The Holy Spirit awakens the heart in Christ to the Name of names in the midst, in whom the Father is unveiled in uncreated wisdom, embracing uncreated glory. The practice of wisdom is union with glory in the Name, which is no ordinary name, because it names God, ‘I AM,’ not someone among others, but God’s ever-present awareness that we discover… Read more »
The eye of light sees uncreated light here where the Spirit beholds the uncreated glory of Christ, discerning the beauty of living holiness where the sight of the body saw only the coming death of the body. The Name saves us from this body of death by restoring us in Christ to his body of light and glory. When wisdom turns… Read more »
The wisdom of the Cross and the wisdom of the Name are one manifold wisdom, crucifying confusion and division and resurrecting union and communion. The sign of the Cross is the sign of the Name because they signify the same mystery, the same fulness, pleroma, the same union, henosis. The Name crucifies confusion to resurrect union, dissolving division to raise… Read more »
Saint Sophrony the Hesychast unveiled the holiness of glory with humour that made the flame of the Name bearable, concealing uncreated fire beneath dancing laughter that conventional correctness could not repress. He unveiled uncreated holiness veiled for a secular age to handle, a grace that hid regenerative glory beneath an aged human exterior, overcoming contemporary ambivalence without compromise. His precision of… Read more »
Patristic Hesychasts from earliest times bore witness to the vision of wisdom in uncreated light, which is wisdom’s revelation of the glory of the Name. Wisdom was often spoken of in connection with uncreated light, radiant as if ‘clothed with the sun,’ and the beauty of her holiness was said to pass all description. The kiss of her embrace pierced hearts… Read more »
The Way of the Name transcends ordinary thought and imagination, communicating the wisdom of uncreated awareness and the glory of uncreated presence to all who turn and see. Turning, metanoia, awakens seeing, theoria, that together awaken the uncreated awareness of wisdom to the uncreated presence of glory by turning the light of awareness round so that it beholds the presence of… Read more »
Christ reveals his glory in us by sending the Spirit to unveil his wisdom to us, deifying creation in us for the good of all, completing the circle of completeness. Deification is the grace of Christ’s resurrection and ascension conjoined with the grace of Christ’s glorification, which descends with the Spirit like a dove. Ascent transcends all resistance to God whilst… Read more »
The Song of the Name is not unreasonable in its humble awareness of God present and aware of God’s ever-present awareness, humbly aware of the presence and awareness of God. But it is in unknowing that awareness knows as it is known. When rationalistic thinking usurps the heart, what is lost is awareness of the body as uncreated light. This… Read more »
Philokalia is love of the beauty of goodness and the goodness of beauty, but in our times nihilism divorces drab goodness from beauty and seductive beauty from goodness, having lost all sense of the beauty of truth or holiness. Separation of goodness from beauty spawns ugliness, whilst division of beauty from goodness spews vacuous glitter. But beauty tempts only when beauty is… Read more »
The Great Blessing of the Waters on Theophany Eve renews our baptism in the waters of the Holy Spirit through Christ’s Baptism of the wisdom of uncreated fire, the wisdom of uncreated light and the wisdom of uncreated glory. The fire of wisdom purifies the heart, the flame of uncreated light illumines the mind in the heart and the tongues… Read more »