Ladder of Monks and Twelve Meditations (Volume 48)

by Guigo II, Edmund Collegde (Translator), James Walsh (Translator)

'My thoughts on the spiritual exercises proper to cloistered monks'; the ninth prior of La Grande Chartreuse ( '1180) articulates the monastic contemplative tradition in distinctively western terms. '...reading, meditation, prayer and contemplation. These make a ladder for monks by which they are lifted up from earth to heaven. It has few rungs, yet its length is immense and wonderful, for its lower end rests upon the earth, but its top pierces the clouds and seeks heavenly secrets.'

Genres: Spirituality, Theology, Catholic, Nonfiction, Prayer

138 pages, Paperback

First published January 31, 1981

Reviews

[Jesse Kessler · Rating 4 out of 5]

Guigo II creates the four rung formulation of Lectio Divina, then briefly, clearly, and poetically sums up almost a thousand years of monastic writing and tradition on prayer.

"Reading, as it were, puts food whole in the mouth, meditation chews it and breaks it up, prayer extracts its flavour, contemplation is the sweetness itself which gladdens and refreshes."

"For we may gather that reading without meditation is sterile, meditation without reading is liable to error, prayer without meditation is lukewarm, meditation without prayer is unfruitful..."

to really appreciate the brilliance at work here, I think one needs first read through the much longer John Cassian's Conferences.

[Neil Saltmarsh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Original for it's time. I much preferred the first book than the Twelve Meditations which demonstrate the method. Many times we read for information, others to engage in different worlds and ideas but this type of reading, Lectio Divina, allows us to inhabit and explore the text creatively. Highly recommend this book for anyone and this type of reading can be used not just for scriptural or religious reading but for poetry and in life itself. We are not reading in the usual sense but the Word is reading us.

[Al · Rating 4 out of 5]

Roughly half the book is an introduction to both works, as well as a very comprehensive manuscript tradition, which I found fascinating, because of the difficulty in attributing both works to Guigo. At one point, both were attributed to Bernard and William of St Thierry, even though topically and stylistically there is absolutely no comparison. In content, both were very good; the Ladder is reading, meditation, prayer and contemplation. Guigo is explaining in his letter an aspect of Lectio Divina. The twelve meditations round out the book, and are what I think of when I try to envision Carthusian spirituality.

[April · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you're interested in authentic "Lectio Divina" this is the key. Centering prayer is not part of lectio divina. See my review of the book Lectio Divina and the Practice of Teresian Prayer for more information: Lectio Divina and the Practice of Teresian Prayer

[Andrew · Rating 4 out of 5]

Important classic text of Christian mystical literature. The 4 rungs of the ladder reminds me of St. Teresa's 7 mansions, though this text is a bit more traditional, old-fashioned, rigid.

[Christian · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful treatise on lectio divina with examples of meditation. The introduction included is also a great overview of his life.

[Peter Davids · Rating 5 out of 5]

Guigo has written a simple book - he says so himself - that is at the same time profound. It needs to be read with the Twelve Meditations, so it is good that they are bound together. For him the ladder has four steps, reading, meditation on what was read, prayer stemming from meditation, and then contemplation, a gift from God in response to the longing of prayer. The first short book describes the four and then gives the advantages of each, as well as hindrances. But what does he mean by meditation and prayer? The twelve meditations are twelve illustrations, where, starting with one text, other texts are woven in in an extended meditation-prayer (the boundaries are fluid). One is caught up in his spirituality. It is clear that one must be saturated with scripture to do as Guigo does. One can do it on a basic level easily, but to do it on an in depth level one must have read the scripture multiple times so that it sinks into one's mind and can be recalled or searched out in meditation. This is a classic book, a good book, a book to remind those who know scripture how to use it and a book to instruct the beginner on how to start making scripture spiritual reading rather than just informative reading.

[Patti Clement · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another spiritual classic that everyone should read in their lifetime!