The Mystical Heart: Love as a Creative Force
- Online retreat
- Self-study, start anytime
- Move at your own pace, in your own place
- Lifetime access
Registration Fee: $350 USD
Program Description
At the heart of mysticism is a profound sense of God’s intimate and transforming presence in your life which always expands your capacity for love. We can be sure that our encounter with the divine has been genuine when it leads us to greater love and compassion for self, for other, for creation, and for God.
We encounter this Ground of Love both through our own spiritual practice, opening our hearts daily to listen, but equally as important is through divine grace which always extends out toward us, always seeking to be in communion with us.
Mystics are found in all spiritual traditions and commit themselves to practice in prayer and meditation, spiritual reading, and meeting with a mentor or soul friend in an ongoing way so as to make themselves more available to these moments of encounter.
Through this series you are invited to explore with wisdom of ancient mystics like Anthony the Great and desert wisdom, medieval mystics like Hildegard of Bingen, Benedict of Nursia, Teresa of Avila, Mecthild and the Beguines, Julian of Norwich, and Kevin of Glendalough, and modern mystics like Howard Thurman, Harriet Tubman, and Thomas Merton.
Each presenter will invite you into the particular mystic’s perspective on love and through teaching, meditation, creativity, and practice you will begin to embody their wisdom and cultivate love as a conscious practice and creative force in your life.
What's Included
- 10 recorded 3 hour long retreats in audio and video formats each exploring a different mystic
- Separate videos with closed captions for added accessibility
- Reflection questions and creative expression prompts for each mystic to deepen your exploration of their wisdom and how it relates to your life today
- Immediate, lifetime access to all retreat materials so you can explore the mystics in your own order and at your own pace
Mystics You Will Explore
Hildegard of Bingen
with Christine Valters Paintner & Betsey Beckman
Teresa of Avila
with Claudia Love Mair
Mechtild and the Beguines
with Sister Laura Swan
Thomas Merton
with Sophfronia Scott
Anthony the Great & the Desert Elders
with Christine Valters Paintner
Harriet Tubman
with Therese Taylor Stinson
Benedict of Nursia
with Christine Valters Paintner
Howard Thurman
with Lerita Coleman Brown
Julian of Norwich
with Carl McColman
Kevin of Glendalough
with Christine Valters Paintner, Kenneth Steven, and Simon de Voil
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 nine 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.
Betsey Beckman, MM
Betsey Beckman, MM is nationally acclaimed as a spirited dancer, storyteller, teacher of SpiritPlay and dancing Spiritual Director. With her extensive repertory of sacred storydances, she is regularly featured as artist/presenter at national conventions as well as local churches. She earned her Masters in Ministry degree from Seattle University, her certificate in Movement Therapy from the Institute for Transformational Movement, and is a certified InterPlay leader. As dancer, choreographer, author, mother, wife, teacher and spiritual director, she is passionate about living life fully and fostering creativity in all those with whom she shares life and ministry. Betsey’s publications include books (she is co-author of Awakening the Creative Spirit: Bringing the Expressive Arts to Spiritual Direction), producer of the Abbey of the Arts CDs, and The Dancing Word series of DVDs on embodied prayer. She offers the gift of playful improvisation whenever possible. Vist Betsey’s website.
Carl McColman
Claudia Love Mair, MFA
Lerita Coleman Brown, PhD
Sister Laura Swan
Sophfronia Scott
Kenneth Steven
Therese Taylor-Stinson
Simon de Voil
Praise for the Course
Registration
If you need a different payment plan or a 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
Some self-study retreats include video or audio recordings of sessions that were recorded in a live community offering of the retreat and may make reference to forums or other modes of sharing. Please disregard these as self-study retreats do not have these available.
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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.
