The demons speak (from the priest's notebook). Priest: “I saw demons, they are green!” (6 photos) Demons what they look like

Experts in anomalous phenomena explain the unusual properties of some things by the presence in them of a strong negative energy-informational charge. Most often, people transmit it unconsciously or quite consciously. In such cases, they say that the thing is cursed, it has been damaged. Hence many bad omens associated with the things found. It is not recommended, for example, to pick up small money, crosses, and rings from the ground.

Most often, people transmit it unconsciously or quite consciously. In such cases, they say that the thing is cursed, it has been damaged. Hence many bad omens associated with the things found. It is not recommended, for example, to pick up small money, crosses, and rings from the ground.

Negative energy can be obtained from things given to us by people who dislike us.

“In the third month of marriage, I received an antique mirror in a carved frame as a gift from my mother-in-law, like a family heirloom,” says Marina S. “Our relationship was strained. Of course, she took away her beloved son! I hung a mirror on the wall in the hallway. Passing by, I glanced at it briefly. And after two weeks, acne suddenly broke out. Large, purulent. I've never had anything like this in my life. And no treatment helped. Thank you, the grandmother was the only one who found me, asked me about everything, immediately pointed to this mirror and, most importantly, took out my acne in literally two days...”

It looks incredible, but one of the most powerful curses in the entire history of world occultism was cast by a seven-year-old child!

The artist Giovanni Bragolini painted a portrait of his own son in 1973, and in order to create something emotional, he decided to bring the baby to tears. But he still didn’t want to cry, and Giovanni began to burn matches in the youth’s face, threatening him. Soon, from mixed feelings of fear and anger, the roaring boy shouted at his father: “May you burn yourself!”
A month later, the baby died of pneumonia, and some time later a fire broke out in Bragolini’s house, in which the artist himself died, and almost all of his works except this one. There is also a lot of evidence that the picture itself is fireproof, for example, in September 1985, the British newspaper The Sun published a letter in which a certain married couple claimed that the terrible fire that destroyed their house and all their property, according to some - For some strange reason, I didn’t touch the reproduction of the painting “The Crying Boy” that was hanging on the wall in the living room.

After this note, letters to the newspaper began to flow. One widow reported that within a few years of purchasing the reproduction, her husband and three sons died suddenly. But gradually, mentions in the press about the curse faded away, and statements appeared that if the reproduction is treated well, then the boy, on the contrary, will bring good luck to its owners.

But the bad reputation of reproduction lives on to this day, especially in Northern England. By the way, the original has not yet been found.

00 DEMONS IN ONE DOLL

Some things, in their thirst to harm and kill, often behave quite intelligently, almost rationally. This suggests that they contain some evil otherworldly entity, or demon, demon.

The possession of a demon in a thing occurs in different ways. For example, as a result of the actions of an exorcist. When expelling a demon from a person, the exorcist moves him into some object.

The famous Russian psychic A. Shlyadinsky, during exorcism rites, transferred the demon into a small stone. Then he threw this stone into the river. The 19th century Italian psychic Lucas Picciolo translated demons into old human skulls. Subsequently, they showed signs of possession and caused poltergeist phenomena.

In England in the mid-19th century, the Reverend Thomas Bloys used a doll for the same purpose. It is believed that he “locked” at least 100 demons in it. Bloys often said that the doll was watching him, either grinning or blinking. After his death in 1888, the doll went to the London photographer Cedric Argyle. Having taken several photographs of her, he was horrified: already on the negatives it was clear that the doll’s face changed its expression from picture to picture.

Having changed several owners, the doll settled in the Museum of Curious Things in Cornwall. It is very popular with visitors. The doll is constantly photographed. She almost always has different facial expressions in the pictures. Sometimes she is sad, sometimes she smiles.

Sometimes he looks like a boy, sometimes like a girl. They tried to study her phenomenon. It was assumed that the change in expression depends on the movement of the angle of the camera when photographing, on the slightest movements of the camera, on the play of light and other reasons. But all this did not bring clarity. There is no such effect in photographs of other dolls.

THERE ARE MORE POSSESSED BY DEMONS THAN COMMONLY THINK

Occultists point to another way in which demons can get into objects.

It is assumed that there are many more people possessed by demons than is commonly thought. The fact is that most otherworldly entities, being in a person, do not give themselves away in any way. Unless a person's character deteriorates, he is overcome by illnesses and failures, or vice versa - he gets too much luck, which ultimately turns into a disaster.

Such an entity is discovered by chance, for example during a hypnotic examination. But since people very rarely come into contact with hypnologists in life, the demon feels relatively safe. With the sudden death of a person, its carrier, the demon immediately moves into another person or into an inanimate object.

In a car accident, a demon can transfer from a person to a car. There have been many described cases in which a car, after the death of its owner, suddenly began to show abnormal aggressiveness, killing and maiming people.

Killer cars include, for example, the car of Archduke Ferdinand, who was killed during a trip to Sarajevo in 1914, or the sports car of the famous American actor James Dean, who died in a car accident in 1955. Everyone who has had at least some connection with these machines since then has been haunted by an evil fate.

In Portsmouth, Ohio, USA, a gun became "obsessive". In March 1985, the Kellerman family was killed - a husband, wife and two children. The .38-caliber pistol was abandoned by the killer at the crime scene. On the first day of the investigation, one of the detectives committed suicide. Then tragic incidents struck the police station where the gun was kept as evidence. Over the course of a month, as the press writes, more than 20 people died in this area under various circumstances!

The string of deaths stopped after the gun was moved to another location. Further fate this weapon is unknown. The Kellerman killer also remained unfound.

EPIDEMIC OF MYSTERIOUS DEATHS AMONG ANTIQUES

Antique things, especially those of unknown origin, often harbor supernatural threats. Due to the nature of their work, antique dealers have to deal with such items. They often carry things with a dark past that have survived revolutions, wars, bloody crimes, family tragedies, used in spiritualistic séances and magical rituals.

In 1991-95, the Western press wrote about cases of mysterious insanity and unexplained sudden deaths of antiquarians and prominent collectors of antiquities. In total, over 50 antique dealers and collectors died during this period and about 20 went crazy. The sad list was discovered by the owner of a private museum in San Francisco, Malcolm Jefferson.

Then two antique dealers and four collectors died in the same city. Another collector gone crazy. From San Francisco, the “Jefferson virus,” as journalists dubbed this “disease,” spread to Los Angeles and cities on the east coast of the United States, and from there to Europe.

Currently, experts associate this “virus” with a batch of ancient African ritual masks that ended up on antique markets in Europe and America in 1991-92. Moreover, the first copies arrived in San Francisco.

Such “souvenirs” can be very dangerous. They are made to protect against evil spirits or to cast spells on enemies. There are known cases when African sorcerers healed their patients from mental illnesses by transferring illnesses from people to specially made masks or idols. However, the cause of mental illness can also be a demon sitting in a person. Therefore, demons were transported into the masks, which then manifested themselves in the owners of these “souvenirs.”

From all that has been said, the conclusion is quite simple: do not get involved with dubious, unknown things. Keep in your home only things that are familiar, dear, memorable, things that bring you joy, fit harmoniously into the environment, and that you really need.

The cunning of a hypocritical demon will not be able to reach its goal if a person has a strong will and doubts his faith in God. However, every person should understand the types of demons in order to understand how not to become a victim of evil spirits.

