Have You Seen Them? The Quest for Wide Skate Shoes!

For those of you who don't know, I have wide feet. When getting back into skating, I found that Vans are now way too narrow (Yes, even the pro models - I confirmed with Vans that they intentionally have made all of their shoes narrower in order to save on materials, thus increasing profit). and I cannot wear them. I finally found that the vegan suede Vallelys by Cariuma stretched to fit my wide feet and stood up to a beating.

In May, I suffered a triple ankle fracture and dislocation and am finally walking after 6 months of recovery and healing with strenuous PT (physical therapy). However my left foot and ankle are now wider than before and I no longer can even get my Cariuma Vallely skate shoes on. Cariuma confirmed that the vegan suede Vallely shoes were their best shoes for wide feet and refunded the camel coloured pair I had on pre-order (I currently have charcoal and black Vallely shoes). So I reached out to the subreddit, r/OldSkaters, for suggestions for truly wide shoes. 

I got many suggestions and reached out to the skate shoe companies to ask what their widest shoes were. Nike SB, New Balance Numeric, and Adidas Skate Shoes were all out, as their shoes are narrow and have no wide options. Plus, I prefer to support skater-owned companies (like Death Skateboards, Film Trucks, Snot Wheels, Zealous Bearings, etc.) when I can.

• Shoe #1 was the Etnies Marana. I was excited by its fashion-forward looks, but unfortunately, I could not even put my foot in it, just like my Cariuma Vallelys. Immediate return. Etnies Footwear confirmed this was their widest shoe.

• Shoe #2 was the DC Court Graffiks. They looked nice, and thankfully, I could get my foot in, but the toe box was way too narrow. Sent them back. DC Shoes confirmed this was their widest shoe.

• Shoe #3 was the Osiris D3 2001s arrived and they were a chonky shoe that seemed to fit good with a wider toe-box but, while comfortable as-is, will definitely require some breaking in at the upper over the toes and at the achilles tendon area. Osiris Shoes confirmed this was their widest shoe.

• Shoe #4 was the Globe Mens Tilt Skate Shoe. I could get my foot in with some pushing, but then it slid in nicely. It felt really good... ...until my toes hit the toe-box. Immediately I felt compressing pressure on my pinky toe. Not only on my recovering broken ankle, but the good foot too. While these looked good, there was no way I would be able to wear them. Globe Shoes did not respond to my query on if this was their widest shoe or not.

POLL: The Pandemic & Orthodox Churches

If you are a part of any Orthodox Church (Eastern or Oriental) in the USA, please click on the link below to take part in a large national survey. It's about the effects of the pandemic on parish life, and is funded by the Louisville Institute. Your responses are strictly anonymous. Please also pass this on to any Orthodox friends or relatives; the more participants, the more meaningful the data will be! Thanks for sharing your thoughts. https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/PandemicAndYourParishNow

Help and Pray for Ukraine

Are you wondering how to donate and help Ukraine besides prayer, and don't want your money to errantly end up in the hands of scammers? You can donate money that will 100% go the Ukrainian people, without any executive or administration fees to pay anyone a salary through the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the USA at https://www.uocofusa.org/news_220224_1 marking your donations with the comment, "LET’S HELP UKRAINE". They have already used this money to get everyday supplies and medical supplies to the people of Ukraine and evacuate an orphanage of children and their teachers to Poland with the donations that they have received so far. If you prefer to donate with Facebook's own platform, you can do so at the Facebook page of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the USA at https://www.facebook.com/uocofusa.

