Give Me a Word: An Ancient Practice to Guide Your Year
Nov 30, 2025 – Dec 3, 2025 @ 4:00 pm GMT – 5:30 pm GMT –
with Christine Valters Paintner and Guest Teachers
Since 2008 we have posted an annual invitation to listen for a word to guide them in the year ahead. We would share a few short and simple practices with hundreds of people participating. Now Christine has published a book about the process and this retreat is a companion to it, providing additional guidance and support to contemplate what holiness is birthing within your soul. Each day there will be a different practice offered to inspire, challenge, and support you in listening for the word that wants to be spoken to your heart.
Give Me a Word: The Promise of an Ancient Practice to Guide Your Year
Order Now Give Me a Word Retreat Reflection Guide Small Group Leader’s Guide Early Reviews “VERDICT An excellent book for readers interested in finding a new meditation technique or nonsectarian spiritual practice or who simply want to slow down and give more depth to their lives.” – Marjorie Mann, Library Journal. Read the full review […]
Give Me a Word 2019: Celebrating 10 Years!
SHARE YOUR WORD FOR 2019 In ancient times, wise men and women fled out into the desert to find a place where they could be fully present to God and to their own inner struggles at work within them. The desert became a place to enter into the refiner’s fire and be stripped down to […]
New Year Blessings! What is your word for the year? ~ A love note from your online abbess
To the New Year With what stillness at last you appear in the valley your first sunlight reaching down to touch the tips of a few high leaves that do not stir as though they had not noticed and did not know you at all then the voice of a dove calls from far away […]
Give Me a Word (and second annual Abbey New Year Giveaway)
Last year I offered the invitation to my readers to consider a word shimmering for them that might carry them throughout the year. There were 140 beautiful postings and I later created a Wordle from the entries as a celebration of the prayers gathered. I offer the same invitation this year and again some prizes […]
Give Me a Word Winners!
Thank you to all of our dancing monks who shared their word of guidance for the year with us here. Congratulations to our winners of the random prize drawing: Please email Melinda at dancingmonk@abbeyofthearts.com to claim your prize.
Give Me a Word 2026
In ancient times, wise men and women fled out into the desert to find a place where they could be fully present to the divine and to their own inner struggles at work within them. The desert became a place to enter into the refiner’s fire and be stripped down to one’s holy essence. The […]