JM 2013 August
Article
Angela Ashwin
Address given at the JM 40th Anniversary Celebration, 11 May 2013
If ever there were a striking illustration of Jesus‘ parable of the Mustard Seed, it must be the remarkable growth of the Julian Meetings. That small beginning, when Hilary Wakeman wrote to various church newspapers in 1973 encouraging fellow Christians to take meditation more seriously, led to a movement which spread and blossomed into the three hundred or so Julian Meetings that exist today in the UK and world-wide. This is marvellous evidence of the quiet work of the Holy Spirit, truly something to be celebrated.
Yet the existence of Julian Meetings, and of other similar groups of Christians who pray in silence, is a gift of which the world at large seems to be mostly unaware, and there are still many in the churches who do not know about it either. On the one hand it is frustrating that the rich vein of contemplative prayer within our Christian tradition is so little known, and it is right that we do all we can to find ways of gently spreading the word about it. On the other hand, there is something to be said for hiddenness, and Jesus himself likens the kingdom of God to salt, yeast and buried treasure. In a world wedded to activity, productivity and measurable results it is profoundly counter-cultural to sit around in silence doing nothing, and many will ask, Why not do something useful instead? But in the wisdom of divine foolishness, this faithful discipline of spending time in wordless surrender to God‘s love is one of the most important things we could possibly do. Instead of focusing on the external events of organised religion and the public issues of the church, we are giving our attention to the crucial unseen, interior life which is the wellspring of everything else. Whenever we gather for quiet meditation we are part of the hidden heart of prayer of the church, and the silence transcends all boundaries of denomination, doctrine and religious practice. How Julian of Norwich in her little cell in the fourteenth century would have rejoiced to see her name and her teachings about the divine love taken up six hundred years later as the inspiration of the Julian Meetings!
At home I have a large earthenware pot, about the size of a football, which is full of holes and takes a candle in the centre. At the contemplative prayer group to which I belong we sometimes use this pot as a visual focus, and we find that it speaks to us about several aspects of silence and the spiritual journey.
First it is an encouragement. Somebody once said, ‘Even when my spiritual life is full of holes, the pot reassures me that the light of Christ can still shine in and through me!‘ I also find the symbolism of the pot helpful when my mind has become filled with distractions. As soon as I realise that I have wandered off, I can come back to the quiet flame which is still burning steadily, representing my underlying desire to be open and receptive to God in spite of surface chatter. And it is our desire for God that matters most, not our imagined spiritual achievements or worthiness. What is more, our faltering desire for God is met by God‘s infinite desire for us, drawing us back and back whenever we find ourselves fragmented or pulled in all directions. And the wonderful thing is that the point where we feel most wretched and vulnerable is precisely the place where Jesus is pressing most keenly to love, heal and remake us.
A second way in which the pot can speak to us is in relation to intercession, which is an important part of our Christian vocation. The beams of light from the candle radiate outwards through the holes, forming a beautiful pattern all round, especially when the room is darkened. This reminds us that, whenever we pray, we are there for the world as well as for ourselves. By being present and inwardly still, we place ourselves in a position to be both receivers and channels of the divine light and love, for humanity and all creation whose frailty and brokenness we share. Thus, in the mystery of human interconnectedness, our own personal opening up to God becomes also an offering of prayer for the blessing of the world. This applies whether or not our JM meetings include spoken intercessions before or after the silence; some do this and some do not, and both approaches have advantages. It may be that we need to name certain individuals or situations, to help us to focus on particular areas of concern; in other contexts silently holding people in God‘s love is sufficient. The variety of ways in which Julian Meetings shape their time together is one of the movement‘s strengths.
Finally the pot helps us to make connections between what happens during times of silent prayer and the rest of our lives. The simple act of recalling the image of the light in the pot enables us to re-engage with our still centre, the ‘inner room‘ of our hearts into which we can dip at any moment and where we can encounter God (cf. Matthew 6:6). God is always present to us in our busy lives, but we easily forget to be present to God, and short pauses throughout the day can help us to realign our mind and will with the divine, creative energy. This is also easier when we engage wholeheartedly with whatever situation we are in, rather than only being there half-heartedly, our body in one place and our thoughts somewhere else. Remembering the pot with the candle in the middle can bring us back to the heart of the matter, and help us to stay centred in God even when life is chaotic. In the end we discover that our prayer is not so much what we are doing but what God is doing in and through us. It is all gift, all grace.
Article
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Discovering our roots
Not many of our current membership will remember the early days of the Julian Meetings, 40 years ago. Our April Magazine included Hilary Wakeman‘s thoughts on 40 years of JM, and an edited version of her original letter to the church press.
We thought it would help our members think about the future of the Julian Meetings, entering their 5th decade, if they knew a little more about its first few years. So this issue includes some extracts from the Newsletters / Magazines, to give us an idea of how far we have come.
