Tag: inner-stillness

SURPRISED BY JOY: The Doctrine of Joy in the Works of Nikitas Stithatos

Philokalia, vol. 4, On the Inner Nature of Things and on the Purification of the Intellect

Dispersed through the austere examples of ascetic practice in Stithatos’ texts, there are abundant references to bright and even ecstatic joy.

Stithatos puts a special emphasis on joy, viewing it not as a fleeting emotion but as a profound, consistent spiritual state and one of the essential “fruits of the Holy Spirit.”

He describes several types of joy. For example:

The joy that stems from the practice of virtues: “When our intelligence is perfected through the practice of the virtues and is elevated through the knowledge and wisdom of the Spirit and by the divine fire, it is assimilated to these heavenly powers through the gifts of God, as by virtue of its purity it draws towards itself the particular characteristic of each of them.”

      • The joy of dispassion and unity. Shedding our attachments to the material world and its passions is the most essential step in the achievement of theosis. Additionally, Nikitas Stithatos describes a mystical, spiritual reality where the “world above” (the heavenly or noetic realm) awaits its completion and perfection through the spiritual attainment of human beings in the “lower world” (the physical, material world). Instead of being at war with, or separated from, “the world above,” we  view it “as yet incomplete.” We understand that the world “awaits its fulfilment from the first-born of Israel…”  but we also understand our role in this fulfillment which comes “from those who see God,” and “it receives  its completion from those who attain the knowledge of God.”
      • Joy found in the liturgical experience and hierarchical, and liturgical account of the nine heavenly powers.

      “The nine heavenly powers sing hymns of praise that have a threefold structure, as they stand in threefold rank before the Trinity, in awe celebrating their liturgy and glorifying God. Those who come first – immediately below Him who is the Source and Cause of all things and from whom they take their origin – are the initiators of the hymns and are named thrones, Cherubim and Seraphim.”

      • Theosis: The ultimate joy of inner peace. Joy is an “ineffable” and “incomprehensive happiness” that comes from detachment from worldly passions and the ensuing union with God. This is a core part of the final stage of spiritual life (theosis or deification).

      The desire to experience the “joy and sweetness of His presence” is presented as a driving force for achieving inner stillness, emphasizing that despondency is incompatible with the love of God. This state represents the culmination of the spiritual journey. 

      For those who with the support of the Spirit have entered the fullness of contemplation, a chalice of wine is made ready, and bread from a royal banquet is set before them. A throne is prepared for their repose and silver for their wealth.

      • The joy of hope. Even if we do not experience a state of theosis in this life, we should be comforted by the knowledge that the Kingdom of Heaven will open for us after death. Stithatos enters details of the actual physical process of dying and advises us to learn we should ask that our departure from this life may take place without fear.

      In summary, for Stithatos, joy is a central, essential element of the mature spiritual life, signifying the soul’s harmonious dwelling in God’s presence.

      FROM DREAM TO REVELATION

      Nikitas Stithatos

      Philokalia, vol. 4, On the Inner Nature of Things and on the Purification of the Intellect:

      The understanding of dreams serves as an entry point for Stithatos’s broader mystical philosophy of theosis, the gradual process of becoming more like God. This transformation unfolds in three distinct stages: dreams, visions, and revelations.

      1. Dreams: The First Step of Purification
      • There is a direct correlation between who we are and what we dream. If we are attached to material things, for example, we will dream of possessions. If we are addicted to praise and success, we may dream of ourselves in powerful positions, dominating others and being admired.
      • A virtuous life produces peaceful dreams. We rise from bed filled with  peace, gratitude and the living presence of God
      • However, Stithatos notes that even these purified dreams are imperfect. They are produced by the “image-forming faculty of the intellect,” which is mutable and thus unreliable.

      2. Visions: Beyond the “Image-Forming Intellect”

      • Moving beyond dreams, the soul can experience visions. Unlike the fleeting images of dreams, visions are constant and unchanging, leaving an unforgettable imprint on the intellect.
      • These visions reveal future events, inspire the soul with awe and engender a sense of repentance.

      3. Revelations: Union with the Divine

      • The final, and most advanced, spiritual stage is that of revelations. With a purified and illuminated soul, an individual can transcend ordinary sense perception and understanding.
      • It is like a veil has been lifted and we can perceive the true, inner essence of things that lie beneath the surface. We are no longer separated from God,  so we are whole and free from struggle, conflict and contradiction. We have advanced beyond words and images to become God-like and perceive His hidden mysteries. Everything now makes sense, and  we understand the ultimate purpose of all things, and our own role in God’s creation.

      Stillness as the path to Theosis

      Those who achieve visions and revelations are no longer troubled by everyday anxieties and concerns. This allows them to achieve a state of inner stillness, which is a prerequisite for theosis.