In the article:

Why are demons called evil?

The deceit of a hypocritical demon is deceit. That is why representatives of evil spirits are called crafty- this quality is really inherent in them. All demons are cunning, unpredictable, they almost always want to deceive a person with insufficiently strong faith.

In prayers, people often ask for protection from the evil one. Here we mean any evil spirit, not just demons. Devils, demons, demons - prayer can protect all these representatives of evil spirits from the wickedness.

Cunning, playfulness, pretense, deceit, cunning - all these qualities are from the demon. Many people have them. They are believed to be under the influence of evil spirits. It is she who pushes them to deception, revenge, and obtaining forbidden pleasures.

Luck is the name of the demon

Luck is the name of a demon who can bring good luck, but the price of such a gift is the immortal soul of a person. Many would agree to exchange their soul for luck, dooming themselves to a posthumous existence in hell, or even unlife as a role or ghoul.

Everyone knows that in modern society it is customary to wish good luck. You should be careful with such wishes, Orthodox priests say. Wishing good luck, you call upon evil spirits for your loved one. Demon Luck expects just this. His goal is to push people into sin, and the luck he gives him is a good gift for this opportunity.

“About luck” is often included in memorials. Most priests are outraged by this - it would seem that believers write the name of the demon into the memorials and still want to pray for him. There is an opinion that the real name of the demon Luck is. This is one of the greatest demons responsible for death large quantity of people.

Archimandrite Cleopas states that Luck was the Roman, Carthaginian and Sumerian deity of happiness. His statues were cast in silver or copper and mounted on two-wheeled carts. Behind the statue stood a wood-burning stove into which the priests of Luck added fuel. In front was a frying pan, hot from the stove flame. The priests walked around the cities with carts with installed statues of Luck, holding sharpened axes in their hands. They accepted sacrifices to the deity of happiness, clapping their hands and inviting those wishing to receive his protection:

Who wants good luck, sacrifice to Luck!

Luck accepted sacrifices only from infants and only from the hands of mothers. There were always those willing to exchange a child for good luck. Mothers gave their children to the priests, who cut the babies into pieces, which were placed on a hot frying pan. Archimandrite Cleopas claims that in one “lucky” day the demon could sacrifice up to fifty small children.

The midday demon is the culprit of laziness

The clergy associate the midday demon with the sin of despondency. Dejection in Orthodox tradition- this is laziness, bodily and spiritual relaxation. The midday demon is the one who tempts monks to prioritize afternoon naps over prayers. For a monk, noon is really half the day. In the old days, people in monasteries got up even earlier, and there were two meals - lunch and dinner. After eating, the monk, tired even after half a day, wanted to sleep, and the demon took advantage of the desire of his body.

This is how he described the influence of the noon devil Saint Theophan:

There is no desire to stand in church, or to pray to God at home, or to read, or to correct ordinary good deeds.

The main sign of the presence of a midday demon near a person is a crisis in spiritual life, cooling towards church and prayers, laziness. Every believer has periods when prayers and going to church do not bring peace to the soul, there is no desire to go to church, or simply laziness.

How to get rid of the influence of the midday demon? Only self-control and willpower will help. In any business, a person can achieve results if he forces himself to go towards the goal, performing certain daily actions for this. Is there something that forces you to go to work every weekday morning? There is a word known to every person - “must”. Be guided by it every time you are overcome by the midday demon.

The demon of fornication and lust

It is easy to guess that the demon of fornication is an unclean force that tempts a person with carnal pleasures. What is fornication? This is debauchery, adultery, fornication, lewd thoughts and conversations, licentiousness, as well as lewd compulsion. The latter refers to behavior that attracts the attention of the opposite sex, similar clothing preferences, and a love of flirting.

In general, most modern people fall under this definition, because fornication is making love for pleasure, and not for conceiving children, and also sexual relations between people not related by marriage. Almost all modern clothing is aimed at attracting the opposite sex. We can say that in our time, casting out the demon of fornication is not very relevant.

However, the demon of lust can tempt a person weak in will and faith to commit sexual crimes, various perversions, child molestation and other things that are not very pleasant and little discussed in decent society. An evil spirit can take possession of a person simultaneously with the commission of any sin - from smoking a cigarette to a feeling of envy. Children of sinful parents are automatically considered deprived of divine help, and this is the main reason for fornication in children.

He and his assistants tempt people with pure souls, turning them into inveterate sinners. Even after demons are cast out, they remain close to the person, constantly trying to get to him. Erotic dreams and fantasies are considered the first signs of their attempts to inhabit a person. Asmodeus's opponent is John the Baptist. Prayers addressed to this saint will help you get rid of the prodigal thoughts that frighten you.

In addition, the demon of fornication is the name given to evil spirits that lead travelers astray from the road - from the word “to get lost.” Its impact is described as the inability to recognize familiar places and navigate the area, even though the territory in which a person is unlucky enough to get lost is negligibly small. If you believe the legends, under the influence of such evil spirits a person can wander all night, only recognizing a familiar area at dawn. Sometimes she tries to lead her into a swamp, push her off a cliff, or kill her in other ways.

There are known anomalous zones in which many such representatives of evil spirits live. People often get lost or even go missing there. Sometimes fornication is the name given to a dead man taken as a hostage - an executed criminal who has not found peace, or a suicide who wishes harm to all the living. This is due to the fact that they often appear at death scenes. In the old days, the graves of suicides were located far from human habitation, but close to roads. When passing through them, they used to try to throw a handful of earth on such a grave in order to participate in the funeral rite, which the suicide was deprived of. In this way, it can be appeased so that the spirit that has not found peace will not be led into a swamp or dense thicket.

The sign of the cross or a prayer, for example, “Our Father” or a road prayer-amulet can save you from fornication:

I'm not going alone. Jesus Christ is ahead mother of God behind, I'm in the middle. What is for them is for me.

In order to protect against evil spirits on the road, in the old days they carried garlic and four-leaf clover with them. Sometimes the old people advised to lie down and sleep if they could not find the way. In the morning, the evil spirit will lose its powers and will no longer “drive.” In order for a relative taken away by evil spirits to return, prayers were ordered for him, his name was shouted into the chimney, and candles were lit for health in the temple.

The demon of drunkenness is the culprit of binge drinking

Priest Dmitry Fetisov claims that the deplorable situation with a large percentage of alcoholics in the CIS countries is associated with demons. Day of veneration of Saint Boniface, to whom it is customary to pray against alcohol and drug addiction. According to the new style, it falls on January 1 - a day when most people are busy doing the exact opposite, namely drinking alcohol.

This attitude towards the holidays is exactly what the demon of drunkenness needs. It is believed that such evil spirits accompany every binge alcoholic. When a person commits a sin, the demon of drunkenness gets the opportunity to get to him. Drunkenness is one of the most serious problems of our time, and judging by its size, it can be said that most people do not have sufficient willpower to resist evil spirits.

The demon of drunkenness is an evil spirit voluntarily summoned by every second person. The Church considers alcoholics to be people who drink alcohol at least once every twenty days. The vast majority of Russian residents fall under this definition. You can get rid of the influence of the demon of drunkenness through fasting and prayer.

What other types of demons are there?

There have been repeated attempts to classify demons and demons back in the Middle Ages. In most of them, of a religious nature, you can find information about what kind of demons there are, as well as other evil spirits. Demons, devils and demons are at different levels of the hierarchy. Some demonologists believe that their strength depends on the number of ruined souls. In other words, evil spirits are capable of moving up the “career ladder.”

