Archive for the ‘Cloud of Unknowing – General comments’ Category

Thursday, May 13th, 2010

The Dark Night of the Soul, performed by Loreena McKennitt   Loreena McKennitt performs a song called “Dark Night of the Soul” inspired by St. John of the Cross.  She sings about the love of God and the pursuit of it in this song.  

If you like ‘The Dark Night of the Soul’ and all that it implies, you should look into reading ‘The Cloud of Unknowing’ by an anonymous author in 1375.   There are more than a few present day English translations that make for a bit more easy reading than the 14th century English in which it was written.  It speaks of the apophatic approach to ‘knowing’, trusting and allowing God.  It is precisely pursuit of the internal mystical relationship with God via the path of allowing and consenting to God being with you through the vehicle of trust.  The Dark Night of the Soul will make more sense after reading this!  I have the olde english version here as a free download, and it can be bought on some of the web bookstores for only a few dollars.  I am re-reading it after many times.

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The Cloud and it’s protection

Monday, November 16th, 2009

AS YOU LOOK AT THE DAY BEFORE YOU, YOU SEE A TWISTED, COMPLICATED PATH, WITH BRANCHES GOING OFF IN ALL DIRECTIONS. YOU WONDER HOW YOU CAN POSSIBLY FIND YOUR WAY THROUGH THAT MAZE. THEN YOU REMEMBER THE ONE WHO IS WITH YOU ALWAYS, HOLDING YOU BY YOUR RIGHT HAND. YOU RECALL MY PROMISE TO GUIDE YOU WITH MY COUNSEL, AND YOU BEGIN TO RELAX. AS YOU LOOK AGAIN AT THE PATH AHEAD, YOU NOTICE THAT A PEACEFUL CLOUD HAS SETTLED OVER IT, OBSCURING YOUR VIEW. YOU CAN SEE ONLY A FEW STEPS IN FRONT OF YOU, SO YOU TURN YOUR ATTENTION MORE FULLY TO ME AND BEGIN TO ENJOY MY PRESENCE.
 
THE CLOUD IS A PROTECTION FOR YOU, CALLING YOU BACK INTO THE PRESENT MOMENT. ALTHOUGH I INHABIT ALL OF SPACE AND TIME, YOU CAN COMMUNICATE WITH ME ONLY HERE AND NOW. SOMEDAY THE CLOUD WILL NO LONGER BE NECESSARY, FOR YOU WILL HAVE LEARNED TO KEEP YOUR FOCUS ON ME AND ON THE PATH JUST AHEAD OF YOU.
 
PSALM 73:23-24; 1 CORINTHIANS 13:12

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The paradox of being still and on the move

Monday, June 1st, 2009

In Buddhism, Hinduism the goal is nirvana, satori, samadhi with the culmination of all one’s efforts being the attainment of these states of enlightenment.  Since we can define these states, and acquire them, are they the final stage in our growth or are they another notch on the spiritual belt?

God is infinite.  How can we settle for a particular state of enlightenment, when it is clear his face will be hidden from us eternally?  Not that this is a bad thing. 

If we have nothing to strive for, then what do we become?  Do we become complacent with our state?   Desire for more spiritual closeness to God is also unceasing.  And will continue to be unceasing as it is part of our human nature to have such a desire.  This desire is focused on satiety of our spiritual striving.

God is ever expanding, ever inaccessible, always infinite, and ungraspable.  This sounds like we will never see God in a final state.  Very likely yes, that is the truth.  But so is the Really Real, which is God.  We will always have room to grow -  in knowledge, intimacy, receiving inspiration, expressing His light. 

In the quest for becoming spiritual millionaires, this is the ultimate acquisition:  one that will always appreciate in value!  Our growth along the way becomes secondary to the desire to know and to have.  This secondary growth accrues to our nature and the fruits of it are our knowledge, compassion, understanding, and hopefully actions that can improve our lives and the world around us.

So how do we satisfy this desire?  How do we ever attain full communion with God and with His infinite being?  First by understanding our limitations as humans and our inability to conceive of His infinite inaccessibility…….  Now here comes the paradox!!

Because of his infinite inaccessibility, he draws us forward in our quest for satiety of our spiritual desire.  If we choose to accept the challenge, we will grow and become closer, have a deeper and more intimate experience, drop off the dross of our unnecessary behaviors and attachments and become what we are intended to be – a becoming being – eternally expanding through God’s love for us.

Is this enough to give us hope?  Absolutely.  In God’s infinite love for us he has made every effort to provide points of refernce and examples through Jesus, the Holy Spirit, the Virgin Mary, her appearances, the Ascensions of Moses, Elijah, etc., the ultimate redemption of the new Adam: Jesus and his infinite love for us described through a finite act…. If you think about it God has left many breadcrumbs for us to follow.  

