What the Church says about witchcraft. Holy Fathers of the Church on Witchcraft. Elder Paisiy Svyatogorets about witchcraft influence

Witches, sorcerers, and psychics openly appear on television today and offer their services. We are seeing more and more books dedicated to magic. No wonder! Look at how we live, what our ideals are, what we strive for. We sin, we are mired in debauchery, passions and vices - so many servants of Satan have arisen who are trying to bring hell to earth. How can a person protect himself from witchcraft?

Those who strive for power and authority begin to practice witchcraft in order to get what they want without even making an effort. To achieve results they use spells and enchantments. As a rule, proud and vain people follow this path.

But it's not that simple. By subscribing to evil, a person becomes a slave dark force. And when he stops witchcraft and doing evil, demons begin to torture him. At the same time, sorcerers experience physical pain and severe mental suffering.

Only by coming to church and bringing sincere repentance to God, there is a chance to get rid of this influence.
Sometimes during lectures the demons blurt out: “We have now intimidated believers with witchcraft. Let them forget that everything is God’s will.”.

And indeed! Sometimes we forget that not a hair of our head will fall without the knowledge of God. If a person leads an Orthodox lifestyle - confesses his sins, takes communion, and does not hold any grudge against anyone, then no witchcraft can influence him.

And if you have mortal sins, hidden vices, if passions are alive inside you, which you serve and do not repent of it, do not strive to correct yourself, then you are not protected from damage or witchcraft.

Elder Paisiy of Athos tells how the husband of one woman became entangled with sorcerers and did not even want to put on pectoral cross.

To help him somehow, she sewed a small cross into the collar of his jacket. One day a man had to cross a bridge to the other side of the river. Having climbed onto the bridge, he heard a voice telling him: “Anastasy! Anastasy! Take off your jacket so that we can walk across the bridge together.”

Fortunately, the weather was cold, and he replied: “Where to shoot there? It’s dog cold!” “Take it off,” the same voice persuaded him, “take it off so we can walk across the bridge.”

The devil wanted to throw this man off the bridge into the river, but he could not do this because he had a cross on him. In the end, the devil was able to throw the unfortunate man only to the edge of the bridge. If it had not been cold, the man would have taken off his jacket, and then the devil would have thrown him into the river.

The life of every person is a spark that flared up and will fade away, which we, unfortunately, forget about. But already here it is possible for a person to feel heavenly bliss or the breath of hell.

There are many wonderful examples of how the righteous felt in this life.

Here are lines from a letter from Leo Tolstoy, written in 1902, by the way, at the very height of his anti-church activities:

“In the Optina Hermitage, for more than 30 years, a paralyzed monk lay on the floor, using only his left hand. The doctor said that he must have suffered greatly, but he not only did not complain about his situation, but, constantly crossing himself, looking at the icons, smiling, he expressed his gratitude to God and joy for the spark of life that glimmered in him. Tens of thousands of visitors visited him, and it is difficult to imagine the good that spread to the world from this man deprived of the opportunity to act. Probably, this man did more good than thousands and thousands of healthy people imagining that they are serving the world in various institutions".

And vice versa. We can give many examples where people who seem to need nothing actually suffer greatly. External prosperity without purity of conscience, without faith in God and eternal life cannot give a person spiritual comfort and joy. Everything is not joyful for them; they feel the breath of hell already here on earth.

Those who practice witchcraft are unfortunate people who, of their own free will, doom themselves to eternal torment. Think about it! Eternity is something that never ends.

But God is merciful. Each of us always has hope for God’s mercy, for the salvation of the soul. You just need to turn to the Lord, reconcile with Him, repent and begin to live according to God’s commandments.

It's not that easy, it takes a lot of effort and work on yourself. But what joy awaits the soul after death!

Novogrudok Diocesan Gazette (February 2010)

The black forces of darkness are powerless. People themselves, moving away from God, make them strong, because by moving away from God, people give the devil rights over themselves.

Since often - wanting to help you - I told you about Paradise, about Angels and about saints, now - again wanting to help you - I will tell you a little about hellish torment and about demons, so that you know with whom we are fighting.

One day a young man came to my kaliva - a sorcerer from Tibet. He told me a lot about his life. As a three-year-old baby - having just been weaned from his mother's breast - he was given by his father to a group of Tibetan sorcerers of thirty people, so that they could initiate him into the secrets of their witchcraft. This young man has reached the eleventh degree of witchcraft - highest degree twelfth. When he was sixteen years old, he left Tibet and went to Sweden to see his father. In Sweden, he accidentally met an Orthodox priest and wanted to talk with him. The young sorcerer did not know at all what it was Orthodox priest. In the hall where they were talking, the young man, wanting to show his strength, began to show various witchcraft tricks. He called one of the elder demons named Mina and told him: “I want water.” After he said these words, one of the glasses rose into the air by itself, flew under the tap, the water opened, the glass was filled and then flew through the closed glass door into the hall where they were sitting. The young man took this glass and drank the water. Then, without leaving the hall, he showed the priest sitting in front of him the entire Universe, the sky, the stars. He used witchcraft of the fourth degree and wanted to reach the eleventh.

Then he asked the priest how he assessed everything he saw. “If he had blasphemed Satan,” the young sorcerer told me, “then I could have killed him.” However, the priest did not answer. Then the young man asked: “Why don’t you show me some sign?” “My God is a humble God,” answered the priest. Then he took out a cross, gave it into the hands of the young sorcerer and told him: “Create some other sign.” The young man called Mina, the elder demon, but Mina, trembling like an aspen leaf, could not dare to approach him. Then the young man called Satan himself, but he, seeing the cross in his hands, behaved the same way - he was afraid to approach him. Satan told him only one thing: to quickly leave Sweden and return to Tibet again. Then the young man began to scold Satan: “Now I understand that your great strength is actually great powerlessness.” Then the young man was taught by that good priest the truths of the faith. The priest told him about the Holy Land, about Holy Mount Athos and other holy places. After leaving Sweden, the young man made a pilgrimage to Jerusalem, where he saw the Holy Fire. From Jerusalem he went to America in order to give a good thrashing to his fellow Satanists and straighten their brains. God made this young man the best preacher! From America he came to Holy Mount Athos.

In infancy, this unfortunate man was treated unfairly, and therefore the Good God Himself helped him, intervening in his life without effort on his part. However, pray for him, because the sorcerers with all the demonic hordes are waging war against him. Since they raise such abuse against me - when he comes to me and asks for help - then how much more abuse do they raise against him! When the priests read incantatory prayers over him, the veins in the unfortunate man’s arms burst and blood flows. Demons terribly torment the unfortunate young man, but before, when he was friends with them, they did not do anything bad to him, but only helped him and fulfilled all his wishes. Pray. However, he himself now needs to be very careful, because in the Gospel it is written that the unclean spirit, having come out of a person, “goes and takes with it seven other spirits that are cruel to itself, and when it comes in, it lives there: and the last will be worse to that man than the first.”

Sorcerers also use various demonic “shrines”

- Geronda, who are the “charms”?

- Sorcerers. They use the psalms of David, the names of saints, and the like in their divination, but they confuse this with invoking demons. That is, just as we, when reading the Psalter, call on God’s help and accept Divine Grace, they, using psalms and shrines in a similar way, do the exact opposite: they blaspheme God, move away from Divine Grace, and after that the demons do what they ask. I was told about one guy who went to a sorcerer to help him achieve some goal. The sorcerer read something from the Psalter over him and the boy achieved what he wanted. However, very little time passed, and the poor fellow began to fade away, melting like a candle. What did the sorcerer do?

He took some nuts and seeds in his palm and began to read the fiftieth psalm over the guy. Having reached the words “sacrifice to God,” he squeezed his hand and threw out the nuts and seeds squeezed in it, thus making a sacrifice to the demons so that they would fulfill his request. So, with the help of the Psalter, this sorcerer blasphemed God.

- Geronda, and some of those who practice magic use a cross, icons...

