It was cold. I was cold and was tempted to stay in the warmth, but instead walked across the freezing road to Evensong in the Abbey. Though the choir stalls were full I still found it extraordinary that in the middle of London there were not more people in the congregation. The music was literally magnificent. The Magnificat, the beautiful canticle magnifying the Lord by extolling his might and virtues, and the Nunc Dimittis, the Song of Simeon when he saw the baby Jesus, were sung in Latin.

The reading was from Corinthians and about the triumph of the spirit. Captured by the words, splendour and history of my surroundings during the reading I found myself falling into a kind of trance.

Perhaps inspired by the trance-like state I found myself in during the reading, that night, as I lay awake, I tried to imagine myself away from my body. We spend so much time concerning ourselves with ourselves that I found this an interesting exercise. I tried to suspend thought and concern for myself. Imagining myself to be someone else, I found it a challenging but worthwhile exercise.

Having experiencing the unselfish words of the Magnificat earlier in the day the exercise seemed entirely appropriate.