Show Notes
During this time of Advent - of darkness and winter in the northern hemisphere - our bodies are inclined to hibernate. We curl up by the hearth and wait, attentive to the life pregnant in the darkness. During such a season, what does it mean to give birth to the Holy? In this episode, we are joined by author and bestselling author, Christine Valters Paintner. Together we dive into:
🔸 Why Mary has so many names 🔹 Christine’s favorite name of Mary at this season in her life (it may surprise you!) 🔸 How Christine ended up the abbess of an online monastery 🔹How her love for Jungian thought intersects with her Catholic spirituality 🔸 How the passing of her own mother birthed a book on Mary 🔹Mary as warrior (an image in stark contrast to the placid woman in blue we usually see!) 🔸 What was Hildegard’s favorite name for Mary, and what it has to do with the divine spark!
Join us for a delightful conversation about Christine’s latest book, Birthing the Holy. And coming in January, her full Masterclass on the wildly versatile Hildegard in our Women Mystics School! Join us at womenmystics.org. Christine Valters Paintner is the abbess of an online monastery called for Abbey of the Arts, which offers classes and resources on contemplative practice and creative expression. A poet, spiritual director, and part-time hermit, she now resides in Galway, Ireland, with her husband, John. Her several books include Earth, Our Original Monastery; The Artist’s Rule; The Soul’s Slow Ripening; Water, Wind, Earth, and Fire; The Wisdom of the Body; and her latest, Birthing the Holy. _______________________ ✨ WELCOME TO SPIRITUAL WANDERLUST ✨ Contemplation. Embodiment. Mysticism. Mischief. Join former nun and neuroscience aficionado Kelly Deutsch as she interviews contemplative teachers, embodiment experts, psychologists, and mystics about the untamed frontiers of interior life. Each episode is jam packed with life-changing stories, spiritual practices, and powerful insight to support your journey toward wholeness and divine intimacy.
✨ For FREE resources for your own spiritual journey (like the Psycho-Spiritual Maturity Assessment!) - check out spiritualwanderlust.org.
🌱 HAVE SPIRITUAL QUESTIONS? 🍃 Leave us a voicemail at spiritualwanderlust.org/ask for the chance to have your spiritual question answered live!
More from Spiritual Wanderlust
You might describe Nick Mayhew Smith’s spirituality first and foremost as immersive.
What do dancing and playing have to do with theology?
It’s not a stretch to say Dave Denny is what Thomas Merton would have looked like today, had he lived.
Join us for our *first ever* Ask a Spiritual Director a Question! Host Kelly Deutsch invites one or more guest spiritual directors to answer your burning questions. Leave us a voicemail at www.spiritualwanderlust.org/ask!
Have you ever been struck by someone’s depth of presence? Like when you meet a wise, holy person. The depth of their presence overwhelms us, floods our body with their peace. Have you ever wondered what's going on on a biological level when this happens? Or, wondered why it's so much easier to feel grounded when we meditate with others vs. on our own? Or maybe been curious about how life's traumas impact the contemplative life? Get ready, everyone - this is one of my FAVORITE intersections. 🤩🤩 Neuroscience and the contemplative life. Embodiment and spirituality. The mystical and the muscles, minerals, and membranes. In today’s episode I speak with Dr. Bonnie Badenoch, who specializes in precisely this intersection. Bonnie is an interpersonal neurobiologist *and* a contemplative! She has spent decades researching how that connection, and most importantly, presence, impacts our bodies. You might think of her as the Brene Brown of presence-- combining lots of heart with accessible research.