- Yeah, I know. From this you can understand what kind of deception lies behind all their actions! Using sacred objects, they deceive unfortunate people. People see that sorcerers light candles, “pray” in front of icons, and perform similar actions, and they trust the deceivers. One person told me that in the city where he lives, some Turkish woman placed an icon of the Most Holy Theotokos on one stone and now calls this stone “the stone that helps people”! She doesn't say she helps people Holy Mother of God, but says that the stone helps them. Christians who see the icon of the Blessed Virgin Mary are confused by this. Those of them who are not in good health run to this stone with the thought that they will receive help from it, and then the devil does whatever he wants with them. After all, from the moment the Turkish woman says that she doesn’t help people Mother of God, and a stone, the devil immediately intervenes in the matter, since these words are contempt for the Most Holy Theotokos. The Grace of God departs from people, and demonic possession begins. So Christians run as fast as they can to the stone so that it can heal them - the stone along with the tangalashka! And in the end they are maimed, because is it possible to get help from the devil? If these people had even a little thought in their heads, they would have thought: a Turkish woman is a Muslim, what connection can she have with the icon of the Most Holy Theotokos? Even if this Turkish woman said that the Most Holy Theotokos helps people, it would be worth thinking: what relation could she have to the Most Holy Theotokos, being a Muslim? And even more so to say, as she claims, that the stone heals people! Having heard about this story, I asked my friend to notify me about what was happening responsible persons in the Diocesan Administration of the city where this happened and take appropriate measures to protect people from this evil.

- Geronda, people ask us for incense.

- When they ask you for incense, it’s better to give them crosses. Don’t sew incense, because sorcerers also use incense now. On the outside they glue an icon or a cross to the amulet, but inside they put various magical objects. People see an icon or a cross outside and get confused. So a few days ago they brought me an amulet taken from a Turk named Ibrahim. This amulet had a cross embroidered on the outside. I was told about one sorcerer, who is not at all afraid of God, that he rolls various icons into a tube, and puts wool, some pieces of wood, pins, various beads and similar objects inside. When the Church exposed this sorcerer, he said that he was a medium. And since mediums in our country are given freedom, he continues to do whatever he pleases. I told one person who was damaged by this sorcerer: “Go and confess, because you are receiving demonic influence.” He went to confess, then returned to me and said: “I don’t feel any difference between the current state and the one in which I was before confession.” - “Listen, maybe you are wearing some object that the seduced one gave you?” - I asked him. “Yes,” he answered, “I have with me a small box that looks like the Gospel, which he gave me.” I took this box from him, opened it and found various twisted icons inside. Unwinding them, I found beads, scraps of wool, wood chips and the like inside! After I took this box from the unfortunate man, he was freed from demonic influence. You see what a master the devil is!

Unhappy people wear such amulet, talismans, supposedly in order to get help, and in the end they suffer. Those who, having become entangled with sorcerers, received such magical objects from them as a “blessing”, must burn these objects and bury the ashes in the ground or throw them into the sea. Then such people need to go to confession. This is the only way to free yourself from demonic influence. One day a young man came to my kaliva who was in a very serious condition, in many respects. He had been suffering physically and mentally for more than four years. He lived a sinful life, and Lately shut himself up in his home and didn’t want to see anyone. His two friends, who regularly came to the Holy Mountain, had great difficulty in convincing him to go with them. They did this to bring him to me. From Ouranoupolis to Daphne they sailed by ship. When the ship moored to various Svyatogorsk monasteries, the young man fell exhausted onto the ship’s deck. His friends and monks who were on the ship tried to bring him to his senses by saying the Jesus Prayer. With great difficulty they managed to bring him to my kaliva.

The unfortunate man opened his heart to me and told me about his life. Realizing that he was suffering from some kind of demonic influence, I advised him to go to one Athonite confessor, do what he told him, and thus receive healing. He actually went and confessed. When, returning from Athos, they boarded the ship, the young man told his friends that his confessor told him to throw into the sea a talisman given to him by an acquaintance, which he constantly wore on himself. “But I can’t throw it away!” - said the unfortunate man. No matter how much his friends tried to persuade him to get up and throw the talisman into the sea, he seemed petrified and could not rise from his place. Then they carried him onto the deck with great difficulty. With the help of friends, the young man took off this demonic talisman. He didn't even have the strength to throw it into the sea. He simply unclenched his hand, and the demonic talisman fell into the sea itself. Instantly, he felt his arms freed and his exhausted body immediately strengthened. Full of life, the young man began to jump around the ship with joy, and then rushed to test the strength of his hands on the iron ship's handrails and the ship's plating.

Those who practice witchcraft also invent a lot of lies.

— Geronda, do sorcerers receive any revelations about a person, about current events, etc.?

- It happens that they learn about something from the devil, but they themselves invent a lot various lies. Those of you who are obedient in the archondarik must be careful. You must not let what is happening there get out of control. You need to look at what kind of people visit the monastery, because someone involved in witchcraft may come. Does this seem surprising to you? Somehow here for one all-night vigil two people who practiced witchcraft came. They pestered people and fooled them. They deceived everyone by allegedly maintaining contact with Metropolitan Augustine.

They said to one woman: “They have damaged you. Let’s come to your home and remove the damage from you using the cross that we have.” And people, seeing how sorcerers come to vigils and talk about spiritual things, think: “But since they go to vigils, that means they are believers” - and open their hearts to deceivers. How they fool people with their lies! One such liar, wanting to deceive the girl, told her: “Father Paisius had a vision that you and I would get married. So take this little thing and put it around your neck. But don’t look what’s inside!” And he gave her some kind of witchcraft talisman. Fortunately, the girl did not put it on herself. “Oh, so it means that Father Paisiy is engaged in such “stuff!” - she boiled. Without thinking twice, she sat down at the table and wrote me a letter - full of strong expressions. Four pages of neat handwriting! She scolded me the most last words! “Have a fight, have a fight,” I said, reading the letter, “it’s okay. For me, your swearing is like a balm - after all, you didn’t let yourself be deceived and didn’t put the demonic amulet on yourself!”

- Did she know you, Geronda?

- No, I did not know. And I didn’t know them either: neither her nor that deceiver.

Demonic witchcraft actions

- Geronda, what did you tell the schoolchildren who came today and told you that they summoned a spirit?

- What did they have to say? The first thing I did was give them a good thrashing! After all, everything they did was a renunciation of the Christian faith. The very moment people call out the devil and accept him, they renounce God. Therefore, I advised them, first of all, to repent, sincerely confess and be attentive in the future: go to church, take communion with the blessing of their confessor, in order to become chaste. But these schoolchildren - because they are children - have extenuating circumstances. They did it like it was a game. If these were adults, then such an activity would cause them great harm: the devil would acquire considerable power over them. But he has already tortured all of these children too.

— Geronda, what exactly were they doing?

- What many people do... They put a glass of water on the table, draw a circle around it with the alphabet: alpha, vita, gamma and so on. Then they dip their fingers into the water and call upon the spirit, that is, the devil. The glass begins to move around the table, stops in front of the letters and thus words are formed. The children who came today called the spirit and when he came they asked: “Is there a God?” - "There is no god!" - the devil answered them. "And who are you?" - the children asked. "Satan!" - he answered them. “Is there a Satan?” - the children asked. "Eat!" - he answered them. That is, such nonsense that it doesn’t fit into any gate! There is no God, but there is a devil! And when they asked him again if there was a God, he answered them: “Yes, there is.” Either yes or no. So the children themselves didn’t know what to think. God arranged it this way to help them. And then one girl from their company took and broke this glass. She broke it according to God’s providence, so that the rest of the guys would also come to their senses.

Today, many, wanting to do evil to someone, resort to the help of sorcerers who use wax dolls. Wax dolls are like a toy, a hobby for sorcerers.

- Geronda, what are they doing with the doll?

— They make a doll out of wax that looks like a person. When people come to them and ask, for example, that their enemy be blinded, they stick a needle into the doll’s eyes and at the same time pronounce the name of the person they want to blind. They also commit other demonic acts. And if a person who is being damaged in this way lives a sinful life and does not confess, then the demonic influence affects his eyes. From pain they seem to come out of their sockets! The person is examined by doctors, but the doctors find nothing.

And what evil do mediums, psychics, “clairvoyants” and the like do to people! Not only do they siphon money out of people, they also destroy families. For example, a person goes to a “clairvoyant” and tells him about his problems. “Look,” the “clairvoyant” answers him, “one of your relatives, a little dark, a little taller than average, has cast a spell on you.” A person begins to look for which of his relatives has such characteristic features. It is impossible that none of his relatives were at least a little like the one the sorcerer described to him. “Ah,” says the man, having found the “culprit” of his suffering. “So that means she put a spell on me!” And he is overcome by hatred for this woman. And this poor thing herself does not know at all the reasons for his hatred. It happens that she did him some favor, but he seethes with hatred towards her and does not even want to see her! Then he goes to the sorcerer again and he says: “Well, now we need to remove this damage from you. To do this you will have to pay me some money.” “Well,” says the confused man, “since he found who damaged me, I must reward him!” And he forks out.

Do you see what the devil is doing? He creates temptations. Whereas a good person - even if he actually knows for sure that someone did something bad to someone else - will never say this to the victim: “So-and-so did harm to you.” No, he will try to help the unfortunate person. “Listen,” he will tell him, “don’t accept different thoughts. Go and confess and don’t be afraid of anything.” In this way he helps both one and the other. After all, the one who has harmed his neighbor, seeing how he behaves towards him with kindness, thinks - in in a good way this word - and he repents.

The devil can never do good

- Geronda, can a sorcerer heal a sick person?

— For a sorcerer to heal a sick person? A sorcerer can “heal” a person who is tormented by a demon by sending this demon to another person. After all, the sorcerer and the devil are friends and comrades. The sorcerer says to the devil: “Get out of this man and enter that one.” That is, when casting out a demon from a person who is under demonic influence, the sorcerer usually sends it to one of his relatives or acquaintances who has given the devil rights over himself. Then the person who had a demon in him says: “I suffered, and such and such a healer healed me.” So the sorcerer creates advertising. But in the end, the demon that comes out of a person circles around his relatives and acquaintances. Suppose, having fallen under demonic influence, a person became hunchbacked. The sorcerer can cast the demon out of this person and send it to another person. This way the hunchbacked person will straighten up. However, if he became hunchbacked due to an accident, the sorcerer cannot heal him.

I was once told that a woman “heals” the sick using various sacred [symbols and objects]. Hearing about what she was doing, I was at times an invention, the “art” of the devil. During her sessions, the sorceress picks up a cross and sings various church hymns. For example, she sings “To the Virgin Mary” and, having reached the words “Blessed is the Fruit of Your womb,” spits next to the cross, that is, in this way she blasphemes Christ, and therefore the tangalashka helps her. In this way, she “heals”—for example, from mental depression [depression]—some people who have become ill due to demonic influence. Doctors cannot cure these people, but she “heals” them because she casts out of them the demon that weighs on their souls. And then he sends this demon to another person. And many of the patients consider this witch a saint! They consult with her, but she slowly harms their souls, destroys them.

Attention is required. One must stay away from sorcerers, from witchcraft, just as a person stays away from fire or snakes. There is no need to mix different things. The devil can never do anything good. He can only “heal” those diseases that he himself causes.

I know such a case. One young man contacted a sorcerer and began practicing witchcraft himself. Then he got hurt, got sick, and was eventually admitted to the hospital. He was in the hospital for several months, and his father spent a lot of money because at that time there was no insurance or anything like that. Doctors tried to find the cause of his illness, but found nothing. The young man reached a terrible state. And what did the devil do then? He appeared to this young man in the form of the Honest Forerunner - the patron saint of their area. The “honest forerunner” said to the sick man: “I will heal you if your father builds a church.” The young man told his father about the vision, and the unhappy father said: “After all, this is my child. I will give everything I have to make him healthy.” And the sick man’s father vowed to build a church in honor of the Honest Forerunner. The devil came out of the sick man, and the young man became healthy. The devil performed... a “miracle”! After the healing, the young man’s father said: “I made a vow to rebuild the church, and now the time has come to fulfill this vow.” These people did not have any extra money, and in order to build the temple, they sold all their land. The young man's father went bankrupt, and all his children were left in the open air. “Let it be empty, this Orthodoxy!” - they said in anger and became Jehovah's Witnesses. Do you see what the devil is doing? In all likelihood, there had been no Jehovah's Witnesses in that area before, and he came up with a way to sow Jehovah's weeds there too!

When does witchcraft have power?

- Geronda, in what case is witchcraft powerful?

- Since witchcraft worked, it means that the person gave the devil rights over himself. That is, he gave the devil some serious reason and then did not order himself through repentance and confession. If a person confesses, then the damage - even if it is shoveled under him - does not harm him. This happens because when a person confesses and has a pure heart, sorcerers cannot “work together” with the devil in order to harm this person.

One day a middle-aged man came to my kaliva. He came with an insolent and unceremonious look. Seeing him from afar, I realized that he was under demonic influence. “I came for you to help me,” he told me. — Pray for me, because I’m already for a long time I suffer from terrible headaches and the doctors can’t find anything.” “You have a demon,” I answered him. “He entered you because you gave the devil rights over you.” “No, I didn’t do anything like that,” he began to assure me. “I didn’t do anything ‘like that’,” I say. - And about how you deceived that girl that you forgot? Well, she went to the sorcerer and caused damage. Now go, ask the deceived girl for forgiveness, then confess. In addition, spell prayers must be read over you so that you become healthy. But if you do not understand, do not realize your sin and do not repent of it, then even if all the confessors from all over the world gather and pray for you, the demon will still not leave you.” When people come to me with such shamelessness, I speak to them bluntly, calling things by their proper names.

Another man told me that his wife is possessed by an unclean spirit, she makes terrible scandals at home, jumps up at night, wakes up the whole family and turns everything upside down. “Are you going to confess?” - I asked him. “No,” he answered me. “It must be,” I told him, “you have given the devil rights over you. These things don’t happen out of the blue.” This man began to tell me about himself, and finally we found the reason for what was happening to his wife. It turns out that he visited one Khoja, who “for good luck” gave him some water so that he could sprinkle his house. This man did not attach any importance to this demonic sprinkling. And then the devil went wild in his house.

How can witchcraft be broken?

- Geronda, if witchcraft has affected a person, has had power over him, then how to free himself from it?

— You can free yourself from witchcraft through repentance and confession. Because first of all, the reason why witchcraft affected a person must be found. He must admit his sin, repent and confess. How many people, exhausted by the damage brought upon them, come to my kaliva and ask: “Pray for me so that I can be freed from this torment!” They ask for my help, but at the same time they do not look into themselves, they do not try to understand where the evil that is happening to them began, in order to eliminate this cause. That is, these people must understand what their guilt was and why witchcraft had power over them. They must repent and confess in order for their torment to end.

- Geronda, what if a person who has been damaged reaches such a state that he can no longer help himself? That is, if he can no longer go to confession or talk with a priest? Can others help him?

— His relatives can invite a priest to the house so that he can perform the Sacrament of the Blessing of Unction over the unfortunate person or serve a prayer service with water. A person in such a state must be given holy water to drink so that evil will recede at least a little and Christ will enter into him at least a little. One woman whose child was in the condition you speak of did this, and the child received help from it. She told me that her son suffered a lot because he was hexed. “He needs to go to confession,” I advised her. “Father,” she exclaimed, “how can he go to confession in that state?” “Then,” I told her, “ask your confessor to come to your house to perform a prayer service for water, and let your son drink this holy water. However, will he drink it? “It will be,” she answered. “Well,” I say, “start with a prayer service for water, and then try to get your child to talk to the priest. If he confesses, he will be able to throw the devil far away from himself.” And indeed: this woman listened to me and her son benefited. A little time passed, and he was able to confess and became healthy.

Do you know what another unfortunate woman came up with? Her husband became entangled with sorcerers and did not even want to wear a cross on his body. In order to help him at least a little, she sewed a small cross into the collar of his jacket. One day her husband had to cross a bridge to the other side of the river. Climbing onto the bridge, he heard a voice telling him: “Anastasius! Anastasy! Take off your jacket so that we can walk across the bridge together.” Fortunately, the weather was cold, and he replied: “Where should I shoot there? It’s cold as hell!” “Take it off,” the same voice persuaded him, “take it off so we can walk across the bridge.” Damn you, devil! The devil wanted to throw this man off the bridge into the river, but he could not do this because he was wearing a cross. And in the end, the devil was able to throw the unfortunate man only to the edge of the bridge. His family searched all night and finally found him lying on the bridge. If it had not been cold, he would have taken off his jacket, and then the devil would have thrown him into the river. This man was saved by a cross sewn into his clothes. His unfortunate wife was a believer. After all, if she didn’t have faith, would she have sewn a cross into his clothes?

