Spiritual healing against confusing and blasphemous thoughts, collected in parts from various fatherly books

“Spiritual healing against confusing and blasphemous thoughts, collected in parts from various fatherly books” is a collection of quotes and instructions from various sources: “Ladders” by St. John Climacus, the Patericon, the lives of the saints, as well as St.’s own reasoning. Demetrius of Rostov. The work is intended for those who suffer from obsessive, embarrassing and blasphemous thoughts, and are looking for ways to combat them through a correct understanding of their nature, prayer and asceticism. - distinction between thoughts and consent (sin arises only with voluntary pleasure in an evil thought); - an explanation of the origin of blasphemous thoughts from the devil, and not from the person himself; - advice on combating thoughts through prayer, self-reproach, humility and disregard for the slander of the enemy; - prayers and actions to get rid of blasphemous thoughts. Contents From the book “Peace with God for Man.” Part III, chapter 5 From “The Ladder.” Degree 23 From a book called “The Christian Educator.” Part I, chapter 4 From the Patericon. Homily 12 From the “Proclamations of the Fathers” From the Lives of the Saints From the Life of Blessed Mary of Laodicea From a special discussion Prayers for deliverance from blasphemous thoughts A brief description of behavior until the disappearance of blasphemous thoughts Since many, due to the slander of the enemy, are oppressed and confused by evil thoughts, especially blasphemous ones, it is useful for us to know them and understand when they are a sin and when they are not, and to learn how heal them and how to drive them away from yourself. The thoughts that confuse us are threefold: unclean thoughts, thoughts of unbelief, and blasphemous thoughts. If you are confused by such thoughts, the remedy is as follows. It is necessary to understand that there is no sin in evil thoughts when the will and mind of man do not deign them, especially when they hate and do not want them. But when the human mind and will voluntarily delight in them and, favoring them, hold them in their hearts, then the same thoughts are a mortal sin. And since he who is troubled by such thoughts and does not favor them is troubled, thinking that he is sinning, it must be said that he is only seduced by the devil due to his cowardice and ignorance of the difference between thoughts and assent. For when we think, we do not yet deign, and only then is there deign when we love evil thoughts, delight in them and desire them diligently, multiplying them in our mind. If we hate them and don’t want them, but they themselves come to our minds, although we turn away from them, then there is a sure sign that we do not have our permission for them and there is no need to be embarrassed in our conscience because of them. For the greater the reward we will receive from God, the more they oppress us, and we endure without deigning to do so. Many people have incorrect and blasphemous thoughts about God, about the Most Pure Mother of God or God’s saints. Thus, it happens that when someone looks at the Mysteries of Christ, blasphemous thoughts immediately attack him like a dark cloud, even if he did not want them. We must not worry about such evil thoughts that come to us without our will, consider them as nothing and despise them as if they did not exist at all, and not be excited by them to the point of sorrow. For this very thing will comfort our enemy, the devil, when he sees us grieving about this, confused and doubting, and then he will bring upon us even more thoughts that confuse our conscience. But when he sees that we despise blasphemous thoughts and do not care about them, when he sees that we do not grieve and are not sad, then the shamed devil will run away from us, and we will remain at peace and without embarrassment. The main thing is just not to deign. But some people think that by thinking like this, they deigned to do so and are sick about it. This is just cowardice. After all, this clearly shows sinlessness and non-consent, that they are sick and sad, hating the evil thoughts inflicted by the devil. After all, the devil, trying to offend us with all sorts of intrigues, among other things, tries to cause us sadness by putting into our mind blasphemous thoughts against God or His saints or the Divine Mysteries. But he will not succeed at all if we neglect him and put aside embarrassment from ourselves, without being at all saddened by his slander. What did those two bad old men, about whom the prophet Daniel writes, who rebelled against pure Susanna, wanting to defile her, manage to do? They did not manage to do anything, because Susanna neglected them and did not deign to their bad intentions. In the same way, blasphemous and nasty thoughts will not succeed at all if we do not deign and neglect them, like Susanna did with the