-I am very interested, said Constantine, in the issue of the illness of the soul. I have also dealt a lot with psychology in the past, thus I also have mistaken views on these topics. So I would like to learn the teaching of the holy Fathers on the illness of the soul.
|
[ BACK ] A clear idea about Orthodoxy |
-I shall try with pleasure, to respond to your question. I should first point out that there is a clear position of the Holy Fathers of the Church, that Orthodoxy differs in relation to all anthropocentric systems. Many religions may use the same expressions, the same terms, but they are understood differently. For example, the Stoic philosophers also spoke of dispassion, but they meant it differently than Orthodoxy. The same holds true about the nous, ecstasy, etc. Many Easterners who belong to other religions, such as Buddhism, speak of the nous, inner sense, etc., yet they give to them an entirely different content. For this reason he who has dealt in the past with such theories, either of psychology, philosophy, or even Buddhism has great difficulty in proceeding to obtain a clear conception concerning the Orthodox teaching. He may get perplexed and confused in the process. I have met such people who are in a dreadful confusion about these matters. They read neptic theology and find no difference from Buddhist teaching. They think that the Buddhists and the neptic Fathers say the same things. Not to mention that this human knowledge, with its emphasis on reason, engenders a certain self-awareness, which the Fathers name "wealth" of the mind". As a result man is filled with satisfaction and self-sufficiency. And wherever satisfaction and self-sufficiency exists the grace of Christ cannot act.
-What do you think must happen in these cases? In other words, I have studied psychology and am familiar with the various Schools of psychology based on which I analyse people. Can I not then acquire a clear sense of Orthodoxy? And if this is so, then how can I be delivered from this dreadful condition?
-Your question is critical. I truly believe that there is a problem. However man can be cured. There are two basic ways of cure.
The one is for him to abandon this "wealth" of the mind. St.Niketas Stethatos, speaking of poverty, maintains that poverty is not only the renunciation of material goods, but also the denial of the "wealth" of the mind. Moreover, I can add that spiritual poverty is the renunciation of all the knowledge which man formerly obtained, while living in the way of the flesh. St.Thalassios claims that noetic poverty is perfect dispassion. It is when the dispassionate nous is freed from the prison of the senses and sensorial things. When a person possesses such philosophical or psychological knowledge and approaches the Church retaining all this within him, at moments of great inner concentration he may take this knowledge as a state of mystical contemplation. Then man thinks that this state is the revelation of God. And in this way he defiles the undefiled and pure teaching of Christ.
The second way of cure is for man to pass through deep repentance. Profound repentance is the entrance for the uncreated grace of God to man's heart; it burns passions and makes man a bearer of Revelation. For this reason when we read patristic works we must disassociate ourselves from the knowledge and ideas of the past, in order to acquire a clear sense of Orthodoxy. I lay emphasis on these things so that you do not make parallels with psychological knowledge, which prevails today. There is a great danger of seeing spiritual life from within psychological interpretations of contemporary anthropocentric psychological systems.
-I thank you for this clarification, said Constantine. But, please, could you analyse for us the illness of the soul so that we can grasp the difference.
|
[ BACK ] The soul of man |
-In order to speak about the illness of the soul we should first see precisely what the soul is, because this is a weak point in many psychological Schools when they speak of psychotherapy. They have also realised that we cannot speak of the illness and therapy of the soul, if we do not give it an ontology. This is why I believe that Orthodoxy with its neptic teaching has a great role to perform today even at this point. I shall try to analyse the subject in a simple way.
