Julian of Norwich, Christian Mystic

What’s all the buzz about the 14th century Christian mystic, Julian of Norwich? The mystery will be solved when you take this class!

The course structure begins with an introduction to Julian and speaks to the culture & times of 14th century England. There will be reflection activities on some of her major themes as you move through the course. The reflections are meant to help you relate Julian’s experiences and concepts to your own life. It is my hope that you will find inspiration as you ponder her words and consider her wise spiritual direction, for she has written these things for not only herself but for you and me. After reading Julian, you may find a transformation taking place within yourself as you progress on your own spiritual path.

If you’ve been hearing more about Julian lately, one reason may be because she lived through a world-wide pandemic like us albeit more deadly, yet she was able to maintain hope for a better future for humanity. In this course, you will learn the reasons for that hope. Julian lived through three iterations of the Black plague in which up to 50% of the European population died. 14th century England was very tumultuous.  Julian saw the casualties of wars, sickness, suffering and death throughout her life. At the same time she was also having conversations with God which buoyed her heart & mind. Her conversations were meant to be shared so others hearts & minds can be lifted up too.

Extraordinarily, when Julian was 30 years old, she received 16 revelations from God about which she wrote in quite optimistic terms and with great hope. She wrote both a short text & several years later she wrote a longer text expounding on her enlightening visions from God. Her book is entitled, Revelations of Divine Love and can be found at any bookstore online. People today are turning to Julian and her words to lean on her wisdom for comfort, support and hope.

Hi, my name is Ramona Harris & I will be your course instructor. You can read more about my education and experience as an  instructor near the end of this course description.

This course on Julian of Norwich is designed to share with you the major themes of Julian’s extraordinary visions as we go through each of her 16 revelations. Her visions came to her as she went through what some people call a near-death experience. Jesus came to her and spoke to her from his place on the cross. Julian & Jesus carried on conversations as one might with a close friend. Even though Jesus’ crucifixion was heart-rending, he comforted Julian and brought her joy as he gave her deep insight into the Godhead and specifically God’s relationship with and love for humanity. Through this divine experience, God gave Julian a profound understanding of the major themes of life in her times. Her wisdom transcends to our times as well.

In this course, you will hear about and dive into these major themes:

- the Trinity

- the renowned Hazelnut vision

- Oneness

- Love

- Bliss

- Consolation and Desolation

- Compassion

- Sin

- Jesus’ Passion

- Suffering

- Mercy

- Prayer

- Mother God,

- and Julian’s insightful Lord and the Servant parable.

You will view the expressive imagery and colorful language Julian utilizes to describe her visions, using the familiar scenes from the environment in which she lived.

As we go through each of her visions. I will provide handouts that point out the main themes. In each vision, we will hear Julian’s conversations with Jesus and the life-giving advice and knowledge he shared with her which was not only for her but for all seekers. It was Christ who insisted that Julian write her book revealing and explicating the sixteen visions. Julian has something to share with virtually all who read her book. This course will give you a solid foundation of Julian’s expository, yet it is not a substitute for reading her entire book, Revelations of Divine Love also known as Showings.

Now, a little bit about me, your instructor. I have a Master’s degree in Education with a focus on school counseling and was a community college counselor for several years. However, I began my interest in Christian mysticism as an adult in my 40s, when I attended a class about Julian of Norwich, medieval Christian mystic. In that class, I heard for the first time the term, Mother God, one of Julian’s expressions, and I almost fell off my chair. It was new & exciting for me to hear such language, even though Julian was 700 years my senior. After that, the opportunity came up for me to study the Christian mystics as I began pursuing a Master’s degree in Pastoral Studies thru Loyola University. I really fell in love with the mystics and knew I had to do more with them. I have since authored a book, a motivational card deck on the mystics, along with a journal article highlighting the Christian mystic Hildegard of Bingen. Additionally, I have been doing spiritual direction for over 15 years and have been giving presentations on Christian mystics for several years as well. I look forward to sharing what I know about Julian with you.

With that, I invite you to join the class. If you’re not sure, you’re welcome to take a look at the preview of this class. If you do decide to take the class, please rest assured I am here to answer any questions you may have. My contact information is within the class format. I hope to see you in class. I wish you all the best on your spiritual journey.