unclean elders. From the book “Peace with God for Man.” Part III, Chapter 5 It is necessary to know that blasphemous thoughts do not come from a person, but are inflicted exclusively by the devil, and a person must defeat them with contempt, considering them as nothing, as if they were some kind of ghostly monsters, and not some true disasters. A person can console himself with the examples of saints, for many saints suffered such nasty blasphemies, but they were not deprived of holiness and were not cut off from the grace of the Lord. Likewise, every person, enduring the same sufferings, should neither be faint-hearted nor grieve, for he does not deign to suffer them. And even if it seemed to someone that he was deigning, but if he is confident in himself that he hates and does not want evil thoughts, therefore, there is no deign, and let him be completely carefree. Let a person not grieve over the blasphemous thoughts that oppress him, for if he grieves, then his enemy, the devil, will rejoice over him, who with the intention of inflicting blasphemous thoughts on a person is to sadden and confuse him with them. And when the devil sees a person embarrassed and saddened, then he rejoices, and if a person despises those blasphemous thoughts, does not grieve about them and even laughs at them, then the shamed devil runs away. So, a person should not be embarrassed and despair that blasphemous thoughts come to him, for for this patience a crown awaits him. Question. What gives rise to blasphemous thoughts? Answer. “Out of pride,” says Climacus. “Blasphemous thoughts are born in proud hearts, but heavenly visions are born in humble souls.” From "The Ladder". Degree 23 Terrible is the root of pride, from which the indescribable shoot of blasphemous thoughts is born. He brought great despair and hopelessness to many. These nasty thoughts tend to often appear during the most holy meetings and blaspheme the Lord at the very hour of the consecration of the Mysteries. Our soul is innocent of them, and we are convinced of this from the fact that it is not she herself who speaks these blasphemous words in her thoughts, but the God-hating demon, who was cast out of heaven because he blasphemed the Lord there too. This charmer often drove many people into a frenzy of mind, namely those who recklessly listened to his blasphemies and succumbed to grief and sorrow due to their foolishness. Where it was appropriate to laugh at the blasphemy inflicted by the demon, they were saddened and gave the demon joy by imputing blasphemous thoughts to themselves as sin, which in fact not only are not a sin, but even serve for those who do not deign to increase the heavenly reward for patience. So, let no one consider himself guilty of blasphemous thoughts, for the Lord is the Knower of the Heart, and knows that the blasphemous words in our minds do not belong to us, but to our enemies. When we stand for prayer, these unclean and inexpressible thoughts rise up, but at the end of the prayer they immediately leave us, because they do not like to deal with those who do not fight them. Godless thoughts not only blaspheme everything Divine, but they also tell us some of the most shameful and inappropriate words, so that we either give up prayer or despair, but there is no need to listen to them. Many foolish people have already been turned away from prayer by blasphemous thoughts and excommunicated from the Divine Sacraments. Some of their bodies melted away with sadness, others were depressed by fasting from these crafty and ethereal tormentors, but none of them received relief. This happened not only to those who live in the world, but also to those who lead a monastic life; and all of them not only did not receive salvation, but turned out to be more damned than the infidels and pagans. So, let no one listen to them, for whoever listens to them will be deceived and become an object of reproach to the enemy. Whoever wants to get rid of the blasphemous thoughts that oppress him, let him firmly know that it is not his soul that is to blame for these thoughts, but the unclean demon who once said to the Lord: “I will give all this to you if you fall and worship me” (Matthew 4:9). So we, destroying him and despising the blasphemous thoughts he inflicts, will say to him: “Get away from Me, Satan”; I will worship the Lord my God and serve Him alone (see Matt. 4:10), but never to you, and let your illness turn on your head, and let your blasphemy come upon you in this and the future age. Amen". Anyone who thinks of fighting blasphemous thoughts differently than what is depicted above is like a person who wants to grab lightning with his own hands. For how can he catch them and fight them when they flash in his heart like the wind, and as soon as he says the word, they disappear without a trace? All his forces stand still, strain and hesitate, and time wastes fruitlessly, but blasphemous thoughts never