This practice draws from two convergent streams: the Jewish mystical concept of Nothingness (Ayin), where the understanding is that divinity lies beyond all categories and beyond all somethingness, and the Christian concept of Kenosis, the self-emptying described in Philippians 2:5-9, where Christ humbled himself by setting aside the fullness of His divinity. In reverent respect for this convergence, I refer to this practice as the Kenosis Meditation
In essence, we are to nullify our will before His will. This is to humble ourselves before God and to better listen to the Divine Will.
During this type of meditation and prayer, you must regard yourself, your desires, your needs, and your wants as nothing. You must entirely place your trust in God and remove your ego from the equation. You are not here to receive something, but rather sit before God without demand.
Preparing the Space
The practice begins before the silence does. The preparation of the space is not decoration but rather a shift of focused attention. It signals to the mind and the soul that a different mode of attention is being requested.
In my own practice, I sit before icons of Christ, St. Michael, and St. Mary. I light a beeswax candle and incense the room with frankincense and myrrh. The room should be quiet, with distractions removed. Devices off. Lights off. Noise off. If possible, practice before eating as a full stomach in itself can be a distraction.
Any form of meditation benefits from a posture that allows you to be comfortable enough that the body does not become a distraction. I lay on the floor with a sleeping pad and a zafu pillow to incline my head. Seated forms are possible, but I’ve encountered numerous pressure points and laying removes them all entirely.
The consistency of the preparation matters. The more habitual and familiar the setup becomes, the less effort is spent on logistics and the more is available for the practice itself.
The Practice
Make the Sign of the Cross. Mentally offer a brief prayer of thanksgiving which includes what you are grateful for, what needs empathy and loving care. This is not lengthy or formal. It is an honest acknowledgment before God of what is present in your life. Once the thanksgiving is complete, make an interior intention to begin the silence.
Remove the Noise
Begin the Jesus Prayer synchronized with the breath:
Inhale: Lord Jesus Christ
Exhale: Have mercy on me, a sinner
This is not spoken aloud but thought mentally in rhythm with each breath. The prayer serves as an anchor. Its purpose is to displace the wandering thoughts of the mind and narrow attention into a single point. This practice is rooted in the Hesychastic tradition of the Eastern Church, where the Jesus Prayer is understood as a transitional tool: it stills the surface of the mind so that deeper silence can emerge.
Breathing
When the mind has quieted, allow the Jesus Prayer to dissolve. Do not force this transition as it will become apparent when the prayer has done its work and begins to feel like a distraction rather than an aid.
Continue breathing naturally. No words, no directed thought, no imagery. If thoughts arise, picture them as dust in the wind and let them pass. Do not fight them. Do not engage them. Return to the breathing
Silence
This is the heart of the practice.
Maintain no expectations. Ask for nothing. Expect nothing. You are simply sitting in the silence, existing in the presence. The self is not reaching for something but rather is releasing its hold on everything.
If phenomena appear such as shifts in spatial awareness, patterns of light, imagery, expansions of perception then notice them without grasping. The moment you focus directly on them, they will collapse. Let them develop around you rather than turning your attention toward them. They are not the point. They are the landscape of the threshold.
If the body begins to fall asleep while the mind remains aware, allow it. Do not resist the transition. This is a natural deepening of the practice. What happens beyond this should be perceived but not demanded. By forcing yourself to reach out, the self will pull back.
There is no fixed duration. Early sessions may last ten or fifteen minutes. As the practice develops, allow it to extend naturally rather than watching a clock. The session ends when it feels complete. You will know.
Exit
Return gently. Offer a brief thanksgiving for the moment of silence. Make the Sign of the Cross.
If something was given such as a notion, an image, or a felt sense then write it down. Describe what you observed, not what you think it meant. Do not force meaning. If nothing notable occurred, that is equally valid. The practice itself is the offering.
On the Nature of This Practice
The Kenosis Prayer is not a technique to produce visions or experiences. Its purpose is simply to sit before God without demand.
The most difficult aspect of this practice is the paradox at its center: you cannot pursue the experience of self-emptying, because the pursuit itself is an assertion of will. You practice faithfully and consistently, and you release attachment to outcomes within any given session. The long-term trajectory has direction and intention. The individual sitting does not.
Whether or not anything is “seen” or “felt,” each time we return to this silence, the self is lightened, the noise of the world is lessened, and the quiet presence of God becomes easier to recognize in daily life.
Practice is practice. That is all it needs to be.
~Michaelion