There are many paths one can follow to be growing closer to God.  We are each on our own path – so there is only where we are for the moment and our understanding of that as it is.  It is only through our desire for satiety do we have new illuminations, revelations, spurts of growth, and change our minds, hearts and choices for action.

“I will put you on a rock” (Ex 33:22) This is a great if not the greatest paradox of all: that the same thing is both standing still and on the move.  So through God’s leadership we can understand that our desire to ascend is facilitated through the act of being still.

For me, I have found much to be inspired with, and much to resolve my dissonance by learning to be still and to accept the ascension of my own knowledge through the act of being still.  This is the paradox.  Let me say that again:  that by being still you will be on the move.  Ascent and action through stillness.  

I am grateful for the grace of leadership from God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit to allow me to stumble through my own discoveries to uncover the greatest Reality of all.

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“..being within the cloud and seeing God there” (Ex 20:21)

Sunday, May 31st, 2009

When Moses saw the burning bush, it was seen in the light.  But when he ascended Mt. Sinai, it is quite the opposite of the first theophany (Ex 314)

Gregory of Nyssa – from The Life of Moses, Book 2:
“Then the Diety was seen in the light, now is it seen in the cloud.  We should not, however suppose that this is out of harmony with the sequence of ideas so far considered.  The sacred text teaches us that religious knowledge is a light quite distinct from the one we first encounted.  In fact, what is thought the opposite of piety is indeed darkness while the turning away from darkness takes place by sharing the light.  However, the further the mind advances and the greater and more perfect its attention to, and knowledge of, the realm of reality becomes, the nearer, in fact, that it draws close to contemplation, so much the more is it aware of the unavailability of the divine nature to human knowledge.

The mind leaves behind all that appears, not only what the senses grasp, but also whatever the intelligence seems to behold and ever seeks to move further inward, until it penetrates by reason of the activity of the intelligence to what is unseen and incomprehensible and therre sees God.  For it is precisely in this that true knowledge of what is sought consists, and precisely in the that seeing consists, that is in NOT seeing, because we seek wha lies be yond all knowledge, shrouded by incomprehensibility in all directions, as it were by some cloud.  Hence the mystical John, the same who penetrated into the shining clould, says that “No one has ever seen God” (Jn: 1:18).  But by this denial he insists that the knowledge of the divine nature is unavailable not only to men, but also to all rational creatures.

It is only when Moses has increased in knowledge that he confesses that he beholds God in the cloud, that is, that he knows that the divine is by nature something above all knowledge and comprehension.  For Scripture says, “Moses entered the darkness where God was” (Ex 20:21).  Who is God?  “He who,” as David says, “made the darkness his hiding place” (Ps18:12).  For David also had been initiated into the secret mysteries in that very same shrine.

Once arrived there he is once again taught by reason what he had already learnt through the cloud.  The reason for this is, I think, that our conviction on this matter might be more firmly grounded once it had been assured buy the divine voice….”

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To Detractors of Contemplative Prayer

Wednesday, April 22nd, 2009

I had a conversation, again, with one of our friends, who has the opinion that Contemplative Prayer is a “New Age” technique started by Fr. Thomas Keating in the mid-70′s along with Fr. William Meninger, and Bro. Basil Pennington.

Unfortunately, all the authors who are propagating such ideas are doing so because:
1.  They have no formation to receive the value of the Prayer
2.  They are taking much of their position based upon ‘out of context’ quotes and ignorance.
3.  They have not done their homework on the topic, only a surface/cursory pass over the information they use to validate their positions.
4.  Have never opened themselves to an internal and intimate relationship with God through true surrender.

No wonder the wise monks through the ages have kept this a secret.  It is both sad and painful to listen to ignorance speak its mind.

Even Dr. Fehrer.

nonsense can easily be found on the internet with a simple google search.

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Intention and God’s experience of the World through us/me

Thursday, June 19th, 2008

Here is a quote from myself on another forum and an answer to a question posed to me:

“Now, I have the rest of my life to live with the Cloud of Unknowing, The Cloud of Forgetting, and the Apophatic approach of allowing God to come to me through my own intent and surrender so that he might have an experience of me and the world I live in.”

To answer your question as to what I meant by “come to me through my own intent” is this:

Our intention is our free will in motion.

If I intend to open myself for God to be with me, then I am surrendering to the idea of God being with me, or in other words, I am creating space through my intention to allow God to enter it.

Mostly our intentions take us to any place other than being with God, and we are probably not used to consciously focusing our intentions.

The practice of Centering Prayer as presented by Fr. Thomas Keating uses the phrase: the “intent to consent”.

I hope that helps to answer your question or at least assists you in asking another!

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