“When wisdom enters your heart, and knowledge is pleasant to your soul, then prudence will protect you, reason will protect you, in order to save you from the evil way, from the man who speaks lies...”

Proverbs of Solomon 2:10-12.

About witchcraft

Magic entered human life after the Fall. The first people to turn to magic were the descendants of Cain, who, having abandoned the worship of the True God, fell into paganism and began to worship the devil and evil spirits.

Interest in the occult is associated with two important features of our human nature: first, we are creatures endowed with a deep craving for the spiritual world; secondly, we are beings who have become deeply vulnerable, physically and emotionally, since the Fall.

Let us remember the Scripture: “When you enter the land that the Lord your God is giving you, then do not learn to do the abominations that these nations have done: you shall not have anyone who brings his son or his daughter through fire, a soothsayer, a fortuneteller, a sorcerer, a sorcerer, charmer, conjurer of spirits, magician and interrogator of the dead; For everyone who does this is an abomination to the Lord, and for these abominations the Lord your God drives them out from before you” (Deut. 18:9-12).

Today, “sorcerers and sorcerers” call themselves differently - psychics, healers, magicians, clairvoyants, fortune tellers. But the essence has not changed - this is communication with dark forces, with the help of which they do rationally inexplicable things, which surprise and attract many people who are in spiritual blindness.

Often people turn to the occult and all kinds of magicians and healers due to the hopelessness of their situation, when their soul cannot cope with the burden of problems that have fallen on it. When everyday means are exhausted, the choice is small: either stop amid the bustle and raise your head to God in repentance - or pawn the last thing left - your soul - in the spiritual pawnshop of a sorcerer. Such people have not yet come to God, or their faith is not strong enough and therefore they turn to psychics, magicians and traditional healers. In a soul of little faith, thoughts desperately arise: what if it works out. People are ready to give a lot of money for the sake of their desired goal. And here it is the occult that offers a miraculous remedy for a quick and effective solution to the problem.
In this regard, it is necessary to remember that modern man is, first of all, a lover of comfort. Earthly well-being is a paramount value for him. Therefore, he perceives any serious illness, disaster, or trouble as an obstacle to happiness. Accordingly, he strives to remove this obstacle at any cost, just to prosper. And most importantly, a person wants to get relief right away - perform a ritual, cast a spell - and everything is ready. The traditional way of solving problems seems too long and tedious, turning to God with proper faith lacks spiritual strength, it is difficult for a person and requires a lot of effort (recognition of one’s sinfulness, repentance, renunciation of a sinful life), and occultism seems simple, accessible and easy . Thus, in essence, occultism is the rejection of trust in God. Of course, in most cases, among people it is compatible with theoretical agreement that God exists, but not with living prayerful communication with Him. As God says through the prophet Jeremiah: “They have forsaken me the fountain of living water, and have hewed out for themselves broken cisterns that cannot hold water” (Jeremiah 2:13).
And therefore, Satan’s cunning in this area is so great that most people are completely blinded, and it does not even occur to them that they have already done or are still doing what is called “superstition and witchcraft.” If you ask people about it, they get very indignant or laugh about it and deny that they have ever done such a thing. And if anyone admits that they once did this, it is simply out of habit or as a joke, but, according to them, they never believed in it. But still, superstition, even if it is given a place as a joke or unconsciously, brings a person under a suggestive demonic influence, which begins to guide a person’s daily life by influencing his subconscious, dwelling in the hidden depths of the life of the soul. A person consciously or unconsciously falls into a debt relationship with Satan and under the power of demonic forces that stand behind superstition and witchcraft, thereby giving them his immortal soul.

Holy Scripture and Tradition classify magic among the most serious sins. All types of occultism: invoking spirits, witchcraft, divination, attempts to find out fate from the stars, etc. According to the law of Moses, they were punished by death - stoning.
You must not have a soothsayer, a fortune-teller, a soothsayer, a sorcerer, a charmer, a conjurer of spirits, a magician, or an inquirer of the dead; For anyone who does this is an abomination to the Lord. (Deut. 18:10-13)

And if any soul has turned to those who call the dead and to magicians to walk after them fornication, then I will turn my face against that soul and destroy it from among its people. (Lev.20:6)

Don't leave the witches alive. (Ex. 22:18)

For these crimes, the prophets foretold grief not only to the sorcerers themselves, but also to the people who listened to their seducers. In the Old Testament, sorcery was equated with renunciation of God and worship of idols. King Saul, having wavered in his faith in God, before the battle with the Philistines, asked the sorceress about the outcome of the battle. The Bible reveals to us that because of the king’s sin, he and his children fell on the battlefield, the army was defeated, and the people fell into heavy dependence on the Philistines.
In the New Testament Church, any type of sorcery is considered a grave sin. The “Acts of the Apostles” and the lives of the saints describe the struggle of the apostles and disciples of Christ with sorcerers and magicians. For example, the books of St. Clement of Rome tell about the struggle of the Apostle Peter with Simon the Magus, which ended in the defeat and death of the magician.
Depending on the type of superstition and witchcraft, one can fall more or less into mental oppression and spiritual slavery, with the manifestation of diverse consequences in various forms and degrees.

Consequences in the spiritual field

Stubborn unbelief, isolation and internal resistance to the Word of God. The hardening and hardening of the human heart to the voice of the Holy Spirit and the Word of God. Indifference and indifference in matters of salvation of the soul and the Kingdom of God. Loss of fear of God and His judgments. Obstacles to the awakening and repentance of others, as a result of which entire regions fall under the curse. Half-hearted or false repentance without real assurance of salvation and real peace. Constant doubt after repentance and communion in the truth of divine promises and the saving power of the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ. Spiritual arrogance, self-righteousness, and “religious insanity.”

Consequences in the mental area

Intransigence, clearly expressed stubbornness, terrible willfulness, weakening of the will or slavish submission to someone else's will, attachment to individuals, hunger strike (refusal to eat food). Thirst for revenge, love of gossip and slander, hot temper, insanity. Cockiness and passion for quarrels in the family, greed, kleptomania (passion for theft), blasphemous thoughts, passion for drinking and debauchery, abomination with cattle, increased lustful passion. Foul language, melancholy and mental depression, persecution mania, hopelessness, attacks of fear, fear of space, difficult dreams, suffocation, sleepwalking, sleepwalking. Torment, inner voices, imposition of ideas, imposition of actions, thoughts of suicide, etc.

Consequences in the body area

Certain hereditary predispositions and diseases that are inexplicable to the doctor. And finally, the state of possession, that is, the possession of the body by evil spirits.

Many Christians, remaining captive to Satan, cannot move forward in matters of virtue and faith. On this basis, many misconceptions, false paths, and drunkenness are growing. Therefore, many Armenians who consider themselves children of the Armenian Apostolic Church do not know, and sometimes do not believe in Christ risen from the dead, do not believe in the Last Judgment and retribution for sins. They don’t know what is a sin and what is a virtue, and they don’t even know the Lord’s Prayer. They do not read the Holy Scripture, although they have it in their homes as a kind of talisman for good luck. Just as constant dirt on the body is fertile ground for dangerous microbes, so demons will find their way to the soul, which constantly carries sinful impurity within itself.

Of course, there are simply swindlers who sensed the massive demand for such “services” and decided to capitalize on human gullibility using primitive tricks and manipulations. Also, of course, a sin, but if all sorcerers and magicians were simply swindlers, the Church would not equate this sin with murder. People engaged in occult practice turn to dark forces for help, and this inevitably leads to severe illnesses of the soul - first of all, the healers themselves, but also those who turn to them. Many people become mentally ill after such “help”. Any priest knows about the consequences of turning to sorcerers, psychics, healers - people who have previously turned to sorcerers often come to confession.

If a person has ever, through stupidity or ignorance, had to turn to a “healer” or a sorcerer, or if a person himself has practiced occult activities: spiritualism, feng shui, then he should, if he is not baptized, then first of all be baptized. And if a person is baptized, then he must begin the sacrament of repentance, which the Holy Fathers call “second baptism.” Through sincere and complete confession, healing and rebirth occurs for a person who has experienced the influence of fallen spirits.

Fallen man is reborn in the sacraments of baptism and repentance. In baptism, the soul is cleansed from all sins and sanctified by the grace of the Holy Spirit in order to fully participate in the prayer life of the Church. He receives everything he needs to eventually bear spiritual fruit and be saved.

A person who repented of communicating through sorcerers with fallen spirits only marked the beginning of a revival. But God’s forgiveness is one thing (the Lord accepts repentance and at the Judgment will not impute repentant sin to a person), and another thing is the healing of the soul. Let's resort to an analogy. The more severe the physical illness, the more difficult the treatment, the longer the rehabilitation. So it is in spiritual life. Any mortal sin, like a serious spiritual illness, undermines the health of the soul and traumatizes it. And the more the soul is traumatized by sin, the more difficult it is to get rid of the consequences. We need to grow spiritually step by step, enter deeper into church life, and participate in church sacraments. And yet the demons do not let such people go for a long time (years, decades) and continue to consider them theirs. It is very difficult to get rid of the consequences of turning to sorcerers. Such people evoke compassion, but they must realize that they are required to perform a feat for the sake of salvation. And if a person has such determination, God will always come to his aid.

It should be noted that a person suffers no less if he ends up with a charlatan, because he went to a “healer”. All the same, there is a high probability that demons will overtake him.

A favorite technique of demonic forces is attempts to pass off their actions as the action of God’s grace. Therefore, some “healers,” in order to attract the trust of patients, use icons, prayers and even a cross during their sessions, but at the same time they quietly perform some or blasphemous acts. For example, during sessions, a witch takes a cross in her hands and sings various church hymns, and at some point spits next to the cross, that is, thus blaspheming Christ and therefore the devil helps her.

The devil (Greek diabolos - slanderer) is a fallen angel who rebelled against God and lost his angelic dignity, allowed by God to tempt people in order to determine their free will to good.

Our life, health, longevity - everything is in God’s hands. Diseases are sent to some for sins, and to people who are attentive to their inner world - for spiritual perfection. In any case, we must turn only to God. It is impossible to treat the body without healing the soul. The cause of the disease remains.

People who go to sorcerers for healing pledge their souls. She becomes a prisoner. Someone hopes to cure radiculitis, a girl wants to attract the attention of a young man, others go for the sake of exoticism and vain curiosity - they all make a pact with the devil. They don’t sign anything, they don’t even know what’s happening, but the agreement comes into force. The result of this agreement is the loss of the soul. Unless, of course, in time, while they are still alive, they do not understand and repent.

As for the “abilities” of occultists, this word cannot be taken literally. There are mathematical, musical and other abilities. They are given to man by the Creator from birth. Sorcerers do not have their own abilities. What they use belongs to demons. They just know how to use it for their own purposes. What hinders full-fledged churching is not their imaginary abilities, but the disastrous state of the soul, which is exhausted and traumatized. But hope is always alive. The Lord said: “With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible (Matthew 19:26). Christianity is a religion of resurrection. The resurrection of our bodies will be at the end of time, but souls that are spiritually dead can be resurrected now. By the grace of God! But for the dark past to truly become the past, a feat is required. There is no need to simplistically think that it is enough just to start going to church regularly. Even in less dire cases, negative spiritual skills are tenacious.

We hope that it is obvious to the reader that the only source of God’s grace in the world that protects a person from the influence of demons (evil spirits) is the Church of Christ and its Sacraments (baptism, repentance, communion, etc.). So let us not forget the words of the Lord, who through the Old Testament prophets tells us:
“Do not turn to those who summon the dead, and do not go to wizards, and do not bring yourself to the point of being desecrated by them. I am the Lord your God."

About Superstition

In vain, or in vain - in vain, in vain, in vain, without benefit, to no avail.

Superstition is an erroneous, empty, false belief in something.

Mindlessly performing an action recognized by the crowd and sacredly believing in its effect is one of the signs of superstition. Superstitious consciousness is characterized by an overly scrupulous attitude towards external action, movement, and phenomenon. Spitting over your left shoulder, knocking on wood, sitting on luggage before a long journey - all this for the superstitious consciousness is a kind of visible guarantee of invisible help and security. Superstitions are based on unconscious fear and belief in some hidden force that manifests itself in visible actions or situations. And in this sense, superstition is close to magic, the occult perception of our world. Thus, in magic it is recognized that certain symbolic actions are capable of influencing life in themselves. And the superstitious person thinks that everyday circumstances that develop in a certain way radically influence the essence of our life: if you get up on the wrong foot, the day will be unsuccessful (and since it is not clear which foot is the “wrong” one, it is better to get up on both at once); A black cat crossed the road - expect trouble. No one will ever be able to explain where the logic is, because it simply does not exist.

Superstitions are generated by the magical consciousness of society. Magic seems simpler and more convenient than the Christian faith; it quickly penetrates into any strata of our society, without requiring any special mental expenditure for its assimilation. It’s an amazing thing: a person may not believe in God or believe very superficially, but at the same time he easily trusts all kinds of signs, horoscopes, and outright prejudices. The reason for this lies precisely in the superficiality and ease of superstition, which is more convenient for the sin-loving nature of man, while faith in God requires a serious, deep, heartfelt attitude and constant work on oneself.

It is magism that is expressed in the superstitious idea of ​​​​the influence of individual, seemingly symbolic actions on the well-being or ill-being of our lives. For example, there is a strong belief that when laying a foundation, you should definitely put a coin in a corner - for good luck. It is not prayer, not the rite of consecration that comes first in the popular consciousness, but the centuries-old custom of placing a coin - as if a symbol of the wealth and prosperity of the house - as the basis of its foundation. “Follow the ritual - you won’t regret it,” they say in this case.

Superstitions are governed not by logic, but by reverent fear of human custom. Since time immemorial, it has been considered unacceptable to shake hands across the threshold, because, as folk wisdom knows, after this such people will definitely quarrel. A similar custom has even invaded folk-church relations, so that it is no longer possible to ask for blessings across the threshold or while on the steps (apparently, so as not to quarrel with the priest).

In many ways, superstitions are maintained at the level of everyday life, which is extremely difficult to rebuild. Perceiving superstitions and signs voiced by adults in childhood, the child already grows up with them as something completely natural for him. After all, a child does not yet have critical thinking, but having matured, he is already accustomed to acting and thinking this way. “When you were pagans, you went to silent idols - as if you were led” (1 Cor. 12: 2), said the Apostle Paul. A certain childish layer remains in the psyche, which manifests itself upon reaching adulthood. And superstitions themselves, in fact, are a remnant of paganism.

Superstition is the blind acceptance of opinions born of human ignorance (but not so much intellectual as spiritual ignorance). If a superstitious person receives a letter with instructions to rewrite this letter 20 times in a row - and then “you will become happy,” he, without hesitation, will sit down to rewrite it. “Letters of happiness” are texts sent by mail, calling for their reproduction and further distribution under various pretexts. The magic of such a custom is clearly manifested in the fact that the hope for personal happiness is superstitiously combined with the very fact of thoughtless, mechanical copying of a letter, in fear of being exposed to disasters for failure to do so. To paraphrase a well-known saying, let's propose a proverb: “Tell a fool what ritual will bring him happiness, he will hurt himself, but he will do it.” They will tell him: spit over your left shoulder so that the expressed wish will come true, he will immediately begin to spit. They will say: as you spend the first day of the year, the whole year will pass, he will have immoderate fun on the night of January 1 in order to gain carefreeness for a whole year of life.

Moreover, even people who seem to not believe in anything superstitiously perform some sign for the sake of imaginary well-being. Sometimes even in the apartments of civilized citizens you can see a horseshoe above the front door. This is very well illustrated by the anecdote in which a visitor, seeing a horseshoe nailed above the door of a house, asks the owner: “Do you really believe in omens?” “No,” the owner answers, “but they say that it helps even those who don’t believe.” There will be a “specialist” who will tell you whether you hung this horse hoof pad correctly: if it’s in an upward arc, then it’s wrong, because happiness will leave the house, but if it’s in an arc downward, then it’s correct—happiness itself will now go to your apartment.