hesitate: they suddenly appear and suddenly disappear. The demon usually tries in every possible way to induce such thoughts on the simple and ignorant, who are most confused and worried, not realizing that there is no sin in this. These ignorant people suffer not from their pride, but from demonic envy and their ignorance. Let us not condemn our neighbor and let us not be afraid of blasphemous thoughts, for through the first we will become guilty of the second. Just as someone shut up in a room hears the speeches of people passing by and talking, but does not talk to them, so the soul, being in itself, hears the demonic blasphemies that they, passing by, broadcast to it with thoughts, but if it does not listen to them, does not care about them and does not talk with them, then it will remain without doubt. The one who manages to fight them to the end will be subject to them, for he who wants to catch the words of blasphemous spirits is like someone who wants to shut the winds in a room. One monk, oppressed by this demon, that is, by blasphemous thoughts, exhausted his flesh with fasting and vigil until he was twenty years old, but then, not feeling any success, he went to a certain great holy man among the fathers and, having described the passions of blasphemous thoughts on a charter, gave it into the hands of the saint, and he himself fell at his feet and, lying face down on the ground, did not dare to look at that holy man. The father, having read what was written, smiled and, raising his brother, said to him: “Lay, child, your hand on my neck”; and when the brother did this, the great man said: “Let these sins of yours be on my neck, brother, of blasphemous thoughts, which you consider to be sins, but which are nothing, and therefore no longer be embarrassed about them, do not grieve and do not consider them to be sins, for they are, truly, only demonic delusion that confuses the foolish.” And that monk felt that the blasphemous passions had disappeared without a trace even before he left the elder’s cell. From a book called “The Christian Teacher.” Part I, Chapter 4 There are those who, listening to the blasphemous thoughts that come upon them, are immeasurably embarrassed and tormented by sorrows as much as if they had been abandoned by God, and because of the blasphemous thoughts they consider themselves the worst of all pagans. But the ignorant wander like the blind, for there is no sin in those thoughts that you do not want and do not deign. And why do you mourn for them? Do you not hear your Lord, who says in the psalms: “I am with him in sorrow” (Ps. 90:15)? No matter how the enemy tempts you, if you do not deign to his instigation, whispering in your mind, and turn away from him, then the Lord is in the midst of your heart. Know your inconsistency from the fact that you do not love the blasphemous thoughts attacking you in your mind, you do not desire them, you are not zealous in them, but with all the strength of your soul you hate them. From this you can be convinced that you are not deigning to do anything to them. When blasphemous thoughts come to you, treat them like small dogs that bark but cannot harm. St. Augustine says that the devil can bark, but cannot bite, and only bites those who deign to bark. Just as a person walking along the path against the dust swept up by the wind, closing his eyes, preserves them without harm, so the one who closes his inner eyes, protecting himself from blasphemous thoughts, remains intact and does not grieve about them. A brother asked a certain elder about blasphemous thoughts, saying: “Father, my soul is saddened by the evil blasphemous demon, but have mercy, tell me where blasphemous thoughts come from and what should I do?” The elder replied: “A blasphemous thought comes from slander, from reproach and condemnation, from laziness and self-will, and from pride. This is where blasphemy appears in thoughts. If a person does not resist them with humility and humiliation of himself, then his damned soul will remain in anger, in a prodigal demon or in a frenzy of mind.” Often reproaching yourself before God, humble yourself, and not condemn - this is what is powerful for driving away blasphemous thoughts. From “Fatherly Proclamations” A certain brother, oppressed by a blasphemous spirit, was ashamed to confess. Wherever he heard about the great elders, he went to them to confess his blasphemous thoughts, but when he came, shame forbade him to confess. When he began to often come to Abba Pimen, the elder saw that he had certain thoughts, and said to him: “You come to me many times with thoughts and again, with sorrow, take them away with you, without confessing them to me. Tell me, child, what do you have?” The brother said with shame: “The enemy confuses me with blasphemous thoughts, and I am ashamed to admit it.” As soon as the brother said this, he immediately felt joy, and the elder told him: “Don’t be sad, child, about