The Cloud, The Night, The Fire and the Song: With the Mystics in the School of Prayer

by Charlie Cleverly

Overview

From climate upheaval and plagues to war and persecution, the great Christian mystics – John of the Cross, Julian of Norwich, Teresa of Avila, Francis of Assisi, and others – lived through deeply turbulent times. Yet out of these crucibles emerged profound spiritual insight and rich traditions of prayer. In The Cloud, The Night, The Fire and the Song, Charlie Cleverly draws on the vivid imagery these mystics used to navigate their spiritual landscapes – symbols that continue to speak into the confusion and weariness of our own day. With insight and warmth, he invites us to listen to their voices and draw from their wisdom. Whether it’s encountering God in mystery with the Cloud of Unknowing, learning to pray through darkness with John of the Cross, experiencing fire with Blaise Pascal or rediscovering the sacred power of melody with Richard Rolle, The Cloud, The Night, The Fire and the Song offers spiritual companionship for the journey of faith in our uncertain times.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781786225979
Publisher:	Hymns Ancient & Modern
Publication date:	06/26/2025
Pages:	160
Product dimensions:	5.38(w) x 8.50(h) x 0.00(d)

About the Author

Charlie Cleverly led a French speaking Church in Paris for ten years, before serving for nearly 20 years as Rector of St Aldates at the heart of Oxford. He is now a conference speaker, spiritual director and coach, and helps new Churches being planted in mainland Europe.

Editorial Reviews

"As the water table of spiritual hunger rises globally, Charlie Cleverly cracks open the ancient jar of Christian mysticism. Acting as a seasoned guide to the compelling, often strange, landscape of inner spiritual experience, he draws on a rich tradition of writings down the centuries. With refreshing open-heartedness, he ushers us into a world of cloud, fire, night and song, complementing iconic imagery with helpful prayer practices. He frees mystical experience from the accusation of insularity, revealing how it has often ignited individuals' sense of mission. Lyrical, poetic and creative in its allusions, this book will speak to quiet contemplatives and exuberant charismatics alike. In an age of often surface Christianity, it will fan deeper spiritual longing and lead many ‘further up and further in’".

Mark Brickman

"...Charlie Cleverly takes us on two simultaneous journeys: a journey into the heart of our humanity, and a journey into the heart of God. He invites us to encounter mystery in a culture of 'knowing', surrender in a culture of control, stillness in a culture of frenetic activity, and an acceptance of the realities of life in a culture of denial and escapism. This is a beautiful, lyrical invitation to learn from those who have gone before us, and dare to open ourselves to the expansiveness of God and of faith. A perfect book for our season."

Isabelle Hamley

"There are detectable signs in the world today of an increasing thirst for the presence of God, especially in places that seemed to have lost any sense of that presence, or, indeed, any desire for it. Into this desert, Charlie Cleverly’s remarkable new book comes like a shower of welcome rain. And the great thing is that he knows how difficult and even threatening it can seem to find our way to God, especially in the affluent cultures who no longer feel any need for God. He takes us through some of the great mystics, especially Teresa and John of the Cross, who have wrestled with the mystery; and he shows us a way home through the silent darkness, in language that we can understand. He is properly insistent on the importance of emotion in prayer; and there is a beautiful meditation on the Song of Songs. He shares also some painful autobiography, which adds to the power of this remarkable book. It is not going to be easy, but, as Charlie Cleverly shows us, it is possible to have a direct encounter with God, even in these godless days. You should read this book."

Fr Nick King SJ

"Charlie Cleverly is an illuminating writer, a seasoned pastor, and an inspiring guide for anyone looking to find a deeper more fulfilling faith. The Cloud, the Night, the Fire and the Song is an excellent introduction to the insights and experiences of some of the greatest western Christian mystics. I guarantee it will leave you hungry for more!"

Pete Greig

We are currently seeing a move of God amongst young people who are expressing a deep desire and hunger for the ‘presence’ of God. Thousands are gathering all over the globe to pray and worship for extended periods of time, desperate for something more than well produced and curated events. They are searching for an encounter with the Living God. In this brilliant book, Charlie adds substance and insight to the essential conversation of what it means to better commune with God. Through the lens of the cloud, the night, the fire and song, we are invited to consider and learn from past sages and mystics. Every chapter draws us deeper into to the wonder and mystery of the Godhead encouraging us to cultivate a rich awareness of God’s presence in all seasons and circumstances of life. This is a beautiful and timely book.

Tim Hughes

"Charlie invites us to join him on a journey into a deeper and more mystical faith with Christians throughout the centuries. Both as an aspirational and practical guide, it is my prayer that this book will awaken in the reader a desire for these ancient primary texts that offer rich nourishment for the soul. I really appreciated this book and will be encouraging people toward it. I can’t think of anything that is as concise and accessible a survey of themes in Christian mysticism."

