O. Boris, tell me, are there any believing healers or do they not exist? Many of them, for example, use Orthodox paraphernalia in their practice: icons, prayers, candles. How does the Church feel about this kind of action?
Extrasensory abilities may indeed be inherent in humans in their infancy. But modern man is not in the state in which God created him. Its nature is distorted by sin. And what was beautiful in the heavenly state, in the state of sinfulness is not beneficial, but harmful.
Is it possible to somehow determine whether a person is a serious believer, that is, someone who accepts the faith of Christ with all his heart and tries to fulfill it? There are many people who believe only ritually: they know some prayers, they can perform some rituals, but Christ and spiritual life for them are not native, foreign. They do not have a grace-filled spiritual life, they cannot think in a Christian way, cannot feel in a Christian way, cannot live in a Christian way (I am now talking not about the moral side, but about the spiritual one).
I had to talk seriously with people who are engaged in treatment with such methods. Their spiritual life is always built incorrectly: either a complete lack of humility and love, or the highest conceit, or something else. Yes, those who live a spiritual life also have sins, but Christians understand that sin is bad and they fight it. For example, it is clear that drunkenness is a sin. There are alcoholics who never dry out, and there are those who stumbled and fell, but are struggling with their alcoholism and trying not to drink. One person drinks more than necessary and realizes that it is a sin. Another drinks and considers it normal. Therefore, when we say that a person is a Christian, this does not mean that he is infallible, but that he has clear criteria: this is Christian, this is good, but this is a sin.
In Russia in the 19th century, such an understanding was the norm of life - of course, there were sinners, they sinned, but they repented; Christianity was an ideal, and people understood that they did not comply with the norms. Now what was once considered a sin is considered valor. And people with such a distorted understanding of norms are very far from God, and, in fact, they feel very bad. They indulge themselves with wine, entertainment or all kinds of bodily pleasures, but they do this precisely because they feel very bad about life. I remember one example from our communist past when an American woman, a black woman, the leader of the American Komsomol Marina Vladis, came to our country, the USSR. Why did I remember her? She very well explained why she was doing her party work: “Because when I’m alone, I feel bad. Only when I work and am around people do I feel good. And if I don’t do this, I feel terribly bad.” She said what many people experience but are embarrassed to say. Now about the attributes. Indeed, many psychics use Orthodox paraphernalia. The question is, why? So that they are believed more: if there are icons, holy water, candles, then it is implied that this is connected with God; It seems that it’s the same with them as in the Church. But they only need Orthodox paraphernalia to decorate the room, to imitate spirituality and to create an atmosphere of greater trust. They also use prayers: “Our Father,” for example. But one and the same word can be said with different meanings: it can be said as a request, or it can be said in such a way that there will be no trace of any request (like a spell, for example), there will be no turning of the soul to God. I, too, can read if they write to me in Russian letters what to say in both Chinese and Arabic, but I will not understand what I read.
- But many psychics send a person to church...
If they communicate with the soul of a person who is in a state of complete spiritual exhaustion, then when interacting with him they exhaust themselves. Let's remember such a good Russian example - Baba Yaga. When people came to her, before eating them, she would feed them, give them something to drink, put them to bed, take them to the bathhouse, and then - “yum-yum.” Why does she need to gnaw bones? Well-fed and clean, it will taste better. And the same principle applies here. When a person goes to church, is spiritually cleansed, receives communion, and is sanctified by the grace of God, then you can work with him, you can already be fed with energy from him.
- Energy, energetics are the favorite terms of people communicating with psychics. Does energy exist as such?
Of course it exists. I can only talk about the spiritual side. Why, for example, does grandma go to church in the morning on an empty stomach, without eating, and then runs back so fast that she overtakes everyone? Has she already had breakfast? No, she prayed, talked to God, and now she has much more strength. Or an old lady stands in church for two hours and won’t sit down. And the young people standing in the same church were already exhausted, they were shifting from foot to foot, they had no strength. This is how grandma communicates with God, she is interested, and the “visitors” are only serving time. There is a difference? When an Orthodox person gets sick, he understands that he must definitely go to the doctor, but he also must visit church. If there is trouble, then first run to God, stay with Him, and then move on. This is fine.
