All Will Be Well: 30 Days with Julian of Norwich
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About this ebook
Drawing deeply from the wisdom writings of medieval English mystic Julian of Norwich, All Will Be Well welcomes even spiritual newcomers to the spirituality of this fourteenth-century visionary who was well ahead of her time.
Each book in the Great Spiritual Teachers series provides a month of daily readings from one of Christianity's most beloved spiritual guides. For each day there is a brief and accessible morning meditation drawn from the mystic's writings, a simple mantra for use throughout the day, and a night prayer to focus one's thoughts as the day ends. These easy-to-use books are the perfect prayer companion for busy people who want to root their spiritual practice in the solid ground of these great spiritual teachers.
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Reviews for All Will Be Well
14 ratings2 reviews
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Julian of Norwich is one of three great women I studied in a course in Female Spirituality, years ago. I just love her attitude. The other two were St. Brigid of Kildare and Hildegard Von Bingen.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5This book is a short collection of 30-day meditations by Julian of Norwich. Each day has four parts: A short reading of Julian's writing, a single line that is called out for daily meditation, a reflective commentary to be read at the end of the day, and a brief prayer before sleep. I found it easiest to read the full text of each day at once and think back to whichever part was most fitting later.
Julian's writings are definitely the reason for reading. Most of the end-of-day commentaries are obvious and seem to be more filler than anything. The lines picked out for meditation are sometimes helpful, but in many cases I found myself connecting with different things in the writing more. I was never really sure if the nightly prayers were authored by Julian or the editor. Delineations in the text aren't very clear.
The most interesting thing about the book for me was the unique vision Julian has of Christ as "Mother." It evokes some beautiful imagery and some great ideas to ponder. I think the feminine aspects that she explorers would be a fun read for any feminist Christians out there, or women who are looking to find a special, holy place to live their lives in connection with Jesus.
Book preview
All Will Be Well - Julian of Norwich
Contents
Timeline
Who Is Julian of Norwich?
How to Use This Book
Thirty Days With Julian of Norwich
One Final Word
Timeline
ca. 1325
The Renaissance begins in Italy.
1337–1453
The Hundred Years’ War occurs between France and England as the two countries fight for control of France.
1342
Julian of Norwich is born in England.
1347–1351
The Black Death, or bubonic plague, sweeps through Europe, killing at least 25 million people.
1370
Pope Gregory XI is elected.
1373
Julian falls ill and is thought to be near death. While a curate administers last rites on May 8, Julian sees Jesus on the crucifix the curate is holding begin to bleed. She has fifteen visions over the course of the next few hours and has a sixteenth vision the following night. By May 13, Julian is completely recovered from her illness. Julian begins writing her Short Text, in which she detailed the visions she saw, shortly afterward. The Short Text is also known as the Showings.
1377
Pope Gregory XI returns the papal court to Rome, ending the Avignon papacy.
1378–1417
The Western Schism occurs, in which popes in Rome and France vie for control of the Catholic Church.
1381
The Peasants’ Revolt occurs across England, partially as a result of the instability caused by the Black Death and the high taxes imposed on the English people to pay for the Hundred Years’ War.
ca. 1390s
While it is unknown when Julian first entered her cell, by this time, Julian is an anchoress. Julian begins an expansion of her Short Text, including a theological exploration of the meaning of her visions that focused especially on the theme of divine love and that frequently compared divine love to maternal love. This expanded edition is now known as the Long Text or Revelations of Divine Love.
1414
English mystic Margery Kempe visits Julian for spiritual advice. She later writes about her visit in The Book of Margery Kempe, the first autobiography written by a woman in English.
1414–1418
The Council of Constance is held. It ends the Western Schism by deposing or accepting the resignation of all papal claimants and, in 1417, electing Pope Martin V.
ca. 1416
Julian dies sometime after this year.
1470s
A scribe makes a copy of Julian’s Short Text. This is the earliest surviving copy of the work.
1670
Serenus de Cressy translates the Long Text, which was originally written in Middle English, and publishes it, making Julian’s work available for the first time. Modern publications of Julian’s work are either based on Cressy’s work or are updated translations of the Long Text, of which only three manuscript copies exist. One copy, the Paris Manuscript, resides in the Bibliothèque nationale de France, while the other two copies are held in the British Library.
1910
The copy of the Short Text made in the 1470s, thought lost since the mid-1700s, is found in a collection of manuscripts and is purchased by the British Museum. It is currently held in the British Library.
Who is Julian of Norwich?
For a mystic of such a great influence, we know precious little about Julian of Norwich. We do not even know whether Julian was her name, for she was an anchoress whose house was attached to the church of St. Julian in Norwich—whether she too was named Julian is anyone’s guess. She lived in the late fourteenth century and is the first woman writer in English whose work survives. A contemporary of Chaucer, her prose is treasured for its grace and lucidity.
She has left us but one work, although in two versions. Known as the Showings, it describes visions which she had received from God and plumbs the meaning of these revelations. The major vision occurred in May 1373 and the first version, the shorter work, was written soon after that. The second and longer version was not written until some twenty years later. It expands upon the earlier work and delves more into the meaning of the visions. Our excerpts are drawn mostly from the expanded version.
But before proceeding, it might be good for us to have some idea of Julian’s world. Although she was a recluse, she was not entirely apart from the world. She lived sealed in a cottage joined to the church in the city of Norwich. The modern fiction is that an anchorite was walled into a tiny church alcove with barely room for a prie-dieu and hard bed. Julian would probably have