The nine and fifty chapitre. That a man schal not take exsaumple at the bodily assencion of Criste, for to streine his ymaginacion upwardes bodily in the tyme of preier; and that tyme, stede, and bodi, theese thre schulden be forgeten in alle goostly worching.
The Glorified Body and Spiritual Ascent
Christ's bodily ascension foreshadows our own glorification, but now we ascend only spiritually, not bodily.
And if you say anything about our Lord's ascension — because that was done bodily and for a bodily meaning as well as a spiritual one, for He ascended as both true God and true Man — to this I'll answer you: He had been dead, and was clothed with immortality, and so shall we be on the Day of Judgment.1 And then we'll be made so subtle in body and soul together that we'll be able to be wherever we please in body just as swiftly as we now are in thought, spiritually—whether up or down, on one side or the other, behind or before.2 I hope all will then be equally good, as the scholars say.3 But now you can't come to heaven bodily — only spiritually. And yet it will be so spiritual that it won't be in a bodily manner — neither upward nor downward, nor on one side nor on the other, behind nor before.
The Nature of Spiritual Stirring
Spiritual workers must understand that the stirring of contemplation is not a bodily movement but a pure spiritual change, far removed from place and motion.
And know well that all who set themselves to be spiritual workers—especially in the work of this book—though they read 'lift up' or 'go in,' and though the work of this book is called a stirring, must nevertheless watch very carefully that this stirring does not stretch upward or inward in a bodily way, and that it is not the kind of stirring that moves from one place to another. And though it is sometimes called a rest, they must still not think it is a rest that consists of staying put in one place and not moving from it. For the perfection of this work is so pure and spiritual in itself that, if it is well and truly understood, it will be seen to stand far removed from any stirring and from any place.4
Forgetting Time, Place, and Body
In spiritual work, forget time, place, and body, and do not misuse Christ's ascension as a model for bodily imagination in prayer.
And by some reasoning it should rather be called a sudden change than any movement from place to place.5 For time, place, and body—these three—should be forgotten in all spiritual working. And therefore beware, in this work, that you take no example from Christ's bodily Ascension so as to strain your imagination upward in a bodily way during prayer, as if you meant to climb above the moon. For that would in no way be spiritual.6 But if you were to ascend into heaven bodily, as Christ did, then you might take example from it; but no one can do that except God, as He Himself witnesses, saying: "No one can ascend to heaven except only He who descended from heaven and became man for the love of humankind." And if it were possible—as by no means it can be—it would still be from an abundance of spiritual working, only by the power of the spirit, far removed from any bodily stressing or straining of our imagination in a bodily way, whether upward or inward, to one side or the other. And therefore leave off such falsehood; it should not be so.
Read the original Middle English
And yif thou sey ought touching the assencion of oure Lorde, for that was done bodely and for a bodely bemenyng as wel as for a goostly, for bothe He assendid verrey God and verrey Man, to this wil I answere thee, that He had ben deed, and was clad with undeedlines, and so schul we be at the Day of Dome. And than we schul be maad so sotyl in body and in soule togeders, that we schul be than as swiftely where us liste bodely, as we ben now in oure thoughte goostly; whether it be up or doune, on o syde or on other, bihinde or before. Alle I hope schal than be iliche good, as clerkes seyne. Bot now thou mayst not come to heven not bodely, bot goostly. And yit it schal be so goostly that it schal not be on bodely maner -nowther upwardes ne donwardes, ne on o side ne on other, behynde ne before.
And wite wel that alle thoo that setten hem to be goostly worchers and namely in the werk of this book, that thof al thei rede "lifte up" or "go in," thof al that the werke of this book be clepid a steryng, nevertheles yit hem behoveth to have a ful besy beholdyng, that this steryng streche neither up bodely ne in bodely, ne yit that it be any soche steryng as is from o stede to another. And thof al that it be sumtyme cleped a rest, nevertheles yit thei schul not think that it is any soche rest as is any abidyng in a place withouten remowing therfro. For the perfeccion of this werke is so pure and so goostly in itself, that and it be wel and trewly conceyvid, it schal be seen fer lengthid fro any steryng and fro any stede.
And it schuld by sum skyle rather be clepid a sodeyn chaunging then any steedly steryng. For tyme, stede, and body, thees thre schuld be forgeten in alle goostly worching. And therfore bewar in this werk that thou take none ensaumple at the bodely assencion of Criste, for to streyne thin ymaginacion in the tyme of thi preier bodely upwardes, as thou woldest clymbe aboven the mone. For it schuld on no wise be so goostly. Bot yif thou schuldest assende into heven bodely, as Criste did, than thou mightest take ensaumple at it; bot that may none do bot God, as Himself witnessith, seiing: "Ther is no man that may assende unto heven, bot only He that descendid fro heven, and bycome man for the love of man." And yif it were possible, as it on no wise may be, yit it schuld be for habundaunce of goostly worchyng, only bi the might of the spirit, ful fer fro any bodely stressyng or streyning of oure ymaginacion bodely, outher up, or in, on o side, or on other. And therfore lat be soche falshede; it schuld not be so.
Notes
- 1 ↩ME undeedlines (undeadliness): immortality / the state of being beyond death; rendered immortality.
- 2 ↩ME sotyl: rarefied/refined rather than clever; kept as subtle for the glorified body's fineness.
- 3 ↩ME clerkes: learned clerics/scholars; rendered scholars.
- 4 ↩ME "and it be" is conditional "if it be"; rendered as "if it is." "fer lengthid fro" = far lengthened/removed from; rendered as "far removed from."
- 5 ↩steedly steryng: 'steedly' from stede (place); rendered as local/place-to-place movement rather than 'steady stirring.'
- 6 ↩Antecedent of 'it' is the bodily upward straining of imagination in prayer (s3), not the Ascension itself.
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