Wisdom’s glory lies in wisdom’s vision of the glory of grace which beholds God’s energy of glory in everything, and sees the translucence of everything in glory. The language of the New Testament and holy fathers of the Church can be a problem in a very secular age, so elders begin with awareness, with the awareness of awareness, with awareness of the presence of awareness, veiled in the hidden heart of God’s self-revelatory Name. Every atheist thinks he knows what awareness is, what the presence of awareness is, but as awareness of awareness begins to open to mysteries that transcend whatever awareness is aware of, atheism is turned inside out and outside in.. Elders begin with awareness because it is one with a oneness that never encounters plurality even when multiplicity characterises everything awareness is conscious of. By turning the light of awareness round, atheists become aware of the ineffable oneness of awareness, discovering in the presence of awareness the oneness of awareness that stands under all that there is. By centering in this mystery of oneness in the midst, atheists begin to awaken to the mystery of the oneness of being that is one with the oneness of awareness, opening to dimensions of mystery which call for a language to express them. At this point, elders gently introduce the ancient language of wisdom, explaining that it ennables awareness of awareness to be expressed and the presence of the presence of awareness to be communicated and transmitted.
Wisdom’s glory includes wisdom’s way of expressing the mysteries of glory enshrined in the awareness of awareness and the presence of the presence of awareness, always accessible in principle to everyone without exception. Elders transmit these hidden mysteries of God’s Name, ‘I AM,’ in this way, by pointing to awareness of awareness and the presence of presence at centre, unveiling God-centred awareness of the oneness of awareness and presence in the midst, without initially needing to employ the word God. They do so because atheists are allergic to pre-modern talk of God, which is regarded as irredeemable superstition, but may be dimly aware that awareness of awareness is a mystery of ineffable oneness. Many saints were atheists of some sort before they awoke to the mystery of oneness. Many saints remain a-theists in the sense that they do not cling to conventional reifications of God. Christians in ancient times were called atheists because they did not believe in the imperial gods of pagan Rome. Some Buddhists call themselves atheists in order to win over secular, atheistic culture. Elders are not fixated on theological words and concepts but begin with what is given, with awareness and the awareness of the presence of awareness in the midst. But to the mature, they begin gently to use the language of wisdom that unveils the ineffable glory of grace revealed by the Name. This opens atheism to the mysteries of wisdom and glory by way of the awareness of awareness and the presence of presence.
The language of wisdom is not, however, a mere matter of words, but an unveiling of levels of mystery that transcends secular paradigms. The awareness of awareness in fact dazzles consciousness as it unveils the uncreated light of awareness, as it illumines awareness as wisdom, as it unveils awareness as uncreated glory. Elders communicate the mystery of turning as a mystery of seeing, as a mystery of illumination that opens to a mystery of glorification. Saints turn the light of awareness round to behold wisdom’s vision of God, to behold wisdom’s vision of glory in the midst. They begin to speak of God because when they turn to see, they discover there is absolutely nothing created at centre. They speak of the vision of God because they know from direct experience that seeing beholds God at centre, direct evidence that God-centred awareness of God unveils God. They speak of God on directly transcendent yet also empirical grounds, transcending materialistic prejudice that irrationally confines the empirical to the material. The tradition speaks of our being created in the image and likeness of God, which means that we are created God-centred, in God’s image, not self-centred, in divisive defiance of God. Elders open awareness of the mysteries of God-centred abiding with the help of wisdom’s vision of glory in the midst.
The step back from naive awareness to recollected awareness unveils recognition that awakens to wisdom’s awareness of glory, the glory of the grace of deifying awareness. It is this ‘turn’ that steps back from awareness into the awareness of awareness and awakens to the uncreated ground of awareness. The tradition calls this uncreated ground the Father; whilst awareness of that paternal ground is called the uncreated Son and uncreated insight into the Son’s filial awareness is called the Holy Spirit. Holy Trinity reveals God in Holy Trinity as glory is revealed by wisdom, opening to ancient wisdom mysteries. These mysteries pass way beyond elementary openings that support atheism’s initiation into the mysteries of the eye of the heart. Wisdom and glory, like grace, are deifying energies of God that cure the sclerosis of hardened hearts. They are not old, outdated concepts but luminous uncreated energies that communicate the uncreated light of the saving Name and the uncreated glory of God’s deifying reign. Elders have always known the power and glory of the hallowed Name, but generously veil what they know to impart mysteries of glory that transcend elementary, dualistic knowledge. Wisdom’s glory remains concealed until worldly pride is stilled, but loves to share the glory of grace with hearts that humbly turn and see. Glory loves wisdom because without her insight, glory would remain hidden and saints would never mature into the fulness of the stature of Christ in glory. Wisdom’s glory abides in the oneness of awareness, which is the oneness of Christ, unveiled as wisdom by the Spirit. Wisdom’s glory is dazzling bright, source of uncreated light that illumines elders and glorifies saints, far out-shining dualistic awareness, whilst never wavering from humble awareness. Wisdom’s glory is humbly aware of the presence of boundless awareness, uncreated yet mysteriously creative in the midst.