Re "Here's one you might find of interest, Seraphita, albeit not an easy read: "Julian of Norwich, Theologian, by Denys Turner":
I read Turner's "The Darkness of God". Excellent! His basic idea was that mystical experience is *not* some special experience - say an "experience of nothingness" (ie, some far-out trip) but rather the realisation that *all* experiences - even the most mundane experiences - are in actuality "empty". And as for Dame Julian - she's one of my heroes (heroines). I've read her "Revelations" in three different editions. She's the real deal. The best one to get is the Dover edition. The punctuation is modernised but otherwise the text follows the original. Yes, you have to take a deep breath and a running jump before reading each sentence but the sense that you've genuinely approached the medieval mind-set is palpable. Lord knows what modern Protestants make of her visions! http://tinyurl.com/p7nwo3z http://tinyurl.com/p7nwo3z ---In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, <fairfieldlife@yahoogroups.com> wrote: Here's one you might find of interest, Seraphita, albeit not an easy read: Julian of Norwich, Theologian, by Denys Turner. (Julian is best known for the famous quote "All shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of thing shall be well." But Turner has some startling insights into her theology that go way beyond the traditional take on her work.) Seraphita wrote: For those interested in the Christian faith can I recommend two books by Alan Watts. He made a name for himself with his books on Zen and eastern religions. Those books are all readable and rewarding - if approached with caution - but I've found his earlier works on Christianity both better written and more suggestive. "Myth and Ritual In Christianity" (only available second-hand) approached Christianity by ignoring completely its truth or falsity and treating the sacraments purely as myth. "Behold the Spirit" is one of the best books that Watts wrote (it's my personal favourite), a wonderfully perceptive account of the mystical strain in Christianity. Pity he was a (genuine) sex addict and a serious alcoholic. The two vices are linked as he said he only felt sexy when he was drunk. And he knew even less about meditation than I do! Still, his faults were his problem; we can enjoy his insights.