JM started on a regional basis, and each Newsletter included reports from the regional secretaries. We have put in the list of the regional locations for 1974, so that you can see where across the country it all began. Each Newsletter also had a letter from the Secretary / Convenor (Hilary Wakeman); articles on contemplative prayer and silence; correspondence; suggested books; and news of JM.
It is easy for us to forget how few resources on contemplative prayer were available at that time, in the way of literature, teaching and retreats, and how relatively unknown Mother Julian was. In this 21st Century stillness and silence with God is more valuable than ever, but we need to use modern ways, as well as traditional, to let people know about it. This is the challenge that faces us today – enabling those seeking to connect with God to find, and try out, the contemplative approach.
There are new ways for us to ‘get the message out‘. We need to be open to all the possibilities. If you have experience in publicity and / or promotion and could make other suggestions, we‘d love to hear from you. People need JM, but we must make it possible for them to find us.
Article
Hilary Wakeman
The Secretary’s Letter (edited) from the first JM Newsletter – March 1974
Some points recur most frequently. Many concern the organisation of the regional groups. I‘ve set out a few ideas on starting a local group because it seems desirable that when a widely scattered group becomes strong enough it should split into two, or even three, so that its members will have less far to travel. These groups in turn should keep splitting down until, ideally, there should be a group in every town. How strong is ‘strong enough‘ to split? Normally six seems the right number to form a new group.
The steadiest groups meet monthly in the same place with meetings which include a period (30 minutes) of silent prayer. Groups meeting at thee-monthly intervals, or whose meetings are mainly talk / discussion, seem more shaky. So smaller and / or newer groups should perhaps just jump in at the deep end, arrange monthly meetings in a regular place and hope that people will come.
It seems essential to say that, in our meetings, we should keep to contemplative prayer. This is the common factor that brought us together. If other aspects of religious life, no matter how valid, are brought in they will almost certainly divide the group, or alienate would-be members. So intercessions, healing sessions, charismatic speaking in tongues etc. shouldn‘t be part of a group meeting.
A related matter is the use of oriental forms of meditation or techniques leading to contemplation. These can seem bizarre, unChristian, to those to whom they are new, yet can be helpful if kept in perspective. Should they be kept out of our meetings? As techniques leading to contemplation, the answer must be no. Yet for many, such ways will always be alien. If a group were always based on these methods many people would be driven away. So an occasional dip into eastern ways might be invigorating but most of any group‘s meetings should be based on traditional Christian ways.
With an informal membership, meeting irregularly, it is difficult to be democratic about choosing a name for the movement. Several people suggested variations on Julian of Norwich, as the movement began in the 600th anniversary year of her ‘Revelations of Divine Love‘. Her name crops up so frequently in your letters – and the Oxford group had already ‘adopted‘ her – that ‘The Julian Meetings‘ seemed to fit. ‘Meetings‘ avoids words like ‘Fellowship‘ or ‘Society‘ (slightly Victorian) and leaves any Order which might be formed, free to choose its own name. We asked what the regional secretaries thought and, although Canon Cecil of Peterborough thought it not sufficiently self-explanatory, and Canon Walker of Chichester worried that ‘There might be a tendency to grant her or her methods an importance we do not intend‘, all the secretaries approved the name and most were enthusiastic. Which is why I have taken the liberty of using the name on this newsletter.
The original letters to church papers were about forming an ecumenical Order for people wanting to combine secular and contemplative lives. It was soon clear that the regional groups would need to concentrate on setting up regular meetings, so that the founder-members could keep in touch. We had to decide if others should be invited and this led to the realisation that others, not just founder members, were seeking direction and guidance in Christian meditation and contemplative prayer. Thus the meetings might need to address the needs of people who knew almost nothing about this way of prayer. So holding meetings took first place, and the idea of an Order slipped into the background. It seems no bad thing that there might eventually be two ‘streams‘, the Meetings and the Order, supporting and sustaining each other.
Perhaps it‘s not too early for those drawn to a more total commitment to discuss an Order. Ann Gurney, an Anglican Deaconess in London, has been hoping for something like this and wrote in February 1973: ‘I share your concern that there is a real need to witness to the contemplative tradition in Christianity and help people to see that it can undergird life lived in ‘secular‘ surroundings. I am interested in a group
expressing its Christian commitment in this way, like the Secular Institute of the Roman Catholic Church: a group on its own or possibly supporting a wider fellowship of people, not all called to membership of it‘. When we met we found that our ideas matched: the group would be of men and women, clerical and lay, married and unmarried, who are communicant members of Christian churches. It would be based on contemplative prayer and on the evangelical counsels of poverty, chastity and obedience applied to the secular situation. A draft of these ideas is being worked out now. Would those who seriously wish to know more about this please write to …. enclosing an sae.
