Christian theology Christian theology is the theology of Christianity, Christian belief and practice. Such study concentrates primarily upon the texts of the Old Testament and of the New Testament, as well as on Christian tradition. Christian theology, theologian ...

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

charism A spiritual gift or charism (plural: charisms or charismata; in Greek singular: χάρισμα ''charisma'', plural: χαρίσματα ''charismata'') is an extraordinary power given by the Holy Spirit."Spiritual gifts". ''A Dictionary of the ...

that God confers on some saints. In Christian

asceticism Asceticism (; from the el, ἄσκησις, áskesis, exercise', 'training) is a lifestyle characterized by abstinence from sensual pleasures, often for the purpose of pursuing spiritual goals. Ascetics may withdraw from the world for their p ...

, 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 in u ...

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 studies the fundamental nature of reality, the first principles of being, identity and change, space and time, causality, necessity, and possibility. It includes questions about the nature of conscio ...

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 ''Ascent of Mount Carmel'' ( es, Subida del Monte Carmelo) is a 16th-century spiritual treatise by Spanish Catholic mystic and poet Saint John of the Cross. The book is a systematic treatment of the ascetical life in pursuit of mystical union w ...

'' by

John of the Cross John of the Cross, OCD ( es, link=no, Juan de la Cruz; la, Ioannes a Cruce; born Juan de Yepes y Álvarez; 24 June 1542 – 14 December 1591) was a Spanish Catholic priest, mystic, and a Carmelite friar of converso origin. He is a major fi ...

is informative. See II.26,13, and chapter 26 in general: {{quote, SII.26,14 es de saber que estos que tienen el espíritu purgado con mucha facilidad naturalmente pueden conocer, y unos más que otros, lo que hay en el corazón o espíritu interior, y las inclinaciones y talentos de las personas; y esto por indicios exteriores, aunque sean muy pequeños, como por palabras, movimientos y otras muestras. Porque, así como el demonio puede esto, porque es espíritu, así tambien lo puede el espiritual, según el dicho del Apóstol (1 Cor. 2:15) que dice: Spiritualis autem iudicat omnia: El espiritual todas las cosas juzga. Y otra vez (1 Cor. 2:10) dice: Spiritus enim omnia scrutatur, etiam profunda Dei: El espíritu todas las cosas penetra, hasta las cosas profundas de Dios. De donde, aunque naturalmente no pueden los espirituales conocer los pensamientos o lo que hay en el interior, por ilustración sobrenatural o por indicios bien lo pueden entender. Y aunque en el conocimiento por indicios muchas veces se pueden engañar, las más veces aciertan. Mas ni de lo uno ni de lo otro hay que fiarse, porque el demonio se entremete aquí grandemente y con mucha sutileza, como luego diremos; y así siempre se han de renunciar las tales inteligencias (y noticias). 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. This mystical experience is often described by

Christian saints In religious 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 Catholic, Eastern Ortho ...

as the perceiving of the

Inner Light The 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 li ...

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 (; Greek: Ησυχασμός) is a contemplative monastic tradition in the Eastern Orthodox Church in which stillness (''hēsychia'') is sought through uninterrupted Jesus prayer. While rooted in early Christian monasticism, it took it ...

tradition, Cardiognosis is treated in most of the texts of

Philokalia The ''Philokalia'' ( grc, φιλοκαλία, lit=love of the beautiful, 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 trad ...

(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 a ...

'', 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 esotericist. Drawn to astrology, parapsychology, and yoga- tantric doctrines, he was active in the field of the occult and developed a form of Esoteric Christianity that ...

(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 "a ...

). Welding the

tradition and the

Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...

theology with the eastern techniques of

yoga Yoga (; sa, योग, lit=yoke' or 'union ) is a group of physical, mental, and spiritual practices or disciplines which originated in ancient India and aim to control (yoke) and still the mind, recognizing a detached witness-consciou ...

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 ( sa, कुण्डलिनी, translit=kuṇḍalinī, translit-std=IAST, lit=coiled snake, ) is a form of divine feminine energy (or ''Shakti'') believed to be located at the base of the spine, in the ''muladhara'' ...

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