Real Cancel Culture

Cancel culture is real and both the left and right are guilty of using it against their perceived enemies. Sometimes it can be used to shutdown a harmful practice, but often times it can also be harmful to the innocent. In my lifetime I remember BADD (Bothered About Dungeons & Dragons) trying to shut down D&D (Dungeons & Dragons) in the 1980's due to the Satanic Panic, which has been proven to be a false and unnecessary panic. My Dungeon Master's (referee's) parents bought into it and did not allow their son to play D&D anymore at his house. Instead we had to play a Christian RPG (Role-Playing Game) called Dragon Raid at his house. We still played Dungeons & Dragons at my house, because my parents did not buy into the panic. You can read more about the fraudulent Satanic Panic and attempts to cancel D&D at https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-26328105

Recently a priest's blog was removed from Ancient Faith Radio after multiple warnings about not posting about partisan politics. This was not a case of internet opinion charging him before he was in a court of law, but a company that warned a content provider to stop a prohibited activity over and over until they felt they had to remove him. People cried "Cancel Culture" but this is NOT cancel culture. He was removed from one platform, no judgement was made upon him as a bad person, and AFR even offered to help him set up his blog at new platform. AFR only made a statement about it because the priest had made one first, claiming he was cancelled (Which he has now, thankfully retracted). I am not even a fan of AFR, but these are facts, which I will not twist because I like and respect the priest in question. 

However in the modern day, there are actual victims of cancel culture in the world. The problem is that this is done off of accusations, not someone being found guilty in a court of law. In fact, one of these cancelled creators, Zak Smith, actually ended up suing his accusers and was found that he was being defamed and that the accusers had to pay-up and/or post retractions to their accusations. But those facts were not important to the Twitter troll mobs who keep spreading the accusations (only made on social media) and as such, no one will publish Zak's work. Zak, thankfully, makes lots of money from his art, but the TTRPG is missing out by not having his Adventure Campaigns which are also works of art. There are others that are also being cancelled and it is hurting their ability to make a living for them and their family. To this end, I recently interviewed Zak, being a fan or his art and writing and wanting to get the facts of his story from his POV without the interviewer (me) passing judgement. WARNING: This interview has adult language and talks about adult situations. 

After Almost 20 Years, I Finally Found Book 4 of "The Monastery Builders" Series

For almost 20 years I had been looking for book 4 in The Monastery Builders series, and yesterday, I finally go it! Let me tell you, it was well worth the wait. This is an incredible hagiographical series that I recommend for all Orthodox Christians. They were all published and printed with the blessing of His Grace, ALYPY, Bishop of Chicago, Detroit, and Middle America of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia (ROCOR).

Here are links to all five books of The Monastery Builders series. Unfortunately, since it has long been out of print, they are not all available at good prices or even available at all.

1. The Lives of the Monastery Builders [This brown book was published in 1988] 
2. The Lives of the Monastery Builders of Soumela [This green book was published in 1991] 
3. The Lives of the Monastery Builders of Meteora [This blue book was published in 1991] 
4. The Lives of the Monastery Builders of The Great Cave (Mega Spelaion) [This purple book was published in 1992] 
5. The Lives of the Monastery Builders of The Holy Mountain Athos [This black book was published in 1992] 

Rejoice! Book 5 of The Philokalia has Finally Been Published in the English Language!

The Philokalia is a collection of texts written between the fourth and the fifteenth centuries by spiritual Elders and Saints of Orthodox Christianity First published as a compiled manuscript in Greek in 1782, The Philokalia has exercised an influence in the recent history of the Orthodox Church far greater than that of any book apart from the Bible. It is concerned with themes of universal importance: how one may develop their inner powers and awake from illusion; how they may overcome fragmentation and achieve spiritual wholeness; how they may attain the life of contemplative stillness and union with God.

For many years, Orthodox Christians have been awaiting the English translation of the 5th and final book of the Philokalia, the first 4 books having long been translated by Bp. Kallistos Ware and Mother Maria. However, the fifth book of the Philokalia has been translated and published by Anna Skoubourdis and Saint George Monastery in 2021, in both hardcover and paperback, just like the other four volumes published in the late 1970's and early 1980's. Here are the links to all five volumes that are now available: 

• The Philokalia: Volumes I, II, III, & IV in 4 paperback books
• The Philokalia: Volume I in hardcover
• The Philokalia: Volume II in hardcover
• The Philokalia: Volume III in hardcover
• The Philokalia: Volume IV in hardcover
• The Philokalia: Volume V in paperback
• The Philokalia: Volume V in hardcover

This is great news for English-speaking Orthodox Christians everywhere! Glory be to God! 

