OCCULTISM is a retreat from Christ

Questions about what occultism is and how witchcraft threatens a person are answered by a resident of the Zadonsk Nativity of the Mother of God Monastery, candidate of theology Hieromonk Gabriel (Melnikov).

– An Orthodox priest, writer Hieromonk Seraphim Rose, before becoming Orthodox, tried himself in many religious schools, was interested in various occult practices. However, at a certain stage of his life, he nevertheless came to Orthodoxy, was baptized. Why is it sometimes necessary for a person to have such an experience in order to come unto Christ? Can such spiritual quests always lead to the Church?

– Each person is deeply unique, and about each is a special plan and providence of God. And it is often difficult to understand why the Lord leads a person in this way, why he allows certain trials. This is a secret that only the Lord knows to the end. Our loving Heavenly Father leads us to salvation, and even our mistakes and falls lead to good consequences. Sometimes a person needs to go through the wrong paths in order to gain great experience and explain to others the dangers of these paths. The Lord can thus prepare a future shepherd or missionary.

One young man was a drug addict, and in order to recover from this terrible disease, he lived for some time in the Exodus rehabilitation center. This is not an Orthodox, but a Protestant organization. Here he learned about Christ and sincerely believed in Him, began to study the Bible, pray, stopped taking drugs. His parents also began to visit the Protestant community, read the Bible, and pray to Christ. A little later, the son realized that Protestantism is a truncated Christianity and consciously returned to Orthodoxy, to which he had belonged since childhood, thanks to baptism. Under his influence, parents returned to Orthodoxy. Protestantism became for this family a stepping stone leading to the fullness of the Truth - to the Orthodox Church. Moreover, the son became an employee of the Orthodox center for the rehabilitation of drug addicts. Now he uses his experience to save other people from drug addiction and alcoholism. Other employees who were once drug addicts also work with him, and now they save people. The Orthodox rehabilitation center also uses the positive that can be gleaned from the practice of Protestant centers "Exodus".

As we can see, in some cases a person, having joined a non-Orthodox community, then begins to relate to Orthodoxy more consciously, comprehends the whole depth of our faith through comparison with a non-Orthodox worldview.

Much more terrible than Protestantism are occultism and neo-pagan sects. A person who gets into a destructive sect or comes into contact with the occult receives severe spiritual and mental damage. Such damage may already be irreparable and lead a person to spiritual and physical death.

- Why is there a great interest in the occult in general today in society? Why are people drawn to such activities?

- A person is attracted by everything mysterious and mysterious. The reason, I think, is in our innate attraction to God. The human spirit seeks God, yearns without communion with Him. Often a person himself does not realize this search, he is always looking for something, he is not satisfied with something, but he does not understand that it is precisely closeness with God that he lacks. And a person begins to fill the spiritual void with whatever he can. Some are looking for pleasure, wealth, power, not realizing that all this will not satisfy their inner longing. Others begin to seek communion with God and the spiritual world, but do not always follow the right path. Occultism satisfies human passions. A person often wants to get special abilities, rise above ordinary people, become special, gain power over others without much work on himself, in a “magic” way. There is a pernicious pride here. In striving to acquire special abilities, a person falls into a trap. And his pride blinds him, and fails ignorance of the spiritual foundations.

There are good spirits - Angels, and there are fallen, evil spirits. Angels will not violate the will of God and will not enter into special relations with us, they will not impart special abilities to us. First, we are very sinful and do not deserve special closeness to the holy angels. Secondly, we are not humble and a special relationship with the Angels will lead us to even greater pride, to exaltation over others. And we will never be able to see the full depth of our depravity, so that with the help of many years of repentance and struggle with pride, we can cleanse our hearts. Therefore, angels will not enter into such exclusive relations with us and will not communicate supernatural powers, so as not to cause us irreparable harm. Angels love and protect us, and therefore, according to the will of the Creator, they help us imperceptibly. Only in exceptional cases and for a short time good spirits - the Angels of God - can clearly reveal their presence.

That is why, striving to gain secret knowledge and acquire supernatural abilities, a person inevitably falls under the influence of evil spirits. Evil spirits - demons - are actively involved in communication with a person in order to destroy him and through him to cause as much harm as possible to others.

What is witchcraft from a Christian point of view? Why is magic considered a sin?

– Witchcraft, magic, occultism is a way to get in touch with the world of evil spirits with the help of special techniques. The purpose of witchcraft is to get help from the devil. Obviously, this is a grave sin, this is a renunciation of God and an alliance with Satan. A sorcerer, magician, psychic or parapsychologist only at first thinks that evil spirits obey him. In fact, very soon he himself turns out to be a slave of demons, which make him do more and more evil to the people around him.

The Lord strictly forbids witchcraft and other types of occultism: “You should not have a soothsayer, a fortuneteller, a soothsayer, a sorcerer, a charmer, summoning spirits, a magician and questioning the dead; for every one who does this is abominable before the Lord…” (Deut. 18:10).

How to recognize a sorcerer? After all, he often disguises himself as a person loyal to Orthodoxy, telling gullible clients that he goes to church, there may be icons in his apartment, he can use holy water in his rituals, etc. It happens that people take such sorcerers, allegedly hiding behind the Orthodox faith, for the righteous and miracle workers, who heal and prophesy according to the will of God. How not to make a mistake and distinguish one from the other?

– We have an Orthodox church, we also have traditional medicine. These are two legitimate ways to the spiritual and physical healing of a person. Church and medicine complement each other.

Any healers do not need to be contacted at all in order to avoid great misfortune. Many so-called healers use icons, holy water, Orthodox prayers. They send people to be baptized, confess, take communion. But healers use all this magically, they teach: do this action, then another action, then I will read something over you, and everything will work out.

They do not explain that a suffering person needs a personal appeal to God with fervent prayer and repentance. It is necessary not just to formally take part in the sacraments of the Church. You need to consciously repent, change your life, start fighting sin in your soul. One must become a real Christian, live in living union with the Church and strive to fulfill the Word of Christ. And in this case, if it is useful for the patient, not only the spiritual healing of a person can occur, but also his physical healing. The Lord can do everything. But the most valuable thing for a person is his moral rebirth, the enlightenment of the heart by the Holy Spirit. Often, it is precisely for this that the Lord allows various illnesses to people, so that through illness they come to repentance, become churched, united with God. And even if the healing of the body does not occur, the main thing will happen - the soul will be resurrected. But this is a difficult path, the path of the feat of faith, albeit a small feat.

What is the difference between "black" and "white" magic?