Often people are afraid of all sorts of evil eyes, damage, and sidelong glances. However, if I don’t have any wounds or scratches on my hands, then I can pick up anything. If my hands are bruised, and I take, for example, manure, then dirt will get into the wounds, they will become inflamed and begin to hurt, and you can be left without hands. So it is here. The first thing a dog bites is the one who is afraid of it. And a similar thing works in spiritual life. If a person is afraid of damage, the evil eye and the action of evil spirits, then he will quickly become a target for all evil spirits. And when a person tries to live with God, prays, reads the Gospel, tries to do His will, takes communion, then he doesn’t give a damn about all these machinations of dark forces. When a person accepts Baptism, before being baptized, he spits in the direction of the devil, turns away and says: “I don’t know you and I don’t want to know, you don’t interest me.”
Who can all this affect? Let's give a simple example. If a child walks hand in hand with dad or mom, will a dog bite him or will hooligans offend him? Probably not. And if he is capricious and runs ahead, then a dog can bite him or a bully can beat him. When we try to be close to God, we are not afraid of anyone or anything. Is there really someone stronger than God? Of course not! What if we left Him?
Indeed, it is dangerous to live in a world of sin without God’s protection, but for a Christian all these machinations of the enemy do not pose a danger.
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Nika Kravchuk
How does the Church treat psychics?
Various shows with psychics are actively broadcast on television, gathering mass audiences. Turning to “clairvoyants” is a trend that has never lost its popularity. But how does the Church treat psychics? What is he criticizing for?
The Church has always spoken negatively about magicians, sorcerers, psychics, various grandmothers, hereditary witches and their activities. Why? Because they are not acting according to the will of God. They serve the devil.
And you can expect help only from two sides: either from the Lord or from the evil one. The Almighty does not act with “cheap” methods and is waiting for everyone’s personal appeal. For God, everything is possible, but he wants a person to come to everything consciously.
If a person asks for something and it will benefit him, then God sends it. After all, what is a miracle? This is a manifestation of God's mercy in response to our prayers and labors. In addition, God will find for a person only what is useful for him.
How do psychics work? They “fulfill wishes” with the help of the evil one - if a person turns to magicians and sorcerers, he begins to communicate with the devil.
This definitely harms a person’s soul.
Beware: magicians disguise themselves as Orthodox Christians
Recently, priests have been conducting active missionary work, so many people are trying to stay away from television screens with harmful programs and advertisements in the style of “A hereditary witch... will remove damage, get rid of the evil eye, return her husband, cure alcoholism.”
But the evil one is truly cunning when it comes to inventions.
Father Arkady, rector of the Church of St. Basil the Great, clearly answers the question negatively: “How does the Church relate to psychics.” He points out another problem - magicians and seers are trying to “mask” as Christians:
“If a psychic tries to disguise his activities with the Church (this is often observed when they hang icons in offices, burn some censers, candles), then this does not say anything [good]. There is a phrase in the Gospel: even demons believe and tremble. Therefore, while the psychic is not yet camouflaging his activities under [Orthodox] surroundings, he still evokes some kind of “respect.” And when it is hung with icons, crosses, candles, it’s a complete disgrace.”
In order not to fall into a trap, you need to bypass the tenth road of these people. Everything we really need we get from God. You just need to pray and give thanks.
And those who nevertheless fell into the hands of demons, because there is no other way to call it to grandmothers, face a difficult path of correction.
Yes, we do not presume to deny that psychics can “help.” A person can supposedly recover. But very often it has a certain “expiration date”.
For example, like a jar of mayonnaise: consume before such and such a date. After this it will deteriorate.
It’s just somehow insulting to compare a person to a jar of salad dressing.
In addition, regardless of the validity period of the result, the person will have to pay. This time - at the cost of the health of not only the body, but also the spirit.
Only God can heal this through the action of grace - through the church and the priest. But this process can last a very long time, often even until the end of earthly life. Too much damage has been done.
And after all this, is at least some positive answer to the question possible: “How does the Church relate to psychics?”
Take it for yourself and tell your friends!
