6 S p i r i t ua l i t y S t u d i e s 5 - 1 S p r i n g 2 0 1 9 coin [8]. The lack of true understanding of reality has no substance, it is a mere deprivation. However, Julian goes on and surprises her readers. She thinks of sin as an award, attributing it positive value. It is a positive and necessary component of creative divine intentions. She claims that God sees “the falling” in connections with human rewards and praises (Julian of Norwich 2011, 89). “It is not reasonable that I reward him for his fright and his dread, his hurt and his wounds and all his woe?”– asks the good lord in Julian’s parable [9]. Julian asserts concealed necessity and even benefits of our falling [10] (Julian of Norwich 2011, 164–165) and adds that we will see it ourselves, comprehend and rejoice. The most famous refrain fromRevelations repeats: “Sin is inevitable, but all shall be well, and all shall be well, and all the manner of things shall be well” (Julian of Norwich 2011, 64). Later the mystic finds some release in God’s promise that evil and suffering will definitely vanish by the “great deed” (Julian of Norwich 2011, 73–74). It remains unclear what is meant by this expression. Perhaps the remedy of the great deed – regarding the distorted condition of human consciousness – is simply to follow Julian’s perspective of transformative divine goodness. For Julian, the refrain „All shall be well” is much more than certain vague promise or hope; it is already becoming her new reality. Her eyes are getting used to the new undeluded perspective. The transformation of a sinful mind presupposes the healing shift in perception toward the awareness of the ever-present divine goodness – the only true reality. 4 Identity and Transcendence The sinful consciousness is the innocently fragmented, isolated, perspectivistic, and variously conditioned consciousness, experiencing its own multiple contradictory intentions within itself and in relation to perceived world and other living beings. Sin embraces the context of unavoidable violence. However, the most decisive human existential possibility – spiritual transformation– can bring along new and liberating perspective right into the sinful situation. Julian’s main advises fromRevelations, acceptance – contemplation – optimism, seem to be transformational themselves. Julian believes that accepting the tension of inevitable situation of sin is the most honest position and the most effective way how to live through it. However, the true acceptance presupposes a deeper transcendence. The focus on goodness leads her “beyond ontology.” She does it in many different ways – contemplating divine goodness, expecting it, creating it, mediating it to and inciting it within others, and thus bringing it right into the problematic human reality. But of course, the true acceptance also requires the true transformative knowledge about the overall situation, which already evokes the transcendence (in sense of gnosis– cognition). It is the knowledge of the nature of the divine reality beyond– the latter is the decisive transformative insight. At the same time, Julian had to radically rethink the question of sin, which lead her to new liberated ways of perceptions, thoughts, and emotions; she had to rethink and transcend what we now call “cultural programmings”. For example, she believes that God encourages her to transcend her culturally conditioned emotions of guilt, remorse or sadness as soon as possible toward newly appropriated trust, joy and optimism arising out of the immediate contact with the Unconditioned (Julian of Norwich 2011, 11 and elsewhere). She offers psychologically and biologically much healthier “life strategy” than to be absorbed by guiltful consciousness. FromRevelations it is clear that God invites her to carelessly even heedlessly transcend antinomies of the sinful reality – also of her emotional reality [11]. She is taught not to be dependent on any of these conditioned emotions because divine presence is not bound to her perception of “joy or sorrow” [12]. Julian’s way of transcendence merges with the mystical transformation of consciousness. All mystics and contemplatives, in most of the spiritual traditions, speak about the most significant event for human consciousness – the process of its transformation. In our terms, a sinful self-absorbed, dualistic, isolated mind transforms into an open, interconnected, integrated divine mind. In Western tradition, this transformative process is also associated with deep experience of suffering (the “dark night”) within which egoic mind-structures dramatically collapses under intense dispossessive existential tensions (Trajtelová 2013). After the happy collapse of the egoic structures of the self (provided by contemplative praxis or an excessive suffering), the liberated consciousness bears the same divine qualities, it coincides with them. “I saw no difference between God and our essence, but just as if it were all God…” (Julian of Norwich 2011, 143) – says Julian. 5 Reality and the Transformation of Consciousness There must be another relationship mentioned – the relationship of the transformed consciousness and the world. Not only had the Julian’s inner reality changed. With the change of her perception, the world around has become different. Lady Julian, the famous spiritual authority of her times, has incited the change in perspective in many other people, either personally or through her writing. Her empha-
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