The mystery of glory is revealed by wisdom but hidden from ambitious scrutiny which seeks to puff up pride. When wisdom is awakened, pride is humbled, because vainglory subjects glory to vanity instead of restoring glory to God. Hell is what happens to heaven when pride rides roughshod over wisdom, preferring arbitrary opinion to wise discernment. That is why self-condemnation to… Read more »
Orthodox Hesychasm centres in the heart with vigilant awareness, revealing flawless purity of heart in uncreated light, image and likeness of the radiant beauty of translucent glory. The uncreated clarity of compassionate wisdom severs the passions from their addictive clinging, transplanting them in God as passionate love of God, practicing wisdom with the directness of pure awareness. Quintessentially, the heart… Read more »
Holy doubt dismantles the worldly certainties which usurp God, parodies which parade themselves in worldly minds like false gods, claiming allegiance in opposition to the wholesome reign of God. Holy doubt works together with faith in God, supporting trust, in contrast to worldly doubt, which undermines trust in God. The ‘Book of Revelation’ contains the heart of Biblical insight into discernment between these… Read more »
Faith trusts in God, seeing as God sees, knowing as God knows, recollecting God through God, recognising God in God, remembering God as God remembers God in Holy Trinity. Sometimes, faith is called ‘blind faith’ because faith does not see as we see, visually perceiving something, or know as we know, empirically experiencing something knowable, but this way of speaking does… Read more »
The Annunciation reveals the theophany of the incarnation of Christ, announced by the Archangel Gabriel to Mary the Virgin, ‘Hail, thou that art full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.’ Mary was perplexed and asks, ‘How shall this be, seeing I know not a man?’ Consenting, she says,… Read more »
Unknowing openness humbly releases the self-centred desire to know, to be in control, to be self-centred rather than God-centred. Openness is childlike trust, faith in God which transcends proud beliefs, transcends self-righteous egoism, humbles right-thinking which usurps faith. Unknowing knows God beyond self-righteous knowledge, trusting God as God trusts God, as the Spirit trusts God in Holy Trinity, with trusting openness…. Read more »
The remembrance of God cannot stabilise until recognition of God awakens the heart, uniting awareness and energy in the Holy Spirit. The Spirit breathes life into the heart with uncreated energy, purifying the heart with uncreated light. Stillness lives from purity of heart, giving new life to Hesychast tradition, renewing it with the wisdom and glory of the Name, restoring remembrance with recognition…. Read more »
The Gospel of Jesus Christ begins with metanoia, turning, to reveal theoria, vision of God’s Kingdom, opening the eye of the heart to wisdom, consummating love of God in glorification. Wisdom conjoins heaven and earth in the glory of the Name, discerning the uncreated light of the Gospel, treasuring the pearl of great price in the womb of the heart. Embryonic union… Read more »
Hallowing the Name cannot be separated from the reign of the Name, because God is the subject and object of both, his uncreated awareness discerning uncreated presence in the Name. Purity of heart blesses those who turn and see God with the eye of wisdom, discerning uncreated glory with the single eye of uncreated light. The practice of the presence of God is… Read more »
The axis of pure turning is the heart in which everything turns round at centre, everything is decisively immersed in uncreated light, revealing deifying glory. When the heart turns, heaven turns, earth into heaven, heaven into earth, revealing glory at centre through wisdom. Active and receptive energies conjoin in the heart, dissolving delusion, undoing division. Dispersing doubt, clarifying confusion, fear’s reign of… Read more »