The Recovery of the Soul and the Vision of the Divine Place

Chapter 67. Since there are also successions of demons — the first having grown weak in the war and being unable to stir the passion dear to him — observing these, we find it thus: when the thoughts of some passion become rare over a long time, and there comes a sudden boiling and movement of it — we having given no occasion through negligence — then we know that a harsher demon than the former has succeeded to us, and, keeping the place of the one who fled, has filled it up besides with his own wickedness. But this one also understands our soul very well, being warred upon much more violently than usual, and having suddenly fallen away from the thoughts of yesterday and the day before, with no pretext from outside intervening.

Let the mind, then, seeing these things, flee to the Lord, having received the helmet of salvation, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having drawn the sword of the spirit, and having lifted the shield of faith; let him say, looking up with tears to his own heaven: ‘O Lord Christ, power of my salvation, incline Your ear to me, hasten to deliver me. Become for me a defending God, and a place of refuge to save me’ (Ps 71:3). And let him especially polish the sword with fastings and vigils. For in seven whole days he will be afflicted, being warred upon and struck by the fiery darts of the Evil One (Eph 6:16); and after the seventh he will recognize him as gradually becoming like what has been taught, and remaining thereafter for a whole year — for the most part being wounded rather than wounding — until the one who succeeds him also arrives; if indeed, for a time, as with Job, we fall under them, and our houses are laid waste by the lawless.

Chapter 68. Unclean thoughts often admit matter for increase, and are extended along with many things. For they cross great seas in the mind, and do not refuse to travel long roads, because of the great heat of the passion. But those purified in any measure are narrower than these, being unable to be extended along with many things because of the weakness of the passion — whence they are also moved more contrary to nature — and, according to the wise Solomon, wandering outside for a time, they gather stubble for the unlawful brick-making, no longer receiving straw (Exod 5:7, 12). One must therefore keep the heart with all guarding (Prov 4:23), so that it may be saved like a gazelle from snares and like a bird from the trap (Prov 6:5). For it is easier to cleanse an impure soul than to call back to health again one that has been purified and wounded again, the demon of sorrow not permitting it, but always leaping upon the pupils of the eyes, and at the time of prayer presenting the image of sin.

Chapter 69. Christ raises the rational nature, put to death by vice, through the contemplation of all the ages; but His Father raises the dead soul — through the death of Christ — by the knowledge of Himself. And this is what was spoken by the Apostle: ‘If we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him’ (Rom 6:8).

Chapter 70. When the mind, having stripped off the old man, has put on the new man from grace, then it will also see its own state at the time of prayer, like sapphire or a heavenly color — which the Scripture calls the place of God, seen by the elders on Mount Sinai (Exod 24:10).

Chapter 71. The mind will not see the place of God within itself unless it has become higher than all things among things; and it will not become higher unless it has stripped off the passions that bind it through the notions to sensible things. And it will lay aside the passions through the virtues, and the bare thoughts through spiritual contemplation — and this contemplation again, when that light appears to it which, at the time of prayer, imprints the place of God.