Looking into the Mystic Mirror

Abstract

Intcrtexu, Vol. 2, No. 2,1998 Looking into the Mystic Mirror Sharon Hackett M c G i l l U n i v e r s i t y This essay confronts the thinking of Julian of Norwich, afourteenthcentury English anchoress, mystic, and theologian, with that of Luce Irigaray . It is not the first meeting between the psychoanalyst feminist theorist and amystic of the later MiddleAges; already in 1977, Irigaray’s essay “La niystcrique” established her familiarity with the world of these longvanished women. From her earliest publications to her most recent. Luce Irigarayhasshownaninterestinexploringthedivine:sheplaces“La naysterique” at the center of her Speculum de Vautre femme, and arecent collectivework,Lesouffledesfemmes,isdedicatedtothequestionofGod. Intheclosingessay,Irigarayemphasizestheimportanceofreligionto feminist theory: (SW,-»^rl35)] [G]od f(o r t o riselvwhat*‘J^®i®rentonthetelling,describingwhatshesawandinpreHictarin t Staley Johnson finds it likely Julian is actually 8oascribe in the short version (830). This would give her acertf ^nmeasureoflegitimacy,butbythetimeshecompletesherlongerver¬ sion's eas become ascribe and an author in her own right (833). In a careful text and Church,” Julian with numerous references to the teachings of “Holy succeeds in writing an original and remarkably wellwroug tmystical theology.And unlike many female figures in medieval lit¬ erature,half-effacedobjects,tantalizingglimpsesinsomeoneelse’s 1 0 9 Hackett—Lxjoking into the Mystic Mirror manuscript,itisJulian’sownvoicethatcarriesstrongandclearacrossthe c e n t u n e s . Despitethisstrongvoice,weknowremarkablylittleaboutJulianof Norwich.Afew bequests made to “the anchorite Julian” place her at a church in Norwich around the turn of the fourteenth century, but the only other source of information on Julian’s life comes to us from her book. Per¬ haps the most important details she gives are the circumstances surromdinghervision .Julianstatesthatinheryouth,sheaskedforthreethings, recollection of Christ’s Passion, bodily sickness, and three wounds by God’sgrace.Thewoundsshedesiredwere“thewonndeofcontricyoun, the wonnde of compassyoun and the wonnde of wylfiille langgynge to god”{A BookofShowin£is\:206)[“thewoundofcontrition,thewoundof compassion, and the wound of longing for God” {Showings 127)]. Though she forgot about the first two requests, the desire for the wounds remained with her constantly. In the Book of Showinffs it is clear that Julian believes her bodfiy sickness tobeadirectconsequenceofherearlierrequest,eventothetimng.se had requested asickness in her thirtieth year, and she states that she fell mat “thirty and ahalf.” She suffers, as requested, asevere illness, every kmd of torment,physicalandspiritual,thatthedyingsuffer.Herpains^esus¬ pended at the beginning of the visionary experience, and she then vwtnesses theimmensesufferingofcrucifiedJesus,andfeelshissufferingbothphysi¬ cally and compassionately. . Fromherinitialvisiontotheinterpretationsshewntesmthe Sion of her book, Julian’s Christ is aremarkably feminine fi^e, ^d both his suffering and his love are described as motherly. In ^ sion,Juliandescribesthecopiousflowofbloodshesees,firstome head, then later from the body of Christ: haldande the bodye plentevouslye bledande, hate and freschlye and lyfelye, ryyt as Isawe before in the heede. And this was schewyd me mthe scowrgynge, and this ranne so plenteuouslye to my s hadde Lne so in kynde, for that tyme itt schulde have made±e bedde alle on blodeandhafepassedeonnabowte.(ABofl* [.. .as Iwatched Isaw the body bleeding copiousty, the blood hot [1^8 freely, aliving stream, just as Ihad before seen the head bleed i furrowsmadebythescourging,andIsawthisbloodrunso in fact been happening there, the bed and everything around it would have been soaked in blood. {Showings 137)] The flow of blood from the crucifix is like the blood of childbirth whichleavesnovisiblewound,noscar.Robertsonsuggests±atthists menstrualblood,i2butinthecontextofthevisionsitisalmostimpossible not to see this as the blood of birthing. Firstly, it is copious; Julian msisK severaltimesonthevolumeoftheblood.Secondly,itcomesimmediately aftertherevelationonsin.Ifthesinofthefirstparentstaintedallhumanity. I s a w e b e n o I N T E R T E X T S thePassionwashesthatsin,givingnewbirthtohumanity.Thisisapoint JuUm makes explicit in her text. Interpreting her visions, Julian likens the Passion to the suffering of amother in childbirth; Jesus is amother who la¬ borsthroughgreatpainashe“berythvstojoyeandtoendlesselevyng”{A BookofShowings11:595)[“bearsusforjoyandforendlesslife...”(Showt «jr298)]. JulianisnotaloneinseeingChristasanurturing,lovingmother.Jesus Mdothermalefigurescouldbeseenasamotherfigure,especiallyanourismng mother figure.^^ In art and in visions, the wound in Jesus’s side was often depicted as the equivalent of abreast. Medieval medicine consid¬ eredamother’smilktobeatransformationofblood,^®andliketheblood mat emerges from Jesus’crucified body in Julian’s revelation, milk emerges omtheskinwithnovisiblewound.InEthiquedeladifferencesexuelle,Irigaray opposes porosity, permeability to the idea of adiscrete, enclosed oy.Ratherthanbloodflowingfromawoundthatviolatesthisenclosure, garay values mucosal substances and those which flow without violence: sweat, spit, semen, milk, menses...