Metanoia means change of mind that passes beyond, meta, mind, noia, beyond, that is, both conventional mindfulness and mindless dissipation. Metanoia turns the mind inside out and outside in, reversing self-centred mind-sets so that God-centred wisdom is revealed. Metanoia unites heavenly glory with earthly awareness, that is the function of wisdom, which, like glory, is uncreated. Metanoia appears to begin as something created within the uncreated, but manifestly ends as the deification of the created in the uncreated. The flame of the Name is uncreated, purifying the pearl of perception into the golden light of wisdom, revealing heavenly glory on the hallowed earth. Metanoia turns leaking dissipation into single-eyed wisdom, reversing the inversions of the fall from grace. In an age of narcissistic nihilism, few turn round to behold God and metanoia is a rare and precious pearl guarded by the dragon of consumerism and materialism. In an age of relativism, truth is indistinguishable from lies, all of which claim to be someone’s truth.
Relativism spawns a netherworld of confusion permeating heaven and earth, separating union from division. Orthodox tradition calls this the fall from grace, which is undone by quietening noia so that metanoia thrives in stillness. The eye of spirit awakens the heart, seeing uncreated light beyond every mind-set, revealing glory. Wisdom knows that in the end everything is crystallised glory, so begins at the end to go back to the beginning, restoring glory to God. This is the trajectory of metanoia, turning everything round so everything is completely transformed. Metanoia far transcends individual conversion, which is the obsession of Protestantism, and sacramental repentance favoured by Catholicism, because true stillness is wisdom beholding glory in the Holy of Holies. Hesychasm has long been under siege in east and west, but still regards metanoia as the axis of wisdom in the heart. Shallow conversion and formal repentance deepen when wisdom awakens to glory in the revelatory Name.
Metanoia stops and steps back, awakening wonder with wisdom, ceasing to take everything for granted, awakening through wonder to grace. The centre is everywhere, but cannot be grasped, so metanoia stops to see by continuously turning the light of awareness round wherever it turns. The wonder of wisdom sustains metanoia through purification, opening illumination to glorification, turning three apparent stages into one ineffable state, union into communion with timeless glory. The practice of metanoia sustains wisdom through glorification, transfiguring noia through metanoia. Afflicted thoughts, noia, are cured with metanoia, which is the medicine of wisdom. Congealed vitality reveals uncreated light of glory, restoring light to glory and glory to God. The Holy Spirit is God’s breath sanctifying the heart with wisdom, deifying the mind in the heart with glory. Metanoia releases passions into compassion by purifying created energies in the uncreated energy of light, deifying created energy in the uncreated energy of glory.