Evil spirits constantly pretend to be good, so as not to scare away, but to attract people. Often healers cover up the diabolical nature of their abilities with the terms "cosmic energy", "biofield", "connection with the cosmos", etc.

A friend of mine studied with such healers and wanted to become a healer himself. He thought that there was nothing wrong with that, that with the help of cosmic energy he could help people, do good. The teachers opened an energy channel for him, like a kind of pipe connecting him with the cosmos. He achieved some success, but it turned out that for further development of these abilities, you need to let the "owner" into yourself. At some point, the terrible satanic face of the one who had to be let in appeared before the student. Realizing what was the matter, the novice healer decided to abandon further studies. The "kind" teachers, who told him a lot about helping people, about the light cosmic force, immediately turned into merciless punishers. “Oh, then we will block everything for you!” Soon he felt that his hands and feet were intercepted by invisible hoops. There was a feeling that the limbs were gradually drying up, the life was leaving them.

This man began to attend church, confess, take communion. He felt better. However, the damage to his consciousness was so strong that he still continued to think with the help of occult, pseudo-scientific concepts. The break with the occult, the transition to Orthodoxy was not entirely complete, somehow half-hearted and indecisive. Perhaps that is why there was no complete liberation from the demonic action and the painful sensation of drying up of the hands and feet remained. For complete healing, you need to undergo special rehabilitation, deeply realize all your delusions and firmly renounce them. Here, ordinary confession is not enough, a special rite of renunciation of the occult and joining the Church is needed. Perhaps in a few years this sufferer will be completely healed. This will happen if he becomes stronger in faith, becomes a true Christian through the fulfillment of the commandments of God and constant participation in the Sacraments of the Church.

If the Lord immediately heals a person who has been damaged by the occult, then there may be no benefit for his soul. It takes several years for the soul to be imbued with grace in the Church, for the Church to become a home, the most beloved place of meeting with Christ. And then, after healing from spiritual damage, a person will not want to leave the Church. He will understand that there is no life outside the Church. Outside the Church, a person secretly or openly becomes a toy of dark forces, even without turning to healers.

The Lord heals a person's spiritual illness gradually. It takes time to enlighten, purify the heart, become related to Christ. If the painful consequences of the damage of the occult quickly disappear, then the human consumer can move away from God and the Church. “I was healed, I felt better, everything is fine, why do I need fasting, long services, a detailed confession, prayers, now I can live without them, like everyone else.” Not getting stronger in faith, a person begins to be lazy and returns to his former sinful life. And then the evil demon that lived in him returns again and brings with him seven more evil demons in order to further enslave this person. Spiritual damage is greatly increased (1).

- How else can practicing witchcraft affect a person (both the sorcerer himself and the one who uses his services)?

– We must understand that the occult is not a toy. A sorcerer or psychic ceases to be Christian, actually renounces Christ and enters into an alliance with Satan, sometimes they do it consciously. The occultist falls away from God into paganism, and sometimes into conscious Satanism. Some of them sign with their blood, promising to serve Satan. And a novice witch came to me for confession, who signed with blood under certain obligations. She came to her senses in time, sincerely repented and wanted to return to God, but the usual confession was not enough for her. In order to become a Christian again, she had to go through a special rite of renunciation of the occult. With the blessing of the ruling bishop, she went to Moscow, to an Orthodox rehabilitation center under the guidance of Abbot Anatoly Berestov. There she again brought repentance, consciously renounced all Satanism and joined the Church. But she still had a long way to overcome the consequences of her injury. The Lord forgives sin graciously, but the damage to the soul does not go away immediately.

Not only psychic healers let the demon into themselves, but those who turn to them for help also often become demon-possessed. The demon moves in and lives in them. Many years pass in this state, and a person does not know why he gets sick so often, feels weak, despondent, has a fever, then one thing, then another hurts. And the demon manifests itself in different ways, changes tactics, disturbs a person in every possible way. Doctors can't help. Then the person goes again to the "healer", "grandmother", and they "help". They either negotiate with evil spirits, and it temporarily subsides, or they simply transfer the demon into another person, into one of their close relatives who does not go to church and does not receive communion regularly. The patient feels better, but his son drinks it down, or his daughter goes into debauchery, or his wife, father or mother begins to get sick.

And if a person conjures, then his relatives can get great harm.

They brought a boy to us in Zadonsk, who, under the guise of him heavenly patron- St. Alexander Nevsky - a certain spirit began to visit. The boy did not see him, but heard, as it were, a certain mental voice. The spirit called himself Alexander Nevsky and reported that the boy had special abilities, that they needed to be developed, and then he would be able to heal people. The spirit said that, of course, the priests are good people, but they do not know everything, and that under the guidance of the spirit, the boy can learn more. The boy and his relatives got worried and came to visit us at the Zadonsk Monastery. It turned out that the boy's paternal grandmother was probably engaged in witchcraft. Mom and dad divorced a long time ago, the child had not communicated with either dad or paternal grandmother for a long time, but, apparently, the demon from the grandmother wanted to inherit the grandson and make him his servant. After our explanations, the child realized that under the guise of St. Alexander Nevsky, an evil spirit comes to him. The boy confessed, took communion, and the visits of the spirit were never repeated. The family drew closer to God, and the child himself and his relatives began to take communion regularly. The boy began to read the Jesus Prayer often, as well as the morning and evening prayers.

Another case: a husband and wife began to visit healers at the same time as visiting the Church and obey their advice. The healers began to inspire the husband: your own mother conjures against you, your wife and your child. As a result, the family completely stopped communicating with her husband's parents, a terrible alienation arose. But it was a monstrous slander, the husband’s mother and father are wonderful people, they visit the temple, confess, take communion and are completely not involved in any dark deeds. This is often done by healers in order to quarrel everyone, to arouse distrust, suspicion, hatred. They say: “This one did to you, that one conjured for you,” so that a person sees the cause of his troubles not in his sins and shortcomings, but draws an image of an enemy and indulges in hatred, which means he moves away from God.

– How can a person practicing witchcraft or using the services of a magician, a psychic, purify his soul, get rid of this spiritual illness?

We have already touched on this topic today. The magician or psychic does not just get damaged, but actually ceases to be Christians, becomes apostates. Their clients either receive the strongest diabolical influence, or also fall away from Christianity. All this is accompanied by damage to consciousness. The Sacrament of Confession is not enough to return them to the Church. Serious spiritual work needs to be done with such people. A specially trained priest should reveal to these people the full depth of their apostasy from Christ, for this apostasy is not always realized by them. Each of their delusions must be recognized by them and consciously rejected on all counts. In order to return to the Church, spiritually damaged people need to go through a special rite of renunciation of the occult, followed by joining the Church. There are some different types the order of renunciation and the order of accession. To really help people who have fallen into the power of Satan, you need to choose the right way to join, to competently conduct the rite of renunciation. Therefore, it is better to contact special Orthodox centers where they are seriously engaged in this. The most authoritative of these centers is the Orthodox Counseling Center of St. John of Kronstadt. The center is located in Moscow, the work of the center is headed by hegumen Anatoly Berestov (2).

