Julian Planning Day Postponed – Monthly Meetings Continue

We are postponing our planning session, now set for this Saturday, July 11. In the meantime, we are continuing meet on a monthly basis the first Tuesday of every month, at the Episcopal Church of the Atonement, from 7:00 – 8:30 PM. During that time we read a chapter from Julian’s book, Revelation of Love (translated by John Skinner), spend some time quietly reflecting upon the passage, and discuss. We will be reading Chapter 22 on August 5.

While we are sorry we will not be able to see you on July 11, we do look forward to seeing on August 5!

Julian of Norwich Planning Day Postponed

I suppose we just were fated not to meet on May 10.

We have postponed the planning day for the 2009 Julian Day. Instead of this coming Saturday, the planning day will be sometime in July: probably the second or third Saturday. Stay tuned: once the final day is decided upon, it will be announced here.

If you’re interested in helping to organize, lead, plan or promote a day-long event celebrating Julian of Norwich to take place in Atlanta next may, please come to an upcoming Julian Meeting (next one is scheduled for June 3) and get to know us. To put together a truly wonderful event, we’ll need lots of ideas, input, and energy.

Julian of Norwich Event Postponed

Cliff and I have decided to postpone until next year the “Julian of Norwich Day” originally scheduled to take place on May 10 at the Church of the Atonement in Atlanta. Between trying to get my book written and his equally busy life, it just wasn’t happening. But if you had your heart set on going, all is not lost: Cliff and I (and anyone else who would like to participate) will still meet at the Church of the Atonement on May 10, from 10 AM until noon, for an informal planning meeting to kick off the 2009 Julian of Norwich Day! We’ll include some time for silence and for reflection on Julian, and after the meeting we’ll adjourn to the Cafe Sunflower for a nourishing vegetarian lunch. If you’d like to help organize, plan or promote the 2009 Julian Day, I hope we’ll see you on May 10.

Mysticism: Theory and History

I am very pleased to announce the formation of an online study group that will be reading and reflecting on the writings of the great mystics.

Sponsored by Christian Classics Ethereal Library, the group is called Mysticism: Theory and History, and is being moderated by yours truly. This group will be unpacking the great tradition of Christian mystical wisdom: understanding its history, looking at how it developed, and identifying the key themes and teachings. We will do this by getting to know the great mystics of the past, by reading the words of the mystics themselves and prayerfully reflecting on their wisdom. We’ll be starting with Julian of Norwich. I anticipate that we will be reading the texts slowly, so we’ll probably only read two mystics a year. The idea is not breadth, but depth: better to read just two books in a year’s time, but to read them slowly, contemplatively, prayerfully. I will be posting brief reflections on each chapter of the book, and inviting other group members to post their responses, either to the book itself or to what I’ve written.

This group will be starting May 1st with reading Julian. When we’re done with Julian, we’ll move on to another mystic, hopefully reading about two classic books each year.

Incidentally, I see this as complementing, not replacing, this blog. While the blog is basically a general forum where I write about whatever happens to be on my mind, this book group will be much more structured around reading and responding to the wisdom of a particular mystical writer.

Here’s the link to join the group: http://www.ccel.org/node/4557

Julian of Norwich goes mainstream?

My wife alerted me to the fact that the First Christian Church of Decatur, Georgia put this wonderful quotation on their marquee the other day:

When it comes time to start a Decatur Julian Meeting, perhaps First Christian will host it.

Stations of the Cross with Julian of Norwich

Please make time during Holy Week to join us for a special event on Tuesday, March 18. The group will be praying the Stations of the Cross, using a version published by The Friends of Julian of Norwich in the UK. Each station features an excerpt from the mystical writings of Julian of Norwich, along with a Bible passage and one or two short prayers. The Stations of the Cross is a beautiful devotion, and Julian’s vivid, visionary writing brings a new measure of clarity and spiritual insight into this Lenten observance.

Here are the details: the Stations of the Cross with Julian of Norwich will take place on Tuesday, March 18, at 7 PM, at the Episcopal Church of the Atonement, 4945 High Point Rd, Sandy Springs, GA. Follow this link for a map.

Meeting in February

Hello everyone…. just a reminder that the February meeting of the Atlanta Julian Meeting will take place on Tuesday, February 12, at 7 PM at the Church of the Atonement.

We’re moving the meeting to the second Tuesday of the Month because the first Tuesday is not only a voting day here in Georgia, it’s also Shrove Tuesday. We don’t think we can compete with a pancake supper!

So… see you all on the 12th.

January Meeting

Happy new year, everyone…

The Atlanta Julian Meeting meets on the second Tuesday in January: January 8. We will be reading and praying over chapter 14 of the Revelation of Love.

The same holds for February. Since the first Tuesday in February is Shrove Tuesday and “Super Tuesday,” we will push back the meeting to February 12. We will be reading and praying over chapter 15 on that evening.

Please come — and bring a friend!

December Meeting

The Atlanta Julian meeting has settled in to its new location at the Episcopal Church of the Atonement, 4945 High Point Rd, Sandy Springs. Our next meeting will be on Tuesday, December 4, from 7 to 9 PM. We will be reading and reflecting on chapter 13 of Revelation of Love. See you there!

Change in Meeting Location

Our next meeting (October 2), will be held in Sandy Springs, at the Episcopal Church of the Atonement, 4945 High Point Rd, Sandy Springs, GA, 30328. We will meet from 7:00 – 9:00. Follow this link for a map.

We hope to see you there.