The Teachings of the Holy Orthodox Church has Finally Been Completed!

Back in 1986, The Reverend Father Michael Azkoul, Ph.D. wrote The Teachings of the Holy Orthodox Church: Volume 1: God, Creation, Old Israel, Christ in 236 pages, which was edited by Hieromonk Gregory of Dormition Skete with the blessing of His Grace, ROCOR (Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia) Bishop Alypy of Cleveland. Save for its attacks on Blessed Augustine of Hippo, the author of The City of God, it is a good book that does a really good job of explaining the typology of the Old Testament revealed in the New Testament's Holy Gospels, Acts, Epistles, and Revelation, and I hoped to see Volume 2: The Church and Volume 3: Mystagogy of The Teachings of the Holy Orthodox Church in the future. Volume 1's five chapters are: 

1. Introduction
2. God: The Holy Trinity
3. The Creation
4. The Economy of Old Israel
5. Jesus the Christ

The second and third books were not to be, as Father Michael Azkoul broke away from the ROCOR and joined the HOCNA (Holy Orthodox Church of North America) while then-Archimandrite Gregory (Gregory Abu Assaly) later departed ROCOR for one of the GOCs (Genuine Greek Orthodox Churches). Interestingly, Father Michael Azkoul in now in one of the GOCs that Archimandrite Gregory was formerly a member of, and now-Archbishop Gregory is the head of his own GOCA (Genuine Orthodox Church of America).

In 2020, Archbishop Gregory completed the volumes of The Teachings of the Holy Orthodox Church in 602 pages, making it into one book, making a re-edited, reformatted, and revised Part 1 while also adding a Part 2, the later of which consisted of what would have been Volume 2 and Volume 3 in Father Michael Azkoul's original plan. Volume 1 has now been renamed Part 1: God, Creation, and the Economy of Salvation. The chapters to Part 2: The Church are: 

1. The One Church
2. Christ and the Church: The Heterodox
3. The Church of God
4. Mystagogy I: Holy Baptism
5. Mystagogy II: The Eucharist
6. Mystagogy III: The Other Mysteries
7. The All-Holy and Ever-Virgin Mary, The Mother of God, with All the Saints
8. The End of the Age
9. Augustine of Hippo

Which Orthodox Christian Prayer Book do you use?

Not too long ago, there were not many choices for an English Prayer Book for Orthodox Christians. But today there are 4 strong prayer books for Orthodox Christians who prefer to use English to pray. There are actually many Orthodox Christian prayer books today, but I can only strongly recommend these four: 

I.) The (ROCOR - Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia) Holy Trinity Monastery "Jordanville" Prayer Book in hardcover for $18.69, first published in English in 1960 and revised constantly, is considered the Russian style gold standard. When verses from Holy Scripture are used, they previously used the King James Version and now use A Psalter for Prayer which is a new blend of the KJV and the Cloverdale Edition of the Psalter. It has evening prayers before sleep rather than the service of the compline.

II.) The (OCA - Orthodox Church in America) Saint Tikhon Monastery Press' Orthodox Christian Prayers in imitation leather for $24.95, published in 2019 as spiritual successor to many other lesser-quality OCA prayer books of the past. This newest version improves everything from all the previous OCA versions of the prayer book, and had excellent formatting that means most prayers start at the the beginning of a new page, rather than somewhere in the middle or bottom of the page. It means they made interesting decisions on font sizes to make this work, but in the end, a job well done. When verses from Holy Scriptures are used, they use A Psalter for Prayer. rather than the Psalter of the Orthodox Study Bible like some previous OCA prayer books had. It has both the compline and prayers before sleep as it is made for Orthodox Christians of any jurisdiction. It also has 3 bookmarks sewn into the spine!

