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Julian of Norwich: The Showings: Uncovering the Face of the Feminine in Revelations of Divine Love
"As a major fan and promoter of Julian of Norwich, whom I call 'my favorite mystic', it is genuinely exciting to find such a faithful but freeing translation of Julian's long-lost Showings. Now they are no longer lost—for anyone!" —Fr. Richard Rohr, O.F.M., Center for Action and ContemplationIn this contemporary translation of one of the most beloved and influential mystical texts of all time, Julian of The Showings brings the message and spirituality of this 14th-century mystic to 21st-century readers. Revelations of Divine Love, the first book published in English attributed to a woman, is also included.Julian of Norwich, a contemporary of Geoffrey Chaucer, was an English anchoress in East Anglia. At the age of 30, suffering from a severe illness and believing she was on her deathbed, Julian had a series of intense visions of Jesus, which she recorded and then expanded on later in her life. In her visions, God was not angry and wrathful. Instead, the three properties of God were presented as life, love, and light, and all of His creation was good, including his servant, man. In Julian's version, man is not to blame for his sin; sin is something that he must experience and overcome in his spiritual journey with God.Her message for today's readers is simply reveals the feminine face of the Divine and reminds us to see God there.All our failings are an opportunity to learn and grow; they should be honored, but not dwelled upon.God's love has nothing to do with love and retribution and everything to do with love and compassion.In spite of all appearances, all is well. This book contains some of the most profound spiritual writing ever written and remains a perennial favorite among Christians.This book was previously published as The Showings of Julian of Norwich. This new edition includes a foreword by Richard Rohr, author of Falling Upwards.
247 pages, Kindle Edition
Published April 1, 2022
163 people are currently reading
429 people want to read
About the author
Mirabai Starr
45 books354 followersMirabai Starr is an award-winning author, internationally acclaimed speaker, and interspiritual teacher. In 2020, she was honored on Watkins’ list of the 100 Most Spiritually Influential Living People. Drawing from 20 years of teaching Philosophy and World Religions and a lifetime of practice, Mirabai shares her wisdom worldwide on contemplative living, writing as a spiritual practice, and the transformational power of grief and loss. She has authored over a dozen books including Wild Mercy, Caravan of No Despair, and renowned translations of sacred literature. Her most recent book, Ordinary Mysticism, has been praised by Anne Lamott as “a gorgeous, transformative, welcoming book is for anyone who longs to feel more present, more alive, more joyful and aware of the holiness of daily life”. She lives with her extended family in the mountains of northern New Mexico. For more, visit www.mirabaistarr.com.
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Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews
May 5, 2022
Book theme to me : No One Is Ever Lost
The deeper I flowed into this book, the more in dialogue Julian and I became. She, herself opened for me and invited me into a realm different than mine but in mutual contemplative consciousness and presence. In this, she became more conscious of me than I am to myself. She, Me, and The Third Way, Christo-Sophia, paradox, the mystical unity of polar opposites. It is also paradoxical he we refreshed each other between the 1300' s and the 21st century. Mysticism is beyond cosmic creation. It is who and what we are eternally, always was, are, will be. And that is shared fully by those open to our Centered Being dwelling within us - our Inner Voice. It is affirmed by the ongoing revelations given me in my life, A spiritual GPS. I AM empowered and enlightened through spiritual reading, free flow journaling, contemplation and centering prayer. The Good Shepherd loves each one of us, "One-ing", and that's why not even one created soul is ever lost. The only hells, purgatories, limbos, are the ones we create for ourselves in this man made transcendent sky god, demi urge world. We each are loved unconditionally and with great compassion and forgiveness. All we have to do is simply let go of knowing and surrender to Christo-Sophia who is already dwelling within us. It can happen now or at our final breath, when we say, "I AM not afraid ! Everything is so beautiful here !
