Do you have the soul of a pilgrim? ~ A love note from your online abbess
Dearest monks and artists, Two years ago I published my book The Soul of a Pilgrim which developed out of my own lifelong love of journeying. My father worked for the United Nations when I was a child and we had the privilege of traveling back to Austria where he was from, as well as other […]
Feast of Brendan the Navigator ~ A love note from your online abbess
Dearest monks and artists, Tuesday, May 16th is the Feast of St. Brendan, one of my favorite of the Irish saints. His story embodies the journey of the pilgrim. Here is another excerpt from my book Illuminating the Way: Help me to journey beyond the familiar and into the unknown. Give me the faith to leave […]
Join us on Pilgrimage or Retreat in 2018! ~ A love note from your online abbess
How to Be a Pilgrim Air travel is like ancient pilgrims walking on their knees, flight delays and narrow seats offer their own kind of penance. You jettison excess baggage, leaving behind the heavy makeup case, knowing the rain will wash you free of artifice. Books you wanted to carry left too, no more outside […]
Celebrate the Celtic Feast of Beltane ~ A love note from your online abbess
This is how to feel the sap rising Walk as slowly as possible, all the while imagining yourself moving through pools of honey and dancing with snails, turtles, and caterpillars. Turn your body in a clockwise direction to inspire your dreams to flow upward. Imagine the trees are your own wise ancestors offering their emerald […]
Practicing the Resurrection of the Body for Easter ~ A love note from your online abbess
Dearest monks and artists, Lent is a powerful season of transformation. Forty days in the desert, stripped of our comforts, and buoyed by our commitment to daily practice so that we might arrive at the celebration of Easter deepened and renewed. But often, we arrive at the glorious season of resurrection and celebrate for that […]
A Different Kind of Fast: Part Seven – Embrace Mystery
Dearest monks and artists, Let mystery have its place in you; do not be always turning up your whole soil with the plowshare of self-examination, but leave a little fallow corner in your heart ready for any seed the winds may bring, and reserve a nook of shadow for the passing bird; keep a place […]
Chronic Illness and the Body’s Journey ~ A love note from your online abbess
Dearest monks and artists, I was first diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis when I was 21 years old. The only other person I knew at the time with this disease was my mother and her body had been ravaged by the effects of deterioration, with multiple joint replacements and eventually use of an electric wheelchair for […]