Man, according to the Fathers, is in the image of God. He does not refer his life to himself, but to God. Christ is the image of God, as the Apostle Paul says: "Who is the image of the invisible God"(Col. 1,15), and man is in the image of Christ. Man, therefore, is an image of the image. Man was made in the image of God and he must attain to His likeness. According to the teaching of St.Maximos, the image of God consists in "being" and "eternal being"; and the likeness of God consists in "wisdom" and "goodness". We can say that "being" and "eternal being" constitute man's nature, whereas "wisdom" and "goodness" constitute the "person". Thus, when man's soul does not move to the likeness of God -which is theosis- when it does not live in a Godly way; when it does not have the energy of the Holy Spirit within it, then it is dead. Not only does it suffer malady, but it is dead. I must clarify that the soul is God's creation. Every thing created by God has a beginning and an end. Yet, God wished to create and make the soul immortal. Thus, the soul being by nature mortal, is by grace immortal. It is immortal, because God wishes it to be. Consequently, we cannot see the soul independently of God. This very statement shows the difference from the old philosophical ideas about the soul, but also from modern psychological positions.
-I think, said Athanasios, that the ancient philosophical view on this issue, expressed by Greek philosophy, but also by certain heretical Christians, mainly the Gnostics, was that the world, and consequently man is the fruit and result of the fall of the real world. This, naturally, points out what you were saying earlier about the soul.
-Yes, I think you are correct. Many heretics saw things in a similar way. However we believe that the world and man, therefore man's soul also, is a positive work of God the creator. It is not the fruit of the fall of a real world; in that case evil would be immanent in the creation of the existing world. God created the soul. The soul is not a particle of divinity, neither God's breath, as some people say. But since, as Holy Chrysostom says, the in-breathing of God is the energy of the Holy Spirit, it is this energy of the Holy Spirit which created the soul, without itself becoming the soul. This is a very important point to be stated, because thus we realise that we cannot examine the soul autonomously, but in connection with God.
-These truths are Orthodox, said Fr.Philip, although a little deep. I believe, nevertheless, that they are absolutely necessary for us in order to understand what exactly the illness and cure of the soul is. Can you, please, analyse that man's soul is an image of the Triune God? For, since it is in the image of God I believe that it has a trinitarian nature.
-Indeed, St.Gregory Palamas deals with this subject in his works. The Holy Fathers were able to speak about these things, not because they studied at a School of psychology, but, engaged in the therapy of their passions, they came to know this inner world by the illumination of the divine grace. The teaching of St.Gregory Palamas is not a result of speculations, but a result of the revelation of the Most Holy Spirit, through his struggle to heal his soul. This should be made clear because in the West they also spoke about a triune division of the soul and Augustine employed this psychological argumentation for the existence of the Triune God. Western theology however ended up in the Filioque, whereas on the contrary, St. Gregory Palamas, experiencing the Triuneness of God in his soul, ended up in the rejection of the Filioque. To return, St.Gregory Palamas teaches that just as God is Triune, Nous, Word and Spirit, thus the soul also has a trinitarian nature, that is, it has nous, word and spirit. The nous is what we would call the core of the soul's existence; the word comes forth from the nous and the spirit is "the noetic love of man".
-I have read, interrupted Constantine, that, according to the teaching of St.Maximos the Confessor, the soul is divided into the intelligent, the appetitive and the irascible powers. I think that St.Gregory Palamas also refers to this in another context. Is there possibly a contradiction with what you told us about the triunity of the soul?
-The soul, according to the Fathers, is single and manifold. It has many powers. The division of the soul into nous, word and spirit is to be meant by way of condescension and not exactly as it is meant for God. Because in God the three Persons are of a common essence, but they also have particular hypostases, whereas concerning the soul, the nous, the word and the spirit are energies and not hypostases. But there is no essential difference regarding the divisions of the soul. It depends on which aspect the Saint examines it each time. Examining the soul from the aspect of the passions which we want to heal, we divide it into the intelligent, appetitive and irascible powers. Studying the triunity of the soul's nature we speak of noetic, intelligent and sensible powers. And seeing the soul from the aspect of its turning to itself and its ascent to God, we speak of nous, knowledge and love. In any case all these triads show that the soul is in the image of the Triune God and cannot be healed without Him.