Shawn Swinney Holy Trinity Combe Down

"With erudition and passion this book masterfully unblocks wells of living water dug by mystics of old, which have been blocked, and often forgotten, for generations. As their waters flow through the four landscapes of Cloud, Night, Fire, and Song, the reader receives both satiation for a deep spiritual thirst that is unattainable anywhere else, and paradoxically an even deeper thirst in return. That is Charlie Cleverly’s aim, and his book enables our often-over-distracted generation to tangibly experience sharp shards of heaven’s eternity, piercing the human heart with healing power. A timely, powerful, and compelling book that I strongly recommend."

Jitesh Patel

What a treasure! You have a pearl in your hands in this book. We are living in a unique season in our continent, and in this kairos time we need leaders who have met God in the midst of the mysteries and complexities of life. Charlie Cleverly gives us this gift of opening up ancient wells through Scripture and mystics who have gone before us. He is guiding us in a rich journey as a soul friend sitting alongside us. In the stillness of these words, maybe we encounter the Living God behind the The Cloud, The Night, The Fire and The Song!

Sarah Breuel

"Charlie Cleverly hasn’t so much written a book as offered are an indispensable travelling companion - one who meets us with love and wisdom, right where we, and invites us to step further up and further in to the ‘mystical’ experience of God and life which our soul longs and thirsts for. This is honest and real, as well as inviting and challenging, and I have learned so much along the way. His four-part journey organises so lucidly and beautifully a treasury of Christian mystical wisdom. introducing a host of inspirational figures who will start to feel like friends and mentors on the journey: the desert mothers and fathers, medieval saints, revivalists, artists, poets, musicians, protestors … And throughout this thoroughly earthed yet heavenly exploration of everyday mysticism - Christ-centred and scriptural - there’s the constant pull and draw of Love’s song, toward the promise of deeper union and communion with God; toward a different way of seeing and being in the world, for such a time as this. Honest in its sorrow, ecstatic in its joy, I’ve no doubt it will help you, as it did me, to walk closer and closer to Home."

Brian Draper

"In this gift of a book, Charlie Cleverly invites us on a spiritual journey through the rich metaphors of Cloud, Night, Fire, and Song, guiding us into the lives and writings of Christian mystics across the centuries. With an accessible, immediate, and grounded style, he allows their voices to speak into our modern experiences of fragmentation, anxiety, loss, and noise. Through a series of encounters and spiritual exercises, we are encouraged to become charis-mystics: drawn into the practice of contemplation and the surrender to divine love. This is both a beautiful reminder for seasoned mystics and a welcoming doorway for all who long to encounter more of the living God."

Catherine Williams

"Through the excavation of his own depths, Charlie Cleverly discovers that bright abyss of love that grounds us all. His engagement with the saints and sages of Christianity opens wide swathes of insight. This book is unflinchingly honest and its vision marvelously clear."

Martin Laird

"In an age of increasingly jagged certainties it is all too easy to bypass mystery in search of the siren call of control. In this book, Charlie Cleverly relights the lamp of contemplation and invites us down routes charted by the Christian mystics into deep waters of loving grace. Here the unhurried Christ is encountered without filter or pretence. Here is a beacon for our day. This is really useful stuff."

Mark Tanner

"This book is a much-needed voice in a post-pandemic world faced with spiritual exhaustion, experiential oversaturation, culture wars and mental health crises. It revives forgotten spiritual practices and invites to “radical stillness” in front of a crazed literal and virtual “noise” as an act of hopeful defiance to the forces of inner fragmentation. The language of the book is poetic and evocative. This is author’s gift to the readers. His own literary and spiritual gifts and skills are intertwined with the language of some of the luminaires of mystical spiritual literature through history of Christianity. Cleverly’s firm conviction is that this mystical and spiritual experiences are accessible to all who are willing to pursue them. The journey is countercultural, it includes silence, contemplation and interior renewal. Cleverly’s tone is personal and pastoral, with an openness of heart and vulnerability as he shares his own highs and lows spiritual experiences including exhaustion, loss, faintness of heart and rediscovery of mystical hope. This is an emphatic, persuasive, challenging, warm, pastoral book with academic credibility, imaginative language, mystical appeal, spiritual depth and ecumenically rich. Many on this journey or those who consider embarking on it will find this book a faithful companion as it will guide them into deeper prayer and contemplation, spiritual formation and help them drink from the wells which waters are healing for the inner life. Over all, the reading exercise of the book is a delightful experience of its own right!"

Dr Kosta Milkov

"I very much appreciated being able to read this book. ‘Unblock the ancient wells’ is the invitation offered by this modern-day journey into deep, but nowadays often overlooked, understandings about the art of prayer. Its pages unpack the writings of past ages, relating their wisdom to modern challenges and offering practical advice about how to access their riches. In a 24/7 existence of digital and stimulatory overload, this work asks readers to enter into a world of contemplation and stillness, silence and peace."

Michael Beasley Murray