Is it possible to bewitch a person at all? Spoil, jinx, etc.? If so, how can this be avoided, protected?

- A person who lives in sin moves away from God. And therefore, the sorcerer can easily bring damage, the evil eye, etc. on him. lesser degree falls under the control of dark forces. Elder Paisios of Athos said something like this: “If a person does not confess for a long time, then he receives the strongest diabolical influence.” From the life of Saint Macarius the Great, we learn about a woman who was bewitched out of envy. And this became possible only because she did not take communion for five weeks and thus moved away from God, although she lived morally. On the other hand, a demon can enter a person for an immoral act, for example, for the loss of virginity before marriage, for adultery, for drunkenness, etc.

Therefore, the only way to protect yourself from dark forces is to be a real Christian, that is, to live according to the commandments of the Gospel in living union with Orthodox Church. At least once a month you need to seriously prepare, frankly repent of sins at confession and take communion. We must try to love God and our neighbors, not to condemn, to forgive insults, to endure all sorrowful things with thanksgiving to the Lord. The Lord does not require us to become saints instantly. But He will surely see our efforts to live like a Christian and will not let us be offended. If God is for us, then Satan cannot harm us in any way. Compared to God, Satan is nothing, he can do nothing unless the Lord allows him. Only voluntarily moving away from God, we fall into the power of darkness. May the Lord save us all from all evil!

I live with people I call my loved ones (my parents are dead). They practice the occult and claim to be possessed by ancient demons from time to time. They don't oppose it. I also got into this a year ago. At the end of January of this year, I had an attack of possession and a very aggressive black spirit that overcame me appeared. The children were scared of what might happen next. According to them, on the "subtle" plane, they saw not me, but a half-decomposed corpse, this is how this spirit looked. For a time they tamed me, as they say, thanks to the flame church candle and putting a cross around his neck and reading prayers over me. Then they said that I urgently need to be baptized in Orthodoxy, go to an exorcist, and no one else will help and save me. I went to the monastery to the first priest I met and told about what had happened. Then I was baptized, went to the Trinity-Sergius Lavra for a reprimand to Father Herman. After Baptism and reprimands, there was a feeling - as if born again. And I'm glad about it. But tension arose in relations with relatives - I told them very politely not to ask me to bring them holy water, candles, etc. from the church, they were very offended. But they refuse to go to confession, as the monastery clergyman who confessed me advised them, and they continue to engage in occultism, and they used to use church accessories, at least in my presence, in their magical rituals. Why did I warn them in advance not to drag me into their affairs. They do not call themselves blackies, they are capable of evil, but even without the requirement of bestowal they can also do good to people, a kind of "darkness". My question is, if you can, can you advise me how to live and behave with them, and what can I do to help them turn to God? Because I'm afraid that if I leave them, I will harden them even more, and this will hang on me to blame for the rest of my life. Please help with advice on how to help them if they say they cannot imagine life without magic?

Hieromonk Job (Gumerov) answers:

Dear M.! Having gone through the tragic experience of touching the abyss, you need to constantly thank God that you did not die. Now you have to be very sensible. Human relations with acquaintances must be preserved. Do not despise them, but look upon them as spiritually sick. The former forms of communication with former friends cannot be preserved. Your guidance should be the Word of God: What agreement is there between Christ and Belial? Or what is the partnership of the faithful with the unbelievers?(2 Corinthians 6:15). The fallen spirits, in whose captivity they are, are more experienced than you.

“They accomplish the work of destroying people with incomparably greater success than the most malicious people. The damage to people consists in mixing good with evil in them; the damage of fallen spirits consists in the complete predominance of evil, with the complete absence of good. The abilities of fallen spirits are far superior to those of fallen people, who are bound in their undertakings by the very heaviness and stoutness of their body. Demons freely and quickly flow around the universe, and freely perform such deeds that are completely impossible for humans (Job. 1:7). Humans must involuntarily be satisfied with that experience in evil, which they acquire during a short earthly life; their evil intentions are destroyed by themselves at the hour when they willy-nilly leave the field of earthly life, being claimed for the judgment of God and for eternity. Demons, on the other hand, are allowed to remain on earth from the time of their final fall (Genesis 3:14) until the end of the world: anyone can easily imagine what experience in creating evil they have acquired in such a long time, with their abilities and constant malice, not at all undissolved by any good intention"
Saint Ignatius (Bryanchaninov).

Their cunning, sometimes very subtle, can lead to the fact that you will again find yourself in their captivity, and then you will no longer be able to free yourself from their sharp and tenacious claws. You need to enter into the saving experience of the Church as a spiritually full-blooded member. Get ready for the fact that your studies in the occult have left a painful mark on your soul. Just as a severe disease that threatened death makes the body weakened and prone to new ailments, so doing occultism, magic, extrasensory perception and other types of witchcraft (this old word is very capacious and includes all cases of conscious communication with demonic forces) damages the inner structure of the soul. Her powers are depleted. Therefore, such a person is often visited by despondency, from which cowardice and doubt about his salvation are born. A person at such moments begins to think that God has not forgiven him. These thoughts must not be accepted for a moment, for they are dangerous, and can make despondency a habitual state. In the fight against them, one must kindle in oneself faith in the boundless mercy of God, remembering that the Lord forgives all those who sincerely repent and have the determination to improve.

Many people in our damaged time are playing with the fire of Gehenna. The people who turn to them are unaware of the danger. Sometimes you can even hear that a fortune teller or psychic sent him to the Church. The Church has never recognized sorcerers as "missionaries". A robber who mortally wounded a person and then sent him to a doctor is not considered a benefactor. Our Lord Jesus Christ resolutely forbade demons from speaking about Him: In their synagogue there was a man [possessed] with an unclean spirit, and he cried out: leave it! what have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? You have come to destroy us! I know You who You are, Holy One of God. But Jesus forbade him, saying: shut up and come out of him.(Mark 1:23-26). The Apostle Paul did not allow the possessed woman to "testify" about him and his companions. As she followed Paul and us, she cried out, saying: These people are the servants of the Most High God, who proclaim to us the way of salvation. She did this for many days. Paul, indignant, turned and said to the spirit, I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her. And [the spirit] went out at the same hour(Acts 16:17-18). A person must come to the Church at the call of God: Behold, I stand at the door and knock: if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him, and I will dine with him, and he with Me.(Rev. 3:20).