“The devil does not care so much about people sinning, as about not seeing sin and remaining sinners.”

St. John Chrysostom

I learned that demons have their own preferences, inclinations, and whims, just like people. Your own “tastes”. Of course, there is commonality, but there is also a lot of individuality, according to passions.

I couldn’t help but remember the ordeals described in patristic literature: indeed, demons are gathered into legions of sins.

Absolutely all demons hate confession. In the same way, they do not tolerate preaching that teaches correct Orthodox spiritual life.. This can even be seen from them, or rather, from the sick: if the sermon is lengthy - general, built on external beauties and has a lot of water in it, it does not touch demons. Moreover, they begin to show interest in her, thinking about how they can lead the preacher into conceit through praise. Some sick people's eyes then begin to shine in a specific way: the demon is interested and pondering. But short, simple, intelligible sermons teaching spirituality from the Holy Fathers, calling for repentance and explaining what sin is and how to avoid it, cause rage among demons. “Their” noise begins in the temple: sneezing, coughing, screaming, moaning...

“Stop it, I’m tired of it,” comes from all sides.

But teachings about humility and patience are especially disgusting to demons . Even simple, ingenuous descriptions of suffering for faith, for Christ are unbearable for them.

I remember there was a very good elder in our church - a simple, modest, quiet old woman. She had an unfeigned love for the temple, for the servants of the altar of Christ, for her neighbors, and was surprisingly modest and inconspicuous. She died quietly in a Christian manner, having been a little ill... I wrote notes with her name and, handing them out to those who were sick, asked them to pray for the repose of her soul. The demons showed enviable solidarity: they did not allow her name to be pronounced, they called her “a nasty, harmful old woman,” and one demon said: “I won’t pray for her - she was humble”. The patients did not know whom they were remembering; the demons sitting within them knew for sure.

Demons don’t like the simplicity and modesty of a home, a cozy prayer corner, lamps near icons, shrines... And vice versa, soulless modern furniture, secular libraries in the house, especially collections of detective stories and science fiction, empty unnecessary pictures on the walls, collections of stamps, coins, matchboxes, cigarettes, beer cans and the like - all this makes them happy. There are objects and things that especially attract demons to apartments and houses. These are posters with naked figures, books on yoga, occultism, astrology, dream books, masks, figurines of pagan gods. And, of course, TV. Arguments always flare up with patients about television; they do not want to part with it, and I think this is not just a matter of habit. TV is the enslavement of the soul and mind. Demons boast that they live in it and through it they successfully influence people. Horror films, erotica and action-packed fiction, rock concerts and all kinds of shows are especially harmful. Misbehavior of apartment dwellers, scandals, drunkenness, debauchery, fights, swearing, hiding stolen things is also an excellent breeding ground for the spirits of evil. A person cannot live in a house where this happens if he wants healing! Creating the right spiritual climate is the first necessity...

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THE DEMONS SAY...

“It is during prayer that we induce sleep, despondency, and fear in you in order to take you away from conversation with God!” We can even irritate you with a hair or a bug.

“We have placed images of your saints in secular books, magazines, and newspapers!” And next to black magic conspiracies have been launched! So people put pots and the like on the saints of God, or even throw them into the restroom!

— We have now taken over the whole world with three sins: fornication, wealth And drunkenness .

- Some people say: “What we deserve is what we get”. They say, but they don’t know, what kind of torment there is and that you won’t get out of there, no matter how much you cry. None
will hear.

- But especially we act through TV . TV is your entire “shrine”.

- We are the ones who cause quarrels between people.

— We write down every bad thought you agreed with
we sympathized with her and put her in the charter (that’s what they call their “dossier” on us - ed.) points. We record your every word . When you pray, we keep a watchful eye on you.

“We take even the smallest things into account, we write everything in order to get through the ordeal.

- All faiths, except the Orthodox, are all in hell.

— I love women with gold earrings in their ears, high heels, short skirts or men's trousers.

“I don’t like those who love the shrine.” It is very difficult for me to repent in detail.

— Through repentance the sins on our charters are erased , but large ones are erased only through tearful repentance.

“When a person repents of his sins, then our networks are destroyed.

“I really like it when in confession they don’t name sins, but repent “in general”: in deed, in word, in thought...

— It is very difficult for me to repent in detail .

- They are standing in the temple, but thinking about home! But I’m glad and I’m writing to the charter!

“I love it when priests reduce services and requirements and when they serve for the sake of fame, rewards and money.

— I love those who, when being baptized, put up the cross somehow .

— I love when memorial services are held for non-believers.

- Those who died without crosses are all with me in hell.

- We have now completely intimidated believers with witchcraft, let them forget that everything is God’s will .

- Last time We especially intensify our efforts to create despondency . To murmur against God.

“We fill our heads with thoughts about the future, as long as we don’t think about God and our sins and repent.”

“We are the ones who inspire murmurs, even about the weather.”

— I especially don’t like old books. (patristic - ed.), they pierce me right through. It is I who disgust them.

— I can't stand kindness and affection.

“I’m very afraid of those who do good deeds in secret; I teach them to show everything off.”

“Now they like to do good so that everyone knows about it.” No one wants to receive a reward in heaven, just here on earth.

“Whoever prays for our enemies knocks us off our feet.”

“I hate those who are patient in prayer.”

“I don’t like it when three people pray together.” Because God said: “Where two or three are gathered in My name, there am I among them.”

— Spiritual books are the best alms for the dead. Don't tell anyone about this. Let them not know.

- Wow, how glad I am that so many people have become possessed.

“I love those who come up to receive communion without crosses, without reading the prayer rule, without forgiving the offenders.

- I hate priests who save and lead to God.

- What, do you think I can like those who, for God’s sake, drink only boiling water or brewed herbs, and not tea or coffee?

- Many repent, but do not lag behind!

“I hate it when a person courageously fights grief.” The cats are scratching at his soul, but he doesn’t show it. I really don't like this fight.

“I’m afraid of those of lower rank, but of higher spirit.” But those of higher rank, but those of lower spirit—I am not afraid of such people.

“I don’t notice any struggle with us in anyone.” As soon as you put in a sinful thought, it is immediately accepted and carried out.

“As soon as our prince gives us a task, we immediately go to carry it out, while you sway to the commandments of God...

- Now many are sent straight from the lowest ordeals to our hell for condemning others (especially priests and monks). AND There are a lot of gluttons: everyone loves to eat and drink better . They don’t even repent of it; they will come to the temple, sit on a bench and talk about worldly things. They have no thought to repent.

— In many churches I feel at ease: where believers talk and behave as if they were at a market. I’m standing on the second step with you, I can’t go any further. I'm standing on the street, I'm scared
even approach the porch. Some careless priests who,
for example, they drink and go to serve, I’m also on the edge of the altar.

— I like that now many people don’t talk about God and Mother at all
God, neither with the priests, nor among themselves. One flesh, nothing spiritual, even in the temple they talk about worldly things.

— I love those caught up in vanity, do they care about God?

“We are the ones who suggest that the Antichrist has already been born.”

“I would like all believers to say this: “There is no praying
time... There’s no time to go to church, there’s a lot to do..." or: “My husband doesn’t
lets in...” or: “The guests have arrived...” We give you as many excuses as you like
we'll find it.

