Escaping Fantasy Island

Fantasy, according to some Byzantine spiritual fathers, is something we need to overcome. It acts as a power that distorts the imagination. Most of our lives we give into it in one form or another. It is often attached to a sin, like the one the devil offered our Ancestors. At other times, it becomes a false reality that we live in. In both instances we are called to overcome it, if we wish to have more of God. This can be very difficult, especially in our culture that thrives on it. As a culture we are coming closer and closer to the possibility having a perpetual fantasy world. The greatest example of this I believe can be found in the video-game sub culture. The evolution of this culture is making way for a persistent virtual world making any diabolical fantasy a constant reality.

According to St. Nikodemos the Hagiorite, “fantasy has more power and domination over us than the senses themselves”.  To overcome the domination that St. Nikodemos speaks of some fathers have taught us to be Watchful (Nepsis). Watchfulness is guarding what you let into your mind or heart. Regarding fantasy, we should have the attitude of a person that has the foreknowledge of someone trying to break into their home. A person in these circumstances is always looking at the windows, the doors, and making sure the thief has no entry. Like a thief, fantasy will come and being aware of this we must keep it from breaking in and stealing what belongs to Christ. In other words, as the apostle Paul teaches, “take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ (2Cor. 2:5b)”. By doing this we will keep our minds and hearts free from the domination of fantasy.

In conjunction with being Watchful, the fathers teach us also to pray. Sometimes in practicing Watchfulness something like a “fantasy island” appears. This island can offer everything from a good lunch, innovative ideas, or even trying to relive an enjoyable experience. In trying to swim towards this island we will always end up drowning in a false reality. Like someone who could drown the fathers teach us that we should pray that way. Imagine sinking in a sea and you see Christ afar off. You would cry out to him with all your strength and do everything in your power so that he could save you. This is the way we must sometimes cry out in our minds, “LORD JESUS CHRIST, SON OF GOD, HAVE MERCY ON ME A SINNER”. 

I want to add that every now and then I hear pious Byzantines attacking the use of the imagination in prayer, like how some use the Rosary. They do this because they have been misinformed about how some fathers understood fantasy. For instance, St John Climacus defines imagination or fantasy as follows: “Fantasy is an illusion of the eyes when the mind is asleep. Fantasy is ecstasy of the nous, when the body is awake. Fantasy is the vision of something which does not exist in reality”. Sometimes the fathers are not always clear on the differences between fantasy and imagination. One thing to keep in mind is that there is no universal teaching on this subject. For instance, imagination according to some fathers is a God given faculty that has a place in prayer. For others, the use of fantasy has been vital in the communication of beauty and ideas. Among these differences, what the fathers want us to understand is that fantasy, as an impassioned state, is what we are called to overcome.  

God has called us to grow in our experience of Him. In order to do this, He has given us everything that He is in Jesus Christ. He has called us to participate in what He is and for some that might mean escaping a “fantasy island”. We all struggle with fantasy in some way. This has been our natural state since the Fall. In the Fall we were offered a false reality as opposed to the one God wished for us to have. Since that time, we have been chasing after these false realities only to end up never really possessing the delight they offer. In contrast, God wants us to experience the reality that he has put before us. He wants us to experience the true delight of his presence, which is hidden in each and every moment.