Writing with the Ancestors
- Online retreat
- Self-study, start anytime
- Move at your own pace, in your own place
- Lifetime access
Registration Fee: $60 USD
Program Description
Join us for a 4-session journey at your own pace into a deepened connection with your ancestors through the creative act of writing.
Originally offered around the ancient Celtic sacred feast of Samhain on November 1st which begins the new year and is the time when the veil between worlds is especially thin, this self-study retreat is appropriate at any time you are seeking to connect with your ancestors. Samhain is a threshold time, when the old falls away and the new is coming into birth. When heaven and earth kiss. You are invited to listen across the threshold for the voices of those you are connected to through blood and bone, as well as those who inspire you through spiritual lineage and wisdom.
Our ancestors have lived through their own times of war, plague, and civil unrest. We can hear their whispers in our bodies if we quiet ourselves long enough. You are invited to listen for what guidance you might receive for the challenging times we live in. In each one-hour video session, Christine leads you through a series of writing explorations inspired by a reading of various poems. These are meant to be generative exercises. It is not a time to workshop and critique, only to honor and discover.
You will also engage in song, poetry, meditation, reflection, and gentle movement, to listen for the threads that you are invited to carry forward. Whether you know about your genealogy or not, you can still enter into this process and begin to weave together the images your blood and spiritual ancestors inspire in you.
In addition to the four hour long video writing sessions, also included are supplemental writing invitations.
Note: This program was originally offered as a live retreat so please disregard any reference to sharing as that is not included in this self-study version. If you participated in the Rowe Center version of this retreat in October 2023, you already have access to this material.
Who are the wise and well ancestors to help guide you?
What ancestral lands call to your heart?
What kind of ancestor do you want to be?
What's Included
*Four one-hour long pre-recorded video writing sessions with Christine Valters Paintner
*Audio versions of each writing session
*Written transcripts and presentation materials
*Additional writing invitations
Your Guide for the Journey
Christine Valters Paintner, PhD, REACE
Christine Valters Paintner is the online Abbess and 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, Benedictine oblate, 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.
Praise for the Course
Registration
$60
Registration Fee
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.
Your registration implies consent to be added to our weekly email newsletter. You are free to unsubscribe or change frequency at any time. We never sell your personal information.
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.
