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Stations These ideas are inspired by Simon Bailey's little book 'Stations-places for pilgrims to pray' ( pub. Cairns Publications £2.95), which I warmly commend to you. Stations are places to stop, wait, and pray. There is a powerful tradition of 'stations of the cross', whereby you can , as it were, travel the road which Jesus travelled on his way to the cross, by stopping, waiting, and praying at fourteen points along his journey, each point being marked by a particular incident, which is recalled, reflected and prayed upon. But they can also be a very good way of bringing your prayer into everyday life, by helping you to name places in your regular, ordinary life, which can serve as points of prayer for you. Simon in his book has 18 stations for use in any church, chapel, or cathedral; 7 stations for your home; 12 stations for any town, city or village; and 7 stations for use around your body. I reproduce a few of his stations and invite you to write some of your own for your own use. You may want to model yours on the pattern he has used, or you might want to organise yours differently. It might even be that another 'set' comes to mind, based around a different theme, which you would like to write and pray.! You could even illustrate yyour stations if you wanted to. ? Stations for a home. Simon's stations are : the door; the living room; the kitchen; the dining room; the stairs; the bathroom; the bedroom. You might need to adjust these to suit your home. When you use them, either choose a time when the house is empty and pray them one after the other, or pray them individually when you happen to be in a particular place. Two examples: ? Stations for a town, city or village. Simon's stations are: the road; a shop; a pub; the town hall; a park; a school; a church; a hospital or health centre; the gutter; a telephone box; a factory; a station. Again you might need to adjust these to suit your own situation. When you use them , remember that this is secret prayer, not something that anybody else will, or should be, aware of. Two examples: ? Stations around your body. Simon's stations are: your ears; your eyes; your mouth; your insides; your feet; your hands; your mind. Again you might want to vary this list to suit yourself. You might choose to set aside time to be quiet, and having relaxed yourself, perhaps by focusing on your breathing, or some object you can see, you might pray round the different parts of your body. Alternatively you might prefer to focus on a part of your body, at random, and when opportunity presented itself. Henry Morgan