Oh the beauty

The authorship of the treatise “On Prelest” is attributed to St. Gregory Sinait. The work is a patristic guide to recognizing spiritual errors on the path of inner work. The author, relying on ascetic experience, warns ascetics, especially beginners and those prone to self-indulgence, about the dangers of prelest (spiritual seduction), which is an insidious network of demons that can lead the soul to destruction. The central theme of the work is the doctrine of distinguishing true actions of Divine grace from false manifestations of delusion. The author warns against accepting any sensory or mental phenomena - be it images of Christ, angels, saints or visible light - without careful testing and, most importantly, without the advice of an experienced spiritual mentor. He explains that the mind is by nature prone to daydreaming, and without caution it easily becomes “a dreamer rather than a silent one.” The essay presents criteria for differentiation: 1. Signs of grace: warmth of the heart (like “a spring of water from the life-giving Spirit”), silence, joy, meekness, humility, aversion to the world, cessation of carnal pleasures and passions. Grace acts purely and unchangeably, even in the fight against sin, like the sun, which, shining in impurity, is not defiled. 2. Signs of prelest (demonic actions): pride, arrogance, intimidation, hard-heartedness, unrepentance, pompousness, gluttony, verbosity, boasting, “uneven warmth,” heaviness of the soul, relaxation of the limbs, “moist sweetness,” excitement of the body and carnal thoughts. At the same time, there is no true joy and the face remains gloomy. The author emphasizes the need to have a spiritual leader who has “divine reasoning” and “discernment of spirits”, since arrogance and self-will inevitably lead to fall. As reliable weapons against delusion, he names humility, crying and obedience, as well as maintaining the three virtues of silence: abstinence, silence and self-abasement. Look, I want you to know exactly about delusion, to beware of it, and so that, led by ignorance, you do not seriously harm yourself and destroy your soul. The free choice of man is easily inclined towards association with enemies, especially among the inexperienced, as those most persecuted by them. Near and around newcomers and self-willed demons usually deploy networks of thoughts and disastrous dreams and [prepare] ditches of downfalls, since their [spiritual] city is under the rule of foreigners. And one should not be surprised if one of the inexperienced is deceived, or falls into a frenzy of mind 1, or accepts and accepts delusion, or sees something alien to the truth, or speaks inappropriately due to inexperience and ignorance. Others, often expounding on the truth, ignorantly and imperceptibly saying one thing instead of another, are unable to correctly say how [this or that] matter stands. He frightens many, and brings censure and laughter to the silent ones with his insane activities. And there is nothing surprising in the fact that some beginner, after much work, falls into delusion. This has happened to many who seek God now and before. The memory of God, or mental prayer, is higher than all types of activity. She, like the love of God, is the head of virtues. But one who shamelessly and arrogantly desires to enter God and purely confess Him and who strives to acquire Him in himself, if allowed [from above], is easily killed by those - I mean demons - since he who arrogantly and boldly seeks something that does not agree with his personal 2 state is drawn vainly to achieving [the sought-after] prematurely. The Lord, who takes pity on people, often paying attention to how daring we are in [self-]exaltation, does not allow us to be tested, so that everyone, having recognized his own conceit, returns [to true asceticism] himself and before he becomes a disgrace 3 and a laughing stock for demons and weeping for people, especially when someone seeks this wondrous deed with long-suffering, humility, and most of all with submission and asking the experienced, so that unnoticed instead you would not reap wheat, thorns, or bitter instead of sweet, and instead of salvation you would not find destruction. It is common for the strong and perfect to always fight demons and continually stretch out the spiritual sword against them, which is the word of God (see: Eph. 6:17). The weak and beginners use reverent flight as a fortress, avoid single combat with fear and, not venturing into it prematurely, thereby save themselves 5 from death. But you, if you successfully remain silent and expect to be with God, never accept anything sensual or spiritual that appears outside or inside [you], even if it is the image of Christ, or apparently an angel, or the appearance of a saint, or [at least] light shines through your mind and is dreamily imprinted. The mind itself has a natural ability to dream. He can easily build images of what he seeks (from those who do not carefully pay attention to this) and [thus] harms himself. This recollection of good and evil usually suddenly forms mental images and leads to daydreaming. Hence [such a person] 7 arbitrarily 8 becomes a dreamer, and not a silent one. Therefore, be careful whether you believe something because you are quickly carried away, before asking and doing a lot of research, even if it seems good, so as not to receive harm. Always remain indignant at dreams, 9 keeping your mind constantly colorless, formless and formless. Often many were harmed and sent by God to test for the crown. Our Lord wants to test which way our free choice tends. But he who sees something mentally or sensually and accepts it without [the advice of] experienced people, even if [the appearance was] according to the will of God, is easily deceived or will be deceived in the future, as one who perceives [everything] thoughtlessly. A beginner needs to be attentive to the activity of the heart, as if it is not deceptive, but not to accept anything else until the moment of pacification of passions. God is not indignant at the one who, strictly paying attention to himself, in order to avoid delusion, will not accept [signs] from Him without asking [experienced people] and much research, but rather praises him as wise, although he was indignant at some. However, not everyone should be asked, but one who is entrusted with the management of others, who shines in life and, being, according to Scripture, poor, enriches many (see: 2 Cor. 6, 10). There were many inexperienced [leaders] who harmed many foolish ones, for whom they will stand trial after