Watchfulness is a spiritual method which, if practiced over a long period, completely frees us with God's help from impassioned thoughts, impassioned words and evil actions. It leads, in so far as this is possible, to a sure knowledge of the inapprehensible God, and helps us to penetrate the divine and hidden mysteries. It enables us to fulfill every divine commandment in the Old and New Testaments and bestows upon us every blessing of the age to come. It is, in the true sense, purity of heart, a state blessed by Christ when He says: 'Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.' (Matt. 5:8); and one which, because of its spiritual nobility and beauty - or, rather, because of our negligence - is now extremely rare among monks. Because this is its nature, watchfulness is to be bought only at a great price. But once established in us, it guides us to a true and holy way of life. It teaches us how to activate the three aspects of our soul correctly, and how to keep a firm guard over the senses. It promotes the daily growth of the four principle virtues, and is the basis of our contemplation.
St Hesychios the Priest, On Watchfulness and Holiness, Vol. 1 pg. 161
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Major Arcana: The Fool (Labyrinth Tarot)Luis Royo |
like the little dog in the card above, warning the fool to watch where he's going, i need the sharp reminders to keep me coming back to the path i want to be on...
Lord Jesus Christ, Son of GOD, have mercy on me, a sinner.
3 comments:
Curious in reading this about the relationship between watchfulness and what we now call 'mindfulness' - I think in many aspects they're the same thing, and it's intriguing now how mindfulness is getting a lot of chatter around it in secular health fields....
I'm trying to use mindfulness a lot more in a day to day setting - when the head wanders off or gets stuck in a rut on something to step back and center oneself - but trying to also make that a spiritual discipline as well... So interesting to see your take on it.
My take (from a while back and with a different skew) - http://breathing-space.blogspot.com/2010/09/science-of-prayer.html
thanks, for reading. a recent blogpost (http://heavenswithinearth.blogspot.com/2011/02/if-your-personal-practice-doesnt.html) i read jumped on me for my own lack of prayer life (or energy work, as he calls it)...
to me, mindfulness would only be a part of watchfulness. the part that watches over our mental selves... as St Hesychios says "It teaches us how to activate the three aspects of our soul correctly, and how to keep a firm guard over the senses." these three aspects are the mind, emotions and our will. while mindfulness will take us through our daily life with family, work and colleagues; the other two pars of us shouldn't be overlooked, i think. for myself especially, the will to do the right, GODly thing is in a weak state indeed, and needs work and keeping an eye on...
i did enjoy your post. i like your: "You may not get what you ask for, but the act of prayer is of benefit to you, regardless of what you pray for!" prayer is of benefit, as it enfolds us in GOD, and with it we become realigned with whatever GOD has for us...
Equanimity
Mindfulness practice provides the foundation for love to become a true spiritual path. The ability to concentrate allows us to focus our minds even in times of emotional stress, and equanimity refines our ability to remain a friendly audience to any and all experiences. Equanimity can itself be known as love because it is the matter-of-fact, gentle acceptance of things just as they are. I often teach that relational love equals equanimity plus knowledge of the beloved. Equanimity allows us to relax and keep open, and concentration refines our ability to pay attention to our beloved's words, needs, feelings and gestures, and to remember them. Together, equanimity and concentration are the necessary supports for any communication or listening skills we attempt to bring to conflict resolution; without mindfulness our skills fall apart when we are triggered into habitual reactive patterns.
~Polly Young-Eisendrath
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