its v good, but i couldnt rate it higher bc of its harsh denigration of the role of the body and physical world in spiritual cultivation ( )

Contains The Cloud of Unknowing, The Mystical Theology of Saint Denis, The Book of Privy Counselling, and An Epistle on Prayer. Against a tradition of devotional writings which focussed on knowing God through Christ's Passion and his humanity, these texts describe a transcendent God who exists beyond human knowledge and human language. These four texts are at the heart of medival mystical theology in their call for contemplation, calm, and above all, love, as the way to understand the Divine.

I felt an urge to reread "The Cloud of Unknowing" this Lent, so I dug out our copy and read it slowly, as one should. I found it most helpful to my efforts at contemplative prayer, filled with practical advice and simple steps one can/should take. ( )

Classic mystical spirituality, a strand of the Christian tradition which has often been neglected. ( )