Christine Valters Paintner's Blog, page 41

Christine Interviewed on Catholic Faith Network Live

Christine was interviewed about her book Birthing the Holy: Wisdom from Mary to Nurture Creativity and Renewal on Catholic Faith Network Live.

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Monk in the World Guest Post: Lita Quimson

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 Lita Quimson’s reflection “Dispositioning: Entering the Holy of Holies” which she offers as preparatory guidance for retreats.

We are entering into the veil where the Arc of the Covenant (The tabernacle of the Ancient temple of Jerusalem)resides.

Disposition

The predominant or prevailing tendency of one’s spirits; natural mental and emotional outlook or mood; characteristic attitude: A state of mind regarding something -dictionary.com

A day or two before the start of our retreat, we are encouraged to prepare and disposition ourselves. Entering into a retreat in silence is a serious undertaking. Preparing ourselves for this also tells God that I am committed to this meeting, and I want to prepare myself to be in God’s presence just like I prepare myself for a work meeting or for an exam. My take on this Lord is that being with you and hearing from you is something I do yearly or bi-annually, and I want to do it well, I am taking this meeting seriously, and I don’t want to miss any message you have for me. Therefore, I do not want to be distracted by anything. I want to be in the right disposition, not frazzled, anxious, angry, fearful. I want to be quiet, in peace, anticipating, focused, and ready to receive. 

In view of this, I am setting aside time not only for the retreat, but I also want to prepare myself, my disposition, my personhood, my well being, my boundaries, and my space. Because I am going to spend some quality time with someone I dearly love, I do not want to be distracted by the noise of the world. 

When I am with my grandchildren or my children, I do not want them to feel that other matters are more important than my time with them. Therefore, I put my phone to silent and gesture that I will deal with you when I have spent some quality time with my first love. 

I have named this as the entering into the holy of holies because the reverence involved in meeting with Yahweh is the same reverence that dispositioning involves from the person’s point of view. God is always waiting for us. Therefore, to give God our time and to give Him our all in all, we begin to prepare for this significant and serious meeting. Like the high priest who prepares and follows the rituals to mark the preparation, we, too, have practices in some ways.  

The mini separation of our hearts allows us to choose not to engage in things that bring us stress or confusion. Shedding some responsibilities as we come closer to our retreat is another way of being like a high priest who starts putting on his garments of linen. Turning it over to someone else and starting to have less to do so that you can honor your soul and body.  

The shedding can be akin to cleansing and washing because the shedding makes space as we empty ourselves. We make space for the spirit of God to enter into us more freely. 

These are what it entailed for the high priest who was going to meet God had to do:

Entering into the tent on the day of atonement once a yearThe washing of the bodies with pure waterGiving offerings of animals without blemish (i.e. their best) Putting on of the Garments, the dressing of linen clothes, the tying of the sashesStages of entry from one curtain to the next Entering into the center where the Arc of the Covenant resides where God was present: the final veil

Another feature is the curtains, the stages of entering going from the distracting ways to the next curtain of the less distracting ways, stage by stage. And then into the next curtain, where one can focus on the coming activity. That is even becoming more prepared for the practice of the presence of God. 

We care for the temple of God in our bodies, for God’s spirit dwells in us, we glorify God in our body by preparing ourselves.

Scripture readings:

1 Cor 6:20 

1 Cor 3:16-17

Hebrews 10:19 

Leviticus 16:1-5

Lita Quimson is an experienced spiritual director trained in various local and international institutions such as the CenterQuest School of Spiritual Direction, Center for Ignatian Spirituality, and Emmaus Center for Psycho-Spiritual Formation. She holds a master’s degree in ministry major in spiritual formation and certificates in spiritual direction and formation. Lita designed formation programs and continues to design programs that are relevant to today’s world. She spearheads the development of innovative ways to reach more seekers, considering retreats and accompaniment online.

