Christine Valters Paintner's Blog, page 30

Monk in the World Guest Post: Polly Paton Brown

I am delighted to share another beautiful submission to the Monk in the World guest post series from the community. Read on for Wisdom Council member and retreat contributor Polly Paton-Brown’s reflection on doll making as prayer.

“That’s it. The trees are coming down and the field is going to be sprayed with round up. I’ve had enough!”  I read the words written on a Facebook page dedicated to the condition Atypical Myopathy. This condition causes death in horses who eat the seeds from sycamore trees that have become toxic. It has always been around but in recent years the numbers have rocketed, caused the scientists suggest, by the trees becoming stressed by the extreme weather conditions we are seeing. Conditions caused by the changes in our climate. 

Shutting the laptop lid, I sat staring into space remembering. That was how it had all started, my journey with the dolls. To explain, we have to go back a few years to 2019. It was a glorious autumn day and I was out in the field that was home to my horses. However, I was not aware of the autumn sunshine, the crisp air or the blue of the sky. I was only aware of the ache in my back as I bent to pick up more sycamore seeds. I had been at it for over half an hour and was grumbling to myself, complaining about the fact that I had to waste time doing this every day, wishing that we could cut the wretched tree down. At that moment, I straightened up to rub my back and my eyes fell on the large sycamore tree that stood in the hedgerow of the field next door. Her ample trunk and sturdy spreading branches showed me that she had been in that place for a lot longer than I or my horses had been on the planet. Her leaves, a mixture of burnished gold and copper shimmered and glowed in the sunlight as the breeze moved through them. I remember the sudden wave of sadness and feeling so ashamed. It was not the tree’s fault that her seeds contained a toxin. Human beings and their greed were driving the speed of climate change. I stood in the afternoon sun and a feeling of despair washed over me. It felt that there was so little I could do to make a difference.

“Make a doll and leave it in the hedgerow as an offering.” The words were very clear. “What?” The words came again. It wasn’t the fact that I was hearing them that was puzzling me. I am used to getting messages from the other- than- human world.  It was something that had been happening since I was a child and since being immersed in eco-therapy and earth based spirituality,  it no longer caused me to think I was crazy. No, it was the actual words themselves. Make a doll? I had never considered such a thing and no idea how to go about it. But make a doll I did, in fact I made a few, tiny little figures made by needle-felting some wool. Tucking them into the spiky branches of the Blackthorn and Hawthorn hedge that ran alongside the Sycamore tree, I offered prayers for all the trees lost, for the horses who had died and for the fear the humans were living in. I asked forgiveness for what we were doing to the climate by our greed.  I thanked the tree for all she gave, for her beauty that lifted my spirits,  the home she provided to birds and insects  and finally I asked her and Mother Earth to protect my beloved horses from harm.  I thought that would be it, my task complete. But in fact, it was just the beginning. 

Dolls began to clamour to be made. The first was Old Lady Sycamore. I wrestled with materials as I had no idea what I was going and the doll who emerged was a dark wizened old crone who seemed to speak of ancient wisdom. As she began to take shape through my hands, I found myself thinking of how the sycamore tree is not a native tree to the islands I live on and how many consider her to be ‘an invasive species’.  Sycamore doesn’t appear much in the popular books on tree wisdom because she does not appear in the Celtic tree calendar (which is often called ancient but in fact was an invention of the poet  Robert Graves in 1948). Yet she gives so much. Her wood is used for dance floors and the making of violins. As I made the doll, who later introduced herself as Lady Sycamore, my own biases and suspicions of people and groups who were different came bubbling to the surface. I remembered how years ago, when a part of a charismatic evangelical church, I had taken part in activities where witches, paganism and the festival of Halloween were deemed to be evil. The image of the witch doll I made in response  was accompanied by a public apology and posted on my blog. 

So many dolls followed. A doll for the grave of a woman who had been in one of the infamous Magdalen laundries in Ireland. Her baby was one of thousands who were put in unmarked graves. There were dolls for healing, dolls of remembrance, stick dolls, rag dolls, needle-felted dolls and dolls made of clay. One doll in particular took me on a journey of discovery. As I made her, I found myself using techniques and symbols that were unfamiliar to my conscious mind, but my hands remembered. A friend mentioned the term ‘Poppet’ and as I began to research it, I learned that dolls have been used for thousands of years in rituals and ceremonies in many cultures. I discovered too that many of the crafts I had incorporated into the dolls, such as weaving, spinning and decorative knotwork, had been demonised by the church and would have been enough to get me executed as a witch!