-You referred to the division of the soul in relation to the passions and you said that the soul is divided into the intelligent, the appetitive and the irascible powers. Which passions correspond to these powers?
-The Holy Fathers teach that the passions of disbelief in God, heresy, pride etc. dominate the intelligent power; the passions of pleasure-loving and greed develop in the appetitive power; finally, the passions of wrath, anger, malice, etc. prevail in the irascible power. In particular St.Gregory Palamas teaches that ambitiousness is the offspring of the intelligent part of the soul; love of possessions and avarice is the offspring of the appetitive power of the soul and gluttony is the offspring of the irascible power of the soul. Both the appetitive and the irascible powers belong to what is called passible aspect of the soul.
|
[ BACK ] Soul and body |
-As long as you have been speaking about the soul, something has been troubling me, said Fr. Philip. Why are you examining the soul separately from the body? Are they truly separate and independent of one another?
-Of course, they are not independent. The soul is very closely connected with the body. The Fathers say that it happens with the soul what happens with an iron in a brazier; it becomes fire through remaining iron by nature. The soul is everywhere in man's body. The fact that the soul gives life to the body joined to it proves that man was made in God's image to a greater degree than were the angels. This is why in the Orthodox Church we say that the illness of the soul affects also the body, just as the illness of the body sometimes affects the soul. Due to this inner bond it happens that, although the soul wants to attain communion with God, the body, on account of the passions, refuses to follow the course of the soul and thus a physical fatigue occurs. Then we realise that although the soul feels rather healthy, nevertheless the body feels ill and weak. What the Lord said holds: "the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak" (Mat. 26,41). For this reason the Orthodox tradition establishes that the course of the soul is to be parallel with that of the body. Hesychasm cures also the body in various ways and methods in order to reach communion with God. And when man receives the grace of God, then the body also undergoes change. We see this in the Transfiguration of Christ, when His face shone as the sun. We see it in the case of Moses, whose face shone brilliantly, as also in the face of the Archdeacon Stephen, which became as the face of an angel. Consequently there is a clear distinction between the soul and the body, but it is not possible for both of them to exist independently of each other. Furthermore, even at death the soul "is violently separated from the harmony and affinity of this natural bond". And this separation occurs "by divine will". Thus the soul is not man but the soul of man; and the body is not man, but the body of man. Man consists of soul and body, he is a psychobiological being. Therefore, the body will be deified also and it will be resurrected at the Second Coming and will pass into eternity.
|
[ BACK ] What exactly the illness of the soul is |
-Where, then, does the illness of man lies? In which part of him is this illness located? An answer to this question will make things easier for us. In other words it will be clear to us how we should proceed in order to be cured.
-As we said previously man's being as a whole is ill. But the center of malady is located in man's nous. The nous is ill and then imparts the results of the illness to the entire human being.
|
[ BACK ] Nous and reason |
-When you say "nous", do you mean "reason"? asked Athanasios. If nous and reason are one and the same thing then how does it become ill? If the nous is something different from the reason, what does illness of the nous mean?
-As I mentioned earlier, man's soul consists of nous, logos (word) and spirit, according to the mode of existence of the Most Holy Trinity. St.John of Damascus says that God created man's soul logical and noetic; it is also endowed with spirit, which, as the Fathers say, is "the noetic love of the soul". Thus we distinguish the energy of the nous from the energy of the reason. Nous is one thing, reason is another. The nous is the eye of the soul. And just as the eye of the body sees all of God's creation, in the same way also the eye of the soul, which is the nous, acquires the experience of God. This is the way the powers of the soul operated before the Fall. Adam's nous saw God and his reason had the ability to formulate this experience. So we can say, keeping the analogies, that just as the Nous (Father) begets the Word (Christ), so also man's nous begets the word. If the nous is healthy, then the word is also healthy, and if the nous is ill, the word is also ill. The same applies to the spirit which is, as we said, the noetic love of the soul. If the nous is healthy, love is also healthy, because it turns to God and thus the "intoxication" of the spirit and the ecstasy of the mind is activated. If the nous is ill, we fall from true love, that is we experience the idol of love, which is called by the Fathers "impious love".