Some of you have said we should ‘keep apart from the organised church‘. In answer, I quote from a letter by a Scottish priest: ‘It (the movement) must be firmly rooted in the authentic Christian tradition. The best (and indeed the only) way of remaining a part of the Christian tradition is to be attached to the Body of Christ – the Church; and to do this one must be a regular worshipper and communicant. … in an ecumenical body this may resolve itself in varied … ways, but … this sacramental link gives … our grounding in the Christian tradition from which our prayer life will grow. … Julian of Norwich and the author of ‘The Cloud of Unknowing‘ … root their devotion in the sacramental life of the church.‘
We did agree, at the inaugural meetings, to perhaps have a national meeting in London, in the autumn of 1974, for representatives of the regional groups. Could regional secretaries, (and others), say if this would be useful?
One useful outcome of a national meeting might be to elect an overall spiritual director for the movement, who would take over most of the matters in this column. I apologise for editorialising on these matters while quite unqualified to do so: it is simply that at the moment I am the only person with a complete birds-eye view of the movement. I would be more than grateful to pass the burden on to a director, and stick to the secretarial work.
Article
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How the Julian Meetings developed
1973
Hilary Wakeman‘s letters to the church press. Initial regional meetings take place.
1974
First newsletter (10p). First National Meeting, in London. Groups in: Cambridge, Alton, Carlisle, Cardiff, Chichester, Devon, Feltham, Glasgow, Leicester, Letchworth, the North-East, Peterborough, St Albans, Southampton, Sutton Coldfield, Worthing + a postal group.
1975
Noticeboard cards (1p). Subs. 50p a year for 3 issues. Advisory Group of Hilary Wakeman, Keith Walker & Arthur Middleton. First weekend retreat, in Birmingham.
1976
Mary Holliday, David Singleton & Brian Wills join the AG. Hilary Burn handles subscriptions, which increase from 50p a year to 75p. Annual weekend retreat – half silent, half business – at All Saints Pastoral Centre, London Colney cost £10.30. List of Spiritual Directors. Other silent prayer networks: Caritas Christi; Fellowship of Contemplative Prayer; The Fellowship of the Hidden Life; Association for Promoting Retreats; Centre Space; HOPE Houses of Prayer Ecumenical.
1977
Postal Group re-organised into Triads. Introductory leaflet to be free. 38 groups listed. Exploring a project for young people to live a life of contemplative prayer and agricultural self-sufficiency in Norfolk. Recognised that:
- group leaders need teaching for them to be able to teach contemplative prayer, to others;
- national and regional meetings are desirable;
- we need to work with young people.
A consensus at the retreat cautioned against the use of liturgical prayer at Julian meetings. A proposed an annual subscription, conferring membership of JM with receipt of the newsletter, was not approved. There are groups in 39 locations.
1978
The March Newsletter no longer carries reports from every group (45 now). Plans for 5 booklets, by different people, on:
1) What is contemplation / meditation / silent prayer?
2) Some Ways of Meditation
3) Meditation – a way to know God? (for non-Christians)
4) Difficulties in Meditation (for more experienced meditators)
5) Contemplative Life Style.
Groups raised issues of:
- Informed teaching – is there a central list of teachers?
- Need to promote more than one approach / method
- Need to commit to daily practice.
- How many in a group – max of 12? 15? 20?
- How to contact potential members
- How to find leaders for Quiet days – have a central list?
- How much notice were theological colleges taking of silence?
By November the publications available were:
1. Introductory Leaflet (free)
2. List of religious houses and spiritual directors (15p)
3. Some Basics of Contemplative Prayer (15p)
4. Booklist (15p) Noticeboard card
1979
The Norfolk youth project was abandoned. Starting a Meeting (15p) was added to the publications Hilary had an article about JM in the Church Times, and 170 letters arrived asking to know more. How to cope?
1980
A letter in The Times brought in 80 responses. Agreed to pay Hilary an honorarium of £100 a month for working 2 days a week for JM, the money to be raised by donation. Deciding whether to become a charity was deferred, to preserve JM‘s freedom and flexibility. Members of the Advisory Group were to stand down after 2 years and not be eligible for reselection for a year. But this year new members were elected for just one year, as the AG might, in the future, consist of regional representatives. JM had grown from 60 to 76 meetings. A4 poster ‘Christian Contemplation. The Julian Meetings‘ (8p)
1981
The newsletter costs £1 per annum with a circulation of 500. Publications are:
An Introduction to the Julian Meetings (free);
Some Basics of Contemplative Prayer (15p);
A suggested booklist for groups (20p);
Suggested phrases for use by local groups (25p);
Starting a Group (15p);
Posters (8p);
List of groups (15p)
Noticeboard cards (2p).
A children‘s silent prayer group in Bamber Bridge, Preston. Liaison meeting between JM, FCP, SCK, HOPE, and the Fellowship of Meditation. Planning training days to speak about JM. Hilary‘s honorarium stops as her situation has changed. Suggest jobs be delegated to volunteers.