You can help your friends with the fruits of spiritual life. Try also to let them read books about such saints as Seraphim of Sarov, the Optina elders, John of Kronstadt, Alexy Mechev, and others. Perhaps, having learned about the living and gracious experience of Orthodoxy, they will wish to get rid of that captivity, the end of which is eternal darkness. “For people, either captivity or struggle is inevitable. A pious feat is nothing else than the active acceptance of salvation, as a manifestation of our will, shown and proved by experience itself, by life itself ”(St. Ignatius (Brianchaninov).

The doctrine of the so-called subtle worlds is widely developed in occult schools. Most often, occultists teach about the existence of three worlds 31: “Occultism recognizes the existence of three worlds ... three planes of existence: the spiritual world, the astral world and the physical world. The first is spirit, the second is energy or force, the third is matter. The second world serves as an intermediary between first and third, ... all worlds penetrate each other to a greater or lesser extent" 32 . These three worlds can be compared with three nesting dolls: the spiritual one contains the astral world and the physical one, the astral one contains the physical one. The worlds differ in the levels of vibration of their materiality. Occultism professes a peculiar form of spiritual materialism: "The notion that matter and spirit are completely different from each other and both eternal, of course, could not enter my head, however little I knew about them, for one of the elementary and fundamental doctrines occultism says that both of them are one, differing only in their manifestations, and moreover only in limited perceptions of the sensory world. Spirit and matter are one in nature; an analogy is often made between the relationship of matter and spirit with water in its various states: vapor, liquid, ice. Occultism introduces the concept of "vibration of matter": a change in the vibration of matter leads to a change in itself, a transition, say, from spiritual world into the astral, from the astral to the physical and vice versa, in the same order: "... the ratio between the spirit, astral and physical matter is determined by their vibration, as in ordinary matter" 34 . Subtle matter, or astral, is the basis of occult teaching and magic: "The forces studied by Occultism, by their nature, are associated with subtle matter, completely different from our physical nature, and this matter, which is in us, is equally necessary for observation, as well as and to reproduce the phenomenon under study.As a result, the study requires the observance of very special conditions; we we get to know them only through research and must obey them(highlighted by us. - V.P.) "35. I would like to draw the reader's attention to the fact that the occultist must obey the force that he studies, with which he contacts, however, at the same time, occultists claim: "summarizing all the practical activities of Occultism, we can say that the initiate commands nature" 36 .

The main tool with which the occultist interacts with the astral is his thought: "... the thought not only makes the astral vibrate, but, due to its plasticity, at the same time condenses it into some form" 37 . What is an astral? The astral is a transitional world between the physical and spiritual worlds, just as the liquid state of water is intermediate between the gaseous state and ice. One of the main tasks of the occultist is to teach how to influence astral matter, which is greatly facilitated by the practice of so-called travel in the astral body 38 . The essence of these journeys is that the occultist consciously leaves the physical body and travels in the astral body through the astral (subtle) world. According to practicing occultists, when entering the astral plane, the occultist first of all sees a crowd of terrible creatures that rush at him and cause horror. Occultists believe that these beings - the so-called elementals - are the spirits of the elements, the experience of Orthodox ascetics tells us that these are spirits of evil, demons 39 .

According to the teachings of the occult, the astral is a very populated place. As we have already found out, elementals live in the astral: "Elementals are the spirits of the elements and nature ... in relation to man, elementals ... are hostile" 40 . Elementals are the spirits of stones, water, plants, trees. The hostile attitude of elementals towards man is caused by the fact that man constantly strives to enslave them, to force them to work for himself. It is believed that "by influencing the elementals, a person can control the elements" 41 ie. actually control nature. The astral world reflects all the thoughts of a person, which in this world become some kind of semi-conscious energy fields, astroideas, almost living beings that have an impact on the person who gave birth to them: "Astroideas ... are human thoughts in the astral ... human desires, because every desire takes the form of at least obscure thought, as well as images evoked by the imagination of a person in the astral ... every desire is an astral being that seeks to be realized in matter ... "42. Each thought, as it were, gives rise to some subtle being, an astroidea. This creature can both become stronger and completely disappear. The more a thought captures a person, the more real the being becomes in the subtle world, and the more powerful its influence on its creator. At a certain level, an astroidea is even able to completely subjugate its creator, a kind of control of his consciousness takes place. If a person ceases to nourish thought, loses interest in it, then it gradually dissolves into astral matter. The next class of beings of the subtle world is called egregors: "Egregors are called astral beings generated by a society of people united by one thought and will, and representing the spirit of the said society ... collective astroideas, i.e. thoughts, desires and images" 43 . Egregor - these are the same astroideas that unite in the subtle world into some energy fields, the basis for the association of astroideas is the equality of the vibrations of their materiality. Different thoughts give rise to different vibrations in the subtle world: the purer the thought, the higher the vibration frequency and the higher its power in the astral plane. Such thoughts are combined into common energy fields, which are called egregors. The power of influence of such egregors on people, in comparison with a single astroidea, increases many times. All organizations, all states, all religions have their egregors. The desires of a person, his passions also give rise to certain living beings in the astral, larva: "... every desire of a person lives in the astral. Astral beings are called larvae. Once called to life, the larva lives semiconsciously, striving to satisfy the desire that gave rise to it, ... the larvae are in the human aura, i.e. in the astral circle near his head, ... if the desire that gave birth to the larva is extinguished, then the larva soon dies ... "44. Larva constantly strive to master the will of a person, push him to commit actions that cause the energy supply necessary for their future life, i.e. e. stimulate the development and strengthening of the thoughts that gave rise to them.For example, the larva of envy will strive to make a person constantly jealous, the larva of greed will push him to an unhealthy attitude towards money.If a person does not oppose the larva, then it completely enslaves his will, makes a person obsessed with passion Everything that happens in the physical world is recorded in the astral world, due to which the so-called astral clichés are created 45. In fact, the entire history of mankind is kept recorded in this astral archive 46 .

What is the practice in the occult? The main task of the occultist is self-improvement, which is largely achieved by analyzing one’s own mental states. As the occultists themselves say: "Observation will be mainly psychic..." 47 . From the point of view of occultism, the world of the human psyche: thoughts, feelings of a person, are a reflection of the spiritual and astral worlds, therefore, by observing their internal states, the occultist thereby comprehends them. But one must understand that the understanding of the "psychic" in the occult is extremely different from that offered by modern medicine and psychology.

