Theosis and day-to-day life

[Guest guest]

Theosis and day-to-day life

 

 

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.

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'

©2000/ Paul Skorpen + www.theosis.com