this. When a blasphemous thought comes to you, you say: “I don’t need this thought, let your blasphemy, the devil, be on you from now on, for my soul does not want your thought.” After all, any thoughts that the soul does not want do not linger long, but soon disappear like smoke.” And so, the brother, having received the benefit, left, thanking God for the fact that He, through that old man, taught him how to get rid of blasphemous thoughts. A certain bishop came to Pope Gregory in Rome to confess that he was overwhelmed by the darkness of blasphemous thoughts against God; grief over this withered his flesh, and he already fell into despair. Hearing this, the pope said to him: “You are a bishop, and you do not know the wiles of demons! After all, this is the primordial enemy; when he sees that someone is doing good, and cannot put a stumbling block for him so that he falls, then he attacks him with blasphemous thoughts in order to confuse his conscience, upset his mind, tear him away from virtues and cast him into the abyss of despair. You understand that blasphemous thoughts are nothing and they cannot in any way harm those who do not care about them and do not confuse their hearts with them; and they harm only those who, out of cowardice and ignorance, consider them their sin and are exhausted from vain sorrow. And the word of David comes true on them: “There they will fear fear, where there is no fear” (Ps. 13:5). From the Life of Blessed Mary of Laodicea The devil arose against one cowardly and fearful girl with a storm of blasphemous thoughts, speaking in her mind obscene things about God, about all divine things and about holy icons, and confused her so much that she already began to think that she had fallen away from the faith and had been torn away from God, and she no longer wanted to open her mouth to pray, or to go to the church of God, or to partake of the Holy Mysteries. No one could lead her away from such doubt and delusion, and she was brought to blessed Mary. She, as the wise and divinely inspired one, turned her from error with her diligent care for her, for she put in a lot of work, fasting for her, instructing and teaching her in various ways, and explaining that the spirit of blasphemy does not harm the soul and is not a sin when the soul not only does not deign to blaspheme, but also hates it, and this hatred of blasphemy is quite enough to calm a troubled heart. With many people there is such a temptation from the spirit of blasphemy, when, confused by blasphemous thoughts, they do not know what to do, and they fall into despair, believing that this is their sin, and thinking that they themselves are to blame for those fierce and vile thoughts. Therefore, I want to remember a little about them. A blasphemous thought is a temptation for a God-fearing person and especially confuses him when he is praying or doing something good. Blasphemous thoughts do not come upon a person wallowing in mortal sins, who is negligent, not God-fearing, lazy and careless about his salvation, but on those who remain in a corrected life, in the works of repentance and in the love of God. With this blasphemous temptation the devil leads a person to frighten him, and if he is free from other sins, then to disturb his conscience; if he is in repentance, then to interrupt his repentance; if it ascends from virtue to virtue, then to stop and cast it down. But if the devil does not succeed in this, then he strives to at least insult and confuse him. However, let the smart one reason. 1. Let him not think that these thoughts belong to him and come from him, but that they are inflicted by the devil, who is their origin and inventor. For how can those blasphemies that we hate come from our heart and will, and would rather wish for some disease for ourselves than those thoughts? This is true proof that blasphemies are not born of our will, because we do not love them and do not desire them. 2. Let anyone oppressed by blasphemous thoughts not impute them to himself as a sin, but consider them a special temptation, for the more someone imputes blasphemous thoughts to himself as a sin, the more he will console his enemy the devil, who will already triumph over the fact that by this he has troubled someone’s conscience as if by some sin. If someone sat bound among blasphemous people, heard their blasphemous speeches against God, the Mysteries of Christ, the Most Pure Mother of God and all the saints, and wanted to run away from them so as not to hear their blasphemous speeches, but he could not, because he was bound, and could not even shut his ears from their blasphemy - tell me, would he have any sin from unwillingly listening to their blasphemous speeches? Truly, not only would he not have had any sin, but he would also have been honored with great praise from God, because, being bound and unable to escape, he listened to their blasphemous words with a heaviness in his