In general, the human soul has a need for faith. And superstition is an attempt to satisfy this need, only not with faith revealed in Divine Revelation - after all, this, as we said, requires enormous personal efforts, mental, volitional and even intellectual - but with faith, so to speak, at hand, faith borrowed from local legends and based on contact with at least something mysterious. For example, a person does not believe in God (or believes very superficially) and, accordingly, does not turn to Him with his prayers (or prays extremely superficially), but religiously follows folk superstitions. It is as if the lack of hope in God is being filled with the hope of observing the established sign. Why does a superstitious person want to spit over his left shoulder? In order to secure at least something internally, superstition is a compensation for genuine faith. And at the same time, this is an attempt to feel the contact of our world with something otherworldly. Such is the belief in the magical power of stones, amulets and the notorious horseshoe, which is hung over the entrance to the house for happiness, objects from the “evil eye”, etc. And where is God with His Providence, with His knowledge of the human heart and what is useful and necessary for a particular person?

When a person does not have true faith in God, then something closer and more understandable becomes God for him, which he tries to rely on in his own life. This is how idolatry of things and sacred fear of folk traditions arise. And at the same time - we repeat once again - superstition is an attempt to at least somewhat elevate and spiritualize everyday life, only not through turning to God and acquiring the grace of the Holy Spirit, but through recognizing some mysterious power in the objects of this world, through vision in various accidents of the action of some fate, destiny, superior to us. And all this is a kind of lighter form of religiosity, in which they rely on accidents as patterns and manifestations of a higher world unknown to us.

First of all, superstition is an internal bond that a person imposes on himself. These are many invisible chains with which a person is internally shackled, so that he can no longer live freely, but is always afraid of something, looking around, being wary. Thus, widespread fear causes the need to return immediately after leaving home: even if you forgot a very necessary thing, if you return - that’s it, you yourself are to blame for further troubles. Some people look in the mirror just in case, as if your own reflection will cancel the “doom” hanging over you. In general, folk signs and superstitions are mostly permeated by outright pessimism. The principle of maximum bad luck has its own humorous formulation: “If any trouble can happen, then it will definitely happen.” According to superstitious people, folk signs and all kinds of omens indicate this to us.

Superstition permeates the life of a person who is not confirmed in the mind and heart in the Christian faith.

Even the attitude towards church shrines can become quite superstitious. This happens when a person thoughtlessly relies on some sacred object: a belt, an amulet, a pendant with the image of a saint, without remembering either God or basic safety rules. For example, this happens when a car enthusiast does not fasten his seat belt with the excuse that the car is consecrated and an icon is placed on its front panel. We see here stupidity disguised as piety. The person ignores the accepted safety rules, as if believing that God will give him a carefree ride due to the very fact of the presence of a shrine. Of course, the question is appropriate: why then are cars consecrated at all and icons placed inside them? Cars are blessed so that they, like Christian drivers, are overshadowed by the grace of God, which means they are freed from the presence of dark forces that can only harm. In this case, it is indeed possible to get rid of a number of situations in which an accident is provoked by the temptation of demonic forces, for example, inspiring the idea of ​​an unjustified maneuver or inducing the driver to sleep.

What is superstition? This, as can already be seen from the word itself, is vain faith, that is, empty, inauthentic, vain faith. Genuine faith differs from superstition in that a true believer does not mindlessly swallow any “spiritual” product. True faith is accompanied by sobriety and prudence, only with which one can perceive true spirituality. Superstition is an omnivorous, short-sighted and naive faith, addressed to everything indiscriminately.

We have already said that superstitions are a kind of alternative to living in true faith. Genuine spiritual values ​​have not yet prevailed in the soul of such a person, but the need to rely on something supernatural remains. People intuitively seek spiritual protection. Having no living faith in God, they use various amulets and rely on superstitions and signs that supposedly influence our lives. So, a superstitious person does not so much believe in something as fear it. He is constantly haunted by fears, and in the very superstitions he looks for a way to protect himself from them. Superstition is most acutely manifested in people when they experience strong emotions or difficulties, when they are faced with the question of overcoming a number of problems, the need to choose or make a decision, passing a serious exam or performing an important task.

In addition, there is a need in the soul to psychologically streamline one’s actions, based on some values. Paying attention to superstitious customs, a person involuntarily builds his own worldview according to a certain system, system, tries to control his own actions in accordance with this system, through which he gains psychological confidence in correct or incorrect actions. This gives peace of mind and an imitation of stability in life. For example, people, as is customary, sit in front of the path, but they actually sit only because through this they calm down and subconsciously tune in to the fact that they are not parting forever. By skirting the path crossed by the black cat, a person psychologically prepares for the best: he supposedly saved himself from possible trouble.

Thus, superstition is a method of self-defense, a superficial method, when a person intuitively seeks invisible help, manifested through external events, signs and actions as symbols of spiritual reality that influences our destiny. At the same time, a person’s heart sleeps, he remains in a certain complacency, mechanically fulfilling a superstitious custom or relying on human omen.

Genuine faith touches the depths of the human soul, when the heart awakens, and a Christian stands before God with a feeling of His living presence nearby. In this case, he understands that life is governed not by the elements of mysterious forces, but by the Providence of God, that is, by His sensitive and wise care for us.

Superstition has the peculiarity that the main significance is attached to something completely insignificant, random, insignificant, while almost no attention is paid to the main, essential and significant. In this sense, superstition, again, is fundamentally different from true faith. For when it comes to faith, a person consciously, with his whole being, turns to God, whose living presence is felt by the heart of the believer. It is not signs and circumstances that have arisen by chance that become the criterion of life here, but the commandments of God and the conscience of the believer, telling us what to do.

Why do some superstitions seem to be fulfilled? Because it often happens: what a person believes in becomes real for him. The superstitious person himself correlates the events of his life with the content of superstitions, he himself adjusts his fate to superstitions and signs, builds cause-and-effect relationships in his imagination, just as the ancient pagans saw in the events of their lives a confirmation of the truth of their mythology and faith in the gods.
And with regard to internal dependence on superstitions, I would like to recall the wonderful words of the Holy Apostle Paul: “Stand in the freedom that Christ has given us, and do not be subjected again to the yoke of slavery” (Gal. 5: 1).

Literature used:

Archimandrite Ghevond – On the essence of magic and superstition

Hieromonk Job (Gumerov) – Do sorcerers exist?

Hegumen N – About one ancient fear. Who and how do sorcerers “spoil”

Valery Dukhanin - candidate of theology, teacher at Nikolo-Ugreshsky Theological Seminary - On superstition and true faith

Sorcerers also use various demonic “shrines”

– Geronda, who are the “charms” ?

- Sorcerers. They use the psalms of David, the names of saints, and the like in their divination, but they confuse this with invoking demons. That is, just as we, when reading the Psalter, call on God’s help and accept Divine Grace, they, using psalms and shrines in a similar way, do the exact opposite: they blaspheme God, move away from Divine Grace, and after that the demons do what they ask. I was told about one guy who went to a sorcerer to help him achieve some goal. The sorcerer read something from the Psalter over him and the boy achieved what he wanted. However, very little time passed, and the poor fellow began to fade away, melting like a candle. What did the sorcerer do?

He took some nuts and seeds in his palm and began to read the fiftieth psalm over the guy. Having reached the words “sacrifice to God” (), he squeezed his hand and threw out the nuts and seeds squeezed in it, thus making a sacrifice to the demons so that they would fulfill his request. So, with the help of the Psalter, this sorcerer blasphemed God.

– Geronda, and some of those who practice magic use the cross, icons...

- Yes, I know that. From this you can understand what kind of deception lies behind all their actions! Using sacred objects, they deceive unfortunate people. People see that sorcerers light candles, “pray” in front of icons, and perform similar actions, and they trust the deceivers. One person told me that in the city where he lives, some Turkish woman placed an icon of the Most Holy Theotokos on one stone and now calls this stone “the stone that helps people”! She does not say that the Blessed Virgin Mary helps people, but she says that the stone helps them. Christians who see the icon of the Blessed Virgin Mary are confused by this. Those of them who are not in good health run to this stone with the thought that they will receive help from it, and then the devil does whatever he wants with them. After all, from the moment the Turkish woman says that it is not the Mother of God who helps people, but a stone, the devil immediately gets involved, since these words are contempt for the Most Holy Theotokos. The Grace of God departs from people, and demonic possession begins. So Christians run as fast as they can to the stone so that it can heal them - the stone along with the tangalashka! And in the end they are maimed, because is it possible to get help from the devil? If these people had even a little thought in their heads, they would have thought: a Turkish woman is a Muslim, what connection can she have with the icon of the Most Holy Theotokos? Even if this Turkish woman said that the Most Holy Theotokos helps people, it would be worth thinking: what relation could she have to the Most Holy Theotokos, being a Muslim? And even more so to say, as she claims, that the stone heals people! Having heard about this story, I asked my friend to notify the responsible persons in the Diocesan Administration of the city where this was happening and to take appropriate measures to protect people from this evil.

– Geronda, people ask us for incense.

– When they ask you for incense, it’s better to give them crosses. Don’t sew incense, because sorcerers also use incense now. On the outside they glue an icon or a cross to the amulet, but inside they put various magical objects. People see an icon or a cross outside and get confused. So a few days ago they brought me an amulet taken from a Turk named Ibrahim. This amulet had a cross embroidered on the outside. I was told about one sorcerer, who is not at all afraid of God, that he rolls up various icons into a tube, and puts wool, some pieces of wood, pins, various beads and similar objects inside. When I exposed this sorcerer, he said that he was a medium. And since mediums in our country are given freedom, he continues to do whatever he pleases. I told one person who was damaged by this sorcerer: “Go and confess, because you are receiving demonic influence.” He went to confess, then returned to me and said: “I don’t feel any difference between the current state and the one in which I was before confession.” - “Listen, maybe you are wearing some object that the seduced one gave you?” – I asked him. “Yes,” he answered, “I have with me a small box that looks like the Gospel, which he gave me.” I took this box from him, opened it and found various twisted icons inside. Unwinding them, I found beads, scraps of wool, wood chips and the like inside! After I took this box from the unfortunate man, he was freed from demonic influence. You see what a master the devil is!

Unhappy people wear such amulet, talismans, supposedly in order to get help, and in the end they suffer. Those who, having become entangled with sorcerers, received such magical objects from them as a “blessing”, must burn these objects and bury the ashes in the ground or throw them into the sea. Then such people need to go to confession. This is the only way to free yourself from demonic influence. One day a young man came to my kaliva who was in a very serious condition, in many respects. He had been suffering physically and mentally for more than four years. He lived a sinful life, and lately he had secluded himself in his home and did not want to see anyone. His two friends, who regularly came to the Holy Mountain, had great difficulty in convincing him to go with them. They did this to bring him to me. From Ouranoupolis to Daphne they sailed by ship. When the ship moored to various Svyatogorsk monasteries, the young man fell exhausted onto the ship’s deck. His friends and monks who were on the ship tried to bring him to his senses by saying the Jesus Prayer. With great difficulty they managed to bring him to my kaliva.

The unfortunate man opened his heart to me and told me about his life. Realizing that he was suffering from some kind of demonic influence, I advised him to go to one Athonite confessor, do what he told him, and thus receive healing. He actually went and confessed. When, returning from Athos, they boarded the ship, the young man told his friends that his confessor told him to throw into the sea a talisman given to him by an acquaintance, which he constantly wore on himself. “But I can’t throw it away!” - said the unfortunate man. No matter how much his friends tried to persuade him to get up and throw the talisman into the sea, he seemed petrified and could not rise from his place. Then they carried him onto the deck with great difficulty. With the help of friends, the young man took off this demonic talisman. He didn't even have the strength to throw it into the sea. He simply unclenched his hand, and the demonic talisman fell into the sea itself. Instantly, he felt his arms freed and his exhausted body immediately strengthened. Full of life, the young man began to jump around the ship with joy, and then rushed to test the strength of his hands on the iron ship's handrails and the ship's plating.

Those who practice witchcraft also invent a lot of lies.

– Geronda, do sorcerers receive any revelations about a person, about current events, etc.?

– It happens that they learn about something from the devil, but they themselves invent many different lies. Those of you who are obedient in the archondarik must be careful. You must not let what is happening there get out of control. You need to look at what kind of people visit the monastery, because someone involved in witchcraft may come. Does this seem surprising to you? Once, two people involved in witchcraft came here for one all-night vigil. They pestered people and fooled them. They also deceived everyone by allegedly maintaining contact with Metropolitan Augustine. They said to one woman: “They have damaged you. Let’s come to your home and remove the damage from you using the cross that we have.” And people, seeing how sorcerers come to vigils and talk about spiritual things, think: “But since they go to vigils, that means they are believers” - and open their hearts to deceivers. How they fool people with their lies! One such liar, wanting to deceive the girl, told her: “Father Paisius had a vision that you and I would get married. So take this little thing and put it around your neck. But don’t look what’s inside!” And he gave her some kind of witchcraft talisman. Fortunately, the girl did not put it on herself. “Oh, so it means that Father Paisiy is engaged in such “stuff!” – she seethed. Without thinking twice, she sat down at the table and wrote me a letter - full of strong expressions. Four pages of neat handwriting! She scolded me with the very last words! “Have a fight, have a fight,” I said, reading the letter, “it’s okay. For me, your swearing is like a balm - after all, you didn’t let yourself be deceived and didn’t put the demonic amulet on yourself!”

– Did she know you, Geronda?

- No, I didn’t know. And I didn’t know them either: neither her nor that deceiver.

Demonic witchcraft actions

– Geronda, what did you tell the schoolchildren who came today and told you that they summoned a spirit?

– What did they have to say? The first thing I did was give them a good thrashing! After all, everything they did was a renunciation of the Christian faith. The very moment people call out the devil and accept him, they renounce God. Therefore, I advised them, first of all, to repent, sincerely confess and be attentive in the future: go to church, take communion with the blessing of their confessor, in order to become chaste. But these schoolchildren - because they are children - have extenuating circumstances. They did it like it was a game. If these were adults, then such an activity would cause them great harm: the devil would acquire considerable power over them. But he has already tortured all of these children too.

–Geronda, what exactly were they doing?

– What many people do... They put a glass of water on the table, draw a circle around it with the alphabet: alpha, vita, gamma and so on. Then they dip their fingers into the water and call upon the spirit, that is, the devil. The glass begins to move around the table, stops in front of the letters and thus words are formed. The children who came today called the spirit and, when he came, they asked: “Is there a God?” - “There is no God!” - the devil answered them. “Who are you?” - the children asked. "Satan!" - he answered them. “Is there a Satan?” - the children asked. "Eat!" - he answered them. That is, such nonsense that it doesn’t fit into any gate! There is no God, but there is a devil! And when they asked him again if there was a God, he answered them: “Yes, there is.” Either yes or no. So the children themselves didn’t know what to think. God arranged it this way to help them. And then one girl from their company took and broke this glass. She broke it according to God’s providence, so that the rest of the guys would also come to their senses.

Today, many, wanting to do evil to someone, resort to the help of sorcerers who use wax dolls. Wax dolls are like a toy, a hobby for sorcerers.

– Geronda, what are they doing with the doll?

“They make a doll out of wax that looks like a person. When people come to them and ask, for example, that their enemy be blinded, they stick a needle into the doll’s eyes and at the same time pronounce the name of the person they want to blind. They also commit other demonic acts. And if a person who is being damaged in this way lives a sinful life and does not confess, then the demonic influence affects his eyes. From pain they seem to come out of their sockets! The person is examined by doctors, but the doctors find nothing.

