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Category: Present

Sermon to self

Prayer is subversive activity. It involves a more or less open act of defiance against any claim by the current regime… [As we pray,] slowly but surely, not culture, not family, not government, not job, not even the tyrannous self can stand against the quiet power and creative influence of God's sovereignty. Every natural tie … Continue reading Sermon to self →

Julian Maddock God, Prayer, Present Leave a comment 11 December 201614 December 2019

Self-improvement; not.

I am sitting in my bedroom where I have a little prayer corner. It is early on Sunday morning. The children are still asleep. Although it is cold outside, I have the window cracked open. I am swaddled in a dressing gown. I am listening to the sounds: a wood pigeon's coo, a crow's caw, … Continue reading Self-improvement; not. →

Julian Maddock Being alive, God, Prayer, Present 7 Comments 20 March 201614 December 2019

Emptiness

12 December 2015 I want to write about emptiness, loneliness, meaningless, and the apprehension of death. This is what I feel at the moment. But what to say? How to write about these feelings? I might say that there are days when I struggle with these feelings. There are days when I wonder what my … Continue reading Emptiness →

Julian Maddock Being alive, Body, Present 6 Comments 8 February 201614 December 2019

From resentment to recollection

Whenever I walk in a London street, I'm ever so careful to watch my feet;   And I keep in the squares,   And the masses of bears, Who wait at the corners all ready to eat The sillies who tread on the lines of the street,   Go back to they lairs,   And I say to them, … Continue reading From resentment to recollection →

Julian Maddock Discernment, Present 1 Comment 31 January 201618 April 2020

Repetition

In prayer, when I attend to this body, there are two things I do. I remember and invoke sensations of God's presence that I experienced in the past. (See Where to start?). Ignatius calls this repetition.I feel into this body and attend to the body's sensations. The body tells me what I need to know … Continue reading Repetition →

Julian Maddock Body, God, Present 6 Comments 17 January 20163 April 2020

Kindness is Your presence

(Once in a while, as I am writing my morning pages, along come thoughts that emerge fully formed. Here is this morning's gift.) Yesterday evening, coming home on the tube, I tried to practise kindness towards the other commuters. In the midst of all our jostling for position and selfish desire to claim a space … Continue reading Kindness is Your presence →

Julian Maddock Kindness, Present Leave a comment 6 October 201514 December 2019

The fear of God

I feel a little distant from You. I like to sit, to be quiet and still, to write, to ponder. I can do this without any memory of You, without reference to You. But I think You are inviting me into a deeper relationship. You are always present, so being fully present means being present … Continue reading The fear of God →

Julian Maddock God, Present 2 Comments 17 September 201514 December 2019

On being less

I am at St Beuno's for a conference of Ignatian trainers. It is so quiet here. I can hear my ears sing! The idea of progress, of self-improvement, of 'sorting it all out' and 'getting there': these ideas have such a hold on me. They pull me forward in my chest and head. Influenced by … Continue reading On being less →

Julian Maddock Being alive, emptiness, Present 2 Comments 20 April 201514 December 2019

Vastness, presence and meaning

It is a profound mistake to imagine that Christianity ever intended to dissipate the bewilderment and even the terror, the sense of our own nothingness, which come upon us when we think about the nature of things. It comes to intensify them. Without such sensations there is no religion. Many a man, brought up in … Continue reading Vastness, presence and meaning →

Julian Maddock Present Leave a comment 9 March 201514 December 2019

Meaning and purpose

I am feeling better this morning. (I always feel better after a good shit! [It was suggested by an early reader that I shouldn't say this. This is probably good advice which I have chosen to ignore. Spirituality, if understood as the life though which we become more and more transparent to God, more than … Continue reading Meaning and purpose →

Julian Maddock Body, Present 1 Comment 9 February 201514 December 2019

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Praying Together

Since the first lockdown, I have been leading online prayer every week. I invite you to these prayer times on Zoom at 8.30 am every Monday and Wednesday. For more information, read “Praying together”.
Julian

Julian Maddock

Julian in hoodie with blue DM's

I offer spiritual direction, training, and supervision. I am also a writer. I am based in Upper Teesdale, Co. Durham and (occasionally) West London.

Through kindly attention to the sensations of this body you can connect into a process of ever-deepening immersion into the reality of God at the heart of life.

I write here primarily about:
  • God, and how to foster your relationship with God;
  • prayer, and how to pray; and
  • how attending to this body is prayer and a way to be present in the Presence.

Read more…

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A beginner’s guide

These links will give you a flavour of, and a way in to, what this body is all about:

  • Where to start?
  • Sitting
  • Starting at the bottom
  • Feeling into this body
  • Starting at the bottom (part 2)
  • Relax!
  • What is the senation of prayer? 10 steps to knowing God
  • The miracle of being nothing

Copyright

Feel free to share any of this material with others, but please say where you got it from and point people at this website. Thank you.

© 2005–2025 · Julian Maddock

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