Cooperation between sorcerers and demons

- Geronda, can’t a person who has holiness help some sorcerer?

- How can he help him? Here you tell a person who has a little fear of God to be careful, because by living like this, he is following the wrong path - and such a person, even having the fear of God, still continues to blow his own trumpet. And what can we say about a sorcerer who collaborates with the devil? How can you help such a person? You will begin to tell him spiritual things, but he will still remain with the devil. There is nothing you can do to help the sorcerer. Only if you say the Jesus Prayer when he is in front of you, then the demon can get confused and the sorcerer will not be able to do his job.

One person was unwell. And so the sorcerer - a charlatan like no other - came to his house to “help”. And the sick man said the Jesus Prayer. He was a very simple man and did not know that the one who came to him was a sorcerer. That's why God intervened in what was happening. And look what God allowed so that the unfortunate person would understand with whom he was dealing! The sick man said the Jesus Prayer, and the demons began to beat the sorcerer, so that the sorcerer himself began to ask for help from the person whose house he had come to “heal” him!

- Geronda, the sick man, did you see the demon with your own eyes?

“He didn’t see the demon, he saw that something unimaginable was happening. The sorcerer shouted: “Help!” - he tumbled on the floor, fell, shielded himself from the blows of invisible enemies with his hands. So don’t think that sorcerers have a sweet life and demons always do for them everything you ask. It is enough for demons that the sorcerers have renounced Christ once. First, the sorcerers enter into an agreement with the demons to help them, and for several years the demons obey their orders. However, a little time passes, and the demons say to the sorcerers: “Why on earth are we going to stand on ceremony with you?” And if sorcerers fail to cope with the tasks of demons, then do you know how they get it later?

I remember we were talking in the kaliva courtyard with that young sorcerer from Tibet whom I told you about earlier. Suddenly he jumped up, grabbed my hands and twisted them behind my back. “Let Hajefendi come now and free you!” - he told me defiantly. “Oh, you devil! - I seethed. - Well, get out of here! I pushed the blasphemer and he fell to the ground. Why listen to him blaspheme the Saint?! Then he jumped up and wanted to kick me, but he couldn’t do that either: his foot stopped right next to my lips. God saved me. I left him standing in the courtyard and entered the Cell. Some time passes, and I see: he - covered in thorns, in some branches - is coming out of a ravine overgrown with weeds that was located near my kaliva. “Satan punished me,” he told me, “because I could not defeat you. It was he who dragged me into this thicket.”

What to do with neighbors who cast spells, wish evil, and often plant spoken things in the garden? It is impossible to live in peace with them. How to pray when you are despised, undeservedly, innocently offended?

When a person goes to a resort or sanatorium to improve his health, he takes all the procedures prescribed for him, including mud baths. He even pays money for it and thanks the doctors when they cover him all over with black mud. They smear it - he’s black and walking around. But for some reason we don’t thank those people who throw mud at us for free. After all, slander, gossip, contemptuous words are the dirt that heals our soul. We must accept it with joy, knowing that our soul is being cleansed.

The Lord said: “Save your souls with patience; he who endures to the end will be saved.” How can you acquire patience if you don’t have it? The Lord gives such a person lessons in patience and humility. For example, neighbors become angry, make noise, scold, and slander. If we do not blame our neighbors for anything, we thank God and consider that our neighbors were sent to us to develop patience, then our soul will quickly become healthy, and in a healthy soul there are no resentments or irritation. It contains compassion for those fallen in evil, it contains love and mercy, it contains God Himself.

Or a person has suffered a serious illness - cancer. This is a great opportunity to correct everything that was wrong in life, to confess sins, repent and receive communion. A person can get on the right path, even one month, a week before his death. The Lord also accepts “at the eleventh hour,” and gives the same reward to all who turn to Him - salvation. The main thing is how we will move into the other world. WITH good deeds, with humility and a pure soul or with unrepentant sins. This is the most terrible state when the soul is burdened with sins.

Yes, evil spirits they pester us, but only by God’s permission. The Lord knows better than we ourselves what is good for our soul and, wanting to cleanse it, like a loving Father gives us bitter medicine, and when we need to regret, he will console and encourage us.

Without the will of the Lord, no one has power over us: no grandmother, no grandfather, no sorcerer. If God does not allow it, no one can harm us. When a person constantly goes to church, he is under the special care of God, and the Lord protects him from all witchcraft. You just need to be faithful to the Lord until death. If a person suddenly happens to forget about his Heavenly Father, change Him, stop praying to Him, the Father will still not forget him. On the contrary, he will try to bring his lost son back to Himself. And for this he can remind himself of himself through troubles, illnesses and sorrows. And this is how you can get rid of resentment towards those who harm and slander. Set yourself up in advance that those people who cause us harm are instruments of God’s will. Pray to the Lord: “Lord, help me get through all this!” We are proud, sick, spoiled. Why is a person touchy? Why, when they say the word to him in order to correct him in something, he explodes: “How is it: they are telling me? Don’t you know who I am?” This is a disease of the soul. No matter where you touch her, everywhere that soul hurts. And in the Kingdom of Heaven we need healthy people, strong in spirit.

Our grandmother is unbaptized and an unbeliever, she goes to the sessions of one sorcerer (he once helped her heal her legs). We go to church and become a church member. Grandmother curses us: “When you started going to church, because of you my life went awry.” How can we protect ourselves from this?

Don't be afraid or worry. The Bible says: undeserved curses are not accepted by God. And know that the grandmother was cured: the devil also has his parishioners. He helps them too - for a while. If only to tear me away from God.

If such grandmothers do not turn to God for help, they go to healers, to sorcerers, to the servants of the devil, they die in terrible agony and voluntarily betray themselves to hell for eternal torment.

Look, on television they say: “I am a witch of the fourth or fifth generation. I will cure fear, the evil eye, wine drinking, I will heal you from all diseases, I will give you good luck in love and business.” These “healers” do not treat with God’s help; they do not advise going to confession or confessing sins. But it is precisely at confession that the Lord forgives repentant sinners and gives gracious power to fight sin, heals.

The goal of these “healers” is to tear people away from faith in God. They may not want to harm people, but they still serve the Devil. They themselves fell into his network, and the demons constantly tormented them and forced them to “treat” them. And if the sorcerer does not fulfill the will of his masters - evil spirits, he suffers greatly. This is the “work” of sorcerers, because they voluntarily gave their soul to the demon.

The demon seems to help people who turn to such a sorcerer. The demon himself does not have life in God, he is not capable of doing good. A temporary “improvement” occurs - the soul of the sufferer is captured, and then the illness continues. greater strength returns. It’s not in vain that your grandmother curses: and the demons took over her, began to torment her, and forced her to do their will. And the Lord protects you from curses for your prayers and loyalty to Him.

It is known that not only Orthodox Christians go to the temple, but also psychics and even sorcerers. I know that some parishioners are embarrassed. They are afraid that the sorcerer will conjure something during the service or that a psychic will act. How to calm such people?

If sorcerers, magicians, sorcerers from all over the world gather and cast spells against you and God does not allow them to harm you, they will not be able to do anything! Without the will of God, not a single leaf from a tree will fall, not a single hair from a human head. Sorcerers have no power over Orthodox believers! Remember all this. Over whom do they have power? Anyone who does not go to church, does not pray to God, does not know prayers, is not protected by anything. But sorcerers will not be able to harm such people either, unless God allows it. But He can allow it in order to awaken from the slumber of unbelief, to draw the Father into His arms. He reminds a person that without the faith of Christ an abyss awaits him. And calls him to repentance and correction.

"Fear no one but God alone!" And people believe more in sorcerers than in God. A man stands in the temple before God, asking Him for protection and patronage. And what? Will God really allow someone to spoil you right here? No. And the sorcerer will not take away the grace after communion; it will be taken away by our evil will and sinful habits, our passions. We are rude to our neighbor, condemn him, and then look for the culprit - the sorcerer. “Those who speak evil will not inherit the Kingdom of God,” says the Holy Scripture. Only kind, humble, bright souls enter there.