And what evil do mediums, psychics, “clairvoyants” and the like do to people! Not only do they siphon money out of people, they also destroy families. For example, a person goes to a “clairvoyant” and tells him about his problems. “Look,” the “clairvoyant” answers him, “one of your relatives, a little dark, slightly taller than average, has cast a spell on you.” A person begins to look for which of his relatives has such characteristic features. It is impossible that none of his relatives were at least a little like the one the sorcerer described to him. “Ah,” says the man, having found the “culprit” of his suffering. “So that means she put a spell on me!” And he is overcome by hatred for this woman. And this poor thing herself does not know at all the reasons for his hatred. It happens that she did him some favor, but he seethes with hatred towards her and does not even want to see her! Then he goes to the sorcerer again and he says: “Well, now we need to remove this damage from you. To do this you will have to pay me some money.” “Well,” says the confused man, “since he found who damaged me, I must reward him!” And he forks out.

Do you see what the devil is doing? He creates temptations. Whereas a good person - even if he actually knows for sure that someone did something bad to someone else - will never say this to the victim: “So-and-so did something bad to you.” No, he will try to help the unfortunate man. “Listen,” he will tell him, “don’t accept different thoughts. Go and confess and don’t be afraid of anything.” Thus he helps both one and the other. After all, the one who has harmed his neighbor, seeing how he behaves towards him with kindness, thinks - in the good sense of the word - and repents.

The devil can never do good

When does witchcraft have power?

– Geronda, in what cases does witchcraft have power?

– Since witchcraft worked, it means that the person gave the devil rights over himself. That is, he gave the devil some serious reason and then did not order himself through repentance and confession. If a person confesses, then the damage - even if it is shoveled under him - does not harm him. This happens because when a person confesses and has a pure heart, sorcerers cannot “work together” with the devil in order to harm this person.

One day a middle-aged man came to my kaliva. He came with an insolent and unceremonious look. Seeing him from afar, I realized that he was under demonic influence. “I came for you to help me,” he told me. “Pray for me, because I have been suffering from terrible headaches for a long time and the doctors can’t find anything.” “You have a demon,” I answered him. “He entered you because you gave the devil rights over you.” “No, I didn’t do anything like that,” he began to assure me. “I didn’t do anything ‘like that’,” I say. - And about how you deceived that girl that you forgot? Well, she went to the sorcerer and cast a spell on you. Now go, ask the deceived girl for forgiveness, then confess. In addition, spell prayers must be read over you so that you become healthy. But if you do not understand, do not realize your sin and do not repent of it, then even if all the confessors from all over the world gather and pray for you, the demon will still not leave you.” When people come to me with such shamelessness, I speak to them bluntly, calling things by their proper names.

Another man told me that his wife is possessed by an unclean spirit, she makes terrible scandals at home, jumps up at night, wakes up the whole family and turns everything upside down. “Are you going to confess?” – I asked him. “No,” he answered me. “It must be,” I told him, “you have given the devil rights over you. These things don’t happen out of the blue.” This man began to tell me about himself, and finally we found the reason for what was happening to his wife. It turns out that he visited one Khoja, who “for good luck” gave him some water so that he could sprinkle his house. This man did not attach any importance to this demonic sprinkling. And then the devil went wild in his house.

How can witchcraft be broken?

– Geronda, if witchcraft has affected a person, has had power over him, then how to free himself from it?

– You can free yourself from witchcraft through repentance and confession. Because first of all, the reason why witchcraft affected a person must be found. He must admit his sin, repent and confess. How many people, exhausted by the damage brought upon them, come to my kaliva and ask: “Pray for me so that I can be freed from this torment!” They ask for my help, but at the same time they do not look into themselves, they do not try to understand where the evil that is happening to them began - in order to eliminate this cause. That is, these people must understand what their guilt was and why witchcraft had power over them. They must repent and confess in order for their torment to end.

– Geronda, what if a person who has been damaged reaches such a state that he can no longer help himself? That is, if he can no longer go to confession or talk with a priest? Can others help him?

– His relatives can invite a priest to the house so that he can perform the Sacrament of the Blessing of Unction over the unfortunate person or serve a prayer service for the blessing of water. A person in such a state must be given holy water to drink so that evil will recede at least a little and Christ will enter into him at least a little. One woman whose child was in the condition you speak of did this, and the child received help from it. She told me that her son suffered a lot because he was hexed. “He needs to go to confession,” I advised her. “Father,” she exclaimed, “how can he go to confession in that state?” “Then,” I told her, “ask your confessor to come to your house to perform a prayer service for water, and let your son drink this holy water. However, will he drink it? “It will be,” she answered. “Well,” I say, “start with a prayer service for water, and then try to get your child to talk to the priest. If he confesses, he will be able to throw the devil far away from himself.” And indeed: this woman listened to me and her son benefited. A little time passed, and he was able to confess and became healthy.

Do you know what another unfortunate woman came up with? Her husband became entangled with sorcerers and did not even want to wear a cross on his body. In order to help him at least a little, she sewed a small cross into the collar of his jacket. One day her husband had to cross a bridge to the other side of the river. Climbing onto the bridge, he heard a voice telling him: “Anastasius! Anastasy! Take off your jacket so that we can walk across the bridge together.” Fortunately, the weather was cold, and he replied: “Where should I shoot there? It’s cold as hell!” “Take it off,” the same voice persuaded him, “take it off so we can walk across the bridge.” Damn you, devil! The devil wanted to throw this man off the bridge into the river, but he could not do this because he was wearing a cross. And in the end, the devil was able to throw the unfortunate man only to the edge of the bridge. His family searched all night and finally found him lying on the bridge. If it had not been cold, he would have taken off his jacket, and then the devil would have thrown him into the river. This man was saved by a cross sewn into his clothes. His unfortunate wife was a believer. After all, if she didn’t have faith, would she have sewn a cross into his clothes?

Cooperation between sorcerers and demons

– Geronda, can’t a person who has holiness help some sorcerer?

- How can he help him? Here you tell a person who has a little fear of God to be careful, because by living like this, he is following the wrong path - and such a person, even having the fear of God, still continues to blow his own trumpet. And what can we say about a sorcerer who collaborates with the devil? How can you help such a person? You will begin to tell him spiritual things, but he will still remain with the devil. There is nothing you can do to help the sorcerer. Only if you say the Jesus Prayer when he is in front of you, then the demon can get confused and the sorcerer will not be able to do his job.

One person was unwell. And so the sorcerer—a charlatan like no other—came to his house to “help.” And the sick man said the Jesus Prayer. He was a very simple man and did not know that the one who came to him was a sorcerer. That's why I intervened in what was happening. And look what God allowed so that the unfortunate person would understand with whom he was dealing! The sick man said the Jesus Prayer, and the demons began to beat the sorcerer, so that the sorcerer himself began to ask for help from the person whose house he had come to “heal” him!

–Geronda, the sick man, did he see the demon with his own eyes?

“He didn’t see the demon, he saw that something unimaginable was happening. The sorcerer shouted: “Help!” - he tumbled on the floor, fell, shielded himself with his hands from the blows of invisible enemies. So don’t think that sorcerers have a sweet life and demons always do for them everything you ask. It is enough for demons that the sorcerers have renounced Christ once. First, the sorcerers enter into an agreement with the demons to help them, and for several years the demons obey their orders. However, a little time passes, and the demons say to the sorcerers: “Why on earth are we going to stand on ceremony with you?” And if sorcerers fail to cope with the tasks of demons, then do you know how they get it later?

I remember we were talking in the kaliva courtyard with that young sorcerer from Tibet whom I told you about earlier. Suddenly he jumped up, grabbed my hands and twisted them behind my back. “Let Hajefendi come now and free you!” – he told me defiantly. “Oh, you devil! – I seethed. “Well, get out of here!” I pushed the blasphemer and he fell to the ground. Why listen to him blaspheme the Saint?! Then he jumped up and wanted to kick me, but he couldn’t do that either: his foot stopped right next to my lips. God saved me. I left him standing in the courtyard and entered the Cell. Some time passes, and I see him - covered in thorns, in some branches - coming out of a ravine overgrown with weeds that was located near my kaliva. “Satan punished me,” he told me, “because I could not defeat you. It was he who dragged me into this thicket.”

The black forces of darkness are powerless. People themselves, moving away from God, make them strong, because by moving away from God, people give the devil rights over themselves.

Chapter two. About those possessed by an unclean spirit

– Geronda, how many demons were there in the Gadarene demoniac?(and below)

- “Besi a lot of people” (), - it is written in the Gospel. That is why the unclean spirit, through the lips of the possessed person, said that his name is “legeon” ()) - a unit of the Roman army numbering from 3 to 6 thousand soldiers.. And look, just as many demons can dwell in a person possessed by an unclean spirit, Likewise, all the saints can fit into the heart of a believer. Yes, since Christ Himself fits into the heart of a Christian, then what can we say about the saints! This is a great secret! Once, when I lived in the Kaliva of the Holy Cross, a visitor came to me and knocked with an iron rivet near the gate. When I looked out of the window, a terrible sight met my eyes! I saw a man followed by a whole phalanx of demons. He was surrounded by a whole black demonic swarm! This was the first time I saw a person under the power of so many unclean spirits. This unfortunate man was a psychic. Between the words of church prayers, he inserted invocations of demons, mixed Christian books with occult literature, and after all this the demons gained power over him. Terrible thing! When I saw him, I was very upset.

There are psychiatrists who consider people possessed by an evil spirit to be mentally ill. There are priests who, in turn, consider some mentally ill people to be possessed. Whereas a mentally ill person and one possessed by an evil spirit must receive help in different places and in different ways. How can a psychiatrist help a possessed person?

– Geronda, is a possessed person able to understand what his fault was and why the unclean spirit entered him?

- Yes, he can understand this, except in those cases when his mind has already been damaged. In the latter case, helping the possessed person is very difficult. If he is simply possessed, that is, if his mind is not damaged, then you can easily come to mutual understanding with him and provide help. However, such a person must be obedient. Otherwise, how can he get help?

One day a visitor from Southern Greece came to my kaliva. He got involved with all sorts of Hindus, and as a result an unclean spirit entered into him. He spewed vile curses and foam came out of his mouth. The unfortunate man's eyes were wild, they were popping out of their sockets. “Don’t say these blasphemies, because in this way you invite demons,” I admonished him, but he did not listen to me. And at the same time he asked me to help him. “Help me,” he begged me, “only you can help me.” “Listen,” I answered him. - Well, how can I help you? You want me to pray that you, by the Grace of Christ, will be freed from an unclean spirit, and at the same time you yourself call on these unclean spirits! Go and confess, have incantatory prayers read over you, and then come to me again and we’ll talk.” “I won’t go,” he answered me. “Eh, well, then let’s at least go to church, I’ll anoint you with oil from the lamp,” I suggested to him. “I don’t want to,” he answers. “I want you to help me.” Then he stepped aside and spoke to one of the visitors who was in my yard. And at that time I was talking with a group of pilgrims about what allows trials for our salvation. Hearing my words, the demoniac, without approaching us, shouted: “Well, what are you talking about that God is working to ensure that people are saved? We have one father in heaven and one father on earth! And above all we have one more prince!” - “Stop being unkind!” – I answered him and began to say the Jesus Prayer. “Yes,” he says, “now you’ve confused me!” - he said. “Come on, go away!” – I told him, and he flew to the side. Then he began to ask me: “Who are you with?” “With Christ,” I say. “You’re lying,” he says, “you’re not with Christ, because Christ is me, and you’re beating me.” The devil presented everything to him topsy-turvy.

– Geronda, did the devil himself say all this?

– Yes, the devil, but look, he gave this man strength so that he could come to the Holy Mountain. Being in such a state, coming to Mount Athos from the other end of Greece is no joke! But what can you do: he doesn’t listen to you, and he gets worse. But if he had obeyed, he would have received help.

Having devilish pride, a person can become possessed

One who has a lot of pride is a darkened person. His head is clouded, as if smoked by exhaust fumes. He commits gross sins and does not understand it. “I,” one such person told me, “love everyone and I love the devil too. After all, the devil is not evil, no...” - “What are you talking about? – I objected to him. “After all, if I had allowed the devil to rule completely freely, he would have torn us all to pieces. Who has seen anything good from the devil so that you too could expect the same?” However, this unfortunate man had reached such a state of darkness that he did not understand anything - no matter what you said, hoping to help him. He immediately started saying that you were “putting him under pressure”! Is [an attempt to free him from this thought] really pressure? This man is not crazy, because his brain works. He must understand that saying this is the same as denying Christ, that [claiming that the devil is not evil] is blasphemy.

And this is how people slowly reach the point of worshiping Satan. When you see Satanists, it becomes clear that these people are enslaved by the devil. Even their appearance was imprinted with something demonic. Dark forces, with the help of satanic music, direct unfortunate children where they want. It's getting to the point where Satan is being called in for help. I've heard that if you listen to some rock music CDs backwards, you can hear songs invoking Satan. It even goes so far as to “glorify” Satan: “Satan, I dedicate myself to you.” How scary it is!

– Geronda, that is, pride can drive a person into madness?

- Yes. Let's assume that a person commits something and justifies himself. If people reprimand him to help him, he says that they are treating him unfairly. Believing that he himself is better than those who reprimand him, he condemns them. Then little by little he begins to judge the saints. First the new saints, then the old saints... “This saint did not perform any miracles,” says such a person, “and he had such and such a defect...” A little more time passes, and such a person, going further and further in his condemnation , begins to condemn the Councils of our Church. “And at all these Councils,” he says, “they made all sorts of decisions...” Therefore, in his opinion, the Councils of our Church were also mistaken. Ultimately, such a person comes to the point where he says: “Well, why did God do it the way it was done?” Well, if a person reaches such a state, then he does not go crazy - no. He becomes possessed.

One day a demoniac came to my kaliva and called himself a god. He came to me with his father. This demoniac went to a confessor who did not live on Mount Athos, and he, afraid that the devil might attack him, said to the possessed: “Well, then bless me!” What can you say? Okay, it’s better to leave this... And then this possessed man began to say to his father: “You’ll see, and Father Paisius will also agree that I am god.” And so he bet with his father with all the money he had with him that I would accept him as a god. But as soon as I began to pray the rosary, the demoniac jumped up as if stung. “What are you doing with that grunt of yours? - he shouted. - I have committed all the sins there are! I have committed such and such a sin, and such and such... I have the devil in me. I became a god. You must agree that I am a god. And you, so-and-so, didn’t do anything! You’re just constantly muttering with that little grumbling of yours!” Do you know what nasty things he said? I became angry. “Come on, get out of here, you lost man!” – I shouted at him. I gave him a beating! Then he became completely enraged and became like a beast. He pulled money out of his pocket and threw it to his father. “Take,” he says, “your winnings, I bet.”

The possessed reacts to any shrine

– Geronda, how can you understand what’s wrong with a person: demonic possession or mental illness?

“Even a simple reverent doctor can understand this.” People suffering from demons, approaching the shrine, become excited and begin to shake. From this it is absolutely clear that they have a demon. If you offer such people to drink a little holy water or want to cross them with holy relics, then they resist, because the Grace of God constrains the demons within them. And if people suffer from some kind of mental illness, they do not resist the shrine at all. The possessed are worried, they begin to shake, even if you just approach them with a cross on you. One day I came to an all-night vigil at a Svyatogorsk monastery. The brethren of the monastery told me that they had a thought that one of the pilgrims who came to the monastery was possessed by an unclean spirit. I sat down in the stasidia next to this man and touched him with my cross, into which a particle of the Honest Tree of the Holy Cross was inserted. The possessed man shook, jumped up and went to the far corner of the temple. When the people dispersed after the vigil, I carefully, kindly, tried to talk to them. But the same thing happened again. And I realized that this man is truly obsessed.

