Elder Paisios of Mount Athos, Greece (1924–1994). The Gurus, the Young Man, and Elder Paisios By Dionysios Farasiotis Translated and adapted by Hieromonk Alexis (Trader), Holy Monastery of Karakallou, Mount Athos Edited by Philip Navarro ST. HERMAN OF ALASKA BROTHERHOOD 2011 English translation copyright © 2008, 2011 by Athanasios Rakovalis. All rights reserved. Originally published in Greek as Oi gourou, o neos, kai o Gerontas Paisios (Thessaloniki: Athanasios Rakovalis, 2001). Inquiries regarding the Greek edition may addressed to [email protected]. Correspondence with the author may be addressed to [email protected]. All other correspondence may be addressed to: St. Herman of Alaska Brotherhood P. O. Box 70, Platina, California 96076 USA website: www.sainthermanpress.com email: [email protected] First English edition: November 2008. Front cover: Stavronikita Monastery, Mount Athos, Greece. Photograph by the author, July 16, 2004. Back cover: Mount Athos. Photograph by Evgeni Dinev. Publishers Cataloging in Publication Farasiotis, Dionysios. The gurus, the young man, and Elder Paisios / by Dionysios Farasiotis; translated and adapted by Hieromonk Alexis (Trader); edited by Philip Navarro.—1st ed.— Platina, Calif.: St. Herman of Alaska Brotherhood, 2008. p. ; cm. ISBN: 978-1-887904-16-2 Includes suggested readings. 1. Spiritual formation. 2. Spiritual life — Christianity. 3. Christian life. 4. Paisios, Gerōn, 1924–1994.5. Orthodoxos Ekklēsia tēs Hellados. I. Trader, Alexis. II. Navarro, Philip. III. Title. BX382.F37 2008 248.4—dc22 2008938048 Elder Isaac of Mount Athos (1936–1998). (See p. 302 below.) The English edition of this book is dedicated to Elder Isaac, spiritual child of Elder Paisios and, in my life, the elder after the Elder. Elder Paisios. CONTENTS FOREWORD by Monk Arsenios (Vliangoftis) PREFACE To the Reader A Biographical Note about Elder Paisios CHAPTER ONE—Pushed towards Evil: Experiences in the World of Hypnotism, Witchcraft, and the Occult Roots Ares the Hypnotist The Signs Alexandra Demetrios Struck by an Invisible Entity A Bizarre Dream CHAPTER TWO—Divine Help: Elder Paisios Enters My Life A Visit to the Holy Mountain An Encounter with Elder Paisios “You Don’t Have Any Right to Interfere with My Life” The Fragrance of the Cross First Trials in the Spiritual Life The Elder’s Lesser Gifts Accounts Given by Acquaintances The Elder’s Teaching Method A Great Blessing The Guardian Angel The Elder’s Generosity Unconditional Love CHAPTER THREE—On the Brink: Between Two Spiritual Traditions My Meeting with Swami Yogamougananda Silva Mind Control A Visit to the Holy Mountain by the Scruff of My Neck The Theotokos Who Keeps the Gate: Portaitissa A Spiritual Helmet A Decision CHAPTER FOUR—Inside the Ashrams of India Some Introductory Remarks about India A Meeting at Benares Our Trip to Babaji, “God in the Flesh” In the Himalayas at the Ashram of the Teacher of Teachers At the Ashram of Sri Aurobindo in New Delhi At the Ashram of Guru Satyananda in Munger Some of the People in the Ashram My Second Encounter with Babaji, at Allahabad The Worship of Idols Demon Possession The Temptation of Power Mystical Experiences and Revelations at the Ashram of Satyananda The Seizure The Light Ida, Pingala, Sushumna The Spiritual Atmosphere Being Seized and Being Visited The Library Satsang A Final Attack The Testimony of Eldress Gavrilia Back at the Ashram of Sri Aurobindo CHAPTER FIVE—Home at Last A Visit to the Holy Mountain after My Escapades in India A Demon, an Angel, and the Most Pure Virgin The Healing of a Brain Injury A Shaking Tree on a Breezeless Day The Choice between Light and Darkness A Spiritual Operation Uncle Elijah The Radiance of Uncle Elijah “Thou Shalt Not Tempt the Lord Thy God” Consolation from Elder Porphyrios Elder Paisios in the Light of the Transfiguration Spiritual Warfare in the Army A Blessing from Elder Porphyrios Another Encounter with Demetrios The Jesus Prayer and the Hindu Mantra Spiritual War Holy Communion and the Centrality of Christ The Christian Mysteries and Magic An Experience of God, “Who is Everywhere Present and Fills All Things” EPILOGUE A Final Word APPENDIX ONE—Testimonies from Greek Orthodox Spiritual Fathers From Metropolitan Athanasios of Limassol, Cyprus From Archimandrite Theoklitos of the Holy Monastery of Saint Arsenios, Northern Greece From Hieromonk Euthymios of Mount Athos APPENDIX TWO—Suggestions for Further Reading Elder Paisios of the Holy Mountain Orthodoxy and Orthodox Spirituality The Holy Mountain of Athos Footnotes Back cover text and photo FOREWORD by Monk Arsenios (Vliangoftis) I am honored to write the foreword to this book, whose author is among the thousands helped by the blessed Elder Paisios the Athonite. But it was not mere “help” that he received — Christ, truly, saved him from the mouth of the wolf through the elder’s