soul. A similar thing happens with those whom the devil oppresses with blasphemous thoughts, when they cannot run away from them, nor get rid of them, nor shake off the spirit of blasphemy, which shamelessly and incessantly brings blasphemous thoughts upon them, although they do not want them, do not love them, and even hate them. After all, not only will they not have any sin from those blasphemous thoughts, but they also deserve great grace from God. 3. We must pray to the Lord God to remove this temptation and drive away the spirit of blasphemy, and if this does not happen, then endure it meekly and with gratitude, remembering that it was not out of anger, but from the grace of God that such a temptation was allowed so that we would be patient and untroubled in it. And the Apostle Paul endured something similar when he spoke about the dirty trick given to him, for whom he prayed three times and did not receive what he asked for, for he heard: “My grace is sufficient for you” (2 Cor. 12:9). One of the great Fathers often said this word to himself: “I do not deign, I do not deign.” And when he did anything: walked, or sat, or worked, or read, or prayed, he repeated this word many times: “I do not deign.” Hearing this, the disciple asked him, saying: “Tell me, Abba, why do you often say this word? What is the mystery of this word? The father replied: “When any evil thought comes into my mind, and I feel it, then I say to it: “I do not deign it against you,” and immediately that evil thought runs away and disappears without a trace.” Always, when you suffer from a blasphemous spirit, as soon as blasphemous and unclean thoughts come to you, you can easily get rid of them and drive them away from yourself with this word: I do not deign. I do not deign, devil, to your blasphemy! They are yours, not my abominations, but I not only do not deign to them, but I also hate them. The venerable Catherine, nicknamed Seneyskaya, from the city of Senna, was for a long time troubled by demons with blasphemous and nasty thoughts, and when the Lord Jesus who appeared to her drove them away, she cried out to Him: “Where have you been until now, O my Sweetest Jesus?” He replied: “I was in your heart.” She said: “How could You be there when my heart was filled with bad thoughts?” To this the Lord answered her: “Therefore, understand that I was in your heart, that you did not have any love for unclean thoughts, but you tried hard to get rid of them and, not being able, you were sick, and this created a place for Me in your heart.” Therefore, let no one be embarrassed or despair, having an obsession with blasphemous thoughts, knowing that they are more beneficial to us than to temptation, and to shame for the demons themselves. Prayers for deliverance from blasphemous thoughts Eternal God, the hidden Witness, test the hearts and bellies, sit on Cherubim and see the abyss, understand my thoughts from afar, You weigh that I hate, do not want and do not deign to unclean, vile, blasphemous thoughts that attack me without cold, and I pray Your goodness, forbid the spirit let him who is blasphemous depart from me; drive away evil thoughts, let them not chill me, calm the agitation of my heart, tame the storm of my thoughts, disgrace the enemy who troubles my conscience, let my enemy not rejoice over me; Because all souls tremble and tremble in opposition to You, all kinds of souls listen to You, everything works for You, You commanded the storm and excitement of my mind, let it become quiet, so that without hesitation and embarrassment I will work for You, my Lord, all the days of my life. Amen. God! Behold my sorrow, behold my misfortune, behold the insouciance of my enemy, as a cruel and heavy man attacks me with blasphemous thoughts, insulting my soul, saddening my heart, darkening my mind and confusing my conscience; I hate his blasphemous whisperings and godly words in my mind so much, as if I would rather die than this against You, my Good God, accept blasphemous thoughts and thus deign, even as my enemy speaks in my mind, but for my weakness with that disgusting, and blasphemous, and godless thought, overcome and I cannot drive away from myself without Your help, my God; My nature is passionate, my mind is fickle, my strength is weak, but my adversary is strong, and his strength exceeds my strength; and if You, Lord, were not strong and strong among Your people, then who is content to be saved from the enemy and murderer the devil? Thus I fall to Thee, O All-Merciful and Most Merciful, not wanting my despair, God the Creator, and I pray for Thy all-powerful help, strike the head of the enemy who is chilling me, flash with lightning and give birth to the adversaries who have passed over me, shine a bright dawn in my heart of Thy grace, may the dark cloud of blasphemous ones flee from me thoughts that come upon me, so that in the light of Your help I will see You, my Christ, enlightening