Jane Leade

Jane Ward Leade (March 1624 – 19 August 1704) was a Christian mystic born in Norfolk, England. Her spiritual visions, recorded in a series of publications, were central in the founding and philosophy of the Philadelphian Society in London at the time.

Early life

Jane Leade came from a well-off family and had a comfortable upbringing. At the age of 15 she claimed to have a had a vision during a family Christmas party in which an angelic voice urged her to give up such frivolity and pursue spiritual matters. Although she vowed to do so, the next phase of her life was outwardly conventional. She was married happily to a distant cousin, a merchant, and had four daughters by him. Their 27 year marriage was extremely stable, but when he died she was left utterly bereft and penniless in London.

It was at this time, however, that she had her first vision of the "Virgin Sophia", the Feminine Aspect of God which is described in the Book of Proverbs in the Bible, who promised to unfold the secrets of the universe to her. Leade declared herself a 'Bride of Christ' and proceeded to transcribe her subsequent visions in much the same way as her predecessor, Hildegard of Bingen. Her final output amounted to many volumes of visionary mysticism.