Dave Schutt
The deeper I flowed into this book, the more in dialogue Julian and I became. She, herself opened for me and invited me into a realm different than mine but in mutual contemplative consciousness and presence. In this, she became more conscious of me than I am to myself. She, Me, and The Third Way, Christo-Sophia, paradox, the mystical unity of polar opposites. It is also paradoxical he we refreshed each other between the 1300' s and the 21st century. Mysticism is beyond cosmic creation. It is who and what we are eternally, always was, are, will be. And that is shared fully by those open to our Centered Being dwelling within us - our Inner Voice. It is affirmed by the ongoing revelations given me in my life, A spiritual GPS. I AM empowered and enlightened through spiritual reading, free flow journaling, contemplation and centering prayer. The Good Shepherd loves each one of us, "One-ing", and that's why not even one created soul is ever lost. The only hells, purgatories, limbos, are the ones we create for ourselves in this man made transcendent sky god, demi urge world. We each are loved unconditionally and with great compassion and forgiveness. All we have to do is simply let go of knowing and surrender to Christo-Sophia who is already dwelling within us. It can happen now or at our final breath, when we say, "I AM not afraid ! Everything is so beautiful here !
Dave Schutt
July 17, 2022
More, more, more of God our Mother! (Love this version by Starr)
June 15, 2023
This book gave me SO much to think about. My brain hurts a little from reading it, but my spirit was filled.
February 5, 2025
A beautifully skillful and accessible translation of the writings of this medieval mystic whose visions remain mind blowing and worth wrestling with today.
February 22, 2023
I wanted to write a poetic review about Julian’s work and words but I find that I don’t have much words.
Julian is my first mystic, and I know that I’ll be thinking about her for a long time. I’ll carry her words with me as a reminder, “all will be well, every kind of thing shall be well”, “I am only better if I love God better”, “God is everything that is good and the goodness in everything is God”, and “no matter how often he died, still he would consider it nothing in the light of love. He sees everything as nothing compared to his love.”
Mirabaii’s translation makes Julian’s words familiar and easy to understand. It’s like peaking into the journal of a friend.
Julian is my first mystic, and I know that I’ll be thinking about her for a long time. I’ll carry her words with me as a reminder, “all will be well, every kind of thing shall be well”, “I am only better if I love God better”, “God is everything that is good and the goodness in everything is God”, and “no matter how often he died, still he would consider it nothing in the light of love. He sees everything as nothing compared to his love.”
Mirabaii’s translation makes Julian’s words familiar and easy to understand. It’s like peaking into the journal of a friend.
March 17, 2023
It’s hard to rate a book like this; you don’t read the mystics for the same reason or in the same way that you read a novel. I read this for a Lenten contemplative prayer study, and I while enjoyed mulling over some of Julian’s more radical ideas, there were parts in here that were just plain weird and I didn’t vibe with. That being said, there were some ideas that will stick with me forever: the fact that we shouldn’t dwell on it when we make a mistake; the visual of all of creation as the size of a hazelnut; the thought of God as mother. This book has beautiful things.
November 11, 2024
The underlying text being translated is incredible, the attempts by the translator to obscure what Julian actually was (a Medieval Christian writer) by softening her explicitly religious language was an unending distraction.
I really wish I had read the translator's introduction before purchasing this book. What a disappointment that this translation was my first exposure to this extraordinary mystic writer.
I really wish I had read the translator's introduction before purchasing this book. What a disappointment that this translation was my first exposure to this extraordinary mystic writer.
June 14, 2023
Will read and read and read again. A kindred soul from a time hauntingly like our our own. She hid this book beneath her bed and her servant-friend saved it. Theology born of God and her life and the life of those she spoke with from her cloistered window - she knew to trust it even over and against the Church.
December 14, 2022
When my Grandmother died, my dad found comfort in talking with our minister. He told me, one time, he was explaining his thoughts on God / the universe / etc. to her. After listening, she told him “You’re a mystic”.
I’d never really heard of Christian contemplation or mysticism before. But after falling into a rabbithole and reading more about the mystics and contemplative thought, I felt something click within me. So many of their thoughts, their visions and insights, mirrored the beliefs I myself have held, based on my own experiences and ideas stemming from my Unitarian Universalist upbringing.