      Reaching this state of stillness requires restraint, conquering our will and triumphing  over our own impulses. The path of the monk or nun—involving fasting, poverty, and other forms of ascetic discipline — is one example of a complete surrender of the passions. For modern readers, asceticism can seem unrealistic or off-putting, but its core principle is highly relevant: gaining control over our passions and “addictions” rather than being controlled by them, and achiving inner peace.

      Without restraint, our will to succeed, possess, indulge, gain status, receive praise and approval, control or defeat drives us.  

      We use external things to quell our inner fears and anxieties: we abuse substances, become workaholics, become dependent on others’ approval, and chase success at all costs. We sacrifice inner peace and contentment for perceived material success, becoming addicted to external gains and desires.

      In this state, Stithatos writes, our true, God-given soul is “disordered” and at war with itself, unable to receive divine grace.

      A passionate soul, like a leaf in the wind, is unstable. It is elated by praise and success but devastated by criticism and failure. Stillness is the antithesis of this instability. It is “an undisturbed state of the intellect, the calm of a free and joyful soul.”

       In stillness, however, since our contentment is no longer dependent on external factors, we experience an “unwavering stability of the heart in God.”

      The Result of Stillness
      Freed from the inner battle, our perception becomes clear. We can ascend from contemplating visible things to a profound apprehension of the divine, eventually transcending images, words, and thoughts to achieve complete union with God. The pure intellect, having internalized divine principles, then reflects God’s wisdom, uncovering the deeper mysteries of creation.

      Starting with dreams of things visible we ascend to the ever-increasing apprehension of things until we reach beyond images, words and thoughts to become united with God.

      When the intellect has interiorized these principles and revelations and made them part of its own nature, then it will elucidate the profundities of the Spirit to all who possess God’s Spirit within themselves, exposing the guile of the demons and expounding the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven.

      THE LADDER OF DIVINE ASCENT BY JOHN CLIMACUS: On Stillness (Step 27)

      “We are like purchased slaves, like slaves under contract to unholy passions” John writes in the beginning of the chapter.   The metaphor compares lives filled with passions to slavery.  John’s mastery of the human soul shows another, more insidious dimension of this slavery—the longer we stay in it the less we desire freedom because we can neither remember nor imagine what freedom looks, feels and tastes like.  Isn’t it why abused wives, addicts or abusers stay in destructive relationships, even though the right choice seems so logical and simple to those on the outside?  Abuse, violence and dysfunction become the norm after a while, and they can no longer remember or envision what health looks    like.

      Not so long ago, I would have been dismissive of anything resembling silence.  How boring! Who would actually pursue it?  For most of us, living with noise and inner clutter is all we have known and defines normal. The Fathers, however, considered the practice of inner stillness an essential foundation of spiritual life.  Being silent is not the same as practicing inner silence. You can be quiet on the outside but tortured by the constant noise of racing thoughts and lingering resentments on the inside. 

      Metropolitan Jonah defines inner stillness as “conscious communion’ with God.” He continues: “Inner stillness is not merely emptiness. It is a focus on the awareness of the presence of God in the depths of our heart. One of the essential things we have to constantly remember is that God is not out there someplace. He’s not just in the box on the altar. It may be the dwelling place of His glory. But God is everywhere. And God dwells in the depths of our hearts. When we can come to that awareness of God dwelling in the depths of our hearts, and keep our attention focused in that core, thoughts vanish.

      How do we do this? In order to enter into deep stillness, we have to have a lot of our issues resolved. We have to have a lot of our anger and bitterness and resentments resolved. We have to forgive. If we don’t we’re not going to get into stillness, because the moment we try our inner turmoil is going to come vomiting out. This is good – painful, but good. Because when we try to enter into stillness and we begin to see the darkness that is lurking in our souls, we can then begin to deal with it. It distracts us from trying to be quiet, from trying to say the Jesus Prayer, but that’s just part of the process. And it takes time.”

      John emphasizes the role of despondency in preventing us from union with God. To achieve stillness, we must be driven by love for God and the desire to experience the joy and sweetness of his presence. This spiritual state requires that any trace of despondency be shed from our soul. “For to link despondency to the loving of God,” John writes, “is rather like committing adultery.”

      John talks about the clarity we achieve through inner stillness and silence:  ‘Stillness of the soul is the accurate knowledge of one’s thoughts and is an unassailable mind.”  He writes:

       “The start of stillness is the rejection of all noisiness as something that will trouble the depths of the soul….Close the door of your cell to your body, the door of your tongue to talk, and the gate within to evil spirits.” Yet being quiet or away from noise in nature does not necessarily imply stillness. Inner stillness is practiced “in the deep spaces of the heart.” 

      When you have arrived at the” final point,” however, fear and rejection of noisiness are no longer concerns because you are immune to them and cannot even detect them.