"And I saw an angel coming down from heaven, having the key of the abyss, and a great chain in his hand. He took the dragon, the serpent of old, which is the devil and Satan, and bound it for a thousand years, and cast it into the abyss, and shut it up, and set a seal over it, that it should deceive the nations no more, until the thousand years were finished. and after this he must be released for a little time, and come out to deceive the nations..."

The Revelation of St. Ap. John the Theologian, 20, 1-3; 7

WHY DOES THIS FEAR APPEAR?

EVEN AMONG THE ORTHODOX?

Before talking about the historical aspect of the problem, it is worth saying for what reasons the pagan fear of corruption poisons the spiritual life of even some Orthodox people.

Among our contemporaries, who were brought up in an atheistic environment and turned to God in the late 80s of the twentieth century, there is a small stratum of spiritually ill people whose fear of witchcraft (fear of spoilage) is by no means a consequence of their lack of faith or spiritual illiteracy. I have met such people even among those who have monastic tonsure, and sometimes even the priesthood (unfortunately, not always and not everyone is able to recognize a spiritual illness before taking monastic vows or ordinating them to the priesthood). At present, some of them are already patients in psychiatric clinics, while others are banned or even defrocked.

But no one "spoiled" such people! The damage occurred when they were ordinary Soviet people, that is, atheists, like the overwhelming majority of citizens of the USSR. Not knowing the Commandments of God, they naturally sinned with all mortal sins, thereby depriving themselves to a great extent of the grace of the Holy Spirit that they received in infancy at Baptism (if they were baptized at all). Deprived of the uncreated Divine energy (i.e., grace), they thereby deprived themselves and its protection from the intrusion of fallen spirits into their bodies. That is why demons were able to settle in them quite independently and manifest themselves, depending on their character and abilities, in different ways. For some, demons cause a craving for alcohol, for others - sullen isolation, withdrawal into their inner world (autism), through still others they show their extreme wit (demons are inimitable humorists and laughter).

Another symptom of spiritual illness that is common, especially in men, is the inability to work, that is, to perform regular activities to support oneself or one's family. At the same time, such a person can have high intelligence, brilliant education and excellent qualifications. The demons so suppress his will that he is completely unable to force himself to do anything except what gives him pleasure.

In some of them, the inability to work is combined with dromomania (psychiatrist), that is, with a painful need to constantly change their place of residence. It looks like an exaggerated passion for travel or at least for a constant change of scenery. By the way, if people with the last two symptoms do not come to God, then after a while they often become "homeless". Another symptom of spiritual illness is the constant failure of a person in all his endeavors. Such people are usually called "losers". There are also many other comparatively mild forms of human demonic possession; All this, to a very large extent, is the legacy of state atheism and atheism.

But if, in spite of spiritual damage, one of them sincerely believes in Christ, then he can undoubtedly be saved. Just do not think that, having lived many years of a sinful life, he will receive instant healing as soon as he believes in Christ and begins to take communion regularly. The healing process will not be easy and long. It is during this period that a person gradually gets rid of passions, sinful habits and a false worldview.

Why does the category of Orthodox Christians described above have a fear of witchcraft (spoilage)? It can be viewed precisely as a morbid phenomenon, that is, as a consequence of a spiritual illness. This fear is instilled in people by demons who have not yet left their bodies. It is absolutely irrational and manifests itself clinically in the same form as the delusions of persecution or the delusions of psychotronic influence in non-believing patients. A person himself can practically not deal with such phobias, he needs outside help. Firstly, it is a gentle and constant conviction on the part of the spiritual father, secondly, the joint prayers of relatives and people close to him, and thirdly, of course, the grace-filled help of God through the prayerful and liturgical life of the sick person himself. In some cases, the help of an Orthodox psychiatrist and psychotherapist is also necessary. Of course, his own struggle with the thoughts that the demons suggest to him is also necessary. Unfortunately, some, even from the clergy, do not understand that the hypertrophied fears of the evil eye and spoilage in such people are not a consequence of their stupidity, primitive thinking and adherence to superstitions. These are painful phenomena that in psychiatry are called obsessions, that is, obsessions, in particular, delusional ideas, thoughts that a person cannot get rid of on his own.