These days, dolls are a way I pray. They are a way of hearing what the Divine might be whispering, a way of listening to the Ancestors and honouring the land. I will be sharing some simple ways to explore archetypes using Poppets in the upcoming Abbey retreat Visionary, Warrior, Healer and Sage: Archetypes to Navigate an Unravelling World (May 8 to June 10) The Dolls are inviting you …. I hope that you will join us!

Baby LeabFirst Witch DollStick DollsOld Lady SycamoreTraditional Crafts Doll

The journey through Visionary, Warrior, Healer, Sage: Archetypes to Navigate an Unraveling World begins May 8th.

Polly Paton-Brown MA UKCP worked for many years as a psychotherapist and trainer in the field of trauma. More recently, Polly’s focus has been on helping people explore their spirituality and prayer,  using creativity and connection with nature. Polly has a particular passion for creating healing dolls as a portal to transformation.

Always a lover of nature, horses and creativity Polly now integrates all of these into her practice. She has trained in Nature Based Practice and Eco-pychology, Environmental Arts, Expressive Arts and Equine Facilitated Psychotherapy. She is a licenced facilitator of Chakradance,  The Art of Allowing , Creative Awakenings and the  Wild Soul Woman Programme.

A member of the Iona Community, Polly was coordinator of their healing ministry for 11 years and when in that role ran regular retreats on the Isle of Iona. She is also a Sister of Belle Coeur.  With roots in the contemplative and monastic traditions, Polly also draws wisdom from other spiritual paths such as Druidry and Sufism. She is passionate to help those wounded by the institutional church restore their image of God and themselves.

Visit Polly’s Website.

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Visionary, Healer, Warrior, Sage ~ A Love Note from Your Online Abbess

Dear monks, artists, and pilgrims,

One of my favorite ways to do inner work is through the archetypes which are patterns or energies we find inside ourselves and appear across the globe in different traditions. They come to us as dreams, longings, synchronicities. I’ve written about them more extensively in Illuminating the Way where I connect archetypes like Mother, Prophet, Healer, Sovereign to the monks and mystics of the Christian and Jewish traditions. I also explored them in my book Birthing the Holy where I explored 31 names of Mary, each representing a different archetype like Virgin, Mother of Sorrows, Our Lady of the Underworld, and Mystical Rose. 

Each of us is an inner multitude, which means we are multi-faceted. We are not simply our jobs or our relationships, or some other way we might identify ourselves. We have particular patterns or ways of being we grow comfortable with, which make us feel more at ease in the world. But we also have aspects of ourselves which may dwell in the shadows longing to also be given expression. 

Perhaps we were told as children we were not talented as artists or we were too loud and expressive. We may spend a lot of energy trying to quiet our creative longings or living into the performer part of ourselves. We may overidentify with our work, this often happens with soul care practitioners who are passionate about caring for and serving others and find one day they are being invited to create stronger boundaries for themselves and places where they can be cared for as well. 

The world around us is unravelling. In some ways this is a good thing, there are so many systems of injustice and inequality at work in the world that need to come undone to build something new. But it is hard to be in that in-between place of not knowing what will be built, especially if we are suffering directly as a result of the current systems. 

When we are standing on a threshold, we can call upon particular archetypes and energies to help steady and support us. They can empower us to see the world in new ways, to get clarity around our boundaries and what we are willing to fight for, to tend to our wounded healer who reveals where our deepest gifts for the community reside, and trust and access our inner wisdom in a world spiraling with conflicting messages. 

We are delighted to be offering a new five-week program – Visionary, Warrior, Healer, Sage: Archetypes to Navigate an Unravelling World. I will be joined by some of our amazing Wisdom Council members including Aisling Richmond, Jamie Marich, Melinda Thomas, Polly Paton-Brown, and Simon de Voil to help invite us to inhabit these possibilities more fully and explore how they encourage us to show up in new ways with more clarity, purpose, wisdom, and self-care. Melissa Layer will be tending our online forum for sharing your experiences and questions. 

For each of the four archetypes we will be exploring, I will share a saint, a name of Mary, an image of Jesus, one of the archangels, and an Irish goddess who embody these qualities as inspiration for us. We will also be connecting them to the four elements of wind, fire, water, and earth, finding archetypal connections with the land to support us as well. 

During the week our guest teachers will be offering various creative explorations through gentle movement, meditation, and visual art. We will also host a vibrant facilitated forum. 

Please join us for a rich experience of our many internal resources to sustain us in hard times. We start Monday, May 8th!