death. [The right] to lead others does not belong to everyone, but only to those who have been given divine reasoning, or, according to the Apostle, discernment of spirits (1 Cor. 12:10), dividing the word worse from the best with the sword. Everyone has his own reason and natural active or scientific reasoning, but not everyone [has] spiritual [reasoning]. Therefore, the wise Sirach said: Let those who live with you in the world be many, and let one of a thousand be your advisor (Sir. 6:6). It is no small task to find a leader who is not mistaken either in words, or in deeds, or in thoughts. Whether someone is free from delusion is determined by whether he has evidence from the Divine Scriptures for his activity and his understanding of it, being humble in what he must reason about. To clearly comprehend the truth and be clean from what is incompatible with grace is no small task, because the devil usually shows his charm in the form of truth, especially to beginners, and transforms his insidiousness into the spiritual. As a result, one who diligently strives in silence to achieve pure prayer must go to [his goal] by asking experienced ones and in great trepidation and sorrow, continuously mourning his own sins, grieving for them and fearing [hellish] torment, falling away from God and separation [from Him] now and in the future [age]. When the devil sees someone living in mourning, he does not hesitate there, fearing 12 the humility produced by mourning. If someone with conceit dreams of achieving something high, having acquired a satanic and not a true desire, then [Satan] easily entangles him, as his servant, 13 with his nets. Therefore, keeping oneself in prayer and crying is the greatest weapon against falling into conceit from the joy of prayer, but, having chosen consoling sadness for oneself, to keep oneself unharmed. Prayer, free from [Jesus’] delusion, casting fire on the earth of our heart, is accompanied by warmth, burning passions like thorns, and creating silence and joy in the soul. Warmth comes not from the right or left side, not from above, but flows into the heart like a source of water from the life-giving Spirit. Desire to find it alone in your heart and to own it, always keeping your mind dreamless, naked from reasoning and thoughts, and do not be afraid, because He who said: Be of good cheer: it is I, do not be afraid (Matthew 14:27) - He Himself, Whom we are looking for, is with us and invariably protects us. When we call on God, we should not fear or complain. If some, having lost their reason, have become seduced into delusion, then know that they suffered this out of self-will and pride. And in obedience with questioning and humility, one who seeks God will never suffer loss of the grace of Christ, who desires all people to be saved. If a test happens to such a person, then it arises and is allowed to evaluate and crown it and is accompanied by the quick help of God through the means known to Him. Whoever lives correctly and treats others impeccably, avoiding people-pleasing and arrogance, [against] even the entire regiment of demons raised countless trials, would not harm him, as the fathers say. Those who move arrogantly and willfully [in life] are easily exposed to harm. Therefore, the silent one must always adhere to the royal path. Usually, excess in everything is unhindered by conceit, which gives way to charm. In prayer, moderate not only the breathing of the nostrils, as the inexperienced do, but also the breathing of the mind by some closing of the lips to prevent harmful arrogance. There are three virtues of silence that should be carefully preserved and hourly recognized whether we always preserve them, so that somehow, hidden by oblivion, we do not begin to walk in life outside of them. They are as follows: abstinence, silence and self-abasement, that is, humility, generating and protecting each other. From them comes prayer and continually increases. The beginning of the action of grace in prayer is revealed differently in one person or another, since in us, in the words of the Apostle, the diverse division of the gifts of the Spirit according to His will is noticed and recognized (see: 1 Cor. 12:11), which is revealed in us in the image of Elijah the Tishbite 14. Namely, the spirit of fear comes to some, destroying the mountains of their passions and crushing their cruel hearts like stones, so that from fear their flesh seems to be nailed and becomes dead. In others, shock or joy appears, which the fathers very clearly called leaping. And among the former, [this leaping] is also revealed internally as immaterial and essential, but it itself is impersonal, insignificant and sensually indefinite. For others, especially those who have perfected themselves in prayer, God produces a subtle, peaceful and complete breath of light when Christ, according to the Apostle, mysteriously dwells in the heart (see: Eph. 3:17) and manifests itself in the spirit. Therefore, on Mount Horeb God told Elijah that the Lord is not in this or that, not in the private actions of beginners, but in a subtle breath of light - there is the Lord, who showed the perfection of prayer. Question: What will someone do when a demon transforms into an angel of light and deceives a person? Answer: Because of this [phenomenon], a person needs a lot of prudence in order to recognize the difference between good and evil. Do not frivolously trust 15 to the images that present themselves quickly, but, being slow, accept the good and reject the bad with much testing. You must first evaluate and consider, and then believe. Know that the actions of grace are obvious, and although the demon changes, it cannot arouse meekness, friendliness, humility, hatred of the world, or the cessation of [carnal] pleasures and passions, which constitutes the action of grace. The demonic 16 actions [are]: pride, arrogance, intimidation and all kinds of evil. By these actions you can recognize whether the light that shines in your soul is from God or from Satan. Friedax is similar in taste to mustard and vinegar is similar in color to wine. But by tasting the larynx recognizes and determines the difference between each [of these things]. Likewise, the soul, if it has reasoning, can, through the sense of the mind, cognize the gifts of the Holy Spirit and the illusory dreams of Satan. Διαφεύγκυσν – lit.: avoid. Ὁ τοιοῦτος – lit.: such. Πρὸς αὐτό – lit.: indignant at that. Τῶν ἐναντίων – lit.: from the opposite. Δειλιῶν – lit.: fearing. Κατά τὸν τύπον Ἠλιοῦ τοῦ θεσβίτου. Μὴ ἐπιδίδου – lit.: do not indulge. You might be interested in: