Author Shannon K. Evans finds in Julian of Norwich a model for how to expand the image of God.
For Julian of Norwich, depictions of the feminine God were not radical, subversive, or rebellious. They were obvious, inevitable, and obvious. She did not feel the need to defend her words and simply wrote what was revealed to her in the vision: that God has masculine qualities and that God has feminine qualities. Both are important. Look!
Unfortunately, for most of us it's not that easy. We are constantly filtering theology through what we consider acceptable. Unlike Dame Julian, we tend to follow precedent rather than following the promptings of our souls. We trust those in authority more than ourselves.
But the witness of Julian of Norwich asks us for courage. Not just in the church, but to dig deep within ourselves and experience God in our hearts. It is about using our spiritual imagination to pursue the salvation that frees us today, not just after death.
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