The Cloud Of Unknowing
A Classic of Christian Mysticism
The Cloud of
Unknowing
Enter the mystery of contemplative prayer,
where love reaches beyond what the mind can know.
GET YOUR COPY
The Cloud of Unknowing is a medieval masterpiece of
Christian mysticism, inviting the reader into the mystery of
contemplative prayer — leaving behind what can be known and
resting in the presence of God beyond thought.
The Way of Contemplation
“Lift up your heart to God with a humble stirring of love,
and mean Himself and none of His goods.”
CHAPTER XXXVII
The Heart of the Book
Beyond What the Mind Can Know
Contemplative Prayer
A movement beyond words and thoughts, entering stillness
through a simple turning of the heart toward God.
Love Over Knowledge
The book points beyond intellectual understanding toward
the experience of God through love and faith.
The Cloud of Forgetting
A call to release worldly concerns and personal desires
into a cloud of forgetting in the movement toward God.
Featured Passage
Mary & Martha
The book returns to the story of Mary and Martha,
contrasting the contemplative life with the active life
and pointing toward the “one thing” that is necessary.
“Martha, Martha! Thou art full busy and troubled about
many things. But one thing is necessary… and Mary hath
chosen the best part, which shall not be taken from her.”
For the Seeker
A Book to Read Slowly
The Cloud of Unknowing offers practical and timeless
guidance for those longing for a deeper connection with God.
Its emphasis is not on accumulating more knowledge, but on
entering a different way of prayer.
Written in a direct and conversational style, this medieval
work continues to speak to readers seeking stillness,
contemplation, humility, and the presence of God.
Enter the Cloud
Begin the Journey Into Unknowing
Discover one of the enduring works of Christian contemplative
spirituality.
GET YOUR COPY AT BARNES & NOBLE
✦ · ✦ · ✦
“`
A Classic of Christian Mysticism
The Cloud
of Unknowing
A medieval masterpiece of Christian mysticism on
contemplative prayer, divine love, and the mystery of God.
GET YOUR COPY
The Invitation
Beyond What the Mind Can Know
The Cloud of Unknowing invites readers into the
mystery of contemplative prayer — leaving behind what can
be known and resting in the presence of God beyond all thought.
Its central teaching is simple and profound: God cannot be
fully grasped by the intellect, but may be approached through
love and faith.
The Way of Contemplation
“Lift up your heart to God with a humble stirring of love,
and mean Himself and none of His goods.”
THE CLOUD OF UNKNOWING
Key Themes
A Guide to the Interior Life
Contemplative Prayer
A practice beyond words and thoughts, focusing on a
simple word such as “God” or “love” to enter stillness
and presence with God.
The Cloud of Unknowing
The gap between human understanding and divine mystery,
which is penetrated through love rather than intellect.
The Cloud of Forgetting
A call to release worldly concerns and personal desires
into a cloud of forgetting in order to turn toward God.
Love Over Knowledge
The book emphasizes that love, rather than intellectual
knowledge, leads toward union with God.
Read a Sample
Four Degrees of Christian Living
The First Chapter
HERE BEGINNETH THE FIRST CHAPTER
Of four degrees of Christian men’s living; and of the
course of his calling that this book was made unto.
GHOSTLY friend in God, thou shalt well understand that I find,
in my boisterous beholding, four degrees and forms of Christian
men’s living: and they be these, Common, Special, Singular,
and Perfect. Three of these may be begun and ended in this life;
and the fourth may by grace be begun here, but it shall ever
last without end in the bliss of Heaven.
And right as thou seest how they be set here in order each one
after other; first Common, then Special, after Singular, and
last Perfect, right so me thinketh that in the same order and
in the same course our Lord hath of His great mercy called thee
and led thee unto Him by the desire of thine heart.
For first thou wottest well that when thou wert living in the
common degree of Christian men’s living in company of thy
worldly friends, it seemeth to me that the everlasting love
of His Godhead, through the which He made thee and wrought thee
when thou wert nought, and sithen bought thee with the price of
His precious blood when thou wert lost in Adam, might not suffer
thee to be so far from Him in form and degree of living.
And therefore He kindled thy desire full graciously, and fastened
by it a leash of longing, and led thee by it into a more special
state and form of living, to be a servant among the special
servants of His; where thou mightest learn to live more specially
and more ghostly in His service than thou didst, or mightest do,
in the common degree of living before.
And what more? Yet it seemeth that He would not leave thee thus
lightly, for love of His heart, the which He hath evermore had
unto thee since thou wert aught: but what did He? Seest thou
nought how Mistily and how graciously He hath privily pulled
thee to the third degree and manner of living, the which is
called Singular? In the which solitary form and manner of living,
thou mayest learn to lift up the foot of thy love; and step
towards that state and degree of living that is perfect, and
the last state of all.
Why This Book Endures
A Book for the Seeker
Humility & Detachment
The work encourages letting go of ambition and worldly
attachments in order to turn more fully toward divine presence.
Love Rather Than Intellect
Its central movement is away from trying to comprehend God
intellectually and toward encountering God through love.
