Epektasis?

Epektasis refers to the endless expansion and unlimited potential of authentic spiritual transformation.

It’s an ancient Greek idea explored by St Gregory of Nyssa (c. 335 – c.395 CE) and is pronounced (roughly) ep-ek-tah-sis.

Different spiritual traditions emphasise different aspects of this transformational journey into God’s dream for us: Christian mystics speak of the journey towards union with God through theosis – the idea that human beings may be drawn into the very life of God. Buddhist and Hindu sages speak in terms of liberation from the cycle of suffering and the enlightening realisation that we are that One. The Islamic mystics, the Sufis, yearn for baqa or the ‘life in God’. These are not simply once-off events resulting in a new static state. They describe a dynamic invitation into ever deeper and richer transformation, or as the Sufi poet-mystic Rumi put it, a glory that shines ever brighter.

There is of course no neat separation of spiritual life from the rest of life, so Epektasis also encompasses the journey of deepening transformation in our whole beings, in our intimate, family and social relationships, in society, and in our relations with all sentient beings and the earth itself.

Epektasis is both a source of hope and wonder at the reality and possibility of human transformation, and a reminder of the need for humility in the knowledge that we have never ‘arrived’. There is always more to learn, always more of our shadow sides to be revealed and transformed, always more creativity and potential to be unlocked and always more love to pour through us.

Four key themes emerge from reflecting on Epektasis – spirituality, sustainability, empowerment and hope – all of which are different facets of sacred activism.