All your strength must be concentrated on the thought: “I am zero, I am nothing without God. The living God in me is everything. And I must try to be pure, so that He lives in me by His grace!” When we get used to this thought, humble ourselves, and this becomes a constant state of our soul, then the Lord will perform miracles through us and reveal His power. It is said in the Holy Scriptures: “In human weakness the power of God is made perfect.”

The gypsies took the photograph from me and are now sending an unclean spirit to me. What to do? Will the Antichrist be able to put a stamp on my photo?

There is no indication in the Holy Scriptures that a stamp will be placed on the image of a person, on his photograph. It says that they will bet on the forehead and on right hand. So there is no need to be afraid.

And the gypsies cannot harm you in any way. All Orthodox Christians must remember: let all the sorcerers, magicians and sorcerers gather to do harm and cast spells; if God does not allow it, they will not be able to do anything.

If you feel spiritually unwell, I advise you to think not “what are the gypsies doing bad to me?”, but “what have I done bad in my life?” There is no need to blame anyone: neither gypsies, nor sorcerers. We must remember: “What sins do I have?” Perhaps there are grave, mortal, unrepentant sins. Maybe you didn’t repent of these sins during confession and were ashamed? And they are the stumbling block between God and your soul.

The Lord allows sorcerers to harm us for a good purpose: so that we look back at our unrighteous life, repent and begin to live holy. And then not a single sorcerer will harm us - the grace of God will cover and protect us.

They brought a demon-possessed man to St. Anthony the Great and asked: “Cast the demon out of him!” The monk began to read a prayer and said: “Demon, come out of him!” And he asks: “Where should I go?” Anthony replies: “Come inside me.” - “I’m afraid of you, the Holy Spirit is in you! There’s no place for me there!”

In churches you can often see and hear demoniacs. People, seeing them, begin to close their mouths, fearing that the demon will enter them through the mouth. There was such a case. A demon in one woman screamed: “Why did you shut your mouth? I won’t enter you, my friend, the demon of fornication is sitting in you!” The “hut” there is already occupied. When the Holy Spirit is in a person, there is no place for evil spirits.

Many of our people, out of ignorance and due to the demonic spirit in the air, turn to fortune-tellers, healers, contactees and other psychics. Many so-called healers pretend to be bioenergy therapists, but their essence is still the same magic or witchcraft. Extrasensory manipulation of energy, biofield, aura or invasion of a person’s soul are witchcraft techniques from black magic. Sorcerers hide behind scientific terms “biofield”, “torsion field”, “fields of weak interactions” and the like. But these terms do not speak of any science, except perhaps esoteric (occult). Don’t be confused by either the terminology or calling yourself Orthodox: Christianity has nothing in common with witchcraft and cannot have it.

Moreover, and Old Testament, And New Testament They treat sorcerers, sorcerers, sorcerers, fortune tellers, spirit conjurers and other occultists very strictly. Deuteronomy (18:9-13) says: “When you enter 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 leads his son or daughter through fire, a soothsayer, a fortuneteller, a sorcerer, a sorcerer, a charmer, spirits, magician and questioner of the dead; For everyone who does this 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 your God.”

“But the prophet who dares to speak in My name what I did not command him to say, and who speaks in the name of other gods, such a prophet shall you put to death.” (18, 20).

“Do not turn to those who summon the dead, and do not go to wizards, and do not bring yourself to the point of being desecrated by them. I am the Lord your God"(Lev. 19:31).

“And if any soul turns to those who call the dead and to magicians to walk after them fornication, then I will turn My face against that soul and will cut it off from among its people. Sanctify yourselves and be holy, for I am the Lord [your] God.”(Lev. 20:6-7).

“Thus says the Lord, who redeemed you and formed you from your mother’s womb: I am the Lord, who created all things, who alone stretched out the heavens and spread out the earth with His power, who makes the signs of false prophets null and void and reveals the folly of magicians, who drives away the wise and makes their knowledge foolish.”(Isa. 44:24-25).

“And do not listen to your prophets, and your fortune-tellers, and your dreamers, and your wizards, and your astrologers... For they prophesy lies to you...”(Jer. 27:9 - 10).

“...Obedience is better than sacrifice, and to obey is better than the fat of rams; for disobedience is the same sin as witchcraft, and rebellion is the same as idolatry.”(1 Samuel 15:22-23).

“Don’t leave the witches alive”(Ex. 22:18).

“Don’t tell fortunes or tell fortunes”(Lev. 19:26).

“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? Look to the law and Revelation. If they do not speak like this word, then there is no light in them."(Ex. 8:19-20).

As we see, the Old Testament, or God’s Old Law for the Jews, very firmly and unequivocally prohibits not only engaging in witchcraft, sorcery and other types of occultism, but even turning to them, and it is very definitely stated that the prophecies of fortune-tellers, dreamers, astrologers (astrologers) , the deeds of wizards (magicians and sorcerers) are lies. All believing Orthodox Christians should know this well and not take part in deeds abominable before the Lord, for it is said about those who turn to sorcerers: “I will turn My face against that soul and will destroy it from among its people.” Is this why those who turn to sorcerers, magicians, psychics and other demonic servants suffer in this way, because the Lord God turned His Face on them with anger and a ban on going to magicians, sorcerers, astrologers and others. We must not forget that not a single word of God goes in vain.

The New Testament or the Law of God for all mankind also strictly approaches occultists.

The Holy Apostle Paul in his Epistle to the Galatians clearly says that wizards, like adulterers, fornicators, idolaters, heretics and others, “will not inherit the kingdom of God” (5, 21). While there is still time, come to your senses and repent, Orthodox people who communicated with witchcraft and sorcerers themselves, do not deceive yourself. The Orthodox Church of Christ has the opportunity and power to forgive you if you sincerely repent and renounce your demonic activities. Remember this and use your chance of repentance in confession, because who knows, maybe tomorrow or even today it will be too late!

The Acts of the Holy Apostles of the Holy Scriptures of the New Testament describes that while staying on the island of Cyprus with Barnabas and preaching the word of God there and passing the entire island to the village of Paphos, the apostles met there with the proconsul Sergius Paulus, who wanted to hear the word of God. “And Elymas the sorcerer (that is, the sorcerer) opposed them, trying to turn the proconsul away from the faith. But Saul, aka Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit and fixing his gaze on him, said: O, full of all deceit and all villainy, son of the devil, enemy of all righteousness! will you stop turning aside from the straight paths of the Lord? And now, behold, the hand of the Lord is upon you: you will be blind and will not see the sun until the time comes. And suddenly darkness and darkness fell upon him, and he, turning here and there, looked for a counselor.”(Acts 13:8-11). So, we see that sorcerers act against God and cannot do anything, they are completely powerless against the power of God, which manifested itself in this case in the words and faith of the holy Apostle Paul.

And the holy Apostle John the Theologian in his revelation denounces sorcerers, servants of demons: “Blessed are they who keep His (God’s) commandments, that they may have the right to the tree of life and may enter into the city through the gates. And outside are dogs and sorcerers, and fornicators, and murderers, and idolaters...”(Rev. 22:14-15). Thus, sorcerers (psychics, sorcerers and the like) have no place in the Kingdom of God. Think about this, you who are involved in magic, extrasensory perception, bioenergy, astrology and other devilry. The rules of the Orthodox Church categorically prohibit Christians from engaging in the occult. According to the rules of St. Basil the Great, people who practice magic are subject to the same church punishment as murderers. Because such people do worse: the one who kills the body is not terrible, the one who destroys the soul is terrible. He who kills the body cannot destroy the soul. And sorcerers, as we found out, give their souls to the devil for eternal destruction. At the same time, they destroy the souls of those who turn to them for help out of ignorance, for they act, as we tried to show you, precisely by demonic power.