A Practical Mysticism
Written in plain, conversational English, the book offers
guidance for readers seeking a deeper practice of prayer.
A Lasting Influence
The text has continued to speak to Christian contemplatives
and spiritual seekers across centuries.
✦ · ✦ · ✦
Enter the Mystery
Discover one of the enduring works of Christian contemplative
spirituality and begin a deeper encounter with prayer,
love, and the presence of God.
ORDER YOUR COPY AT BARNES & NOBLE
The Cloud of Unknowing · Living Wellness Publishing
“`
Living Wellness Publishing
The Cloud of Unknowing
A Medieval Guide to Contemplative Prayer,
Love, and the Mystery of God
Get the Book
The Cloud of Unknowing is a medieval masterpiece of
Christian mysticism. It invites the reader into the mystery
of contemplative prayer, leaving behind what can be known
and resting in the presence of God beyond thought.
✦ ❀ ✦
A Path Beyond Thought
The Cloud of Unknowing serves as a guide for those
seeking to deepen their spiritual practice through contemplative
prayer. Its central teaching is that God cannot be fully
understood or grasped by the intellect, but is encountered
through love and faith in a state of unknowing.
Rather than asking the seeker to accumulate more knowledge,
the text points toward stillness, humility, detachment,
and a simple movement of love toward God.
A Passage from the Book
Chapter XXXVII — Of the Special Prayers
And right as the meditations of them that continually work
in this grace and in this work rise suddenly without any
means, right so do their prayers…
“Lift up your heart to God with a humble stirring of love,
and mean Himself and none of His goods. And see that you
refuse to think of anything but Him.”
Key Themes
Contemplative Prayer
A practice beyond words and thoughts, entering stillness
and presence with God through a simple movement of love.
The Cloud of Unknowing
The mystery between human understanding and divine reality,
approached through love rather than intellect.
The Cloud of Forgetting
A call to release worldly concerns and personal desires
into a cloud of forgetting while turning toward God.
Love Over Knowledge
The text emphasizes love as the way toward union with God,
beyond what intellectual understanding can grasp.
Humility
The seeker is invited into humility and a letting go of
the impulse to possess or understand everything.
Detachment
The work points toward releasing distractions and turning
the heart toward the presence of God.
A Christian Mystical Classic
Written in plain, conversational English for both laypersons
and religious communities, The Cloud of Unknowing
has remained a significant work of Christian mysticism.
Its emphasis on contemplative prayer, love, humility,
and unknowing continues to speak to readers seeking a
deeper relationship with God.
✦ ❀ ✦
“`
Featured Excerpt
Featured Excerpt – Mary & Martha (Chapters XVII–XX)
The Seventeenth Chapter
That a very contemplative list not meddle him with active life, nor of anything that is done or spoken about him, nor yet to answer to his blamers in excusing of himself.
In the gospel of Saint Luke it is written, that when our Lord was in the house of Martha her sister, all the time that Martha made her busy about the dighting of His meat, Mary her sister sat at His feet. And in hearing of His word she beheld not to the business of her sister, although her business was full good and full holy… For from thence she would not remove, for nothing that she saw nor heard spoken nor done about her; but sat full still in her body, with many a sweet privy and a listy love pressed upon that high cloud of unknowing betwixt her and her God.
The Eighteenth Chapter
How that yet unto this day all actives complain of contemplatives as Martha did of Mary. Of the which complaining ignorance is the cause.
And right as Martha complained then on Mary her sister, right so yet unto this day all actives complain of contemplatives… and say sharply unto them that it is nought that they do… And as fast they will reckon up many false tales, and many true also, of falling of men and women that have given them to such life before: and never a good tale of them that stood.
The Nineteenth Chapter
A short excusation of him that made this book teaching how all contemplatives should have all actives fully excused of their complaining words and deeds.
Some might think that I do little worship to Martha… For me thinketh that she should be full well had excused of her plaint, taking regard to the time and the manner that she said it in. And also that she said, it was but courteously and in few words: and therefore she should always be had excused.
The Twentieth Chapter
How Almighty God will goodly answer for all those that for the excusing of themselves list not leave their business about the love of Him.
And therefore me thinketh, that they that set them to be contemplatives should not only have active men excused of their complaining words, but also me thinketh that they should be so occupied in spirit that they should take little heed or none what men did or said about them…
“Martha, Martha! Thou art full busy and troubled about many things. But one thing is necessary… and Mary hath chosen the best part, which shall not be taken from her.”
Featured Excerpt – The Cloud of Unknowing
Chapter XXXVII – Of the Special Prayers
And right as the meditations of them that continually work in this grace and in this work rise suddenly without any means, right so do their prayers. I mean of their special prayers, not of those prayers that be ordained of Holy Church. For they that be true workers in this work, they worship no prayer so much: and therefore they do them, in the form and in the statute that they be ordained of holy fathers before us. But their special prayers rise evermore suddenly unto God, without any means or any premeditation in special coming before, or going therewith…
“Lift up your heart to God with a humble stirring of love, and mean Himself and none of His goods. And see that you refuse to think of anything but Him.”
Unbreaking Woman: The Galaxy Within