III.) The (HOCNA - Holy Orthodox Church in North America) Holy Transfiguration Monastery's Prayer Book for Orthodox Christians in hardcover for $24.99 first published in 1987, it is very similar to the ROCOR Prayer Book, but made for members of Greek parishes. When verses from Holy Scripture are used, they use The Psalter: According to the Seventy. It has the compline rather than evening prayers before sleep. 

IV.) The (GOA - Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America) Newrome Press' Orthodox Christian Prayer Book in hardcover for $29.99, published in 2016 is the first GOA prayer book to be considered as a good enough book to replace the earlier HTM prayer book. Newrome Press makes beautiful books inside and out. When verses from Holy Scripture are used, they use the Eastern / Greek Orthodox Bible. It has the compline rather than evening prayers before sleep. It also has 2 bookmarks sewn into the spine!

The Orthodox Psalter has been Updated and Expanded! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

As you know, back in 2011 I highly recommended "The Orthodox Psalter" by Holy Apostles Convent in this blog post/article and continued to point out the superiority of the translation in another blog post/article the same year. I still stand by that recommendation, but recently I found that there is a new 3rd edition of this Psalterion published in 2017.

There are 9 more pages of patristics than the 1st edition, which includes explanations of verses and psalms from the Church Fathers from both the east and the west. The Orthodox Psalter includes both the Septuagint and KJV numbering systems, 20 Kathismas, 9 Biblical Odes, 160 pages of Patristic Commentary, 6 Tables for Usage, 2 General Listings, The Verses and Couplet to the Prophet David, and the excellent introduction, "In Praise of the Psalms" by Saint Basil the Great. All in a full-sized 6.25" x 9.25" sturdy Deep Purple Smyth-sewn case-bound book, with gold stamping, and a burgundy double-sided grosgrain ribbon marker. As an author I appreciate that it is printed on high-opacity acid-free 80-pound cream coloured pages, in a very easy-to-read 14-point bold typeface for the Psalms, and a readable and clear 10-point typeface for the Commentary. 

Aesthetically, the "Deep Purple" that I think of more as an indigo, looks great with the green "The Holy Prophets", the dark navy "The Orthodox New Testament Volume One", and the dark burgundy "The Orthodox New Testament Volume Two". These books are must-haves for any Orthodox Christian. 

The Orthodox Psalter and the other mentioned books are available at Amazon or can be ordered directly from the Convent.

Politicians aren't Saviours and Political Parties are NOT the Church!

 

While I have blogged about government before such as in the post titled, "What the Bible says about those who govern us?", there are some essential verses of the Bible that it seems some politically-motivated Christians seem to forget in both the United States of America and other countries. Here is a verse that many seem to be forgetting as of the last decade or so. Here is a quick reminder.

Psalm 145(146):2 Do not have trust in rulers, in sons of men, in whom there is no salvation.

Verses from The Orthodox Psalter: The Psalterion of The Prophet and King David, According to the Seventy, With the Nine Odes, And Patristic Commentary.

My 2nd Novel, "Vhaidra & the DRAGON of Temple Mount" is NOW Available!

Many of you know that besides blogging here at the Orthodox Scouter, I am also top-selling author of epic fantasy fiction novels. My first novel, Vhaidra & the DESTINY of Nikodemos was a top-seller at Barnes & Noble, was a HPB Pick at Half-Price Books, and sold well at Amazon and more than 50 bookstores across the USA and in more than 20 countries. 

Today, I wanted to share that yesterday I released my second novel in THE VHAIDRA SAGA, a sequel to Vhaidra and the DESTINY of Nikodemos that is titled, Vhaidra and the DRAGON of Temple Mount. This novel takes the characters through many years of peace followed by the beginning of some very big troubles. Here is the back cover blurb for it.

