The "Unknowing" In Life: Dealing With Life's Uncertainty
“Let that meek (quiet) darkness be your whole mind and like a mirror to you. For I want your thought of self to be as naked and simple as your thought of God, so that you may be with God in spirit without fragmentation and scattering of your mind.”
THE BOOK OF PRIVY COUNCIL , Author Unknown (same as THE CLOUD OF UNKNOWING)
“Do not imagine that when I call it a darkness or a cloud that it is a cloud amassed with vapours that float in the air, or a darkness such as you have in your house at night, when your candle is out, for such a darkness. With little imagination you could picture the summer skies breaking through the clouds or a clear light brightening the dark winter. This is false, it isn’t what I mean for when I say “darkness” I mean a lack of knowing, just as whatever you do know or have forgotten is dark to you, because you do not see it in your spiritual eyes. For this reason, that which is between you and your God is termed, not a cloud of the air, but a cloud of unknowing.”
THE CLOUD OF UNKNOWING, Author Unknown
Cloud of Unknowing is an ancient text and may be, some say, the origin of contemplative practice and dialogue within the Christian faith–we know meditation, contemplation, and philosophy around it is an ancient practice worldwide.
The Sufis did it, the Kabbalists did it, the Buddhists did it, the Mystics were everywhere, all over the globe and in every faith practice doing it. But what is it? Ah, the hard part. Deep inner silence, spiritual and corporeal centeredness, listening and hearing, and as always dealing with the “unknowing” of it all.
Whether we are deep in addiction, eating disorders, PTSD, or any disordered plane of existence we are plagued by the known demons and enemies in our minds, hearts, and souls. Part of addiction rhetoric says, “Let go and let God.” Mantras become mantras because they are so simple, succinct, and right on. This is no exception. Whether you believe in God, a universal force, or just human morality there is a part of us all that want to hold on to what we KNOW in life, about life, about ourselves. Knowing is comforting, even when, and it often is, it’s misleading.
When we KNOW we have no room to GROW. Unknowing however, as uncomfortable as it may be, leaves us ripe and ready for growth, change, and expansion beyond anything the known could ever provide. I say this with all humility as I struggling with my own battle of unknowing in my life right now. How I hate it! And how I love it! Maddening tis’nt’ it!
Can you spend a minute, an hour, a day intentionally “unknowing”? Undoing all the dogmas, preconceptions, all the stuck-ness, ruts, predispositions….and just LET GO! Give it a shot–it is scary like falling but also freeing like flying.
I am paragliding my way through the present, coasting across the sky to an unknown landing zone. We will see where it leads. Follow you own wind, paraglide into your own unknowns….and I hope everyone has a lovely weekend!
Where then, you say shall I be?
Nowhere by this tale!
Exactly you say this well,
for there would I have you.
For nowhere physically is everywhere spiritually.
THE CLOUD OF UNKNOWING, Author Unknown
15 Responses to “The "Unknowing" In Life: Dealing With Life's Uncertainty”
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Beautiful blog. Thanks for letting my know about this work. I want to read the Christian mystics someday, and I’ll put this book on my list.
Did you know that some religion scholars theorize that many of our modern religions, just like our modern languages, stem from the same ancient roots?
Language scholars have come a long way in defining the seminal language. They call it “Indo-European”, for lack of a better term. The closest know language to Indo-European is Sanskrit.
Likewise some religious scholars are suggesting there was and “Indo-European” religion that was the root thousands of years ago for Judeo/Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, etc. It’s geographic roots, like the Indo-European language, are thought to be in Northern India thousands of years ago.
This could help explain why there are certain commonalities even though the languages and the religions have become quite distinct.
Thank again for writing this excellent blog.
Bob Weisenberg
http://YogaDemystified.com
Beautiful blog. Thanks for letting my know about this work. I want to read the Christian mystics someday, and I’ll put this book on my list.
Did you know that some religion scholars theorize that many of our modern religions, just like our modern languages, stem from the same ancient roots?
Language scholars have come a long way in defining the seminal language. They call it “Indo-European”, for lack of a better term. The closest know language to Indo-European is Sanskrit.
Likewise some religious scholars are suggesting there was and “Indo-European” religion that was the root thousands of years ago for Judeo/Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, etc. It’s geographic roots, like the Indo-European language, are thought to be in Northern India thousands of years ago.