Lita is the founder of Cherimoya Eco-Spirituality & Retreat Center in the Philippines designed to provide space for people to rest in nature and be able to encounter god. She is also the founder and executive director of On the Third Day Renewal and Formation Center.

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Prayer Cycle Day 6 Morning and Evening Prayer ~ A Love Note from Your Online Abbess

Dearest monks, artists, and pilgrims,

We are delighted to share Day 6 of our Birthing the Holy Prayer Cycle with you which honors Mary as Theotokos (God-Bearer/ morning prayer) and Mystical Rose (evening prayer).

The video above is another one created by our filmmaking friends in Galway, Morgan Creative, to bring this beautiful song to life. We invite you to pause for a meditative moment. If you have any rose tea on hand (either rose hips or rose petals or both!) consider brewing a cup to inhale and sip slowly while contemplating the images. 

The song itself is based on an old traditional German folk song and speaks to Mary as the rose that blooms among the thorns. Similar to Mary as the Greenest Branch from last week’s reflection (and Day 5 of the Prayer Cycle), her greening fruitfulness blossoms into the world. In herbal medicine the rose is the healer of the heart. 

Here is the closing blessing for Day 6 Evening Prayer honoring Mary as Mystical Rose.*

CLOSING BLESSING

Blessed Mary, Mystical Rose,
you unfold your petals slowly
revealing your mysteries one by one.
The color of passion,
the fragrance of bliss soft like a warm embrace,
reveal to us our own soul’s flowering.
Abide with us as we wait on the buds to open
a journey from holding everything
close to our hearts to the fullness
of opening and offering our gifts to the world.
Rose is medicine for the heart,
tender of traumas, healer of wounds,
a place for grief to soften.
Be our medicine, bring our hearts alive again.
Steady us as we learn to breathe
more deeply and to dance
like petals blowing in the breeze
releasing the perfume of kindness
out into the world.

The companion album Birthing the Holy: Singing with Mary and the Sacred Feminine is available for streaming or download. 

With great and growing love,

Christine

Christine Valters Paintner, PhD, REACE

*Closing Blessing written by Christine Valters Paintner from Birthing the Holy: Wisdom from Mary to Nurture Creativity and  Renewal used with permission from Ave Maria Press

Video credit: Abbey of the Arts and Morgan Creative

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Monk in the World Guest Post: Anne Buck – Awakening the Creative Spirit

I am delighted to share this beautiful submission to the Monk in the World guest post series from the community. Read for Anne Buck’s reflection on finding her creative voice at the Awakening the Creative Spirit retreat. This retreat is being offered live October 31-Nov 4, 2022 in the Pacific Northwest with Kayce Stevens Hughlett and Betsey Beckman as facilitators.

Thirteen years ago I attended my first Awakening The Creative Spirit at St Andrew’s Retreat Center on the Hood Canal. I was following an interest that began with a couple of on-line courses at Abbey of the Arts with Christine Valters Paintner. At the time, I was in full time ministry as a hospital chaplain and had a practice in Spiritual Direction. 

At that time, part of me knew that I was artistic but I would never, ever have identified as an artist. Many people have been injured in some way, often in grade school, leading them to hold a belief they are not artistic. How many times do you hear words like, “I can’t even draw within the lines” or “I only draw stick people” or “I can’t sing” or “I’m not a poet/writer!” I was one of those people, so much so that I could encourage others but did not understand the process of being creative was, in fact, the learning, the invitation for growth. 

I studied art, I loved and appreciated art and I was creative with patients, providing coloring pages, hand labyrinths and music and I offered artistic expression protocols for my directees, but I did not fully implement creative expression as part of our time together. I was offering care from my knowledge and education, not necessity from my own felt experience. 

My time at Awakening the Creative Spirit was just that – a felt experience and a simple yet profound awakening. It offered me a set apart, designated time for just me to integrate creativity into my own spiritual practice and I began to see the growing edges of both my spiritual journey, and the way in which I was creative in the world around me. 