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In our pre-apocalyptic times, people's interest in the occult, extrasensory perception, parapsychology, etc. is growing due to their increasing distance from God. An era has arrived that can safely be called a “pagan revival.” This happened because the people inhabiting Christian countries slipped to the state in which humanity was before the atoning death of Christ the Savior. This state manifested itself most fully and gloomily twice in human history: before the Flood and before the coming to earth of the Lord Jesus Christ. The third and final period of falling away from God, the extreme corruption of souls and their submission to demonic influence, can be observed today with sorrow.
Meanwhile, the attitude of our Church towards occult healing methods is sharply negative. According to the rules of St. Basil the Great, people who practice magic are subject to the same ecclesiastical punishment as murderers.
According to the rules of the VI Ecumenical Council, people who resort to the help of wizards are subject to a six-year penance, as well as cloud casters, charmers, and makers of talismans. Those who are rooted in this matter and do not turn away at all are thrown out of the Church.
He is harsh towards sorcerers, fortune-tellers, sorcerers, i.e. towards representatives of the occult sciences, the Old Testament. In Deuteronomy (chapter 18, v. 9-13) it is said: “When you enter into the land that the Lord your God is giving you, then do not learn to do the abominations that these nations have done. You shall not have anyone who sends away his son or his daughter.” through fire, a soothsayer, a soothsayer, a soothsayer, a sorcerer, a charmer, a conjurer of spirits, a magician and an inquirer of the dead. For whoever does these things is an abomination to the Lord, and for these abominations the Lord your God drives them out from before you. Be blameless before the Lord , by your God."
The book of Leviticus says: “Do not turn to those who call the dead, and do not go to magicians, and do not bring yourself to defilement from them. I am the Lord your God” (19, 31). "And if any soul has turned to the callers of the dead and to the magicians, to walk after them fornicating, then I will set my face against that soul and destroy him from among his people. Sanctify yourselves and be holy, for I am the Lord your God, holy" (20, 6-7).
The book of Exodus says: “And when they say to you: turn to the summoners of the dead and to the sorcerers, to the whisperers and ventriloquists, then answer: should not the people turn to their God? Do the dead ask about the living? Turn to the law and revelation. If they do not speak, how this word, then there is no light in them." And also: “Do not leave fortune tellers alive” (22.18).
The book of Leviticus says especially harshly and directly about people involved in the occult: “Whether a man or a woman, if they call the dead or practice magic, they shall be put to death; they shall be stoned, their blood shall be on them” (20, 27).
Thus, in the Old Testament the attitude towards people involved in magic, fortune-telling, sorcery, astrologers (astrologers), etc., i.e., occult activities, is quite clear and harsh - even to the point of putting them to death. About those who turn to them for help with fortune telling, etc., it is said: “...I will turn My face against that soul and will destroy it from among its people” (Lev. 20:6). Those who turn to sorcerers, magicians, shamans, and psychics for help really begin to suffer spiritually and physically, even to the point of death. Many people interested in UFOs and "aliens" also end their lives tragically. This is how the words of the Bible come true in life: “...I will set My face against that soul and destroy him from among the people.”
Why are occult healing methods scary? Hypnosis, extrasensory perception, witchcraft, coding use methods of violent influence on the human psyche, suppressing his will and developing people’s behavior according to someone else’s will - the hypnotist, psychic, sorcerer, etc. By influencing the subconscious of a person, they put their program of behavior into the subconscious and thinking. This program, passing into consciousness, determines a person’s behavior, actions and even way of thinking. It seems to him that he is acting of his own free will, according to his own desire. In fact, he fulfills the will of a stranger, a stranger's spirit. Such violent influence limits a person’s personality, paralyzes his will, changes behavior and even thinking. A person becomes, as it were, a biorobot; the Image of God is killed in him.
Every person carries the image of God within himself, no matter how bad and fallen he may be. The image of God in man is that man has the properties inherent in God: reason, free will, immortal soul. By taking away a person’s will and imposing their own on him, changing a person’s way of thinking and behavior, occultists mock the Image of God, belittle it, and subjugate the human soul to themselves.