The War of the Dragons begins here...

What secrets lie in Sicyon's mysterious Temple Mount? Who are ATHIE, DAMIANOS, and KOSMAS, and what is their connection to the orphaned half-dragon MIKHAIL? Are the forces that are purportedly working for a better tomorrow in Sicyon truly what they say they are?

After the devastating Battle of Sicyon in “Vhaidra & the DESTINY of Nikodemos,” House Iroas ascends as VHAIDRA the dark elf monk and NIKODEMOS the human cleric raise a powerful house of half-drow warriors in the overworld. Meanwhile, the young half-dragon, MIKHAIL, his human milkmaid and astonishing ranger, MIRIAM, and the flirtatious dwelf dancer, TI'ERRA, change the ascetic half-orc wizard, ELDER DIONYSIOS, forever, as his hidden history intersects with his future, whether he likes it or not. 

The obsidian half-dragon grows from a baby to Sicyon’s powerful stylite and protector, but will his abilities be enough to stave off both the imminent threat of the mighty white dragon from the north or will Sicyon get a long cold winter that it can never wake from? Will the diabolical forces within Sicyon that conspire against ARCHON JUSTINIAN and his allies be able to exploit VHAIDRA, NIKODEMOS, TI'ERRA, ELDER DIONYSIOS, MIRIAM, and MIKHAIL to create the civil war that they so desire? Find out the answers to these questions and more in the exciting adventures of Vhaidra & the DRAGON of Temple Mount! 

It is currently available for purchase at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and eBay, and will be in many more bookstores very soon. It is already getting 5-star reviews, and like my previous novels it has been enjoyed by people of all ages and people who never had read fantasy novels before.

The National EOCS Virtual Religious Retreat is this Saturday!

 Please go to https://www.eocs.org/2020-religious-retreat-registration to sign up for this first virtual national retreat for the Eastern Orthodox Committee on Scouting! 

Preliminary Schedule (times are EDT)

1:00 pm -  Opening Remarks and Prayer

1:10 pm -  Presentations from churches with Scouts chartered to them: 

• St. Demetrios, Astoria, NY & St. John the Theologian, Tenafly,NJ

1:30 pm -  Breakout sessions on North American Eastern Orthodox Saints Peter the Aleut & Olga Michael. Ambassadors from Holy Cross presenting to Scouts separated into Grade levels K-3,  4-5, 6-8, 9-12

2:00 pm -  Presentations from churches with Scouts chartered to them:

• St. Nicholas, Flushing, NY,
• Holy Cross, Brooklyn, NY
• St. John the Baptist, Euless, TX

2:25 pm -  Breakout Sessions on North American Eastern Orthodox saints

• Saint John Maximovitch 
• Saint Nikolaj Velimirovic

Ambassadors from Holy Cross presenting

• Separated into Grade levels K-3,  4-5, 6-8, 9-12

2:55 pm – Presentations from churches with Scouts chartered to them.

• St. Demetrios, Camarilo, CA

3:05 pm -      Scouting Religious Awards recognitions(only for those present)

• Scout & Ambassador Talent Show
• Closing Remarks and Prayers
• Vespers            

My Novel, "Vhaidra & the DESTINY of Nikodemos", is Available Internationally in Both eBook and Paperback Versions NOW!

 

My novel, Vhaidra & the DESTINY of Nikodemos, is now available as an eBook, for those of you who prefer electronic versions of books rather than the paper and print versions. 

Currently at Amazon it is ranked #3 in Romantic Action & Adventure and #15 in Fantasy Action & Adventure for new releases (released in the last 90 days) as of today! At Barnes & Noble it is ranked #1 in English Drama, #4 in Fantasy Drama English Literature, and #22 in Epic Fantasy in new releases (released in the last 30 days)! Thank you to all of you helped my novel get such great numbers! I am super happy to be listed amongst the top books in these genres, (Othello, Richard III, Harry Potter, etc.)

