Thursday, September 20, 2007

mea culpa.. mea culpa...

a friend read my summary of the cloud of unknowing, and gently let me know that it had way too many words, and that not everyone was as familar with king james english as i am... so i listened. and i rewrote a much reduced summary of the cloud of unknowing in modern english

Wednesday, September 19, 2007

more cloud of unknowing

here's the full text of the cloud of unknowing in king james english, and here's the condensed version with a lot of the english modernized. i left the king james english when i thought it was poetic. but since my roots are in the king james bible, my idea of poetic might be different than yours.
enjoy :)

Monday, September 17, 2007

conventional wisdom of 1380

the cloud of unknowing was written around 1380, and this piece of conventional wisdom found it's way into the book. at first i was surprised. but then it made me wonder about the things we take for granted today and repeat as if they were fact. <--- For as I have understood by some disciples of necromancy, the which profess the advocation of wicked spirits, and by some unto whom the fiend hath appeared in bodily likeness: in what bodily likeness the fiend appeareth, evermore he hath but one nostril, and that is great and wide, and he will gladly cast it up so that a man may see in thereat to his brain up in his head. The which brain is nought else but the fire of hell, for the fiend may have none other brain. And if he might make a man look in thereto, he wants no better. For at that looking he should lose his wits for ever. ---> i wonder if the author of the cloud really believed this.....

Thursday, September 13, 2007

The Cloud of Unknowing

I was surprised the other day to find that the Cloud of Unknowing was not available on the internet..
The Cloud of Unknowing is an anomymous work from the late 14th century that is sort of a handbook for a novice entering the contemplative life. The original work has about 40,000 words, but I can summerize it in two sentences.


Seek the face of the Lord.
If any thoughts enter your mind, ignore them.

This prayer probably predates christianity, and is found in every major religion. In the 1960's, the prayer was repackaged and made into a business by three catholic priests and renamed 'Centering Prayer', here's the original 14th century text.

enjoy :)