Show Notes
A reading of reflections and poems of Saint Symeon taken from various sources and translations including:~ The Book of Mystical Chapters: Meditations on the Soul's Ascent from the Desert Fathers and Other Early Christian Contemplatives, Translated by John Anthony McGuckin~ The Enlightened Heart: An Anthology of Sacred Poetry, by Stephen Mitchell~ The Fire rises in Me - English version by Ivan M. GrangerSaint Symeon the New Theologian (949 -1022 AD) was an Eastern Orthodox monk and poet who was one of the three saints canonized by the Eastern Orthodox Church and given the title of "Theologian." "Theologian" was not applied to Symeon in the modern academic sense of theological study; the title was intended only to recognise someone who spoke from personal experience of the vision of God. One of his principal teachings was that humans could and should experience theoria (literally "contemplation," or direct experience of God).Symeon was born into the Byzantine nobility and given a traditional education. At age fourteen, he met Symeon the Studite, a renowned monk of the Monastery of Stoudios in Constantinople, who convinced him to give his own life to prayer and asceticism under the elder Symeon's guidance. By the time he was thirty, Symeon the New Theologian became the abbot of the Monastery of Saint Mamas, a position he held for twenty-five years. He attracted many monks and clergy with his reputation for sanctity, though his teachings brought him into conflict with church authorities, who would eventually send him into exile. Symeon is recognized as the first Eastern Christian mystic to share his own mystical experiences freely. Some of his writings are included in the Philokalia, a collection of texts by early Christian mystics on contemplative prayer and hesychast teachings. Symeon wrote and spoke frequently about the importance of experiencing directly the grace of God, often talking about his own experiences of God as divine light. Another common subject in his writings was the need of putting oneself under the guidance of a spiritual father. The authority for many of his teachings derived from the traditions of the Desert Fathers, early Christian monks and ascetics. Symeon's writings include Hymns of Divine Love, Ethical Discourses, and The Catechetical Discourses.Photography: George Digalakis ~ The Sound of Silence / georgedigalakisphotography https://www.digalakisphotography.com/Music: "Let My Love Be Heard" by Jake Runestad. Performed by the Bob Cole Conservatory Chamber Choir. • Let My Love Be Heard - Jake Runestad Cousin Silas - Slow Rotations https://cousinsilas1.bandcamp.com/With thanks to Pat for his kind permission to use his music for this channel.
🙏 May whatever goodness arises from these readings/offerings be for the benefit of all sentient beings. 🔆 These podcasts are not monetized. If you benefit from these podcasts and would like to support our nun's hermitage, there are two options to donate - via Paypal using this email address: [email protected] with PayPal or using this direct link: https://paypal.me/VivekaHermitage or we have a WISE account with the above email address.
More from Wisdom of the Masters
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Selected passages read from the text Gravity and Grace - specifically from the chapters on 'The Self' and 'Decreation'.Simone Weil (1909–1943) was a French philosopher, mystic and spiritual writer whose short life was devoted to the search for truth and God. Although born into a secular Jewish family, she was profoundly drawn to Christianity and experienced several deep mystical encounters with Christ.Her spiritual writings explore attention, prayer, suffering, grace, compassion and the surrender of the ego. She called this radical self-emptying 'decreation' — the relinquishment of the self so that divine love might enter. Weil never formally entered the Catholic Church, but remained deeply influenced by Christ and the Christian mystical tradition. She died in England in 1943, aged only thirty-four, leaving behind writings that have become highly regarded for their spiritual depth and originality. ________________________________ 🙏 May whatever goodness arises from these readings/offerings be for the benefit of all sentient beings.
Hazrat Inayat Khan (1882 –1927) was an Indian professor of musicology, singer, exponent of the saraswati vina, poet, philosopher, and pioneer of the transmission of Sufism to the West. He initially came to the West as a representative of several traditions of classical Indian music, and established an order of Sufism (the Sufi Order) in London in 1914. By the time of his death in 1927, centers had been established throughout Europe and North America, and multiple volumes of his teachings had been published.Inayat Khan's teaching emphasized the oneness of God (tawhid) and the underlying harmony of the revelations communicated by the prophets of all the world's great religions. His discourses treated such varied subjects as religion, art, music, ethics, philosophy, psychology, and health and healing. Music: Uppbeat Licensed Music ________________________________ 🙏 May whatever goodness arises from these readings/offerings be for the benefit of all sentient beings. 🔆 These podcasts are not monetized. If you benefit from these podcasts and would like to support our nun's hermitage, there are two options to donate - via Paypal using this email address: [email protected] with PayPal or using this direct link: https://paypal.me/VivekaHermitage or we have a WISE account with the above email address or using the direct link if you have a WISE account: https://wise.com/pay/me/margarets448