The Cloud of Unknowing over the Monastery « The Website of Unknowing

The Cloud of Unknowing over the Monastery

When I was leaving the grounds of the Monastery of the Holy Spirit this past Thursday evening, I was thrilled by this celestial phenomena. Is this an image of the Cloud of Unknowing, or what? So I stopped my car and used my trusty cell phone to take this snapshot.

This entry was posted on Sunday, August 17th, 2008 at 7:08 pm and is filed under Christian mysticism. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

5 Responses to “The Cloud of Unknowing over the Monastery”

zoecarnate Says:
August 18, 2008 at 2:32 pm
What an awesome pic. That should be turned into a poster for the gift shop…
Carl McColman Says:
August 18, 2008 at 2:41 pm
Unfortunately, it’s a typical cell phone snapshot, which means it works great as a web graphic but wouldn’t survive the transition to print. So I’m afraid people will have to come visit my blog to enjoy it!
knittabhavana Says:
August 19, 2008 at 4:15 am
How pleasing that the Cloud of Unknowing is silvered, faceted, finite and standing in a clear blue sky, rather than the unending, dirty, grey sludge of weather currently pressing down on London… and there was me thinking it was a metaphor! Thank you, Carl – it’s beautiful.
Greg Says:
August 19, 2008 at 3:07 pm
Nice picture Carl. I just completed a retreat at the Monastery this past weekend and took lots of pictures of the light inside the Abbey Church and around the grounds. I wish we had such beautiful skies on Saturday as you had last week. I will definitely be back again.
Darrell Grizzle Says:
August 21, 2008 at 11:12 am
Wow, that really is a great picture! I just got a new phone that has a camera in it – I’ve never had a cell phone camera before, and now I’ve gone “all out” with a Samsung Blackjack II. (Although to a Mac user I guess “all out” would be an iPhone…)

Upcoming Class

Introduction to World Mysticism through Emory University's "Evening at Emory" Program.

Madonna is studying the Kabbalah. The Shack is a runaway bestseller. Centuries after he died, everyone's reading Rumi. Yoga, Buddhism and other eastern practices are more popular among Americans than ever. So what gives? At the heart of all these cultural trends is mysticism, a vague word that can be translated as "the spiritual principle at the heart of religion." Many people believe mysticism is the golden thread that unites all the world's religions. Others scoff at the idea. Come decide for yourself in this class as we explore major themes and writings from the world's great mystical traditions. Using Andrew Harvey's The Essential Mystics as our textbook, we'll examine the world's great wisdom traditions — Taoism, Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism, Christianity, Islam, as well as pagan and philosophical forms of mysticism — acknowledging both the common ground and the distinctive qualities of each mystical path. Class is taught from an academic/nonsectarian perspective.
Textbook: The Essential Mystics : Selections from the World's Great Wisdom Traditions.
Instructor: Carl McColman
July 22-August 12, 2009
7:00-9:00 pm
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Upcoming Events

Carl McColman will be co-leading the following retreat at the guesthouse of the Monastery of the Holy Spirit in Conyers, GA. For more information or to register, click here.

July 17-19, 2009:
Wisdom of the Christian Mystics
(with Fr. Tom Francis, OCSO)
From the Desert Fathers to Julian of Norwich to Thomas Merton, Christian history is filled with stories of men and women who experienced a profound sense of God's presence in their lives. Can the teachings of the mystics still speak to us today? The mystics themselves would say “yes” – and furthermore, that their message is not just for priests or monks or nuns, but is indeed meant for the entire people of God. With this in mind, during this weekend we will look at several ways in which the wisdom of the Christian mystics can provide insight and inspiration for our age. This will include the universal call to holiness – St. Paul 's directive to “pray without ceasing,” and the promise from the Psalms to “be still and know God.”

Looking Ahead:
October 30-31, 2010
Portland, Oregon: Several Events; Times and Locations to be Announced

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What others say…

"www.anamchara.com is a beautiful site that lists books and web sites introducing all aspects of Christian mysticism."

— Abbot Christopher Jamison, host of "The Monastery" on the BBC

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— John Skinner, author of Hear Our Silence and translator of Julian of Norwich's Revelation of Love

"Thanks, Carl, for your fine and much needed work."

— Richard Rohr, author of Everything Belongs: The Gift of Contemplative Prayer

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"As a former professor of education, I tend to critique instructors rather severely. However, Carl McColman, in my opinion, ranks as one of the all-time great instructors. He has an unbelievable mastery of his subject matter & an uncanny ability to translate esoteric matter into understandable form. On top of that, he's very personable. This is my second Evening at Emory Class with Carl and I will sign up for any class that he teaches!"

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The Website of Unknowing