The Theotic Process

by Philip St. Romain, M.S., D. Min.

Click the thumbnail for a larger image.
See http://shalomplace.org/eve/forums?m=98910206&a=tpc&f=18910625 for discussion

	Human nature as organism, psyche and spirit, which is interior to psyche and organism. Psyche and organism as enspirited. Spirit as created human spirit, energizing and informing all the faculties and senses. Intellect and will as spiritual faculties. Spiritual awareness as the ever-abiding "witness" of all human activities; conscious of our consciousness; the "I" who is the subject of all our experiences. Apex as point of the soul; spiritual umbilical cord; interior connection with the divine. The dove indicates the indwelling Holy Spirit who is not to be conflated with the human spirit.
	A more psychological expression of the levels above. Everything outside of the Ego zone is unconscious. Consciousness expanding through ongoing human development. In this depiction, Ego is transparent to Self or human spirit and is its agent. Self is transparent/sensitive to the Spirit.
	And what a mess we have made of things! Fear, shame, resentment distorting our consciousness. Loss of transparency between Ego, Self and Spirit. To make matters worse, we spread this dis-ease.
	Not easy to depict Jesus, but here goes. There is an Ego and Self. Organism, psychic and spiritual levels of human functioning are present. To my understanding, the human soul of Jesus exists for the Word, and so I show the Apex as fully informing his human spiritual level. Thus, psyche and organism are also fully transparent to the Word and Spirit, but are nontheless consigned to undergo normal human development -- a process which constrains the full expression of the Word. Still, Jesus always reveals the divine as much as it is possible for him to do in any particular developmental state. Both high and low Christologies are affirmed (I think . . .).
	With resurrection, the psyche and body of Jesus become fully transparent to and incorporated into the Word. His body is pneumat-icon (1 Cor. 15:44).
	Now he is fully present to all people. Through faith (implicit and explicit) we open ourselves to infusion of his Spirit, thus effecting a process of healing and development we call theosis (aka deification, sanctification). We live in-Christ and our development is shaped by his persistent influence. Eventually the dark inner dross is burned off and we, too, become a likeness of Christ, filled with Light as he is.