Tag: philokalia

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.

      BECOMING A TREE OF LIFE: Nikitas Stithatos

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

      Nikitas Stithatos paints a lyrical image of the state of theosis, that is, union with God:

      “When you have reached this state, you enter the peace of the Spirit that transcends every dauntless intellect (cf.Phil. 4 : 7) and through love you are united to God.”

      Getting there, however, is not a linear path.

      Pride for your spiritual achievements, for example, often creeps in, disrupting contemplation. The tranquility you achieved is shaken as you slip back into wanting to control, draw conclusions and make presumptions on your own. Such self-centered state of mind prevents you from seeing the inner nature of all things through God’s eyes.

      Stithatos makes clear that nothing remains static in this process of spiritual ascendance, including the role of the penitent.

      “God does not want us always to be humiliated by the passions and to be hunted down by them like hares, making Him alone our rock and refuge (cf. Ps. 1 04 : 1 8);”

      God, then, wants us to be in a cooperative relationship with him.

      Accordingly, simply resisting the passions is not enough for salvation. Nikitas Stithatos’s emphasis is on the transformation of passions into virtuous energies (rather than their mere annihilation).

      To better illustrate this point, he brings up the metaphor of a deer eating snakes (don’t look for scientific evidence here).

      “But He wants us to run as deer on the high mountains of His commandments (cf. Ps. 1 04 : 1 8. LXX), thirsting for the life creating waters of the Spirit ( cf. Ps. 42 : 1 ). For, they say, it is the deer’s nature to eat snakes; but by virtue of the heat they generate through being always on the move, they strangely transform the snakes’ poison into musk and it does them no harm. In a similar manner, when passion-imbued thoughts invade our mind, we should bring them into subjection through our ardent pursuit of God’s commandments and the power of the Spirit, and so transform them into the fragrant and salutary practice of virtue. In this way we can take every thought captive and make it obey Christ ( cf. 2 Cor. 1 o : 5).”

      The spiritual application follows the deer analogy:

      The Process of Transformation given by Stithatos

      • Invasion of Thoughts: “Passion-imbued thoughts” will inevitably enter the mind [1]. The goal is not necessarily to avoid these thoughts entirely, but to actively confront them.
      • Active Subjection: Through “ardent pursuit of God’s commandments and the power of the Spirit,” the negative thoughts are engaged and brought “into subjection” [1].
      • Spiritual Alchemy: The “poison” of the passion is not just neutralized; it is “transformed them into the fragrant and salutary practice of virtue” [1]. The energy of the passion, when channeled correctly through spiritual discipline, becomes something positive and holy (musk).

      Free will, then, is not passive but has agency of its own to discern,  edit, re-direct and transform.

      This “dynamic path” is a key feature of the broader Eastern Orthodox concept of theosis, which involves a synergistic process of human effort and divine grace.

      The state of passivity or action, surface or depth depends on the level of engagement we have with God.

      Simply disciplining the body is not sufficient for achieving theosis. It is literal and one-dimensional. Yet, “we are meant for more than we can literally imagine,” writes Stithatos. Remaining on the surface–Christians in name only– means that we are simply treading water and we will experience no progress:

      “A person who keeps turning round and round on the same spot and does not want to make any spiritual progress is like a mule that walks round and round a well-head operating a water-wheel.”

      Becoming one with God in every way is not achieved simply by adhering to technical details.

      In the book, Everywhere Present, by Stephen Freeman, the central metaphor is the contrast between a “two-storey” and a “one-storey” universe. The “two-storey” view, which Freeman argues is the prevailing mindset in secular society, relegates God and all spiritual matters to an unreachable “upstairs” realm. This effectively banishes God from everyday existence, making faith a distant, theoretical concept. The “one-storey universe,” in contrast, recognizes that God is “everywhere present and filling all things” in the here and now.

      This metaphor bears similarity to Stithatos’ contrast between passivity and total engagement, running in circles and ascending upwards.

      Freeman’s book advocates for a faith that changes how one perceives and interacts with the entire world and sees God’s presence in all things.  

      Stithatos’ path to theosis is similarly a transformative process by which a veil is lifted, and we can suddenly see the world around us with new eyes. We are able to discern God’s presence under the surface of even the most insignificant things and, hence, comprehend their true essence.

      But true devotion of soul attained through the spiritual knowledge of created things and of their immortal essences is as a tree of life within the spiritual activity of the intellect

      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.

      A RADICAL REDEFINITION OF SELF IN GOD

      Nikitas Stithatos

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

      What does Stithatos mean by knowledge of oneself? How is it achieved?