My introduction to Julian came after listening to the podcast “Turning to the Mystics” in which they dove into this exact work, Julian’s “Showings.” Just the first episode blew my mind and brought me to tears hearing her words. I immediately picked up this copy (brilliantly and lovingly translated by Mirabai Starr) and dug in. I can’t even count the amount of things I highlighted. So much stood out to me, and I found myself frequently pausing and hanging on to certain thoughts and revelations.
One thing that stood out to me most was just how much Julian’s ideas mirrored the same principles and philosophy found in Buddhism. Despite not having any connection or knowledge of Buddhist practice (as far as I know), her visions and insight led her to many of the same conclusions.
Anyways, I have far too many thoughts, and there’s no way I could put them all together coherently without writing a whole sermon (which I am so tempted to do). But for the time being, I am going to carry Julian’s words with me as I journey on into more exploration of the mystics.
I’d never really heard of Christian contemplation or mysticism before. But after falling into a rabbithole and reading more about the mystics and contemplative thought, I felt something click within me. So many of their thoughts, their visions and insights, mirrored the beliefs I myself have held, based on my own experiences and ideas stemming from my Unitarian Universalist upbringing.
My introduction to Julian came after listening to the podcast “Turning to the Mystics” in which they dove into this exact work, Julian’s “Showings.” Just the first episode blew my mind and brought me to tears hearing her words. I immediately picked up this copy (brilliantly and lovingly translated by Mirabai Starr) and dug in. I can’t even count the amount of things I highlighted. So much stood out to me, and I found myself frequently pausing and hanging on to certain thoughts and revelations.
One thing that stood out to me most was just how much Julian’s ideas mirrored the same principles and philosophy found in Buddhism. Despite not having any connection or knowledge of Buddhist practice (as far as I know), her visions and insight led her to many of the same conclusions.
Anyways, I have far too many thoughts, and there’s no way I could put them all together coherently without writing a whole sermon (which I am so tempted to do). But for the time being, I am going to carry Julian’s words with me as I journey on into more exploration of the mystics.
June 14, 2023
Beautiful, poetic - a shining example of female spirituality in the face of adversity. An example of western female spirituality I was craving at the time I found this book. A treasure.
But medieval mystical literature also reminds me that we as humans will always be shaped by our own experiences, by the state of the world we live in and what we hold for true. What women like Julian or Hildegard von Bingen saw was true for them in their own sphere of experience. They were able to build and maintain their own freedom through their visions, but they remained very firmley prisoners within the confince of the church, its dogmas and belief system.
Modern mystical experiences can look very differently: from alien encounters to a bump in with an angel at the local supermarket. The so called supernatural or miraculous luckily has a much wider range of opportunities to manifest itself today as it had centuries ago and that's what makes it easy to overlook these manifestations in our daily experience. This type of literature reminds me that if mystical experiences can be made in the face of the most dire life circumstances, everyone can have them. I'm glad Jesus doesn't have to show up covered in blood in a fever dream for me to experience him and his energy.
Female mystics have been overlooked, marginalized, even belittled also very much so in recent times. Books like this one are important. I'm glad that authors like Mirabai Starr do such an excellent job in keeping their stories and their teachings alive.
But medieval mystical literature also reminds me that we as humans will always be shaped by our own experiences, by the state of the world we live in and what we hold for true. What women like Julian or Hildegard von Bingen saw was true for them in their own sphere of experience. They were able to build and maintain their own freedom through their visions, but they remained very firmley prisoners within the confince of the church, its dogmas and belief system.
Modern mystical experiences can look very differently: from alien encounters to a bump in with an angel at the local supermarket. The so called supernatural or miraculous luckily has a much wider range of opportunities to manifest itself today as it had centuries ago and that's what makes it easy to overlook these manifestations in our daily experience. This type of literature reminds me that if mystical experiences can be made in the face of the most dire life circumstances, everyone can have them. I'm glad Jesus doesn't have to show up covered in blood in a fever dream for me to experience him and his energy.
Female mystics have been overlooked, marginalized, even belittled also very much so in recent times. Books like this one are important. I'm glad that authors like Mirabai Starr do such an excellent job in keeping their stories and their teachings alive.