-What you have mentioned to us, said Fr.Philip, is important. I think this is what differentiates the Orthodox from the western tradition. We, Orthodox, consider the nous as the basis of theology, whereas the Westerners put reason at the centre of their theology. However this small presentation is not sufficient. Could you please continue and analyse, as much as possible, both the healthy and the sick state of the nous. Then we will be able to understand the difference between the Orthodox and the Western tradition.
|
[ BACK ] The Fall of man |
-I agree with your observations. They are remarkable. Truly, it is exactly in this point that the difference between Orthodoxy and heresy lies. The Holy Fathers have an illumined nous, whereas the heretics usually have a darkened nous and a hypertrophic reason. We can see this in Adam before and after the Fall. Prior to the Fall Adam was at the illumination of the nous, which is the second stage of spiritual life. But after the Fall his nous was darkened and confined.(Footnote 1) Thus the blindness of the nous occurs; its darkening and confinement. What did actually happen? Reason tried to outflank man's nous. It rebelled against the nous; it tried, by means of the tempting action of the devil, to interpret how man will reach theosis, abolishing, that is, God's commandment. So we have nous' identification with reason. The nous, instead of governing the reason, is now identified with it. In fact, when we speak of the original Sin and its consequences, we mean three things: the malfunctioning of the nous, that is the nous ceased to function normally; the identification of nous with reason, which in a certain way caused the deification of reason; and finally nous' subjection to the passions, to anxiety and the conditions of the environment. This is man's real death; his total disintegration; his inner mortification. The nous was darkened. And just as when the eye of the body is harmed, the whole body is dark, similarly when the eye of the soul -which is the nous- is blinded, the entire spiritual organism becomes ill and falls into deep darkness. I think that the Lord refers to this when He says: "if therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness!"(Mat. 6,23). This, however, aside from the fact that has brought about the disruption of the whole inner functioning of the soul, simultaneously has resulted in man's external disruption as well. He now faces differently his fellow man, God, the world and the whole creation. The reason attempts to meet God since the nous is unable to commune with Him. Thus idols of God are created and all idolatric religions, as well as all heresies. Because the nous is unable to see man in a Godly manner, the reason sees him in a different way too, under the effect of the passions. Man exploits his fellow man for love of glory and greed. He considers his fellow man as instrument-object of pleasure, and idolises all creation. What the Apostle Paul says in his epistle to the Romans holds: "professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and four-footed beasts, and creeping things" (Rom. 1,22-23).
Whilst speaking about these topics, which I believe are crucial for Orthodox theology, Basil, a person of conservative principles, with very limited theological knowledge, was wondering and at a great loss. I could see his state of mind. He also expressed it himself. He was trying to follow but in fact it seemed that he had great difficulty. He was in his own world. At this point of the conversation he made a question, which was actually a contradiction.
|
[ BACK ] Locating the illness is a necessity |
-I have been following through your analysis. With all sincerity, I have not understood all these positions. What is more, to me there is no necessity of understanding them. What importance does it have for me to know what the soul is, into how many parts it is divided, what part of man is ill? Why is it significant for me to know what the original Sin is and its consequences for man's life? Besides, I have been taught differently concerning all these. You are saying now that Adam's Fall consists essentially, in the malfunctioning of the nous; its identification with the reason and its enslavement to the passions and anxiety. I confess, I cannot see a meaning in this analysis, or why things are presented so different from all I have learnt. I am satisfied to be a good person, go to Church, to confess; not to do any harm to anybody; not to hate my neighbour.
