|
Theosis and the path of everyday life |
|
|
|
|
by paul skorpen
|
|
Peace
I leave with you, my peace I give to you: not
as the world gives, give I to you.
Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it
be afraid.
John 14:27
The path is fair and easy and delightful and familiar.
Meister Eckhart
The way home is well-lit.
Daskalos
|
 |
 |
|
In the ebb and
flow, and the push and pull, of daily existence
it is easy to lose sight the very wonder of life.
Spiritual teachers, sages and mystics have long
encouraged us to ‘wake up’ to a greater
reality. But few of us find the time, much less
the concentration, to lift ourselves into states
of spiritual peace. Besides, spiritual paths are
known to be heavy, demanding and life-denying.
A full and durable spiritual path should, first
and foremost, improve the quality of our daily
lives; for as our inner life grows in clarity
and purpose our relationship to our work, friends
and family become fuller and more fruitful. Daily
life is a faithful and thorough guide, testing
and trying our spiritual progress every moment.
The work is to apply the eternal wisdom to our
day-to-day existence, that we can find peace in
the transcendent and unchanging.
|
|
|
With
a foothold in things heavenly, can you walk
with sure feet through things earthly.
When you take rest in things eternal, can
you awake in things worldly. And when you partake in the universal, can
you live fully the finite.
|
|
|
|
|
In the mystical Christian tradition the
path to theosis is daily life, through which the the soul reflects itself
in Creation that it may know itself in all
|
|
|
|
its ways. And the vehicle
for this reflection, for the awakening of
the self, is the Human Form (as body, thought
and emotion).
|
|
|
|
Theosis is a Greek word rich in meaning.
It was a term used by the desert fathers over the centuries,
and more recently by the Greek-Cypriot mystic and healer,
Stylianos Atteshlis, known as Daskalos. Theosis is translated
as 'deification' or 'to become one with the divine'.
Daskalos spoke of it as a state akin to 'enlightenment'
and 'self realization'. Our gradual and inevitable entry
into theosis is both the promise and the purpose that
we were given in Eden; that we would 'be as gods, knowing
good and evil' (cf. Gen. 3:5). Theosis is a process
of the ever-increasing individuation of the self, culminating
in the 'I AM I' consciousnesswhich Jesus of Nazareth
fully embodied and imbued. In the mystical Christian
tradition the path to theosis is daily life (work, family
and friends), through which the soul reflects itself
in Creation that it may know itself in all its ways.
And the vehicle for this reflection, for the awakening
of the self, is the Human Form (as body, thought and
emotion).
Among other teachers, the Buddha and Christ warned us
not to seek our peace in earthly things and relations.
Too much in this world is beyond our control and subject
to constant and dramatic change. We can find contentment
and happiness here — and this is to be enjoyed
— but it is too often fleeting and quick to fade.
We are often rendered distraught, disappointed and disoriented.
Yet through attentive living, directed study and mediation
we are able spread our roots in the ‘Kingdoms
Within’, finding lasting and durable peace, even
in the most troubled times.
Perhaps the most elevated mystic and teacher to grace
this earth was Jesus of Nazareth. His divinity is evident
in the power of his love, his teachings and his healings.
Whether you hold him to be the Messiah, messenger or
master matters very little — for few of us really
know. The real challenge is to live your life according
to his teachings. And when you do, even in a small measure,
to see what it provides you. The eternal invitation
that Christ extends to us all is to live in a state
beyond fear, frustration and shame; with our feet firmly
on earth and our hearts at home in heaven.
The Way through the world is more difficult
to find than the way beyond it.
Wallace Stevens, ‘Reply to Papini’
|
|
