The Cloud of Unknowing
by Anonymous (14th century)
An anonymous English monk's instruction in contemplative prayer: put a cloud of forgetting beneath you and pierce the cloud of unknowing above with a 'sharp dart of longing love', using a single word. The root of centring prayer.
Read it if…
you want the medieval source of centring prayer.
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Skip it if…
you want discursive meditation; this is apophatic.
Try instead: The Way of the SEAL →
Three things you will actually use
- God is known by love, not thought.
- One word; let it be your shield.
- Forget everything beneath the cloud.
Do this first
Read chapters three to seven and try the one-word practice.
Our verdict
The root of centring prayer.
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