384
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→Kinds: moved section as subsection of "False gifts"
St. John Cassian writes that "a cleaner look notices more, a reproachful life gives rise to a great sorrow of self-reproach, the correction of morals and zeal for virtues multiply wailing and sighing. For no one can be satisfied with the degree of perfection in which he has succeeded, and the cleaner one will be in the spirit, the more he sees himself unclean, the more he finds reasons for humility. And the faster he strives for height, the more he sees that he has more where to strive."<ref>{{Ru icon}}[https://svyatye.com/chitat/Avva-Feona-Prp-Ioann-Kassian-Rimlianin-Sem-sobesedovanii-ottsov/1756/ St. John Cassian. 7 Conversations of Fathers. 23th Conversation of Abba Theona Ch. 21.]</ref>
St. Paisios of the Holy Mountain says that "a man who considers himself a saint and prays for others, considering them sinners, is disgusting to God".<ref>{{Ru icon}}[https://azbyka.ru/otechnik/Paisij_Svjatogorets/molitva-tom-vi/4 St. Paisios of the Holy Mountain. Words. Vol. 6. Ch. 2.]</ref>
St. Anthony (Putilov) of Optina writes in his diary that "I saw that only then I was in a true opinion of myself when I had a bad thought about myself; and when I had a good thought I was in delusion".<ref>{{Ru icon}}[https://azbyka.ru/otechnik/Antonij_Optinskij/zhizneopisanie-nastojatelja-malojaroslavetskogo-nikolaevskogo-monastyrja-igumena-antonija/ Biography of the abbot of the Maloyaroslavets St. Nikolas monastery, hegumen Anthony.]</ref>
==The most likely time to fall into prelest==
Metropolitan [[Anthony of Sourozh]] recalls that when he was young, he had an ability to read thoughts of other people. Once he asked God: "If this gift is not from You, dispel it". And this ability immediately disappeared.<ref name="ant"/> It is very difficult for a conceited person to decline such gift, to consider oneself unworthy of receiving it and ask God to take the gift away. If these false gifts are accepted by the deluded person, it can lead him/her into demon possession or suicide.<ref>[http://oprelesti.ru/index.php/kinds-of-spiritual-delusion/136-healing-ability-from-demons/341-healing-ability-from-the-demons The Letters of Elder John (Krestiankin).] Elder John (Krestiankin) writes to one person about the "gift" of healing. Elder John says from his experience that such "gifts" often end in irresistible desire of suicide in both the healer and the patient.</ref>
==== False silence of thoughts ("demonic silence")====
Internal silence and lack of thoughts do not necessarily indicate the high spiritual condition of the particular person. According to St. John Climacus, demons can deliberately leave a person - either to lead him into carelessness and then suddenly attack him, or if a person has already established himself in sinful skills, or if a person has one main passion that replaces all the others.<ref> St. John Climacus. The Ladder of Divine Ascent. Step. 26. Ch. 61-65.</ref> According to the experience of Father John (Adlivankin), who works in the St. John of Kronstadt rehabilitation center assisting former sectarians and occultists, he repeatedly heard people’s confessions of how they often observed a state of complete "dispassion", i.e. the absence of any sinful thoughts. This was when they were sectarians and occultists. After turning to Orthodoxy, they no longer had such a long calm state. According to Fr. John, such condition (he calls it "demonic silence") is very dangerous - complete thoughtlessness and comfort, and it inevitably causes the thoughts about the person’s exclusiveness, i.e. pride.<ref>{{Ru icon}}[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8YVrTxI_yxI Monk John’s conversations with the priests of Optina Monastery. Part 1.] "Demonic silence" is mentioned at the time of 1h 40 min 25 sec.</ref>
===Trust in night dreams===
Several dangerous practices of the Jesus Prayer can be named that contradict the teaching of the Holy Fathers. If at least one of the following exists:
