A Midwinter God: Advent Preparation Retreat

Online and live from Ireland with Christine Valters Paintner

Friday, November 22, 2024, 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. U.S./Eastern

$40

Register Here

 

About this Offering

We live in a culture that celebrates the flowering and fruitful energy of spring and summer, with a focus on productivity and output. And yet our bodies and spirits also crave the grace of autumn and winter to rest, reflect and replenish. In the rush up to Christmas, we often illuminate everything to push back the darkness and busy ourselves with gift-buying and preparations.

However, Advent, at least in the northern hemisphere, is a season of descent into the expanding darkness. It is a time when we are called to ponder the mystery that is growing in the womb-space. It is also a time when we often experience the grief of our losses more acutely but push it away through busyness and distraction.

Join us for a holy pause before Advent begins to center yourself and listen for the gifts and invitations the darkness can bring to our lives. Whether or not we have birthed physically, we are all called to holy birthing in this time of deep rest and incubation.

Through teaching, reflection and meditation, you will be invited to consider how you might more fully embrace the darkness of this season and its gifts. This online program will glean from Christine’s newest book, A Midwinter God – Encountering the Divine in Seasons of Darkness (Ave Maria Press, 2024).

About the Presenter

Christine Valters Paintner, Ph.D. is the online Abbess of Abbey of the Arts (http://www.abbeyofthearts.com), a virtual monastery and global community which integrates contemplative practice and creative expression. She is the author of more than 20 books on spirituality, the arts, and poetry. Christine lives on the wild edges of Ireland with her husband John and dog Sourney.