— In my plan, the first point is: to go to church less often .

— I don't like books about the holy fathers . Everything in them is written against us. We teach day and night to condemn priests.

— I love it when sacred books are interpreted in their own way, without turning to the holy fathers.

“I take comfort in the fact that I will not suffer alone forever, but will bring with me a sea of ​​people.”

“I can’t stand it when priests at confession, by explaining and asking, draw out sins.”

“Our priests are confusing the true priests, our monks are confusing the true monks, our believers are confusing the true believers.”

— I am very afraid of the ashes from the censer after the Liturgy from the Cherubim incense.

- When the Last Judgment comes, everyone will stand up, take their crosses from the graves and
will go to trial. And where do you think those who don’t have crosses will go?

- You offend at least one person so that he leaves upset! Then I will be happy.

- A! Do you sin and repent? I would tear you all apart!

— I really like the general confession! I would twenty four hours a day
walked! There is no need to say any sin and no need to feel shame.

— I encourage you to leave everything “for later.” Then you read the prayers, then the Gospel, then go to church, then do a good deed. If you have time.

“I hate all these copying and rewriting from divine books, especially patristic books.”

“I like it when a shrine is not valued and treated carelessly.”

“I rejoice when monuments are placed on graves, not crosses, when photographs of the dead are hung, and not icons.

“The prayer of detention really prevents me from carrying out my plans.

“I fear those who sympathize with the possessed, and those who fear them,
because we sit in them, I like them. AND Those who are afraid of sorcerers are very dear to me.

— I hate those who read the Psalter , especially at night.

- I don’t like people who are satisfied with any food. This is me teaching you to understand and be capricious.

“I like it when they wear rosaries for show and move their lips, demonstrating that they are praying.” And also when they say or show what they sacrificed.

- Especially I don’t like chapter 12 from the Gospel of Luke !

- You, sleek, combed, shaved, dressed up - all mine! I love those who are busy with the world, and not with the salvation of the soul.

- Smokers not only have my smoke, but also fire!

- This we instill the evening rule to leave ! What do you think, if a person falls asleep without praying and dies in his sleep, where will his soul go? To heaven or what?

“They confess their sins, but don’t get away from the reasons.”

“I would kiss your hands and feet if you were photographed with Catholics, or Lutherans, or schismatics!”

— I love my monks. My monks eat meat and drink wine.

“I especially hate saints who achieved love and endured temptations and sorrows in life.”

“I can’t stand humility.”

- Can a person who died in front of the TV go through the ordeal?

- Well, if I had also read the newspaper, maybe I would have passed, but if I watched TV: clowns, sorcerers, shamelessness - I would never pass.

“The efforts of a priest alone will not drive me out.” We must fast and pray ourselves: then I will fight... I didn’t want to say, but your pectoral Cross with the shrine forces me to say, take it off!

- As soon as you think: "She's a witch", - I write down the sin. A sorcerer cannot do anything without God's permission.

What does a modern non-believer mean when he says “I was furious” or “it pisses me off”? Probably, in most cases - just an extreme degree of irritation. And although the root basis of such words clearly indicates their origin from the word “demon,” in our time this can confuse few people. In a review of the new performance, the press enthusiastically reports that the premiere was a “wild success,” teenagers write in their online diaries about how they “had a great time” at a rock concert, and veterinarians vaccinate their pets “against rabies.”

Such an indifferent attitude towards the words used is easily explained by a simple but sad fact: unfortunately, people today have a very poor idea of ​​who these demons are. Where did they come from, what qualities do they have, and is it worth identifying yourself and those around you with these creatures, even if only at the level of a figure of speech?

For people who are not inclined to read religious or occult literature, fiction becomes almost the only source of knowledge about demons. And here, with some bewilderment, we have to admit that even in the works of the classics, the description of unclean spirits is very contradictory, ambiguous and, rather, confuses the reader than helps to understand the essence of the matter. Writers have created a whole gallery of different images that are very different from each other. On one flank in this row are folklore images of the demon in the works of N.V. Gogol and A.S. Pushkin. In this version, the demon is presented as a rather absurd and stupid creature with a nasty appearance and such low intelligence that even a simple village blacksmith easily subjugates it, using it as a vehicle. Or, armed with a piece of rope and a couple of simple fraudulent tricks, the evil spirit is easily fooled by the famous Pushkin character with the eloquent name Balda.

On the opposite flank of the gallery of literary demons is Bulgakov’s Woland. This is almost the omnipotent arbiter of human destinies, the focus of intelligence, nobility, justice and others positive qualities. It is pointless for a person to fight him, since, according to Bulgakov, he is practically invincible, one can only obey him with reverence - like the Master and Margarita, or die - like Berlioz, or, at best, be damaged by reason, like the poet Ivan Bezdomny.

These two extremes in the literary depiction of demons, naturally, form in readers the same extremes in relation to what is depicted. From complete disdain for Pushkin’s idiotic idiots as absolutely fairy-tale characters to complete confidence in the real existence of Woland the Satan, superstitious horror of his power, and sometimes direct worship of the spirits of darkness.

There is nothing surprising here; the power of a work of art lies in the fact that the literary hero begins to be perceived by us as real. In London, for example, there is a very real museum dedicated to the fictional detective Sherlock Holmes, and in the Soviet Union real city streets were named after the fiery revolutionary Pavka Korchagin, despite his 100% literary origins.

But in the case of artistically demons we have a completely different situation. The fact is that even in the space of a literary work, the spiritual world does not exist within the framework of human history, but as if in parallel to it - its inhabitants do not age, do not die and are not affected by time, they are always nearby. And if we assume that the fictional characters of the same Mikhail Bulgakov have real prototypes in the spiritual world, then we must admit that the reader’s admiration and admiration for Woland clearly goes beyond the scope of literary issues. Here much more serious questions arise - for example, to what extent does the image of a demon created by the writer’s artistic imagination correspond to spiritual reality? Or - how safe is the attitude towards demons, formed by their literary images, for a person? It is obvious that literary criticism can no longer answer these questions. And, since the demon migrated to European literature from the Christian religious tradition, it would be reasonable to find out what Christianity says about this creature?

Lucifer

Contrary to popular misconception, Satan is not at all the eternal antipode of God, and demons are not the antipodes of angels. And the idea of ​​the spiritual world as some kind of chessboard, where black pieces play on equal terms against white ones, fundamentally contradicts the teachings of the Church about fallen spirits.

In the Christian tradition, there is an understanding of a clear boundary between God the Creator and His creation. And in this sense, absolutely all the inhabitants of the spiritual world equally belong to the category of God’s creations. Moreover, the very nature of demons is initially exactly the same as that of angels, and even Satan is not some special “dark god” equal in power to the Creator. This is just an angel who was once the most beautiful and powerful creation of God in the created world. But the name itself - Lucifer (“luminiferous”) - is not entirely correct to use in relation to Satan, since this name does not belong to him, but to that same bright and kind angel that Satan once was.

Church tradition says that the spiritual world of angels was created by God even before the creation of the material world. The catastrophe, as a result of which a third of the angels, led by Satan, fell away from their Creator, belongs to this prehistoric period in every sense: carried away a third of the stars from the sky and threw them to the ground ( ).