I'm asking everyone to take a photo of them with my book or reading it for my readers collage, and to give the book a 5 star review if they can. If you cannot for any reason, please reach out to me with your feedback, as feedback is a gift! Here are some of the people who have already sent me photos of them with my novel. 

If you would like to know where you can purchase my book, here are the links where it is currently available: 

On a Personal Note: My Novel, "Vhaidra & the DESTINY of Nikodemos" was released today!

Those of you who know me personally or follow me on social media may know about 2 major and very important things that have happened to me in the last 24 hours.

1. Yesterday, I, along with 110 others were laid-off by the Boy Scouts of America, a reduction that I am told was about 40% of its staff. 
   
   
2. Today, my side-gig became my only gig, as my first novel was published. 

Because of the above, I hope I can ask you, my friends, my family, and my followers to purchase my novel, which is now my only source of income. 

Vhaidra & the DESTINY of Nikodemos is Available NOW at Amazon! I will provide links below so that you can purchase it at your nearest Amazon online store. It will be available from other bookstores a little later, but depending on the retailer, you may have to ask for it. It is distributed through Ingram, the world's biggest book distribution company.

• USA: https://amzn.to/3fTpTNG
• UK: https://amzn.to/30EXZia
• GERMANY: https://amzn.to/2CGDPfF
• FRANCE: https://amzn.to/3eZ52XT
• SPAIN: https://amzn.to/30E9oP7
• ITALY: https://amzn.to/3hsAdN5
• JAPAN: https://amzn.to/3fZW8Le
• CANADA: https://amzn.to/3hrYpiA
• AUSTRALIA: https://amzn.to/2OPZsN5
• INDIA: https://www.amazon.in/dp/1734914009/

When you order my book from Amazon, please click on the follow the author button, so you can be updated about my future books and any special deals from me. You will also be alerted when the eBook (later this year) and if an Audiobook version (not this year) comes out, along with my next novels.

Thank you for your patience with my many posts about my novel during the publishing process. Now that my book is available, I am hoping that you are able to purchase my book, and if you love it, give it a 5 star review. If you do not, please email me and let me know what parts you did not like and then donate it to a library or sell it to a used bookstore. Feedback is a very valuable gift and will help me improve my novels that follow after this one. 

Every Sunday is Pascha

We Orthodox living in the West are in danger of losing this resurrection spirit of Christianity. We are concerned with death much more than with resurrection, and church life sometimes is dominated by the funeral rather than the resurrection type of piety. Yet no one can understand the real structure of the liturgical cycle of the year unless he understands that the center, the day that gives meaning to all days and therefore to all time, is the yearly commemoration of Christ’s Resurrection at Pascha. Pascha is always the end and always the beginning. 

We are always living after Pascha, and we are always going towards Pascha. The whole spirit and meaning of liturgical life is contained in Pascha, together with the subsequent fifty-day period which culminates in the feast of Pentecost, the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the apostles. This unique Paschal celebration is reflected every week in the Christian Sunday, the day which Russians, for example, still call Voskresenie, “Resurrection.” Though it man seem strange to you, it is important to realize that every Sunday is a little Pascha. 

I say “Little Pascha,” but it is really “Great Pascha.” Every week the Church comes to the same central experience: “Having beheld the Resurrection of Christ . . .” Every Saturday night, when the Priest carries the Gospel from the Altar to the center of the Church, after he has read the Gospel of the Resurrection, the same fundamental fact of our Christian Faith is proclaimed: CHRIST IS RISEN! St. Paul says, “If Christ has not been raised then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain” (I Cor. 15:14). There is nothing else to believe. This is the heart of our Faith; and it is only the reference to Pascha, as the end of all merely natural time and the beginning of the new time, that we can understand the whole liturgical year.