In November the Newsletter became the JM Magazine, with separate Newsletters to carry local JM news and events. The rest of this précis only carries information from the Magazines, and a very occasional Newsletter.
1983
John Hawkins was composing a scrapbook of the first 10 years of the Julian Meetings (Do we have a copy?)
1984
10th Anniversary Magazine included an item by Hilary Wakeman which became ‘The Ideal Julian Meeting‘. Produced an Order of Service based on Julian‘s writings. Elizabeth Tyndall was preparing ‘Going Into Silence and Coming Out‘.
1988
The magazines now cost 70p each, or £2.00 for a year.
1989
Postal Group, now available to lone Julians, is organised by Alice Haste as part of the Canterbury meeting. Our publications are:
P1 Waiting on God in Silence (free)
P2 Order of Service based on Julian‘s writings (5p + sae)
P3 Some Basics of Contemplative Prayer (20p + A5 sae)
P4 Going Into Silence and Coming Out (20p + A5 sae)
P5 Arranging a Retreat (20p + A5 sae)
P6 Starting a Group (20p + A5 sae)
P7 The ideal Julian Group (20p + A5 sae)
Posters (8p + A4 sae)
List of Groups (35p + sae)
Noticeboard Cards (5p + sae)
Booklist (5p + A5 sae)
Passion Flower Cards ‘Let Go & Let God‘ (9p + A5 sae)
1990
Instead of a national retreat we had regional retreats:
Feb. Fareham, Hants Rev’d Liz Tyndall
March Ecton, Northants. Carol Self
May Guildford, Surrey. Rev’d Cyprian Smith
May Glastonbury, Somerset Rev’d Pamela Fawcett J
une Quiet Day, Dalbeattie, Scotland Rev’d Michael Hollings
Sept. Ditchingham, Norfolk Jean Dale
Oct. Ampleforth, N. Yorkshire Rev’d Graham Johnson
Nov. Prinknash, Gloucestershire Yvonne Walker
1991
Publications Order Form now A4, with Sue Brock taking over from Hilary Burn
1992
Notes about responses to the JM Retreats said: Silence is the essence of a JM retreat, some of it corporate / programmed. The addresses should focus us on God, not ourselves, and should be food for prayer, not brain-work. There should be freedom within the structure to allow individuals to do their own thing – we are all different, with varying needs. Retreatants like to know what is coming, the length of corporate silences, and talks and what the talks will cover. The ecumenical ‘eucharist‘ was valued.
1993
Subscriptions now £1 per issue, £3 a year.
1994
Celebrating 21 years of JM with a National Retreat at High Leigh led by Martin Israel. A new passion flower logo and blue colour adopted. ‘Circles of Silence‘ is published by DLT – a selection of items from the JM magazine, edited by Robert Llewelyn. Commemorative china mug
1995
Is there such a thing as a JM Spirituality?
1997
Hilary Wakeman moved to Ireland. Yvonne Walker became National Co-ordinator. Graham Johnson took over from Pam Fawcett as Magazine editor. Format became A5, priced at £1.50, £4.50 per year. ‘Your Turn to Lead‘, and the JM bookmark, produced. JM website developed
1999
New design of JM A4 poster
2000
JM Pew Card
2001
JM database developed
2002
Circles of Stillness‘ published – volume 2 of items from JM magazines, edited by Hilary Wakeman. Last JM retreat.
2003
30th anniversary gathering at Oxford. Blue leather coaster / candle mat with gold JM logo Website updated and improved Yvonne Walker retired from the Advisory Group and Deidre Morris became National Co-ordinator
2004
Magazine £2 per issue, £6 per year
2006
Hilary Wakeman retires from the Julian Meetings. Day event in York
2007
Day event in Salisbury
2008
Day event in Peterborough
2009
Registration of Meetings introduced, to maintain accuracy of the database, and to ensure each Meeting receives a copy of the Magazine and Newsletter
2010
Advisory Group replaced by a Core Group of 5–6 and a Council of all those who do voluntary jobs for JM
2011
A4 and A5 trailing passion flower posters
2012
Additions to our publications were:
‘Approaching Silence‘ by David Self
An A5 leaflet ‘Contemplative Prayer – a brief introduction‘
A revised ‘Resources List‘ of books, CDs, DVDs websites
2013
40th Anniversary celebration in London with Angela Ashwin JM fridge magnet.
Article
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New for 2013: The JM Fridge Magnet
We were looking for another way to advertise our existence, and have had fridge magnets printed. All the print is in blue, on a white ground.
The magnets are light and flexible – easy to slip in a letter or card, or give away, to friends or colleagues. They could be on your fridge door, or filing cabinet, or anywhere else that might encourage folk to take notice, or ask for more information.
We gave them out to participants at our 40th Anniversary Event. More can be ordered using the order form in the Newsletter, and we hope you will use them widely. Perhaps everyone in your Meeting could use one?
Quotation
Basil Hume
Silence and solitude were part of the life of Our Lord … though intensely busy he went off to look for solitude, silence and stillness.