Simon and I are hosting our monthly contemplative prayer service tomorrow. We will be joined by our wonderful Wisdom Council member Dena Jennings, who will be sharing some of her musical gifts with us. We’d love for you to join us. 

This Friday I am hosting Tea with the Abbess, a free event where you bring your favorite beverage to the Zoom temple and I lead you in a meditation, share what is happening in our community this coming month, and answer any questions you might have. 

We are delighted to be welcoming Carl McColman on May 13th (Julian’s feast day) to lead a retreat for us on Julian of Norwich and mystical love. Please join us for a deeper dive into the gifts Julian has to offer us. 

With great and growing love,

Christine

Christine Valters Paintner, PhD, REACE

Image: Paid license with Canva

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Monk in the World Guest Post Call for Submissions

We welcome you to submit your reflection for possible publication in our Monk in the World guest post series. It is a gift to read how ordinary people are living lives of depth and meaning in the midst of the challenges of real life.

There are so many talented writers and artists in this Abbey community, so this is a chance to share your perspective. The link to the reflection will be included in our weekly newsletter which goes out to thousands of subscribers.

Submit your own post from one of the following categories on the general theme of “How do I live as a monk in the world? How do I bring contemplative presence to my work and/or family?” It works best if you focus your reflection on one aspect of your life or a practice you have, or you might reflect on how someone from the monastic tradition has inspired you. The Monk Manifesto is another source of inspiration. We invite reflections on the practice of living contemplatively.

Post categories:

Photo or visual art essay – Please include a one paragraph introduction about what inspired you and how the images relate to contemplative practice. You may submit 3-5 photographs with an optional 100-150 word description of each image. All work must be your own. Please make sure the image size is smaller than 1 MB.Poetry – Please include a one paragraph introduction to your poem or poems about what inspired you and how they relate to contemplative practice. You may submit up to 3 Haikus, 2 short poems (20 lines or less) or one long poem (up to 40 lines). You may also include 1 photograph or illustration. All work and images must be your own.Written reflection – Submit your post of 700-900 words. Please write from your own perspective and experience rather than offering instructions for others to follow. You may include 1-2 images if they help illustrate your reflection in meaningful ways. All images should be your own. Please make sure the image size is smaller than 1 MB.

Please follow these instructions carefully:

Please click this link to read a selection of the posts and get a feel for the tone and quality.Please include a head shot and brief bio written in the third person (50 words max).If your reflection is specific to a season, feast day, or liturgical point in the year, please note that in the subject line of your submission.We will be accepting submissions between now and June 10th for publication sometime in the late summer and fall of 2023 and beyond (depending on the number of submissions). We reserve the right to make edits to the content as needed (or to request you to make edits) and submitting your reflection does not guarantee publication on the Abbey blog, but we will do our best to include as many of you as possible.Email your submission to Melinda by June 10th and include the reflection pasted into the body of your email and attach your photo(s). (Please do not embed your photos in a Word document.)

We will be back in touch with you by late August to let you know if your post is accepted, if edits are needed, and/or when we have scheduled your post to appear.

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Update to Our Online Learning Platform

On Tuesday, May 2nd  Ruzuku, our online retreat platform, will begin migrating our programs to their updated format. You will still have access to all of your material through the same link though the interface will look a little different. You can log in to your account at any time using the link at the top of AbbeyoftheArts.com.

Please email Melinda at dancingmonk@abbeyofthearts.com if you have any questions. For technical support, please contact university@ruzuku.com.

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Monk in the World Guest Post: Aisling Richmond

I am delighted to share another beautiful submission to the Monk in the World guest post series from the community. Read on for Wisdom Council member and retreat contributor Aisling Richmond’s reflection “The Alchemy of Archetypes.”

Over the years of my embodied spiritual practice, archetypes have become daily sources of wisdom, healing and transformation. Most mornings after waking, I’ll sit in meditation, dwelling in the liminal space just after sleep and before the day’s activity begins. Tuning in, I’ll notice what I’m present to – an emotion perhaps, lingering as an embodied echo from a dream the night before, or a yearning to be of service, to bring greater well-being and wholeness. As I connect within, I call on the archetypes for guidance, to open to the wisdom and mystery that lies beyond my conscious knowing.  

Supping a tea, I’ll draw cards from my archetype cards, from the Mother Mary deck, from the Celtic animals and plants, the Goddess or the Animal deck. Today, the “Power” card jumped out from the Labyrinth deck. At the time it didn’t really resonate, but as my day unfolded, it became clear that I really needed this archetype, as a part of me emerged that felt powerless and unworthy when a work venture did not go quite according to plan. Arriving as a shrinking, heavy feeling in my body, the impulse was to curl in and hide from the world. A feeling of shame arrived, of being powerless. It felt like a very young part of me, that was familiar. I remembered my archetype card from that morning, and took it into my hands, studying its image, letting it slowly permeate my consciousness. 