-I can understand your questions and also your contradictions. I do not justify them, but I can see their rationale. What I have presented up to this point seem, indeed, a novelty in relation to the theology we have been learning for so many years. However they are not a novelty for those who live within the Orthodox tradition. In any case your views can be summed up in two central points: firstly, why is all this analysis on the soul and man's fall taking place. Secondly, why does this analysis differ from what we learnt in the past.
Concerning the first point I can say the following. If one wishes to be an Orthodox theologian one must begin from the state of Adam as it was before the Fall, what happened with the Fall and how we can be restored to our former state, even reach there where Adam did not. If a theology does not speak of man's fall; if it does not designate precisely what it is, and if it does not speak of man's resurrection, then what kind of theology is it? Surely, it is not Orthodox. In any case, we were saying earlier that Orthodoxy is a therapeutic treatment and science, and also that Theology is a therapeutic treatment. It cures man. Yet, if we do not examine where man's illness lies, how can we know what we should heal? If, regarding his body, man follows a wrong treatment he will never be cured. The same also happens with the soul. It must become clear to us that the darkness of nous is its illness and illumination is its cure. Mysteries and all the ascetic tradition of the Church are meant to lead us where Adam was before the Fall, that is, to the illumination of the nous, and from there to theosis, which is man's original destination. Therefore, it is very important for us to know exactly what the illness is. If we ignore our inner sickness our spiritual life ends up in an empty moralism, in a superficiality. Many people are against the social system. They blame society, family, the existing evil, etc. for their own problem. However the basic problem, man's real malady is the darkness of his nous. When one's nous is illumined one thus becomes free from slavery to everything in the environment, e.g. anxiety, insecurity, etc.
Concerning the second point, I would like to say that theology suffered, indeed, its Babylonian captivity in the past years. It accepted Western influences which distorted it. Looking back to the ages and examining the theology of the Fathers, we realise that they all have the correct methodology of therapy: purification of the heart, illumination of the nous and theosis. Whoever does not follow this methodology and relies only on his reason is led to heretical views and finds himself outside the tradition of our Fathers. Unfortunately, in the past we were dominated by Western theology, which is founded on the emotion and the will, aims simply at the formulation of man's character, his ethical propriety and his becoming a "good" person and a "good" citizen. Unfortunately, it is this mentality which has brought so much atheism. It has led many youths to revolt against God, because they did not want a God, like the One their teachers and parents passed on to them. A moral life based on abstract metaphysics cannot stand nowadays, since the foundations of metaphysics have been shaken even in the West. Today it is widely accepted that the liberation of Orthodox theology from its captivity and the discovery of its real identity will make it Orthodox again and therefore able to help the despairing and tired man of our days. For this reason I believe that the analysis of the soul's illness is absolutely necessary.
- I also think, added Fr.Philip, that we must examine this side of Orthodox ascetic teaching, even if I have a few questions about it. From what I have read I have realised that the holy Fathers insist on this issue. When they speak of the soul, the nous and the heart, they do not simply do it to philosophise and theologize intellectually, but in order to locate the problem and cure man effectively. Even more, as a confessor I see daily that man's therapy lies in this inner cure. That is why I think that we must insist on these analyses. The youths today rebel against every sort of moralising. They want something genuine. Whenever I discussed with teenagers about these matters they were delighted. The Lord also refers to the same thing, when He says: "Thou blind Pharisee, cleanse first that which is within the cup and platter, that the outside of them may be clean also" (Math. 23,26). If we do not see this aspect of therapy, we are probably in a hypocritical condition. For this reason I invited Fr. Hierotheos here. Am I not speaking correctly?
-I think you expressed yourself successfully. Indeed when man's noetic faculty does not function properly, then many anomalies occur. All the passions revolt and man uses both God as well as his fellow man for the fortification of an individualistic security and happiness. He is continually in a state of anxiety. Christians often say: "if my fellow men behaved to me differently, if I had better children, if my spouse did not do this or the other, if...,if..., I could probably live a Christian life". We have the impression that the cessation of external problems would make us better. However many times I say that external problems will never cease. Now we have troubles with our studies and later we are full of anxiety about our career or marriage. Bringing up our children will raise new problems. Afterwards we will be concerned about the future of our children or even finally of our grandchildren... I leave all other problems caused by work and social dealings. Problems will never end. We must overcome them.
This means that we must find the real problem which bothers us and this is, definitely, an inner problem. And when I say inner problem, I mean the darkness of the nous. For, when we are at a fallen state, we then blame everything, even the good periods of our life. When, though, man's nous is freed with the appropriate method and treatment, he feels that there are no serious problems. We must realise that we are closed into the prison of the world and of our senses, because our nous is ill. When we are imprisoned, no matter how good the conditions are, they cannot offer us effective help. The fact is that we are imprisoned. They may allow us to decorate our prison, they may give us better food, they may create for us the best and most favourable conditions, yet all these things are useless, since we are imprisoned -experiencing the dreadful atmosphere of prison. When the nous is darkened, deadened, the whole world is a horrible prison and therefore tormenting. When our nous is illumined and free, the entire world is a gift of God to us. We then see in all of nature the "causes of beings", as the Holy Fathers say. For, we believe that nature is not governed by natural laws, but by the "uncreated causes", that is the providential energy of God Who governs personally all creation. And wherever a repetition and a consistency exists this is not due to the existence of any natural law, but to the faithfulness of divine energy, in other words, this is how God always wishes to act.
The illumination of the nous, therefore enables us to see the love of God in both gladness and sorrow; in misfortune and in happiness; in afflictions and in comforts, within the so-called good and the so-called evil people, etc. Thus what the others probably consider misfortune we take it as a blessing and what the others may take as a blessing we consider it a misfortune. For, the illumined nous is able to make the distinction between the created and uncreated energies, and thus, it learns to theologize. Because theology is this distinction between uncreated and created energies. For this reason I say that man's basic problem is how to learn to see his internal malady, which is specifically the captivity and darkness of the nous.
|
[ BACK ] The darkness of the nous-a consequence of the Fall |
-Please, Father, said Irene, could you continue analysing man's condition after the Fall? It is of great importance for us to know exactly how the nous is confused with the reason; how it is enslaved to everything in the environment and to the passions.
-I agree that we should see this subject thoroughly, from all aspects. St.Gregory Palamas in one of his homilies refers to the darkness of the nous which is a result of its departure from God. He mentions a classic passage which, of course, we find in other Fathers, such as St. Maximos. "Separated from God the nous becomes either in the way of the beast or in the way of the devil". When man's nous departs from God and is darkened, all the inner energies of the soul as well as of the body are distorted. St.Gregory says in the following that, since the nous has lost its movement according to nature and has gone astray from its natural course, it desires things belonging to others and his love of possessions finds no satiation. He indulges into sensual pleasures and knows no limit and measure of pleasure. By his works he disgraces his name, yet he desires to be honoured by all. He wishes to be flattered by all; he wants everybody to agree with him, to co-operate with him and when these do not happen, he is filled with wrath. His anger and aggressiveness against his fellow men make him like the Serpent. And, thus, created in the image and likeness of God, man becomes a "murderer" and resembles the homicide Devil. And as St.Gregory explains, this is due to one reason: to the fact that man's nous went astray from fear and remembrance of God and gave way to co-operation with the originator of evil. Nous' separation from God makes man either a devil or a beast.
Thus, because the nous malfunctions, passions both of the body and of the soul rage. The demons know this well, so they struggle "to darken our noetic faculty". They know that if they darken the nous, then they can easily push a person to do whatever they want. Man can reach a state of madness; being in this condition, we can assuredly say that man does not behave normally. He is antisocial. Moreover, a result of the Fall is the excitement of phantasy and of the demonic thoughts which dominate our memory.
|
[ BACK ] Phantasy-another consequence of the Fall |
-In what way is phantasy a result of the Fall? What relation does phantasy have with man's fallen state?