I return to Awakening the Creative Spirit as a helper now to take care of logistics and preparation and to support Kayce and Betsey as they facilitate. The container of this retreat is both brilliant and nurturing. The setting is breathtaking in its beauty, both outdoors with its view of the Olympic Mountains and inside with log walls and a rock fireplace, perfect for gathering in a circle. The food is all locally sourced and St. Andrews welcomes us warmly. Everything is taken care of so participants are able to leave their jobs and responsibilities and roles somewhere else and show up to explore their own creative exxpression. 

I go back each year to be a part of a creative and transformational process that always unfolds. I learn about my own creativity, my own growth and my own abilities to show up and be present. I return for the reminders that show up: I am a Creative Spirit. I have a voice and I am passionate about Awakening the Creative Spirit.

Anne Buck is a retired Board Certified Chaplain, a Spiritual Director, a Massage Therapist and a Certified Veriditas Labyrinth Facilitator and a long time volunteer with The Dougy Center for Grieving Children supporting families who have had a significant family member die. 

Anne is currently a caregiver for her husband and her mother after their strokes and diagnosis of dementia, learning first hand that the spirit or inner being that we are born with never dies.  The longing for connection and purpose and meaning is the spiritual journey of all people and by being present with others towards the end of life there is always depth and ongoing growth.

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Monk in the World Guest Post: Elise Ritter

I am delighted to share another beautiful submission to the Monk in the World guest post series from the community. Elise Ritter’s luminous artworks of angels, saints, and ancestors were featured in our Lent retreat, The Love of Thousands. In this reflection she shares a bit of her process and inspiration in painting. 

Luminous Grace:  Why I paint the way I do

There are two lessons that I learned throughout my years of painting:

Do not give up on your dreams and be open to experimentation.

The study of painting, under the right teacher, opened up my world.   I began to see details that I had previously overlooked.  I appreciated the glint of light on a flower petal, the ripples in a pond, the yellow leaf among a background of evergreen trees.  It was a time of great discovery and falling in love, actually.  And it was a time of encountering everyday miracles.  As Thich Nhat Hanh said, “Every day we are engaged in a miracle that we don’t even recognize:  a blue sky, white clouds, green leaves, the back, curious eyes of a child.  All is a miracle.” 

Communion of Saints © Elise Ritter

I started intuitive painting, where instead of planning out a painting by transferring a sketch onto a piece of paper, and carefully adhering to rules of perspective, I stood in front of a blank canvas with my favorite colors, and painted “in the moment” what appeared intuitively on the page.

A technique I used was gently pouring a small amount of concentrated paint on the page, as a background “wash” and after it dried, looking for folds that connected to each other, as in the folds of robes that were indicative of a community of spirits or angels.   I had to gaze in soft focus to make them appear to me—but they were usually there, and it was interesting to see the natural composition they formed. They were all connected in a type of community and were in relationship with one another–as we humans are, as well.

“For He shall give His angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways.” –Psalm 91:11

“Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unaware.”—Hebrews 13:2.

And these are the images that are unveiled in my art.  One time I had labored over a large canvas for hours.  My brush, full of acrylic paint, just didn’t seem to know what to do, and the result was, quite honestly, a mess.   It was time to take a break, and wonder if I should proceed with the painting, or just give up.  After I returned to the easel, it was almost as if an invisible force moved my arm, and with bold gestures, I painted figures and gold symbols on the canvas, and created a finished painting in only about 15 minutes.  Its title is “Communion of Saints.”  That painting has since been published in a catechism in Portugal, a spiritual magazine in Canada, and about 100 different covers of religious publications and bulletins in churches throughout the United States.   

“Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light.” –Colossians 1:12

Messengers © Elise Ritter

A part of yourself and your background comes out in your art.  Creating art is a way to set your subconscious free. The creative process reveals your individuality.  My influences include the love of stained glass in the many cathedrals and churches I’ve visited; fascination with mosaics; and the time I spent in Vienna, Austria, seeing the exuberant and mystical paintings of Gustav Klimt, with symbols, gold accents, and cubist images of intense color.  These paintings moved my soul. 

I read widely and researched Near Death Experiences and read first-person accounts of people who had passed over but returned to earth. All of which made me believe that there is indeed an afterlife, a heaven, a place where we return after we die; a place of wondrous love created by God –the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit Trinity—and Mother Mary and the Communion of Saints.  I believe that there are spirits all around us—including angels, saints, and our ancestors, to guide us and help us, if we asked for their help. 

“The contemplative mind refuses to objectify.  It grants similarity, subject to subject relationship, likeness, symbolism, communion, connection, meaning.  We can use whatever words or images are helpful, but suddenly we live in an alive universe where we can never be lonely again.” –Richard Rohr

Mary, Mary © Elise Ritter

Speaking of angels, saints and ancestors, I am especially moved by and proud of various ancestors I’ve been privileged to have.  During these last several years of political turmoil and worldwide pandemics, my ancestors’ courage and forbearance helps me continue onward.  I think of a 14-year-old boy, who with his older sister, sailed from Sweden across the Atlantic.  They landed in Baltimore, where he went to live with an immigrant society, alone and speaking no English (his sister went on to Minnesota).   I think of a 4-year-old boy in Nova Scotia who became an orphan when his mother died of smallpox and his father drowned, in the same year.  This boy was shunted around to relatives and only found happiness when he became an adult and married.  What they had to endure; what spirit and resilience they had; what strength they showed; and how they persevered! The descendants of these boys became American doctors, dentists, lawyers, military officers, architects, editors, photographers and artists. 

“Our senses ground us and orient us in the world AND in a world behind this world.  This is the truth that any mystical tradition seeks to convey.  …We are not called to choose between physical or spiritual but rather to see them as magnificently woven together; we can see beneath the surface of things as our senses become the gateway to a deeper layer everywhere we look.  Ordinary tasks become luminous with grace.”  (Page 13, Breath Prayer, Christine Valters Paintner)

Elise Ritter is an award-winning watercolor and mixed media artist. She is a juried member of the Potomac Valley Watercolorists, a group of top watercolor artists in the Washington DC region. 

Elise’s paintings are in Gallery Underground and Gallery Clarendon in Arlington, VA, and by Masterpieces Gallery, in Kerikeri, New Zealand. Her work is in private collections throughout he United States, China, Germany, Canada, New Zealand, and Puerto Rico. Her artwork has been published in books and magazines in London, Ontario, Brussels and Lisbon.

Elise’s artwork was juried into the 2016 Best Virginia Artists juried exhibition. “Luminous Grace” was the title of her 30-piece solo show from Jan.-April 2016, in Washington, DC.

She has been a member of the Virginia Watercolor Society, and her paintings have been selected for several statewide shows. She also had a one-person show at the State Capitol in Richmond, as well as 2 solo shows at private galleries nearby. Visit Elise online.

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Prayer Cycle Day 5: Morning and Evening Prayer

Dearest monks, artists, and pilgrims,

We continue to share the release of our 7-Day Prayer Cycle to honor Mary and the sacred feminine with Day 5 which focuses on Mother of Sorrows and Greenest Branch. 

The first reading for Morning Prayer on Mary as Mother of Sorrows is from Clarissa Pinkola Estes:

Even yet in the midst of all our bandages and broken spirit-bones, [Mary] calls us to stop mis-thinking that we stand alone in our challenges, when in fact, she ever stands with us. We ought ever flee to her side, ever hide under her shoulder, ever shelter under her inviolate mantle, ever be guided by her wisdom so hard-won—for she too bore miracles, menacings, and sufferings in her life. She too lost everything precious to her soul in the darkened world of human fools, foibles, and frailties of spirit.

