In Volume One of Walking on the Waves: An Everyday Guide to Nepsis, His Grace Bishop Emilianos of Meloa introduced nepsis as the spiritual method of prayerfully watching over our thoughts, divesting ourselves of passions, regrets and desires and making room for God. Volume Two offers five distinct, yet intertwined talks, for building a healthy spiritual life in union with God.
Opening with Talk 5, “Nepsis: A Rule of Prayer,” we gain insight into the ways nepsis stabilizes our love for Christ, rids us of the fear of death and helps us acquire all other virtues.
Talk 6, “Nepsis: Experiencing God,” explores two ways of experiencing God—Theoptia, the vision of God through the nous, and Theokoinonia, sensing the presence or qualities of God.
Talk 7, “Nepsis: Humbling Ourselves Willingly,” focuses on a special kind of humility and the importance of it becoming a living condition rather than an intentional pursuit.
The theme of humility continues into Talk 8, “Nepsis: Self-Knowledge.” With humility, we are given the Gift of Knowing God, without which, we cannot know ourselves.
Concluding with Talk 9, “Nepsis: Knowing Our Limits,” the importance of recognizing our spiritual, psychological and physical limits to avoid burnout and maintain a connection with God is emphasized.
Throughout each talk, invaluable questions on real-world struggles are asked and answered: How do we prepare ourselves to change? When we lose our sense of Oneness with God or feel like we’ve slipped spiritually, how can we bring ourselves back to where we were? How do you overcome the discomfort of humbling yourself? How should I handle being in the company of someone—whether family or a friend—who vocalizes judgment about someone else? When you say to ‘focus on Christ,’ do you mean being aware of God in everything we do? How do we recognize the line between our limits and laziness?
9 x 6 x .5 inches; 148 pages