The image began to alchemise my state, gradually allowing a new impulse to arise. I felt drawn to play a song which carried the warrior energy, and my state began to be uplifted. My arms began to move, and I could feel the power in my muscles arrive, then gradually my whole body took part in the dance. At its end, I still carried the vulnerable part with me, but it was accompanied by another part that felt more hopeful and empowered. I was able to return to my task, and move forwards with it, taking a setback in my stride instead of being sunk by it.  

An archetype at its most potent, not just as an image imbued with mystical meaning, is an experience that is felt in the body. Noticing where it is alive in you through your body’s sensations, where you feel it in your cells, organs, muscles, and bones, allows it to dwell more fully within you and therefore becomes more potent. Embodying the archetype through movement can be such a powerful way to unlock its power.  To really sense and feel an archetype, as well as visually see its image, activates its potential more fully as we commune with its essence with our whole being, through body, feeling, mind and energy. 

In my work as a Somatic therapist and facilitator of deep transformation, I will often invite a participant to connect to an archetype, to support them to overcome a struggle they are entangled in, or to access capacities they did not realise that they held. This can be as simple as calling in “the Friend” and asking for the guidance of this wise and loving archetypal presence. People are always amazed at the wisdom that comes from within, with guidance that gifts them in ways that seem to speak deeply to their needs. Through working with archetypes, we can expand beyond our normal self, to access these “resources” or “re-Sources”, fragments of the soul that we may be disconnected from due to our cultural conditioning, but that are there nonetheless, beneath the surface of our day to day lives.

Archetypes can be found throughout human history and across all cultures. I am especially drawn to the Celtic archetypes, as their sense of the sacred was so connected to place, as land, trees, animals, and elements, were all imbued with archetypal presence. As I spend time in nature, I try to hold this bifocal vision, open to the possibility that there are messages in the mountains, revelations in the rivers, and stories whispered in bird song. 

Although appearing in different guises, archetypes often contain repeating themes that transcended place and time. As such, they can create a feeling of the local and the universal intertwining, placing our personal experience within much larger repeating patterns. This often gives me a blessed feeling of belonging; that my life experience has a reflection in the archetypes, and that these can guide our way. 

Jung described archetypes as a pool of collective wisdom that sits in the unconscious, that can become allies to our hero or heroine’s journey, enhancing our capacities for wisdom, love, empowerment and truth. They may be understood as expressions of the soul, situating the daily rhythms of our local lives within a more cosmic, timeless pulse. Beneath our surface lives exists a world that can go unseen, filled with dreams, deities, animal guides and otherworld allies. Together they form what Jung called the Animas Mundi, the greater embodiment of Soul that spans human, nature, and cosmos. 

Although less and less visible in our secular modern world, I truly believe that working with archetypes is more important than ever. As Einstein famously said, we cannot fix a problem from the same consciousness that created it. The epic times we live in, with multiple crisis both social and ecological, call for capacities that exist beyond our normal ego identity. The archetypes of Visionary, Warrior, Healer and Sage that Christine weaves together in her upcoming course, can become potent catalysts for these capacities to be unfolded within each of us. 

I wonder, which of the archetypes do you most resonate with, and how do they enter your life? Or is this new terrain for you, waiting to be discovered? I’ll leave you with this wonderful quote from one of my teachers, Jean Houston, who says,

“A psychology with a mythic or sacred base demands that we have the courage both to release old toxicities and diminishments and to gain access to our inner storehouse of capacities and use them to prepare ourselves for the greater agenda–becoming an instrument through which the source may play its great music. Then, like the hero or heroine of myth, we may, regardless of our circumstances, become an inspiration for helping culture and consciousness move towards its next level of possibility.”

Sending love,

 Aisling 

The journey through Visionary, Warrior, Healer, Sage: Archetypes to Navigate an Unraveling World begins May 8th.

