The two and thritty chapitre. Of two goostli sleightes that ben helpli to a goostli beginner in the werk of this book.
The First Spiritual Sleight
The author introduces a subtle spiritual device: ignoring pressing distractions by looking beyond them toward God enclosed in a cloud of unknowing, which is essentially a longing desire for God that merits relief.
Nevertheless, I'll tell you something of this subtlety, as it seems to me.1 Try it yourself, and do better if you can.2 Do everything in your power to act as if you didn't know that they press so hard upon you, between you and your God. And try to look, as it were, over their shoulders, seeking another thing; and that thing is God, enclosed in a cloud of unknowing.✦ And if you do this, I believe that within a short time you'll be eased of your labor. I believe that if this device is well and truly grasped, it is nothing else but a longing desire for God, to feel Him and see Him as far as it may be here.3 And such a desire is charity; and it always deserves to be eased.4
The Second Spiritual Sleight
The author presents a second device: when unable to overcome distractions, one should yield to God as a captive, acknowledging utter worthlessness, which is true humility and draws God's merciful deliverance.
There's another device; try it if you want.5 When you feel that you can in no way put them down, crouch down under them like a captive and a coward overcome in battle, and think that it's only folly for you to struggle with them any longer; and so you yield yourself to God in the hands of your enemies.6 And then feel yourself as if you were utterly undone forever.7 Take careful heed of this device, I beg you; for it seems to me that in the practice of this device you should melt all to water. And surely, it seems to me, if this device is subtly understood, it is nothing else but a true knowing and feeling of yourself as you are—a wretch and a filth, far worse than nothing—and that knowing and feeling is humility.8 And this humility deserves to have God Himself mightily descending to avenge you of your enemies, to take you up and tenderly dry your spiritual eyes, as a father does for the child that is about to perish under the mouths of wild swine or mad biting bears.9
Read the original Middle English
Nevertheles sumwhat of this sotylté schal I telle thee, as me think. Prove thou, and do betir yif thou betir maist.
Do that in thee is to lat as thou wist not that thei prees so fast apon thee, bitwix thee and thi God. And fonde to loke as it were over theire schuldres, seching another thing; the whiche thing is God, enclosid in a cloude of unknowyng. And yif thou do thus, I trowe that withinne schort tyme thou schalt be esid of thi travayle. I trowe that and this sleight be wel and trewly conceyvid, it is not elles bot a longing desire unto God, to fele Hym and see Hym as it may be here. And soche a desire is charité; and it deservith alweys to be esid.
Another sleight ther is; prove thou yif thou wilt. When thou felist that thou maist on no wise put hem doun, koure thou doun under hem as a cheitif and a coward overcomen in batayle, and think that it is bot a foly to thee to stryve any lenger with hem; and therfore thou yeeldest thee to God in the handes of thin enmyes. And fele than thiself as thou were fordone for ever. Take good kepe of this sleight, I prey thee; for me think in the profe of this sleight thou schuldest melt al to watre. And sekirly, me think, and this sleight be sotely conceyvid, it is not elles bot a trewe knowyng and a felyng of thiself as thou arte, a wrecche and a filthe, fer wers then nought, the whiche knowyng and felyng is meeknes. And this meeknes deserveth to have God Himself mightely descendyng to venge thee of thine enemyes, for to take thee up and cherischingly drie thine goostly ighen, as the fader doth the childe that is in poynte to perische under the mouthes of wilde swyne or wode bityng beres.
Scripture echoes
- ↩Exod.20.21;1Kgs.8.12 — The people stood at a distance, but Moses drew near to the thick darkness where God was. 1Kgs.8.12 — Then Solomon said, 'The LORD has said that he would dwell in thick darkness.'
Notes
- 1 ↩ME sotylté here means a subtle spiritual craft or device (the goostly sleightes of the chapter), not mere cleverness.
- 2 ↩ME Prove means put to the test / try by experience, not demonstrate a proposition.
- 3 ↩ME sleight rendered as 'device': a spiritual stratagem or skillful means, not deceit.
- 4 ↩charité here names the theological virtue (charity/love of God), not mere benevolence; 'charity' kept over generic 'love' for that force.
- 5 ↩Middle English 'sleight' here means a spiritual device or skillful tactic in contemplative practice, not deceit.
- 6 ↩'cheitif' = caitiff: a wretched captive. 'hem' continues from the previous section's pressing thoughts/distractions between the soul and God.
- 7 ↩'fordone' = destroyed, ruined, undone.
- 8 ↩'meeknes' rendered as 'humility': in the Cloud, meekness is true self-knowledge felt as lowliness before God, not mild temperament. Middle English conditional 'and' = 'if'.
- 9 ↩'wode' = mad, raging. 'goostly ighen' = spiritual eyes. 'venge thee of' = take vengeance for you against.
The Cloud of Unknowing companion
A daily portion of stillness
Chosen Portion delivers one short contemplative reading and a guided moment of silence each day — the ascent, one step at a time.
Chosen Portion is the paced doorway into this collection: it portions the dense mystical treatises into one daily reading plus guided silence, exactly as the 14-day plan teaches.
- Daily bite-sized excerpts from the contemplative classics, never a wall of text
- A built-in timed stillness practice that grows from 2 minutes to 10
- Gentle progression through the tradition — the app remembers where you are on the ascent