METROPOLITAN OF STRUMICA NAUM: DELUSION OF THE MIND, AND, OF THE HEART
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Delusion is a wound of the human mind, as well as of the human heart, by lie. That is, delusion is when the human mind or heart will entertain a lie. Delusion is a condition in which, more or less (most often unconsciously) we are all in – without exception. The greatest delusion is for someone to think that he is not deluded. Consciousness (awareness) of this fact is the best protection against delusion. Therefore, it is good to know, that without a doubt we are in delusion, and it is good to know how much we are deluded.
Delusion is a consequence of the captivity of our mind and heart by the passions; the mind is held captive by the passion of vainglory, and the heart by the passion of covetousness and gluttony.
The beginning of the delusion is the incredible refusal of the modern “Christian” to put the mind in the process of healing, that is, the refusal to coordinate his way of life and struggle (effort) with the level of spiritual development at which he finds himself, in anonymity. Even more fearsome delusion is, when you add to what I have mentioned, the non-coordination of the public action in the Church with the position that someone has in the Church. When an unenlightened Christian goes astray in solving worldly problems – political, national etc, only God can cure such a delusion.
All this happens because the purification of the energy of the mind, which we experience as enlightenment, and is in fact the acquisition of the first light and knowledge, we use it (the knowledge) not to perceive our ill and fallen state, and only for our own correction, but we use to judge and condemn the mistakes of the fellow man.
The enlightenment of the mind is a light that comes from the purification of the essence of the mind, through the gift of “the prayer of the mind in the heart,” and it is a light that does not allow us to judge and condemn our fellow man – because it will leave us immediately, and no one who acquired that light does want to be left without it.
As we have said, there is a false state (delusion) of the mind, but there is also a delusion of the heart. The first delusion occurs due to the acceptance and adoption of false thoughts, and the second from the acceptance and adoption of false feelings. Consequently, the sins committed by word as well as by deeds emerge.
The two states of delusion are intertwined and they complement each other – they feed on each other. The delusion of the mind causes false feelings, and the delusion of the heart – false conclusions and thoughts of the mind. Delusion can make our struggle fruitless for many years.
If delusion occurs at the level of thoughts and feelings – we are talking about religious neurosis, and if it occurs at the level of public words and deeds – we are talking about religious sociopathy.
However it happens, either consciously or unconsciously maintaining the delusion, we remain and abide in the area of the soul, in the area of the unnatural way of life.
The first, general sign of delusion is when we transfer the problem away from ourselves. For every knowledgeable person this sign should be sufficient warning. For the religious neurotic and the religious sociopath, God has prepared other signs – of the flesh. They certainly transfer the problem away from themselves, but they do not notice that.
In order to free oneself from the delusion of the mind as well as of the heart, one should not accept false, demonic thoughts as well as feelings. And normally, he should work on purifying his heart from passions, under the supervision and obedience towards the spiritual father.
For example, delusion might start in his mind, with the thought that God is angry with him or rejecting him because of the sin he has committed – this would cause to him the feeling of depression, despair, and it would interrupt his prayer to God. Or with the thought that God is pleased with him, which would cause a feeling of euphoria, and the Orthodox spiritual struggle, and especially the prayer, would again be interrupted.
Delusion can also start from the heart, i.e. from the feelings; for example, someone will make us angry, and then a swarm of bad thoughts of judgement and condemnation against him, as a result the delusion is transferred from the heart to the mind.
I can write about many such an examples of the beginning and development of delusion. For example, we do not realise that Christ suffered for making every place on earth holy – His temple and His altar where we serve Him. There is no gradation of the sanctity of the places, but there is only a pedagogical conduct towards certain places. Thus, if someone thinks that he has entered a “special” holy place and that is why he is overwhelmed by “special” holy feelings, let it be known to him that he is under delusion.
Or, for example, when one thinks that Macedonian Orthodox Church – OA is really in schism – after accepting such a demonic delusion, we can only look and wonder what he says and does; for only God can cure such people from the severe religious sociopathy in which they have fallen. Perhaps I should say demonic-possession instead of religious sociopathy.
Or, for example, how the appearance of a certain illness causes an attempt of reconsideration of the Orthodox theology in relation to receiving the Holy Communion and the behaviour in the Church, which is in fact a simple projection of fear and non-belief. In other words, the delusion of the heart encourages the delusion of the mind. But it is neither the first nor the last illness, etcetera.
God loves us, and we should love Him too – but also with an awareness of our apostasy from Him; and therefore, when we offer ourselves to Him in prayer, we should do so only in the manner described below:
“Of all the feelings of the heart, only one, in its state of apostasy (fallen state), can be used in the invisible Worship of God: sorrow for the sins, for the apostasy and for our own perdition – It is called a “cry (plaint), repentance, contrition of the spirit” (St. Ignatius Bryanchaninov). In a word, only the cry, even if it is forced, can be acceptable in prayer, because of the lost communion with the God-Man, Jesus Christ – and that would be the most correct way of expressing love.
The gift of the “prayer of the mind in the heart” appears here again as a criterion. Before we receive it as a gift, God accepts only the cry (plaint) and the repentance – as a state of the heart and keeping the mind in the hell (without despair), or the last (least) place and anonymity – as a state of the mind, during the invisible inner worship, i.e. during the prayer. What else can God accept later, he who receives this gift will see.
Repentance, the cry (plaint) and humility are signs of the correctness of the spiritual struggle at the first level of the spiritual development – purification of the heart from the passions. Their absence is a sign of delusion and unfruitfulness.
The constant turning towards the external, the abandonment of anonymity and the unsuccessful attempts to publicly solve the ecclesiastical and, even worse, the worldly problems with burning blood (emotions) – before the enlightenment of the mind and the gift of the prayer of the mind in the heart, ruins repentance. This condition is called delusion and is very easy to recognise.
There is conscious and unconscious delusion. Once you read this and do not listen – it becomes conscious delusion. Who is that stupid to consciously delude himself, let us see?
Because, “he who thinks is passionless will never be cleansed of passions. He who thinks is filled with grace will never receive grace. He who thinks is holy will never attain holiness.” (Saint Ignatiy Bryanchaninov).
Most-Holy Mother of God, save us!
Metropolitan of Strumica Naum
(18.07.2020 15:47)