-The holy Fathers teach that phantasy is a natural energy-power of the soul. Phantasy has been energised after the Fall, that is, it can be dominated by images or false ideas, which cause serious problems to man's spiritual organism. This is why the Fathers say that when a person is purified and attains to the theoria of God, he is delivered from phantasy. In other words, the energy of phantasy is inactive, free from any images. It is like a television set which can project images, but it does not operate. It is in this sense that the Church teaches that Christ assumed this specific power of the soul, yet it was not activated in Him in contrast to what happen in all men after the Fall. Phantasy is a post-Fall phenomenon. It is, that is, a result of man's fall. Angels also do not have phantasy. Therefore, only men and the demons have phantasy, and this is why the demons activate many images and pursue to arouse the imagination. So we can maintain that the so-called psychological problems are all the result of suspicions, thoughts, -"logismoi"- which are energised within the favourable clime of phantasy. The more man is spiritually ill, the more he is overwhelmed by many images which phantasy brings. Spiritual health requires the nullification of phantasy to the greatest degree possible. Indeed, when the nous is freed and illumined, then all the activities of phantasy cease. And for this reason the holy Fathers teach that theology is not associated with phantasy. When man with the grace of God, but also his own co-operation, is delivered from all images and forms which phantasy creates, then he becomes a theologian and from within his heart true Orthodox theology wells up.
-For the first time I am realising, continued Irene, that phantasy is a result of the Fall and that nous' cure is connected also with the cure of phantasy. This teaching is truly revealing for me.
-Indeed, this aspect of spiritual life is very important. The darkness of the nous activates phantasy, and within its illusionary world a person may create various idols of God. The more a man is psychologically ill, the more his imagination is stirred up. How do we realise that a person suffers psychological abnormalities and is certainly led to schizophrenia? His illusions, delusions and all of his phantastic images reveal his condition. This psychological malfunction is, primarily, a spiritual illness which causes the death of the nous. I can say that when I see a spiritual child of mine dominated by suspicions, phantasies and other thoughts, I immediately realise that his nous is ill and needs help. In certain characteristic cases, I pointed out to them the danger they were running to become isolated within an illusionary world swamped with phantasies. Those who are alert spiritually do not reach this state. On the contrary, people who do not pay attention and do not struggle to be cured, may end up in dreadful conditions both of the soul and body. And allow me to say that you, women, are susceptible to this danger more than anyone else. Just as you are also vulnerable emotionally.
|
[ BACK ] Emotion and how it is cured |
-Father what you have been saying has been a continuous surprise for me, from which I cannot yet recover. How can it be that emotion is also a result of the Fall, or rather that emotion itself is an ill condition?
-Emotion is mixed up with the passions of pleasure-loving. It is not completely identified with them, but is imbued by them to a great degree. A healthy man spiritually is a balanced man in all his manifestations. I said earlier that when man's nous is illumined -when man is at the illumination of the nous- he is not moved by God simply psychologically and emotionally, but has true communion with God. Moreover, he sees in all creation the "causes of beings" -the uncreated governing energy of God. He is not moved emotionally by nature and its beauty, but sees the energy of God in it. As St. Isaac the Syrian says, faith based on theoria -which man attains when he is at the illumination of the nous- "is a gate to the mysteries of God".
