The Benguin movement was closely tied to the Franciscan movement. The label referred to a religious group of women that were recognizable in that they wore dark cloaks with no shoes, and reportedly were often seen praying in a different posture than the other church members.  Marguerite Porete was a dedicated Benguin from Northern France who write Mirror of Simple Souls. This book contained 140 chapters of prose and poetry with a decidedly mystical feel. In 1296 the bishop of Cambrai ordered her to stop teaching. She continued and in 1310 was executed as a “relapsed heretic”.

Her book details the seven steps in the journey of the soul. The first step is intention. One intends to keep the commandments of God from now until the end. The steps continue, and the soul grows a deeper understanding as it travels through this journey. In the second, it considers what God recommends rather than only what he commands. This struck me as a sort of dedication beyond the simple following of rules. The third step is the “work of perfection” which engulfs the soul. The fourth step focuses on meditation and the abandonment of the outside distractions. As we move into the fifth step the mystical feeling increases and she explains that God is all things and the soul is not. The soul is nothing, but also everything. This ties back to the theme of dualism we have explored in class. The sixth step is the last one in this lifetime, and it is when the soul ceases to see itself. The soul is “pure and illuminated”, and in fact, God sees himself in it. The seventh and final step can only be reached when the soul departs it’s human body and is eternally glorified.

The lash back from the Church follows suit with the ancient views of women we have covered in class. Women were not seen as trustworthy and were to be controlled by the men for their own good. Marguerite took a role as a teacher and presenter of knowledge. The Benguins were women and they were forming an active group. This was seen as a threat to the Church and as their worry increased they demanded it be stopped. Refusal, as always, had repercussions.