every person, so that in the light of Your face I will go and rejoice in Your name forever. Amen. The third prayer, against the blasphemous demon: Let your illness turn on your head, and let your blasphemy descend on your head, you evil and unclean demon; For I bow to the Lord my God and will never blaspheme Him. How could it be possible for us to annoy Him or blaspheme Him, Whom I glorify and worship with all my soul and strength and thought all day and night and hour? But because my praise is there, your blasphemy is there, you will see that Nan is slandering them and saying that they are an apostate against God. Prayer four, rebuke the devil: The Lord, who came into the world as the Most Pure and Holy Virgin, truly the Mother of God, forbids you, the all-evil soul, the devil, dividing us sinners for the salvation of the world. Cursed are you, and all your hostile thoughts, even night and day. I conjure you in the name of the Consubstantial and Indivisible Trinity, the Father and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, depart from me, servant of God (name of the rivers), do not put hostile thoughts into my heart, but go to empty and waterless places, where the Lord does not visit. I conjure you, unclean and blasphemous soul, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, not to seduce me, not to confuse me with blasphemous thoughts, to always make my prayers to the Lord my God, but let all your blasphemous thoughts be on your head on the day of judgment: for I serve my Lord and to Him alone I send up prayer day and night, to you exercising me, having mercy and strengthening me, and forgiving me all my sins for His many goodness and mercy. Follow me, Satan, and cursed be you and all your hostile and opposing forces, for the most honorable name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit is blessed and glorified, now and ever, and forever and ever. Amen. Fifth prayer to the Most Holy Theotokos: My Most Holy Lady Theotokos, with Your holy and all-powerful prayers, take away from me, Your accursed servant, despondency, oblivion, unreason, negligence and all the nasty, evil and blasphemous thoughts from my accursed heart and from my darkened mind and extinguish the flame of my passions, for I am poor and damned. Deliver me from many and cruel memories and enterprises, and free me from all evil actions. For Thou art blessed from all generations, and glorified is Thy most honorable name forever. Amen. In the hand of Thy great mercy, O my God, I entrust my soul and body, my feelings and verbs, my advice and thoughts, my deeds and all my soul and body, my entrance and departure, my faith and life, the course and end of my life, the day and hour of my breathing, the repose and repose, and resurrection of my soul and body with all Thy chosen saints. Thou, Most Good and Humane-loving God, accept me in the hand of Thy protection and deliver me from all evil; forgive the multitude of my sins, cleanse my defiled soul and body and keep me in the shelter of Your mercy all the days of my life, so that by Your grace I will be strengthened from the enemy’s snares that catch me and, by Your grace brought to my senses and set on the path of true repentance, I will be honored with the Christian death of my life, passionless, unashamed, peaceful and untroubled by the airy spirits of the coming, and a good answer at Your Last Judgment, and may I be granted the sight of Your ineffable glory and the hearing of Your sweet, blessed Ti voice, and from You, my God, may I receive life and salvation. Amen. After this, say Psalm 26: “The Lord is my Enlightenment and my Savior...”. Then: “It’s worthy to eat...”. and leave. If possible, make bows according to your strength and, with God’s help, you will get rid of blasphemous thoughts. Brief description of behavior until blasphemous thoughts disappear If a blasphemous thought against God comes, read: “I believe in one God...” - to the end. And if possible, perform several bows as powerfully as possible. If a blasphemous thought comes to the most pure Mysteries of Christ, read “I believe, Lord, and confess that You are truly the Christ...” - to the end, and bow. If a blasphemous thought comes to the Most Pure Theotokos, then read some prayer to the Most Pure Theotokos: either “Under Your mercy,” or “Virgin Mother of God, rejoice,” or some troparion of the Theotokos, with bows, saying: “Most Holy Theotokos, save me, a sinner.” If a blasphemous thought comes to any saint, read: “Pray to God for me, a sinner, holy one (name), as through God I resort to you, a quick helper and a prayer book for my soul.” And bow as strongly as you can, saying: “Saint (name), pray to God for me, a sinner.” If a blasphemous thought comes to any icon, bow in front of that icon 15 times or as many as you can, praying to the one depicted on this icon, and in this way, with God’s help, you will turn the blasphemous thoughts into nothing. Amen.