Curious quotes from The Cloud of Unknowing

"...the behavior of those misled into false contemplation appears strange...Sometimes their eyes are set deeply inside their heads, making them look like sheep with a brain disease...sometimes they tilt their heads to one side, as though they were trying to get a worm out of their ear. Some squeak instead of speaking normally, emulating shortness of breath...I expect they will go on loving God in this odd way until they go out of their minds, unless God mercifully instructs them to stop."

".some misled people do strange things with their bodies. When they listen, they waggled their heads. Their mouths gape open as though their ears were inside.Others...make rowing motions with their arms as though they were swimming instead of talking...they remind me of off-balance amateur jugglers."

"Those who are experienced in the practice of divine contemplation become both better looking and better companions. "

"[Do not behave]...in the manner of heretics who behave like crazy people! throwing their cups against the wall and breaking them as soon as they have had a drink."

"[God's] revelation to St. Stephen [in The Book of the Acts of the Apostles] does not instruct us to look up toward heaven physically when we do our spiritual work, in order to see [Christ] standing! sitting! or lying down there. We do not understand the nature of Christ's resurrected body and should not imagine him taking various positions."

"Do not try to move upward as though you want to climb over the moon. This is not the way to pray."

"...You ask, 'Then where am I to be? Nowhere?' Yes! You've got it! Nowhere bodily is everywhere spiritually. Make your spiritual exercise nowhere...Only our outward nature calls it 'nothing.' Our inner nature calls it 'All.'

From THE CLOUD OF UNKNOWING, anonymous 14th century English author
Contemporary English version by Bernard Bangley, Paraclete Press

"Like this writer, i do" says Abba

Jonathan.