The reason for this falling away was Lucifer’s inadequate assessment of his perfection and power. God placed him above all the other angels, giving him powers and properties that no one else had; Lucifer turned out to be the most perfect being in the created universe. These gifts corresponded to his high calling - to fulfill the will of God, ruling over the spiritual world.

But the angels were not like automatons, hard-coded to obey. God created them with love, and the fulfillment of His will should have become a reciprocal manifestation of love for their Creator among the angels. And love is possible only as the realization of freedom of choice - to love or not to love. And the Lord gave the angels this opportunity to choose - to be with God or to be without God...

It is impossible to say with certainty how exactly their falling away occurred, but its general meaning was as follows. Lucifer-Dennitsa considered that the power he received made him equal to God, and decided to leave his Creator. Together with him, a third of all the angels made this fatal decision for them. There was a conflict between the rebellious and the faithful spirits (led by the Archangel Michael), which is described in the Holy Scriptures as follows: And there was a war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought against them, but they could not resist, and there was no longer a place for them in heaven. And the great dragon was cast out, that ancient serpent, called the devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world, he was cast out to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him. ( ).

So the beautiful Dennitsa became Satan, and the angels seduced by him became demons. It is easy to see that there is not the slightest reason to talk about Satan’s war against God. How can one fight with God who has suffered a crushing defeat even from his fellow angels? Having lost their angelic dignity and place in Heaven, the fallen spirits turned out to be like the soldiers of a defeated army, who tore off their orders and shoulder straps during the retreat.

Crazy Postman

The very word "angel" - Greek origin, translated into Russian it literally means “messenger,” that is, the one who brings news from God, communicates His good will to the rest of creation. But whose will can an angel who did not want to serve his Creator communicate, what message can such a “messenger” bring - and can this message be trusted?

Suppose in a small town one postman became terribly offended by his boss for something and stopped coming to the post office for new letters. But he was very proud of the title of postman, he loved to deliver letters and, what’s saddest, he couldn’t do anything, well, he just couldn’t do absolutely anything else. And a strange life began for him. All day long he restlessly wandered around the city in his postman's cap with an empty mail bag on his shoulder, and instead of letters and telegrams he stuffed people into mailboxes all sorts of rubbish picked up on the road. Very soon he acquired a reputation as the town's madman. The police took his bag and cap away from him, and the residents began to chase him away from their doors. Then he was terribly offended by the residents too. But he really wanted to carry letters. And he came up with a cunning trick: on a dark night, when no one saw him, he slowly sneaked along the city streets and dropped letters written... by himself into mailboxes. He had worked at the post office for a long time, so he quickly learned to forge senders’ handwriting, their addresses and postmarks on envelopes. And in letters he wrote... Well, what could such a guy write? Of course, only all sorts of nasty things and lies, since he really wanted to annoy the residents who drove him away.

...Of course, this sad tale about a crazy postman is just a very weak analogy to the tragic story of the transformation of angels into demons. But for a more accurate description of the depth of moral decline and the madness of evil spirits, even the image of a serial maniac would be too light, soft and unconvincing. The Lord Himself called Satan a murderer: he (the devil) was a murderer from the beginning and did not stand in the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he tells a lie, he speaks his own way, for he is a liar and the father of lies.( ).

Angels are not capable of independent creativity; they can only fulfill God’s creative plan. Therefore, the only way of existence for angels who abandoned their calling was the desire to destroy and destroy everything that they could even touch.

Envying God, but not having the slightest opportunity to cause Him any harm, the demons extended all their hatred of the Creator to His creation. And since man became the crown of the material and spiritual world, God’s most beloved creation, all the unsatisfied vengefulness and malice of the fallen messenger angels fell upon him, bringing people instead of God's will - his own will, terrible for all living things.

And here it arises very important question: How can a person build relationships with such a formidable force that seeks to destroy him?

Shish or candle?

In A.’s collection of Russian folk tales there is an interesting story on a religious theme:

“One woman, putting a candle in front of the image of St. George the Victorious on holidays, always showed a fig to the snake depicted on the icon, and said: here is a candle for you, Saint Yegory, and for you, Satan, shish. With this she angered the evil one so much that he could not stand it; appeared to her in a dream and began to frighten: “Well, if you end up in hell with me, you will suffer torment!” After that, the woman lit a candle for both Yegor and the snake. People ask why is she doing this? “Yes, of course, my dears!” After all, you don’t know where you’ll end up: either heaven or hell!’”

In this story, despite all its Christian surroundings, the pagan principle of simultaneously establishing relationships with both evil and good deities is very succinctly and convincingly presented. And the path to a practical solution to the problem is indicated here quite clearly: a candle for everyone and everyone is happy! Why does the foresight of a naive woman look so comical in this folk joke? Yes, because only those who do not understand the simple truth can hope to appease the demon: it is impossible to establish good relations with evil spirits. Having hated all of creation without exception, demons have driven themselves into an ontological dead end, since they themselves are also God’s creations. Therefore, hatred became the only thing for them possible form relationships with each other, and even themselves, they can only hate. The very fact of one’s own existence is painful for demons.

Such a terrible feeling can probably only be compared with the state of an unfortunate animal dying from a viral infection, which is colloquially called rabies, not without reason. The main symptom of this terrible disease is spasms of the esophagus, which do not allow any fluid to enter the body. Water may be very close, but the animal dies of thirst, without the slightest opportunity to quench it. Maddened by this torture, the sick animal rushes at everyone who had the temerity to approach it, and if no one is nearby, it bites itself in complete darkness. But even such a terrible picture can give only a very weak and approximate idea of ​​what a creature that fiercely hates the whole world, not excluding itself and its own kind, can experience.

And now the final question is: would a sane person try to make friends with a mad dog? Or, for example, could Kipling's Mowgli survive in a pack of rabid wolves, constantly tearing each other apart? The answer in both cases is obvious. But then an immeasurably more hopeless undertaking is the attempt to appease the demon in order to secure a comfortable place in hell.

Making curtsies towards the forces of evil is a meaningless and useless exercise. The Holy Scriptures make it clear that Satan is interested in people solely as potential victims: Be sober and watchful, because your adversary the devil walks around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. ( ).

And although poking a cookie at the icon of St. George the Victorious, as the heroine of Afanasyev’s joke did, is not at all a pious thing, and, of course, it’s not worth doing this, but still, those Christians who experience a superstitious fear of demons would do well to remember that in the very rite of the Sacrament of baptism, every Christian not only shows a figurine to the demon, but literally spits on him three times, renouncing Satan.

Moreover, subsequently the Christian daily remembers this renunciation in the prayer of the saint, read before leaving the house: “I deny you, Satan, both your pride and your service; and I am united to You, Christ God, in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit."

But where does Christians get such boldness? The answer is simple: only those who are under reliable protection can give a damn about such dangerous and powerful enemies.

Who drowned the pigs

People who are becoming acquainted with the Gospel for the first time sometimes pay close attention to those details of the Gospel narrative that for a churchgoer are secondary and insignificant. One such case is described by N. S. Leskov in the story “At the End of the World,” where an Orthodox bishop, traveling through Siberia, tries to explain to his Yakut guide the essence of Christian doctrine:

“Well, do you know why Christ came here to earth?

He thought and thought - and did not answer.

Do not you know? - I say.

Don't know.

I explained all of Orthodoxy to him, but he either listens or doesn’t, and he keeps giggling at the dogs and waving the weeds.

Well, did you understand, I ask, what I told you?

