8 Practices of a Good Pilgrimage ~ A Love Note from Your Online Abbess
Dearest monks, artists, and pilgrims, The value of travel was ingrained in me from a young age. When I was growing up in New York City my father worked for the United Nations, and we had the privilege of traveling back to Austria, where he was from, as well as other European countries and once […]
The Sacred Gifts of Poetry ~ A Love Note from Your Online Abbess
Dreaming of Stones In the world before waking I meet a winged one, feathered, untethered, who presses in my palm three precious stones, like St. Ita in her dream, but similarities end there, her with saintliness and certainty, me asking questions in the dark. All I know is I am not crafted from patience of […]
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. […]