This could help explain why there are certain commonalities even though the languages and the religions have become quite distinct.
Thank again for writing this excellent blog.
Bob Weisenberg
http://YogaDemystified.com
This is a beautiful, thoughtful post. It is so important to sometimes just be in the world. To let go of all we think we know, and accept not to have the answers. Lovely and succinct way of putting it. Thanks.
This is a beautiful, thoughtful post. It is so important to sometimes just be in the world. To let go of all we think we know, and accept not to have the answers. Lovely and succinct way of putting it. Thanks.
@Bob – I am currently reading Karen Armstrong’s “The Great Transformation”, and she makes quite a different argument, looking at and comparing the historical evolution of Hinduism and Buddhism, Judaism and Christianity and Islam (in historical order), Greek philosophical rationalism, and Chinese Confucianism, and placing each within their regional historical contexts. She believes that they evolved quite separately but contain some interesting elements of similarity that she finds may be rooted in radical and global social changes that were happening at the time… Not to say they never interacted but she certainly makes a case for their individual evolution. It’s a fascinating book and I highly recommend it… I’d lend it to you but I can only digest about 10 pages at a time so I reckon it’ll be about 6 months before I finish.
@Bob – I am currently reading Karen Armstrong’s “The Great Transformation”, and she makes quite a different argument, looking at and comparing the historical evolution of Hinduism and Buddhism, Judaism and Christianity and Islam (in historical order), Greek philosophical rationalism, and Chinese Confucianism, and placing each within their regional historical contexts. She believes that they evolved quite separately but contain some interesting elements of similarity that she finds may be rooted in radical and global social changes that were happening at the time… Not to say they never interacted but she certainly makes a case for their individual evolution. It’s a fascinating book and I highly recommend it… I’d lend it to you but I can only digest about 10 pages at a time so I reckon it’ll be about 6 months before I finish.
Yoga Gypsy,
Thank you for reading and for adding your input on the discussion of spiritualities of the world…these are always interesting ponderings! And thank you for your lovely words about my post!
Teresa
Yoga Gypsy,
Thank you for reading and for adding your input on the discussion of spiritualities of the world…these are always interesting ponderings! And thank you for your lovely words about my post!
Teresa
Bob,
Thanks so much for reading. I love Christian mysticism, all mysticism really, and there are some greats! Interesting theorizing on religions/spirituality and universality…I love to consider all things and linkages throughout the ages–there are many similarities across nations and across time. Thank you for your wonderful and kind comments. I have quite a few mystics at the ready–one of my favorites (not just because I was named after her) St. Teresa of Avila, also St. John of the Cross, Julian of Norwich, and the modern day mystic wonderful Father Thomas Keating & a favorite of mine–both mystic and action oriented Father Richard Rohr. Great philosophers and contemplatives. Also long time fan of Rumi–of the Sufi persuasion.
Teresa
Bob,
Thanks so much for reading. I love Christian mysticism, all mysticism really, and there are some greats! Interesting theorizing on religions/spirituality and universality…I love to consider all things and linkages throughout the ages–there are many similarities across nations and across time. Thank you for your wonderful and kind comments. I have quite a few mystics at the ready–one of my favorites (not just because I was named after her) St. Teresa of Avila, also St. John of the Cross, Julian of Norwich, and the modern day mystic wonderful Father Thomas Keating & a favorite of mine–both mystic and action oriented Father Richard Rohr. Great philosophers and contemplatives. Also long time fan of Rumi–of the Sufi persuasion.
Teresa
Not necessarily inconsistent. The Indo-European religion theory is just an hypothesis about pre-history, as with Indo-European language. So it would precede anything Armstrong could be referring to. Will alway remain a theory because it is pre-history.
Not necessarily inconsistent. The Indo-European religion theory is just an hypothesis about pre-history, as with Indo-European language. So it would precede anything Armstrong could be referring to. Will alway remain a theory because it is pre-history.
Thanks for the recommendations, Teresa. I’m not quite ready to dive in yet, because I’m going through one of my “stop-reading-for-awhile-altogether” phases to make sure I’m not living life too intellectually. But I’ll get to those eventually.
Thanks for the recommendations, Teresa. I’m not quite ready to dive in yet, because I’m going through one of my “stop-reading-for-awhile-altogether” phases to make sure I’m not living life too intellectually. But I’ll get to those eventually.