What Julian Saw: The Embodied Showings and the Items for Private Devotion
Juliana Dresvina
Religions May 16, 2019 DOI: 10.3390/rel10040245 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Topics | Mysticism |
| Keywords | Revelations Ekphrasis Neuromedievalism Neuroarthistory Psychohistory Julian of norwich Visions Sleep paralysis Psalters Books of hours Rosary beads |
| Key points | Argues that Julian of Norwich's visions were shaped by everyday devotional objects and were embodied, sensory experiences rather than purely apophatic mystical encounters. |
Abstract
The article traces potential visual sources of Julian of Norwich’s (1343–after 1416) Revelations or Showings, suggesting that many of them come from familiar everyday devotional objects such as Psalters, Books of Hours, or rosary beads. It attempts to approach Julian’s text from the perspective of neuromedievalism, combining more familiar textual analysis with some recent findings in clinical psychology and neuroscience. By doing so, the essay emphasizes the embodied nature of Julian’s visions and devotions as opposed to the more apophatic approach expected from a mystic.
Comparable studies
Other theoretical and historical papers on mysticism, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| The mystical mind: probing the biology of religious experience | 2000 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Religious and Mystical Experiences as Artifacts of Temporal Lobe Function: A General Hypothesis | 1983 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| The Problem of Pure Consciousness: Mysticism and Philosophy | 1993 | Edited collection of essays | |
| Irreducible Mind: Toward a Psychology for the 21st Century | 2020 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Mysticism and schizophrenia: A phenomenological exploration of the structure of consciousness in the schizophrenia spectrum disorders. | 2016 | Theoretical or philosophical paper |
Citations in the library
Cites 4
- The Nightmare Experience, Sleep Paralysis, and Witchcraft Accusations Folklore 2003
- Julian of Norwich's Showings: From Vision to Book. The American Historical Review April 1, 1996
- Sleep Paralysis, a Medical Condition with a Diverse Cultural Interpretation International Journal of Applied and Basic Medical Research July 1, 2018
- Of dreaming and wakefulness. Neuroscience 1991