According to the teachings of the Holy Fathers of the Church , a person can act according to his own will, according to the will of God and according to the will of demons, which is imposed on him in this case through an intermediary - a sorcerer, a psychic, a hypnotist.
Extrasensory perception, bioenergy, witchcraft, magic follow an experimental path, contrary to the prohibition of the Church and Holy Scripture, invading the spiritual world and achieving certain healing results. But a psychic and a sorcerer invade the spiritual world with their sinful, unrefined soul, and, naturally, in the spiritual world they can only communicate with the world of negative forces (demonic).
“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God,” says the Gospel. Occultists, on the other hand, invade the spiritual world without purifying their souls through repentance and generally in a sinful manner, contrary to the prohibition of the Church.
P Orthodoxy does not set as its goal the acquisition of any supernatural abilities, but sets the goal of cleansing the soul from sins through repentance, prayer, fasting, abstinence, doing good deeds, love for God and people.
The basis of Christian life is love and faith, good deeds, asceticism (fasting, abstinence). The Christian path goes through moral improvement: “Be perfect, as your Heavenly Father is perfect,” and not through exercises that develop supernatural abilities without cleansing the soul (repentance), love, and doing good deeds. This path is dangerous and disastrous. .
In the film “I thought I was healing...” you will hear the confession of a man who was involved in parapsychology, the so-called “healing.”
I would like to touch on a topic that today continues to be relevant and at the same time very problematic, and to understand the spiritual phenomenon that burst into the life of our society in the nineties of the last, twentieth century, and continues to confuse many.
These are all kinds of methods of pseudo-non-traditional healing, extrasensory perception, various methods of fortune telling, removing or inducing damage, correcting karma and opening chakras, “hereditary healers”, “saviors”, “seers” and “foretellers”, sorcerers and magicians - everything that can be attributed to the area of non-church and extra-church mysticism.
At the end of the last century, when the established and seemingly unshakable system of state, interpersonal and spiritual relationships was destroyed, when society was throwing “fire into the fire” from one crisis to another, when state propaganda of official atheism had completely outlived its usefulness, people became distrusted, impoverished and unhappy with great energy they rushed to all kinds of folk healers and seers, who promised in an instant to deliver from all imaginable and unimaginable troubles, problems and misfortunes, to give health, to return a loved one, to give wealth and good luck. And deprived of a genuine, grace-filled and, most importantly, mystical life in the Church proven by two thousand years of experience, brought up in unbelief and lack of spirituality and yearning for faith, people living on one sixth of the land rushed into the arms of pseudo-spirituality and pseudo-mysticism. This is how the concept of “psychic” burst into our lives.
From the TV screen, from the pages of periodicals, from huge city billboards, workers of the invisible front, Stakhanovites of magical services, are calling us and offering their services. Probably, on every book layout you can find manuals on fortune telling or love spells, and every self-respecting city or even village has its own local psychic. What is the essence of this extra-church and non-church mysticism?
In order to understand this, we must understand what magic is and from what source it draws its powers. Practicing magicians and psychics can talk for a long time about the fact that there are different types of magic - black, white, green, that they take the strength for their miracles from the inexhaustible sources of the cosmos, from the ancient forces of the earth. But it is important to remember that all non-church mysticism has one source and the origin of all this mystical power is clearly not Divine. It is not God, the loving Creator and Provider of everything that exists, who acts through all kinds of healers and psychics. Their source is the ancient serpent and murderer from time immemorial, the devil. Why? Because in order for God to enter a person’s life, for his soul to be illuminated by Divine light, a feat is needed on the part of each of us. It is necessary to cleanse the soul from the dirt of sin, the feat of co-crucifixion with Christ is required, forgiveness is needed, the desire to become better - these are the keys that open the doors of the human heart for the Divine Guest - Christ, Who alone can bring peace, joy in the Holy Spirit, forgiveness of sins and most importantly - true happiness.