      For Socrates knowledge of oneself is a rational examination of strengths, weaknesses, values and limitations.

      Stithatos, however, peels away all the known assets of selfhood. You are NOT your innate strengths and weaknesses, profession or life choices, he tells us. External circumstances beyond your control—praise, wealth, misfortune, or social status—have no bearing on your true self.

      So, what remains of us then? How can there be “self” outside our values, actions, thoughts, successes and failures?

      I struggled with my understanding of self in this passage. I kept waiting for a clear definition of what constitutes the authentic core of myself and how to find it.   

      Instead, Stithatos offers a radical redefinition of self and our knowledge of it.  He shows that true self can only be experienced and not described.  Since we are made in the image of God, it is only through union with Him that we know ourselves.

      Without uniting ourselves to God, we are locked in our ego-centric perception of the world, and we are unable to fully give of ourselves to Him and our fellow human beings.

      Surely, we have all experienced the demon of distraction, even in things and situations we deeply value.  We catch ourselves missing entire chunks of conversation, important moments in our children’s lives, portions of liturgical services or even the beauty of the surrounding landscape because of our all-consuming thoughts and self-centered preoccupations —from reviewing the shopping list and feeling guilty for relaxing instead of pursuing a “productive”  task, to mentally preparing for a forthcoming interview or worrying about the future.

      For Stithatos, self-knowledge is not a solitary mental effort of introspection, but a spiritual pilgrimage away from the limited self and toward a true union with God.

      Shedding preoccupation with ourselves, we can now see the world anew through God’s perception and decipher the true essence of things all around us—their purpose, nature and role in creation. 

      Once the Bridegroom has led the soul into the sanctuary of His hidden mysteries, He will initiate it with wisdom into the contemplation of the inner essences of created things.

      By seeing the interconnectedness of all things and their divine purpose, we come to understand who we are in relation to God and His creation.

      To see the inner essence of all things around us and know ourselves requires humility.

      Nothing so inspires the soul with longing for God and love for one’s fellow beings as humility, compunction and pure prayer. …But until you come to know yourself through humility and spiritual knowledge your life is one of toil and sweat.

      Stithatos’ writing has detailed for us a spiritual path that moves beyond rational knowledge and physical perception toward a direct, personal experience of union with God. Instead of arriving at a definition or logical conclusions he gives us a glimpse into a life in union with God.

      1. Purification of the intellect which allows the soul’s “eye” to be unveiled. Free from passions and distractions, you can access a deeper, spiritual kind of knowledge and experience inner peace.

      With true knowledge of yourself, “…you cannot be constrained by sensory attachment to things. You are not distracted by any of the delectations of this life…”

      2. Transition from knowledge to mystical experience

      If you remain in a state of humility and keep your heart open

      …you will be filled with a strange, unspeakable intoxication – the intoxication of compunction – and will enter into the depths of humility. Rapt out of yourself, you take no account of food, drink or clothing beyond the minimum needed; for you are as one who has experienced the blessed change that comes from ‘the right hand of the Most High’

      3. Love. You can now experience and give pure love. We no longer see people as objects to impress or control and judge them on the basis of human-made categories. You see God’s presence and purpose in all people.

      You do no “regard some people as holy and others as unholy; but just as God makes the rain fall and the sun shine equally on the just and on the unjust, on the evil and on the good (cf. Matt. t; : 4t;), so you irradiate love and diffuse its rays to all men.”’’’

      In essence, Stithatos offers a profound redefinition of self. It argues that true identity is not a worldly achievement but a divine endowment that can only be uncovered through a spiritual journey toward union with God, leading to a profound and altered perception of yourself and reality.

      WHO AM I?

      Nikitas Stithatos

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

      Who am I when no one is watching? When I’m not striving for success, frantically checking items off to-do-lists,  or managing the impression I make on others? What remains of me if I lose my job, professional status, perfect performance of tasks or others’ admiration?

      Suppose you are successful at your work, have received promotions, met important people and were awarded several awards. Suppose also that you have failed to complete projects you started, and you were fired once. Consider finally where, in your perception of your successes, you place your daily virtues, such as loving and nurturing your children or your willingness to sacrifice yourself for others.

      Most of us, consciously or unconsciously, construct a “public self”  that highlights our successes, skips the failures and discounts the everyday virtues and domestic joys that we believe are not spectacular enough to impress.

      Our self-presentation often conceals perceived shortcomings or simple pleasures that we don’t believe would be recognized as accomplishments by others.

