The Cloud of Unknowing: Session 3

Turning to the Mystics with James Finley

Center for Action and Contemplation

Spirituality, Religion & Spirituality, Christianity

4.8 • 1.8K Ratings

🗓️ 11 April 2022

⏱️ 43 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

This is the third session that focuses on the mystical text, The Cloud of Unknowing. In the tenor of the ancient practice of Lectio Divina, James Finley begins with a passage from The Cloud of Unknowing, and reflects on the qualitative essence of the spirit of this text, and finishes with a meditative practice. Resources: Turning to the Mystics is a podcast by the Center for Action and Contemplation. To learn more about Jim, visit jamesfinley.org  For the transcript for this podcast can be found here. The book being used for this season can be found here. Connect with us: We also produce other podcasts you might enjoy. To learn more about them and our other offerings, visit cac.org This podcast is made possible, thanks to the generosity of our donors. If you would love to support the ongoing work of the Center for Action and Contemplation and the continued work of our podcasts, you can donate at cac.org/podcastsupport Thank you!

Transcript

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0:00.0	You're listening to a podcast by the Center for Action and Contemplation to learn more
0:05.0	visit caac.org.
0:08.0	Greetings. I'm Jim Finley. Welcome to Turning to the Mystics.
0:23.0	Greetings, everyone. And welcome to our time you're together
0:28.0	returning for guidance to the teachings of the Christian Mystic, the anonymous author
0:33.0	of the cloud of the knowing. In this session, I'm inviting you to join me
0:38.0	as we explore chapters 68 and then chapters 38 of the cloud.
0:44.0	These two chapters are especially significant in that they bear witness
0:50.0	to the grace transformations that occur within us,
0:54.0	in our fidelity to this prayer of loving God for God's sake,
1:00.0	enough for God's gifts, and of anchoring ourself in the Word as our defense
1:06.0	against being dragged off. And there are thoughts about this or thoughts
1:10.0	about that to stay steadfast in this knowledge born of love.
1:15.0	And because of the sublime nature of this mystical state,
1:21.0	this mystical communion of intimately realizing God's infinite oneness
1:27.0	with us has a very reality of ourselves, others, and all things in this love union.
1:34.0	I think it's very helpful as we listen to this, not to try to figure it out,
1:40.0	because it's not figure outable, and therefore it's more helpful
1:45.0	to understand it by listening to it, by allowing your soul to kind of sing
1:54.0	with the awareness that in some way you recognize what the author of the cloud is talking about,
2:00.0	because in various ways you've tasted it, you've experienced it,
2:05.0	and you yourself long to abide evermore completely in this oneness,
	...

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