Article
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What an ilLumenating day!
On 11 May, 70 of us gathered to celebrate 40 years of the Julian Meetings. Folk came from as far as Exeter, Llandudno, and Darlington as well as from around London, and points in between.
The venue was just right, with different spaces for the various activities, but all light, airy and welcoming. The staff were very helpful, and the food delicious. Despite it being May a hot lunch of rice, salad, and chicken or vegetable casserole was very welcome, with fruit to follow. The cakes at teatime were so tempting!
Angela Ashwin was an inspirational speaker. She also, with Yvonne Walker, led an afternoon workshop on Leading a Quiet Day. At the same time others shared their technological thoughts at an IT Forum, while some chose to chat, read the archive material on display, or browse the bookshop.
An open forum gave chance for questions and comments of both a serious and more light-hearted kind, before we shared final worship and silence together. Then tea, cakes and departures.
“Heartfelt thanks to all who arranged this wonderful, wonderful day. I, and the two friends with me, felt the whole day couldn’t have been bettered.”
“Please pass my thanks to all who made Saturday at Lumen Centre so special. A great venue, of course, and lovely food, and so much care had been taken with the organisation of the day. So a big Thank You to everyone involved.”
Article
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Report on the IT Forum held at the Lumen 40th Anniversary Celebration
We were delighted that 14 people attended the IT Forum. This included three Council members and two from the Core Group. We felt that this level of interest from those attending the Lumen celebration suggested that members are keen for us to develop our use of technology and that we have a mandate to pursue the ideas raised.
The various ideas broadly covered the following categories:
Developing the JM Community
The forum felt that we could make use of modern technology to encourage and improve communication with and between our members.
Administration
There were various suggestions for upgrading our systems for dealing with subscriptions, literature sales, accounting, meeting registrations and renewals, and making and electronic version of the magazine available. Also, using electronic storage for our archives where appropriate.
Promotion and Publicity
Self-explanatory: there were various ideas on how to use IT to spread the word about Julian Meetings and about Christian contemplative prayer.
JM Bulletin Board
The Core Group has considered all the matters raised at the Forum . We feel that the best starting point is to set up a Bulletin Board or Forum for Julian Meeting members. This will accomplish many of the objectives in developing the JM Community. The Bulletin Board will also provide a place where the ideas relating to administration, promotion and publicity can be explored and pursued.
The Core Group have tasked Ann Moran with setting up a Julian Meetings Bulletin Board. Initially this will be made available to members of the Lumen IT Forum, the Core Group and National Council members. The Forum will be reviewed at the Autumn Council meeting and be opened to the whole membership with the December magazine.
We‘ll be using Proboards software www.proboards.com. Ann Moran will be delighted to hear from you if you have any suggestions for content for the Board or have any experience in managing Proboards Software and would be willing to be involved in the development of the Board. Please email her at julianmeetingsforum@yahoo.com. Please do not wait till December. If you would like a copy of the full IT Forum notes please email Ann.
Article
Sandra Johnston and Pat Jenner
A message from South Africa
Please would you forward the heartiest congratulations to all Julians on this special occasion. Our good wishes, prayers and blessings come from all the Julians in South Africa.
As we all join to give thanks we will be thinking of all of you who live in the cradle of Julian in the UK.
Pat Jenner who runs the Garden‘s Julian Group in Cape Town sent the following resume‘ of her experience.
Many Blessings
Sandra Johnston
The Julian Meeting at Gardens Presbyterian Church was started about 25 years ago as a result of a suggestion from an elderly Anglican woman who thought that there might be a need for a contemplative prayer group, if not quite in the CBD but on the edge of the Central Business District. Reverend James Patrick agreed to open the church for this group, so at the beginning there were about six people who knew little if anything ,about contemplative prayer or Mother Julian!
When I joined it was out of curiosity “just what was this Julian Meeting which was advertised in the church leaflet”?
What I found was such a joy – SILENCE ! No politics either internal or external, no rivalry no ritual no resentment that the “wrong” tunes were being used for the hymns, no dogma, but simply a group attempting to draw closer to an understanding of their faith.
In the years that followed the group has changed and grown, become more ecumenical and all have found much of value in the time of quiet. There are times when we are aware that the Lord God is walking in the Garden.
Thank you to all at JM for 40 years of inspiration ! We pray that you will continue to lead and guide us and that the still-ness that we experience at the meetings will pervade our lives and the lives of all around us. Pat Jenner
Article
Fiona Elliott
Paradise Lost or Found?
When I think of Paradise, I first think of Heaven; the place of life after death. It‘s a reward for those with Christian faith to meet their Maker, where there’s no more suffering or tears. Or do we sometimes experience a touch of heaven/paradise here on earth; a special ‘thin‘ place where we feel most connected to our God: happy, secure, and care-free.
So is Paradise just a physical place, or is it a state of mind?
As I write, I‘m inspired by a panoramic view of a Cotswold hill, which rises from a flat-bottomed valley. The sides curl smoothly upwards where the rich green pasture gives way to deciduous trees, thickly cladding the gentle slope. I see telegraph poles standing proudly on the ridge and as the lush grass pales to coarser kinds, wind and rain have stripped naked an outcrop of rock.
My eyes naturally scan for a pathway to the summit.
The passion I had as a child on holiday with family in the hills was to climb whatever mound was in front of me. I was like a mountain goat with stamina, strength and flexibility, confident to face the challenge. I knew I could get to the top. An obsessive urge gripped and powered me to reach the summit, drove me to find space, peace, a view. A mission to be accomplished? To find paradise?
Will that past determination to reach mountain tops, ricochet now to a different type of mountain?
Rosie Boycott, in her book, ‘Our Farm‘ quoted one of her visitors, a young rabbi called Shalom, while she was in hospital, contemplating losing her leg after a car accident:
‘Don‘t ever forget that the adventures of the mind are always far, far more rewarding than the adventures of the feet‘.
This wisdom has embedded in my memory over the last 16 years, as multiple sclerosis gradually disables me.
Will I find paradise in my mind, my soul, my spirit; or contentment and peace when I‘ve lost the discoveries of my mountain-climbing legs?
Jesus reminded his friend Martha, as she complained about her sister Mary not helping her make preparations: that by sitting and listening, ‘Mary has chosen what is better‘.
Maybe, as God‘s allowing the deterioration of my walking, loss of use of my right hand, and zapped away my strength and concentration, He‘s giving me a different gift: a new way of communicating, a yearning for stillness to sit in his presence?
Through this meditation I‘ve discovered a new intimacy with God and sensitivity for others. Loss of health and career may have removed me from the ‘rat-race‘ but I have more time to listen and empathise with peoples‘ pain. I have a new purpose and it‘s okay.
Once proud to be Martha, I‘m now learning to be Mary. With this new perspective I am content. I have glimpses of Paradise in moments of stillness and am looking forward to Heaven.
Poem
[Anon]
Thou shalt know him when he comes
Thou shalt know him when he comes
Not by any din of drums
Nor the vantage of airs
Nor by anything he wears
Neither by his crown
Nor his gown
For his presence known shall be
By the holy harmony
That his coming makes in thee.
Article
Marjorie Humphreys
Julian Retreat Day on Anglesey
The Benllech Julian Meeting held a retreat day on 7 May 2013 to celebrate JM‘s 40th anniversary. Ten of us met in beautiful Llangoed. As we journeyed there we could view the Menai Straits and the mountains of Snowdonia. It was a hot sunny day and the views had a clarity that seemed to reflect the intention of the day and our openness of spirit that was shining upon the mountains and sparkling upon the water.
The carefully-chosen location was a Quiet Garden, owned by Wendy and Roger Davies. Wendy and I are both Franciscan Tertiaries and the garden was set out according to the Canticle of the Creatures. There are places and features where we could sit and reflect on the symbols of Sister Sun and Moon, Mother Earth, Brother Wind, Water, Fire and Sister Death. As we wandered around the garden there was a sense of being at one with the earth. This contrast to the mystical revelations and showings of Julian enabled us to keep grounded rather than becoming illusory. There were rooms in the house for us to use if we wished with relevant books, art materials and Julian literature.
The day‘s rhythm was of coming in and going out.
I led a reflection in a room of the house, followed by group silence for 15 minutes, at the end of which I played some music. This was the prompt for individual silence for a further 30 minutes and freedom to wander in the gardens. Then we met again for the next reflection. This rhythm created a framework for listening to words; silence in the group with eyes closed in the circle; then eyes open and movement outside, reflecting our life in the world.
The themes for reflection were ‘The Still Point‘, ‘God as Mother‘ and ‘The Ground of our Praying‘. I used diagrams, poetry and art as part of the reflections. We finished with an act of worship and prayers of intercession taking the theme ‘All Shall be Well‘. We used prayer cards as suggested at the Julian Cell in Norwich.
Everyone left with a little booklet of all the reflections and a summary of the life of Julian of Norwich. We were truly blessed with the weather, being the hottest day of the year so far, and we viewed a second time the fantastic vistas of Snowdonia and the Menai Straits on the way home. We were refreshed, embedded in God‘s love and glowing in the Spirit.
Article
Janet Robinson
Silence in Christian History
I have not yet read Diarmaid MacCulloch‘s book which is so excellently reviewed overleaf but I had the opportunity to hear him speak on the subject at the Hay Festival to an audience of about 1300. It was an excellent and serious lecture which totally engaged the listeners and provoked interesting and positive questions.
He averred that silence could be life enhancing and life changing. He instanced the liveliness of the silence of the parish church in his village when he was a child.
As an example he spoke of the making of “a wild track”. This is when, during the making of a TV programme, the producer needs a short audio recording of sound effects gathered when the cameras are not rolling which can be synchronized with the film. This can then be inserted when the camera is making a panning shot or fills in a patch when perhaps the presenter is just walking from one place to another. When McCulloch was making the TV History of Christianity the producer requested that he and the abbot of a Benedictine monastery stood in the cloisters in complete silence for three minutes while the wild track was made. He said he realised how every silence is different and distinctive. “On this occasion,” he said, “it was three minutes of completely positive silence”.
Book review
Gail Ballinger
Diarmaid McCulloch • Silence: a Christian history
Allen Lane, 2013, £20.00
This book opens, somewhat surprisingly, with an account of two different dogs in detective stories, by Sherlock Holmes and GK Chesterton. This immediately caught my attention and I was encouraged to think that, though learned, the book would be accessible – which it is. The introduction ends ‘I opened by recalling two stories from the classic age of murder mysteries and will be pleased if the reader treats this book as a detective story.‘
Diarmaid MacCulloch is Professor of History of the Church at Oxford. He is the author of several award winning books including A History of Christianity: the first three thousand years, the basis the 2009 television series of the same name. I would say he is an academic with a gift for communicating with the general reader – or viewer – witness his May 2013 television documentary on Thomas Cromwell.
Silence: a Christian history grew from his 2012 Gifford Lectures. The Gifford lectures began in 1888, from a bequest in the 1885 will of the jurist Adam Lord Gifford. Convinced that true, felt knowledge of God, when acted upon, generated human well-being and progress, his bequest of £80,000 to the four Scottish universities was to establish a series of lectures on the topic of natural religion. In dealing with their particular area of interest and expertise, lecturers are required to discuss natural theology as a science, that is, “without reference to, or reliance upon, any supposed special exceptional or so-called miraculous revelation” (Wikipedia). So the lectures, if not necessarily the book, had some constraints.
This is not a history of contemplative silence, though it includes it. Rather, it is a wide ranging look at different kinds of silence. It starts with a historian‘s tools: seeing beyond the silence of what is not said. It has much to do with the development of Christian identity and its moral sense.
Silence in the Bible
The author explores silence in the Bible in four parts: silence at creation; silence in the Tanakh (Old Testament); silences around the life of Jesus; and silence at the resurrection culminating in the strange reference in Revelation when, at the opening of the seventh seal, there is silence in heaven “for about half an hour”.
Silence in the Tanakh is often negative and threatening eg the silencing of the ungodly or the silence of God that feels like desertion. He tells of the interplay of cultures and the influence of Greek thought, possibly including the place of silence, on dispersed Jews as in Alexandria, who were more familiar with Greek than Hebrew (2nd century BCE) and for whom the Septuagint was translated.
Monastic silence
He moves on to the development of monastic silence, from Evagrius and the beginnings of Christian meditation and contemplation, through Benedict to the later much larger monasteries such as Cluny. Again, he suggests that cultural interplay is significant in the Greek influences on the place of silence in Christianity. He speculates about Syrians trading eastwards being influenced by eastern thought, and by the Hindu hermits. Even perhaps coming into contact with Buddhism, and Hesychasts of the Orthodox church in relationship to the Sufis of Islam.
Reformations
Part three covers the three reformations, starting in 700 with eastern iconoclasm and finishing in 1700 with the end of the Protestant Reformation. During the reformation and the inquisition silent prayer was the only safe prayer! Interestingly, both Quakers and lay Catholics followed the idea of the ‘interior monastery‘. He considers John of the Cross, Teresa of Avila, Ignatius Loyola and other medieval mystics. Calvin contemptuously described those who hid their true conviction as Nicodemites (from Nicodemus who visited Jesus in secret by night) and that concept is explored in the context of the Protestant Reformation, the Jewish Conversos of Spain and those present-day Christians living as hidden minorities in danger of persecution.
Silence of concealment
Finally we have the silence of concealment – silences for survival, such as the Nicodemites, but also the skeletons in the cupboard, the happenings which the church did not want to acknowledge – attitudes to slavery and the slave trade for instance. And in the 20th century the holocaust – and how centuries of anti-Semitism contributed to the climate that could produce it. He similarly explores attitudes to sexuality whether cover ups of clerical abuse or attitudes to homosexuality.
The author’s silences
This book kept me mentally on my toes. I found it a lively and enlivening read. The author had some silences of his own – Julian of Norwich does not feature in his consideration of medieval mystics. But since the Gifford lectures exclude ‘so-called miraculous revelation‘ that perhaps explains it. With his consideration of Thomas Merton I would have welcomed more reference to the growing attraction of contemplative silence for ordinary Christians in the second half of the (noisy) 20th century, especially some of the contemplative movements.
The indexing and cross referencing is exceptionally good and very user friendly making it easy to follow arguments. ‘Further reading‘ is comprehensive, spanning decades. It includes scholarly histories but also books by, for example, Martin Laird and Christopher Jamison which we have reviewed in the JM Magazine.