First of all, the occultist must remember that "technical knowledge, which should precede any other in practical Occultism, is an acquaintance with the medium that forms the invisible; with the beings and forces that the experimenter will meet. And therefore, during initiation, the teacher takes care to acquaint with them student, personally guiding him after his entry into new world"48. Contact with the beings of the astral world can lead to sad consequences: "in Occultism, insufficient knowledge is always fatal." 49. Occultism is mechanistic, perhaps that is why representatives of the so-called technical intelligentsia love it so much: the main principle of our mechanical science(highlighted by us. - V.P.) ... "50. Manipulating astral forces or believing that he manipulates them, the occultist must remember that "spontaneity, which controls the forces of nature, we (occultists. - V.P.) we can oppose only partial and instantaneous resistance, ... a person acts against the force of gravity, cohesion and chemical affinity. But nature will counteract more or less quickly, for it is clear that the cosmic order can be violated by us only in an insignificant amount(highlighted by us. - V.P.)" 51 .

What is the name of the power to which the occultists refer? Few know better the details of the universal force, so essential to occultism, which move and animate all that exists, from the smallest atom of the cobblestone, contained in the depths of our fields, to the suns and nebulae of our heavens; this force is called by some the "Soul of the World" or "incorruptible Fire", "Breath of life"; others - "Creating Nature", "Light created, animating", "Secondary cause", "Ruach", and also Lucifer, Satan(highlighted by us. - V.P.) and many other names" 52. We note that, according to some occultists, "occultism does not share the views of the church on the nature of the devil and evil spirits and calls the astral and some of its inhabitants by this name ... "53 moreover, "... the devil does not exist by itself, but is only a denial of the deity..." 54. But at the same time, other occultists, such as the Roerichs, asserted the existence of Satan as a person, in particular, in "Living Ethics" it is said: "It cannot be in agreement with Satan. It can only be slavery to Satan. It is impossible to plead with Satan…” 55. Let us leave such contradictions of different occult schools on the conscience of their creators.

How does the occult relate to science? "Science tries everywhere to establish a causal connection, occultism - an analogy" 56 . As we see, the occultists themselves admit that their approach to the knowledge of the world differs from the scientific one. The denial of logical laws, without which no scientific activity is possible in principle, 58 also prevents us from considering occultism a scientific discipline.

How does the occult relate to Christianity 59? E.P. answered this question very well. Blavatsky: "... the great prophet-medium (Moses. - V.P.) passed off the spirit close to him, the angry "Jehovah" as the spirit of God himself, and thereby gained undeserved crowns and honors" 60 . Such an attitude towards the Holy Scriptures, as well as the complete contradiction of the occult teachings with the teachings of the Christian Church, according to the author, allows us to assert that there is nothing in common between Christianity and occultism.

So, occultism studies the world of spirits in order to get in touch with them and obtain "secret knowledge" that will allow the occultist to control nature. Occultism is the study of matter, whose name is Satan, although some occult schools do not recognize Satan as a person. Occultists do not need God for spiritual self-improvement. Priest Nikolai Karasev writes: "Christianity regards the occult as a special kind of perverted religion, or, more precisely, an anti-religion, whose roots go to the depths of hell and whose main goal is to turn a person into a spiritual slave of the ancient serpent, which occultists revere, but which Christianity rejects as the devil and Satan" 61 . Occultism contributes to the development of arrogance, lust for power, irreconcilability, jealousy and other vices, which are detrimental to a person's moral health. Occultism has nothing to do with science and Christian religion. The teaching of the occult has internal contradictions, and also contradicts the laws of logic. There is no evidence of the truth of the ideas approved by occultists and cannot be, since occultism is based on personal experience own teachers 63 .

©Pitanov V.Yu.

Literature
31 For example, in agni yoga these worlds are called physical, subtle and fiery.
32 Occultism and magic. M., Klyshnikov, Komarov and K. 1993. P.35.
33 Mahatma Letters. Cup of the East. Riga-Moscow-Minsk. Ligatma. 1995. C195.
34 Occultism and magic. M., Klyshnikov, Komarov and K. 1993. P.39.
35 Barle. Occultism. L., Prometheus. 1991. P.10.
36 Ibid. P.85.
37 Occultism and magic. M., Klyshnikov, Komarov and K. 1993. P.39.
38 Papus. Black and white magic. M., Klyshnikov, Komarov and K. 1994. P.193.
38 Rev. Karasev N. The path of the occult. M., Prensa. 2003. P.43.
40 Occultism and magic. M., Klyshnikov, Komarov and K. 1993. P.40.
41 Ibid. P.41.
42 Ibid. P.41.
43 Ibid. P.42.
44 Ibid. P.43.
45 Ibid. P.42.
46 However, those who read these astral clichés, or, as they are also called, the Akashic Records, for some reason often report mutually exclusive information about the same historical events. See: Pitanov V.Yu. Selected questions of Orthodox apologetics // Did Jesus travel to India?
47 Barle. Occultism. L., Prometheus. 1991. P.11.
48 Ibid. P.77.
49 Ibid. P.86.
50 Ibid. P.19.
51 Ibid. P.13.
52 Ibid. P.51.
53 Occultism and magic. M., Klyshnikov, Komarov and K. 1993. P.73.
54 Ibid. P.49.
55 Living ethics. AUM.39.
56 Nataf A. Masters of the occult. SPb., Academic project. 2001. P.67.
57 It should be noted here that there are many occultists who will assert the exact opposite. See: Pitanov V.Yu. Theosophy: facts against myths.
58 See: Ivlev Yu.V. Logics. M., Prospect. 2005.
59 For more details see: Pitanov V.Yu. Judgment of conscience: agni yoga against Christianity; Theosophy: facts against myths.
60 Blavatsky H.P. Theosophy and practical occultism. M., Sphere. 1993. P.24.
61 Rev. Nikolay Karasev. Path of the occult. M., Prensa. 2003. P.34.
62 Ibid. P.192.
63 See: Pitanov V.Yu. Selected questions of Orthodox apologetics // Is it possible to know God with the help of feelings?

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Many succumb to the deceitful temptation and seek happiness not in God, but in the occult. Instead of coming to Christ with their problems, they go for advice
to fortune-tellers, clairvoyants, palmists, sorcerers, they are engaged in astrology, they believe in horoscopes and signs, and before making an important decision, they "consult with the stars." When people are sick, they turn to bioenergy therapists, all kinds of healers and healers - the tools of the evil spirit. There are also those who, in pursuit of career, money, power, success, perverted sexual pleasures, give their lives to the devil in order to get what they want.

