Skip to content

this body

the sensation of life

  • Home
  • A blessing: To you
  • About
    • About me
    • Why “this body”?
    • Spiritual Direction
    • Training
    • Supervision
    • What is spirituality?
    • Personal Experiences
  • Guided Prayer
  • Newsletters
  • Resources
    • Archive
      • Archive
      • Posts by date
      • Posts by name
      • Categories
      • Tags
    • Documents
    • Inspiration
    • The Cloud of Unknowing
    • The Spiritual Exercises of Ignatius
    • On Cleaving to God
  • Donate
  • Subscribe
  • Contact
  • Subscriber Area

Tag: being alive

What’s eating away at you?

I think that … that you work on the thing that's eating away at you. And I think that the performers that we feel are wrestling with something significant are the performers that hold … they hold our attention. Why couldn't people take their eyes of Brando? Something was always eating at him. I don't … Continue reading What’s eating away at you? →

Julian Maddock Being alive, Body, God, Present Leave a comment 30 December 201614 December 2019

The naked night

The night is terrifying. In the dark and the solitude, in the chasm between the lighted bustle of the days, everything drops away and disappears in the depths. No identity left, given, assumed, or invented. No work. No significance. No ambition. No façade. Only being is left: this small, naked, freshly-minted mite of the Universe. … Continue reading The naked night →

Julian Maddock Being alive 1 Comment 18 September 201614 December 2019

To live or to recount

I've been thinking a lot about these words this week: This is what I have been thinking: for the most commonplace event to become an adventure, you must – and this is all that is necessary – start recounting it. This is what fools people: a man is always a teller of tales, he lives … Continue reading To live or to recount →

Julian Maddock Pause for Thought Leave a comment 17 August 201624 December 2019

To you

Christ and St Mena

Dear One, I want you to enjoy your life. I want you to enjoy being alive. Life is full of beautiful and interesting things, and people, and places. There's far more here than you can ever possibly experience. Follow your curiosity. Let it be your guide. Do not worry about making mistakes.Do not worry about … Continue reading To you →

Julian Maddock Prayer 9 Comments 11 April 20168 July 2021

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

The Miracle of Being Nothing

Desert, Newberry Springs, CA (photo by Julian Maddock)

We shape clay into a pot, but it is the emptiness inside that holds whatever we want.Tao Te Ching, Ch.11 (tr Stephen Mitchell) Newberry Springs, CA This is difficult to remember and to practise. When I sit still, even for a few minutes, listening to the sounds coming in through the window, feeling the air, … Continue reading The Miracle of Being Nothing →