So, we have found out that Christianity and occultism, that is, witchcraft, extrasensory perception, bioenergy and other demonic ministries have and cannot have anything in common. Witchcraft and magic are repugnant to God and are punished, sometimes very harshly. There is a direct connection between our psychic healers and bioenergeticists, who advertise their services in newspapers, with the devilish world and its power. Orthodox Church I have never had, have not, and cannot have anything in common with this devilry, no matter how such healing is called, even “Orthodox.” “What does light have in common with darkness? - exclaims the holy Apostle Paul, “What agreement is there between Christ and Belial?”(2 Cor. 6:14-15).

Psychic healers and white magicians often say that by doing good deeds they serve God, but this is a false statement, says the Gospel, “You will know them by their fruits.” And it is by their fruits that we recognize them: thousands and thousands of victims of occultists, destroyed families, distorted destinies, suffering souls, “fools with a stolen aura,” ruined lives of suicides. Let us remember the words of the Lord Jesus Christ that “Not everyone who says to Me: “Lord! Lord!” will enter the Kingdom of Heaven, but he who does the will of My Heavenly Father. Many will say to Me on that day: Lord! God! Have we not prophesied in Your name? and was it not in Your name that they cast out demons? and did they not perform many miracles in Your name? And then I will declare to them: I never knew you; Depart from me, you workers of iniquity."(Matt. 7:21-23). The Lord also calls them false prophets, “who come in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves” (7:15).

Thus, the holy fathers teach that witchcraft can harm only a person who is not protected by the grace of God, one who through sin himself has given the devil power over himself. A pure Christian life, participation in the Sacraments of the Church, prayer, fasting - this is a reliable defense against evil.

Rev. Macarius of Optina:

“To your question about witchcraft,” I answer that the enemy has no power to influence the rights of the living and those who do the will of the Lord; when he no longer dared to bring a whole legion into the swine herd himself, but asked permission for this from our Lord Jesus Christ, who expelled that legion from man: then after what he will do to a man when the Lord does not allow it, either as punishment for sins, or to test of faith?

You write about witchcraft and are afraid of it; but what power does the devil have over people when he did not even dare to enter pigs without command? But For sinful living and pride, the enemy is allowed to act.

With your writings... you explain your grief about the ill-intention of one woman, the wife of a merchant who rented a forest from you for cutting down, as if she were a witch and has ways of spoiling people, why are you afraid to let them settle for a long time in your possession and ask me for this advice. I am sure that you are convinced that without the will of God the power of our head will not perish (Luke 21:18) and that demons did not dare to enter into a pig without the command of the Lord; then in this case we must be sure that neither an evil spirit, nor a person, nor a beast, nor anything else harmful can do anything to us, unless it is allowed by God, according to His righteous destinies, either to temptation or to punishment; thus surrendering with firm faith in the will of God, we must strive to fulfill His holy commandments. But if faith becomes impoverished and doubt arises, then in this case, do not regret the fact that you gave away the grove at a profit; it is better to refuse and save yourself and many of the weak who are under your influence from such doubt and anxiety.

... On the one whom God allows, either for a sinful life, or for pride, or for temptation; and when there is nothing like that, then the Lord will not allow the enemy’s power to act, which is also evident in Justin. On the contrary, even without the sorcery of St. The Apostle ordered the Corinthians to hand over one sinner to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, so that the spirit would be saved; but after punishment he pardoned him. I don’t know if this evidence is enough to cure your freethinking? And M. L. is too superstitious; fears everything and does not believe that unless the Lord allows it, no one can do anything harmful; but if he allows it, then one cannot avoid it, and one must better try to cut off the guilt for which one is allowed, and surrender by faith in the Providence of God".

Hegumen N writes that “no “damage” and no “evil eye” affect true believing Orthodox Christians. They are absolutely not afraid of them and, together with the prophet David, exclaim: “The Lord is my enlightenment and my Savior, whom will I fear? The Lord is the protector of my life, from whom shall I fear?” (Ps. 26:1). They repeat with the Apostle Paul: “If God is for us, who can be against us?” (Rom. 8:31). And after John Chrysostom they can repeat: “Although our life is bad, but since by the grace of God we very firmly adhere to the dogmas of truth, we rise above the wiles of the devil.”

… the witchcraft effect is valid in cases where the person who has become the object of such influence is deprived of the protection of God, that is, the protection that can only be provided to a person by uncreated Divine energy, called the grace of the Holy Spirit.

[In the manual for " Following the prayer service against enchantments, spells of people and animals, houses and places, desecrated by evil dreams.”, which is contained in the third part of the Breviary of Metropolitan Peter Mogila of 1646] ... we also find recommendations for people who have been exposed to evil spirits in one form or another: “ The beginning of healing is true repentance of one’s sins and the correction of what one has sinned against God and one’s neighbor. Then you should seek help in church prayer through Divine Liturgy, prayer singing, almsgiving, prayers and fasting" Next, the missal indicates how to deal with cursed (bewitched and planted) objects: “It is also necessary to look for hidden bewitched things, and burn what is found.”

Hegumen N:

« Should we, Orthodox believers, be afraid of damage? In no case! Let us leave this privilege to unbelievers and those of little faith. We should always remember that uncreated Divine energy, otherwise - the grace of God covers and protects everyone who with all their hearts understands and accepts the teachings of Christ, who really makes an effort to live Christian life, keeping the Commandments of God, who often cleanses their conscience with the Sacrament of Confession and strengthens the soul and body with the grace of the Holy Spirit in the communion of the Holy Mysteries of Christ. Since ancient times, these people have been using such irreplaceable weapons of struggle as prayer and fasting, recommended to us by the Lord Himself precisely for this purpose, to protect against the influence of demons (see: Matt. 17:21).

Even in ancient times, the Christian apologist Origen (185–254), knowing about the possibility of magical influence on people, explained why Christians are not afraid of damage: “We affirm with all our strength and know from experience that those who, following the highest teaching, serve the God of all through Jesus and live according to His Gospel, constantly fulfilling the prescribed prayers, not being deceived by demons or magic, as Scripture tells us: “The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear Him and delivers them (Ps. 33:8) from all evil "".

The experience of modern spiritual life, as well as the experience of the first centuries of Christianity, confirms the correctness of the above words of one of the first Christian apologists.

Such a life example could be the story of a former witch, in which she told me about her bitter experience. One day a woman came to her with a request to remove her rival from her path, “who stood in the way of her happiness with her beloved man,” as she herself put it. Subsequently, however, it turned out that the client was holding back, deliberately omitting an essential detail. She considered her boss’s legitimate wife to be her rival, and therefore her enemy. After receiving the agreed payment for providing “magical services,” as it was stated in her newspaper advertisements, the sorceress gave the task to the demons, whom she had received at one time as a result of initiation (she graduated from one of the Moscow schools of magic), to cause a serious gynecological disease in her rival. However, just a few days after these events, a similar disease was discovered in her. To the sorceress’s question: why did she fall ill with the same disease that her client’s rival was supposed to suffer from, the demons answered very rudely:

Fool, who did you send us to?! We can't even get close to this bitch! She communes with the Body and Blood of the Crucified One, and even has a stupid habit of muttering psalms. But we must complete the task assigned to us at all costs. And if we can’t do it on the specified person, then we do it on the one who gave us such a stupid task.

This is how the boomerang turned out,” added the former sorceress. “Then I had to undergo treatment for a long time, going through two painful operations. And how much money I spent on this treatment! Later, I was able to find out that experienced witches know about the “boomerang effect” and, first of all, ask the client whether the person they are asking to hex goes to church for Communion. And if they find out that he is a believer, a churchgoer, they will not agree to “work” with him for any money. It will be more expensive for yourself!

Another modern life experience that clearly showed that one who does not commit mortal sins (in our time this is mainly the sin of fornication and abortion) is protected by Divine grace to such an extent that no sorcerer is able to harm him. This experience was described by Elder Paisius of Svyatogorets in his story about a teacher who wanted to seduce a high school student with the help of a sorcerer. The sorcerer, as the teacher herself told the elder, admitted to her that he could not do anything with that guy until this guy committed some mortal sin. As long as the young man was clean, the witchcraft was ineffective. But when, finally, the guy was seduced into sin, the witchcraft worked, and the effect was terrible and destructive.

