The Cloud of Unknowing

In fourteenth-century England an anonymous monk wrote an extraordinary text illuminating the life of contemplative devotion and the drama of the soul’s union with God. Precariously heretical in its day, it became a classic of Christian mystical thought.

Dr. Ira Progoff’s brilliant new translation and commentary illustrate The Cloud of Unknowing’s ongoing relevance. Dr. Progoff reveals a bridge spanning the perilous abyss between modern psychology’s self-conscious analytic thought and the pressing spiritual needs of modern man.

Praise for Ira Progoff’s The Cloud of Unknowing

“One of the classic guides to spiritual experience revealing the dynamics of the inner life.”—The Washington Post

“[Dr. Progoff’s] translation makes a psychological genius come alive.”—Harry A. Overstreet

“Astonishingly modern and timely . . . This fourteenth-century mystic speaks to us with a message that is as vital today as it was then.”—New York Post

“Translated from archaic to modern English with lucidity and fine comprehension . . . a delightful surprise.”—The Dayton Journal Herald

Ira Progoff (1921–1998) worked toward a dynamic humanistic psychology as a private therapist, lecturer, and group leader. He served as Bollingen Fellow and as director of the Institute for Research in Depth Psychology at Drew University and found new techniques to enlarge spiritual awareness and resolve social problems.