When I began a series on theosis, I created this page to provide some resources to those who want to dig deeper.
Remember: the way to God is found in community. We are not a bunch of free agents. The Bible itself was written and interpreted within the context of the Church. The path to theosis also lies in a grounded community. And preferably with a spiritual father who is already on this path.
Below are links to resources that have helped me on my journey:
Your local Orthodox Church. This is the first and best starting place.
A prayer book. Prayer is essential as it is communion with God, which is the path of theosis. There are quite a few good Orthodox prayer books out there. Here are a couple of suggestions: the Jordanville Prayer Book, free online prayers that can be printed, and a free e-book.
The Way of a Pilgrim – This anonymous short story started it all for me. While it does not dive into theosis per se, it helps the reader to understand the beginning of the journey as it reveals one impoverished traveler’s adventures in learning what it means to “pray without ceasing.”
Theosis – This is a very short book on a very deep topic. Some may find it challenging because the author is a Greek monk on Mt Athos who approaches the topic with the belief that only those within Eastern Orthodoxy have the Truth and can attain theosis. That bothered me at first; however, from my personal journey I can affirm that the easiest, clearest route to theosis is within Orthodoxy. There are millions of people within Orthodoxy who have already made this journey and from whom we can learn so much. Also, many priests would be more than happy to assist you. For me, there’s no point in trying to reinvent the wheel which is part of the reason I finally joined the Orthodox Church (translated by Patrick Barnes).