The English Mystics
“Thought cannot comprehend God. And so, I prefer to abandon all I can know, choosing rather to love him whom I cannot know. Though we cannot fully know him we can love him” The Cloud of Unknowing
Welcome to your tasters for December.
This month you will begin to get to know some of the riches of English mysticism focusing for the first two weeks on 'The Cloud of Unknowing' (the work of an anonymous 14th century English monk). In the second two weeks you will encounter the work of Julian of Norwich, "Rest in the goodness of God, knowing that goodness can reach right down to the lowest depths of our need."
So, time to begin.
Going Deeper - a month with the English Mystics:
A blind stirring of love, a stirring of God's Spirit within us, a stirring in the hidden centre of yourself and reverberating in your whole being. In a moment of enexplainable communion with God, it might be very intense. There is this taste, this sense of oneness. This month we are invited to explore the gift of the English mystics and to learn more about how we can know God deeply.
Learning with the English Mystics
Doing - Get stuck in
In this section you can download simple, clear instructions on how to get started:
Spend time with Julian of Norwich
Spend time in the 'Cloud of Unknowing'
Watching - Learning from others
We've asked people to try out some of practices to share their experiences of how they have helped them to connect with God in new ways:
Ian Bailey lives and ministers in Bristol. He has been a tutor on Christianity Explored and more recently has written all the Taster Sessions for our Rhythm of Life Resources. In this video he shares how his discovery of the writings of the English mystics have deepened his knowledge and love of God, transforming what he knew about God into a deep knowledge of God.
Further resources and links