Greetings!
I’m with you in the unknown right now. Listening, watching, lighting candles, breathing, praying for our country, praying for our world. And life goes on. Children wear costumes, we create altars for our ancestors and loved ones who have passed on, and we prepare for holidays in some new stripped down version that honors the upheaval of our world. Big sigh!
I remember the first time I took a class in improvisation … and I was amazed to find that I could create a dance unplanned and in the moment. Wow! I could trust myself to let something come through me? I realize now that in the challenges of a changing world, immersing myself in the act of creation gives me joy, energy, and helps ground me in the gifts of Spirit moving through me. The creative process engages me, transforms me and invites me into collaborations that go beyond the differences that divide. Let us call upon that creative Spirit to guide us into the days ahead .. dancing, singing, praying, taking action, caring for our Earth and for each other. Below you’ll find lots of opportunities for praying with the creative spirit. And at the very bottom … my latest choreography for celebrating St. Francis and our kinship with all creation in the song – All God’s Critters. We are indeed God’s creative critters … let us bellow, howl, yowl and chirp and dance all of our deepest prayers! Amen!
Earth Monastery Prayer Cycle, Podcast, CD, and DVD
I’m so excited to announce a whole new way for you to pray with our latest offering … it’s a podcast and it’s free! At Abbey of the Arts, we are deeply shaped by the rhythms of daily prayer that arise from monastic practices, and we have woven together a wonderful resource of seven mornings and seven evenings for you to pray with us. Click here to find the podcast series, and to learn more about the resource for you and/or your community. You’ll have the chance to be led in readings, songs, responses and dances, all within the context of daily prayer. This podcast accompanies our Earth Monastery CD and Earth Monastery DVD And here is a taste of our podcasts to help calm your spirit in times of upheaval!
All God’s Critter’s
I’m so happy to share this playful piece with you! In COVID times, only a few of us are back at church, so I had to come up with a new way of celebrating the Feast of St. Francis … here you’ll find all kinds of members of our community joining in: kids, youth, adults, (including members of our deaf-blind and L’Arche community), all celebrating the gifts of our kinship with creation. May this prayer be a reminder that we are all one family … all God’s critters sharing one planet together. May we dance together in love!
Dancing with you,
Betsey
Betsey Beckman, MM
