan, DMin
Dr. Richard Bruxvoort Colligan is a spiritual director, musician, and lover of laughter. To this retreat, he brings his passion for lifelong spiritual formation and the arts, along with enthralled curiosity for the Great Mystery we are in together. His ongoing project is composing congregational songs at PsalmImmersion.com. He is the author of Dangerous Songs: The Psalms and a Gloriously Disrupted Life (Broadleaf Books). Richard serves as Director of Spiritual Formation at Mount Olive Lutheran Church in Rochester, MN and lives in Strawberry Point, Iowa USA with his wife Trish and dogs Winifred and Jack. Visit Richard online at Worldmaking.net and Patreon.com/RichardBC
Ronna Detrick, MDiv
Ronna Detrick confesses that she is completely intoxicated with women’s stories (particularly those in Scripture). She believes the world is praying for a deeper, richer wisdom: a prayer answered swiftly and powerfully through women’s incarnate brilliance and beauty. Ronna is writing a book that re-tells the ancient, sacred narratives of women in empowered, relevant ways; inviting their stories to be seen as powerful archetypes that still speak today. Visit her website at RonnaDetrick.com.
Roy Deleon
Roy DeLeon is an oblate of St Benedict with St Placid Priory in Lacey, WA. He facilitates workshops and retreats on expressive prayer and yoga. He works as a graphic designer and illustrator. In 2009, Paraclete Press published Praying with the Body: Bringing the Psalms to Life. He has conducted numerous workshops at the L.A. Religious Congress.
Hannah's voice sings out, sounds out, and transcends all time . . . She calls us to what is deeper, stronger, and undeniable within.
Praise for the Course
Registration
$150
Registration Fee
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