How, Bachka, did I understand: I drowned a pig in the sea, spit in the eyes of a blind man - the blind man saw, he gave the people a loaf of bread and fish.

These pigs in the sea, a blind man and a fish, settled on his forehead, and he won’t rise further ... "

Paradoxically, all the same pigs that settled in the forehead of Leskov’s illiterate Yakut, today can sometimes confuse already quite civilized people with higher education. How could the meek and loving Christ, who “will not break a bruised reed or quench the smoking flax,” mercilessly drown a herd of pigs? Doesn't God's love extend to animals too?

The questions seem to be formally correct (although they could probably only arise from a modern person who in no way connects the ham on his table with the pig from which this ham was made). But there is still an error in such reasoning. And the point is not even that the pigs mentioned in the Gospel would sooner or later still fall under the butcher’s knife.

Upon careful reading of this passage in the Gospel, a simple fact becomes obvious: Christ did not drown the unfortunate animals. Demons are to blame for their deaths.

When He came ashore, He was met by a man from the city, possessed by demons for a long time, who had not put on clothes, and who lived not in a house, but in tombs. When he saw Jesus, he cried out, fell down before Him and said in a loud voice: What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg You, do not torment me. For Jesus commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man, because he for a long time tormented him so that they tied him with chains and bonds, saving him; but he broke the bonds and was driven by the demon into the desert. Jesus asked him: What is your name? He said: legion, because many demons entered into it. And they asked Jesus not to command them to go into the abyss. There was also a large herd of pigs grazing on the mountain; and the demons asked Him to allow them to enter into them. He let them. The demons, coming out of the man, entered the pigs, and the herd rushed down a steep slope into the lake and drowned ().

Here the destructive power of demons’ hatred of all living things is very clearly demonstrated, forcing them to act even contrary to their own interests. Expelled from man, they ask Christ to allow them to enter the pigs in order to live in them and not go into the abyss. But as soon as Christ allows them to do this, the demons immediately drown all the pigs in the sea, again being left without shelter. It is impossible to understand such behavior, since there is no logic or common sense in hatred. Walking around kindergarten a madman with a straight razor in his hand will look like a harmless and peaceful everyman against the background of demons. And if such terrible creatures could operate unhindered in our world, then there would be nothing alive left in it long ago. But in the gospel story with the pigs, the Lord clearly showed that demons are not at all free in their actions. This is how the monk talks about it: “ The devil has no power even over pigs. For, as it is written in the Gospel, the demons asked the Lord, saying: command us to go among the pigs. If they do not have power over pigs, much less do they have power over man, created in the image of God.”.

By renouncing Satan in baptism, a person entrusts himself to the One who has absolute power over Satan. Therefore, even if demons attack a Christian, this should not particularly frighten him. Such an attack is possible under the only indispensable condition: if the Lord allows it. A snake bite is fatal, but a skilled doctor knows how to prepare medicine from snake venom. Likewise, the Lord can use the evil will of demons as a means to heal the human soul. According to the general opinion of the fathers, demonic possession is allowed by God to those people for whom this path turns out to be the best in acquiring humility and salvation. “Spiritually, such punishment from God does not at all serve as a bad testimony about man: many great saints of God were subjected to such a tradition to Satan...”- writes.

“Meanwhile, being burdened with a demon is not at all cruel, because a demon cannot at all cast one into Gehenna, but if we are awake, then this temptation will bring us brilliant and glorious crowns when we gratefully endure such attacks.”(saint).

Temptation of Saint Anthony

Demons act only where the Lord allows them to do so, turning the evil plans of fallen spirits for the good of people. This partly explains Goethe’s famous paradox of Mephistophelian self-determination: “I am part of that force that always wants evil and always does good.” Although even in a literary work, the demon still continues to lie: he, of course, is not able to accomplish any good and, as always, ascribes to himself the merits of others.

But what can a demon really do? In this matter, the opinion of the father of Christian monasticism can be considered more than authoritative, since demons fought with him in the desert for several decades. Hieronymus Bosch’s famous painting “The Temptation of Saint Anthony” depicts a terrible picture: a flock of fanged and horned monsters attacks a lone monk. This plot was not invented by the artist, it was taken from the real life of St. Anthony, and the saint actually experienced all these terrible attacks. But this is the unexpected assessment that Anthony the Great himself gives to these horrors: “In order not to be afraid of demons, we must consider the following. If they had power, they would not come in a crowd, would not make dreams, would not take on various images when plotting; but it would be enough just to come alone and do what he can and wants, especially since everyone who has power does not amaze with ghosts, but immediately uses the power as he wants. The demons, having no power, seem to amuse themselves at the spectacle, changing their disguises and frightening children with many ghosts and phantoms. That’s why we should despise them most of all, as powerless.”.

Demons hate God. But how does God respond to this hatred? The monk writes: “ God always provides benefits to the devil, but he does not want to accept them. And in the next century, God gives good to everyone - for He is the source of good, pouring out goodness on everyone, and everyone partakes of good, as far as he has prepared himself for those who receive».

Despite the depth of the fall of demons, God does not fight with them and is always ready to accept them back into the rank of angels. But the monstrous pride of fallen spirits does not allow them to respond to all manifestations of God’s love. This is how a modern ascetic, an Athonite elder, speaks about this: “If they had said only one thing: “Lord, have mercy,” then God would have come up with something to save them. If only they had said “those who have sinned,” but they don’t say that. Having said “those who have sinned,” the devil would again become an angel. God's love is limitless. But the devil has a persistent will, stubbornness, and selfishness. He doesn't want to give in, doesn't want to be saved. This is scary. After all, he was once an angel! Does the devil remember his former state? he is all fire and fury... And the further he goes, the worse he becomes. He develops in anger and envy. Oh, if only a person could feel the state in which the devil is! He would cry day and night. Even when a good person changes for the worse and becomes a criminal, one feels very sorry for him. But what can we say if you see the fall of an angel!.. the fall of the devil cannot be healed by anything other than his own humility. The devil does not correct himself because he does not want to. Do you know how glad Christ would be if the devil wanted to correct himself!”

Unfortunately, the devil does not give any reasons for such joy. And the only correct and safe attitude for a person towards fallen spirits, maddened by anger and pride, is to have nothing in common with them, which is what Christians ask the Lord for in the final words of their prayer. “Our Father”: ... lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. Amen".

Every now and then we hear, we constantly read about spiritual beings who are completely different from us humans, but who, like us, have consciousness and free will. About the highest beings standing before the Creator, shining with His reflected light and serving Him; and about lower, fallen creatures, tirelessly doing evil, pursuing a single goal: to enslave the world to their father, Satan. And Satan was once the most beautiful of the Angels...

But what do we know about both, and most importantly, what do we need to know about them? This is our next conversation with the editor-in-chief of our magazine, Abbot Nektariy (Morozov).

Belief in Angels and demons is not an entirely correct formulation of the question. We believe in God, and everything else is not an object of faith, but the reality that we encounter. We simply acknowledge that it is there. It cannot be said that our belief in the reality of precipitation is based on the fact that it falls periodically. Both the Old and New Testaments contain many references to both the angelic and demonic worlds. We cannot help but believe God, whose voice is heard on the pages of Holy Scripture. In addition, ascetics of piety constantly tell us about the presence of both light and dark forces; many of them saw both Angels and demons with their spiritual eyes. We have no reason not to believe these people, they lived according to the truth and according to the righteousness of God, which is why we honor them as saints. Finally, in my Everyday life we inevitably encounter the action of angelic and demonic forces: either beneficial and saving, or destructive and destructive.

