For when the mind is brought to stillness, and all our strategies of acquisition have dropped, a deeper truth presents itself: we are and have always been one with God and we are all one in God (Jn 17:21).

For when the mind is brought to stillness, and all our strategies of acquisition have dropped, a deeper truth presents itself: we are and have always been one with God and we are all one in God (Jn 17:21).

Until we are in a state of conscious presence, we are merely whatever commands and occupies our attention. We want to keep “the rose” in mind, but our minds are drawn to judgment, worry, regret, discontent, desire. Passive attention merely reacts to whatever is strongest in our environment, especially whatever threatens or exalts our ego. As long a

Theophan is but one of a host of saints and sages who attest that thinking about God is a problem if you want to commune with God. In fact, because our attention is so completely riveted to what’s playing on the big screen of our thinking mind, we can live completely unaware of the deeper ground of the heart that already communes with God, that kno