I am thrilled to welcome Kate Nicholas back to my blog, as her new book releases. I had the privilege of reading an early version, endorsing it and also interviewing Kate at her launch event. This book is well worth getting hold of…

How do you write about an experience of God that goes beyond words? This is the challenge that I faced when writing my latest book To The Ocean Floor.

When I was first diagnosed with Stage IV breast cancer in 2014, I was given a piece of scripture from Psalm 118:17, ‘I will not die, but live and declare the works of the Lord.’ And when, against all odds, I survived I dedicated to myself to this mission. During the following seven years of glorious remission, God opened amazing doors for me as an author, broadcaster and preacher, and I began to get used to the idea that I was going to live.

Then in 2021, in the midst of the pandemic, a routine mammogram revealed that the cancer had returned with a vengeance. Within weeks of starting chemotherapy I became desperately ill, and on one of the toughest days of that journey, I sank beneath the waves of consciousness – where I had a profound encounter with God.

Recapturing that deep connection

As I recovered, I was left with a powerful yearning for that connection and as I sought to recapture the intensity of what I call my ‘ocean floor’ experience. I began to explore a contemplative practice that dates back to the dawn of Christianity, which points towards a more intuitive connection with God – the kind of connection that I had experienced in the depths.

In this new book, I recount my exploration of a meditative tradition that goes all the way back to the Apostle Paul, Desert Fathers, Celtic Christians and Medieval mystics; a tradition that has been since been developed by modern monastic spiritual masters such as Bede Griffiths and John Main.

Never alone despite isolation

One of the things that I became acutely aware of on this journey was that God was all around me. Perhaps it was because I was so isolated for much of this time (Covid and chemo-induced lack of immunity are not a great combination) that every interaction with the staff and fellow patients at my local hospital seemed charged with meaning.

On the wards, I was astounded by the wonderful staff of the NHS whose compassion, professionalism and resilience never failed to amaze me. I knew that somehow Christ was in that place, in the healing hands and the patience but also the cries of pain and fear; unseen but all pervading.

Facing death – finding God

There’s no doubt about it, the road I travelled was not easy and it brought to the very verge of death. But it has also been a time of profound discovery; an inner journey into the mystery of God and what one reviewer called ‘the richness to the be found at the border of life’s journey’.

There is an innate paradox in writing a book about an experience of God that defies description. But when the poignancy of the moment seemed to outweigh my ability to express myself, I found that the Spirit took over and words began to arrange themselves in unexpected ways; prose sometimes morphing into poetry.

While I write openly about some quite difficult experiences as I went through cancer treatment, this is ultimately a book about hope. It’s about the fact that our reality is far more mysterious and exciting than we can ever imagine and reveals a deep and profound connection with our creator.

It’s my prayer that To The Ocean Floor will provide reassurance those who have wondered where God is in the face of challenges and inspire readers to go deeper in terms of their own intuitive connection; to be still and know in the deepest core of their being that He is God.

To find out more about Kate Nicholas’ books, TV series, courses and blog visit www.katenicholas.co.uk