Water, Wind, Earth & Fire: Wisdom for Life’s Journey ~ A love note from your online abbess
Dearest monks, artists, and pilgrims, This week we marked the autumn equinox, a time when the sun rests above the equator, and day and night are divided equally. It heralds a season filled with change, celebrates the harvest, and ushers in the brilliant beauty of death. Autumn is a season of transition, of continual movement. […]
Dorothy Day and the Archetype of the Orphan – join us tomorrow! ~ A love note from your online abbess
Dearest monks, artists, and pilgrims, Dorothy Day, the 20th century founder of the Catholic Worker movement and a Benedictine oblate, was very much committed to those who were “outcasts” and on the fringes of society. She loved the widow and the orphan. She was passionate about the corporal works of mercy: feeding the hungry, sheltering […]
Lughnasa and the Harvest of Our Lives ~ A love note from your online abbess
Dearest monks, artists, and pilgrims, Lughnasa (pronounced Loo-nassah) is one of the ancient Celtic feasts celebrated on August 1st marking the time of the beginning of the harvest and the gathering in. It is said to honor the Celtic sun-god Lugh who was an ally to the farmer in the struggle for food. With the […]
Celebrate the Summer Solstice ~ A love note from your online abbess
Dearest monks, artists, and pilgrims, In the northern hemisphere we approach the celebration of the summer solstice, the longest day. The seasons are connected to the different cardinal directions, as well as the four elements. Hildegard of Bingen, a 12th century Benedictine Abbess, allied the direction of the south and the season of summer with […]
Celebrate Pentecost and the Feast of St. Brendan (Free Preview Call) ~ A love note from your online abbess
Dearest monks, artists, and pilgrims, Today is Pentecost and tomorrow is the Feast of St. Brendan, one of my favorite of the Irish saints. Here is another excerpt from my newest book Illuminating the Way: Help me to journey beyond the familiar and into the unknown. Give me the faith to leave old ways and […]
Writing as a Spiritual Practice ~ A love note from your online abbess
Dearest monks, artists, and pilgrims, I am away on the wild edges of Ireland this week and John and I are leading a writing retreat with a wonderful group of writers and pilgrims. So I leave you with this reflection I wrote last year on “Writing as a Spiritual Practice.” I am deeply inspired by […]
Celebrate the Celtic feast of Beltaine ~ A love note from your online abbess
Dearest monks, artists, and pilgrims, In the Celtic Wheel of the Year, today is the feast of Beltaine and the very start of summer. This is an excerpt from our online self-study retreat Sacred Seasons: A Yearlong Journey through the Celtic Wheel of the Year (click link for details and registration): Beltaine (which means bright […]