Pick up any edition of The Cloud of Unknowing, and you are likely to find the following language a bit intimidating: Whoever you are possessing this book, know that I charge you with a serious responsibility, to which I attach the sternest sanctions that the bonds of love can bear. It does not matter whether [...]
Before the Cloud of Unknowing, Richard of St. Victor (who lived in the twelfth century, a contemporary of Hildegard of Bingen and Bernard of Clairvaux) wrote this lovely passage in his work called The Mystical Ark: When birds want to fly they spread out their wings. So, we surely ought to spread the wings of our [...]
A reader has written to me with the following question: I make my living as a psychotherapist & most of my work is spiritually oriented counseling with Christians. I have long been trying to introduce clients to contemplation through encouraging brief periods of silence, solitude and openness (15-20 min). I also taught an introductory course [...]
A friend of mine (who prefers to remain anonymous) who blogs about Middle-English word studies related to The Cloud of Unknowing has posted a wonderful and thought-provoking meditation On Translation. He considers the challenge of living in a society where the market pretty much decides what does and doesn’t get published, which means that some [...]
Following Maggie Ross’s challenge to read the mystics in their original, untranslated texts, I thought I’d highlight some of the editions of both Julian of Norwich’s text and The Cloud of Unknowing that can be acquired in the original (or slightly modernized) form. Yesterday I posted a query to Maggie’s blog to get a sense [...]
Here’s what Maggie Ross posted on her blog, in response to the questions I posed to her yesterday. First, for those just joining the conversation, here is what I wrote to her: Dear Maggie Ross, First of all, I’m honored even to be mentioned in your blog. I read Pillars of Flame years ago and [...]
I am honored, although also humbled, to have been mentioned in the blog of Anglican solitary Maggie Ross, author of a truly wonderful book on the spirituality of priesthood, Pillars of Flame. Ross is taking me to task for recommending Carmen Butcher’s translation of The Cloud of Unknowing. Although she is gracious in the tone [...]