The Submissive Wife | Disciplines

Disciplines | On Watchfulness and Waiting

“L

et us go forward with the heart completely attentive and the soul fully conscious. For if attentiveness and prayer are daily joined together, they become like Elijah's fire-bearing chariot, raising us to heaven. What do I mean? A spiritual heaven with sun, moon and stars, is formed in the blessed heart of one who has reached a state of watchfulness, or who strives to attain it; for such a heart, as a result of mystical contemplation and ascent, is enabled to contain within itself the uncontainable….Watchfulness cleanses the consciousness and makes it lucid. Thus cleansed, it immediately shines out like a light that has been uncovered, banishing much darkness. Once this darkness has been banished through constant and genuine watchfulness, the consciousness then reveals things hidden from us.”

—St. Philotheos of Sinai

from Forty Texts on Watchfulness

he central purpose of the disciplines we are given is to cause us to always be aware of the commitment we have made to embrace obedience as a means of obtaining balance, harmony and happiness. “Disciplines by themselves are worthless. They are simply obsessions. They become valuable only when they provide a means to satisfy a longing to please and a deep desire to be obedient.” In the beginning—and for some of us, for much, much longer—learning accountability and transparency (and how to accept correction!) are essential to grasping this aspect of our formation.

But one of the first things we are taught is patience, the difficult art of quiet attentiveness. Contemplation and focus teaches us that in stillness, we are able to discern disciplines even when they are not obvious. We are thus fortified to wait and watch for the next opportunity to obey—which is how we find peace, the reward for our attentiveness. Ropes are easy to accommodate. But patience is true bondage, a soothing discipline that wraps us and holds us tighter than any chain—but in doing so, frees us from the compulsion to manipulate everything around us and allows us to gain clarity of thought.

“It is right always to wait, with a faith energized by love, for the illumination which will enable us to speak.”

—St. Diadochos of Photiki,

On Spiritual Knowledge

“Every discipline has its corresponding freedom.”

—Richard Foster,

Celebration of Discipline: The Path to Spiritual Growth

ike all thoughtful women throughout time, we understand the virtue not only of waiting for our freedom but also striving for it when we should. For us, it’s freedom from confusion, from holding onto control when we should let go, freedom from modern androgyny and unhappiness. We strive toward freedom by meeting our disciplines and accepting obedience triumphantly as a means of gaining awareness, watchfulness—even safety. Yet every step of the way, the world contrives to distract us, weaken us and make us ashamed.

“The demons, are exceedingly jealous of those pursuing the way under obedience...They do and suggest everything possible so as to separate us from this path. They propose plausible excuses, they contrive irritations, they arouse hatred against the [teacher], they represent his admonitions as rebukes, they make his words of correction seem like sharpened arrows.”

—St. Theodoros (minor redaction)

It is not possible to participate in this project without being constantly made aware of what you are doing and why. “Obedience to the demands of this instruction is often difficult because it is voluntary, always.” And the only tool given to us is watchfulness. Fortunately, it is the right tool for the job.

his combination of obedience and attentiveness is part of everything we do as participants here, from how we are taught to sit and wait, to how we are asked to dress and groom ourselves, to adhering to those things that cause us discomfort, to accounting for what we do, to how we are made to accommodate vulnerability and constant arousal as routine conditions of our daily lives. Some of these things are part of the "Introductory Conditions" many of us were given when we started, but in many cases, we carry them with us always. We use them for navigation, for wisdom and for comfort.

The result is unfailing mindfulness of what we are and what we are constantly in the process of becoming.

The suggested readings from the community's text resources page: The Parable of the Five Wise Virgins, Fear and Trembling, Miracle of Mindfulness, Way of a Pilgrim, “Constant Arousal of the Soul”

The password used to access links on this page may be changed without notice. For password access by project participants, contact the site administrator.

______________________________

SUSTAINED SEXUAL AWARENESS

Introduction to the Spirituality of Sustained Sexual Awareness

1. On Watchfulness | 2. The Prayer of the Body | 3. The Prayer of Constant Arousal

Practical approaches to constant arousal (participants only)

Notes on Shame and Prayerfulness (participants only)

______________________________

This is a resource page adapted from a page used by participants in The Submissive Wife project. It is not to be distributed or copied.

Other resource and discipline pages are provided to participants on an as-needed basis.

Last review April 2005