Mary knows the absolute heartbreak of living in this world, her own son tortured and murdered before her eyes, holding the weight of his adult body in her arms. She grieves with us for all the places where we have lost our humanity and compassion. In times of war, pandemic, and civic unrest, Mary embraces us and stays with us through our own grief and unknowing. 

The song we are sharing in the video link above is Requiem, written by Eliza Gilkyson and recorded by Simon de Voil. It is the opening song for this morning prayer and we asked our friends at Morgan Creative to create a video for it to enrich your experience of the song. Gilkyson wrote it after the tsunami in Asia in 2004 as a vehicle for grieving so much loss. Simon sings: “Oh Mother Mary come and carry us in your embrace that our sorrows may be faced.” Mary calls us to the powerful and necessary work of lament. 

To support this work in community we are hosting a Grief in Poetry, Prose, and Song event this Friday, June 10th where I will be joined by Claudia Love Mair (my book club co-host and beautiful writer herself) and Simon de Voil. 

The evening prayer service for Day 5 celebrates a name for Mary given to her by St. Hildegard of Bingen, the 12th century German Benedictine Abbess: Greenest Branch. For Hildegard, viriditas or the greening power of God was the primal life force infusing and animating all physical and spiritual life. Mary’s own fruitfulness and willing to birth the holy into the world also makes her a conduit for this greening power in the world. She is the greenest branch, and as the northern hemisphere approaches summer, we are witness to viriditas at work in the world. 

To celebrate summer’s greening power and fruitfulness, I am leading a writing workshop online for St. Placid Priory this Saturday, June 11 on Writing Summer’s Abundance.

It is also my great joy to announce the Birthing the Holy: Singing with Mary and the Sacred Feminine album is now available for streaming or digital download! This album is a companion to the Birthing the Holy Prayer Cycle and my book Birthing the Holy. The 17 songs celebrate the names of Mary offered during the prayer cycle, and includes two litanys and the prayer cycle responses. 

I was also interviewed about Birthing the Holy on the podcast How They Love Mary. Listen to the podcast here.

And finally, please join Simon de Voil and me tomorrow – Monday, June 6th – for our Contemplative Prayer Service. St. Columba’s (St. Colmcille in Ireland) feast day is Thursday and we will be celebrating his wisdom and guidance in following our calls in the world and the challenges we sometimes face.  

We will then be taking a break from the services in July, August, and September, and will return in October.

With great and growing love,

Christine

Christine Valters Paintner, PhD, REACE

PS Simon de Voil created a delightful, behind the scenes of the prayer cycle video that you can watch here.

Video © Abbey of the Arts

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Christine Interviewed on the Podcast “How They Love Mary”

Christine Valters Paintner was recently interviewed about her latest book Birthing the Holy: Wisdom from Mary to Nurture Creativity and Renewal on the podcast How They Love Mary.

Listen to the podcast here.

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I Am Not a Mistake: A Healing Service for the Queer Soul

Sunday, June 26, 2022 11:00am-12:30pm ET with Rev. Simon Ruth de Voil (he/they) and Dr. Jamie Marich (she/they)

The Institute for Creative Mindfulness is happy to invite our friend Rev. Simon Ruth de Voil for this special program that they are hosting for Pride Month. Dr. Jamie Marich spends a great deal of time speaking about spiritual abuse and working with LGBTQ+ persons from a clinical perspective. This year, their clinical training organization wants the Pride Month offering to be something that is much more personal for members of the queer/LGBTQ+ communities and their allies.

So many individuals who identify under the rainbow umbrella report horrendous experiences with being traumatized in organized religion or by religious family members and people in society. In this service, we welcome you to come as you are and to be guided through several healing practices in the spiritual and expressive arts that invite you to embrace your inherent worthiness and goodness. You are not a mistake. You are not defective. You are perfect just as Divine Creator made you.