But psychics and magicians offer a different path, the path of spiritual irresponsibility and determinism, the path of passivity. Only one thing is required from a person - to come and trust, that is, to voluntarily put himself at the disposal of those forces that communicate with the psychic, that is, into the hands of the devil. One seemingly harmless visit to a magician - and your soul is wide open to the influence of an evil, all-destructive will, to demonic influence. But, apologists for healers may object, because there are many psychics and so-called grandmothers who immediately send their patients to the temple, inviting them to do this or that action - light nine candles, kiss five icons, confess and take communion, and only then begin to perform certain rituals. But let's think about for whom and to whom such a person comes to the temple - at the call of his heart, obeying the call of God, or at the command of his grandmother, in the hope of whom he warms candles in front of the images - for God or for grandmother Maria or Shura. Thus, it turns out that this person, even coming to the temple, commits a sin - blasphemy, laughing at God and giving the glory and hope due to Him alone to the wicked servants of Satan. And through this blasphemy, this sin, evil forces gain even greater power over the human soul.
But again objections may be heard: what does it matter from what source magicians and sorcerers receive their power if they help people, if we see the real result of their actions. But the result is different. Every person who, in search of spirituality, wanders into the jungle of pseudo-spirituality, ultimately seeks happiness. But it is precisely happiness that the evil forces of hell cannot give a person, because outside of God and without God, one who is created in the image and likeness of God cannot find happiness. Satan is able to give only a temporary illusion of happiness, but the price of this illusion is not at all illusory - it is the eternal salvation of the human soul, it is a renunciation of life in divine love, ultimately, it is a renunciation of God and the opportunity to truly love, and there is no happiness without love and it cannot be. Malice, hatred and deceit are not capable of giving happiness. And therefore, the one who tries to find salvation from troubles in search of the next magician, sorcerer, psychic is deceived and deluded, because the end and logical result of his path is in the dark depths of the underworld abyss.
Probably every confessor who accepts confession can tell dozens of cases where the result of a seemingly harmless trip to a psychic is crippled health and the mutilated destinies of entire generations.
But the All-Merciful Lord, who loves each of us, gives us the opportunity to correct our own mistakes, committed, perhaps, out of ignorance or stupidity. To do this, you need very little - ask God, Whom we offend and sadden with our appeals to magicians and Satan, for forgiveness, and repent in the Sacrament of Confession. By this action, by our repentance, by our appeal to God, we will express our desire and give God the opportunity to enter our lives, to shine upon us with His love, His grace, in the light of which all the vile deeds of the minions of fallen spirits disappear. God alone is able to grant us forgiveness and free us from the burden of past mistakes, and He will certainly hear everyone and help! We only need to take a step towards the Lord, Who is waiting for us with open arms.
Today, even church people are surprised to learn that Christmas fortune-telling is nothing more than a sinful pagan superstition, and appeal to psychics, grandmothers, healers, “healers” and magicians entails dire spiritual consequences.
This happens mainly out of ignorance and lack of faith. A believer who has the fear of God will never turn to those who are servants of fallen spirits. Just as a spiritually healthy person will not visit nightclubs and casinos.
For those who nevertheless stumbled and fell into the sin of communicating with demonic power through magicians or psychics, there is only one way - to a spiritual hospital, to the temple of God, to an appointment with the One Doctor and Healer, to the One Who is able to restore the integrity of the damaged souls, to correct the line of fate of any person (because fate is also the judgment of God) - to the Lord Jesus Christ.
Russian people by nature are very trusting, and this is the basis commercial craft servants of fallen spirits. “Business” leading to the destruction of the souls of those who, in their simplicity, trusted their servants the devil, which from the beginning the father of lies and murderer(cf. John 8:44). Church people know this well. That is why everyone who it prevents from destroying, fooling, and robbing our gullible people rebels against the Church. That is why the holy and wisest Russian men called and call the Church Ark of Salvation And spiritual healer.
How to protect yourself and save yourself and your loved ones from the effects of this terrible spiritual infection?
First of all, a vital “spiritual inoculation” against this deadly spiritual disease is needed. This vaccination is carried out in the Sacrament of Baptism.
In this sacrament, a person is born for his spiritual salvation, and receives, as it were, an entrance ticket to a train that can take him to the Kingdom of Heaven. More precisely, his immortal soul, which he must take care of using the grace-filled power of church sacraments. This can also be compared to how to get a pass to the best clinic on earth, which brings together the best doctors in the world and concentrates all the achievements of medical science and technology. This is what the Orthodox Church means for the soul and for the well-being of a person.
