Get out the popcorn. It's November.

Today, children, we are going to consider extreme spirituality. To do this, we need to go back to the European Middle Ages.

Today's Short Subject: Back in 1972, Franco Zeffirelli gave us a beautifully filmed version of the life of St Francis of Assisi. Watch this clip from Brother Sun, Sister Moon and ask yourself: how does a seeker reach this point in his or her personal journey? (Warning: some nudity is involved.) Why are people so shocked? (Hint: It isn't merely the nudity.)

Now we're ready to move forward a century or two.

Today's Feature: This isn't a film. It's a Youtube playlist about Julian of Norwich. It includes spoken-word excerpts from her writing, and songs about the remarkable English saint.

Julian – we don't know her birth name – spent the second half of her life walled up in the church of St Julian in Norwich. She had visions, about Life, the Universe, and Everything. The first vision came in 1373. These visions have had a profound effect on English thinking, especially poets like TS Eliot, who borrowed her saying that 'all shall be well, and all manner of thing shall be well.'

Pretty cool stuff. I've got a Guide Entry pending about her, so you can read that if you want more background on Julian. I think she was worth knowing about – I'd definitely visit her if I had the tardis up and running. What do you think?

Love, like the yellow daffodil, is coming through the snow.

Love, like the yellow daffodil, is Lord of all I know…