#the person prays without keeping the attention in the words of the prayer and imagines heavenly hosts, Lord Jesus,<ref>St. John Climacus. The Ladder of Divine Ascent. Step 28. St. John writes: "Make the effort to raise up, or rather, to enclose your mind within the words of your prayer; and if, like a child, it gets tired and falters, raise it up again."</ref><ref>St Gregory of Sinai. On Stillness: Fifteen Texts. Different Ways of Psalmodizing. Ch. 10. St. Gregory writes: "Unceasingly cry out: 'Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy', and do not allow yourself to retain any concept, object, thought or form that is supposedly divine, or any sequence of argument or any color, but concentrate solely on the pure, simple, formless remembrance of Jesus."</ref>
#the person does not use the prayer for repentance but seeks for some "spiritual feelings", "consolation by grace", <ref>St. John Climacus. The Ladder of Divine Ascent. Step 28. St. John writes: "And even if you have climbed the whole ladder of the virtues, pray still for the forgiveness of sins".</ref><ref>{{Ru icon}}[https://azbyka.ru/otechnik/Paisij_Svjatogorets/molitva-tom-vi/7_3_2 St. Paisios of the Holy Mountain. Words. Vol. 6. Divine consolation in the prayer.] Elder Paisios writes: "beware of striving for prayer in order to feel pleasure, joy. A child does not run to his father because he gives a chocolate bar but because he loves his father; another thing is if the father himself wants to give a chocolate bar. Prayer for the sake of feeling joy and not to unite with God is not true prayer."</ref>
#the person does not truly repent of some sins, i.e. he does not want to completely give up some sinful habits for which the consciousness condemns him,<ref name="joseph"/><ref name="ioann"/><ref>{{Ru icon}}[http://www.ioann.org/pisma/molitva.html Letters of elder John (Krestiankin). On Prayer.] Elder John (Krestiankin) writes to some person who has demonic attacks because of the previous devotion to heretic and demonic teachings. Elder John says that when someone starts to pray with Jesus prayer while keeping the passions in the soul and in the heart - that can cause mental damage. So elder John advises that person to reduce the prayer rule.</ref>
he/she can fall into prelest.
Also, Metropolitan Ierotheos (Vlachos) in the book "A Night in the Desert of the Holy Mountain"<ref>{{Ru icon}}[https://azbyka.ru/otechnik/Ierofej_Vlahos/odna-noch-v-pustyne-svjatoj-gory/#0_14 Metropolitan Ierothos (Vlachos) "One night in the desert of the Holy Mountain."] </ref> speaks of the following errors in the prayer:
* The idea that grace and vision of the Uncreated Light can be gained quickly. In reality, for most people it takes years. Therefore, a person may become disappointed if he does not quickly acquire it;
* Great importance is attributed to psychotechnical methods (paying attention to inhalation-exhalation, heartbeat, etc.), while they do not act magically, but are only auxiliary means of reducing distraction;
* Jumps, skipping stages during the development of the prayer. Some go directly to noetic prayer or want to connect the nous and the heart right away through breathing, skipping oral prayer.
* Disappointment if there are no tears. Or vice versa, a person told someone about his tears and they disappeared because of that;
* A strong desire to see the Uncreated Light – then demons can demonstrate for the ascetic their own "uncreated light". The very thought that "I am worthy to see the Uncreated Light" is a dangerous state;
* Violation of obedience – the thought not to ask the director originates from the enemy.
St. Ignatius tells a story about the proper way of the prayer. A monk came to him from [[Mount Athos]]. This monk did not need warm clothes in winter because of the internal heat in his body caused by the prayer and was wearing chains. At first, St. Ignatius thought that this is a true ascetic and wanted to hear something useful from him about the prayer. But then he found out that the monk uses wrong way of prayer with exaltation and imagination. St. Ignatius gingerly asked the monk to try to keep the mind in the words of the prayer. When the monk started to pray this way, that was enough to cure him. All his visions disappeared and he could not make them return. When the monk returned later, he no longer looked conceited. He took off the chains and could not do without warm clothes.<ref name="ign1"/>