The Institute for Creative Mindfulness also welcome allies who are affirming of their queer/LGBTQ+ loved ones and friends. We also desire to honor your experiences too in this healing service. There will be an opportunity for open participation in several of our rituals although you are welcome to come and just listen and receive if you do not want to participate in this way.

Click here for registration.

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Lift Every Voice: Contemplative Writers of Color – June Video Discussion and Book Group Materials Now Available

Join Abbey of the Arts for a monthly conversation on how increasing our diversity of perspectives on contemplative practice can enrich our understanding and experience of the Christian mystical tradition. 

Christine Valters Paintner is joined by author Claudia Love Mair for a series of video conversations. Each month they take up a new book by or about a voice of color. The community is invited to purchase and read the books in advance and participate actively in this journey of deepening, discovery, and transformation. 

Click here to view this month’s video discussion along with questions for reflection.

This month’s selection is Staying Awake: The Gospel for Changemakers by Tyler Sit.

Jesus asks his followers to stay awake, which begs the question: stay awake to what?

Staying Awake is a practical exploration of Christianity for people who want to show up for justice and stay in the movement. Discover nine essential practices to transform you for transforming the world. Complete with stories, worksheets, poetry, original cartoons, and a commitment to centering queer people of color, this book is here to support you in staying awake: to God, to the evils of oppression, and to the world’s coming liberation.

Join our Lift Every Voice Facebook Group for more engagement and discussion.

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Monk in the World Guest Post: Laura Musick Wright

I am delighted to share another beautiful submission to the Monk in the World guest post series from the community. Read on for Laura Musick Wright’s reflection, “My Rule of Life – A Daily Prayer.”

“Dearest monks and artists, it has been such a privilege and honor to take this journey with you.  It brings me such deep and profound joy to support others in integrating the contemplative and creative paths of life.” 

—Christine Valters Paintner, The Artist’s Rule – A twelve-week journey. 

Allow me, dear Christine, to thank you!  My participation in your 12-week creative journey, The Artist’s Rule, has brought forth such deep and profound joy. Through the guided exploration of monastic wisdom for nurturing my creative soul, you taught me many jewels of desert, Celtic and Benedictine spirituality. This focused contemplative and creative exercise has birthed a profound self-expression, to more clearly establish and identify with my personal, Rule of Life. 

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The accompanying graphic is the culmination of my creative process – my final exercise for Week Twelve – Creating an Artist’s Rule of Life. Before I take a deeper dive into the meaning of the design I would like to share a bit of background on how I arrived at my Rule of Life. 

I have always felt a deep spiritual connection to our collective creative genius – our God. It revealed itself throughout my childhood, adolescence and adulthood. But did I always pay attention to God’s creation within my own experience?

I was born in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains, and raised during my early childhood in the beautiful New England community of Hanover, New Hampshire. I grew up through my adolescence in picturesque Ithaca, New York. Marriage and my husband’s career as a Forester brought me back to the Rocky Mountains of Vail, Colorado and later the Green Mountains of Vermont.  I have been fortunate to have a ready connection to nature in my neighborhood throughout my entire life.

As a child, I spent many hours creating fairy houses along a hillside stream next to my house. I would make a playdate with myself and my dolls to explore mystery and romance. From furniture made of sticks and stones to the fabrics of pine needles and acorns, I was nature’s interior designer. 

The stream would flow in and around this dwelling and offer me palpable peace and tranquility. I was especially joyful with the springtime snow melt or a fresh rainstorm, giving the stream a more powerful presence in the story. Each episode of the streamside series was joyful and rejuvenating. 

During Week Nine of The Artist’s Rule, I was literally grounded in the heaven of my childhood when I found myself creating a natural Mandala by a stream. My Inner Monk said through my heart, “This is your individual expression of God’s creative genius.” And what a feeling it was as I left the mandala by the streamside and returned to my home. I was certainly paying attention to God’s Creation within myself.

