The sixty chapitre. That the heighe and the next wey to heven is ronne bi desires, and not bi pases of feet.
The Question of Bodily Direction in Prayer
The reader objects that since Christ ascended bodily upward and sent the Spirit from above, it seems right to direct the mind upward during prayer.
But now, perhaps, you’re asking: how should it be then? For it seems to you that you have true evidence that heaven is upward; for Christ ascended there bodily upward, and sent the Holy Spirit, as He promised, coming from above in a bodily way before the eyes of all His disciples; and this is our belief. And therefore it seems to you that, since you have this true evidence, why shouldn't you direct your mind bodily upward in the time of your prayer?
The Spiritual Journey by Desire
The author replies that the highest way to heaven is run by desire, not by physical steps, and therefore no spatial straining is needed.
And to this I'll answer you as feebly as I can, and say: since it was so that Christ was to ascend bodily, and afterward send the Holy Spirit bodily, then it was more fitting that it was upward and from above than either downward and from below, behind or before, on one side or the other. But otherwise, were it not for this fittingness, He would have had no more need to go upward than downward — I mean, for the nearness of the way.1 For spiritual heaven is as near down as up, and up as down, behind as before, before as behind, on one side as on the other — so much so that whoever had a true desire to be in heaven would at that same moment be in heaven spiritually. For the high and nearest way there is run by desires, and not by paces of feet. And therefore Saint Paul says of himself and of many others: "Though our bodies are here on earth right now, still our life is in heaven."2 He meant their love and their desire, which is spiritually their life. And surely a soul is as truly in the place where it loves as it is in the body that lives by it and to which it gives life. And therefore if we want to go to heaven spiritually, there's no need to strain our spirit up or down, or to one side or the other.
Read the original Middle English
Bot now, paraventure, thou seiste that how schuld it thanne be. For thee think that thou haste verrey evidence that hevyn is upwardes; for Criste assendid thedir bodely upwardes, and sente the Holy Goost, as He Hight, comyng fro aboven bodely, seyng alle His disciples; and this is oure beleve. And therfore thee think sithen thou haste thus verrey evidence, whi schalt thou not directe thi mynde upward bodely in the tyme of thi preier?
And to this wil I answere thee so febely as I kan, and sey: sithen it so was that Criste schuld assende bodely, and therafter sende the Holy Goost bodely, then it was more semely that it was upwardes and fro aboven, than outher donwardes and fro bynethen, byhinde or before, on o side or on other. Bot elles ne were this semelines, Him nedid never the more to have wente upwardes then donwardes, I mene for nerenes of the wey. For heven goostly is as neigh doun as up, and up as down, bihinde as before, before as behynde, on o syde as other, insomoche that whoso had a trewe desire for to be at hevyn, then that same tyme he were in heven goostly. For the highe and the nexte wey theder is ronne by desires, and not by pases of feet. And herfore seith Seinte Poule of himself and many other thus: "Thof al oure bodies ben presently here in erthe, nevertheles yit oure levyng is in heven." He ment theire love and theire desire, the whiche is goostly theire liif. And sekirly as verrely is a soule there where it lovith, as in the body that leveth bi it, and to the whiche it geveth liif. And therfore yif we wil go to heven goostly, it nedith not to streyne oure spirit neither up ne doune, ne on o syde ne on other.
Notes
- 1 ↩semelines = fittingness/seemliness of the upward direction as a sign, not physical necessity; nerenes of the wey = nearness as measured by spiritual path, not spatial distance.
- 2 ↩Quoted Pauline saying corresponds to Philippians 3:20 (ME levyng / Vulgate conversatio); final Moses resolution deferred.
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