Three things that can help us see the Royal Path

The Royal Path is not easy to discern, and there are few who ever even catch a glimpse of it.   It is something we have to strive for, and once we have a perception of it, we have to nourish that perception.   And this perception is something easy to lose unless we are vigilant and attentive. 

Three things I have found that can help us see the Royal Path:

√ keep in mind the Church triumphant.  The Church on earth is where heaven and earth overlap.  First there is the Heavenly Church, then next the Heavenly Church extends to earth.  It is a mistake to think that a formula [Church rituals, rules, etc.] can cause the Heavenly Church to come on earth.

√ keep in mind that the two extremes, world-Orthodox and super-correct, are the same spiritual disease but opposite manifestations of the disease.  Fr. Seraphim described it as one being the flip side of the other, as a coin.

√ keep in mind that the Royal Path is not found between the two extremes.
Many things are "hidden" in our Faith, especially from those who are blinded spiritually.  Christ even prayed thanking the Father that certain things are hidden from the wise and revealed unto babes.  Our sacraments are called "Mysteries" because there is a spiritual reality in them.  The spiritual reality is hidden from those who are spiritually blinded, and they can only see the sacraments as ritual.  

It is the same with the royal path.  There is a spiritual reality to it that is hidden more often than not.  Those unable to see the spiritual reality will usually try to define the royal path as some place or compromise between the extremes of super-correct ["true" Orthodoxy] and world Orthodoxy.

The mistake is trying to find the Royal Path between the 2 extremes is that the Royal Path is not just between but also UP.  It is not a mixture of 2 diseases: it is healthy and above disease.  You have to look to UP – where the saints are: the saints are in the Church.

-jh