      Such presentation of ourselves leaves in the shadows supposed failures or ordinary virtues and joys we don’t believe others see as accomplishments, creating an internal friction between the self we present and the one we possess.

      Curating a version of ourselves based on what we believe others value is exhausting.  Yet most of the time we are hardly aware of the editing process we automatically undertake. This is because we are convinced that our story for ourselves is true. The constant work of hiding the discarded parts of our identity, however, breeds a profound, anxious disconnect.

      Nikitas Stithatos emphasizes the importance and, indeed, necessity of knowing ourselves.

      “To know oneself is the goal of the practice of virtues.” Nikitas Stithatos tells us.

      True knowledge of ourselves will free us from our “addiction to success, ”(as Arthur C. Brooks calls it, in his book From Strength to Strength), and from the burden of constantly curating our persona so that it elicits the maximum praise and admiration.

      Knowledge of our true self can  only be achieved through humility. Conversely, humility can be only achieved and maintained by cutting through delusions and cravings for admiration and understanding who we really are.

      For if you do not yet know yourself you cannot know what humility is and have not yet embarked truly on the task of cultivating and guarding. To know oneself is the goal of the practice of virtues.

      The more we recognize our weakness, the stronger we will be in spiritual warfare and  the freer we will feel from our attachment to the stories we construct for ourselves.  

      We live authentically when we stop being driven by the quest for others’ approval and seek, instead, an understanding of who God, and not man, wants us to be.

      One way to judge our ability to live authentic lives in humility is by examining the “fruits” of our labor, not just our own rhetoric and conclusions. Our claim of satisfaction and success, for example, seems hollow when we feel discontent, spend sleepless nights agonizing, miss out on things we claim are important or look at the future with fear and dread.   

      Stithatos is clear about the true fruits of the Holy Spirit and those that uncover “vanity and pretentiousness of soul.”

      The fruits of the Holy Spirit are love, joy, peace, goodness, long-suffering, kindness, faith, gentleness, self-control ( cf. Gal.5″ : 2 2-23). The fruits of the spirit of evil are hatred, worldly despondency, restlessness of soul, a troubled heart, guile, inquisitiveness, negligence, anger, lack of faith, envy, gluttony, drunkenness, abusiveness, censoriousness, the lust of the eyes (cf. 1 John 2 : 1 6), vanity and pretentiousness of soul. By these fruits you may know the tree (cf. Matt. 1 2 : 3 3), and in this way you will certainly recognize what kind of spirit you have to deal with…

      God looks not at the outward form of what we say or do, but at the disposition of our soul and the purpose for which we perform a visible action or express a thought. In the same way those of greater understanding than others look rather to the inward meaning of words and the intention of actions, and unfalteringly assess them accordingly.

      “Man looks at the outward form, but God looks on the heart,” Stithatos points out and quotes cf. I Sam.I 6 ; 7.

      We need to focus on cultivating the heart, building lives of inner contentment, love and faith rather than those of achievements and external admiration.

      Symeon the New Theologian: How to See the Divine Light in Daily Life 

      St. Symeon (949–1022), was a monk, thinker and poet, known as the “new theologian.” He spoke about his own mystical experience and believed that all humans had the capacity to ascend the ladder to God and experience his presence directly. In this essay in Philokalia IV, St. Symeon patiently demonstrates to monastics how to uderstand and apply mystical theology to the practicalities of everyday life.

      While monks are his immediate audience, his astonishing insights into the human heart and the anxieties and struggles that plague us are highly relevant to us in the times we live.    

      So how does St. Symeon’s practical theology apply to our daily lives?

      Five steps struck me as dominant in this chapter and could be adapted to our own daily lives.

      RENUNCIATION

      “Renunciation of the world,” St. Symeon says, includes “self-alienation from all material things, from the modes, attitudes and forms of this present life, as well as the denial of one’s own body and will.” It is a tough call, but he believes that it is far better than the alternative because “a person full of anxiety about worldly things is not free. He is dominated and enslaved by this anxiety, whether it is about himself or about others. “  

      We are not unlike the monks in St. Symeon’s world as we are similarly tormented by constant anxiety, festering resentment, self-pity, emotional or physical addictions, endless speculations about what if and how come that have our mind spinning in circles.

      Twelve-step programs modify the concept of monastic renunciation to help addicts and their families achieve emotional detachment from turmoil and destructive urges.  The concepts of dispassion and self-restraint are more easily applicable to us.