If a person begins to rely on occult powers, he thereby renounces God and His gospel. This attitude leads to the enslavement of man by Satan. In atheistic and neo-pagan societies, the temples are empty, but moral decay triumphs: divorces, abortions, euthanasia, dishonesty and venality. The occult is very popular here. From atheism, people are moving to the occult, sects, superstitions, Eastern cults, idolatry and Satanism.

Historical facts show an obvious connection between fascism, Marxism and the occult.

Occultism - the religion of Satan - leads to the complete enslavement of man by the forces of evil. The history of the Jews - the chosen people, as well as the history of mankind tells us that whenever people departed from the true God, they began to worship idols. There is a pattern: the decline of faith is accompanied by the development of superstition and all kinds of occultism.

Occultism defines the belief in the existence of spiritual forces or energies, with the help of which a person can look into the future, restore health, achieve success or be able to subjugate others. To this end, he becomes interested in occult practices, meditations, spells, and in this way, in fact, passes the rite of passage. A person who has taken up the occult seeks to gain such abilities as telepathy, predicting the future, materialization of objects, or contacts with the dead. (Although, in fact, demons communicate with him under the guise of the dead). People often do not even suspect that in this way they allow evil spirits to act insidiously in their lives, over which they have no power.

All those involved in magic, astrology, spiritualism oppose the first commandment. Those who practice Eastern religions or use the mysterious power of ancient myths and symbols also sin. This is a grave sin of disobedience to the Holy Spirit and renunciation of your Guardian Angel.

Thus, everyone who had a pendulum, tarot cards in their hands, who goes to fortune-tellers, sorcerers and healers for help, thereby emphasizes the lack of faith in God's love and opens the soul to the action of an evil spirit.

Condemnation of the occult

Holy Scripture is definitely awaits the occult as a sin that excludes a person from the Kingdom of God (Gal 5:20; Rev 9:21; 22:15; Lev 19:31; 20:6-27). The book of Deuteronomy says: You should not have a soothsayer, a fortuneteller, a soothsayer, a sorcerer, a charmer, summoning spirits, a magician and questioning the dead, leading his son or daughter through fire. For every one who does this is abominable before the Lord, and for these abominations the Lord your God casts them out from before your face. Be blameless before the Lord your God. For these peoples whom you drive out listen to soothsayers and soothsayers; but the Lord your God has not given you(Deut 18:10-14).

New Catechism Catholic Church” unambiguously speaks on the topic of the occult: Any shape divination must be rejected: attempts to resort to Satan or demons, to call the dead, as well as other methods that allegedly "open" the future. Appeal to horoscopes, astrology, palmistry, interpretation of omens and fates, phenomena of clairvoyance, appeal to mediums - hide behind a desire to gain power over time, over history and, ultimately, over a person, and at the same time the desire to win over some occult forces. All these phenomena are in conflict with worship and reverence, combined with fear, full of love, which are due to God alone. (2116).

Any application of magic or sorcery , any attempt to tame occult powers in order to use them and have supernatural power over one's neighbor - even if with the aim of improving his health - is seriously contrary to Christian virtue. This kind of practice is all the more reprehensible if it is resorted to with the intention of harming someone or looking for the intervention of demons in a life situation. The habit of wearing amulets is also reprehensible. Spiritualism often leads to divination or magic. Therefore, the Church warns the faithful that it must be avoided. Appeal to the so-called folk medicine legitimizes neither the invocation of evil spirits nor the exploitation of someone's gullibility (2117).

God may reveal the future to His prophets or other saints. But at the same time, righteous Christian behavior consists in putting oneself into the hands of Providence with confidence and abandoning all unhealthy curiosity about the future. Carelessness can turn into irresponsibility (2115).

Ignorance due to own fault

The more widespread religious illiteracy in society and the weakening of true faith in Christ, topics more people tend to believe in healers, soothsayers and magicians. Some of them, masking their activities, resort to the use of icons or crosses, and include prayers in their magical rites, for example, “Our Father”. But occult practices are a complete denial of religion and faith in God. People engaged in such practices are sure that they can use higher powers for their own purposes. They usually do not realize that the opposite is happening: invisible forces subdue them.

A praying person trusts in God, wants to understand His plans and voluntarily submit to them.
But the one who practices magic takes We decide what is good for him and what is bad. Using secret, non-material forces, he tries to create the future himself according to his plans. Thus, he puts himself in the place of God, entering into conflict with the commandment: May you have no other gods before me(Ex 20:3). Sorcerers, soothsayers, astrologers, psychics and others are given over to the power of demonic forces that use them for their own purposes.

To each man needs only God to be happy. People who have lost their faith are very easily tempted by an evil spirit who says: I will give you power over all these kingdoms and their glory; for it is devoted to me, and I give it to whomever I want. So if You bow down to me, then everything will be Yours(Luke 4:6-7). Therefore, many people seek solutions to their problems, help and happiness from psychics, clairvoyants, astrologers, fortune tellers and sorcerers. With the help of amulets, talismans, rituals, spells and manipulations, people want to gain power, dominate the surrounding reality, achieve happiness, prevent failure or illness.

Insidious trap

People often turn to extrasensory perception and bioenergy with good intentions, not realizing what a terrible danger threatens them and those they want to help. The bioenergotherapist in his activity is influenced by occult energy and transfers it to the patient, exposing himself and him to the danger emanating from an evil spirit.

Father Jacques Verlinde, one of the most famous experts in this field, says the following: I could cite many cases in which after a visit to a bioenergy therapist, patients developed new persistent symptoms. Very often these diseases are much more complicated than the initial ones. And besides, these people completely lose their strength. (...) Constant headaches, insomnia, psychological and sometimes even spiritual problems. In this state, patients go to the priest, and if he is familiar with such phenomena, he will be able to analyze the entire history of the disease. And in my experience, in many inexplicable cases it very often turns out that the patient was either engaged in the occult - then everything is clear - or regularly visited all sorts of therapists, fortunetellers, clairvoyants, etc. What then to do? You need to pray. This does not mean that the person is possessed. It may simply be that there is a connection between the patient and the one who treated him, and whose effect on him is negative. You need to pray that the Lord will break all ties that exist between you and occult practices..

Usually fortune-tellers, magicians and healers are extremely polite at first, they show themselves as true friends, present themselves as the only force capable of coping with your problem. They manipulate people who become dependent on them. When they give a client a talisman, they say that from time to time it needs to be "charged" with energy. Of course, you need to pay for each "charging". In addition, such therapists sometimes use the services of detectives to learn as much as possible about their clients and then surprise them with their "insight" - all this, of course, for the purpose of obtaining money.

