Join us for Illuminating the Way and on Pilgrimage in 2017 ~ A love note from your online abbess

“Ruins are not empty. They are sacred places full of presence . . . The life and passion of a person leaves an imprint on the ether of a place. Love does not remain within the heart, it flows out to build secret tabernacles in a landscape.”  —John O’Donohue

Dearest monks, artists, and pilgrims,

The longer we live in this magical landscape, the more we fall in love with the beauty and the stories this place holds. One of our great joys in life is to welcome others here and create an experience of lavish hospitality while we cross the thresholds and into thin places.

Embark on a pilgrimage to discover something new about yourself.  It isn’t so much a choice you make, as a response to a call already whispered to you.  In the experience of encounter with strangeness and unfamiliarity, you are able to move out of your assumptions, expectations, and preconceived ideas, so a new way of seeing yourself and the world can break free.

Join our small band of fellow pilgrims along the wild and sacred west coast of Ireland.  Be just one of twelve visitors to some of the many beautiful monastic ruins near Galway City.  Be inspired to ponder the gifts of monasticism for our own lives.  As John O’Donohue writes, ruins “are sacred places full of presence” and the places we visit will nourish and inspire your inner monk, artist, and pilgrim. We will look for those “secret tabernacles” hidden in the landscape.

This is a different kind of journey; it is a pilgrimage, not just a tour.  You won't be spending each night in a different city and then moving on. You won’t be rushing from site to site to get it all in.  You will be rooted in a particular place.  Galway is a wonderful city for monks and artists – a medieval city with many beautiful and inspiring monastic ruins within an hour drive and a rich and fabulous creative arts tradition.  Music pours off the streets and out of the pubs. Becoming a monk in the world doesn’t mean removing yourself from life, but immersing yourself in the vibrant pulse of the world with practices to keep you centered. Come not to take, but receive. Don't be a tourist, be a pilgrim.

Until June 30th we have a special offer for early registration for our 2017 pilgrimages to Ireland which includes a signed copy of my book Soul of a Pilgrim, a set of dancing monk icon cards, and a special gift from the landscape all mailed to you. There are even discounts for those of you who have participated on a pilgrimage with us before.  Find out more here>>

We also have our FREE ongoing monthly series of calls exploring my newest book Illuminating the Way. See below for details. Next call is tomorrow on King David and the archetype of the Sovereign.

With great and growing love,

Christine

Christine Valters Paintner, PhD, REACE

Photo © Christine Valters Paintner

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