Christian theology Christian theology is the theology – the systematic study of the divine and religion – of Christianity, Christian belief and practice. It concentrates primarily upon the texts of the Old Testament and of the New Testament, as well as on Ch ...

, cardiognosis (literally ''Knowledge of the Heart'') is a special

charism In Christianity, a spiritual gift or charism (plural: charisms or charismata; in Greek language, Greek singular: wikt:χάρισμα, χάρισμα ''charisma'', plural: χαρίσματα ''charismata'') is an extraordinary power given by the ...

that God confers on some saints. In Christian

asceticism Asceticism is a lifestyle characterized by abstinence from worldly pleasures through self-discipline, self-imposed poverty, and simple living, often for the purpose of pursuing Spirituality, spiritual goals. Ascetics may withdraw from the world ...

, the term Cardiognosis also indicates the ascetical methods and meditation techniques which have the purpose of reaching an inner state of

mystical Mysticism is popularly known as becoming one with God or the Absolute, but may refer to any kind of ecstasy or altered state of consciousness which is given a religious or spiritual meaning. It may also refer to the attainment of insight ...

experience and, eventually, the

a of Cardiognosis.

Cardiognosis as a supernatural gift

Cardiognosis, meaning ''Knowledge of the Heart'' in a

metaphysical Metaphysics is the branch of philosophy that examines the basic structure of reality. It is traditionally seen as the study of mind-independent features of the world, but some theorists view it as an inquiry into the conceptual framework of h ...

sense, is only used in Scripture as an attribute of the Deity, to God's knowledge of man's heart, never some special knowledge men have deep in their own hearts. Indeed, all knowledge, or thought, is biblically referenced as residing in "the heart," and nowhere else ("May the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart...(Ps. 19:14)"; "As a man thinks in his heart... (Prov. 23:7)"]. The term is found twice in the New Testament, both times in Acts, and does not appear in the Septuagint. Also of relevance is Proverbs 27:19: The '' Ascent of Mount Carmel'' by

John of the Cross St. John of the Cross (; ; né Juan de Yepes y Álvarez; 24 June 1542 – 14 December 1591) was a Spanish Roman Catholic priest, mystic, and Carmelite friar of ''Converso'' ancestry. He is a major figure of the Counter-Reformation in Spain, ...

is informative. See II.26,13, and chapter 26 in general: The supernatural gift of Cardiognosis leads the saint, who received it, to establish in his heart an inner dialogue and an inner knowledge of God{{Cite journal , last=PILERI BRUNO , first=Antonino , date= , year=2019 , title=Il cuore: sede e trono della conoscenza. La cardiognosia nell'opera teologica di Tomáš Špidlík , url=https://research.ebsco.com/c/qarjm7/search/details/2nvuqstbsn/details?q=AU+Bruno%2C+Antonino , journal=Ho Theológos , volume=2 , issue=37 , pages=213-232 , issn=0392-1484 , via=EBSCO. This mystical experience is often described by

Christian saints In Christian belief, a saint is a person who is recognized as having an exceptional degree of holiness, likeness, or closeness to God. However, the use of the term ''saint'' depends on the context and denomination. In Anglican, Oriental Ortho ...

as the perceiving of the

Inner Light Inward light, Light of God, Light of Christ, Christ within, That of God, Spirit of God within us, Light within, and inner light are related phrases commonly used within the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) as metaphors for Christ's light ...

of Christ.

Cardiognosis as an ascetical method

The term Cardiognosis is also used to indicate the ascetical methods and meditations which lead to the ''Knowledge of the Heart''. In the Bible, the gift of Cardiognosis is indicated in the speech on the Mountain ( Matthew 5:8) "Blessed are the pure of heart for they will see God". In the

hesychast Hesychasm () is a contemplative monastic tradition in the Eastern Christian traditions of the Eastern Orthodox Church and Eastern Catholic Churches in which stillness (''hēsychia'') is sought through uninterrupted Jesus prayer. While rooted in ...

tradition, Cardiognosis is treated in most of the texts of

Philokalia The ''Philokalia'' (, from ''philia'' "love" and ''kallos'' "beauty") is "a collection of texts written between the 4th and 15th centuries by spiritual masters" of the mystical hesychast tradition of the Eastern Orthodox Church. They were or ...

(Gk. φιλοκάλειν ''To Love the Beautiful'') as a continuous prayer to God. The same experience is described in another, much shorter, well-known book called ''

The Way of a Pilgrim ''The Way of a Pilgrim'', or ''The Pilgrim's Tale'', is the English title of a 19th-century Russian work, recounting the narrator's journey as a mendicant pilgrim while practicing the Jesus Prayer. The pilgrim's travels take him through southern ...

'', in which a Russian traveler learns to pray continuously repeating the name of Jesus.

Cardiognosis in new movements and thoughts

The practice of Cardiognosis has been revived by

Tommaso Palamidessi Tommaso Palamidessi (February 16, 1915 – April 29, 1983) was an Italian philosopher focused on esotericism. Drawn to astrology, parapsychology, and yoga- tantric doctrines, he was active in the field of the occult and developed Archeosophy, wh ...

(founder of the

Archeosophical Society Archeosofica is a school of esoteric Christianity founded by Tommaso Palamidessi in 1968 in Rome. It offers a program of research on Archeosophy. The school is free and supplies booklets and other texts. Beliefs Archeosofica proposes a form of " ...

). Welding the

tradition and the

Christian A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the wo ...

theology with the eastern techniques of

yoga Yoga (UK: , US: ; 'yoga' ; ) is a group of physical, mental, and spiritual practices or disciplines that originated with its own philosophy in ancient India, aimed at controlling body and mind to attain various salvation goals, as pra ...

meditation, Tommaso Palamidessi developed a new practice of Cardiognosis. This meditation technique is deeply treated in his essay ''The Mystical Ascesis and Meditation on the Heart''. According to the archeosophical teachings, cardiognosis is a method that will establish the experimenter's intelligence illuminated by the Intelligence of Christ in the heart. This technique, according to Palamidessi, will bring to experiment the vision of the Inner Light and constitutes a ''soft'' and danger-free way to the awaking of

kundalini In Hinduism, kundalini (, ) is a form of divine feminine energy (or ''Shakti'') believed to be located at the base of the spine, in the '' muladhara''. It is an important concept in Śhaiva Tantra, where it is believed to be a force or power ...

References

* Adolphe Tanquerey, ''The Spiritual life: A Treatise On Ascetical And Mystical Theology'', Paperback, 2001 *

, ''The Mystical Ascesis and Meditation on the Heart'', ed. Archeosofica, 1971 * Di Agresti, Guglielmo M. ''Santa Caterina de' Ricci. Epistolario I (1542-1554)'', Coll. Collana ricciana 1973 *

. ''Subida del Monte Carmelo''.

External links

Cardiognosis, Knowledge of the Heart
an article by

Christian mysticism Christian asceticism Christian terminology

Cardiognosis as a supernatural gift

Cardiognosis as an ascetical method

Cardiognosis in new movements and thoughts

See also

References

External links