"If I could give you a gift, the most precious thing I could ever give you is the knowledge of how to ignore your thoughts."
His Grace Bishop Emilianos of Meloa - Sydney, Australia, 2020
 
In the uncertainty of 2020, as the world stood still in lockdown amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, a small yet powerful flame flickered to life. This flame, a beacon of hope and enlightenment, soon grew into a wildfire, setting ablaze the hearts and minds of many. This flame represents the “Nepsis'' talk series by His Grace Bishop Emilianos of Meloa, who, to ensure the Orthodox community had some form of spiritual guidance during this challenging time, began translating and interpreting the teachings of his Elder, Elder Aimilianos of Simonopetra, from the book Λόγος Περί Νήψεως- Ερµηνεία στον Άγιο Ησύχιο. The goal was to equip the everyday person with the knowledge of how to practice nepsis in the context of their daily life. These talks, transcribed in the following pages, brought much-needed light and wisdom to many.
 
This series delves into the spiritual practice of nepsis, as articulated by Saint Hesychios in the Philokalia and expounded upon by Elder Aimilianos in Discourse on Nepsis: Interpretation of Saint Hesychios, currently only available in Greek. Translated as "watchfulness" or "vigilance," nepsis refers to the guarding of the mind and heart against harmful thoughts, temptations and distractions. It is the heightened state of spiritual alertness and unwavering attentiveness to our thoughts, actions and inner disposition.
 
Walking on the Waves presents Bishop Emilianos' translations of his Elder's book alongside his own interpretations. In the pages that follow, quotation marks are used to distinguish the Greek to English translations of Elder Aimilianos’ teachings from the explanations offered by Bishop Emilianos. It is noted that this is only indicative and may not always be exact. Bishop Emilianos’ deep understanding and absorption of his Elder’s spirit can at times make it difficult to distinguish between where Elder Aimilianos’ voice ends and Bishop Emilianos’ begins.
 
While Gerondas Aimilianos' talks focused on imparting nepsis to monastics, Bishop Emilianos invites us all—monastics and laypeople alike—to embrace this practice of spiritual attentiveness. His goal is not to turn laypeople into monastics, but to help those living in the world to focus on God and rid themselves of everyday anxiety, wasted time, indecisiveness and confusion. It’s to bring nepsis to the everyday person who is called daily to walk on the waves of this life.
 
Our earthly and heavenly existence hinge on our success, but to begin, we must lay the necessary foundation: mastering our thoughts.