A Prayer in Time of Pestilence and Pandemics

In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Let us pray to the Lord. Lord have mercy.

Heavenly Lord and Creator of all things, have mercy on us your people, for we have strayed from the path which You have given us.

Forgive our many offenses and grant us your mercies.

We come to you today with tears of repentance and ask for your protection from the terrible disease that threatens us.

We have sinned, Oh Lord, and we have disobeyed your Commandments, but we beseech your mercy and compassion; have mercy on your servants, on the elderly and the children; have mercy on us all, and keep away from the terrible diseases and viruses  which appeared in our days.

Send your holy angels, Oh Lord, to disperse every disease and calamity and keep us safe and healthy that we may worship and glorify your Most Holy Name of the Father and of the Son and the Holy Spirit, through the intercessions of the Holy Theotokos and of all your Saints.

Amen.

The BEST Lean Six Sigma Books on the Market for Those Interested in Continuous Process Improvement and Change Management

As a Lean Six Sigma Master Black Belt who uses Agile Project Management Methodologies, I am often asked what are the best books to read on Lean Six Sigma, Lean Startups, Lean Enterprise, Kaizen, and the TPS (Toyota Production System).

Here I have categorized them into sections based on topics or philosophies and broken them into groups of books that I feel are best read together.

The 5 Types of Love in Ancient Greek

Though there are more Greek words for love, variants and possibly subcategories, a general summary considering these Ancient Greek concepts are as follows:

Agápe (ἀγάπη agápē) means "love: especially charity; the love of God for man and of man for a good God." Agape is used in ancient texts to denote feelings for one's children and the feelings for a spouse, and it was also used to refer to a love feast. Agape is used by Christians to express the unconditional love of God for his children.

Éros (ἔρως érōs) means "love, mostly of the sexual passion." The Modern Greek word "erotas" means "intimate love". Plato refined his own definition: Although eros is initially felt for a person, with contemplation it becomes an appreciation of the beauty within that person, or even becomes appreciation of beauty itself. Plato does not talk of physical attraction as a necessary part of love, hence the use of the word platonic to mean, "without physical attraction". In the Symposium, the most famous ancient work on the subject, Plato has Socrates argue that eros helps the soul recall knowledge of beauty, and contributes to an understanding of spiritual truth, the ideal "Form" of youthful beauty that leads us humans to feel erotic desire – thus suggesting that even that sensually based love aspires to the non-corporeal, spiritual plane of existence; that is, finding its truth, just like finding any truth, leads to transcendence. Lovers and philosophers are all inspired to seek truth through the means of eros.

Philia (φιλία philía) means "affectionate regard, friendship", usually "between equals". It is a dispassionate virtuous love, a concept developed by Aristotle. In his best-known work on ethics, Nicomachean Ethics, philia is expressed variously as loyalty to friends (specifically, "brotherly love"), family, and community, and requires virtue, equality, and familiarity. Furthermore, in the same text philos is also the root of philautia denoting self-love and arising from it, a general type of love, used for love between family, between friends, a desire or enjoyment of an activity, as well as between lovers.

Storge (στοργή storgē) means "love, affection" and "especially of parents and children". It is the common or natural empathy, like that felt by parents for offspring. Rarely used in ancient works, and then almost exclusively as a descriptor of relationships within the family. It is also known to express mere acceptance or putting up with situations, as in "loving" the tyrant. This is also used when referencing the love for one's country or a favorite sports team.

Xenia (Greek: ξενία, romanized: xenía, meaning "guest-friendship") is the ancient Greek concept of hospitality, the generosity and courtesy shown to those who are far from home and/or associates of the person bestowing guest-friendship. The rituals of hospitality created and expressed a reciprocal relationship between guest and host expressed in both material benefits (such as the giving of gifts to each party) as well as non-material ones (such as protection, shelter, favors, or certain normative rights).