October 3, 2024
This review is more a commentary on Revelations of Divine Love than the translation, which I thought did the job well. I was into this in the beginning but was quickly reminded why I admire the mystics more than indulge them: at a certain point, things feel redundant and I read emotion where the mystic wants me to read spiritualism. Mind you, this is how I personally encounter Julian and most mystics, it is not a commentary on how ALL persons should view the mystics. The writing is beautiful and the somatic language really spoke to me. I believe in the central theme of love but the salt loses its saltiness after hearing it repeatedly. Perhaps they are better encountered as devotionals than theology texts. Still, the language is beautiful and its take on God and gender is amazing for the age it came from.
November 9, 2025
I started this 5 separate times and keep getting stuck in the middle where the narrative loses some direction. I was determined to finish this time. The audiobook with narration by Katie Scarfe is excellent but, like I said, I kept losing my way via audio so switched to the ebook.
This is an amazing devotional text and the work of Mirabai Starr helps tremendously to bring the language much closer to the 21st century. (NB: I had to look up the translation for "bliss' and it's" perfect joy." That's not a word we often use in a spiritual sense anymore as, well, it's been corrupted.)
I hope that as chaotic as my life may be, I will remember to totality of God's love and that all shall be well in the end.
This is an amazing devotional text and the work of Mirabai Starr helps tremendously to bring the language much closer to the 21st century. (NB: I had to look up the translation for "bliss' and it's" perfect joy." That's not a word we often use in a spiritual sense anymore as, well, it's been corrupted.)
I hope that as chaotic as my life may be, I will remember to totality of God's love and that all shall be well in the end.
June 12, 2022
I found this translation so easy to follow. I found balance and comfort in this little book. I will re visit it in the next Lenten season.
Highly recommended for readers of religion and women religious.
Highly recommended for readers of religion and women religious.
February 8, 2024
I will need to read again. Good words with complex ideas.
I'm keenly interested to read another translation and the original to better understand Mirabai Starr's impact.
A simple quote: "There I was, seeing him and seeking him at the same time!"
I'm keenly interested to read another translation and the original to better understand Mirabai Starr's impact.
A simple quote: "There I was, seeing him and seeking him at the same time!"
April 3, 2024
I was a little apprehensive about this one. I’m no stranger to reading the medieval mystics, but I have previously only encountered quotes from J of N. While there were a few passages that left me bemused, however, I truly loved this book. Which is appropriate because, after all, “love was His meaning.”
October 7, 2024
This was an extremely fascinating book, as was Julian's description of the showings. Her contemplation of what it meant to her. A lot of what she said certainly seems timeless and relevant to our age. I can also see why Father Richard Rohr found Julian so moving and relevant to his own outlook.
November 29, 2025
I'm just happy I made it through! I think this book would best be read with a study group. Much of the thoughts and ideas escaped my understanding. But I still found little nuggets here and there that spoke to my spirit.
December 22, 2025
It took me many, many months to read this translation of The Showings because I found myself wanting to sit with the revelations on each page. Beautifully written and lovingly rendered, I highly recommend it.
September 3, 2022
A contemporary translation of Julian's short and long descriptions of her visions of Christ as she was near death at about age 30.
November 27, 2022
This translation of the words of Julian is absolutely lovely, and is also quite accessible. I expect to come back to this book many times in the future. Highly, highly recommend.
January 3, 2023
The most beautiful and clearly stated writing about how much God loves us - All the time. No exceptions. Ever. I’ll be reading this on repeat forever.
March 9, 2024
I didnt care for this translation, but what an astounding read.
May 26, 2024
my favorite translation so far
June 26, 2024
My favorite translation of works from my Patron Saint, honoring God as our Mother and shining light on the divine feminine. Nothing makes me happier than a cup of coffee and time with this book.
December 8, 2024
A very timely read for me.
December 19, 2024
Love reading new perspectives - definitely found myself aligning with some ideas.
August 21, 2025
She's a lil radical, a lil trippy, a lil orthodox, a lil not. What's not to love?
August 9, 2024
You will not be the same person after you finish this book. I will read it over and over as a compass, measure and comfort.
Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews