Saturday, January 16, 2010

#3 abbey

abbey - a building inhabited by a community of monks or nuns governed by an abbot or abbess

- 13th century, Old French Abeie, Latin abbatia

The word carries a certain mystique of a life from the Middle Ages, when a faith based community devoted the whole day to prayer and contemplation. I know of several who have spent a week in an abbey meditating and seeking spiritual connection. There is also the famous poem by William Wordsworth, "Lines composed a few miles from Tintern Abbey."

What metaphorical abbeys are there today where people might find nurture?

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