Aisling Richmond is a Somatic Therapist and transformative guide who is deeply inspired by nature and the wisdom of the soul. Aisling is currently undertaking a PhD in Psychology and Transformative Leadership to work with cultural change. She shares a home with her partner in the rugged wildness of Donegal, North West Ireland. Aisling works as a therapist, supporting people to resolve trauma and life challenges through body-psyche-soul wisdom. She also mentors people in finding their deep soul purpose, and teaches a rich range of transformative programs online.  Aisling is passionate about soul centred living, where nature and the feminine are deeply valued. Having worked collaboratively with many organisations including Amnesty International, Aisling has also been a guest lecturer with both Galway and Limerick Universities. AislingRichmond.com

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When All Feels Lost Poem Video ~ A Love Note from Your Online Abbess

Dearest monks, artists, and pilgrims,

I am delighted to share I have a third poetry collection being published on May 9th from Paraclete Press titled Love Holds You: Poems and Devotions for Times of Uncertainty. 

This poem emerged early on in the pandemic. It was such a disorienting time for everyone. I sensed that in the middle of feeling lost was also a gift that could help me release my need for certainties and be present to what newness was unfolding in the midst of this time of forced rest.

Read the poem slowly and see what is sparked. Then watch the poem video and see if the images add any new layers to your reflection or close your eyes and just listen to me reciting it to you. 

*

When All Feels LostThe map is not the territory—Alfred KorzybskiAll the old signposts have fallen,wood cracked and rotted,atlases crumble, a pile of mapsflutter and dart like hummingbirdwings, the GPS signal is out of range.Her compass slips from her hand,the only thing she knows is thatshe walks in circles now, the trees ahead familiar but really nothing is the same.She wanders for hours, days, weeks, loses track of the nights as one tumbles into another.Finally, she stops, buildsa bonfire from all the old mapsstill in her pack, invites others who wander by to gather,each of them savors warmthfrom flame and kindness,laughs while they tell storiesof how they once knew the way.Her eyes meet another,hand outstretched, togethertheir breath rises in white spirals into cold air and they stay still long enoughto learn to love the quiet ache,the old longing to be sure,to see the country of certaintyas a memory recedinglike an evening horizon untilthere is only the black bowl of sky.They begin to hear the whisper of breezes, the secrets of birds,follow the underground streamthat runs through each of them,and they no longer askwhich way to go,but sit and savor this together, under night skyillumined by fire and stars.

*

Allow some time for reflection. Here are some questions to help guide you: 

What are the maps and compasses of your life that you cling to? 

How might getting lost be a way to find yourself again? 

To deepen your prayer, you might practice breath prayer:

Breathe in: I let go of maps 

Breathe out: I embrace possibility

You might close with an affirmation: 

I rest under a vast night sky, learning to trust in waiting and watching. Unknowing and mystery become close companions.

You can pre-order a copy of my book Love Holds You: Poems and Devotions for Times of Uncertainty. (Paraclete is offering a 20% discount for pre-orders when you use the code LoveHoldsYou at ). I will be hosting a free virtual book launch on May 8th with Simon joining me to provide music. 

Listen to my interview about on the Faith Conversations podcast where I read a few poems from Love Holds You and lead reflections on the content. 

Join Melinda for a contemplative yoga practice this Thursday!

With great and growing love,

Christine

Christine Valters Paintner, PhD, REACE

Poem Video by Luke and Jake Morgan MorganCreative.org

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Monk in the World Guest Post: Jamie Marich

I am delighted to share another beautiful submission to the Monk in the World guest post series from the community. Read on for Wisdom Council member and retreat contributor Dr. Jamie Marich’s reflection “Exploring the Wisdom of Your Archetypes.”

“There’s a part of me that wants to work on this issue, and a part of me that just feels more comfortable being stuck.”

“Some parts of me still like the church and what it offers and other parts of me think it’s just a load of nonsense and that it’s time to walk away.”

“A part of me likes the quiet and stillness and wants to live like a hermit—and when I give that part too much space, my noisier, more social parts rebel.”

How many of you relate to one or more of these statements? They all signify a reality of the human condition—that people contain many parts, sides, or aspects of themselves. The internal world of parts can be a very lively place, whether or not you see yourself as a person with mental health struggles. As a therapist, I encourage people to embrace all parts of their experience, even if those parts seem to be the source of the problems that bring them into my office. Because whenever we tell a part to “shut up” or try to hide it away, that part usually makes its needs and desires known even louder!

Therapists use many different models for helping their clients to understand parts. Despite the development of newer models, I still find Jungian archetypes to be the most useful Western model for helping people to appreciate their multifaceted, plural, and numinous nature. The following paragraphs feature some general explanations about Jungian archetypes, as summarized in my recent book Dissociation Made Simple: A Stigma-Free Guide to Embracing Your Dissociative Mind and Navigating Life.

