Saturday, December 24, 2022

Humility does not Consider itself to be Humble

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St Ignatius (Brianchaninov). "On prelest". On true and false humble-mindedness. St. Ignatius (Brianchaninov) (1807-1867) ...
Thursday, November 24, 2022

Danger of Prelest

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Hieromartyr Bishop Arsenius (Zhadanovsky). "Spiritual Diary". Hieromartyr Bishop Arsenius (Zhadanovsky) (1874- 27.9.1937) Not...
Thursday, November 10, 2022

St Diadochos on Obedience

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St Diadochos of Photiki. "On Spiritual Knowledge and Discrimination One Hundred Texts". 41. It is well known that obedience is th...
Friday, November 4, 2022

Elder John Guides about Jesus Prayer

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Letters of Valaam elder John (Alexeev). Letter 164. Schema-hegumen John (Alexeev) New Valamo 23.4.1956 Honorable Inok Fr… You write ...
Thursday, October 20, 2022

Differences between True and False Healers

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Kalashnikova T.P. "True and false healings". Qualitative characteristics Russian Orthodox faith healers False miracle w...
Sunday, October 2, 2022

Evagrios the Solitary on Prelest and Demonic Tricks

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Evagrios the Solitary. “On Prayer: One Hundred and Fifty-Three Texts”. (In Russian Philokalia, this text is attributed to St Nilus of Sinai...
Wednesday, September 28, 2022

Vision of the Satan in Immense Light

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St Isaac the Syrian. "The Ascetical Homilies". A person called Malpa, who came from Edessa, was the author of the heresy of Euchi...
Saturday, September 10, 2022

Knowing that the Elder Saw All the Sins of a Person, the Girl Concealed her Sin Anyway

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Protopriest Vladimir Vorobyev. "Hieromonk Pavel Troitsky". Story of Hegumenia Iuliania, when she was a young girl and wrote lette...
Tuesday, August 30, 2022

It is Foolish to Pay Attention to Night Dreams

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St. Ignatius (Brianchaninov). "On prelest". About Night Dreams. St. Ignatius (Brianchaninov) Demons use dreams to disturb and...
Friday, August 26, 2022

The Third Kind of Prayer Requires Seclusion with Setting aside the Cares

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Letters of Valaam elder schema-hegumen John (Alexeev). Letter 233. Schema-hegumen John (Alexeev) 9.9.1956 Christ is in our midst. Mos...
Sunday, August 21, 2022

The Monk, who did not Repudiate a Vision, Became Possessed

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“The Great Watch”. From the private diary of Hieroschemamonk Jerome. Father Ephrem in spiritual delusion Fr. Ephrem, a native of Don, came...
Wednesday, August 10, 2022

Other People’s Sins were Revealed to Abba Eulogios

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St Ignatius (Brianchaninov). "Paterikon". A presbyter (hieromonk) Abba Eulogios, while celebrating the Holy Liturgy, was overwhel...
Tuesday, July 19, 2022

Letter to a Person who has Strayed into the Nets of the Enemy’s Deception

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St Macarius of Optina Letters. Letters to laity. Letter 445 St. Macarius of Optina Highly esteemed in the Lord N.N., I have received ...
Friday, June 24, 2022

False Vision of the Mandylion

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Lives of Athonite ascetics. Elder Fr. Nicodemus, a Greek († 1867). Once his cell was covered with snow so that he could not leave it. To su...
Tuesday, June 21, 2022

A Man who Neglects to Reveal his Thoughts will not Gain Any Benefits

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Apophthegmata Patrum translated by St Theophan the Recluse. 40. The same Elder both in order to prove the virtues of the law and to teach us...
Sunday, May 15, 2022

The Good of our Fallen Nature is Mixed with Evil

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St. Ignatius (Brianchaninov). "On Prelest". On Guarding Oneself from the Good That Belongs to Fallen Human Nature. St. Ignatiu...
Sunday, April 24, 2022

About Jesus Prayer and Heavenly Guest

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Valaam Elder Schema-Hegumen John (Alexeev) Schema-hegumen John (Alexeev) 4.1956 New Valamo Letter 158 Honorable in Christ… I receiv...
Monday, March 28, 2022

False Visions of Haji-Georgis, the Elder

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Lives of Athonite ascetics. Elder Haji-Georgis, a Greek († 1886). One day Haji-Georgis, upon temptation of demons, has left his elder, the d...
Wednesday, March 2, 2022

Who Truly Repents, Is Never Affected by Spiritual Delusion

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Hieroschemamonk Sergius (Vesnin). “Letters of an Athonite”. Hieroschemamonk Sergius (Vesnin) Only self-willed people are affected by spi...
Friday, February 18, 2022

Cruel Death Because of Secret Sin

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Elder Mikhail (Pitkevitch) (1877-1962) Hieroschemamonk Mikhail (Pitkevich). "Conversations with S.N.Bolshakov. Second Conversation...
Friday, February 4, 2022

