New Year Blessings ~ A Love Note from Your Online Abbess
Stop by this link to read W.S. Merwin’s poem “To the New Year” Dearest monks, artists, and pilgrims, I offer you a reprise of my reflection on Embracing Mystery in the New Year: Ten Essential Practices. Let mystery have its place in you; do not be always turning up your whole soil with the plowshare of […]
Christmas Blessings from the Abbey ~ A Love Note from Your Online Abbess
Dearest monks, artists, and pilgrims, All of us here at the Abbey – John, Christine, and the Abbey Wisdom Council – wish you a most wondrous Christmas feast. This is the time for holy birthing to happen in unlikely places, a time to listen to what rises in the stillness, a time to trust in […]
Feast Day of Thomas Merton ~ A Love Note from Your Online Abbess
Dearest Monks, artists, and pilgrims, Today is the feast day of Thomas Merton and I share with you this excerpt from my book Illuminating the Way: Embracing the Wisdom of Monks and Mystics: “The rush and pressure of modern life are a form, perhaps the most common form, of its innate violence. To allow oneself […]
Join us for our online Advent retreat (starts today!) ~ A Love Note from Your Online Abbess
Dearest Monks, artists, and pilgrims, Today the season of Advent begins and I offer you a brief excerpt from our online retreat Signs in the Sun, Moon, and Stars: In the Celtic tradition, one of the central teachings is the idea that there are two books of revelation – one is the written scriptures and […]
Writing on the Wild Edges:
Participant Poems from Michael Philley
At the end of August, 17 creative souls gathered with us for our retreat on Inismor – Writing on the Wild Edges of the World. We had a wonderful group with participants from all over the U.S., Canada, Singapore, and Australia. I am delighted to share some of their poems over these next few weeks. […]
Gratitude and Thanksgiving ~ A Love Note from Your Online Abbess
Dearest Monks, artists, and pilgrims, The United States celebrates the feast of Thanksgiving this week. I have always loved this time of gratefulness and sharing with loved ones. My heart overflows with gratitude for this beautiful community we have created together. I delight daily in knowing there are dancing monks all over the world. The […]
Christine Interviewed at Encountering Silence
Christine joins Carl McColman at Encountering Silence to explore the intersections of silence, spirituality, contemplation, creativity, and living as a monk in the real world. “I believe in the revolutionary power of stillness and spaciousness, and of practicing presence to life’s unfolding. I believe this commitment can change the world.” — Christine Valters Paintner Christine […]