Reading these lines, some meticulous Orthodox readers may ask me a question: who is without sin? So, if we are all sinners, why don’t we still crow, don’t melt before our eyes like a candle (even the other way around!), and don’t have fits? Yes, of course, there is not a single absolutely sinless person on earth - this is a well-known truth. However, if a person sincerely believes in Christ the Savior, if he suffers because of his own sins, which due to the weakness of his will he continues to commit, if he brings repentance for them in confession, and also regularly partakes of the Holy Mysteries of Christ, then, without a doubt, he has there is every reason to hope for the mercy of God and His protection. The Lord, as you know, is long-suffering towards repentant sinners and sometimes waits for their correction for a very long time.

… I want to repeat once again: we all must remember that the Creator never allows trials that exceed our strength, and, therefore, what is allowed to us by the Heavenly Father is necessary and useful for our correction and, in addition, is capable of holding us back. us from more severe falls. We must always and in everything rely on the will of God, humbly accepting everything that He allows us to experience, overcoming with faith and patience all the difficulties that we encounter on our way to the Heavenly Fatherland. At the same time, we must not forget that the Lord never leaves us without His help, which He sends through Sacraments of the Holy Church, strengthening us with the grace of the Holy Spirit. Saint Tikhon of Zadonsk, instructing Christians to trust God in all its fullness and with this trust in His Providence to drive away any fears from themselves, he wrote: “Satan, the spirit of evil and my enemy, invisible to me, but known to me by the presence of his evil advice, is terrible; but without the will of God, he has no power not only over me, a man, but also over cattle and pigs (see: Matt. 8:31), like every person who is hostile to me... When God allows trouble to befall me, will I really am I passing her? She will attack me, even if I am afraid of her. When He does not want to allow it, then, although all the devils, and all the evil people, and the whole world will rise up, they will not do anything to me. Because He, the only one strongest of all, will turn away angry to enemies mine. Fire will not burn, sword will not cut, water will not drown, earth will not devour without God: for everything, like creation, will do nothing without the command of its Creator. Why should I be afraid of everything that exists except God? Let us fear, brethren, the one God, and fear nothing and no one... God is everything, and besides God, everything is nothing: and the malice of all devils and evil people is nothing. He who does not fear the Lord and God is wretched and poor, for he fears everything.”

If, nevertheless, one of the Christians feels the influence of demonic power, he nevertheless you shouldn’t even try to determine who damaged him. Most likely, the demons gained power over him for his own sins without the help of any “well-wisher.” This is what happens most often nowadays. And what difference does it make to us: whether our troubles are caused by a sorcerer or not? If God allowed something to happen, then we deserved it, and if we sincerely strived for righteousness, then all the sorcerers of the world, gathered together, would not cause us any harm, since we would be under the protection of Divine grace.

Unfortunately, those of little faith, as well as many half-Christians, half-pagans... very often try to find among those around them the culprit of their mental and physical illnesses in order to accuse him of witchcraft. At the same time, they are often mistaken in their suspicions, falling into the sin of suspiciousness and condemnation. These unfortunate people do not want to understand and admit that only they themselves are to blame for the grief that has befallen them. They do not want to understand that by their own sins they deprived themselves of the grace-filled Divine protection and thereby opened the entrance to demons, who immediately took advantage of it, and not necessarily on the orders of the sorcerer. Demons, as mentioned above, by God’s permission can enter on their own if they see it wide open open doors and removed locks."

«… Based on my priestly practice, I can confirm that only a long path of repentance and correction of one’s life, together with Church Sacraments Confession, Communion, Unction and others can lead the sufferer to liberation from the occupying demons. His spiritual work of fasting and prayer, his good deeds and pilgrimages to shrines often lead to either a significant reduction in the demonic influence on the human psyche and physiology, or completely free him from this influence.

So, personal spiritual work is necessary, and not a “pill” from the doctor: swallowed - and you’re healthy, no work or self-effort! However, it often happens now that people have to bear their obsession, “earned” by a sinful life, as a penance necessary for the salvation of the soul. And it doesn’t matter at all what the origin of this obsession is: whether it is damage caused by a sorcerer, or whether it is an “acquired” obsession, “deserved” by many personal sins by the person himself. You just need to be sure that possession does not at all mean that the “corrupted” person will certainly die, that he no longer has any hope of salvation. Not at all. If this person sincerely believes in Christ and begins to live a real church life, while trying not to violate the Commandments of God, then his obsession will be imputed to him as a cross. And if he carries this cross to the grave with patience and trust in God, then he will certainly be saved, for this is what the Lord God says: “... I do not want the death of a sinner, but that the sinner should turn from his way and live” (Ezek. 33:11 )".

Elder Paisiy Svyatogorets:

"The black forces of darkness are powerless. People themselves, moving away from God, make them strong, because by moving away from God, people give the devil rights over themselves".

“- Geronda, people ask us for incense.

When they ask you for incense, it’s better to give them crosses. Don’t sew incense, because sorcerers also use incense now. On the outside they glue an icon or a cross to the amulet, but inside they put various magical objects. People see an icon or a cross outside and get confused. So a few days ago they brought me an amulet taken from a Turk named Ibrahim. This amulet had a cross embroidered on the outside. I was told about one sorcerer, who is not at all afraid of God, that he rolls various icons into a tube, and puts wool, some pieces of wood, pins, various beads and similar objects inside. When the Church exposed this sorcerer, he said that he was a medium. And since mediums in our country are given freedom, he continues to do whatever he pleases. I told one person who was damaged by this sorcerer: “Go and confess, because you are receiving demonic influence.” He went to confess, then returned to me and said: “I don’t feel any difference between the current state and the one in which I was before confession.” - “Listen, maybe you are wearing some object that the seduced one gave you?” - I asked him. “Yes,” he answered, “I have with me a small box that looks like the Gospel, which he gave me.” I took this box from him, opened it and found various twisted icons inside. Unwinding them, I found beads, scraps of wool, wood chips and the like inside! After I took this box from the unfortunate man, he was freed from demonic influence. You see what a master the devil is!

Unhappy people wear such amulet, talismans, supposedly in order to get help, and in the end they suffer. Those who, having become entangled with sorcerers, received such magical objects from them as a “blessing”, must burn these objects and bury the ashes in the ground or throw them into the sea. Then such people need to go to confession. This is the only way to free yourself from demonic influence.

... One day a middle-aged man came to my kaliva. He came with an insolent and unceremonious look. Seeing him from afar, I realized that he was under demonic influence. “I came for you to help me,” he told me. “Pray for me, because I have been suffering from terrible headaches for a long time and the doctors can’t find anything.” “You have a demon,” I answered him. “He entered you because you gave the devil rights over yourself.” “No, I didn’t do anything like that,” he began to assure me. “I didn’t do anything “like that”,” I say. “And about how you deceived that girl, have you forgotten? Well, she went to the sorcerer and caused damage. Now go, ask the deceived girl for forgiveness, then confess In addition, incantatory prayers must be read over you so that you become healthy. But if you do not understand, do not realize your sin and do not repent of it, then even if all the confessors from all over the world gather and pray for you, the devil will it won't work out for you." When people come to me with such shamelessness, I speak to them bluntly, calling things by their proper names.

Geronda, if witchcraft has affected a person, has had power over him, then how to free himself from it?

You can free yourself from witchcraft through repentance and confession. Because first of all, the reason why witchcraft affected a person must be found. He must admit his sin, repent and confess. How many people, exhausted by the damage brought upon them, come to my kaliva and ask: “Pray for me so that I can be freed from this torment!” They ask for my help, but at the same time they do not look into themselves, they do not try to understand where the evil that is happening to them began, in order to eliminate this cause. That is, these people must understand what their guilt was and why witchcraft had power over them. They must repent and confess in order for their torment to end.

Geronda, what if a person who has been damaged reaches such a state that he can no longer help himself? That is, if he can no longer go to confession or talk with a priest? Can others help him?