Sometimes children are brought to my kaliva and they say that they are possessed by a demon. Sometimes, in order to understand whether this is really so, I take a particle of the relics of St. Arsenius of Cappadocia and squeeze it in the palm of my hand. And you should just see: both my hands are clenched, however, if a child is possessed by an unclean spirit, he looks in fear at the hand in which a particle of holy relics is hidden. But if a child does not have any demonic possession, but simply suffers from some kind of brain disease, for example, then he does not react to the relics at all, does not resist them. And sometimes I give the children water, in which I first immerse a particle of holy relics. But if children have a demon, then they don’t drink this water - they run away. One day they brought me a demon-possessed child. First, I properly fed him sweets to whet his thirst, and then brought him some water from the holy relics. “I’ll give our Yanakis some tastier water to drink than the others,” I said. After drinking a little of this water, the baby began to scream: “This water is burning me, what’s in it?” “There’s nothing in it,” I answered. “What are you doing to me? She’s burning me!” - the unhappy baby shouted. “She’s not burning you,” I said, “she’s burning someone else.” I began to cross the baby’s head, and he began to shake, he fell into a crisis of possession. The demon that was in the baby twisted his body.

Do you remember that student who came here to the monastery many years ago? “There is a demon living in me,” he told me, “and it torments me very much. I suffer terribly from this demon, because besides everything else, it forces me to say all sorts of nasty things. I was in despair. I feel how he squeezes me from the inside, pinches me here and there,” and the unfortunate young man pointed to his stomach, chest, ribs, and arms. This unfortunate man was very sensitive. Therefore, in order not to hurt him and to console him, I said: “Listen, there is no demon in you. What is happening to you is an external demonic influence.” When we went into the temple with him, I asked the sisters who were there to pray for God’s unfortunate creature. And he himself went into the altar, took a particle of the relics of Saint Arseny, came out of the altar, approached the unfortunate man and asked him again: “So in what place is the demon pressing and tormenting you? Where do you think he sits?” Then he showed me his sides. "Where? Here?" - I asked him and touched him with holy relics. Wow, how he howled here! “You burned me, you burned me!” I won’t leave, I won’t leave!” He shouted, used foul language, and uttered various abominations. Then I began to say the Jesus Prayer to myself: “Lord Jesus Christ, Lord Jesus Christ, cast out the unclean spirit from Your creation.” Praying, I baptized the unfortunate man with holy relics. This lasted about twenty minutes. Then the demon began to shake him, knocked him to the ground, and the unfortunate man began to roll on the floor. His suit became dusty and looked like a doormat. We brought the unfortunate man to his feet. He was shaking all over and twitching sharply and convulsively. In order to stay on his feet, he held on to the iconostasis. His hands were covered with cold sweat - like dew on the morning grass. Soon the demon left him and the unfortunate man calmed down. He was freed from the unclean spirit and is now alive, healthy and feeling great.

Do not attach importance to the words of a possessed person

– Geronda, what should you pay attention to when talking with a demoniac?

– You need to say the Jesus Prayer and behave kindly with such a person.

– Geronda, do the possessed remember what they said in a fit of possession?

– What they remember, what they don’t remember. We don't know how God works. Sometimes He allows the unfortunate to remember what they said in a fit of obsession, so that they humble themselves and repent.

If a possessed person asks for something, then it is not easy to understand in what case he asks for it, being under the influence of the devil, and in what case he himself, as a person, feels the need for it. One day I met a girl who was possessed by a demon. She had read Kazantzakis's books and believed the blasphemies that were in these books. As a result of all this, she was possessed by an unclean spirit. When we were talking to her, she suddenly had a demonic attack and she began screaming in a terrible voice: “I’m burning, I’m burning!” Her family held her so that I could cross her. Then she shouted: “Water, water!” “Bring water,” I asked her family. "No no! - they answered. “One man told us not to listen to the devil.” “Now,” I said, “the unfortunate woman is thirsty. Bring water." It was clear to me when the burning sensation she experienced came from the devil, and when it was because she was thirsty. The unfortunate woman drank two glasses of water. “In me,” she later said, “it’s like burning coals, I feel such a burning sensation. Even if I drank a whole bucket of water, the flame that I felt in myself would not go out.” It burned her so much!

– Geronda, if a demoniac screams, how can you understand in which case the devil speaks through his mouth, in which case he himself speaks as a man?

– When the devil speaks, the lips of the demoniac move unnaturally. They move mechanically. And when a possessed person speaks like a person, his lips move naturally. If an incantatory prayer is read over a possessed person and he screams, this may happen because the person himself is tormented and, for example, says to the devil: “Go away, why don’t you go away?” And in another case, the devil himself reviles the person or priest who reprimands him. It happens that the devil blasphemes Christ, the Most Holy Theotokos and the saints. Sometimes the devil tells a lie, and sometimes the power of the name of Christ forces him to tell the truth. There are times when a possessed person shouts out something from spiritual books he has read and the like. What can I say? It's all very confusing. Therefore, when talking with a possessed person, be very careful. Don't attach any importance to his words. For example, he may say: “You are burning me.” If you really burn him and, agreeing with this, say: “I’m burning him,” then that’s it - you’re [spiritually] burned. If you believed that you were burning the devil, when in fact nothing of the kind was happening, then you were burned twice. Or, for example, a demoniac shouts: “Oh, you nasty women!” - and he can say to some nun: “But you are pure.” If this nun believes the words spoken by the devil, then that’s it, she’s lost. Therefore, there is no need to experiment with the devil.

Once a demoniac was brought to one monastery. The abbot gathered the brothers in the church so that they could pray for him using the rosary. The head of Saint Parthenius, Bishop of Lampsaki, was kept in this monastery. The grace of God began to greatly oppress the demon. The brethren prayed for the possessed man using the rosary, and at the same time the abbot instructed one monastery hieromonk to read exorcism prayers over the possessed man. This hieromonk appeared reverent on the outside, but inside he had hidden pride. He labored [physically], fulfilled everything that was prescribed by the charter. He was educated and gave spiritual advice to others. However, he himself did not receive help from anyone - because the other brothers, seeing him doing something wrong, out of respect for him did not dare to tell him about it. This man began to have illusions about himself. He considered himself the most virtuous inhabitant of the monastery and cultivated other thoughts of this kind. On this day, the evil one found a favorable opportunity to do evil to this hieromonk. He used all his cunning to give the unfortunate man the impression that it was he who was casting out the demon from the possessed. So, when he began to read incantatory prayers over the possessed, the demon shouted: “I’m burning! Where are you driving me, you merciless one?” The hieromonk began to think that the demon was burning because it was he who was reading the prayers, whereas in fact the demon was driven out by the prayers of other brothers. The unfortunate hieromonk answered the demon: “Enter into me.” Yes, from the life of Saint Parthenius it is known that in one such case he actually said such words to the demon. But it was a Saint! Indeed, one day such an incident happened to Saint Parthenius. He cast out a demon from the possessed, and the demon shouted: “I’m burning, I’m burning! Where should I go? Then Saint Parthenius answered him: “Enter into me.” And the demon answered the Saint: “And your name alone scorches me, Parthenius!” - and came out of the possessed man whom he was torturing. And this hieromonk in question wanted to pose as Saint Parthenius and became possessed himself. From that moment on, the demon gained power over him. For years afterwards the unfortunate man suffered and could not find peace anywhere. He constantly circled and did not sit in one place. I circled around the world, then around Mount Athos. What did he, the unfortunate man, endure! The state he was in led him to mental exhaustion and physical exhaustion. He was shaking as if with a fever. Look, he was once a good priest, but being in this state, he could no longer serve the Divine Liturgy. Do you see what the devil is doing?

– Geronda, is there any connection between drinking coffee and the behavior of the possessed?

– When a person’s nervous system is excited and he drinks a lot of coffee, his nerves are shaken even more, and the tangalashka takes advantage of this state. Not that there is anything demonic in coffee - no, but the tangalashka uses the effect of caffeine on the nerves and then the demoniac becomes even worse.

Help for the possessed

About the report

– Geronda, today a demon-possessed woman was brought to our monastery and asked to call a priest to read incantatory prayers over her. What should we have done?

- In this case, it would be better for you to tell those who brought her, so that the confessor of this unfortunate woman decides whether it is necessary to read incantatory prayers over her or not. After all, if the devil is in her, then this means that either she herself or her parents committed a serious sin and thereby gave the devil rights over this unfortunate woman. After all, sin brings the Devil with it. If people who have committed a sin do not repent and confess, then the sin does not go away, and therefore the devil does not go away either. Or maybe God allowed this unfortunate woman to fall into a demon for some other reason that we do not know.

– Geronda, does reprimanding the possessed help?

– Different demoniacs – in different ways. A reprimand helps in the case when incantatory prayers are read over a possessed child who has not given the devil rights over himself and does not understand what confession is. Or a reprimand can help an adult who has lost his mind and cannot confess. If the possessed person is of sound mind, then first of all you need to help him find his guilt - the reason why he became possessed. He needs to repent, confess, and only then - if necessary - incantatory prayers can be read over him. After all, a demon can leave a possessed person even after a prayer of permission is read over him in the Sacrament of Confession.

Some priests gather into one group both those who are possessed by an unclean spirit and those who are sick, and read incantatory prayers over all these people together. I remember how a man who had Parkinson’s disease was brought in for a lecture! Yes, today they brought an elderly man here and said that he was possessed by an unclean spirit. The left hand of this unfortunate man is shaking. Sometimes he has seizures. “Since when,” I asked him, “have you been in this state?” “Since childhood,” he answered me. I was surprised. Then I noticed that there was a small dent on the left side of this unfortunate man’s head. Apparently, this dent was the result of a birth injury, and what happened to him was the result of exactly this. Imagine: a person is sick, and they tell him that there is an unclean spirit in him, they read incantatory prayers over him, they command: “Get out, you unclean soul...”, and as a result, he becomes a laughing stock in the eyes of people! This is not possible! How many children who are considered possessed by demons actually do not have any demon in them! One day they brought me a twenty-five-year-old guy who was said to be possessed. I gave him holy water to drink, and the unfortunate man did not react to it at all. “How does what you are talking about manifest itself? – I asked his father. “Since when did he start suffering from this illness?” “From the age of six,” he answered me. “We ran a store, and one day the body of his murdered grandfather was brought there. Immediately after that, all these strange things began to happen to him.” So that's it: the unfortunate child simply experienced a nervous shock. If an adult had been in his place, even his health could have been damaged after such experiences. And what can we say about a small child! And here you go: now the unfortunate man is called possessed!

– Geronda, can incantatory prayers be read not out loud, but silently?

– It’s even better about yourself. The main thing when reading incantatory prayers is that they should be read with pain, with humility, and not with pride. When the priests loudly and proudly “command” the unclean spirit: “Get out, you unclean soul,” this infuriates the devil, he becomes enraged, tugs at the egoism of the demoniac and can even tell him: “Look, he made You're a fool! Come on, hit that ass in the neck!” A demoniac, driven by an unclean spirit, begins to beat the priest, as a result of which it is not the demon that runs away, but the priest with his missal... One day, during a reprimand, one priest said to the demoniac: “I command you, unclean spirit, to come out of this man! » “Well, everything is correct,” the devil answered through the mouth of a demoniac. “That’s why I don’t go out because you command me...” Therefore, I advise priests, when reading incantatory prayers, never to shout the words: “Get out, you unclean soul!”... You might think that the demons don’t hear them!

And the relatives of the possessed person do not need to tell others that they invited a priest to their house so that he could read incantatory prayers. It’s better to tell people that the priest came to serve a prayer service. And incantatory prayers - so as not to attract anyone's attention - are better to be read in a quiet voice.

The possessed have a martyr's life

Whatever you say, those who have a demon within themselves suffer greatly. After all, such people humble themselves, but they are also tormented by the devil! Once in the Stavronikita monastery I met a twenty-three-year-old guy possessed by an unclean spirit. Skin and bones! It was terrible cold, the stove was burning in the temple, and a young man, dressed in a thin shirt with short sleeves, was sitting in the vestibule of the temple. I couldn’t stand it, I went up and gave him a warm woolen sweater. “Put on this sweater,” I told him. “Aren’t you cold?” “It’s so cold there, father,” he answered me. “I’m burning all over!” You see how: this is real torture.

There are demoniacs who are naturally particularly sensitive. The tangalashka inspires such people that they will not be saved and incites them to commit suicide. How scary it is! This is no joke! I knew one demoniac who bothered even the priests. The unfortunate man came to the temple to have incantatory prayers read over him, and the priests kicked him out. Then the devil began to speak to him and about me: “And don’t go to this either, he won’t accept you either.” The devil plunged him into despair.

I remember another possessed person who, by the grace of Saint Arsenius of Cappadocia, was freed from an unclean spirit. What a temptation the devil gave him after this! Having already freed himself from the unclean spirit, he somehow came here to the monastery to venerate the holy relics of St. Arseny. However, the monastery was closed. Then, near the lower gate of the monastery, the devil appeared to him in the form of Saint Arseny and said: “So that your foot is no longer here. Neither I nor Paisiy want to see you.” So the devil drove him away. Do you understand? After this, the unfortunate man began to blaspheme Saint Arseny, to scold me... Well, okay, of course, it’s worth scolding me, but to blaspheme the Saint!.. As a result, the unfortunate man again became possessed. Yes, here if a person behaves simply with shamelessness, then the Grace of God retreats from him. And what can we say about those who blaspheme the saints! Then he came to the Holy Mount Athos, came to my kaliva and began shouting: “What bad have I done to you that you don’t want to see me? Why don't you want to help me too? What, do you want me to suffer?” “Stupid,” I admonished him. “The one who appeared to you and drove you away was the devil.” This was not a saint. Saints do not drive people away.” But he didn't listen to me. He believed his thoughts. Do you know how these unfortunate people suffer, how they suffer every day?

But many demoniacs suffer in order for others to come to their senses. After all, seeing how the possessed are tormented, the rest think, come to their senses and repent. One should not think that the possessed have more sins than others. However, he allows them to fall into a frenzy, as a result of which they are humiliated, humbled, pay for their sins and receive a reward themselves. However, others, looking at their suffering, also receive help.

Of course, someone can say that there are people who do not become possessed, despite the fact that they commit a great many sins. Why is this happening? Here’s why: when a person reaches complete callousness, he is no longer subject to demonic attack, because he sees that this person will not receive any benefit [from such an attack]. After all, we need to know that wounding, exposure to demonic influence is also, in a way, a gift from God to a sinful person, so that he humbles himself, repents and is saved.

Chapter three. Scary delights

Asceticism and prelest

– Geronda, I'm afraid of charm.

- You're doing the right thing. One who is afraid of delusion does not fall into delusion, because such a person, being attentive, confesses all his thoughts to [the Elder]. He does not hide anything and thus receives help.

– Geronda, what is a predisposition to prelest?

– To be predisposed to charm means to have the idea that you are something, and to show others that you are doing something. To be predisposed to delusion means to believe that you have reached a spiritual level, because, for example, you accomplish some kind of feat, but to think about others that they have not yet understood the meaning of spiritual life, and to behave proudly with them. If a person selfishly forces himself in asceticism, wanting to reach the level of some saint and for others to admire him, then this is the beginning of delusion. It’s one thing to force, and another thing to force yourself in a feat. I once told one person: “Be careful not to fall into delusion due to an incorrect attitude towards spiritual life. You are in spiritual danger." - “Will I fall into delusion? – he was indignant. “I don’t even eat meat!” Meanwhile, this man did not even go to confession. He “confessed” his sins to the icon. “Are you Orthodox or Protestant? – I asked him. “What book did you read that you should confess like this?” - "And what? - he asks me. “Can’t Christ hear me?” You understand what's going on!