I will mention a simple example. St.Diadochos of Photiki says that the introductory joy is one thing and the perfecting joy is another. The first one, being strongly emotional, is mixed with phantasy, "is not devoid of fantasy", while perfecting joy is associated with humility. Between emotional joy and perfecting joy there is "god-loving sorrow and painless tears". Emotional joy, which is called introductory, is not entirely rejected, yet we must be led to the perfecting joy. This perfection and cure is achieved through the cross. "By the cross gladness prevails to all world". Thus within the Church we struggle to transform all emotions as well as everything mundane. The transformation of emotions to genuine and authentic experiences is accomplished by repentance. Repentance leads us from a painful and tragic monologue to a dialogue with the living God. Through repentance, self-condemnation and humility, we transform emotions to spiritual experiences. In this case also holds true what we mentioned about phantasy. The more a person is emotionally ill, the more he reveals the death and darkness of his nous. And the more a person's emotions are transformed, the more his nous is illumined; he is at the state of illumination. Can you see that the movement of the nous is very important? Can you see that it plays an important role whether the nous follows the movement according to nature or contrary to nature?
-Allow me, continued Irene, to ask you to explain even further how the emotions are transformed to spiritual experiences.
-I think I referred to the basic points. But since you wish I can expand more on the subject. The Fathers say that in the woman's soul psychological experiences are connected more with spiritual ones. In other words, many women consider the so-called psychological conditions to be spiritual experiences. They may for example feel an emotional sweetness, while praying, and think that it is the coming of the grace of God. A lot of attention is needed, because at this point many images of phantasy intervene and create the preconditions for serious psychological anomalies.
I give you an example. A small girl expresses motherhood by playing with dolls. She feeds them, washes them, puts them to sleep, etc. When, however, she grows up and becomes a real mother, she does all these things undergoing pain. She feels pain to give birth to the child and pain and toil to bring it up. The little girl expresses motherhood, and, I could say, enjoys it emotionally, without pain and suffering, whereas becoming a mother for a woman is connected with pain and suffering; it is a "cross". It is in this way somehow that we distinguish emotional joy from spiritual joy, emotions from spiritual experiences. Only true and complete repentance can cleanse all these psychological states and make them spiritual. And, naturally, it is our spiritual father who helps us with this; it is he who has the responsibility of distinguishing and curing this condition. In this way and with the help of our spiritual guide our nous is cured; it is led from the movement contrary to nature to that according to nature and, even more, above nature; the nous then is illumined and united with God and it is cured from phantasies and emotions. This is why the realisation of the real problem, and also the cure of the darkened nous are absolutely necessary.
|
[ BACK ] The movement of the nous according to nature, contrary to nature and above nature |
-Can you tell us, said Fr. Philip, something about nous' movement according to nature, contrary to nature and above nature? I think that this will help us see even more clearly all the things you have mentioned up to this point.
-The holy Fathers have dealt with all these aspects of spiritual life. And since they considered that the subject of the nous is a dominant one for man's malady and cure they spoke about it. St. Mark the ascetic teaches that there are three movements-states of the nous: according to nature, contrary to nature and above nature. The nous moves contrary to nature when it does not see the righteousness and providence of God, but fights with men, believing that he is unjustly treated. In other words, when moving contrary to nature the nous leaves God and is dispersed in the creation through the senses. Then he blames the others for whatever evil exists around him. A person's nous moves according to nature when he does not blame other people, but considers himself responsible for his evil thoughts. In this case man knows the causes of his passions and confesses his sins to God; that is, instead of putting the blame on others, as Adam and Eve did, he blames himself and struggles to be cured. When man receives the fruits of the Most holy Spirit this nous moves above nature. In this state the nous is united with God and rejoices in His presence. When the nous is illumined and united with God, it becomes formless and shapeless, that is it is delivered from images, phantasies and demonic thoughts. It has good thoughts and thus it feels free from inner restraints. For, as you understand, evil thoughts which turn against God, and against his fellow men are a result of the nous' illness. You can realise, therefore, of how great importance the nous and the heart are, concerning malady and cure of the soul; concerning, in general, spiritual life.
-I think that the time has come to pose anew the question which I had previously asked, said Basil, "what is cure and how do you understand it?" Then you told me that you would give an answer when the appropriate time would come. Do not you think that this appropriate time has come?
|
|
