Abbey of the Arts

Daily Nourishment from Abbey of the Arts | June 23, 2026 - https://mailchi.mp/abbeyofthearts/daily-nourishment-from-abbey-of-the-arts-june23-2026

“Balance is a dynamic response to the ever-shifting currents of life. . . Balance is the conversation that happens between steadiness and movement.”

—Melinda Emily Thomas, Sacred Balance: Aligning Body and Spirit Through Yoga and the Benedictine Way

What practices help you find balance between steadiness and movement?

Daily Nourishment from Abbey of the Arts | June 22, 2026 - https://mailchi.mp/abbeyofthearts/daily-nourishment-from-abbey-of-the-arts-june22-2026

“Summer Solstice announces the time for full fruits and an extravagance of colour and sweetness in the world around us. Let your breath draw your awareness down to your heart centre, the place where the mystics tell us the living flame of love dwells within us.”

—Christine Valters Paintner, PhD, Sacred Seasons: A Yearlong Journey through the Celtic Wheel of the Year — A Self-Study, Online Retreat

Spend some time in meditation on what your own passions are. What would you like to kindle? Where have been the sparks of joy in your life?

{Abbey of the Arts} : Summer Solstice + Self-Study Sale - https://mailchi.mp/abbeyofthearts/summer-solstice-plus-self-study-sale-june21-2026

In the northern hemisphere today is the celebration of the summer solstice. We might think of summer as the season of fire and stoking our passions. To honor the fullness of summer in ritual, consider facing the direction of the south and taking some deep breaths. Spend some time in meditation on what your own passions are. What would you like to kindle?

Explore the Sacred Seasons self-study retreat https://tinyurl.com/57da85cn

Read the full Solstice blessing on our Substack: https://abbeyofthearts.substack.com/p/summer-solstice

Daily Nourishment from Abbey of the Arts | June 20, 2026 - https://mailchi.mp/abbeyofthearts/daily-nourishment-from-abbey-of-the-arts-june20-2026

“The Celtic spirituality of the ancients held an expansive definition of thresholds and they could be seasonal turnings like the solstices and equinoxes, turning from dawn to dusk, sacred places like a grove of trees or a holy well, as well as experiences like going on pilgrimage.”

—Christine Valters Paintner, PhD, "Breath Prayer: An Ancient Practice for the Everyday Sacred"

What interior thresholds are you crossing on this external threshold of solstice?

Daily Nourishment from Abbey of the Arts | June 19, 2026 - https://mailchi.mp/abbeyofthearts/daily-nourishment-from-abbey-of-the-arts-june19-2026

“Howard Thurman was an American writer, teacher, philosopher, theologian, and civil rights leader whose radical nonviolence approach was influential to countless social justice movements. . . An author of over twenty books, Howard Thurman continues to be a major influence of contemplative practice and social justice.”

—Abbey of the Arts, Dancing Monk Feast Days: Reflections, Creative Invitations, and Prayers

What sustains or inspires your commitment to working for justice in the world?

Daily Nourishment from Abbey of the Arts | June 18, 2026 - https://mailchi.mp/abbeyofthearts/daily-nourishment-from-abbey-of-the-arts-june18-2026

“I work from a process oriented model, which is rooted in the expressive arts. The idea is that the whole process of writing, of creating is a journey of discovery. Our focus in this work isn't about creating a beautiful poem or a beautiful piece of writing.”

—Christine Valters Paintner, PhD, Writing in Season: An Online, Self-Study Retreat

What might the process of creating be like for you if your aim was to pay attention, to tell the truth as much as possible, to notice what you're re-membering, what you're discovering?

Daily Nourishment from Abbey of the Arts | June 17, 2026 - https://mailchi.mp/abbeyofthearts/daily-nourishment-from-abbey-of-the-arts-june17-2026

“We cultivate faithfulness and connections to keep an open spirit. If our relationships become anemic, atrophied, or undercultivated, we are left vulnerable.”

—Lisa Colón DeLay, "The Way of the Desert Elders: How the Wisdom of Ancient Christians Sustains Us Today" our Lift Every Voice: Contemplative Writers of Color Book Club selection for May and June

What are the undercultivated relationships in your life, and how might you commit to faithful connection?

Daily Nourishment from Abbey of the Arts | June 16, 2026 - https://mailchi.mp/abbeyofthearts/daily-nourishment-from-abbey-of-the-arts-june16-2026

The Day Exhales (excerpt)
As the sky darkens,
a doorway opens into
another way of being.

—Christine Valters Paintner, PhD, "What Enters Through the Open Heart: Poems"

What is the threshold of day into night offering you?

Daily Nourishment from Abbey of the Arts | June 15, 2026 - https://mailchi.mp/abbeyofthearts/daily-nourishment-from-abbey-of-the-arts-june15-2026

“We do not have to retreat to the desert or join a monastery to find this path of deepened intimacy with God. We each can choose this inner work of discerning what we hold onto and what we release at every season of our lives. We each have the choice to make.”

—Christine Valters Paintner, PhD, "A Different Kind of Fast: Feeding Our True Hungers in Lent"

What choices can you make to begin a path of deepened intimacy with God?

{Abbey of the Arts} : Monk in the World Guest Posts + Summer Sale! - https://mailchi.mp/abbeyofthearts/monk-in-the-world-guest-posts-plus-summer-sale-june14-2026

Each week we are delighted to feature a reflection from our community in the Monk in the World guest post series. There are so many talented writers & artists at the Abbey & we love giving our dancing monks a chance to share their work. Submissions are open through June 25th. https://tinyurl.com/ym9xncy4

Every year we offer a summer self-study sale. Code SUMMER20 for 20% off! https://tinyurl.com/2k9jkbd3

Read a reflection from Christine on Breath Prayer on our Substack: https://abbeyofthearts.substack.com/p/monk-in-the-world-guest-posts-summer