An Invitation to Fall in Love with Creation The overall theme of the book is that Earth is the original monastery, the original teacher of contemplative practice. Christine Valters Paintner breaks this initial image open by looking at a specific aspect of this theme, such as by exploring Earth as the original cathedral, original scriptures, original saints, original spiritual directors, original icon, original sacrament, and original liturgy. Paintner says that we need to claim the great wisdom and teachings the scriptures and mystics have to offer to us about remembering the sacredness of all things. We need to live an incarnational theology that takes God’s presence seriously in all of creation. Only from this place of love will our hearts be transformed and a new way of being arise. This book is an invitation to fall in love with creation and see what is inspired from there. You'll learn about your most fundamental prayers; participating in each day's liturgy of praise; and experiencing the wisdom of the seasons. Discover Earth's Original Roles in These 7 Chapters Earth as the Original Cathedral Earth has multiple terrains, as does the soul. Becoming familiar with the outer landscape reveals dimensions to us of our inner ones as well. Recognizing which territories enliven our souls and which ones challenge us brings us closer to discovering who we most deeply are and what we long for. Earth as the Original Scriptures The words of scripture offer us one kind of insight into God’s Word, and the physical dimension offers another. God is in all things and is the true essence of all things. One of Eriugena’s favorite words is theophany, which means “something that reveals the divine nature.” For him, the world and all of creation is a theophany. Earth as the Original Saints The trees and flowers do not try to be other than they were created to be. They teach us how to live out our own sainthood by no longer refusing our true nature. To become a saint means to embrace our essential nature, which is the vessel through which we carry out our callings. Earth as the Original Spiritual Directors We might be tempted to think that creation cannot speak to us in language and so it has nothing of importance to say. Rather than speak about nature, we might consider addressing our speech to creatures, knowing that they will respond in their own form of communication. Earth as the Original Icon Nature is a holy text for many of us, and an icon is a window to the Divine Presence at work in the world. Creation is therefore the original icon, the primordial place of our encounter with God, the Great Artist, who is continually at work in the world around us. Earth as the Original Sacrament When viewed through this expansive lens, we discover that the more we cultivate intimacy with the natural world, the more we discover about God’s presence. All of our interactions with nature can be sacramental, and all the ways nature extends herself to us are sacramental as well. Sacramentality breaks through our surface obsessions in the world and plunges us into the depth of the Sacred at every turn. Earth as the Original Liturgy Earth and her creatures teach us how to pray, how to worship and praise, but only if we listen and pay attention to their rhythms in this world.
✔ Author(s): Christine Valters Paintner
✔ Title: Earth, Our Original Monastery: Cultivating Wonder and Gratitude through Intimacy with Nature
✔ Rating : 4.7 out of 5 base on (158 reviews)
✔ ISBN-10: 193205720X
✔ ISBN-13: 9781932057201
✔ Language: English
✔ Format ebook: PDF, EPUB, Kindle, Audio, HTML and MOBI
✔ Device compatibles: Android, iOS, PC and Amazon Kindle
Readers' opinions about Earth, Our Original Monastery by Christine Valters Paintner
Thea Bell
The world-building in this book was simply phenomenal. I was transported to a different realm and felt like I was part of the characters' journey. The attention to detail made it all so immersive.
Polly Hurlbutt
I couldn't stop raving about this book to my friends and family. It's a literary gem that deserves all the praise. I can't wait to dive into more works by this talented author.
Laura Hill
This is a book I'll cherish and recommend to everyone. It touched my soul and made me reflect on life's profound mysteries.
