Embracing the Divine through the wisdom of the mystics with Mirabai Starr
The Friends of Julian are delighted that, although Mirabai Starr is unable to travel to be with us in person this October as we'd planned, she is instead bringing us an online retreat on Julian of Norwich and other female mystics over three afternoons:
Mirabai is known to many lovers of Julian due to her compelling talks and her fresh translation of the Revelations.
Click here for tickets, a video of Mirabai, and more information
The mystics of all traditions claim that their love-encounter with the Holy One defies all description and yet their experience of longing and union pours out in the form of ecstatic, luminous and richly descriptive poetry and prose.
In this gathering, Mirabai shares selected passages from the great Christian mystics Julian of Norwich, Teresa of Avila, and Hildegard of Bingen, engaging these evocative words as objects of Lectio Divina (sacred reading). She tells stories from their lives and offers her reflections on their essential wisdom teachings, paying special attention to their unique relevance for our times.
After contemplative readings, along with meditations to support us, we can respond to evocative writing prompts to access our own words to deepen our personal journey.
" 'I am the ground of your beseeching,' God tells Julian. In our very turning toward the Divine, the Divine enfolds us in love. Our suffering and the suffering of Christ are reciprocal and mutually redemptive. In sacrificing his body for our salvation, he becomes the womb of the world, giving birth to all that is. The Mother and Son are one. God is God the Mother."
Mirabai's God of Love p.170
"By saying yes to the best of our own heritage and entering the holiest grounds of one another's faith traditions, we may be able to usher in an age of love within our own lifetime."
Mirabai's God of Love p. 219