At some time in the late 5th to early 6th c. a Christian mystic, philosopher and theologian wrote works which would subsequently help to kindle the light of many devoted souls, among them Marguerite Porete, Meister Eckhart, Julian of Norwich, the anonymous author of ‘The Cloud of Unknowing’, Teresa of Avila and John of the Cross. The writer, wishing to remain anonymous, borrowed the name of Dionysius the Areopagite, the Athenian convert of Paul the Apostle, but for the sake of clarity is now called Pseudo-Dionysius.

Lead us up beyond light,
beyond knowing and unknowing,
to the topmost summit of truth,

where the mysteries lie hidden,
unchanging and absolute,
in the dazzling darkness
of the secret silence.
All light is outshined
by the intensity of their shade.

The senses are flooded, the mind made blind
by such unseen beauty
beyond all beauty.

Version by Ivan M. Granger