Have you ever considered that letting go of what you think you know could actually bring you closer to discovering your true purpose and making a meaningful impact? In this guest article by Scott Perry (Wolf Pup #3717), he explores the transformative concept of “via negativa” and how it challenges conventional wisdom by defining the divine through what it is not.
If you enjoyed what you read here today, be sure to check out some of his other articles. They will be linked at the bottom along with his social to be able to connect more with him.
Calling me a lapsed Catholic would be a gross understatement for my relationship with the faith tradition I was born into.
However, it is a filter through which I witnessed the world for many years (and still do).
One frame that continues to help me practice a “less is more” approach to my life and work is the concept of “via negativa,” the negative way.
In the first centuries of Christianity, most of the faithful plied a great deal of hyperbole to describe God.
Phrases like “God is good,” “God is great,” “God is love,” and “God is truth” abounded and yet fell quite short of adequately describing the ineffable qualities of the divine.
In the 5th century CE, a Syrian monk known only by his pseudonym, Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite, developed a counterintuitive solution to resolving the inadequate attempts to define what God is.
Instead of describing what God is, he defined God by what God is not.
Via negativa fully embraces the mystery of the divine by removing all the inadequate names, descriptions, and definitions of God. God is above and beyond the limits and restrictions imposed by naming, describing, and defining.
To know the divine, paradoxically, one must practice “unknowing”—a practice in surrender and non-attachment—letting go of everything that cannot be known about the divine actually brings you closer to it.
You may be wondering what all this has to do with finding your calling and difference-making…
The negative way is a practice of pruning—cutting away everything that is not essential so that you can more effortlessly achieve what you really want.
Too often, my pursuit of defining who I really am and what I’m really meant for has been an additive process—acquiring more knowledge, skills, tools, etc.
What about you?
More ≠ Closer, and less is often more. Subtraction makes systems more efficient and effective than addition.
Reducing the downside helps optimize the upside.
Avoiding mistakes and bad decisions makes discovering and exploiting opportunities and good decisions more likely.
What possibility do you desire to step into more fully? What routines or relationships could you prune to make the way more clear? How might a process of elimination help you find a better way forward?
Resources
Learn more about Scott and the difference he makes at CreativeOnPurpose.com.
For more articles by Scott that are inspired by TGA principles and community, click here.