My beloved spiritual children in Our Risen Lord and Our Only True God and Savior,
CHRIST IS RISEN! TRULY HE IS RISEN! ΧΡΙΣΤΟΣ ΑΝΕΣΤΗ! ΑΛΗΘΩΣ ΑΝΕΣΤΗ!

PRELEST (Gk. πλάνη) [Part II]

Kinds

Saint Ignatius (Brianchaninov) writes there are many kinds of prelest (πλάνη). Each kind corresponds to the particular passion, from which it resulted, and each kind is somehow association with pride. All kinds of prelest (πλάνη) are also associated with improper prayer and occur when repentance is not the basis of the prayer. Saint Ignatius notes that in terms of prayer, there are the distinct kinds of prelest (πλάνη):

Imagination - the person imagines in himself or outside something that does not exist. Such wrong kind of prayer (with imagination of Heaven, Lord Jesus Christ, Angelic, Saints), when it is used by someone who did not reach dispassion, results in hallucination mixed with real vision on the same subject originating from the demons.
Self- Conceit (Pride, Arrogance) - the person attributes to himself dignity before God that he does not have. Self-conceit in relation to prayer can manifest itself in false attribution of natural feelings during the prayer to the action of Divine grace.

Saint Ignatius says that the first kind of prelest (πλάνη-plani) results from the wrong action of the mind and the secon - from the wrong action of the heart.

Saint Gregory of Sinai also says about several forms of delusion:

Illusory visions and mental images and fantasies, caused by arrogance and self-conceit: "Arrogance is followed by delusion, delusion by blasphemy, blasphemy by fear, fear by terror, and terror by a derangement of the natural state of the mind."
Diabolic influence - "It has its origin in self-indulgence, which in its turn results from so-called natural desire. Self-indulgence begets licentiousness in all its forms of indescribable impurity." This form includes visions and gift of prophecy that some people have, in fact originating from the demons of licentiousness.
Mental derangement - a result of the first two forms.

False Visions

According to the Holy Fathers, false visions are associated with pride. Saint Ignatius Brianchaninov says that those people, who want to see visions, and whose mind is not renewed and recreated by the Holy Spirit, are filled with pride - that means as writes Saint Ignatius, that there is a connection prelest of the first and the second kind (i.e., between "imagination" and "conceit"). Archimandrite Seraphim (Alexiev) says "Where there is pride and at the same time one has a vision - it cannot be from God, but by all means - from the evil one."

Romanian elder (geronda) Cleopa (IIie) specifies 7 ways of falling into delusion of false visions and dreams.

1. Pride;

2. Vainglory;

3. Weak and inexperienced mind;

4. Reckless zeal;

5. Disobedience;

6. Following own will and concealment of thoughts in confession;

7. Not knowing self and the Divine Scripture.

Elder (Geronda) also provides example of different Saints from the Patericon (writings of the Holy Fathers) who rejected the visions because they considered themselves unworthy to see it and due to the danger of delusion. He also quotes arguments of different Holy Fathers saying that one should not easily accept visions even if they have all attributes of true ones - if the Saints were fast to accept visions they would be deluded and would not have become Saints.

Elder (Geronda) Joseph the Hesychast says, mentioning the example from his life, that true visions are always preceded or followed by very intense suffering and sorrows and are given by god only as a consolation. Even if the vision is true, it is very difficult to withstand the fight with thoughts and not to get proud of the fact of the vision. Geronda Joseph writes about pride after visions: "What happens after that? A person becomes the mock of the demons. They fool him with writings and visions, with dreams and revelations, with symbols and numbers, with oracles and a heap of superstitions.

Elder (Saint) Paisios of the Holy Mountain tells such story about a woman who had one true vision. Then the Devil suggested to her a thought that she was chosen by God and she believed it. Then the demon started to torment her with different visions and revelations. In the end, she has another true vision and was told to write to elder (Saint) Paisios so that he could help her. So Saint Paisios says that out of all her visions, only 2 were from God.

Also Elder (Geronda) Daniel Katounakiotes writes about several cases of long condition of prelest (πλάνη) accompanied by visions. He writes in a letter about one hierodeacon by the name of Ierotheos who has a lot of visions. Even though he confessed everything, nobody of the confessors understood that this was a delusion. Then elder (geronda) Savvas advised him how to find out the truth. After that the delusion was revealed. But in spite of the fact that the visions ceased after repeated exorcism, the injury to the soul of Ierotheos remained very serious and later he broke all Monastic Vows. Another case of prelest (πλάνη) happened to a lay man Nikolaus. He was also subjected to a long and strong action of demons. Even though elder (geronda) Daniel convinced Nicolaus that all his visions were false, the traces of delusion were seen to the end of his life.

Self- Conceit

Saint Ignatius (Brianchaninov) writes that "people infected with prelest (Πλάνη) of 'conceit' are very common. Anyone who does not have a contrite spirit, who recognizes any merits and achievements, anyone not holding steadily the teachings of the Orthodox Church, but discussing dogma or tradition arbitrarily, at his discretion, or according to the heterodox teaching, is in this kind of prelest (πλάνη). The degree of deviation and persistence of deviation determines the degree of prelest." Saint Ignatius adds: "As there is no, as noted by Saint Macarius the Great, person completely free from pride: there is no person who would be completely free from the action on him of a subtle delusion called 'conceit'.

There is an example when "conceit" may also result in a mental disease. Hieromartyr Bishop Arseny (Zhadanovsky) in his "Spiritual Diary" writes about one woman who was in this kind of delusion. She wanted to take the Holy Communion every day. When she was forbidden to do so, she started to serve a kind of 'liturgy' herself at her home using prosphora and wine. "Her case, however, ended sadly. She lost her mind and she is currently in the mental hospital."

(To be continued)

CHRIST IS RISEN! TRULY HE IS RISEN!

ΧΡΙΣΤΟΣ ΑΝΕΣΤΗ! ΑΛΗΘΩΣ ΑΝΕΣΤΗ!

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"Glory Be To GOD For All Things!"--Saint John Chrysostom

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With sincere agape in His Holy Resurrection,
The sinner and unworthy servant of God

+Father George