HOLY THREADS

The mystic Julian of Norwich, who struggled with pain all her life, came to believe that if she could remain open to the experiences within her body, she might find herself more fully in the presence of God than she could if she limited her experience to her mind.

How to practice

The practice that follows  from the Order of Julian’s motto was inspired by this wise woman’s faith. There are four movements to this practice. The postures of each movement are in italics.

AWAIT

Place your hands on your waist, cupped up with palms up and ready to receive.

In this posture, prepare to welcome God however God might appear to you.

ALLOW

Raise your hands up over your head with your hands open.

Allow a sense of God’s presence (or not) to come and be what it is.

ACCEPT

Move your hands over  your heart with your  hands cupped towards body.

Accept that you do not know everything, nor are  you even in charge. Accept whatever gift does (or does not) come.

ATTEND

Stretch your hands out, ready to be respond.

Attend to what you are called to, willing to be present and to be God’s love in the world however that call is being made known to you.

If you are a visual person like me and can’t really grasp what this might look like, the wonderful people at Plural Guild have created this guide.