- How do we deal with them?

Spiritual life for a person who has not even started it is an extremely mysterious area, and often a person does not understand why at some point he terrible force For example, the passion of anger flares up. Why does the passion for fornication, which until now was hidden and did not manifest itself under the same stimuli, suddenly turns into a stormy stream, sweeping away all the dams? Why suddenly, under the same circumstances under which a person was previously healthy, vigorous and efficient, does he plunge - not even just into despondency, but into some kind of hopeless despair? If a person lives a spiritual life consciously, he tries to join the experience of spiritual life that is preserved in the Tradition of the Church. Getting acquainted with the works of devotees of piety, he begins to understand who is influencing him and why.

- Sinful passion in a person is like a smoldering coal. In order for this ember to flare up into a fire, it needs someone to intentionally fan it. Passions are something that belongs to us; they are a consequence of the corruption of human nature by sin. But it is the enemy who can fan this ember; it is in his interests. And when we experience some kind of extraordinary uprising of passions, we must understand that somewhere nearby there is an enemy, perhaps more than one.

- Why is this so important to know?

We very often sin precisely because we believe that what attracts us to sin is ours; It is difficult for a person to fight with himself, to resist himself. But it’s much easier to fight if we know: here, next to us, is the one who wants us dead. It is he who attracts us to what we ourselves really want. The enemy is truly a deceiver. He looks like a swindler who offers us something incredibly tempting, for example, fabulous enrichment without any labor costs, like the notorious builders of financial pyramids; but in reality this only entails huge losses. And if we look at this person and see that he is just a swindler and has already ruined more than one investor like this, then we, of course, will not agree to his offers, no matter how seductive they may be for us. It’s the same in spiritual life; we must know: here stands an enemy, a liar and a murderer from time immemorial. Nothing good can happen where he is. Understanding this, we will not allow what he wants.

The Monk John Climacus in his “Ladder” spoke about what he saw with spiritual eyes during the common prayer of the brethren of the monastery. Some demons hang on the monks' shoulders, others weigh down their eyelids, others make them yawn... Any person who lived in a monastery will confirm this. Why does it happen that during a service a person feels terribly sleepy, his legs and back hurt? But then the service ended, the man went out into the street, and everything was fine with him: he didn’t want to sleep, and his back didn’t hurt. The same thing often happens during home prayer. Why? Because the demon does not need a person to pray. And if a person knows that it is the demon that is acting, and not his own nature, then he will not succumb to self-pity, will not say: “No, I seem to be too tired, why should I be so overtired, I’ll go to bed.”

- So, we need to study the experience of the Fathers of the Church; it is this that is useful for us in this case?

Of course, it is useful, as in all other cases. There is a saying: forewarned is forearmed, and demons are well armed, they have been fighting against humans for thousands of years, they have been studying both humanity as a whole and each of us individually literally from birth. But we don’t study them, we don’t have such opportunities. Thus, we are not on an equal footing with them. But when we read the holy ascetic fathers, we can correlate what we learn from their works with our own experience and distinguish: this is me, but this is not me, this is someone else, and react accordingly. Elder Ephraim of Katunak sometimes met the enemy with laughter: sensing the approach of temptation, sensing, for example, a vain thought, he laughed: “What, again?” Because the demon brought it to him a hundred times, because the demon brings the same thing every time. And each time it turned into shame and ridicule for the demon. And if the elder had assumed that vain thoughts came only from himself, it would have been much more difficult for him to laugh at them.

It is no coincidence that the only prayer accepted by contemporaries directly from the Savior contains a petition for deliverance from the evil one...

- Yes, but the word “deliverance” in this case should not be taken literally. As long as this world exists, until the life of the next century begins, we will not completely get rid of the evil one, he will remain a companion of our life, every day, every hour, a companion who desires one thing - our destruction. But at the same time - it’s no longer according to him at will, and according to the Providence of God - contributing to our salvation. How? Here we must remember the words of St. Mark the Ascetic: evil promotes good with evil intentions. When the enemy tempts us, when he wants us to fall, he involuntarily “trains” us, tempers us, makes us stronger. War is a difficult time, but it is also a time for winning crowns. Of course, only if we fight. Our task is to prove to the demons that we are not theirs. That we are not with them, that we are breaking with them the union that we conclude through sin. And we ask God that He would not allow us, through our weakness, cowardice, and infirmity, to become the prey of the evil one. Deliver us from authorities the evil one - this is precisely the meaning of the petition from the Lord's Prayer.

-What is demonic possession? Maybe we are all obsessed with them to one degree or another?

No, possession is a special state when a person finds himself in the grip of a terrible black spirit; so in power that the manifestations of this state resemble the dance of a puppet - to such an extent a person does not control himself. However, if this person is examined by psychiatrists, they can say that he is completely healthy. They may, however, say something else. Loss of mental health may be a consequence of demonic possession, which, of course, has a destructive effect on the psyche; and, on the other hand, mentally ill people are much more susceptible to demonic influence than healthy people.

- But not every psychiatrist’s patient is possessed by a demon...

Not everyone, of course, there are any number of mentally ill people who do not have any demonic possession. But it’s much easier for the demon to play with a sick person, and here’s why. We have protective barriers against our enemies. Firstly, our rough “leather garments,” our carnal structure, which deprives us of the opportunity to directly perceive the spiritual world. This is good for us, because, as the holy fathers say, if we had been left with the ability of primordial man to communicate with the spiritual world, we in our fallen, sinful state would have been much more capable of communicating with fallen spirits than with Angels. The second protective barrier is the mind. Of course, the mind can be arrogant, it can be primitive or, on the contrary, sophisticated, perverted, but if a person has at least minimal sobriety, he, based on common sense alone, will not do some of the things that the enemy suggests to him. Of course, the most reliable barrier in the path of the enemy is piety and the fear of God. A mentally ill person lacks these protective barriers. He cannot think soberly, he cannot be pious and God-fearing, and, worst of all, some of his bodily components become thinner, he becomes much more capable of perceiving the spiritual world. And, being in such a painful aggravated state, again, he does not enter into communication with Angels.

Indeed, sometimes you cannot say that this is a mental disorder caused by somatic factors - for example, traumatic brain injury - or obsession. There are obvious cases: when absolutely healthy man, sitting on a chair, suddenly begins to bounce on it like a ball, but at the same time does not lose clarity of consciousness. Or - when a two-year-old girl suddenly begins to speak in a man's bass voice, and things that she could not hear anywhere. I remember how I once expected confession from Archimandrite Kirill (Pavlov). There were many of us, everyone was concentrated, everyone was preparing for their confession, and suddenly he brought us all out of this state... not a scream, not a cry, not a groan, but a sound that has no name on earth, it is impossible to define it, there is nothing to compare it with . It was something chilling. This sound was made by a man kneeling in front of Father Kirill. Everyone had a feeling of extreme horror. Because none of us have ever heard anything like this.

Elder Paisiy Svyatogorets used this way to distinguish a possessed person from a mentally ill person: he put a particle of relics in the water and then gave the person this water to drink. If nothing special happened to a person, then he was just a sick person. The possessed person began to fight, scream, and swear.