When I began the 12-week journey I was searching for a deeper, more present connection to God through personal creative expression. After years of creating for others (my clients) as a graphic designer, I had often yearned for the time and energy to create for myself – my “God-self.” Typically, there was always something to distract me during my personal hours with life’s “uncreative” tasks or serving others before myself. I was consistently denying myself the opportunity to let my heart speak. 

During Week Two, my Inner Artist spoke to me through it’s own Wisdom Card saying, “Can you come to the knowing that there is no other time in which to express yourself but NOW?” And my Inner Monk chimed in, “Why do you deny me the opportunity to go deep into your heart…to seek the truest meaning in each moment?” Wow! I was ready to pay attention and make it happen! Week by week I found fulfillment in the exercises outlined in The Artist’s Rule.

The final exercise came about as the culmination of twelve weeks of creative contemplation and creativity. What consistently came to me was the bold message, “Let the prayer be a journey of discovery!” And so I decided to create “My Rule of Life – A Daily Prayer. The graphic shown here is my daily prayer. 

This prayer consists of six segments to guide my prayerful journey in a more structured manner. Each step serves a purpose to initiate a deep presence with God, for me as a human being, and to more closely align myself with the tasks at hand throughout my day. The segments are illustrated with a visual image – icons –  which help me to make an immediate connection to my inner truth. Throughout the day I may not remember the exact words of the prayer, but the memory of the visual icons gives me an immediate link back to my purpose. Each segment brings me closer to the all of all – the unified expression of Love within myself. And so it goes…

*****

My Rule of Life – A Daily Prayer

[the gathering]

With reverence, I gather with you as one to express my true nature. I focus on self-alignment with my inner beauty — my God-Self — my deep abiding Love of All.

[the grounding]

For today, moment by moment and step by step, I ground myself in Love by centering in your Truth. I feel my feet on the earth as if my toes are sinking into the sand.

[honoring the body] 

I take every breath with the intention to grow, learn, and love. Daily, I nurture my mind, body, and spirit through sleep, meditation, prayer, nutrition, exercise, and creative expression.

[opening to spirit] 

I dedicate time to receive your inspiration through Love. I listen for your guidance and wisdom to instruct my purpose. I trust that what I need to be of service is here for me. 

[creative expression] 

I create for your glory without constraints. I go deep into the process, losing time to find eternity. I stay within the beauty of the unfolding, enjoying the immersion, expressing Something Pertaining to God.

[embracing the divine within] 

I embody my Rule of Life — to authentically be and share Love. I am in your heart expressing Joy. Glory be to me, you, and all! Amen

*****

Borrowing from Christine’s eloquent closing message at the end of the 12 week journey, I offer you my prayer…

Dearest monks and artists, it has been such a privilege and honor to share this journey with you. It brings me such deep and profound joy to exchange with others in integrating the contemplative and creative paths of life. Blessings to our Inner Monks and Artists! May we journey together in daily prayer. Thank you!

Laura (Laurie) Musick Wright, has a life-long connection to the natural expression of God’s creative genius. A career graphic designer, she has explored a divergent yet inclusive spiritual path, beginning at her childhood United Church of Christ at Dartmouth College, and along the way through Catholicism, Buddhism, A Course in Miracles, and the teachings of Joel Goldsmith. She loves to share love with a smattering of posts found at “Laura’s Love Notes.” She is a master healing arts practitioner of Reiki and the hands-on modality, “Bioenergetic-shen treatment®” founded in Parma, Italy. This treatment aligns the body, mind, and spirit through the energy of the heart. She focuses her healing life force energy on a person’s unique inner beauty to bring about their own self-healing resulting in a more vital life condition. She longs to more deeply explore her ancestral roots in Scotland and England. She lives in Latham, New York.

Visit Laurie online: LMWDesign.com | RightoWellness.com | Facebook

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