But if a person does not yet feel the gracious power of the Church, how can he still understand why he should go to the Church and avoid sorcerers and psychics? Everything is simple here. For one case of “help” from psychics, you will find dozens of cases of harmful effects and tragic consequences from communicating with them. This is the first. Second: if the majority of magicians and psychics do not deny the beneficial effect of church sacraments and prayers - and who would believe if you call day night and white - black - then in our entire history you will not find a single example of a positive attitude towards sorcerers. In Rus', for example, they believed that the earth did not accept those who communicated with evil spirits, and when a sorcerer died, an aspen stake was driven into the coffin so that he would not wander as a shadow among the living. Undoubtedly, this is a pagan superstition, but the negative attitude of the people towards sorcerers is obvious and true in it.
Having become a Christian, having received the remission of all previously committed sins in the Sacrament of Baptism, a person can independently use the healing means of the Church in his life and protect his life and the lives of his neighbors from the forces of evil, which hypocritically hide their demonic origin under the crafty sign of magicians, psychics, and astrologers .
What are these remedies?
Visit the temple of God as often as possible, for it is the house of God, participate in the grace-filled church sacraments.
Especially try to partake of the Holy Mysteries of Christ more often, for worthy communion brings you, like no other action, closer to our Lord Jesus Christ Himself. Take communion, even if you do not yet feel the beneficial effect of this sacrament on your soul. It has become coarsened, and to break through the deadened thickness of the heart to its pure middle requires patience and time. Be patient, the time will come and you will truly feel the joy of meeting Christ.
Use other powerful weapons that protect us and drive out spiritual evil from our lives. This is prayer and fasting. If it is still difficult to read the morning and evening rules from the prayer book, start reading the short rule of St. Seraphim of Sarov, individual prayers: “Our Father,” given to us by the Lord Himself, the publican’s prayer, the Jesus prayer, the prayer to the Holy Cross, “Rejoice to the Virgin Mary,” 90 --th psalm and others.
To be less distracted by everything that interferes with our salvation and peace of mind, Protect yourself in every possible way from the fallen world with sacred objects: the Crucifixion of Christ and icons of the Mother of God and saints, a pectoral cross. Eat holy Epiphany water and prosphora on an empty stomach every day.
We also have a heavenly patron, given to us in the Sacrament of Baptism - the holy Guardian Angel, we pray to him in the morning, afternoon, evening - so that he will protect us from all evil and not give us to the evil demon (magicians, psychics, astrologers, sorcerers) to possess us “with the violence of this mortal body” - i.e. using our weaknesses, habits, passions and lack of faith. Remember, if you turn to magicians and psychics for help, you are asking for help to the devil himself. Therefore, ask yourself in advance the question with whom you want to be: with God or with His adversary - Satan.
Using the listed means of spiritual salvation, remember the warnings too, which accompany in any spiritual activity. Prayer and fasting in themselves will be fruitless if you do not try to live according to the commandments of God, according to the spirit of the Gospel, and if you do not cleanse your soul of sins in the Sacrament of Confession.
Even if you attend all services, you will read prayers every day, observe fasts, but at the same time:
you will judge your neighbors;
you will hold grudges against them and not forgive them their sins;
you will not fight with personal sins and vicious passions of your own soul: with pride, with envy, with hostility towards neighbors, with hatred of personal enemies, with irritability, with lustful thoughts, with the love of money and voluptuousness - and such sins are like sand in each of us sea -
then your prayer efforts will be in vain.
In everything that is most important in our lives, let us rely on the help of God, the help of the Queen of Heaven and the saints. And we will not be afraid of any enemy force, nor damage, nor love spells, nor the evil eye, nor any other influence of psychics and magicians, for neither the devil himself nor his countless associates and servants are able to do anything to us against the will of God. And if God is for us, then who can be against us? Let us watch ourselves and yawn less as we walk through life following our Savior.
Archpriest Peter Vlaschenko