How do you use metaphysics to get closer to God?

[rakovsky]

In Orthodoxy and Catholicism there is a concept of Theophany, where God appears.
In the Old Testament God walked in the Garden of Eden, walked with Enoch, visited Abraham as 3 angels, guided the Israelites as a cloud and as a fire, met Moses at Sinai. Christ enfleshing at His birth was a form of Theophany, and the light at the Transfiguration was probably a divine light like an emanation from God. Paul saw a great light on the Road to Emmaus.

Some Orthodox saints claim to have witnessed the divine light. Some people with Near Death Experiences or who get knocked hard on the head experience a light. Other times Christian's, especially when in prayer, have reported a loving comforting presence that they associate with God.

 

[JohnTh]

Some Orthodox saints claim to have witnessed the divine light. Some people with Near Death Experiences or who get knocked hard on the head experience a light.

Very, very, very unrelated things. The uncreated light is not „like an emanation from God” - it is God itself, that is His energy. God is absolutely inaccessible in His core but perfectly communicable in His energies. This is an unspoken difference in the pure simplicity of God which overpasses any known complexity by us.

Read St. Gregory Palamas on this matter - however perhaps one should prepare himself for this.

When someone knoks on his head is a known natural phenomenon - is an excitation of visual nerves. That is why someone „sees stars”.

The main point in seeing the uncreated light isn't the experience of the seeing of the light itself - even if this light is much more powerful than the light of sun - routinely the saints said that it is „more powerful than 1000 suns”. The main point is the absolute happiness and fulfillment provoked by this experience.

Saint Gregory says:

And when it has transcended intelligible realities and the concepts, not unmixed with images, that pertain to them, and in a godly and devout manner has rejected all things, then it will stand before God deaf and speechless (cf. Ps. 38 : 13).

It is now that: the intellect becomes simple matter in God's hands and is unresistingly recreated in the most sublime way, for nothing alien intrudes on it: inner grace translates it to a better state and, in an altogether marvelous fashion, illumines it with ineffable light, thus perfecting our inner being. And when in this manner 'the day breaks and the morning star rises in our hearts' (cf. 2 Pet. 1:19), then 'the true man' - the intellect - 'will go out to his true work' (cf. Ps. 104:23), ascending in the light the road that leads to the eternal mountains.

In this light it miraculously surveys supramundane things, being either still joined to the materiality to which it was originally linked, or else separated from it - this depending on the level that it has attained. For it does not ascend on the wings of the mind's fantasy, for the mind always wanders about as though blind, without possessing an accurate and assured understanding either of sensory things not immediately present to it or of transcendent intelligible realities.

Rather it ascends in very truth, raised by the Spirit's ineffable power, and with spiritual and ineffable apperception it hears words too sacred to utter (cf. 2 Cor. 12:4) and sees invisible things. And it becomes entirely rapt in the miracle of it, even when it is no longer there, and it rivals the tireless angelic choir, having become truly another angel of God upon earth. Through itself it brings every created thing closer to God, for it itself now participates in all things and even in Him who transcends all, inasmuch as it has faithfully conformed itself to the divine image.

- St. Gregory Palamas, To the most Reverend Nun Xenia (# 59)

I was reading something about Symeon that said " One of his principal teachings was that humans could and should experience theoria (literally "contemplation," or direct experience of God).

Yes, see above.

This led me to believe that contemplating the metaphysical universe will help us actually experience God or the energy of God, not only praise and worship him to experience him. I equated that to a physical experience.

Not through metaphysics. We need to cure our soul.

 

[rturner76]

for stuff to read, I say ask your priest.

It seems every time I ask a question in here I get Truth.

At a certain point, one needs a guide. The local Priest will have an answer for most questions or they have access to the information. I was asking for information with the hopes of starting a discussion.

Also, I think I used the word metaphysics when I believe I meant mysticism.

 

[JohnTh]

It seems every time I ask a question in here I get Truth.

At a certain point, one needs a guide. The local Priest will have an answer for most questions or they have access to the information. I was asking for information with the hopes of starting a discussion.

Yep. Obedience is crucial because it humbles ourselves and gets us out from the hell of relativity.
However, I do think that discussion is good and I think that in some cases (this included) shouldn't stop the discussion. WRT books it depends a lot on your spiritual status and knowledge, - St. Symeon writes directly about things which need a lot of spiritual knowledge. Looking at your posts, I think that better suited for you is Metr. Hierotheos Vlachos of Nafpaktou - for example, „Orthodox Psychotherapy”.

Also, I think I used the word metaphysics when I believe I meant mysticism.

Yep. (again). Different things. Sure. Mysticism means re-turning of the eye to the correct direction. For this you can read, for example, Elder Sophrony (Sacharov) of Essex.