Carl Jung (1875–1961) was a Swiss psychiatrist regarded as one of the fathers of psychoanalysis and depth psychology. Jung believed in the concept of the collective unconscious. The collective unconscious, according to Jung, contains instincts and archetypes. Archetypes, according to Jungian scholar John O’Brien, are universal organizing themes. These themes show up regardless of space, time, or person, and they appear in all existential realms. Another Jungian term for this existential realm is the unus mundus (one world), which Jung describes as the world outside of time; detectable through synchronicities. 

The main archetypal frameworks that Jung taught can be roughly categorized as follows: 

ARCHETYPAL EVENTS 

birth death separation from parents initiation marriage the union of opposites 

ARCHETYPAL FIGURES 

great mother (can exist opposite to the bad mother) father (can exist opposite to the bad father) child devil god wise old man wise old woman the trickster the hero the shapeshifter 

ARCHETYPAL MOTIFS 

the apocalypse the deluge creation 

This list is not comprehensive, as many other archetypes can be explored within these main categories; archetypes such as the visionary, warrior, healer, and sage.

Jung also spoke to other concepts that weave into the collective unconscious of the human experience: the self (unity of personality as a whole and the wide range of our psychic phenomena), the shadow (sometimes seen as the dark side or the aspects we’ve not yet examined; may run counter to our values), and the anima/animus (sexual energies). If you are a fan of mythologies and cinematic universes (like the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Star Wars, Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, etc.), perhaps notice which archetypes that appear here may correspond with some of your favorite characters. As an example, Yoda in the Star Wars Universe can be described as a blend between the wise old man and the Trickster. 

Naturally, the work of Carl Jung, as with many early leaders in modern psychology, has come under criticism for not being sufficiently grounded in science and not sufficiently feminist. In my view, there is always room for a feminist update of traditional concepts that may carry some value, and archetypes are no exception. And as you can imagine, many in the modern era are put off by the obvious mystical and metaphysical quality of Jung’s beliefs and writings. Yet his embrace of something larger than the physical body and mind is what I find particularly appealing as a therapist who sees the value of science yet also believes that my field is missing something critical if we ignore people’s deep hunger for spiritual and mystical connection. 

Since my involvement with Abbey of the Arts began in 2014, I’ve appreciated the approach of Jungian archetypes by Christine Valters Paintner, Melissa Layer, and many other involved with Abbey programs. The Abbey has also given me a safe haven to play with these concepts in a way that honors my feminist ideals and desire to bridge older wisdom with the newer, intuitive learning that I’ve gained in my journey. Thus, it is my delight to once more be on board as a teaching facilitator for our upcoming program on Archetypes to Navigate an Unraveling World. The visionary, warrior, healer, and sage in me greets and honors those parts in you, and I hope that we have a chance to explore further in our online retreat space. 

The journey through Visionary, Warrior, Healer, Sage: Archetypes to Navigate an Unraveling World begins May 8th.

Jamie Marich, Ph.D., LPCC-S, REAT, RYT-500, RMT travels internationally speaking on topics related to EMDR therapy, trauma, addiction, expressive arts, LGBTQ issues, spirituality and mindfulness while maintaining a private practice in her home base of Northeast Ohio. Jamie is also the developer of the Dancing Mindfulness expressive arts practice. Jamie is the author of several books including Dancing Mindfulness: A Creative Path to Healing and Transformation (2015, with foreword by Christine Valters Paintner) and Process Not Perfection: Expressive Arts Solutions for Trauma Recovery released in 2019, heavily influenced by the growth she has experienced through her study with Abbey of the Arts! Now primarily a North Atlantic Book author, she has recently released Trauma and the 12 Steps: An Inclusive Guide to Recovery (2020), Transforming Trauma with Jiu-Jitsu (2022), and Dissociation Made Simple: A Stigma-Free Guide to Embracing Your Dissociative Mind and Navigating Life (2023). Visit Jamie’s website here.

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Christine Interviewed on the Faith Conversations Podcast

Christine was interviewed about her forthcoming collection Love Holds You: Poems and Devotions for Times of Uncertainty on the Faith Conversations podcast. The format of this new book takes the reader on a journey. We get to experience it on the podcast as Christine reads a number of poems and helps us spend time reflecting on the content. These words from the back cover of the book are appropriate, “When it seems you walk alone, let these words help reveal love as the ground beneath you.”

Listen to the podcast and poems here.

Learn more and pre-order Love Holds You. (Available May 9th from Paraclete Press. Paraclete is offering a 20% discount for pre-orders when you use the code LoveHoldsYou at ). Christine will be hosting a free virtual book launch on May 8th with Simon de Voil joining her to provide music. 

