Icons and imageless prayer

[Ryan]

What relationship is there between icons and the "imageless prayer" so commonly advocated in Orthodox ascetical texts? If God is truly depicted on the icons, why don't we meditate on them in prayer? I read somewhere that St. Gregory Palamas was accused of iconoclasm because of his hesychastic doctrine. Does anyone know what his response to this was? Thanks for any insights.

[Herman Blaydoe]

Icons are true, but they are not "complete". The icon is a representation of a specific aspect or specific idea, but is not in any way meant to depict the TOTALITY of God. Icons are a cataphatic statement. "Imageless prayer" is an attempt to concentrate on that which is apophatic and goes beyond what the icons portray.

Generally speaking, I think it fair to say that once a firm grasp of the positive (cataphatic) attributes of God or the divine has been achieved (iwhich obviously includes icons) one moves onto the transcendent qualities of apophatic theology, which includes "imageless" prayer. It is not an "either/or" thing it is both. One coin, two sides.

Or so it seems to this bear of little brain

Herman the Pooh

[Olga]

My understanding is that we are not to give our imaginations free rein to produce imagery in our minds while praying, as such imagery might not be beneficial. On the other hand, a canonical icon which expresses Truth is an acceptable image to reflect upon during prayer.

I'm happy to be corrected on this.

[Andreas Moran]

What relationship is there between icons and the "imageless prayer" so commonly advocated in Orthodox ascetical texts? If God is truly depicted on the icons, why don't we meditate on them in prayer? I read somewhere that St. Gregory Palamas was accused of iconoclasm because of his hesychastic doctrine. Does anyone know what his response to this was? Thanks for any insights.

This question was asked in a thread called 'Silence' last November/December. I think the point was made there that the 'pure' prayer of the hesychast involves divesting the mind of all sensory stimuli in order to contemplate the unseen and eternal things of God which are beyond all sensory knowledge and impressions. It is the approaching of the immaterial immaterially. When someone is visited by the Holy Spirit - that is, when they experience the Uncreated Light - their sensory faculties, particularly of sight, are suspended as it were, and all they can see is the blue light - whether their eyes are open or closed. At a lower, level, we can, of course, pray before our icons.

[Ryan]

Thanks, everyone, for your answers, which were helpful. In the 'Silence' thread Fr. Raphael indicates that, after the attainment of imageless prayer, the ascetic returns to the world and perceives the creation in a new light. This seems to match what I've read about understanding the "thought-purposes" of creation, which is attained after one has experienced theoria.

In his Handbook of Spiritual Counsel, St. Nicodemus lists, among the proper delights of the mind, the envisioning of the face of Jesus Christ. I wonder if this is a common meditation in Orthodoxy?