      Detachment and renunciation are not equivalent to indifference or resignation. While the monk’s renunciation frees him from “worldly concerns, he will not be idle, or neglect even the most insignificant and trivial details; but all he does he will do for the glory of God, accomplishing everything in his life without anxiety. “

      Those with a loved one who is an addict can empathize, grieve and  take action, yet without being drawn into his downward spiral and losing themselves.    

      REPENTANCE AND TEARS

      Symeon stresses the need for repentance as the foundation of a life in Christ and inner peace.  It takes humility and detachment to truly see your flaws without justifying and minimizing them. This is why true repentance brings tears, as you become deeply aware of all that was lost through sin.

      The tears of repentance are purifying.

      For he who through many tears has purified his intellect and has received the illumination of the divine light – light that would grow no less even if everyone received it – will dwell spiritually in the age to come.

      TRANSFORMATION

      Repentance is much more than an admission of guilt and an apology. It heals only through transformative action– the ability to turn your life around.   

      For the kingdom of heaven,” St. Symeon says,“  is entered forcibly.

      He does not mean forcing your will on others. He is referring, instead, to the force  you need to exert on yourself to refrain from falling back into old habits, resist the lure of destructive passions and immediate pleasure, deny the temporary relief of anger, resentment and self-pity and taking on the role of spiritual warrior.  

      Laziness, then, is not just an annoying or unproductive habit but saps our energy, diminishes hope and gets us stuck on a downward spiral.  

      49· Bodily listlessness and torpor, which affect the soul as a result of our laziness and negligence, not only make us abandon our normal rule of prayer but also darken the mind and fill it with despondency.

      Instead of allowing anxious, self-serving and negative thoughts to overwhelm and define us, we engage in nourishing contemplation and readings, St. Symeon advises.

      Transformation affects a powerful  reorientation from self to God

      LOVE

      The ultimate state of one’s ascendance to God is love. Love in Christ goes beyond the relatively easier type of love  we may have for our family, friends and those who support and admire us. Christian love recognizes the humanity of all beings, no matter how destructive, and can perceive God’s presence in them under the most repulsive words or actions. .

      If you truly love and pray for those who slander and maltreat you, who hate and defraud you, you will make rapid progress, for when your heart is fully aware that this is happening, your thoughts and, indeed, your whole soul with all its three powers are drawn down into the depths of humility and washed with tears.

      Symeon asks us to go beyond curtailing our drive to judge and criticize others. He asks us, instead,  to look at our peers and superiors as saints and ourselves as sinners.

      You should look on all who are in the monastery as saints.

      Love rises above even the strictest monastic rules and practices. Even when a monastic is consumed by devotional practices, he can pause his meditation to care for another human being.

      If someone wants to contact you, do not spurn him on the grounds that he disturbs your devotions.

      Even if someone is fasting, it is better to partake of a meal prepared for him than to hurt another person.

      And if someone offers you a rich meal, not realizing that you are fasting, you should eat what is put in front of you, no matter what it is; and take wine with uncomplaining self-restraint.

      Yet, this is not the sentimental notion of love as “being nice to all” or trying to please everybody. Instead, St. Symeon applies a type of “tough love.”

      Part of our transformative change through repentance is a reorientation by which we abandon our habit of negative thoughts that, over time, become the norm,  and replace them with hope, faith and love. We should therefore distance ourselves from those who may derail us from our course.  

      … you may find yourself hampered by someone who sows tares of despondency. He tries to prevent you from climbing to such heights of holiness by discouraging you with various thoughts…

      In the same way, we should not allow a disruptor to derail the course of a well-functioning group.

      62. A person false through hypocrisy, or culpable because of his actions, or easily shattered by some passion, or who lapses slightly through negligence, must not be left in the company of those who are working together in harmony. On the contrary, he must be excluded from their society as still corrupt and reprobate. Otherwise at some crucial moment he might break their chain of union, causing division where there should be none and distress both to those who are at the head of the chain – for they will be grieved for those who follow after them – and to those at the tail of the chain, who will suffer because they are cut off from those in front of them.

      LIGHT

      Without this inner transformation our vision is clouded,  and we are unable to see the divine light.

      They cannot see the marvels it contains; they regard as deluded those who dwell in that light and see and teach others about what is within it. On the contrary, it is they themselves that are deluded, not having tasted the ineffable blessings of God.

      Through renunciation, repentance and love we ascend to a new and higher spiritual space.  Our clouded and deluded vision is cleared, and we can now see the divine light.

      …if he does this and with unhesitating faith allows himself to be led by those wise in divine matters, he will enter with them into the city of the living God. Guided and illumined by the divine Spirit, he will see and learn what others cannot ever see or learn. He will then be taught by God (cf. John 6 : 45}