I would recommend this to anyone who has an interest in history and how things came to be – remember this is a detective story!
Book review
Pat Chandler
Sue Pickering • On Holiday With God: making your own retreat – a companion and guide
Canterbury Press, 2012, £9.99
This is a comprehensive guide to stepping aside from your usual routine and making space for God in a personal retreat, whether in your own home, at a retreat centre or any quiet place. It is full of ideas and resources for first timers and for seasoned retreat-goers alike.
Part 1 encourages us to pay attention to inner restlessness and to recognise the signs that you need to spend time with God, either alone or with others. It outlines the different types of retreats that may best suit our personality, health, spiritual experiences and particular needs. Essential ‘tips for the trip’ are provided – an introduction to contemplation; praying with Scripture; noticing God in the everyday; resisting busyness; and recording the journey, perhaps in a prayer journal.
Part 2 provides a varied and imaginative range of spiritual exercises for your time on retreat and offers support for the unexpected things that may emerge.
Part 3 helps you readjust to normal life after the retreat ends and explores the question “where next?”
Sue Pickering is an experienced retreat guide and spiritual director. She is a Canon of New Plymouth Cathedral, New Zealand and chaplain to a retirement community.
Book review
Gail Ballinger
Robert Llewelyn • With Pity Not With Blame
Canterbury Press ,new ed 2013, £12.99
‘An exceptional priest, a great man of prayer who in a quiet way simply transformed the landscape of countless people‘ — Rowan Williams.
It feels timely, in the year when JM is celebrating its 40th anniversary, for this classic by Robert Llewelyn to be newly available. Robert was the much-loved chaplain to The Julian Shrine and leader of retreats…and a strong supporter of Julian Meetings.
He edited Circles of Silence: explorations in prayer with Julian Meetings – a collection of articles from the Julian Meetings Magazine – to coincide with the 21st anniversary of JM and which is still in print. Many readers will know the two volumes Enfolded in Love and In Love Enclosed – both much-loved small selections from Julian‘s text for devotional reading, and also still in print.
In With Pity not with Blame Robert gently leads us through our need for humility and why we need to fall, how we find freedom. Three chapters on Julian and prayer – Julian and prayer: yearning; Julian and prayer: beseeching and Julian and prayer: beholding, draw on Julian‘s teaching. He also draws on the Bible, Blake, Jung and Evelyn Underhill. The chapter ‘the greatest revelation is stillness‘ leads us on to The Cloud of Unknowing.
He finishes by going back to Julian, showing us how all shall be well.
I have had a copy of the earlier edition of this book on my bookshelves for years. The Methodist Recorder thought ‘everyone should have a copy of this treasure‘.
Other titles by Robert Llewelyn:
in print
Circles of Silence
Enfolded in Love
In Love Enclosed
Joy of the Saints
Spiritual Readings Throughout the Year
Love Bade me Welcome
out of print but used copies around
Dart of Longing Love (Enfolded in Love series on the Cloud of Unknowing)
Doorway to Silence: contemplative use of the rosary
Book review
Helen Lems
Bible Reading Fellowship • Quiet Spaces: material for spiritual reflection
BRF, £4 each / £15 pa
Some of you may already be familiar with Quiet Spaces but the format has changed, with the aim of making it more easily accessible. It will now be divided into fortnightly sections focussing on a particular theme eg ‘Jesus and prayer.‘
Each edition of Quiet Spaces will still contain material for use over four months in total, with nine themes per edition. For me it was helpful and more approachable to have it sub-divided into these smaller, self-contained sections. I found the format clear and packed with different suggestions and approaches which would enable the reader to go deeper into reflection. I could see this material also being useful for small groups as well as for individual use.
The sections cover a range of different spiritual traditions such as Ignatian and the Jesus Prayer, with varied suggestions for guided meditation and contemplative prayer as well as some creative ideas.
I would be interested to see how this fits alongside the BRF Bible reading notes, since it is advertised as a ‘companion‘ to them, to find out whether some of the same themes and / or Bible passages appear in both.
I think the changes they‘ve made are helpful, with the content more intentionally focussed on encouraging the reader to become more reflective and to develop a deeper, broader spirituality.
Book review
Gail Ballinger
Margaret Coles • The Greening: a novel
Hay House, 2013, £8.99
Joanne, an idealistic journalist struggling to live an ethical life in the minefield of modern journalism (1991) discovers a journal in which the writer draws strength from the writings of Julian of Norwich; Joanne is helped in turn by Julian to follow her heart and conscience through life‘s turmoils and find God‘s peace and love in the process.
As a novel it is not something we would normally review, but it draws heavily on Julian with the Julian Centre, Enfolded in Love and Robert Llewelyn also taking their place.
There is even a reference to ‘Julian Prayer Groups‘. It would make good summer reading: something a bit different.