– Geronda, does physical feat help in the fight against passions?

– If physical feat is used to overcome passions, then it helps. The body is humbled and the flesh submits to the spirit. However, if someone engages in “dry” asceticism, then as a result he creates illusions. After all, asceticism of this kind cultivates spiritual passions, develops pride, increases self-confidence and leads to delusion. Then, looking at his “dry” asceticism, a person comes to conclusions about his spiritual success. “I do such and such bodily activities,” he is proud. - But such and such a brother is lame in this regard. I have already reached the level of such and such a saint, and I have already surpassed another saint...” - and he increases his fasts and vigils. However, the entire feat he performs goes down the drain, because the person does it not with the goal of cutting off passions, but in order to receive selfish satisfaction. I knew one monk who, out of pride, was engaged in bodily work, and his thoughts told him that he was a great ascetic. He had already reached the end of his rope: he did not eat, did not wash his clothes at all, and lay in a terrible stench and dirt. His clothes were completely rotten from the dirt. One day I took his clothes to wash them. But what was there to wash! One day he told me: “I have already left St. John Kushchnik behind.” “What are you talking about,” I say? In your opinion, Saint John Kushchnik achieved holiness through dirt?” A few more days passed, he came to me again and declared: “I also left St. Maximus Kavsokalivit behind.” - “So how did you leave him behind?” – I asked. “Yes,” he answers, “it’s very simple: I’m spinning like a top on Mount Athos!” “Well,” I say, “give it!” Reverend Maxim reached the state of being incorporeal and flew, and did not spin like you - like a top! Then this man began to “cultivate” the mortal memory in himself and in his thoughts he inspired himself: “Now I am in hell.” A little more time passed, and he - supposedly in order to humble himself - began to say: “Now I have become the devil, I have become Satan and I will go to gather my followers.” This is how this man fell into delusion.

Focus on Imagination

– Geronda, you said that during prayer our mind should avoid various pictures from the life of Christ and the like. Why should such pictures be avoided?

– So that the devil does not deceive us with the help of fantasies and imagination. Imagination is a good thing, and if used wisely, it has great power. There are people who, for example, can see some kind of landscape, and a year later remember it exactly as it really is, and capture it in a picture. God gives this ability to man, but the devil uses it for his own purposes. People susceptible to delusion imagine what they see or read the way they want. And then they believe that the picture painted by their imagination is real. In order for these unfortunates to receive help, they must be under constant [spiritual] supervision, because the devil is constantly fooling them.

Therefore, when a person, endowed by nature with a [rich] imagination, is told that he is thinking incorrectly, he needs to think and put question marks after his thoughts. I knew one simple woman who constantly prayed and asked Christ to see Him here, in this life, because - as she said - in another life she would not have seen Him anyway. And indeed, when she came to receive communion, Christ appeared to her in the Holy Chalice in the form of a Baby with bloody hair. Then the vision disappeared and the woman was able to take communion. After this event, the enemy began to process her with the thought that she was something, and then inflamed her imagination and constantly gave her his “film screenings.” Once, having left Mount Athos for the world, I found this unfortunate woman in a house and heard her recounting her fantasies to the men and women gathered there. It took me a lot of work to bring her to her senses. I gave her a good beating in front of everyone, so that her lovely state would become obvious and she would humble herself.

– Geronda, were these visions her fantasy?

- Fantasy and charm.

– Geronda, didn’t she tell her confessor about these visions?

– Do you know what happens in such cases? Satan deceives such people with what they see. They do not use their minds, and it does not even occur to them that such “visions” should be told to their confessor. What a crafty devil! Terrible thing!

If a person is inattentive to his imagination, then the tempter can plunge him into delusion, using even the simplest, most natural event. When I lived in the Stomion Monastery, while reading Vespers in winter, I would light the stove. Women who sometimes came to the monastery from the city began to notice that during Vespers there was a crunching sound from the icon of the Most Holy Theotokos in the iconostasis. I didn’t pay attention to this crunch, but the women began whispering to each other: “Imagine! When the monk reads Vespers, a crunching sound is heard from the icon of the Mother of God!” Hearing them whisper, I thought: “Let me look at the icon from which you can hear a crunch.” I don’t want to say that I don’t believe in divine events - no, I believe that the Mother of God appears to people and speaks to them, and those who are in a good spiritual state see Her; however, in such cases, attention is required. Well, I took a chair, climbed onto it and looked at what was happening to the icon. What happened? The board on which the icon was written was old, with dowels inserted into it from the back. When the oven was heated properly, one key would heat up, expand, and make a crunching sound. Then I hammered nails into the icon and it stopped crackling. After that, I asked these women: “Well, do you hear any crunching now?” “No,” they answered me. “Well,” I say, “you shouldn’t attach importance to such things.” It is necessary to be attentive, because if imagination gradually develops in a person, then his whole life becomes worthless.

– Geronda, how can one understand whether some [supernatural] event was from God or from the devil?

- It's obvious. If the event is not from God, then the devil brings proud thoughts to the person. And besides this, the devil’s vision is a clumsy job: he even reaches the point of blasphemy. One day a man came to my kaliva who was in delusion and had an unclean spirit in him. I talked to him and it did him good. And do you know what he told me after that? “I hear such wise things for the first time,” he says! I haven’t even read this in the Gospel!” That is, it was as if he was telling me: “What you said was better than what Christ said.” Do you understand what the devil does in order to bring you a proud thought? Whatever you say, if a person does not understand that he himself cannot do anything by his own strength, but that what he does is accomplished by the power of Christ, then such a person will not accomplish anything, even if he casts out thousands of demons from the possessed.

The devil appears in the form of an angel of light

If a person who has not experienced the highest heavenly joy - that is, who does not have spiritual experience [divine visitations] - is inattentive, then he can easily fall into delusion. The devil is wicked. It slightly irritates a person's heart and makes him feel something pleasant. Thus, by creating in a person the impression that this pleasant thing was spiritual and divine, the devil plunges him into delusion. He robs a person’s heart, and he thinks that what is happening to him is spiritually correct. “I don’t feel any excitement,” says such a person. Yes, you really didn’t feel any excitement, but what you felt was not real spiritual joy. Spiritual joy is something Heavenly.

The devil can appear in the form of an angel or in the form of a saint. A demon, disguised as an angel or a saint, spreads around itself the excitement, embarrassment that it has within itself. Whereas a real Angel or saint always spreads heavenly joy and heavenly joy. A humble, pure person, even if inexperienced, distinguishes the Angel of God from the demon who appears in the form of an angel of light. This happens because such a person has spiritual purity and is related to the Angel. But an egoist and a carnal man is easily seduced by the crafty devil. The devil appears in the form of an angel of light, but as soon as a person includes one humble thought in his work, the devil disappears. One evening, after Compline, I sat on a bench in my cell (I lived in the Stomion Monastery) and said the Jesus Prayer. Suddenly I heard the sounds of stringed musical instruments and a clarinet coming from one building, which was located not far from the monastery and served as a hotel for pilgrims. I was very surprised! “What kind of music is heard so close?” - I said to myself. The patronal feast day in the monastery has already passed. I got up from the bench and went to the window to see what was happening in the yard. I look: there is complete silence and silence all around. Then I realized that all this music was from the evil one - so that I would interrupt the prayer. I returned to the bench and continued the Jesus Prayer. Suddenly the room was filled with bright light. The ceiling and the upper floor above me disappeared, the roof opened, and I saw a pillar of light that reached to the sky. At the top of this light pillar could be seen the face of a blond young man with long hair and a beard, who looked like Christ. Half of his face was hidden from me, so I stood up from the bench to see his full face. At that moment I heard a voice inside me: “You are worthy to see Christ.” - “Who am I, unworthy to see Christ?” – I answered and crossed myself. At the same moment, the light and the false Christ disappeared and I saw that the ceiling had returned to its place. If someone's head is not properly locked, then the evil one can bring to such a person the thought of pride and seduce him with the help of fantasies and false lights, which do not lead to Paradise, but cast him into chaos. Therefore, one should never ask to see the light, to receive a divine gift or anything like that. You need to ask for repentance. Repentance will bring humility to a person, then the Good One will give him what he needs. Once, when I was living in Sinai in the cave of St. Epistimia, the tangalashka wanted. .. do me a favor! Not far from the cell there were three or four steps. At night, when the sky was clear and the stars were shining, I would go into the caves and, in order to go down these steps, I would shine a lighter. One night I wanted to light my lighter, but it wouldn't light. Suddenly, a bright beam of light, like a searchlight, hit from one rock! Wow, everything around has become bright! “No,” I say, “you need to stay away from such “spotlights”!” I came back and the light immediately disappeared. What a devil he is: he didn’t want me to go down the stairs, lighting it with a lighter! “Isn’t it a pity,” he felt sorry for me, “that a person suffers so much! Let me shine a light on him!” That's what kindness is!

– Geronda, how did you understand that this light was not from God?

– This is understandable... It’s a terrible thing!

Dreams are false

– Geronda, I am tormented by dirty dreams...

– Having seen a dirty dream, you never need to remember what and how you saw. After all, if the evil one could not tempt you during the day, he will come at night. Sometimes he allows the evil one to tempt us in our dreams, so that we can see that our old man is still alive. And it also happens that the enemy approaches a person in a dream and shows him different dreams, so that when he wakes up, such a person falls into disorder. Therefore, you don’t need to attach absolutely any significance to dreams: sign yourself with the sign of the cross, sign your pillow with the sign of the cross, put a cross and a couple of icons on it and, falling asleep, say the Jesus Prayer. The more importance you attach to dreams, the more often the enemy will come and tempt you. The devil shows his dreams not only to adults, but also to children. The devil comes even to sleeping babies, despite the fact that they are little angels. They jump up in horror and run into their mother’s arms in fear and tears. And sometimes Angels come to sleeping children, and they laugh with joy in their sleep or, experiencing great joy, wake up. Thus, the dreams brought by the evil one are an external enemy influence on a person while he is sleeping.

– Geronda, if during sleep you feel an incomprehensible emotional heaviness, what is it?

– Sometimes the cause of such severity may be the anxious state in which a person lives during the day, or the various fears, suspicions and the like he experiences. And of course, all this can be used by the tangalashka. He is able to shuffle these fears, anxieties and suspicions in any combination, just to lead a person into confusion. And often a person sleeps so lightly that he thinks that he is not sleeping and prays that this heaviness, which even squeezes his breathing, will go away.

And sometimes this happens: the devil can clothe himself in any image, even a saint, and appear in a dream. One day he appeared to one sick person in a dream in the form of Saint Arsenius of Cappadocia and told him: “I am Saint Arsenius. I came to tell you that you are going to die. Can you hear me? You will die! The man was horrified. But the Saint never speaks like this. And even if the patient really has to die and the Saint appears to him to warn him about death, he will say about it kindly: “God saw how you were suffering, and therefore He will take you from this world. Try to get ready." A saint will never say to a sick person: “Can you hear me? You will die!

– Geronda, when a person screams in a dream, why does this happen?

– When he screams, it’s better, because in this case he wakes up... Many dreams come from anxiety. When a person is anxious or tired, then this anxiety or fatigue gnaws at him from the inside and he sees disturbing dreams. I often meet people during the day and listen to their various problems. And then in a dream I scold someone: “Oh, you atheist,” I shout, “you don’t give a damn about anyone!” And I wake up from my own screams.

– Geronda, can a person understand from his dreams that certain events will happen in reality?

– No, you don’t need to attach importance to dreams. Whatever dreams may be, pleasant or unpleasant, you should not believe them, because there is a danger of falling into delusion. After all, ninety-five percent of dreams are false. Therefore, the Holy Fathers say that dreams should not be given importance. There are very few dreams that come from God, but in order to interpret even such dreams, you need to have purity and other necessary prerequisites - like the righteous Joseph () and the prophet Daniel, who had Grace from God. “I,” said Daniel to Nebuchadnezzar, “will tell you about the dream you saw and what it means” (). But what a state the prophet Daniel reached! He sat with the lions in the ditch, and the lions, despite the fact that they were hungry, did not touch him (and below). When Habakkuk brought food to Daniel, he said: “Have you really remembered me?” () Yes, if God did not remember the prophet Daniel, who would He remember then?

– Geronda, some people don’t dream.

- And it’s good that they don’t see! They don’t spend money on tickets or gas! In a dream, in one minute you can see events that in reality would last several hours or several days. Because during sleep time is abolished. This is where a person can understand the words of the psalm: “...a thousand years are before Your eyes, O Lord, like yesterday, even as we pass by..” ().

Attention to Visions

– Geronda, what should we answer people who tell us about visions they had, that they saw such and such a saint, or something similar?

– It is better to advise such people to be careful and restrained. This attitude towards visions is more reliable, because not all people are able to discern whether a vision was from God or from the devil. But even if the vision is from God, a person should not accept it the first time. God, seeing how His creation - man - does not accept the vision [is not upset, but on the contrary], in some way, becomes touched. After all, such an attitude towards vision shows that a person has humility. If the Saint who appeared to a person was really a Saint, and the person did not accept this vision, then he knows how to notify the soul of this person and lead it to where He wants. Attention is necessary, because [instead of the Saint] a tangalashka may come, who will turn on the [demonic] “TV” and begin his broadcast...

I remember one woman who did not receive any help from people and therefore had the right to Divine help. God, wanting to help this woman, gave her a certain vision. However, after this vision, the devil inspired her with the following thought: “Who knows, maybe he has honored you with such a vision, because He intends you for some higher mission!” From the moment she began to believe such devilish suggestions, the devil began his work and she fell under his power. However, in the end, God again had mercy on her. She had a vision, and she heard a voice telling her: “Write a letter to Father Paisius and describe all the visions that you had.” She wrote me a letter and told me about all the visions she had. The evil one has worn it out as it should. Yes, all her visions were real, but almost all of them were from the tempter. Of all the visions she had, only the first and last were from God. Wanting to bring her to her senses and help her free herself from delusion, God allowed this last vision to happen. Ultimately, the unfortunate woman listened to my advice and managed to extricate herself [from the network] of those devilish visions that she had.

Distinctive characteristics of a seduced person

–Geronda, how can you understand that a person is in delusion?

– This can be understood even by his appearance. A deluded person is outwardly clothed in a kind of false “dispassion.” He looks humble and meek, but there is a great ego behind him - a great idea he has about himself. Looking into the eyes of a seduced person, you will see that he looks at everyone else as if they were unfortunate, like ants. However, the seduced person can also be discerned by the words that he utters. I remember one deluded man, whom many people considered to be a saint. He said that Christ allegedly appeared to him sitting on a horse. Christ allegedly held a flask of wine in his hands, from which he gave this man a drink, after which he allegedly received the gift of clairvoyance! Once, when this “seer” was talking with people, one person asked him: “Why can’t I also perform miracles?” “Because you committed such and such a sin...” the seduced man answered and began to list to him the sins that he actually committed. The unfortunate man began to panic and came to me to tell me all this. “Listen,” I told him, “do you really think that the Saints are making people laugh? Only the devil makes people laugh. Don’t you understand what the devil is saying [through the mouth of this deceived one]? And if what he says is the truth, then the devil still speaks this truth.” And another woman told me about how she took a demoniac to a man about whom there were rumors that he cast out demons and performed similar miracles. This “miracle worker” took both women to the same abandoned chapel. As soon as they entered the temple, he took the stole and put it on himself. The woman was very surprised! A worldly man puts on an epitrachelion! “What are you, father?” – she asked him. “What do all these priests mean!” - he answered and began to condemn the priests. Thus, the unfortunate women realized that he was in delusion, jumped up and ran away.

