The Wisdom of Hypatia: Ancient Spiritual Practices for a More Meaningful Life (55 page)

The present is all that is real.”302

Petrus raises his hand and says, “Master, I think often on the sins I’ve committed,

and on those I’m tempted to commit. I believe this makes me a better person.”

“Certainly,” Hypatia replies, “it is worthwhile to recall our mistakes and to think how we could have avoided them, so we are less likely to make them in the future. As Epicurus said,

The beginning of salvation is the recognition of faults.303

“In fact, that is the point of one of our spiritual practices, Examination of Con-

science, but it is always for a purpose, our moral and spiritual progress. Wallowing in guilt over our failures—or for that matter in pride at our successes—is a waste of the soul’s energy. When you hear your soul chattering in this way, turn it toward an arrow

262 the path of truth

prayer, which will replace the useless inner noise. Indeed, no matter what you are doing, unless your inner talk is serving some purpose, it’s best to mentally recite an arrow.

You will find it remarkably calming.

Do not continually stir the water;

let it be,

and the sediment will settle out.

“The third degree of prayer, which is at the level of nous, is called ‘prayer of the nous’, ‘prayer of the heart’, or ‘the prayer of simple gaze’. Here you must rest in a state of timeless contemplation, one Being turned toward the cause of all Being. At this level prayer is a
state
, not an
action
. The fourth and highest degree, at the level of The One, is the ‘self-acting prayer’, in which the state of contemplation is replaced by a feeling of divine presence and love. This is not anything that you
do
, but rather something that happens
to
you, an effect of the First Cause. You may experience a kind of ecstasy, which results from contact with The One just prior to Union.”

Continuous Prayer:
Experiment with the continuous prayer of the soul, especially if you find yourself constantly repeating past or future dialogues in your head,

whether these scripts are positive or negative. Unless there is some specific

purpose to thinking these thoughts, switch to an arrow prayer, so that it be-

comes the background to whatever you are doing. As this practice becomes

habitual, you may find that active mental praying sometimes vanishes into a

calm state of contemplation.

Twelve Thousand Arrows:
If you want a more intense practice of continuous prayer and a quicker experience of its benefits, you can try this practice. It prepares

the ground in which self-acting prayer can germinate. Make a commitment to

repeat your arrow prayer one thousand times each day. Use prayer beads (Bud-

dhist malas, Pagan prayer beads, or a rosary) to help you count.

the path of truth 263

Twelve Thousand Arrows (continued):
One thousand prayers is not as many as it seems; if you repeat the arrow at a comfortable rate, as you should, it will take less

than an hour (depending on the length of your arrow). Continue this practice

for a week (at least during the time you are learning the Ascent by Truth). If

you have more time to devote to your practice (e.g., on vacation or during a

retreat), then every week you can increase the number of daily repetitions in

steps to 3000, 6000, and 12,000 (the practical limit: about ten hours). You do

not need to do them all at one sitting, and you can engage in limited activities

while you say them.

Perfection—Union

Hypatia pauses to make sure everyone is paying attention. “Now we come to the

goal and culmination of the Philosophical Ascent. Union with The One is symbolized,

of course, by the dot at the top of the Tetractys. This is not so much an achievement as a gift. As you have seen through all three degrees of wisdom, living philosophically involves an acceptance of Destiny, Universal Nature, Providence, or God’s Will, whatever its name. This does not imply an apathetic passivity, of course, but it does imply a realistic and wise understanding of your place in the cosmos, which we can get from

philosophy and spiritual practice. This is especially the case with the final stage of ascent—called Perfection, Deification, or Union—for each person has a spiritual destiny, and practice only prepares the ground for it; the seed must come from above.

“Union may be experienced as plenitude, that is, as fullness or a merging with ev-

erything in the universe at every level of reality. This is often accompanied by an experience akin to light, which can be called the Divine Light. Therefore The One is often symbolized by the sun. Since the sun is a source of warmth and comfort and sustains

life, Union is also an experience of feeling illuminated by the goodness of The One, and of experiencing everything else as so illuminated. On the other hand, the Divine Light of The Inexpressible One is so brilliant and incomprehensible, that Union is also experienced as a kind of darkness, the impenetrable depths of existence.”

“Since the One is devoid of activity, form, and thought,” she continues, “the phi-

losopher must abandon activity, form, and thought to identify with the One. These

maxims are from Plotinus; they can be used as arrow prayers:

264 the path of truth

We develop toward ecstasy by simplifying the soul.304

We ascend by flight of the alone to The Alone, face to Face.305

“Then center will be joined with Center, the flower of the soul to The Inexpressible One. However, as I said, neither this experience nor the preceding ones can be brought about by will; it is a kind of grace, a gift. You can only prepare and wait patiently. The goal of the philosophical life is perpetual attention to the divine, a metamorphosis or deification. However, while still attached to a human body, you cannot maintain the

concentration and tension of union, so you must eventually return to the world. Nev-

ertheless, as a result of union you will return with improved mildness, gentleness, and receptivity, and with an improved knowledge of your true self. You will be better able to see the light of The One reflected in the everyday world and, by bringing that light back, to illuminate others.

“When you have experienced divine union, you will of course be anxious to return

to it, and you can prepare for union by exercising the virtues and the other spiritual practices you have learned. Don’t be impatient, but remember:

According to the Rules of Order,

little things must precede the greater,

if we would make the ascent.306

“The philosophical life is ‘amphibious’: a double life, cycling, turning now toward

the light, now toward the earth. The philosopher is like the moon in her orbit, turning her face first to the earth (when she is full), then to the sun (when she is new). When the moon approaches closest to the sun, when they are in
conjunction
, there is an eclipse; that is like the philosopher’s union with the source of divine light, when the earthly realms are left in utter darkness. But when the philosopher returns, and turns her face again to the earth, then she illuminates it with light reflected from the source.