Julian Maddock God Leave a comment 1 July 201314 December 2019

Posts navigation

Newer posts

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…

Popular Posts

  • Audio Prayer for sleep 6.5k views | posted on 05/04/2020
  • To you 3.5k views | posted on 11/04/2016
  • Praying together 2.9k views | posted on 01/01/2021
  • What is the sensation of prayer? 10 steps to knowing God 2.4k views | posted on 08/09/2014
  • Audio Prayer: Simple opening to God’s presence 2.1k views | posted on 29/03/2020
  • Audio Prayer: Presence, Gratitude, and Kindness 2k views | posted on 12/04/2020
  • The Age of Feuillton 1.8k views | posted on 17/10/2014
  • Audio prayer: What do you desire? 1.4k views | posted on 17/05/2020
  • Ignatian Scaffolding 1.3k views | posted on 07/08/2021
  • Thomas and Friends 1.2k views | posted on 30/05/2008
  • It’s only your imagination 1.2k views | posted on 01/03/2021
  • The only 3 prayers you need 1.2k views | posted on 26/05/2019
  • There is no one but us 1k views | posted on 26/12/2021
  • Eugene Peterson: quotes from The Contemplative Pastor 1k views | posted on 29/01/2010
  • 8 ways to be with thoughts in prayer 1k views | posted on 22/10/2021
  • Audio Prayer: Review of the day 1k views | posted on 24/04/2020
  • A letter to three faith leaders 0.9k views | posted on 25/10/2021
  • How to experience God 898 views | posted on 12/06/2016
  • Thoughts in a time of plague 878 views | posted on 07/05/2020
  • Lost and found 824 views | posted on 15/08/2021
  • Spiritual direction at the end of the world (1) 820 views | posted on 10/01/2021
  • Thomas Merton’s life without care 810 views | posted on 23/05/2019
  • Coming Out 770 views | posted on 20/08/2024
  • Only basic goodness gives life to technique 760 views | posted on 29/10/2021
  • Lass auch Dir die Brust bewegen, Liebchen, höre mich! 745 views | posted on 07/03/2021
  • For 725 views | posted on 30/03/2018
  • Coterminous 721 views | posted on 05/05/2021
  • Starting at the bottom 697 views | posted on 11/09/2013
  • Retreat Day: Lent in lockdown 687 views | posted on 28/01/2021
  • Spiritual direction at the end of the world (4) 677 views | posted on 13/01/2021
  • Retreat Day: “What do You want me to do?” 675 views | posted on 03/08/2021
  • Retreat days for Advent 667 views | posted on 05/11/2021
  • One needful Lenten discipline 641 views | posted on 10/03/2023
  • The Miracle of Being Nothing 638 views | posted on 01/07/2013
  • The Discontents of Empire (III) 635 views | posted on 26/02/2017
  • I am Trump 634 views | posted on 03/02/2017
  • Holy the Firm 618 views | posted on 11/05/2020
  • What shall we do? 586 views | posted on 20/10/2019
  • But when he came to himself 575 views | posted on 30/09/2020
  • Embattled, not embittered 571 views | posted on 14/02/2016
  • Are we there yet? 538 views | posted on 10/02/2019
  • Where to start? 529 views | posted on 21/02/2012
  • Journalling Bible 521 views | posted on 19/02/2017
  • Michael Maddock, RIP 517 views | posted on 05/04/2010
  • Retreat Day: Coming Home 513 views | posted on 06/05/2021
  • Prayer of St Manchan 494 views | posted on 16/08/2014
  • Middle-class spiritual direction 469 views | posted on 02/12/2016
  • Sit! 467 views | posted on 23/09/2013
  • Feeling into this body 447 views | posted on 22/10/2010
  • Relax! 443 views | posted on 09/12/2013
  • Audio prayer featured on Insight Timer 442 views | posted on 14/05/2020
  • Audio Prayer: Revisiting a God moment 441 views | posted on 19/04/2020
  • Appledore 438 views | posted on 07/05/2018
  • God’s fragile ego 437 views | posted on 09/12/2019
  • An affirming source (6): Empowered 431 views | posted on 05/05/2019
  • Oasis Day: Journey into Lent 429 views | posted on 01/02/2022
  • Starting at the bottom (part 2) 426 views | posted on 15/09/2013
  • Disclosure II 418 views | posted on 11/09/2024
  • The Kingdom of Heaven 412 views | posted on 28/05/2018
  • Finding depth 404 views | posted on 16/06/2019
  • The shift 395 views | posted on 01/07/2018
  • Spiritual direction at the end of the world (2) 388 views | posted on 11/01/2021
  • Annunciation 387 views | posted on 15/12/2019
  • Repetition 382 views | posted on 17/01/2016
  • Spiritual direction at the end of the world (3) 380 views | posted on 12/01/2021
  • Negative Capability 377 views | posted on 15/02/2025
  • Retreat day: Coming home (last call) 375 views | posted on 07/06/2021
  • A training day for Guildford spiritual directors 371 views | posted on 24/11/2020
  • The gifts and the giver 369 views | posted on 30/11/2024
  • 11 Ways of Dealing with Anxiety:
    1. Breathe
    368 views | posted on 13/05/2013
  • Vastness, presence and meaning 361 views | posted on 09/03/2015
  • Salvation 360 views | posted on 17/06/2018
  • When prayer stops working 355 views | posted on 01/12/2019
  • An affirming source (3): Yielding 354 views | posted on 14/03/2019
  • To care and not to care 351 views | posted on 20/01/2019
  • An affirming source (5): Relationship 351 views | posted on 28/04/2019
  • An affirming source (1): an alien will 344 views | posted on 07/03/2019
  • Desert 343 views | posted on 03/02/2019
  • Audio Prayer: Review of the day++ 342 views | posted on 29/04/2020
  • Training day for spiritual directors 342 views | posted on 10/05/2019
  • How sophisticated are you? 335 views | posted on 09/10/2016
  • Preemptive strikes upon the Divine 330 views | posted on 03/11/2019
  • What’s eating away at you? 325 views | posted on 30/12/2016
  • You 325 views | posted on 13/10/2014
  • 11 Ways of Dealing with Anxiety:
    9. Identifying fallacious reasoning
    319 views | posted on 10/09/2013
  • Mercy 299 views | posted on 08/06/2017
  • An affirming source (2): Emancipation 294 views | posted on 08/03/2019
  • Camas Lilies 292 views | posted on 19/05/2018
  • Distraction 289 views | posted on 10/11/2019
  • A training day in Gloucester for spiritual directors 288 views | posted on 17/10/2019
  • The naked night 285 views | posted on 18/09/2016
  • … and joy 281 views | posted on 22/04/2020
  • Clinging to the Invisible God 278 views | posted on 13/04/2017
  • Disclosure I 274 views | posted on 28/08/2024
  • Retreat Day: last call 262 views | posted on 15/02/2021
  • The Discontents of Empire (IV) 262 views | posted on 19/03/2017
  • To live or to recount 261 views | posted on 17/08/2016
  • The Discontents of Empire (I) 260 views | posted on 05/02/2017
  • An affirming source: Inter-mission 257 views | posted on 14/04/2019
  • A few thoughts on how to release regret and learn to live (IV) 248 views | posted on 26/09/2014

Subscribe

  • Advance notice of events
  • Access to longer pieces of writing
  • Notifications of new posts
  • Occasional newsletters

Now on Insight Timer!

Insight Timer

Insight Timer is the #1 free app for meditation, sleep, anxiety and stress.

Find me on Insight Timer

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.

© 2005–2026 · Julian Maddock

Proudly powered by WordPress | Theme: Independent Publisher 2 by Raam Dev.