Hesychia, a Greek word meaning quiet and solitude, goes to the very heart of the spirit of the desert. It is the quiet and solitude that Jesus sought and undergirded his ministry. It is the very spirit of the Desert Fathers. The spirit of quiet and solitude is one which can be developed through discipline, prayerfulness and mindfulness. This desert spirit strengthens us, girds our inner being, and helps us to withstand the difficulties of the world around us and to work that God's Kingdom may come.Related reading & listening:
Being Still: Reflections on an Ancient Mystical Tradition
Hesychasm: Apophatic Theology, Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite, Prayer Rope, Jesus Prayer, Hesychasm, Theophan the Recluse, John Climacus
Globalization of Hesychasm and the Jesus Prayer: Contesting Contemplation (Continuum Advances in Religious Studies)