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The Spiral Year and the Celtic Seasons ~ A Love Note from Your Online Abbess

Dearest monks, artists, and pilgrims,

Join Simon de Voil and me for an online retreat next Sunday April 23rd hosted by OneSpirit Seminary where we will be exploring the Spiral Year and the Celtic seasons. 

This is an excerpt from my book The Soul’s Slow Ripening: 12 Celtic Practices for Seeking the Sacred:

Sacred Rhythms of the Earth

The unfolding of the seasons was an overarching template for the Celtic imagination and spirit. There are significant feast days aligned with the equinoxes and solstices, then there are the cross-quarter days, which are the midway points between them and were part of the harvest cycle. 

By attuning to the rhythms of the earth, the Celtic monks allowed nature to be a wisdom guide that can teach us about life’s rise and fall. The monastic way is full of respect for these sacred rhythms. We see it especially in the liturgy of the hours, that daily unfolding of prayer which honors the movement of the earth from dawn’s first breaking open to the holy crucible of night’s stillness. Living our way into these rhythms each day and each year, gives us a way of honoring the integrity of our soul’s own cycles and rhythms. These rhythms were essential to the desert, Celtic, and Benedictine monks. 

Each of the great Celtic harvest festivals happens at the midway points between the Solstices and Equinoxes. Each festival is considered to be a threshold time when the veil is thin between worlds. I offer here just a brief overview of this cycle of honoring the seasons’ unfolding. 

Samhain: A Time of Remembrance

November 1st is the midway point between autumn equinox and winter solstice and is the beginning of the new year in Celtic tradition. This feast is called Samhain (pronounced sow-en). 

In the ancient Celtic imagination, this was considered to be an especially “thin time” when the veil between heaven and earth grew more transparent and the wisdom of our ancestors was closer to us. We are reassured that we are not alone, that we share the world with a great “cloud of witnesses” and “communion of saints” just across the veil. 

Winter invites us to gather inside, grow still with the landscape, and listen for the voices we may not hear during other times of year. These may be the sounds of our own inner wisdom or the voices of those who came before us. This season call us into the grace of descent. We spend so much of our spiritual lives trying to ascend. Descent is the path of having everything stripped away that offered comfort.  In the mystical tradition, the descent is also the slow revelation of the true face and incredible mystery that is God. It is also the season to call forth the wisdom of those who walked before us. 

Imbolc: A Time of Awakening

Imbolc is the midway point between winter solstice and spring equinox. February 1st-2nd marks a confluence of several feasts and occasions including: the Celtic feast of Imbolc, St. Brigid’s Day, Candlemas, Feast of the Presentation, and Groundhog Day. In Celtic cultures it is considered to be the very beginning of spring. 

As the days slowly lengthen in the northern hemisphere and the sun makes her way higher in the sky, the ground beneath our feet begins to thaw.  The earth softens and the seeds deep below stir in the darkness.  The word “imbolc” means “in the belly.”  The earth’s belly is beginning to awaken, new life is stirring, seeds are sprouting forth.  

In many places the ground is still frozen or covered with snow, but the call now is tend to those very first signs of movement beneath the fertile ground.  What happens when you listen ever so closely in the stillness?  What do you hear beginning to emerge?

Beltane: A Time of Flourishing

Beltane (which means bright fire) is another of the cross-quarter days, representing the mid-point between the spring equinox and the summer solstice and it is often experienced at the height of spring. In Ireland it is considered to be the beginning of summer and the beginning of the light half of the year. We can feel the significant shift in light at this latitude and the days become significantly longer. Temperatures are warmer. Flowering has come to its fullness. Birds are singing in full chorus. 

In Ireland the cuckoo birds start arriving from their winter in Africa, and there are music and walking festivals named after its return. The power of nature’s life force returning is celebrated. Two fires were lit and the sheep and cattle were brought to the summer pastures. It is a fire festival of fertility and garlands of flowers are made up in honor of the creative abundance beginning to stream forth from the land.

Lughnasa: The Time of Harvest 

Lughnasa (pronounced loo-nassah) is one of the ancient Celtic feasts celebrated on August 1st, halfway between summer solstice and autumn equinox, marking the time of the beginning of the harvest and the gathering in. It is said to originally honor the Celtic sun-god Lugh who was an ally to the farmer in the struggle for food. 

Lughnasa is a time to gather in and to reap what has been sown. It is sometimes thought of as the time of “first fruits” and is when the grain is gathered in. One of the central rituals for this feast is cutting the first corn and making it into a loaf for the Mass at church on August 1st or 2nd. In the Hebrides in Scotland, it is recorded that families would celebrate Lughnasa on August 15th in connection with the feast of the Assumption of Mary. Each family member would take a piece of the bread and walk sunwise around the festival fire and sing a song to Mary. 