One of the Italian soothsayers, who converted to Christianity, said that special rituals are performed on the talismans, and their price depends on how many blasphemy and curses are pronounced over them in the address of the Mother of God. Such objects are extremely dangerous for the one who wears them, as well as for those close to this person, since they become a channel of presence and action. dark forces. Exorcists claim that people who wear talismans or amulets experience anxiety, depression, and even cases of persecution by evil spirits.

Reliable protection

Through the occult, Satan imitates God's plan of salvation, but he does so in order to bring man to eternal damnation. The only Savior is Jesus Christ. If a person discards all occult practices (pendulums, horoscopes, amulets, divination, contacts with psychics, yoga, meditation, as well as reading the press and books on this topic), he will open by confession Jesus his sins and cling with confidence to Christ present in the Eucharist, recognizing him as his only Lord and Savior, then Jesus will come to him with his love, kindness and infinite mercy. He will heal all wounds, free from the slavery of sin and impure forces. Jesus, our Savior, created us for Himself, and without Jesus, who lives and acts in the Church, we will not find happiness, love, or eternal life.

Father Robert De Grandis, in one of his books, describes the story of a doctor's daughter who had severe sore throats. No medicine helped. It turned out that the girl had a talisman in the form of a golden horn around her neck, which was supposed to drive away evil spirits. When she got rid of the talisman, after praying, her throat was completely healed. All items that have been used in occult practices, including astrological symbols, idol figurines, amulets, tarot cards, books, films, talismans, hard rock and heavy metal recordings must be destroyed immediately, as they are bound by demonic forces that enslave person, leading him to life tragedies.

It must be borne in mind that some families may be cursed from the past. We can learn about the existence of such curses from the Holy Spirit during prayer, and only the power of the Holy Spirit can destroy them. You can get rid of the curse by giving yourself and your whole family to Christ completely and saying the following prayer: In the name of Jesus Christ, by the power of His Most Holy Blood, I remove the curse from my family .

If you want to break free from Satan's bondage and end the occult, pray the words of the following prayer: Lord Jesus Christ, through the intercession of Your Immaculate Mother Mary, I completely entrust myself, my body and soul, everything that I am and that I have to You. You are the only Lord of my life, so with all my heart I regret my passion for occult practices (specify which practices are meant) . You, Lord, are my only God, my only love and the hope of my life. I renounce all occult practices that enslave me under the power of Satan. I disown you satan and command you, in the name of Jesus Christ, do not touch my life. Amen .

People who have pendulums, amulets, talismans, Atlantean rings, books or other items related to the occult should immediately destroy them. And, finally, the best protection against the influence of evil spirits is a state of sanctifying grace, therefore, one should approach the Sacrament of Confession as often as possible and receive Jesus in the Eucharist with a pure heart. If you have dealt with the occult, please send your testimonies to the editor Love each other! so that by publishing them, we can expose the insidious actions of demonic forces.

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Facets of the occult: from hermeticism to magic and extrasensory perception Vitaliy Pitanov

Part 2. Occultism, or What the uninitiated should not know

The doctrine of the so-called subtle worlds is widely developed in occult schools. Most often, occultists teach about the existence of three worlds: “Occultism recognizes the existence of three worlds ... three planes of existence: the spiritual world, the astral world and the physical world. The representative of the first is spirit, the second is energy or force, the third is matter. The second world serves as an intermediary between the first and thirdly, ... all worlds penetrate each other to a greater or lesser extent." These three worlds can be compared with three nesting dolls: the spiritual one contains the astral world and the physical one, the astral one contains the physical one. The worlds differ in the levels of vibration of their materiality. Occultism professes a peculiar form of spiritual materialism: "The notion that matter and spirit are completely different from each other and both eternal, of course, could not enter my head, however little I knew about them, for one of the elementary and fundamental doctrines occultism says that both of them are one, differing only in their manifestations, and moreover only in limited perceptions of the sensory world. Spirit and matter are one in nature; an analogy is often made between the relationship of matter and spirit with water in its various states: vapor, liquid, ice. Occultism introduces the concept of "vibration of matter": a change in the vibration of matter leads to a change in itself, a transition, say, from the spiritual world to the astral, from the astral to the physical and vice versa, in the same order: "... the ratio between the spirit, astral and physical matter determined by their vibration, as in ordinary matter." Subtle matter, or astral, is the basis of occult teaching and magic: "The forces studied by Occultism, by their nature, are associated with subtle matter, completely different from our physical nature, and this matter, which is in us, is equally necessary for observation, as well as and to reproduce the phenomenon under study.As a result, the study requires the observance of very special conditions; we we get to know them only through research and must obey them(highlighted by us. - V.P.)". I would like to draw the reader's attention to the fact that the occultist must obey the force that he studies, with which he contacts, however, at the same time, occultists claim: "summarizing all the practical activities of Occultism, we can say, that the initiate commands nature."

The main tool with which the occultist interacts with the astral is his thought: "... the thought not only makes the astral vibrate, but, due to its plasticity, at the same time condenses it into some form." What is an astral? The astral is a transitional world between the physical and spiritual worlds, just as the liquid state of water is intermediate between the gaseous state and ice. One of the main tasks of the occultist is to teach how to influence astral matter, which is greatly facilitated by the practice of so-called travel in the astral body. The essence of these journeys is that the occultist consciously leaves the physical body and travels in the astral body through the astral (subtle) world. According to practicing occultists, when entering the astral plane, the occultist first of all sees a crowd of terrible creatures that rush at him and cause horror. Occultists believe that these creatures - the so-called elementals - are the spirits of the elements, the experience of Orthodox ascetics tells us that these are spirits of evil, demons.

