Illuminating The Way

Popular author of eight books and abbess of the online retreat center Abbey of the Arts, Christine Valters Paintner explores how the lives and spirituality of twelve monks and mystics offer distinct patterns of thought that will lead you to a deeper understanding of your strengths and areas of growth and will guide you on the path to your true spiritual identity.

In Illuminating the Way, Christine Valters Paintner takes you on a journey through your inner life accompanied by twelve great monks and mystics from the Christian tradition. Each figure invites you to discover the energy and potential of a particular archetype-the inner sage in Benedict; the inner visionary in Hildegard of Bingen; and the inner orphan in Dorothy Day. From the prophet Miriam of the Hebrew scriptures to twentieth century monk Thomas Merton, Paintner offers an array of challenging and enlivening models to explore.

Paintner is beloved by readers for her creative practices, guided meditations, and beautiful prayers and poems, and she has included all of these elements in her new book to further explore the image associated with each mystic. Her insightful reflections on key selections of each mystic’s writings will help you gain greater self-knowledge and experience a deeper encounter with God.

Each chapter also includes a full-color painting of each monk or mystic by Marcy Hall with commentary by Paintner and scripture passages and mediations by Paintner’s husband, John.

Supplemental materials, including a CD with music, a DVD with movement prayers, and a book that includes images, poems, and music notations are available on Paintner’s website AbbeyoftheArts.com.

Features & Benefits

Christine Valters Paintner’s four previous titles with Sorin Books have combined sales of more than 25,000 copies.
Paintner is a leader in developing user-friendly online resources. Paintner’s AbbeyoftheArts.com receives more than 10,000 unique visitors per month and 50,000 pageviews. Her weekly email newsletter has 9,000 subscribers and continues to grow.
During the 2015 Lent and Advent seasons, Paintner lead online retreats focused on the contents of the book. Each retreat had more than 200 participants.
Paintner and Betsy Beckman created supplemental materials: a CD with music; a DVD with movement prayers; and a book that includes images, poems, and music notations.