You can register for The Spiral Year retreat Simon and I are leading next Sunday where we will be diving into much more depth into the wisdom of the year’s turning and weaving in meditation, poetry, and song.

Join Simon tomorrow for his sacred chant service and Therese on Wednesday for Centering Prayer!

With great and growing love,

Christine

Christine Valters Paintner, PhD, REACE

Image: Paid license with Canva

The post The Spiral Year and the Celtic Seasons ~ A Love Note from Your Online Abbess appeared first on Abbey of the Arts.

Monk in the World Guest Post: Liz Hill

I am delighted to share another beautiful submission to the Monk in the World guest post. Read on for Liz Hill’s reflection “It’s All About the Listening.”

At a goodbye gathering for a friend who was moving to be closer to family, I talked to the son who was helping to pack her things. The task of deciding what to keep and what to discard was taking much longer than he’d anticipated. 

“She wants to tell me the story behind every little thing,” he lamented. 

I understood his dilemma. In my own experience with downsizing and moving, I have learned one very important lesson: it’s not about the packing, it’s about the listening.

Unearthing and sorting our accumulated mementoes and possessions is like watching a documentary of our lives. And not just our own lives; if we have stored items from parents, siblings, or grandparents, not to mention the things our children left behind, it can begin to feel like the “cast of thousands” in the Biblical movies of Cecil B. DeMille.

Entire books have been written on methods to approach the task of decluttering or downsizing. One, dubbed the Konmari method after its Japanese creator, invites us to keep only those possessions that “spark joy.” Another method with the depressing name of Swedish Death Cleaning suggests sorting through our things and keeping only those items which have deep meaning– and to do it now, so no one has to tackle it after we are gone. 

Whatever method we choose, it can be painful to see our precious belongings sorted and labeled “pack, toss, or give away.” I have come to understand that although possessions, even those most dear to me, are an important part of my life, they do not define me. Taken individually, these items comprise the words and images that make up my story. But as the author of my own life, it’s within my power to choose which details I want to keep and which can be discarded.  

For many years I visited my mother from my home across the country. During each visit she would inevitably produce The Box: a black metal box that contained papers and possessions from my late father’s family. Birth and death certificates, military discharge papers, letters, obituaries, an old watch, a cameo pin. These items had no practical use; the watch no longer kept time, and we had no need for documentation on any of these long-deceased folks. But each visit, we would empty the box and I would hear the stories again. That broken watch was my grandmother’s “duty watch,” once pinned to the lapel of her nurse’s uniform. This letter informed the family of my great uncle’s death in the 1918 Pandemic, difficult news for his mother, already a young widow. After we’d talked about each item, my mother would slowly pile the things back into the box and tuck it away again. 

Our accumulated possessions represent the past, the present, and, often, the slow dawning of truth that our own future is finite. I believe that realization is why most of us put off this sorting task and never take time to reflect. My own mother died before she had to empty her house. My sister now occupies that home. Last year, we examined The Box one last time and broke up its contents among family members. I think that was possible only because the stories had been told, and we knew what should become of the individual items.

When it’s time to consider the things that make up our homes and lives, it’s helpful to have some criteria to apply to the task of sorting them. As with so many difficult things, I have found that sometimes the only way to begin is simply to begin. First, clear a space. It needn’t be an entire room, just enough space to consider a manageable number of items. I breathe and take a moment to declare that space, and the time I am about to take, as sacred. Then I ask some questions. Do I need this item? Does it make me smile when I see it, or invoke an important memory? If I decide it’s time to let it go, is there someone else who might appreciate it? I have passed along heirloom jewelry and family photos to younger relatives, along with the notes and stories that went with them.

The sum of our lives is much more than the things we accumulate. It’s the stories that matter, not the things. Recalling the stories, and having someone with whom to share them, can mean the difference between holding on to a thousand useless puzzle pieces and stepping back to see the big picture. When there is someone in my life who has been putting off this seemingly impossible task, I ask if they would like some help. Then I clear a space, say a prayer, and prepare to do some listening.

Liz Hill is a writer and spiritual director who has led workshops in creative process, discovering authentic voice, and un-journaling. She is co-author (with Ruthie Rosauer) of Singing Meditation: Together in Song and Silence, and co-founder of a literary arts non-profit in Youngstown, Ohio. She lives in western North Carolina. See LizHill.net.

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