According to the teachings of the occult, the astral is a very populated place. As we have already found out, elementals live in the astral: "Elementals are the spirits of the elements and nature ... in relation to man, elementals ... are hostile." Elementals are the spirits of stones, water, plants, trees. The hostile attitude of elementals towards man is caused by the fact that man constantly strives to enslave them, to force them to work for himself. It is believed that "by influencing the elementals, a person can control the elements", i.e. actually control nature. The astral world reflects all the thoughts of a person, which in this world become some kind of semi-conscious energy fields, astroideas, almost living beings that have an impact on the person who gave birth to them: "Astroideas ... are human thoughts in the astral ... human desires, because every desire takes the form of at least obscure thought, and the images caused by the imagination of a person in the astral ... every desire is an astral being that seeks to be realized in matter ... ". Each thought, as it were, gives rise to some subtle being, an astroidea. This creature can both become stronger and completely disappear. The more a thought captures a person, the more real the being becomes in the subtle world, and the more powerful its influence on its creator. At a certain level, an astroidea is even able to completely subjugate its creator, a kind of control of his consciousness takes place. If a person ceases to nourish thought, loses interest in it, then it gradually dissolves into astral matter. The next class of beings of the subtle world is called egregors: "Egregors are called astral beings generated by a society of people united by one thought and will, and representing the spirit of the said society ... collective astroideas, i.e. thoughts, desires and images." Egregor - these are the same astroideas that unite in the subtle world into some energy fields, the basis for the association of astroideas is the equality of the vibrations of their materiality. Different thoughts give rise to different vibrations in the subtle world: the purer the thought, the higher the vibration frequency and the higher its power in the astral plane. Such thoughts are combined into common energy fields, which are called egregors. The power of influence of such egregors on people, in comparison with a single astroidea, increases many times. All organizations, all states, all religions have their egregors. The desires of a person, his passions also give rise to certain living beings in the astral, larva: "... every desire of a person lives in the astral. Astral beings are called larvae. Once called to life, the larva lives semiconsciously, striving to satisfy the desire that gave rise to it, ... the larvae are in the human aura, i.e. in the astral circle near his head, ... if the desire that gave birth to the larva is extinguished, then the larva soon dies ... ". Larva constantly strive to master the will of a person, push him to perform actions that cause the energy supply necessary for their future life, i.e. stimulate the development and strengthening of the thoughts that gave rise to them.For example, the larva of envy will strive to make a person constantly envious, the larva of greed will push him to an unhealthy attitude towards money.If a person does not oppose the larva, then it completely enslaves his will, makes a person obsessed with passion. Everything that happens in the physical world is recorded in the astral world, due to which the so-called astral clichés are created.In fact, the entire history of mankind is stored recorded in this astral archive.

What is the practice in the occult? The main task of the occultist is self-improvement, which is largely achieved by analyzing their mental states. As the occultists themselves say: "Observation will be mainly psychic ...". From the point of view of occultism, the world of the human psyche: thoughts, feelings of a person, are a reflection of the spiritual and astral worlds, therefore, by observing their internal states, the occultist thereby comprehends them. But one must understand that the understanding of the "psychic" in the occult is extremely different from that offered by modern medicine and psychology.

First of all, the occultist must remember that "technical knowledge, which should precede any other in practical Occultism, is an acquaintance with the environment that forms the invisible; with the beings and forces that the experimenter will meet. And therefore, during initiation, the teacher takes care to acquaint with them disciple, personally guiding him after his entry into the new world." Contact with the beings of the astral world can lead to sad consequences: "in Occultism, insufficient knowledge is always fatal." Occultism is mechanistic, perhaps that is why representatives of the so-called technical intelligentsia love it so much: "the double manifestation of power, in general, is expressed by the basic principle of our mechanical science(highlighted by us. - V.P.) ... ". Manipulating astral forces or believing that he manipulates them, the occultist must remember that "spontaneity, which controls the forces of nature, we (occultists. - V.P.) can to oppose only partial and instantaneous resistance, ... a person acts against the force of gravity, cohesion and chemical affinity. But nature will counteract more or less quickly, for it is clear that the cosmic order can be violated by us only in an insignificant amount(highlighted by us. - V.P.)".

What is the name of the power to which the occultists refer? Few know better the details of the universal force, so essential to occultism, which move and animate all that exists, from the smallest atom of the cobblestone, contained in the depths of our fields, to the suns and nebulae of our heavens; this force is called by some the "Soul of the World" or "incorruptible Fire", "Breath of life"; others - "Creating Nature", "Light created, animating", "Secondary cause", "Ruach", and also Lucifer, Satan(highlighted by us. - V.P.) and many other names. "We note that, according to some occultists," occultism does not share the views of the church on the nature of the devil and evil spirits and calls the astral and some of its inhabitants by this name ... "more moreover, "... the devil does not exist by itself, but is only a denial of the deity ..." But at the same time, other occultists, such as the Roerichs, asserted the existence of Satan as a person, in particular, in Living Ethics it is said: "There cannot be an agreement with Satan. It can only be slavery to Satan. It is impossible to beg Satan…” Let us leave such contradictions of different occult schools on the conscience of their creators.

How does the occult relate to science? "Science tries everywhere to establish a causal connection, occultism - an analogy." As you can see, the occultists themselves admit that their approach to understanding the world is different from the scientific one. The denial of logical laws, without which no scientific activity is possible in principle, also prevents us from considering occultism a scientific discipline.

How does the occult relate to Christianity? E.P. answered this question very well. Blavatsky: "... the great prophet-medium (Moses. - V.P.) gave out the spirit close to him, the angry "Jehovah" for the spirit of God himself, and thus gained undeserved crowns and honors." Such an attitude towards the Holy Scriptures, as well as the complete contradiction of the occult teachings with the teachings of the Christian Church, according to the author, allows us to assert that there is nothing in common between Christianity and occultism.

So, occultism studies the world of spirits in order to get in touch with them and obtain "secret knowledge" that will allow the occultist to control nature. Occultism is the study of matter, whose name is Satan, although some occult schools do not recognize Satan as a person. Occultists do not need God for spiritual self-improvement. Priest Nikolai Karasev writes: "Christianity regards the occult as a special kind of perverted religion, or, more precisely, an anti-religion, whose roots go to the depths of hell and whose main goal is to turn a person into a spiritual slave of the ancient serpent, which occultists revere, but which Christianity rejects as the devil and Satan." Occultism contributes to the development of arrogance, lust for power, intransigence, jealousy and other vices, which is detrimental to the moral health of a person. Occultism has nothing to do with science and the Christian religion. The teaching of the occult has internal contradictions, and also contradicts the laws of logic. There is no evidence of the truth of the ideas approved by occultists and cannot be, since occultism is based on the personal experience of its own teachers.

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Announcement 80 That those who have come from city life to the monastery should be humble and not exalted above others, that all should live in peace, my fathers and brethren. I have joy and jealousy that you [abide] in the Lord, living well and doing well and protected by fear

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Lesson 2. Entrance to the Church of the Most Holy Theotokos (Lessons from the celebrated event: a) we must visit the temple of God more often; b) must firmly keep these vows, and c) parents must lead their children to church from their early years) I. Parents of the Blessed Virgin Mary, righteous Joachim

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Lesson 2. The day of the Nativity of Christ and the solemn remembrance of the deliverance of the Church and the Russian state from the invasion of the Gauls and with them twenty languages ​​​​(On what feelings these events should arouse in us and what they should dispose us to) I. On this day,