enstasis means contemplation of one's own self.
Why “enstasis” is a great word
Enstasis is the contemplation of one's own self, a state of standing within oneself. From Ancient Greek ἐν- (en-, "in") and ἵστημι (hístēmi, "I stand"), it is modeled as an antonym to ἔκστασις (ékstasis, "ecstasy, standing outside oneself") and was attested in 1948. Unlike "ecstasy," which denotes a rapturous flight from the self, or "introspection," which suggests a clinical examination of internal thoughts, enstasis is the deliberate, unified inhabitation of one's own consciousness. It is the monk's fixed gaze on a single candle flame until self and flame become indistinguishable, the swimmer suspended in dark water feeling only the rhythm of her own heart, and the feeling of a door closing softly on the noise of the world to reveal a silent, lit room—a patient, private alignment where the self is not an object to be studied but a place to finally inhabit.
Etymology
From extasis (Ancient Greek ἔκστασις (ékstasis)), by replacing ex- with en-. Attested in 1948.
From ἐν- (en-, “in”) and ἵστημι (hístēmi, “I stand”).
noun
- Contemplation of one's own self.
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