Season 1

Philokalic Spirituality in a Post-Modern Culture

A study on the anthropology of Saint Gregory Palamas. The theology of the person, as this is revealed in the hesychast ascetic tradition, is the most significant counter-argument to post-modern individualism and relativism. The ascetics of introversion and of conscious tranquility (hesychia) is not a psychological proposition but the authentic and only way of transforming the “repulsive mask” into a person.

Nous Part Ten - Theoretic Nous and Deified Nous

Theosis and Deification - "Mind that sees God"; cannot reached blessed state unless passing through practical stage of asceticism and purification; fixed and faultless movement between nous of man and Nous of God; joy that comes through theosis; seeing God's virtues in self.

Nous Part Nine - Nous in Temptation and Battle

Stages of Temptation; Inventiveness of the Demons and their strategies; Examining one's falls, their causes and committing them to memory; knowing one's weak spots; Ignorance and Captivity; Cures; Spiritual work and the beauty achieved through humility, silence and prayer.

Nous Part Eight - Prayer, Asceticism, Dispassion

Prayer; Body and its place in purifying the nous through asceticism; necessity of asceticism; impassioned nous and dispassionate nous; contemporary questions about connection between liturgy, worship and the ascetical life; group questions about disciplining the body as a means of purifying the nous and rigor and consistency needed in such discipline.

Nous Part Seven - Prayer That Transcends the Passions and Conceptual Thoughts

Prayer and the Apophatic tradition; imageless and without conceptual thoughts or the use of imagination; perceived and real differences from Western Spirituality; purification of the Nous essential for salvation; signs of such true prayer; virtue alone does not lead to God; how prayer binds us to God

Nous Part Six - Prayer and the Cultivation of the Soul, Fathers Understand of Demons

Prayer and the Purification of the Nous; Critique of Centering Prayer; The Fathers Understanding of Demons; Demons in the Desert; Snares of the Demons; Struggling Against the Demons, Indirect Warfare, Asceticism and Modernity

Nous Part Five - Memories, Imagination, Prayer

Cultural Collapse and Schizoid nature of modern society; purification of memories and imagination; Remembrance of Death and Perception of Religious and Spiritual Reality; Prayer as essential to identity as human beings and our life

Nous Part Four - Purification of Memories and Recollections

Healing of the Nous through purification of the memories and recollections; Analogy of Psychoanalysis - projecting memories onto screen of Nous to be healed through mortifications and asceticism, detachment; why the thoughts that arise through the memory are the most irksome and challenging to address in the spiritual life; a healing that takes years. . .

Nous Part Three - Purifying the Nous and Asceticism in Modern Culture

Importance of Holy Spirit in teaching Nous how to heal the soul; Holy Desire necessary for pursuing purity of Nous, Striving for perfection; Asceticism and Modern Culture; How to communicate the value of asceticism.

Nous Part Two - Vigilant Gate Keeper

Nature of Struggle with attacks on Nous; Obedience and Remembrance of God; Hating Sin; Unceasing Prayer; Watchfulness and Prayer Linked together; Beginnings of Watchfulness - Temperance in Food and Drink, the Rejection of Different Thoughts, Peace of Heart; Purifying Fire of Holy Communion; Revealing of False Self

The Nous - Part One

Definition of the Nous; Man as Triune Image of God - nous, word, spirit; Three powers of the soul; Creative factor of every aspect of civilization; difference in object from other methods of meditation; Fall of Nous of Man before and after Christ; Nous as vigilant gate keep of soul

Nepsis, Wakefulness, Attentiveness

How to Read the Fathers, What is Nepsis: Being present to where we are; Aliveness to God; the Mind as a sentry; Mindfulness; Attentiveness and Prayer must be combined; All the sense must be guarded as well as thoughts from demonic intrusions and temptations; the Relentlessness of the Demons; Necessity of Interrogating thoughts and questioning their origin; The never ending work of nepsis; Hatred for sin and swiftness in casting out sinful thoughts.

Intro. to History of Philokalia and Characteristics of Philokalic Spirituality

Ressourcement, Kollyvades, primary features of movement; Three basic themes of Philokalia; Relevance of Philokalic spirituality for contemporary Christians.

Invitation to Philokalia Study Group