His relatives can invite a priest to the house so that he can perform the Sacrament of the Blessing of Unction over the unfortunate person or serve a prayer service for the blessing of water. A person in such a state must be given holy water to drink so that evil will recede at least a little and Christ will enter into him at least a little. One woman whose child was in the condition you speak of did this, and the child received help from it. She told me that her son suffered a lot because he was hexed. “He needs to go to confession,” I advised her. “Father,” she exclaimed, “how can he go to confession in that state?” “Then,” I told her, “ask your confessor to come to your house to perform a prayer service for water, and give your son a drink of this holy water. However, will he drink it?” “It will be,” she answered. “Well,” I say, “start with a prayer service for water, and then try to get your child to talk to the priest. If he confesses, he will be able to throw the devil far away from himself.” And indeed: this woman listened to me and her son benefited. A little time passed, and he was able to confess and became healthy.

Do you know what another unfortunate woman came up with? Her husband became entangled with sorcerers and did not even want to wear a cross on his body. In order to help him at least a little, she sewed a small cross into the collar of his jacket. One day her husband had to cross a bridge to the other side of the river. Climbing onto the bridge, he heard a voice telling him: “Anastasy! Anastasy! Take off your jacket so that we can walk across the bridge together.” Fortunately, the weather was cold, and he replied: “Where to shoot there? It’s dog cold!” “Take it off,” the same voice persuaded him, “take it off so we can walk across the bridge.” Damn you, devil! The devil wanted to throw this man off the bridge into the river, but he could not do this because he was wearing a cross. And in the end, the devil was able to throw the unfortunate man only to the edge of the bridge. His family searched all night and finally found him lying on the bridge. If it had not been cold, he would have taken off his jacket, and then the devil would have thrown him into the river. This man was saved by a cross sewn into his clothes. His unfortunate wife was a believer. After all, if she didn’t have faith, would she have sewn a cross into his clothes?

... There is nothing you can do to help a sorcerer. Only if you say the Jesus Prayer when he is in front of you, then the demon can get confused and the sorcerer will not be able to do his job.

One person was unwell. And so the sorcerer - a charlatan like no other - came to his house to “help”. And the sick man said the Jesus Prayer. He was a very simple man and did not know that the one who came to him was a sorcerer. That's why God intervened in what was happening. And look what God allowed so that the unfortunate person would understand with whom he was dealing! The sick man said the Jesus Prayer, and the demons began to beat the sorcerer, so that the sorcerer himself began to ask for help from the person whose house he came to “heal” him!

Bishop Alexander Mileant:

"Means of protection from evil spirits.

It is difficult for a person to imagine how fierce and insidious fallen spirits are, how restless and inventive they are in seducing people and in sowing all kinds of evil. But with all this, they do not dare to arbitrarily cause harm to anyone, since he is under the protection of the Almighty. Only when a person, through his sinful lifestyle, moves away from God and plunges into the darkness of unbelief and passions, does he fall under the sphere of influence of fallen spirits who enslave him. Unbelievers and sinners are the material, the army that the devil uses to spread temptations and evil in human society and establish his kingdom of darkness. His kingdom, like a stormy sea, surrounds us on all sides and threatens our salvation.

In contrast, the Lord Jesus Christ created His Kingdom of Light on earth - the Church, in which the believer finds a quiet island, a safe haven and protection from evil spirits. Indeed, the very entry into the Church during the sacrament of Baptism is accompanied by special incantatory prayers, which the priest reads over the catechumen (preparing for baptism):

“O Jehovah, Master Lord, You, freeing this Thy servant from slavery to the enemy, accept him into Your Heavenly Kingdom... Combine him with the life of a bright angel, delivering him from all the machinations of the enemy, from meeting the evil one, from the midday demon and from evil dreams . Drive out from him every evil and unclean spirit hiding and nesting in his heart - the spirit of delusion, the spirit of wickedness, the spirit of idolatry and all lust, the spirit of lies and all uncleanness, acting at the suggestion of the devil. And make Thy servant a verbal sheep of Thy holy flock of Christ, an honest member of Thy Church, a sanctified vessel, a son of light and an heir of Thy Kingdom.”

Then, by three times immersion in water, the newly baptized person is cleansed from the filth of sin, which gave the devil access to him, and is clothed with the grace of God, which, like a bright robe, covers him on all sides (1 Pet. 2:9; Col. 1:12-13). From this moment, a new member of the Church, in figurative likeness of the Savior, enters the fence of the sheepfold, which He, the Good Shepherd, vigilantly guards from predatory wolves - the devil and other fallen spirits. The Savior said about this: “I give to them (the believers) eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand” (John 10:1-16, 28). Therefore, all that a baptized person needs to remain under the protection of the Lord is to avoid sins and preserve the received grace of the Holy Spirit.

But the devil, having lost access to a new member of the Church, begins to look for new ways to influence him again. He tries to achieve this with his usual weapon - temptations. Of course, a Christian receives from God all the necessary means to repel temptations, but if he relaxes and begins to live a carnal life and sin, then the devil again gains access to him and begins to enslave him with even greater cruelty. The Lord Jesus Christ said about this: “When the unclean spirit comes out of a person, it walks through dry places, looking for rest, and does not find it. Then he says: I will return to the house from which I came. And when he arrived, he found it unoccupied, swept and tidied up. Then he goes and takes with him seven other spirits more evil than himself, and they enter and live there; and for that person the last thing is worse than the first” (Matthew 12:43-45). Warning of this danger, Holy Bible calls us to be vigilant: “If anyone thinks he stands, take heed lest he fall” (1 Cor. 10:12). The Apostle Paul teaches that a Christian should consider himself a soldier of Christ, located in the center of the battle.

“My brothers,” he urges, “be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, so that you can stand against the wiles of the devil; because our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the principalities, against the powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against the spirits of wickedness in high places. For this purpose take on the whole armor of God, so that you may be able to withstand in the evil day and, having done everything, to stand” (Eph. 6:10-13).

The Lord Jesus Christ has armed us with a number of means that attract the grace of God to us and repel evil spirits. This includes, firstly, prayer and invoking the name of Christ. We are taught to ask Heavenly Father daily: “Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one (the devil).” Many prayers, such as morning and evening prayers, contain petitions for protection from the wiles of the devil (see prayer book). ... About the power of His name, the Lord said: “In My name you will cast out demons” (Mark 16:19). The Holy Scriptures and the lives of saints provide countless examples of the effectiveness of the name of Christ in driving out demons.

The centuries-old experience of the Church convinces us that demons cannot resist the image of the holy cross and the sign of the cross- they are for them like fire for insects. Rev. Nikita Skifat speaks on this topic: “Demons often disturb the spiritual feeling and take away sleep, but a courageous soul with one life-giving image of the Cross and an invocation of the name of Jesus Christ, with the help of God, destroys their ghosts and puts them to flight” (Philokalia, vol. 2 p. 118 ). Likewise St. John Chrysostom explains: “You should not just depict the Cross with your fingers, but with heartfelt affection and complete faith. If you portray it on your face like this, then not one of the unclean spirits will be able to approach you, seeing the sword with which he was wounded and received a mortal wound. After all, if we look with trepidation at the places where criminals are executed, then imagine how horrified the demons are when they see the weapon with which Christ destroyed all their power and cut off the head of the serpent. When we have the Cross with us, then demons are no longer scary and dangerous.” Since ancient times, it has become a custom for Christians to wear a cross on their body.

It is also important consecrate your apartment. Sometimes the house we move into may be desecrated by the previous occupants if they lived sinfully, used foul language, were into loud music and bad movies, or were involved in the occult. Often evil spirits take up residence in homes where a murder or suicide has occurred. To cleanse your home, you should sprinkle it with holy water, reading the appropriate prayers... or even better, invite a priest to consecrate the apartment.

In general, we must remember that demons are attracted to sin.. If, having sinned, we did not repent with all our hearts, then this gives demons access to us. A sinful state is like a tunnel through which they penetrate to our subconscious and influence us. Therefore, in order to get rid of their influence, one should cleanse oneself with sincere repentance and confession, after which one should reverently partake of the Holy Mysteries of Christ. Then, having entered into us, the Lord, like an all-consuming fire, will destroy all filth and cut off access to us from dark spirits. It is good to accustom ourselves to receive communion regularly, at least once a month, then we will constantly carry within us the fire of God’s grace. Christians of the first centuries took communion every Sunday.

All these means that the Lord Jesus Christ gave us for salvation and attracting His grace must be looked at not as magical formulas, but as conductors of God’s mercy, given to us to strengthen our faith and for confirmation in a virtuous life.