Jean Christou gets stuck into a very readable insight into Christian Orthodoxy, the latest book by Kyriacos Markides
Gifts of the Desert is the first book I have read by Kyriacos Markides, author of the well-known Magus of Strovolos, and the recently acclaimed Mountain of Silence.
I have been remiss but the reason I had not read either of the previous books was because I had already read the writings of Stylianos Atteshlis himself, and in the second case a book about monks on Mount Athos simply did not appeal.
What could the Orthodox Church, full of scandals and power-struggles possibly offer anyone seeking knowledge of the realm of spiritual enlightenment? I found out when this latest book by Markides crossed my path. But it was not so much the title Gifts of the Desert, as the subtitle ‘The Forgotten Path of Christian Spirituality’ that made it appealing. Was there really such a thing as Christian mysticism?
Markides is someone, like many others who came before him and many who will come after him, that search for spiritual truths from West to East only to find themselves back where they started but with a much deeper understanding of what they ran away from through the exploration of other paths.
What spiritual seeker can resist the lure of eastern mysticism when sometimes the western churches seem to have nothing to offer but hell and damnation, and of course the aforementioned scandals? How much cooler are Zen, Taoism, Jainism and Theosophy, yoga, mantras and meditative bliss compared to outdated superstitions such as kissing icons, lighting candles and telling your sins to a priest in confession?
Sometimes you don’t actually really see the things that are right under your nose until someone else scratches the surface for you or someone in the Church actually bothers to explain it to you, which, truth be told, is not very often.
Markides, who is mainly based in the US, begins his latest journey at Sedona, a well-known New Age gathering place in the Arizona desert whose “good vibes” are said to aid spiritual development.
But his main reason for visiting was to see an Athonite monastery, St Anthony’s, which has been created in the middle of the desert, and which is fast becoming a popular hermitage and refuge for spiritual seekers from all denominations.
From there Markides travels back to Cyprus and meets up again with the charismatic Father Maximos, the central character in Mountain of Silence. Maximos is a former Mount Athos monk, who is now a senior clergyman in Limassol so the book gives some unprecedented insight into some of the alleged scandals surrounding the Limassol Bishopric.
As much of the book is devoted to conversations with Maximos, who Markides sees as a sort of mentor, some tidbits about the truth of the certain scurrilous allegations against the Bishop emerge. Not only that but it is clear from anyone reading his words, that Father Maximos is just as clued in, if not more so on spiritual matters, than the many so-called eastern gurus. Only the terminology is different.
In fact he has become a bit of a guru himself and has quite a large following, probably by those faithful who see him as a breath of fresh air blowing through the Church of Cyprus. I certainly did. Neither does he condemn or criticise those who plotted to have him ousted from his position. In fact the man is a fountain of wisdom.
He gives plausible explanations for many of the Christian traditions one might consider to be just superstitions, when in fact there are some good solid “New Age” reasons for them, even for kissing icons, which is actually related to movement of universal energy.
“I always tell the official representatives of the Ecclesia (Church), the priests, the monks, the theologians, the Sunday School teachers, that they must be extremely careful to teach the true doctrines of the Ecclesia about the nature of God – that God is our Father and not some fearsome despot,” says Maximos. “This is a serious problem with the people who represent the Church. People come to hear about God and they are taught instead about Satan and hell and the like. They present God as a punitive tyrant. Or they may visit a sick person and tell her ‘Pray and God will make you well’. And what happens if the patient does not get well or if she dies? God is to blame. These are tragic mistakes. We should not believe in God because he will make us well.”
Maximos’ view is that not only are members of each congregation at different levels spiritually but so are many of the clergy, and these priests teach according to their own understanding of God, which is often at a pretty low level. That is why many people leave the Church. They have no guidance to progress or move forward in their spiritual understanding. This is what he is trying to change. Amen.
There have been some critical comments about Gifts of the Desert when compared to Mountain of Silence, but for those totally uninitiated to Markides’ writing and the wisdom of Father Maximos, Gifts of the Desert is not only a stand-alone book that offers a very readable insight into Christian Orthodoxy but it is also a book that will make you want to go back and read Markides’ previous work. A real eye-opener for anyone who has drifted away from Christianity due to disillusionment with the Church.
Gifts of the Desert: The Forgotten Path of Christian Spirituality by Kyriacos C. Markides is out now. £15.60 (published by Doubleday)
