Bringing it back to Earth: Guest post by Jason Gagnon

The Wilderness Journal: 365 Days with the Philokalia

Jason A. Gagnon

Bringing it back to Earth

January 16, 2019

Format: Paperback

The Philokalia is a tricky set of books. It is a collection of writings from spiritual Fathers of the Eastern Christian tradition who lived and wrote between the fourth and fifth centuries. It often comes with a warning - "Don't read these without the guidance of a spiritual father!" They were written largely by monks for monks- but still, for a set of books called "Love of the Beautiful" that is strange advice. If these writings are to help the devout on the path to salvation, why do they so often come with a warning?

To be fair, flipping through a volume of the Philokalia can sometimes read like the Eastern Christian equivalent of Zen Koans. What is the sound of one hand clapping? Beats me. But what about when St Isaiah the Solitary writes "He who receives no help when. at war should feel no confidence when at peace"? Beats me, as well.

In The Wilderness Journal Angela Doll Carson brings the writings of the first volume of the Philokalia down to earth. She is a mother and a poet, and as she works her way through the philokakia, her ruminations are grounded in the reality of her life. Traffic. Raising children. Grocery shopping. However, the vast majority of us aren't monks on Mount Athos, but lay people stumbling through life, groping towards our salvation. And we do it in our cars, in the grocery store, at church. at work, and at home.

The book is written following along with volume one of the Philokalia - taking excerpts from the eight authors included in that volume. Each page is marked with a day number, followed by a quote, and then the rumination. Sometimes it dives deep into the quotation, and sometimes it is a glancing blow, landing on a single phrase and ignoring the rest of the quote. It works. She roots the transcendent in the mundane. And that is the intersection at which we live.

A very nice touch is that each of the eight sections is started off with a brief essay by a guest author, writing on the spiritual father who is to come - some of the names were familiar, and others I had not come across. The first section was kicked off with a short reflection on St Isiah the Solitary by Molly Maddex Sabourin. Her book, "Close to Home: One Orthodox mother’s quest for patience, peace, and perseverance " was something my wife and I both greatly enjoyed. Another section saw an essay by Father Kaleeg Hainsworth whose book "Altar in the Wilderness" I found incredibly inspiring. But some of the other names were new to me. Some googling around led me to poems and writings that I otherwise would never have stumbled upon. I am greatly appreciative of these literary introductions.

Do I recommend this book? Absolutely. I suggest reading it along with volume one of the Philokalia. It is easy to get lost in that book - finding sentences where you come to the end and have already forgotten how they started. This book will help keep you grounded in the day to day where you already live, and applying the lessons it teaches to your actual life. We have jobs and kids. We need to pray and fast - but first, the laundry