The Cloud of Unknowing

Rating:
Summary: A mystical gem, fun even for a beginner
Review: While I am certainly not an expert on mystical literature, I would definitely say that "The Cloud of Unknowing" is the strangest little novelty I have ever encountered with respect to matters of theism and prayer. The author continually contradicts himself and sometimes what he is trying to say is entirely inaccessible:he condemns "the Devil's contemplatives" who seem to view bodily sensations and the exhilaration of the senses as some sign of God's approval in their discipline. And then, a chapter later, he will approve of certain sensate phenomena as true signs of God. This could be merely the confusion of a novice, but I would say the anonymous author approaches agnosticism with his view as the actual CONTACT we can have with God: "the cloud of unknowing" prevents it entirely, although we must "beat upon it" until, eh, something happens. This is the path of spiritual darkness as a way to the Divine, which is indeed fascinating. The author's recognition of the tenuous and error prone nature of human consciousness could be seen as a precusor to the existentialist view of human life. I would recommend reading St. John of the Cross first, but have fun with this one. Who knows, maybe the whole thing will make perfect sense to me one day. But I doubt it.