About the Importance of a Pure Confession

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New Patericon of Mt Athos. Vol. 2. Stories about asceticism About elder Isichios of Grigoriou Monastery A bishop from Romania asked Elder ...
Monday, January 17, 2022

On Reading Spiritual Books

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St. Ignatius (Brianchaninov). "On Prelest". About Discretion in Reading the Patristic Books on the Monastic Life St. Ignatius ...
Sunday, January 2, 2022

The beginning of Prelest is Slothfulness with Regard to the Prayer and the Divine Services

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St Isaac of Syria, The Ascetical Homilies, Homily 2. The beginning of mind derangement (when it becomes visible in the soul) is to be seen...
Friday, December 17, 2021

Death Agony of a Monk Who Concealed the Sins He Committed as a Layman

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Archimandrite Ephraim of Arizona (1928-2019). From the "Homily on Remembrance of Death". Elder Ephraim of Arizona (1928-2019) ...
Thursday, November 25, 2021

Elder John on Accusation in Vainglory

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Letters of Valaam elder John (Alexeev) 15.11.1954 New Valamo Letter 118 Schema-hegumen John (Alexeev) Honoured in Christ N. I have ...
Wednesday, November 3, 2021

Beware of Spiritual Deception

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St. Theophan the Recluse, "Letters". St. Theophan the Recluse Beware of spiritual deception! You really have to. But avoid ...
Saturday, October 9, 2021

Do not Keep the Attention in your Head During Prayer

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Letters of Valaam Elder Hegumen John (Alexeev). Letter 303. 19.2.1950 Most God-loving M.N.! Schema-hegumen John (Alexeev) Christ is in...
Tuesday, September 28, 2021

How the Elders Used to Heal Mental Derangement

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St Ignatius (Brianchaninov), ‘Otechnik’ (a collection of sayings from the Holy Fathers) One Elder told this story: ‘Our fathers used to vis...
Thursday, September 23, 2021

How St Vassian Delivered the Merchant from Spiritual Deception

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  From the Vita of St Vassian the Blind (Balashevitch) (1745 - 1827) One day a merchant who was not only a businessman but also took some pa...
Monday, June 7, 2021

Beware of Carnal Zeal

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St. Ignatius (Brianchaninov). "On Prelest". About Animal and Spiritual Zeal. St. Ignatius (Brianchaninov) A monk must surely ...
Saturday, April 17, 2021

Recompense is Given, not for Labour, but for Humility

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Letters of schema-hegumen John (Alexeev) Letter 100 Schema-hegumen John (Alexeev) 7.6.1954 The most God-loving handmaid of God T. I w...
Thursday, December 24, 2020

Questions about Delusion

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Questions to Schema-archimandrite Abraham (Reidman) after his conversation about delusion in the Gospel . Question. What does it mean to ...

Gospel on Delusion

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Schema-archimandrite Abraham (Reidman). "Good part. Conversations with cloisterers. Conversation 44. About delusion". Schema-a...
Tuesday, December 8, 2020

Circular Prayer within the Heart has no Danger of Delusion

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Elder Joseph the Hesychast. "Monastic wisdom". Letter 36. (complete letter) Elder Joseph the Hesychast (1897 - 1959) May th...
Sunday, September 20, 2020

How to Confess?

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Bishop Panteleimon (Shatov), Chairman of the Synodal Department of Church Charity and Social Service. Bishop Panteleimon (Shatov) At co...
Tuesday, September 8, 2020

It is Better to Deal with Bodily Impurities than with Pride

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From the letters of the Venerable elder Leo of Optina. St. Leo of Optina We will not be afraid if we have to struggle after the confess...
Saturday, September 5, 2020

Father Anthony Knew How to Make a Person Want Pure Confession

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From the biography of the Venerable Anthony of Optina. St. Anthony of Optina Anthony of Optina imperceptibly led everyone to getting c...
Thursday, September 3, 2020

About Pseudo-eldership

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Hegumen Nektariy (Morozov). Pseudo-eldership: where does it come from and how not to get caught by it? Not to replace the Lord Hegumen N...
Sunday, August 30, 2020

Venerable Ambrose of Optina on Confession

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From the letters of the Venerable elder Ambrose of Optina. St. Ambrose of Optina It is useful to confess everything with self-reproach,...
Wednesday, July 29, 2020

The Difference Between a True Work of Faith and a Delusional One

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Monk Konstantin. “From conversations with the Caucasian hermit”. Question: How to distinguish correct, saving work of faith from delusional...
Monday, July 27, 2020

About the Most Common Types of Delusion

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Archimandrite Markell (Pavuk), confessor of Kiev Theological Schools - Father, what is spiritual delusion? Where does it come from? - In R...
Sunday, May 31, 2020

What Pride of Mind and Pride of Will Are

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Archimandrite Cleopa (Ilie). "What pride is and what it is born of". Archimandrite Cleopa (Ilie) Brother: Rev. ...