Season 1, Episode 6: Touching Sacred Earth: Expressive Art and Spiritual Practice with Christine Valters Paintner
I begin by trying to get people to connect first to their own bodies, because I think that's actually an essential place of Earth connection. We're so disconnected from our own bodies that even when we're out in nature, it's it's more like we're going for a jog or a hike and it's very kind of goal oriented. And there's nothing wrong with those things in general. But they don't really cultivate that sense of deep connectivity. —Christine Valters Paintner
Christine Valters Paintner has spent her career and life as a Benedictine oblate exploring the link between the disciplines of making art and having a spiritual practice. We contemplate how these two disciplines provide an access point for relating to the natural world and deepening our relationship to Earth, while activating our imagination and relationship to mystery.
Christine also shares what it can mean to slow down and cultivate a contemplative practice in the midst of our busy lives, including some practical ideas and insights for how to do this. She is also a poet and we end the interview with an offering from her writings.
Episode Links:
Earth, Our Original Monastery: Cultivating Wonder and Gratitude through Intimacy with Nature
Image credit: Buki Dan