WEB 4 -  ARCHIVE

Commentary 17 - Page  4

HOME . PRAXIS NOW  .  PRAXIS PAST  .  CLASSES . EVENTS . BOOKSHOP  . WHAT'S NEW . REGISTER . LOGIN

PRAXIS NOW 

INNER CHRISTIANITY

Glimpse of Truth

Different knowledge

Darkness of the psyche
Inner states
Consciousness retold

Speaking of God

Seeking Self

Inner Identity

Civilising Knowledge

THE ELDERS

The Hermit's Message

The Western Version

Christian Fourth Way

Lost Christianity

Saints are made

Way of Theosis

Psychological method

Prayer of the heart

praxis studies

Registration

Studies gatehouse

Free videos

Introductory studies
Members pages
LOGIN

LOGOUT
Manage my account
Admin

To change the heart, you begin with the head.

"As we have remarked, however, the thinking function seldom behaves as it should. It gives way too easily to dreams and absentmindedness, while the active part of our makeup turns away from its objective and is seduced by changeable desires - desires aroused by alien passions, rather than soundly based on natural needs. Anger burns it, hatred tears at it, envy corrodes it, and how much agony is caused by vanity that has been unsatisfied or put to shame!" ( Saint Theophan the Recluse - The Heart of Salvation - Praxis.)

Theophan tells us that the depth of our prayer depends on the degree to which we can live our life at other times in awareness of God.   He adds:

“The farmer not only clears the field of weeds, but sows good seed and vigilantly watches over the seedlings in their growth. It is the same in the spiritual life; in joining battle with passions and bad habits a man must at the same time --- with the grace of God --- nourish the germ of the higher spiritual life in himself.

"The best conditions for reaching maturity in the spiritual life are:

• Ceaseless prayer: `To make a habit of constant remembrance and thought of God and His perfections.'
• Selflessness: `To do everything to the glory of God, and'
• Obedience: `To live in obedience to God's will.

" I want to make it clear that all three need a great deal of thought.

1.    Ceaseless prayer means that your mind should be somewhere else from where it usually is.

2.    Selflessness means that your heart also should be somewhere else from where it usually is.

3.    Obedience means that your will, too, should be going somewhere else from where it is.

These three principles are of course interdependent. Theophan adds:  ``Every time you happen to be alone, be swift to renew the conviction that the Lord and your Guardian Angel are with you,'' continued Theophan. ``Make use of these occasional moments of solitude to put yourself in the presence of God and to converse with him sweetly. Solitude in this spirit is sweet. I want you to taste this sweetness so that you will desire it as paradise on earth.''

MAGNETISATION

Magnet Page 1

Magnet Page 2

Magnet Page 3

Magnet Page 4

Magnet Page 5

Magnet Page 6

Magnet Page 7

Magnet Page 8

Magnet Page 9

Magnet Page 10

Spiritual crisis of the West  

Notices to Readers