The ‘art of metanoia’ (repentance) and inner transformation in Arvo Pärt’s Litany: A commentary through psychoanalytic and spiritual lens

The lecture will comment on the psychological and the spiritual impact, which Arvo Pärt’s Litany might have on a diligent listener of this piece. Litany is a composition of extraordinary depth and richness in both spiritual and musical perspective, which can be experienced as a powerful prayer too. It can be understood as describing the path of the soul toward inner transformation through repentance. And it is here, on this attitude of psychic contrition that both the musical part and the sung words of prayer (taken from St John Chrysostom) are blend spectacularly in a superior synthesis, by invoking and experiencing God’s grace.

The commentary will follow a twofold approach, while listening specific parts of the piece;

a: introducing and commenting on notions from Carl Jung’s archetypes, such as persona, shadow, hero and the Self, very much present in the libretto of this piece, when seen from psychological and psychoanalytic angles, i.e. describing the struggle of the soul to overcome its predicaments and lowliness and reach a state of hope, liberty of passions and inner peace, and

b: commenting on the meaning and the spiritual climax of the included 24 shorter prayers, by describing in theological terms the difficult path towards salvation through self-knowledge, acknowledgment of the fallen human nature and, of course, repentance.

The commentary aims at generating deeper thoughts and emotions that might result in self- reflection, self-knowledge and higher spiritual awareness. Living today in a such a technocratic world, similar experiences might shake our spiritual stagnation and promote a higher level of perception and inner life, in both psychological and spiritual terms – which probably Arvo Pärt had in mind when writing this marvellous work.

Reverend Chrysostom (Grigorios) Tympas currently serves in the diocese–metropolis of Thessaloniki as a priest (in the American Farm School) and a mental health counsellor, having served before for many years in the Greek Archdiocese of Thyateira in London. He graduated from Medical School in Thessaloniki and was granted a doctoral degree (PhD) from the University of Essex (2011). The theme of his thesis was a comparative study between the psychological development according to Carl Jung and the spiritual progress in theology of Maximus the Confessor (individuation vs deification). He also undertook postdoctoral research in the Theological School of Thessaloniki (domain of Ethics and Sociology), which was later published under the title (Rous Autognosias/In the Flow of Self–Knowledge) by Armos.

He has been invited as visiting professor at the Universities of Essex, Helsinki, Tartu, Athens, Thessaloniki, and the Theological Seminary of Oxford, on the subject of the relationship between Theology and Psychology/Pastoral Psychology. He also teaches Theory of Archetypes and Group Dynamics into the Program of Master’s degree of University of Athens ‘Social Neuroscience, Social Pedagogy and Education’ (2016–2023).

He is a member of medical and psychoanalytic associations, while he served as member of the Board of the Patriarchical Network of Pastoral Care. Recently, he took part into a research program of the National Research Institute, SOW: ‘Orthodox Theology and Psychoanalysis’ (2020–2022).

The lecture will be in English, with interpretation into Estonian.