Charm and madness

– Geronda, a person in delusion, is sick and some kind of mental illness?

- Not always. Loveliness is one thing; mental illness is another. Some people just fall into delusion. Others fall into delusion and become mentally ill. I knew one monk on Mount Athos who did not listen to anyone. He left his monastery and wandered around Mount Athos. Four or five times he came to me in order to receive a blessing to lead a supposedly ascetic life, and each time I advised him to return to the monastery where he took monastic vows. In the end, he bought a kaliva and lived in it alone. After seven months of such a deserted life, he came to my cell. “Go back to your monastery,” I persuaded him. “Now,” he answered, “I have received a letter of release from the monastery and they will not accept me back.” “Be careful,” I admonished him, “be very careful. At least try to become attached to some elder so that you can live by obedience and not by your own will.” “But obedience,” he answered me, “I will show the will of God.” “Come on, come on,” I tried to convince him, “ask to join some monastery.” “I,” he answered me, “having become a hermit, will I go back? It’s you who go and ask to enter the monastery.” “Why should I ask alone,” I say, wanting to help him. “If you want me to ask to join the monastery with you, then I will do it with all my heart.” “Tell you what,” he answered me, “listen to me carefully. If you are tired of life in silence and you want to ask to join a monastery, then go and ask!” Seeing that he behaved in this way - with shamelessness - I also left him alone. A little time passed, and I learned that this monk was possessed by an unclean spirit and, in addition, he went crazy. The devil appeared to him in the form of the Most Holy Theotokos and said: “My child, if you bow down at my feet, then I will give you the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit...” The unfortunate man thought: “Now I will receive the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit and will wipe everyone’s noses!” And, falling to the ground, he bowed to the devil. As soon as he bowed, the devil shook him and an unclean spirit entered him. However, this devilish shock also shook his state of mind. He wanted to become a protepistate, came to the Sacred Cinema, locked the monks who were in the building, took the protepistate staff and, admiring himself, began to go down the stairs. The monks in Karyes were surprised to see a new “protepistat” coming down the stairs of the Sacred Cinema! Some of the monks slowly followed the patient in a jeep and, a little further from Karies, put him in a car and took him to a mental hospital. Now, with regard to demonic possession, his condition has improved, but his mental illness remains with him.

– Geronda, isn’t a person in delusion, in some way, possessed by a demon?

- Well, who is he? He is not just possessed, but one who is in delusion may have more demons in himself than the possessed person has. However, being seduced is one thing, and being possessed is another.

We must be careful with those who are seduced

[In the world] there are two or three confessors who combine a little reverence with disorder in their heads. These confessors are fooling people. And they diagnose everyone as possessed. They don't listen to anyone. “I,” they say, “am a priest and therefore have power!” If they tell you about such cases, then explain to people what is happening, make them think, because such confessors do evil to the Church. Tell people who have come under the influence of such confessors: “Find the right [uncorrupted] confessor and be nurtured by him in order to receive help.” These “old men” go so far as to use my name and even my photograph to give people the impression that they have a relationship with me.

It is clear that these confessors are people of little intelligence, and therefore they have extenuating circumstances. However, there are also unscrupulous people who deliberately pass off vinegar as wine. One of these, a former accountant, now travels throughout Northern Greece and poses as my novice. He says that I gave him the gift of clairvoyance and “about five other gifts.” In this way he seduces people and collects money.

– Geronda, is this man a clergyman?

- No, layman. One day he met me in Daphne, but managed to hide so that I would not see him. "True child"! It's good that he likes to drink. He smells like fumes. Some people see him swaying and begin to doubt him.

Oh, there are so many deceivers who profit from people’s pain and turn this pain into commerce! One of these rogues said to a certain widow: “One hand of your dead husband did not decompose in the grave, because his soul needs prayer.” - “Well, what should I do now? - thought the unfortunate woman. “I’ll give him money so he can pray for my husband’s soul.” Having taken quite a lot of money from her, after a short time he told her: “Well, we have avoided the first danger. Now your husband’s condition has improved a little...” The unfortunate woman continued to give money to the deceiver; he took possession of half of her fortune, supposedly so that her husband’s soul would find peace!

And there are those deluded ones who, whispering some words under their breath, make the sign of the cross over the sick and supposedly heal them. And people are deceived, they do not go to confession, they do not invite a priest to their house so that he may perform the Sacrament of Anointing on them or read the appropriate prayer, but they go to these deceivers. And, by the way, they leave a whole lot of money with these deceivers. I was told that in one village two seduced people set up a very profitable business - a real cooperative!.. The devil gave one of their fellow villagers, for example, a severe headache, or, due to the devil’s obsession, one of the residents of this village suffered from pain in the lower back . Then the devil went to one of these deceived people and told him: “Such and such a person has a severe headache for such and such a reason.” Having found an opportunity, this seduced man said to a sick fellow villager: “I know why your head hurts” - and immediately talked about the “reason” of his illness. “It’s true! - the patient was amazed. - Look, what a revelation! And what do I need to do now to make my headache go away? “Go to so-and-so, and he will help you,” said the seduced one and sent him to another seduced person. Do you see what trick the devil has come up with to keep people in delusion? He united two seduced people into a “medical cooperative”! One made a diagnosis, and the second supposedly healed! The devil did this to keep people away from the Church.

Cheap gifts of the seduced

– Geronda, why, when having some problem, do people often resort to the seduced?

– Because the devil’s gifts are cheap and easy to acquire. After all, the seduced do not demand anything difficult from those who come to them; they calm and justify people in their passions. And so the unfortunate, instead of repenting of their sins, instead of going to their confessor and confessing, find such deluded ones - that is, the devil himself - and ask them to solve their problem. And then they suffer and do not understand that the devil has bound them and acquired power over them.

– Geronda, why do people believe in such deceived people?

“People are confused.” Do you know how many there are who claim to lead people along the right path, while they themselves carry a bag behind their shoulders in which not just anyone, but the devil is hiding! However, the Good One does not allow the devil to go completely unnoticed. Sometimes the horn or tail of the devil protrudes from the bag carried by the deceivers. People see this and shout in horror: “Oh, what is this? Horn? Tail?" - “No, what are you saying! What a horn, what a tail! After all, it’s just... an eggplant,” the deceivers reassure them, in order to fool them and pass off the devilry as something good and useful.

And here, to the monastery, one day such a company came, led by a certain seduced man. The deceiver gathered about ten people around him and pretended to be their elder. “Do you belong to some Christian organization?” – I asked them. They didn't answer. “To some society?” They were silent. “Do you have a confessor?” Silence. Then they started coming up to me and bowing to me. This deluded one brought them here in order to keep them in delusion. Then he will say: “We visited Elder Paisius, and he agreed with us!” Do you understand this? I shouldn’t even have met him, because the fact that I met him in itself would benefit this man. He looked very suspicious! But from his unfortunate followers who were on their knees, it was clear that they were captivated by this deceiver.

– Geronda, you didn’t tell them anything?

“I told them something, but the evil one, as soon as they leave here, will tell them something else.” Not by washing, but by rolling, he returns them to his path again.

– Geronda, how can you protect yourself from those who are seduced?

– This can be done while remaining within the fence of our Church. Of course, if a person follows a deceived one out of ignorance, he will not leave him. God will help such a person understand his mistake and return him to the truth.

Correction of the seduced

– Geronda, what will help a person who has some deluded ideas return to normal?

– He will be helped by realizing his worthless state, confessing all his thoughts to his confessor and obeying his confessor in everything he says. Such a person must constantly ask for God’s mercy so that Divine Grace will return to him again. That is, in order to return to normal and be saved, he needs to humble himself.

And look: the judgments and councils of God are an abyss. Ah, His love has no boundaries! One man with a head full of seduced ideas often came to Athos and came to my kaliva. No matter what I told him, he didn't listen. He interpreted everything topsy-turvy. And after leaving the Holy Mountain, he began to preach and caused great [spiritual] damage to people. He said that I had instructed him to preach, and thus fooled people. Once upon a time, I gave him several books as a blessing, and he even showed these books to people so that they would believe that he was consulting with me. But one day, during one such “sermon,” for a moment Divine Grace completely abandoned him and he began to blaspheme Christ and the Most Holy Theotokos with the dirtiest words. Hearing such blasphemy, people were horrified and fled. Then a police car arrived and he was taken to a psychiatric hospital. See to what extent the love of God reaches! allows even His Name to be blasphemed - if only His creatures receive help and avoid evil!

– Geronda, if someone who has been seduced, realizing that he is in delusion, repents, will his followers repent?

If his repentance is real, then he must humble himself, tell his followers that he was mistaken, and try to lead them to the right [spiritual] path. However, when the deluded ideas of such a person become known, and he himself continues to remain in delusion, his followers should be gently, carefully enlightened and warned. After all, some deluded people go so far as to spread their ideas within the Church. And therefore, there is a danger that the followers of such people, suddenly learning that what they were taught was delusion, will be tempted and break away from the Church.

Chapter Four. “We deceive and are deceived” ()

About the charm of Pentecostals

– Geronda, those who are seduced by the delusions of Pentecostals say that they have visions, they speak in different languages, and the like. Is what they are talking about their imagination or is it really happening due to demonic influence?

– This happens due to demonic influence. After all, by being seduced into the Pentecostal heresy and receiving baptism from them, people trample on the Holy Baptism of the Holy Orthodox Church that was performed on them. “I confess one Baptism for the remission of sins,” says the Creed. And so, having accepted such a sectarian baptism, these unfortunates fall under demonic influence and begin to make various incomprehensible sounds - supposedly speaking in different languages. “This,” say the Pentecostals, “is the holy spirit of Pentecostal speaking.” But this is actually not the Holy Spirit of Pentecost, but a whole bunch of unclean spirits. What kind of speaking in different languages ​​is there? They talk about all sorts of incoherent nonsense: they don’t even understand what they are saying. And in addition, they record all this nonsense on a tape recorder and then make calculations, on the basis of which they come to the conclusion: “On this tape, “Hallelujah” is said so many times in such and such a language, so many times in such and such... “But why not: after all, in all this abracadabra you can definitely find some sounds that will be similar to “Hallelujah” in any of the languages ​​of the peoples of the world! Look, this kind of “speaking in tongues” is a demonic thing. However, they consider this demonic activity to be the action of the Holy Spirit and claim that they are experiencing what the holy apostles experienced on the day of Holy Pentecost. What they believe is blasphemy [against God], and therefore these people become possessed.

– Geronda, why are they being baptized again?

- Because they say: “I was baptized in infancy and did not know what they were going to do to me, but now I am baptized, realizing it.” Thus, they are baptized again and supposedly justify their sins [committed before this sectarian baptism]. But if she did not baptize infants, then what would happen to the souls of children who die unbaptized? Therefore, in the Sacrament of Holy Baptism, the godfather becomes a guarantor for the baby, he pronounces [for him] the Creed and bears responsibility for the baby until he grows up. Is it really unfair to baptize babies? Of course not. On the contrary, a baptized baby receives divine help because he partakes of the Holy Mysteries of Christ. And if, having become an adult, he stains the Sacrament of Holy Baptism with some kind of sin, then this does not mean that he must be baptized again! In the Church there is Repentance and Confession, which wash a person from the sin he has committed.

About fire walkers

– Geronda, they say that on the feast of St. Constantine, fire walkers walk on lit coals and do not get burned. What is this phenomenon?

– This is a demonic phenomenon and at the same time a deception. And the fact that they dance on the coals, holding some kind of icon or cross in their hands, is shamelessness, because to do so means to renounce the faith. The Grace of God is removed from such people, and therefore the devil helps them. How can it be that the devil does not help them after this? After all, they “have the right” to his help!

But in this matter, in walking on coals, their own cunning also helps them. Firewalkers come to the place where the performance will take place in advance, and prepare everything. That is, they burn sycamore branches, which leave behind few coals and a lot of ash, and, while dancing, they know where to step. Why, I wonder, don’t they put holm oak or strawberry tree branches into the fire, after burning which the coals do not go out for a long time? Let someone else build a fire for them, and then let them go and dance there on the coals!

One person told me: “What a miracle! Firewalkers walk on coal with their bare feet and don’t get burned.” - “And this seems surprising to you? – I asked him. – Demons have been in the fire of hellish torment for many years, and now it’s been centuries, and they don’t burn up either! This is what should be surprising, and not the fact that someone does not burn out after walking a little on coals and ashes.”

Reincarnation

– Geronda, why do some people, even educated ones, believe in reincarnation?

– Reincarnation suits people, and especially godless and unbelieving people. This false teaching is the greatest deceit of the devil. The devil keeps such people in a sinful life with the thought that their souls supposedly leave this world and return to it again. “Just think, what does it matter,” the devil inspires the followers of reincarnation. “If you fail this time, then luck awaits you the next time you return to this life.” And if you fail again, you will come back again, and then again... You will undergo evolution!” After this, people say: “It’s okay if I commit this sin as well,” and they wave their hand at everything. They live carelessly and do not repent. See how the devil blinds these people and keeps them in hell! I have not seen the devil’s deceit and invention greater than the false teaching about reincarnation: he invented this in order to gather people in hell. And if the devil catches you once, do you think he will let you go back? The reincarnation theory is the worst of all Hindu theories.

One young man came to my kaliva late in the evening. “You came to me at such an hour when I was about to read Vespers,” I told him. “And you still do this kind of nonsense?” – he answered and left. The next day he came again and began to tell me about the visions he had. “Have you,” I say, “never dabbled in hashish before?” “Yes,” he says, “I used to play around.” However, at the time when I had these visions, I did not smoke any hashish!” “Or maybe,” I asked him, “have you read books about reincarnation?” “Yes,” he answered me. This is where he got burned. He read a lot about reincarnation, egoism mixed in, and the devil began to show him dreams that a thousand years ago he was a big man! The chickens didn't peck for money! Then in a vision he was “caught up into heaven,” but was not yet “written in heaven,” and so he was told to come down. The devil brought him to this state. “Everything you told me,” I told him, “is a tall tale. Did you believe them?”

Unfortunately, there are also educated people who believe such nonsense. There was one donkey grazing near my kaliva. He was playful and that's why I named him Nasser. One day a pilgrim came to me - a Greek living in Switzerland. He heard me calling the donkey Nasser, and the next time he arrived, he brought with him two boxes of sweets - one simple, the other gift. “These sweets are for you,” he told me and handed me a box of simple sweets. “But these delicious cakes are for Nasser. Even then I realized that he was the real Nasser. When I met him, he looked at me with such a sorrowful gaze that it pierced my heart!” That is, he thought that Nasser had reincarnated and become a donkey! And he believed it! “My brother,” I told him, “are you out of your mind? I call the donkey Nasser because he is playful!” But, despite all my efforts, he did not understand me.

But that's something else! I'll tell you about one more case. Several years ago, a group of Germans came to Crete to commemorate the German soldiers killed there during the German occupation of Greece. When the Germans were holding their event, a peasant walked past them with a donkey loaded with shopping. Seeing a crowd of people, the donkey began to bray. One of the Germans understood this in such a way that the braying donkey was his brother killed in the war, reincarnated as a donkey! Realizing that his “brother” recognized him and greeted him with his roar, the German stood at attention and threw his hand forward in a military salute... And laughter and sin!.. Without thinking twice, the German ran up to the peasant and asked him: “How much do you want for a donkey? I'm buying it." - “Fuck you, you know where.” - the peasant answered him. However, the German, without listening to him, was already counting out the marks: more, even more... “Go away,” the peasant persuaded, “let me pass.” Even more, even more... In the end, one of those watching this scene said to the peasant: “You fool, you fool. After all, he pays you for a donkey the same as for a Mercedes. Well, give it to him.” The peasant stood, thought, then unloaded the donkey, took off the saddle and handed the animal to the German. The German, with tears in his eyes, took the donkey and took it to Germany!