prayers. It has been my joy to know him for many years, and I testify unconditionally to the authenticity of his account. The author, a man with profound spiritual yearning, wanted not simply to learn from books but to know the Truth empirically. Thus — wanting to “experiment” — he surrendered himself to non-Christian experiences, such as yoga, hypnotism, and witchcraft. Not believing, as he himself records, that a person would be willingly aligned with evil, he placed himself in deadly spiritual danger. The infinite goodness of God — much more than his curiosity — directed his steps to the Holy Mountain. There, his eyes were opened to a different spiritual world, to the truth of God our Father, Whose love for us cannot be expressed. There began the healing of his spiritual traumas. Through the God-bearing Elder Paisios, the spiritual experiences he had there had endowed him with the truth of God. And still — what mystery the soul of man conceals!—in spite of this, he chose to give “the same opportunity” to Hindu yogis that he had given to the Orthodox monks he had met. He obsessed over the question of whether the yogis, with whom he was particularly fascinated, were “with God” or “with the devil.” In such a state, he found himself in India, where he would undertake a lengthy search among the communities of three famous gurus, one of whom was worshipped as a god. He achieved his spiritual goals, but this very achievement was his spiritual death. Had it not been for the prayers of Elder Paisios on Mount Athos, he would have descended to the darkness of luciferic “deification.” The nature and depth of one’s intentions, the spiritual dangers one faces, and the other circumstances of one’s life — all are part of God’s judgment of man. And, at last, his heart denied the darkness that blocked the light of Christ. The gentle, all-powerful grace of the Triune God, which ever respects man’s hallowed personal freedom, healed him from the heavy spiritual and psychic wounds he carried back with him from India. This grace was drawn down, with sweat and blood, by the paternal and maternal love of the saintly Elder Paisios. In presenting this poignant, powerful memoir, the author has actually composed an account of a soul encountering the great problem of contemporary interest in Hindu spirituality, in witchcraft and occult practice — which over the last thirty years has practically inundated Western counties, Greece included. In the Ladder of Divine Ascent, the incomparable sixth-century spiritual guide bestowed on us by Saint John the Sinaite, we read that those who have once fallen to passions1 may become, by “restoration to health” through repentance, “physicians, beacons, lamps, and pilots for all; teaching us the habits of every disease and from their own personal experience being able to rescue those who are about to fall.” We can benefit greatly from the author’s arduous experience. He expresses the hope that others, learning his story, will be able to gain the same understanding he did, without having to undergo the same suffering. This we too desire for all the spiritual seekers of pure intention who will read this book. Monk Arsenios Holy Monastery of Saint Arsenios Vatopedi, Halkidiki, Greece2 May 2008 Elder Paisios at the Holy Monastery of the Evangelist John the Theologian, Souroti, Greece, where he is now buried. PREFACE To the Reader I consider myself fortunate to have met in the course of my life remarkable people such as Elder Paisios. They have been instrumental in helping me find my way. Through the wondrous experiences they graciously offered me, they provided answers to disquieting questions I had been grappling with for many years: Is there any meaning to the universe? Does God exist? How should I live? Who am I, and what is my inner nature? Will I cease to exist after death? Consumed with such questions, I was moving and breathing deep in the heart of a mystery. Life and the world were an immense mystery, and the most immediate mystery I faced was my own self: my self, that unknown entity. I was simply unable to live without answers to these questions; for me, such a life was impossible. The people around me, and society in general, lived without giving the slightest thought to problems of this kind. The values according to which the life of society is organized are economic. Our lives are planned out. My life, too, had been prearranged. Other people had done all my thinking for me, long before I was born. I would get my degree, find a good job, get married, have children, raise a family, take a few trips and vacations, retire, and then die. Everything was arranged. I thought: Very nice, but why should I do all of this? What is the meaning and purpose of life? I realized that every morning you get up early to go to work at a usually joyless occupation that drains you of all your energy.