But in general, I repeat once again: just as obsession destroys the psyche, so a mentally ill person is more susceptible to demonic influence than a healthy person. Mental illness still has a spiritual basis. Yes, some psychiatrist will say that the reason is biochemical changes in the cerebral cortex, but he is unlikely to answer the question of why these changes occurred. Meanwhile, it can be noted that proud people are primarily susceptible to mental disorders. A humble person can endure any shock and not get sick, because he is ready, he understands where it came from. And a proud man breaks down. Madness is one of the strangest, most terrible, but still - ways of human self-preservation. A person cannot cope with something and runs away into madness. Madness gives him the opportunity to exist in this world, as if huddled, closed.

- Does a person fall into demonic possession through his own fault?

In general, it does not happen that we are not to blame for what happened to us: as the holy fathers say, the cross of each of us is made from a tree that grew from the soil of our heart. If we talk about children, they always pay for the sins of adults. More precisely, these sins affect them, just as the illness experienced by their parents or exposure to radiation affects them.

Why are we urged to be very careful about the so-called reprimands of the possessed? Is there no consensus about them in the Church? I have heard that most of the people who come to lectures are either selfish malingerers who have entered into a role, or psychopaths who need to attract attention to themselves at any cost and who begin to unconsciously compete in this.

There is just one consensus. With the blessing of the ruling bishop, a good priest of righteous life is appointed to read certain prayers over those tormented by unclean spirits. And in those cases where the action of spirits of evil is really present, these people, through the prayer of the Church, are given help. The lives of saints and patericons are full of such cases when demons left a person through the prayers of a saint. Regarding people who are simply unhealthy, this is why unauthorized reprimands carried out without blessing by priests who do not have spiritual rights and authority are terrible, because the demon deceives people through these priests. They come to him simply sick, and sometimes leave already possessed. The actions of these priests are reminiscent of the seven sons of the Jewish high priest Sceva, who tried to cast out an evil spirit by exorcising it Jesus Whom Paul Preaches. The evil spirit then answered them: I know Jesus, and I know Paul, but who are you?(Acts 19 , 13, 15), and they suffered a lot from the one possessed by him...

The lives of saints, especially desert monks, contain stories about their struggles with demons. The Holy Fathers saw them. Why can't we see? Because our life is not like that of saints, our prayer is not like that, we do not pose such a danger to demons, we do not pose such a challenge to Satan as saints?

We do not see demons, because the Lord, fortunately for us, does not allow us to see them. If we had seen them, it is unknown whether we would have survived it or not. Demon, demon - there are many synonyms, but one of these synonyms is the spirit of evil. The demon is evil personified. Archimandrite John (Krestyankin) in one of his sermons said that a symphony of evil is being performed in the world. Its author is hiding, but he exists, and this symphony is brilliant in its own way. We know how terrible evil is on earth, we see what people have been doing to each other for centuries; Now imagine how terrible the one who produces all this is. That is why the Lord does not allow us to see him - because we are not at all ready for this.

- Still about the nature of demons and the nature of Angels. Demons are, after all, the same angels who fell with Dennitsa, with Satan?

- Yes, that's them. And since we cannot say anything about what the Cherubim and Seraphim are like who stand before God, then we also cannot say anything about what the fallen Angels are like. According to John of Damascus, Angels are the second intelligent lights, borrowing their light from the First and Beginning Light. An angel is a messenger, a messenger who comes to communicate the will of God or to fulfill it in relation to us. The angel brings us light from the Source, from the One Who is the Light. Angel Light is reflected, it can be compared to a mirror reflecting Sunbeam.

Angels have free will, however, according to the word of St. Basil the Great, they are not reluctant to sin - unlike us - because they directly contemplate God and all things in him. But some of them could have once fallen and turned into their complete opposite...

Regarding the possibility of the fall of an Angel, there is no consensus among the teachers of the Church; we can, following St. Basil, believe that they are just inflexible to sin, or, following other fathers, that it is generally impossible for an Angel to fall. The temptation that befell the angelic world was short-lived, but colossal. It divided the Angels into two worlds: the world of those who remained faithful to God, and the world of the fallen angels, the demonic world, and this division is forever. We have no reason to believe that an Angel, like a sinful man, can fall and rise again. And there is no reason to believe that the demon can suddenly repent.

The fact is that man - a spiritual, but also a physical being - has justification in his mortal flesh, the holy fathers wrote about this. Fear of illness, fear of misfortune, loss, death - all this makes us unfaithful out of cowardice. Why should a demon be afraid? Or Angel? They do not have our infirmity and weakness. The choice of the spirit is a free and irrevocable choice.

- How to understand the words of Christ: Do not despise one of these little ones; for I tell you that their angels in heaven always see the face of my Father in heaven(Matt. 18:10)? Are we talking about Guardian Angels, each of which is assigned to one of the people?

These words speak primarily of the high dignity of man. We people tend to neglect a person if he seems small and insignificant to us, if he is poor, crippled, beggar... But this person has an Angel who cares about him and who stands before the Face of God. This is God's care for this man.

We are not obliged to believe that a personal Angel is assigned to each of us or that a personal demon is assigned to tempt us. It is possible that this is exactly the case; we find indications of this in the lives and works of some saints, but it may be otherwise. What can we know about what is happening in the spiritual world? It is enough for us to know that Angels protect us, and demons are looking for how to destroy us. And the desire to put this into some kind of intelligible system is caused by a person’s pride, the thought that this is possible for him.

- How are the possible influence of the Guardian Angel and our free will combined on us?

How do we combine our will and the presence of good, smart friends whom we listen to, from whom we expect advice and support in difficult times? There is, however, a very important difference in the influence of demons on us and in the influence of Angels. A demon cannot know a person's thoughts. He can act based on what he knows about us as a great psychologist and a great analyst. Watching us, he guesses what is happening in us. The Angel acts by the Holy Spirit and in the Holy Spirit, and we are transparent to the Angel.

The lives of saints contain many stories about the appearance of Angels. Most often they are seen in the form of beautiful husbands or young men in luminous clothes. So they do have a visible appearance?

It is important to understand that the saints saw Angels not with physical eyes, but with spiritual eyes - with intelligent, unimaginable vision. It is difficult for us to imagine this: we, earthly people, think in images, behind each of our thoughts a material image appears. But the saints, when the Holy Spirit, the blessing of God, descended on them, saw the phenomena of another world, saw heavenly bliss. Not in images, but as it is. It is very difficult for us to understand that in that other life there will no longer be the images we are familiar with, that this life will be completely different. When a person is overcome by spiritual joy, he cannot say what he actually rejoices about; there are no words for it. The Apostle Paul was a very eloquent man, he could express in words everything that he needed to express, but he could not talk about what he saw when he was caught up to the third heaven, because it cannot be expressed in human language, these are completely different areas . He heard there unspeakable words that a person cannot retell(2 Cor. 12 , 4). Saints have had such visions. But there are other visions - when we, like small children, are shown something in images accessible to us. A demon with black membranous wings, with terrible horns, fangs - this is a very suitable image for this demon to appear to a person, but it is a mistake to think that the demon really has such wings and horns. As for the Angel, his essence is best reflected, probably, not by this traditional image - a beautiful young man, but by our understanding that since God is love, then His servant is also love. The presence of an Angel always means peace, deep heartfelt tranquility and the feeling that you are warmed by love.