– Geronda, is this all serious?

– It doesn’t get any more serious! I myself would not have believed it if I had not heard this story from one serious person.

About ascetic exercises in Hinduism

– Geronda, do Hindus achieve a certain self-control because they are helped by the intense ascetic exercises they do in yoga?

– They do all these exercises, but what do they achieve in the end? Orthodox abstinence and spiritual asceticism in general always have in mind the highest spiritual goal - the sanctification of the soul. And the satanic worldly asceticism of those we are talking about is performed so that the body becomes flexible, so that one can twist one’s arms and legs, like a paper Karajoz, so that these “ascetics” are admired by some foolish people and so that they are laughed at demons worthy of ridicule. Anyone who practices such eastern asceticism, from childhood, begins to stretch his legs, puts one leg over one shoulder, the other over the other, and, sitting in this position, prays. They get calluses on their hands because they spend long hours pounding a bag of gravel with their fists, and then they can break stones, boards and the like.

But the sensations and experiences that followers of Eastern religions talk about can be explained. For example, reaching with their tongue to the tip of their nose or, conversely, drawing it in and touching the larynx with the tip of their tongue, they feel some irritation, experience some sweetness of tickling and say: “We have drunk nectar [the drink of the gods].” Then such “ascetics” press their fingers on the nerves near their ears and begin to hear some kind of hum: “Uh-uh-uh...” Music!.. Or they press their fingers on their eyes, and stars begin to flash in their eyes! And sometimes they stare wide-eyed at the sun, then close their eyes and see the light! “Here,” they say, “we have achieved what we wanted. We saw the uncreated light!” And then the devil says to them: “Ah, so you want light? Well, I’ll give it to you.” The devil inflames their imagination, and subsequently they see the “light” without pressing their fingers on their eyes or looking at the sun. The devil often tries to deceive us [Orthodox monks] by showing some kind of light or something similar. We don’t ask him for this, we even turn our backs to this light, but he still tries to seduce us! What can we say then if the person himself provokes the devil to this! After all, just give the devil a reason!

– Geronda, that is, the devil shows them different pictures?

- Yes, it kindles, sharpens their imagination to a high degree and then plunges them into delight.

And some of our compatriots go to Indian teachers. The Indians teach them to say in their own language various blasphemous things about Christ, about the Most Holy Theotokos, about the Saints. Some of them know that this is blasphemy, others do not know. And thus these people become possessed. Then they begin to pronounce “unspeakable verbs.” They reach a frenzy, an insane state, and people, seeing them, think that they are in a spiritual state! But this state is demonic.

Hinduism has caused a lot of evil

Indians are smart people. They [are not satisfied with earthly things], they are worried about what lies beyond nature. And they are blessed with a rich heart. But, despite this, they are allegedly engaged in philosophy, charming teachings and witchcraft. Indians are corrupting Europeans with their theories. And look at those who are at the head of Eastern religious movements: they themselves are built like bulls, while most people in those countries die of hunger! These teachers come to us in Greece, fool people with nirvana - the opportunity to do nothing, reincarnation... Among other things, they use in their books excerpts from the Holy Scriptures, from the Philokalia, from patristic books and thus attract people to themselves. How could one imagine in former times Orthodox Christians believing Hindu theories! And now even some, how can I put it better, correct, positive people support such nonsense and give these teachers a lot of money. Hinduism has done us great harm.

– Geronda, are there Orthodox Christians in India?

- Very little. There were few members of the Church that the Apostle Thomas founded in India, but they too were transferred. Some of them became Catholics, others - Protestants. Today, Orthodox Christians in those countries can be counted on one hand.

In Orthodoxy there are miracles and Divine Grace. Hinduism has witchcraft and philosophy. Hinduism replaces miracles with witchcraft, and Divine Grace with philosophy. The devil gives power to gurus, sorcerers and the like, because they themselves give him rights over themselves. Thus, these people can perform supposed miracles, which others admire when they see them.

From the moment a person, carried away by Eastern religious teachings, sees that the one who performs false miracles does not have the slightest relationship with Christ, he must understand that everything performed by such a “miracle worker” is a devilish deception. The devil is incapable of speaking the truth. He speaks one lie and misleads the creatures of God. If people who have become involved with Eastern teachings have previously known a little about Orthodoxy and have a good disposition, then they become thoughtful when they see that the life of Eastern sorcerers is unclean and confused, while in Orthodoxy they find pure life and higher [spiritual] gifts. In Orthodoxy they find people who have holiness and perform true miracles.

Kindness in Orthodoxy is an overflow of man’s love for God and for his neighbor. All other types of kindness that are performed by heterodox, deceived and similar people do not have spiritual foundations [of life] in Christ, however, they may have some positive human foundations in themselves. The one who lives the Orthodox life correctly, has humility, love and gives himself entirely to his neighbor, sacrifices himself. And he also performs his ascetic deeds, fasting, and vigil out of love for God, and not in order to feel something pleasant.

Christ came into this world to suffer crucifixion out of love for His creation. First He suffered crucifixion and then He resurrected. Asking for spiritual joys is a cheap thing. It’s another matter if Christ Himself gives heavenly sweets to a person to taste. But those who practice, for example, various Hindu philosophies, yoga and the like, do this in an effort to achieve a supposed spiritual state, ecstasy. They strive to experience pleasure or become superior to others - while not having any sympathy or interest in anyone.

Suppose that a follower of the eastern one sits on the seashore and engages in “self-concentration.” If, while he is doing his work, a man drowns in the sea and shouts: “Help!” - then the follower of the Eastern cult will remain completely indifferent to his cry. He won’t even move, won’t leave his place, so as not to lose the pleasure he feels. But if in his place there was an Orthodox monk who would say the Jesus Prayer, then, having heard the cry of a drowning man, he would immediately put aside his rosary and rush into the sea to save the man.

How people are deceived

– Geronda, when before the Second Coming the prophets Elijah and Enoch come to Earth to preach repentance, will the world understand their preaching, will it come to its senses?

“Those who have a good disposition will understand.” But those who do not have a good disposition will not understand and will be deceived. Christ warned us that we need to be very careful because “False Christs and false prophets will arise and show signs and wonders even if it is possible to deceive the elect.” ().

There are people who mistake some deceived people for prophets. Several years ago, one Protestant, without ceasing, traveled from one city to another, carrying with him a leather suitcase on which there was a sticker with the inscription in English: “I am Elijah the Prophet!” This Protestant wore a short-sleeved shirt, carried the Holy Scriptures in English, and told people that he had come down from heaven! When asked what he believed in and what religion he belonged to, he answered: “Eh, now none of this matters at all! In those days when I was still living on earth, there were no religions!” Do you understand? Therefore, everything: Catholics, Protestants, Pentecostals, all heresies and all heretical branches - for this Protestant there were no differences. But doesn’t it then become clear what kind of “prophet” he is? And how many letters he sent me! All his letters were full of quotations from the Holy Scriptures and various Protestant ideas. He sent a whole bunch of letters to other people: some from England, others from other places. Some believed him and even wanted to publish an article in one magazine that the Prophet Elijah had come. “Are you out of your mind? – I told these people. “What are you going to do?” Unhappy people: their heads are completely confused!

Even just by listening to what the deceived say, a person sins. Some say: “If you believe that an event will happen, then it will happen.” Such faith is faith in one’s “I”, but behind this “I” there is a tangalashka. Such people make their “I” a god and are deprived of Divine Grace. And with such theories, some try to mislead people. One such seduced man, about forty-five years old, posed as a graduate of the theological school in Halki and preached various Hindu theories. “By spreading all this ennobled Indian nonsense,” I told him, “and at the same time posing as a graduate of a Halki school, you are harming both yourself and people. Be careful: you may become possessed."

– Geronda, why do some pseudo-religious movements that have spread in Greece try to pass themselves off as non-religious associations, clubs, societies and the like? Why don't they say that the content of their teaching is religious?

“They do this to seduce people.” And look: after all, Saint Constantine the Great, Equal-to-the-Apostles, abolished idolatry and made Christianity the state religion of the entire then Roman Empire. And today they want to return us to idolatry again. [At the state level] they allow us to build mosques, various gurus there - to found their own monasteries, freely give lectures, open various proselytizing centers... Freemasons operate freely here, Jehovah's Witnesses too... A whole bunch of different religious teachings have taken up arms against Orthodoxy . But all this will not hold up - it will fall apart like a house of cards.

Unhappy people are carried away by all these false teachings, because they have moved away from God and have reached the point of darkness! Two young men told me how, while traveling in the Holy Land, they came to Hebron to venerate the tomb of Abraham, and there they were allowed to visit the tomb only on the condition that they put on Jewish caps. But if you put on your head something that is used in a Jewish religious cult, then how will an Orthodox pilgrimage help you?

What can I say! A terrible [spiritual] mess is happening! In Paris, at the entrance to one Roman Catholic church they hung a sign: “We give lessons in the Jesus Prayer using the yoga method.” What have they come to! And then such “prayer books” begin to have problems with their heads and go crazy. They don't know what they are asking for. Some Roman Catholics, Protestants and others like them learn that during Baptism in the Orthodox Church a person changes and is reborn. And these people believe that if they, too, are baptized with Orthodox Baptism, their mental state will return to normal again. One Protestant wanted to become Orthodox.. When those whom he asked for Baptism came to me, I told them: “Listen, there is no need to baptize him. He is not ready for Baptism.” “No,” they answered me, “if he is baptized, he will receive help.” - “But he’s not ready for Baptism! Don’t you understand this? But they didn’t listen to me, they took this Protestant to the sea and baptized him! Two or three days later he comes to my kaliva and declares: “I was baptized, but Baptism did not improve the state of my psyche.” - “Listen, were you really baptized in order to improve the state of your psyche? – I asked him. - Look: if you felt the need for Baptism, if you understood its dignity and for the sake of this greatness would strive for this Sacrament, then your psyche would return to normal. But now, when you have begun the Sacrament of Holy Baptism only in order to correct mental disorders, how will they be corrected, these disorders? Do you think they’ll get better magically?”

These people mix witchcraft with miracles. They cannot distinguish gold from bronze. Just look: some Protestant can accept, for example, Orthodox Baptism, and after that become a Catholic, then, saying: “No, I don’t like that either,” return to Protestantism or Orthodoxy. One Catholic received Orthodox Baptism, became a monk and lived in an Orthodox monastery for nine years. One day he came to my kaliva and said: “As an Orthodox Christian, I have not yet lived a worldly life and therefore I want to go into the world and get married!” Just listen! And besides everything else, when you tell him how difficult it is to think like that, he answers you: “Why is this a serious sin? I can’t understand this.”

Return to Orthodoxy

Today's strange people find satisfaction in what is strange rather than in what is right. For example, they go to India, which is located on the other side of the earth and which is famous for its witchcraft. But they don’t know about the Holy Mount Athos, which is in their homeland, next to them and preserves the true mysterious life in Christ, they neglect it! One student told me that he went to India and lived there for three and a half years. He tried to figure it out and understand which religion is true. Finally one Indian said to him: “Why did you come here? What you are looking for is in Orthodoxy. The light comes from there. Go to Holy Mount Athos and find there what you are looking for." Thus, the young man returned to Greece and came to the Holy Mountain.

–Geronda, when an Orthodox Christian, who has become involved with various Eastern religious cults, repents of this, does the Orthodox Church again accept him among Its members?

– Such a person needs great repentance and anointing with the Holy Myrrh. If he wants to return to Orthodoxy and become a member of the Church again, then, according to the rules, he first needs to renounce in writing the slander of Eastern cults, confess the Orthodox faith, and after that the priest must read prayers over him for someone returning to the true faith and anoint him with the Holy Myrrh.

I see how some young guys - our compatriots, without reading a single line from the Gospel, begin to read Brahmanical, Buddhist literature, the Koran and the like. They also go to Indian gurus. Then they don’t like it there and they return to Orthodoxy, but having already become infected in these Eastern cults with a whole bunch of different [spiritual] microbes. People get damaged and then find it difficult to find the truth. Let a person first come to know Orthodoxy [through life experience], and then - if he doesn’t like Orthodoxy - leave it. Let him know Orthodoxy correctly and then compare it with the various religious teachings that he hears about. After all, having learned Orthodoxy, a person will be able to distinguish a fake from gold or understand how pure the gold is, how many carats it contains. Such a person cannot be fooled by the chaff; he does not mistake everything that glitters for gold.

The elder said that a mentally ill person needs medical help from a good, believing psychiatrist and the spiritual help of a confessor, while someone possessed by an unclean spirit (if his mind is not damaged) needs to find his guilt - the reason why he became possessed, to repent and confess in order to free yourself from the unclean spirit. and shrines of the Christian faith. – Approx. lane

Witches, sorcerers, and psychics openly appear on television today and offer their services. We are seeing more and more books dedicated to magic. This is not surprising! Look at how we live, what our ideals are, what we strive for. We sin, we are mired in debauchery, passions and vices - so many servants of Satan have arisen who are trying to bring hell to earth. How can a person protect himself from witchcraft?

Those who strive for power and authority begin to practice witchcraft in order to get what they want without even making an effort. To achieve results they use spells and enchantments. As a rule, proud and vain people follow this path.

But it's not that simple. By subscribing to evil, a person becomes a slave to dark power. And when he stops witchcraft and doing evil, demons begin to torture him. At the same time, sorcerers experience physical pain and severe mental suffering.

Only by coming to church and bringing sincere repentance to God, there is a chance to get rid of this influence.
Sometimes during lectures the demons blurt out: “We have now intimidated believers with witchcraft. Let them forget that everything is God’s will.”.

And indeed! Sometimes we forget that not a hair of our head will fall without the knowledge of God. If a person leads an Orthodox lifestyle - confesses his sins, takes communion, and does not hold any grudge against anyone, then no witchcraft can influence him.

And if you have mortal sins, hidden vices, if passions are alive inside you, which you serve and do not repent of it, do not strive to correct yourself, then you are not protected from damage or witchcraft.

Elder Paisiy of Athos tells how the husband of one woman became entangled with sorcerers and did not even want to put on a pectoral cross.

To help him somehow, she sewed a small cross into the collar of his jacket. One day a man had to cross a bridge to the other side of the river. Having climbed onto the bridge, he heard a voice telling him: “Anastasy! Anastasy! Take off your jacket so that we can walk across the bridge together.”

Fortunately, the weather was cold, and he replied: “Where to shoot there? It’s dog cold!” “Take it off,” the same voice persuaded him, “take it off so we can walk across the bridge.”

The devil wanted to throw this man off the bridge into the river, but he could not do this because he had a cross on him. In the end, the devil was able to throw the unfortunate man only to the edge of the bridge. If it had not been cold, the man would have taken off his jacket, and then the devil would have thrown him into the river.

The life of every person is a spark that flared up and will fade away, which we, unfortunately, forget about. But already here it is possible for a person to feel heavenly bliss or the breath of hell.

There are many wonderful examples of how the righteous felt in this life.

Here are lines from a letter from Leo Tolstoy, written in 1902, by the way, at the very height of his anti-church activities:

“In the Optina Hermitage, for more than 30 years, a paralyzed monk lay on the floor, using only his left hand. The doctor said that he must have suffered greatly, but he not only did not complain about his situation, but, constantly crossing himself, looking at the icons, smiling, he expressed his gratitude to God and joy for the spark of life that glimmered in him. Tens of thousands of visitors visited him, and it is difficult to imagine the good that spread to the world from this man deprived of the opportunity to act. Probably, this man did more good. than thousands and thousands of healthy people imagining that they are serving the world in various institutions".

And vice versa. We can give many examples where people who seem to need nothing actually suffer greatly. External prosperity without purity of conscience, without faith in God and eternal life cannot give a person spiritual comfort and joy. Everything is not joyful for them; they feel the breath of hell already here on earth.

Those who practice witchcraft are unfortunate people who, of their own free will, doom themselves to eternal torment. Think about it! Eternity is something that never ends.

But God is merciful. Each of us always has hope for God’s mercy, for the salvation of the soul. You just need to turn to the Lord, reconcile with Him, repent and begin to live according to God’s commandments.

It's not that easy, it takes a lot of effort and work on yourself. But what joy awaits the soul after death!

Novogrudok Diocesan Gazette (February 2010)

From the editor: Black magic And white magic– an attempt to address the world of the unknown – what makes a person type these words in the search bar? What makes ? How to treat a baptized Orthodox person - this is an article by Sergei Khudiev, from the magazine “Thomas”.

- Probably, we should draw a circle on the ground and write all sorts of mysterious words in it in incomprehensible letters, and stand in it and pronounce various spells?
“No,” said Eustace, after thinking. “I thought so too, but these circles and spells are still bullshit.” I don't think He will like them. As if we want to force Him to do something.
And we can only ask Him.
C. S. Lewis. Silver chair

Mystical confusion

Recently, during the Beijing Olympics, our athletes, fearing the “intrigues of Chinese psychics,” resorted to such “proven, reliable means” as “a pinch of salt, fish scales, an Orthodox cross” and the like.

In almost every advertising newspaper you can easily find entire pages dedicated to occult services. Programs that actually advertise “traditional healers” are broadcast at the most convenient time. There is no doubt that we are talking about a thriving industry; people willingly turn to the “world of the unknown” and take it, judging by their willingness to shell out their money, quite seriously.

For a person who knows practically nothing about Orthodoxy - and in our country, both ordinary television viewers and many academicians know nothing - Orthodoxy and the occult merge into some kind of indistinguishable dregs, mysteriously attractive to some and repulsive to others. The situation is aggravated by the fact that many occult “healers” use Orthodox paraphernalia and portray themselves as Orthodox people.

This perception gives rise to a number of misunderstandings. The harsh criticism of “religion” and the spread of “religious worldview” that some representatives of academic circles express from time to time relates largely to this “world of the unknown” from evening television shows and popular publications. Meanwhile, the Church not only has nothing to do with all this, but is also the only force capable of resisting superstition, against which academic science and education are powerless.

In addition, many “ordinary TV viewers” ​​who sincerely consider themselves Orthodox Christians easily turn to pagan and occult practices, without at all thinking that they are doing anything wrong.

These misunderstandings should be clarified: on the one hand, we cannot accept the reproaches of non-believers - often addressed simply to the wrong address; on the other hand, we must warn people who believe some forms of occultism are compatible with the Orthodox faith.

Search for safety

The famous anthropologist Bronislaw Malinowski, exploring the ideas about the world of the inhabitants of the Trobriand Islands, drew attention to the fact that these people, known for their devotion to magic, are at the same time capable of acting quite rationally. They build boats, guided by simple, but quite “engineering” calculations; are very judicious in their approach to agricultural work; accumulate knowledge about the world around them and are quite able to act intelligently in accordance with what they know. It would never occur to them to try to replace sober calculation when building a boat or when carrying out agricultural work with magic. Nevertheless, not a single important event - neither the building of a boat, nor the sowing, nor the harvest - is complete without the corresponding magical rituals. Why?

Because human life is vulnerable. You can build an excellent boat, but a storm will sink it. You can take care of your crops, but they will be destroyed by disease or pests. Magic- this is an attempt to protect yourself where ordinary, “rational” methods are powerless. Can we say that a resident of a modern metropolis is unfamiliar with this feeling of vulnerability? This vulnerability takes other forms - a person may lose a job, or fall into poverty, or become a victim of crime, or get cancer - but it does not go away. Magic, attempts to establish contact with occult forces, to insure against dangers and acquire new opportunities - a reaction quite understandable for both a Trobriand Islander and an office clerk.

Magic offers its answer to this vulnerability - illusion power. But very soon this imaginary power begins to greatly destroy a person’s ability to achieve something in real life.

By following superstitions, guessing at a special number or placing amulets in the apartment, people refuse (to one degree or another) responsibility for their lives and shift it to something empty and fictitious. Whether a marriage will be successful depends no longer on how both spouses behave, but on whether they entered into it on the right day. Success in business does not depend on personal hard work, perseverance and the ability to get along with people, but on whether the person hung the right amulet on the wall.

You can study and work hard to provide for yourself - wealth is unlikely, but prosperity is quite possible. You can build relationships with loved ones, which is much more difficult, and learn love, humility and forgiveness. This requires a lot of effort and sometimes does not bring the desired results. Magic offers, in some roundabout way, to get everything at once and ready - just as a casino offers the opportunity (equally illusory) to quickly get rich.

A man, tired of failures, hopes that he will be lucky and bets his money on roulette. He loses, then wins a little (this business is designed so that a person does not get off the leash), then again and again he runs to the slot machines, believing that now he will be lucky, now the right number will come up, he gets sucked in, he goes broke , gets into debt... Same with occult services - why didn’t it work this time? Well, your aura is probably very polluted, you need more sessions; if not sessions, then you need to take courses to improve energy; if this does not help yet, you need to visit such and such a famous (or, conversely, secret) magician, a student of Tibetan lamas/Buryat shamans/African sorcerers. Thus, a person’s activity, necessary for study, work, and building relationships with others, is absorbed by the pursuit of the carrot, which is always dangling in front of a person’s nose, but which he will never grab. So the illusion of power - or the illusion at least that we have a “magical” way to deal with our problems - only makes a person even more lonely, unhappy and vulnerable.

The pull of mystery

But there is another, and perhaps more important, reason why people are drawn to the world of the mysterious. Man craves wonder and mystery; he feels that without them his life is incomplete. The world is truly not reduced to what can be weighed and measured; it contains terrifying abysses and unattainable heights. Like the blind, we live among forces and realities of which we are barely aware, although at the same time we feel that we are deprived of something important. Man has a spiritual dimension and a thirst for communication with the spiritual world. She may be deeply depressed, but she is there. The English poet Thomas Eliot compared a person in the universe to a cat in a library - he is surrounded by knowledge that he is not able to comprehend, he hears fragments of conversations that he is not able to understand. However, the cat is unlikely to be bothered by the inability to read; but man is languishing with this mystery - mysterium tremendum et fascinans *, a mystery, on the one hand, inexpressibly attractive, on the other - inaccessible. We can find something inexpressibly beautiful and mysterious, something that our heart is looking for and yearning for. However, occultism does not lead to this secret at all. On the contrary, he closes the only door through which one can come to her.

Conspiracy and

What is the main difference between magic and faith? We are talking about opposing approaches to spiritual reality. In human relationships, we also have to choose between these two approaches - between manipulation and trust. You can try (sometimes quite successfully) to manipulate people using “magical” (they are sometimes called that) psychological techniques, or you can build relationships with them based on mutual respect and trust. Turning to that transcendental, eternal secret that the human heart is looking for, the magician tries to force it, the believer tries to talk to it. If you try to manipulate people, you will end up alone. If you try to manipulate the supernatural, perhaps some spirits will agree to do your will - for a while, but this will result in an even more terrible loss.

An indicative example of a magical attitude to life is the so-called love spell, which is promised in almost any advertisement for occult services. Magicians claim to be able to make another person fall in love with you or make your lucky rival (or rival) fall out of love. But can a relationship that is (supposedly) the result of manipulation of a person's will be called love? Is it possible to have love that does not recognize the freedom of the other? And will such love - to which a person can be forced (as buyers of occult services believe) - really meet the human need to love and be loved? There is a huge difference between wanting to “get” this person and wanting to establish a close, trusting personal relationship with that person. Such relationships are incompatible with a love spell - as well as any coercion. Likewise, attempts to manipulate the supernatural are incompatible with faith and love. With magical spells and rituals, a person does not at all bring himself closer to the secret for which his heart yearns - he cuts himself off from it. He tries to put pressure and manipulate where one can only love and trust.

The magician (sorcerer, witch) claims to be... He assures that he can - for your money - provide you with the desired result.
The believer understands that God cannot be manipulated, and neither can he be used for his own interests. You can ask for it, but the answer is not in the hands of the one who asks, but of God. He cannot be forced, he cannot be bribed, he can only be asked.

Therefore, a magician who assumes that the result is in his hands, that he can trade this result, is simply a fool from the point of view of a believer. The result is in the hands of God, it is impossible to trade what is not in your control. The Church cannot trade heaven or God’s protection in earthly life, and the priest cannot promise a “guaranteed result” of the prayer service - this is not in the hands of the priest, not in the hands of the Church, it is in the hands of God. A person can express his faith in God, reverence for Him, humble hope for His protection and patronage by making a donation to the temple - including in the form of purchasing a candle or contributing a certain amount of money for a prayer service - but this does not guarantee a result. God does not have a button that the priest can push to get the desired result. The priest - like the layman - can only ask Him.

God says that He can reject even the richest offerings and lavish rituals if a person does not want to live in genuine faith and obedience to the commandments. You can't bribe God.

Why do I need your multitude of sacrifices? says the Lord. I am satisfied with the burnt offerings of rams and the fat of fattened cattle, and I do not want the blood of bulls and lambs and goats. When you come to appear before Me, who demands that you trample My courts? Bear no more vain gifts: smoking is disgusting to Me; New moon and Saturdays, holiday gatherings I can’t stand: lawlessness - and celebration! My soul hates your new moons and your holidays: they are a burden to Me; It's hard for me to carry them. And when you stretch out your hands, I close My eyes from you; and when you multiply your prayers, I do not hear: your hands are full of blood. Wash yourself, make yourself clean; remove your evil deeds from before my eyes; stop doing evil; learn to do good, seek truth, save the oppressed, defend the orphan, stand up for the widow. Then come and let us reason together, says the Lord. Though your sins be as scarlet, they will be white as snow; if they are red as crimson, they will be white as wool
(Is 1 :11-18).

Bread instead of stone

Interest in is associated with two important features of our human nature: first, we are creatures endowed with a deep craving for the spiritual world; secondly, we are deeply vulnerable beings, physically and emotionally. As Caligula says in Albert Camus's play, "people die and they are miserable." And the Word of God reveals to us why. The situation is, on the one hand, worse, on the other hand, much, much better than we thought.

All human problems, from broken marriages to world wars, have one root - sin. People are in a state of persistent and bitter rebellion against their Creator. As God says through the prophet Jeremiah, they have forsaken Me, the fountain of living waters, and have hewed out for themselves broken cisterns that cannot hold water (Jer. 2 :13). Our trouble is much deeper than illness, or poverty, or resentment, or even loneliness - our trouble is that we have turned away from the only source of peace, love and joy, and this trouble can become eternal if we do not return to God.

The Gospel tells us that we can return to the Source of Living Water. The Great Mystery for which our heart yearns is of a personal nature. You can contact her using “You”. She can be loved; you can trust her; she can be obeyed like a Father, trusted like a Friend, served like a Sovereign. The Gospel says that the highest, ultimate reality, the Source and Giver of all existence, is full of love; moreover, it is love. And the Gospel also says (and this is very important) that this reality - which we call “God”, often without thinking about what this word means - entered our world in the person of Man, similar to us in everything except sin , - Our Lord Jesus Christ.
We can return - we are called, the door is open, forgiveness and a new life await us. “He who comes to me I will not cast out,” says Christ; the one who trusts Him and follows Him will find eternal life, that eternal joy, reflections of which we sometimes see, in the brightest moments of our lives.

The path may not be easy; we can face pain - just like other people. But we no longer wander aimlessly and suffer in vain; we are going home, to where God will wipe away every tear, and every sorrow will turn into eternal consolation. Behind all the frightening incomprehensibility of life is His providence; and if we surrender to Him in repentance and faith, this providence will be saving for us, leading beyond the boundaries of earthly life to eternal and blissful life. We belong to God. Where we are powerless, He is omnipotent. Where we are tormented by uncertainty, He foresees our entire life - and all eternity - completely, from end to end. Where we wander and stumble, He leads us steadily to everlasting joy.
Many things in our lives will not happen the way we want, and we should accept this with patience and trust; however, much is in our hands and is our responsibility. We are called to accept the things we cannot change, change the things we can, and learn to differentiate between the two.

The question that divides Christians and various “magicians” is the question of in whose hands our destiny lies.

The occultist proceeds from the fact that his life - like the lives of other people - is controlled by some other forces, also supernatural and superhuman, but not by God. A Christian believes in God's Providence and human responsibility.

From this difference in worldview arise two completely different types of behavior. The occultist tries to somehow control these forces, draw pentagrams, read spells - the Christian calls out to God: And I trust in You, Lord; I say: You are my God (Ps. 30 :15).

Occultism is the rejection of trust in God. Perhaps it is compatible with theoretical agreement that God exists, but not with living prayerful communication with Him. But the Orthodox faith is not agreement with the existence of God; it is a living, definite attitude towards God. And this attitude is best expressed by the words of the liturgical prayer - “Let us commit ourselves, and each other, and our whole life to Christ our God.”

1. “Even if we are sick, it is better to remain sick than to fall into wickedness (resorting to conspiracies) to free ourselves from illness. The demon, even if he heals, will do more harm than good. It will benefit the body, which after a little while will certainly die and rot, and harm the immortal soul. If sometimes, by God’s permission, demons heal (through divination), then such healing happens to test the faithful, not because God does not know them, but so that they learn not to accept even healing from demons.”
2. “The demoniacs cry out: “I am the soul of such and such a person!” But this is also the trick and deception of the devil. It is not the soul of some dead person who cries out, but a demon pretending to do so to deceive the listeners.”
3. “Just as slave traders, offering small children pies, sweet fruits and the like, often ensnare them with such bait and deprive them of freedom and even life itself, so sorcerers, promising to cure a disease, deprive a person of the salvation of his soul.”
4. “Do not voluntarily resort to fortune-telling, but if you are attracted to this by others, then do not agree... A person always wants to know the invisible, especially wants to know in advance about his misfortunes, so as not to fall into confusion due to surprise... But if you listen to fortune telling, you will be unworthy of God’s favor and mercy, and by doing this you will prepare for yourself numerous disasters.”
5. “The fortuneteller is an evil demon who speaks from the wombs of ventriloquist women and with this strange action tries to make the false credible; “He speaks not naturally, but from the stomach, and by this he plunges ignorant people into amazement, forcing them to believe that he speaks the truth.”
6. “What, for example, does star divination mean? Nothing more than lies and confusion, in which everything happens at random and not only by eye, but also senselessly.”

Saint John Chrysostom

“Do not be curious about the future, but make good use of the present. For what benefit is there for you to anticipate the command? If the future brings you something good, it will come, although you did not know it in advance. And if it is sorrowful, why languish in sorrow until the end? Do you want to make sure of the future? Fulfill what is prescribed by the Gospel Law and expect to enjoy blessings.”

Saint Basil the Great

“The carnalist in real life has a desire to look into the future in order to avoid troubles or achieve what he wants. Therefore, so that people do not turn their gaze to God, the demonic nature, full of deception, has invented many ways to find out the future: for example, fortune telling, interpretation of signs, divination, calling the dead, frenzy, influxes of deities, inspiration, cards and much more. And if any kind of foresight, as a result of some deception, is recognized as true, the demon presents it to the deceived as justification for the false proposal. And the demonic trick points out every false sign to those who are being deceived, so that people, having departed from God, turn to serving the demons. One of the types of deception was the deception of ventriloquists, who believed that their sorcery could attract the souls of the dead again into this life.”

Saint Gregory of Nyssa