κένωσις
Kenosis
Self-emptying — the Christological pattern for spiritual life
Kenosis literally means "emptying" and comes from Paul's description of Christ in Philippians 2:7, who "emptied himself, taking the form of a servant."
In the Philokalia, kenosis describes the fundamental spiritual movement of letting go — releasing attachment to self-will, self-image, and the compulsive need to control. This is not self-destruction or self-hatred. It is the recognition that the ego's constant project of self-promotion and self-protection is the primary obstacle to genuine encounter — with God, with others, and with your own deepest reality.
Every practice in the Philokalia involves kenosis in some form. Watchfulness requires letting go of the impulse to follow every thought that arises. Prayer requires letting go of the illusion that you are in control. Working with the logismoi requires letting go of the patterns that feel like "who you are."
The paradox the tradition describes: this emptying does not leave you diminished. It leaves you more yourself, not less — because the things you release were never truly yours. They were the passions, the compulsions, the habitual patterns that the tradition says are not your identity but your captivity. Letting them go is not loss. It is liberation.