Sheltering-in-Place: Julian of Norwich
During the year our guests come to Belmont from far and wide. One of of our regulars is Anna Louise Pearman who comes to stay on retreat from as far away as California. She is an art historian. A few years ago she was introduced at Belmont to Julian of Norwich, a figure who can offer us particular comfort during these difficult times.
Anna describes herself as a "70-year old who’s grumbling at being lumped into the high-risk category and directed to “shelter-in-place.” We hope you are all staying safe at this time, whatever degree of isolation you are living.
Anna writes:
The 14th century English anchoress called Julian of Norwich detached herself from the world to live a life of prayer, contemplation and ministry. Spiritual mysticism was her calling and she lived it with the greatest humility.
Her cell, a simple lean-to attached to St. Julian’s Church, had two windows: one with a view of the altar and the other with a view of the world. Through the former she attended daily Mass, received the Body of Christ, prayed the Divine Office, confessed her sins and received absolution for them. Through the latter she communicated with the outside world, counselling locals on the plague, poverty and famine, giving them hope, occasionally receiving charity in its simplest forms: clean garments, food, water to meet her simplest corporal needs.
Fast forward from the Middle Ages to the 21st Century “Information Age” where the wonder of Microsoft Windows provides 200 million users worldwide with infinite views from the convenience of their digital watches, phones, tablets and personal pc’s. In a matter of seconds, we can look through an electron microscope and see an image half the size of a hydrogen atom, or seconds later get a view of the universe – possibly multi-verses -- through the Webb space telescope. And everything in between.
Fine tune your focus. Zero in for just a moment on what’s demanding our attention today: COVID-19, the coronavirus that’s brought life as we know it to a screeching halt, turning the world upside down as it were. Where do we look for answers? Online, of course, googling every imaginable word or phrase that will give us up-to-the minute news coverage, the latest statistics, state-of-the art medical advice and the nearest location where we can, if we’re quick enough, find toilet paper, bottled water, hand wash, and disposable face masks. Following any and every social medium to ascertain what the rest of the world knows and is doing. Might we consider an alternative?
Would it be better to log off, and reduce our windows to the same two that saw Julian of Norwich through her life’s journey? Views opening on to spirituality and humanity. Here we might just perceive things differently and find the deep-seated answers we’re looking for.
As a 70-year old who’s grumbling at being lumped into the high-risk category and directed to “shelter-in-place”, I’m channeling Julian of Norwich because I believe she had the right idea. Her famous words, “All will be well”, calm and reassure me during these tumultuous times.
