Who is a Spiritual Guide? How to find a Spiritual Guide? Methods of exposing charlatans. Spiritual mentor

The spiritual world is the place of supreme peace for the traveling soul. Although at first glance it may seem that we immediately find ourselves alone, in fact, we are not left isolated or without support. Invisible intelligent energies lead us into the spiritual dimension.

Souls newly arriving in the spirit world have little time to float around, wondering where they are and what will happen to them next.

Meeting with a Spiritual Guide

The first person we see in the spiritual world is our personal Mentor. Sometimes, at the end of our lives, we may also be greeted by a soul mate.

Our Mentors, as well as friends and loved ones, are waiting to fill us with understanding, love and confidence that everything is fine with us.
In fact, we feel their presence from the very moment of death. They support us and help us find the way Home, especially if the death was tragic or unexpected for the soul.

The mentor often appears as a large white ball of light, an ellipse, a ball of energy, or a human figure. He appears in a form that we can easily perceive at the moment and will not shock us.

Almost always, healing energy emanates from him, which is so necessary for the arriving soul. Some begin to cry, feeling the presence of their beloved teacher. Others laugh with joy when they recognize their Guide.

Many Mentors have strange and sonorous names for people. They are often very long and contain many vowel sounds. For our convenience, these names can be abbreviated 😉. And some names are quite ordinary.

The place where the conversation takes place usually looks like a cozy and familiar place on Earth. It could be a garden with white marble benches. This could be a familiar room with a table and chairs, an open space, or even a semblance of heaven with clouds.

Conversation is the time when we begin to gain deep knowledge about ourselves. In the spiritual dimension, souls are honest about their shortcomings. Self-criticism is quite natural after life in the body is over.

Although Mentors communicate in different styles, they usually respond to self-criticism as follows: “Don’t be so hard on yourself - you did a good job.” They empathize with their students because they know everything about them. Nothing can be hidden, and the soul knows this very well.

During the conversation, the Mentor does not ask questions, but gives advice and sorts out difficulties that arose in a past life. A deeper analysis of the soul's behavior usually occurs later.

The duration of the first meeting depends on:

• the complexity of a life lived by the soul
• lessons passed or failed
• from the state of the soul at the moment of arrival in the spiritual world.

After the first contact with the Mentor, the soul awaits a joyful meeting with.

Spiritual Guides are different

Guides are matched to each soul based on certain similarities in strength and weakness. As if the teacher's character is similar to the student's or they are struggling with the same problem at the same time.

The love that the Guides feel for us is very strong, and during earthly life, what we consider to be intuition or instinct is actually an attempt by our Guides to convey some information to us.

Indeed, all Mentors are different. Some of them are practices that mentally help us get out of the pits of life. They constantly help their students on Earth (and in other worlds).

Others give us more independence and stay away from our lives until we call them in desperation or crisis.
An important factor here is the maturity of the soul. Advanced students receive less help than beginners.

Mentors are also different in character. Some are cheerful, love humor very much and constantly joke with their charges before giving advice or a hint. They love to say: “You know everything yourself” :)

Others are serious and strict. But this is a kind severity, and from their being Unconditional Love flows onto us.
They all love us very much, wish us only the best and are interested in our spiritual growth and development.

The selection of a teacher and Mentor in the World of Souls is done very carefully.
Every human being has at least one spiritual Guide. Some souls have two or three Guides.

Also, for particularly difficult life situations, additional assistant guides may be temporarily hired.

During a person's earthly life, his Mentors can change. This depends on the speed of development of the soul: if it learns quickly and successfully completes its lessons, then a new Mentor may appear who will replace the previous one and lead the soul further.

Our beloved Mentors are always ready to help with their advice or tips! The easiest way to communicate with them is through meditation. And more experienced ones can get in touch with the Mentor at any time and, without even closing their eyes, get an answer to their question.

We are NEVER alone!
Even when it seems to you that no one loves you and the whole world is against you, there is ALWAYS someone who at that moment looks after you and carefully protects you, hugs you with invisible arms and calms you down.
Know and remember this! And don't forget to say thank you! 🙂

Materials used in the article books by Michael Newton

P.S. Do you know your Mentor from the Subtle World?
I would be grateful if you share your experience of interacting with him in the comments! 🙂

P.P.S. If you have a couple of minutes, read more >>>

All over the world there are organizations, religions and cults that teach spirituality and other various metaphysical systems.

Some look for a Mother or Father in a spiritual mentor, some position the spiritual mentor as a therapist. Other people are missing something in their life, so they try to solve the problem through spiritual enlightenment. Unfortunately, there are many scammers and “spiritual” organizations in the world now that take advantage of people’s gullibility.

Who is a Spiritual Guide

How can a person who is looking for a spiritual mentor recognize a real teacher (or organization)? After all, many people claim to be spiritual teachers, but not everyone actually is.

Spiritual mentor is a person who provides assistance in development, spiritual enlightenment, solving problems and achieving life goals. Helps to find answers to many questions, especially spiritual ones. A healer or psychologist - as a rule, helps a person solve individual issues or problems and does not completely influence a person’s fate as a Spiritual Mentor.

How to find a Spiritual Guide? Who has the right to give spiritual advice?

To find a good spiritual director, you need to know what qualifications do you need to be one? Most teachers are “self-rated.” There is no lineage or tradition.

A good spiritual guide- this is the one who distinguishes between Good and Evil, always follows the path of Light, does not pursue material values, is not selfish, is completely “enlightened” and understands the true nature of reality. This is a person who has achievements in spiritual development and helping people. He can teach others different levels of consciousness because he has spent years on his own spiritual development and has great awareness.

Spiritual counseling

There are many spiritual advisors around. Below are some tips regarding spiritual "consultants" who are not genuine:

They have an inflated sense of self-importance.

They or their followers ask you for money.

They enjoy being famous and actively seek out many followers.

A Guru who attracts people with his charisma and not with his teachings.

Predicts the future with vague statements such as: “Something important will happen soon.”

They pay a lot of attention to how they dress. Most are dressed in a "mystical" style, implying that they have "Great Secrets to Reveal".

Unhealthy relationships with your followers.

They want to control their students in everything. A real teacher wants his student to feel in control of his life.

They claim to be a Strong Magician or Prophet.

A true teacher wants to enlighten his student, to see him independent and capable of independently managing his life, and also for him to develop naturally.

A spiritual mentor will never promise super-fast development and, moreover, demand fabulous sums for training.

Methods for exposing charlatans

A true spiritual mentor does not place excessive demands on his student; he does not sell his knowledge, but shares it. So how can you identify a true spiritual mentor?

Below are the main signs by which you can expose a charlatan:

1. Money and material assets

When providing financial support to a new student, it is worth asking where the invested funds are spent. There is a great risk that money invested for good may be spent for other purposes. This leads to the question: is this a real spiritual mentor?

Power can be both positive and negative. There is a big difference between a person mindlessly submitting to authority or consciously accepting his spiritual master, who must be obeyed. Cult leaders do not like honest feedback and a person is not allowed to question their actions or decisions. A powerful guru loves to dictate how to behave and control the lifestyle of his disciple. This is not spirituality, this is spiritual dictatorship.

3. Alcohol and drugs

Some spiritual teachers ask their students to drink alcohol or take drugs to achieve enlightenment! The maximum that can be achieved in this case is the acquisition of alcohol or drug addiction.

4. Sexy Guru

A sexual relationship between a person who is in power and a person who is dependent on the powerful person is betrayal. Unfortunately, in recent years there have been many reports of sexual misconduct among spiritual teachers. Disciples are told that to achieve full enlightenment they must have sex with their master. It is important to understand that this is just a blatant manipulation aimed at using people to satisfy their own sexual needs.

Reasons Why Many People Trust Charlatan Prophets

Misguided Charisma and Power for Wisdom

There are many powerful people who are not necessarily wise. Wisdom is often associated with simplicity and humility. A good mentor is compassionate and does not present his spiritual enlightenment as a sign of achievement.

Guru Worship

Some spiritual mentors, at any opportunity, focus on the fact that they supposedly have powerful spiritual energy. This causes the student to focus more on the person of the spiritual advisor than on his spiritual teachings. True spiritual mentors lead an ascetic lifestyle and do not strive for popularity and fame; they take a person for training in order to pass on the experience and knowledge gained, and not for the sake of material gain or other personal interests.

Halo effect

Just because a teacher is spiritual does not mean he knows everything. A spiritual master also makes mistakes, and if he admits this, he is sincere with his disciple.

On the path to spiritual enlightenment, it is important not to engage in self-deception and remember that spiritual development is painstaking work on oneself, which requires a lot of time.

When searching for a spiritual mentor, you must be guided by facts indicating the presence or absence of sincerity, as well as realistically assess the abilities of your teacher and remember that teachers can also make mistakes. You need to choose a spiritual mentor not only with your mind, but also with your heart, and it will certainly help in making the right choice.

Is it possible to strive without spiritual guidance? It’s an idle question, because the answer to it is obvious: it’s impossible. It is impossible to do without a mentor in such a complex area as spirituality. But how to find a spiritual director? Do you need to actively and purposefully search, travel to monasteries, go from one priest to another?.. How do you understand that this priest is your confessor? And what should its leadership be? Explanations are given by the pastors of the Russian Church.

The Mystery of God's Care

How to find a confessor? I haven't looked, I don't know. To me, 22 years old, a confessor was given by God at the moment of my baptism. Therefore, I recognize his role in my life as a providential given, necessary for my salvation. If even earthly marriages “take place in Heaven,” then the finding of a confessor is all the more revealed from the mystery of God’s care for the soul who believes in Christ.

We have the example of Christ, we have the Gospel, we have the Tradition of the Church

There is no one answer, it is deeply individual. How to find a confessor? I don’t know, God may send him unexpectedly, but it happens that you can look for him all your life and not find him or find him. It’s different for everyone, but what’s important for all Christians: no one has canceled the Gospel, expressed in its complex history, tradition, spiritual literature, and worship. Are these minor things? A confessor is not a panacea or a solution to all problems. Probably 95% of Christians do not have confessors (not just confessing priests, but confessors). And the Kingdom of Heaven is closed to them? And Christ? Is it not He who bestows it? Therefore, if a confessor is sought to become the living Christ on earth, to obscure Him, there is no meaning in it, but only harm.

God will send you a spiritual leader - just don't miss it

A spiritual leader is difficult to find. But it has been noticed by many people: scientists, theologians, and ascetics: if you ask God for a spiritual guide, He will send him to you. He will send it to you, just don't miss it. But if you ask for something absolutely incredible, great, holy, you may simply not wait for this. Bishop Onuphry said in one of his interviews: “I don’t need a perspicacious leader, because I myself know all my sins. What else is there to see? And so everything is clear. I don't need a holy leader, why? What will this give me for salvation? I need a person who will understand me, who will not judge me, who will lend a shoulder. And who knows that one cannot demand incredible and amazing heights from a person that we cannot achieve. He can simply understand, feel and help in the most difficult moments.” If you ask for the kind of leader that Bishop Onuphry spoke about, then God will send him.

And without spiritual guidance it is impossible to be saved at all. Without spiritual guidance it is disastrous and deadly. You can never rely on yourself for anything. I always make this comparison for modern people: spaceships and space stations certainly fly with the help and under the careful control of a ground control station, because in space, as everyone knows, astronauts even perceive humor differently than on Earth. And they may not understand or see what is being done to their spaceship. They are carefully, carefully told from the Earth: “We must turn on such and such engines in order to level your orbit, raise it a little so that it no longer declines.” This means that after 10 minutes the engines will turn on for one and a half, 25 or 30 seconds, and don’t twitch, don’t be afraid of this. So that they realize this and really are not afraid.

Every person needs something similar. We have a consciousness that does not firmly reflect reality. It is constantly changing. I even have a term: “floating consciousness.” There is no constant and firm correspondence of our consciousness with reality. And this is where it is needed. He should say: “Stop, stop, stop! Why? Where is this? What is it?" He must help - and help kindly, with love.

No one is immune from mistakes and mistakes. And even the greatest ascetics always go to their confessor and confess.

A confessor is needed to tell us at the right moment: “Stop! Where are you going?"

I was very impressed by how His Holiness Patriarch Pimen, for whom I was a subdeacon, one day during the service, right before Communion, suddenly called Father Alexy Demin, a 90-year-old clergyman of the Patriarchal Epiphany Cathedral, and said: “I must confess.” He went to the altar and confessed. And a simple rural priest, an ordinary one, took the altar cross, read a prayer of permission and blessed the head of His Holiness the Patriarch. Because the patriarch, like a good experienced monk, knows how scary a small deviation to the side is, and if you don’t slow down now - even in confession to a simple priest, the consequences can be terrifying and terrible.

This is why it is necessary to always confess, in all cases, even this is how His Holiness Patriarch Pimen confessed on the go, in order to be of a strong mind and firmly standing on the ground without any distractions and any deviations to the side in the creation of one’s salvation.

Obedience is the principle of godlikeness

The importance of spiritual direction comes from a simple but very basic Christian principle - the principle. The Son was obedient to the Father even to the point of death, even death on the cross. The principle of obedience is not discipline in the church, so that it is easier for bishops and priests to govern the flock, but this is the principle of likeness to God, which can and should be implemented by us in our lives. Of course, this is possible in a family: children in relation to parents, younger ones in relation to elders, spouses in relation to each other to one degree or another. But most naturally this can be realized through spiritual leadership in the Church: in a parish, in a monastery.

The measures and limits here can be very different, but the most important thing, in my opinion, is that the one you are looking for as a spiritual leader is a good person. Everything else can be very different, everything else is difficult to measure things: prayerfulness, many years of experience and whatnot. Just a truly good person. It does not mean - without mistakes, without sinful deviations, without any imperfections, but in the main thing, basically in what the soul feels - a good person. A good person can be obeyed.

If there is no tradition of succession of clergy, we are dealing with a remake

In order not to be deceived in a confessor, you need to clearly know that he also has a confessor

He said: lately there will be no spiritual guides - save yourself by reading books. This is the subjective reality of our days, but, by the grace of God, there are still people who have the skill of spiritual leadership.

But in order not to be deceived in your confessor, you must clearly make sure that he also has a confessor, and that confessor also has a confessor. Because if there is no tradition of succession of clergy, then we are dealing with a remake. But a remake is always bad, it’s always an imitation of something. Therefore, it is very important that the continuity of spiritual leadership from one confessor to another is maintained. This, by the way, was the strength of Optina Pustyn, which, through Paisius Velichkovsky, revived the Athonite tradition of succession from one elder to another. Unfortunately, now many people lack this and some young people who themselves were not under spiritual control are becoming elders, and by communicating with such people, we risk passing off as something truly valuable and significant something that is actually cheap a remake and nothing more.

Without a confessor there will be no solidity in spiritual life

Anyone who finds a confessor in time is a happy person. I was very unlucky in this regard. Before receiving sound spiritual guidance, I went through false teaching and suffered great spiritual damage. Therefore, I have something to compare with.

Guidance from a confessor is a priceless gift, which may not even be immediately recognized. Do we immediately appreciate the fact that we have parents? You understand the value of it only later. The same applies to the confessor.

Without a confessor there will be no solidity in spiritual life. Is it possible to learn to drive a car yourself, learn a foreign language without a teacher, or walk through an unfamiliar area without a guide? If this happens, it is only in exceptional cases. For everyone, the general rule is the need for leadership. In the most difficult situations of my life, it was my frankness before my confessor and his prayer and attention that saved me from trouble more than once. Therefore, now I know for sure: if you want to save your soul, have a confessor.

In general, it is important for a person that someone can hear him in troubles and sorrows and be able to give him the advice he needs. And, in fact, who could become an even more reliable support here than a clergyman, to whom God entrusted His grace to strengthen the believers? Clergy is very necessary. Otherwise, Christians will rush to a psychologist instead of a priest and say that they received more benefits from him than from the priest.

Of course, for the forgiveness of sin, it does not matter who confesses you. The Sacrament of Confession itself, with pure repentance, burns sins to ashes, because before the Holy Spirit our sins are like stubble before fire. Repentant, confessed sin disappears. But if, through a sinful life and immersion in delusions, internal breakdowns have occurred in the soul, then the wounds remain for a long time, they remind of themselves. That is why you sometimes need a confessor, someone who knows all your spiritual characteristics, all life’s stumbling blocks, mistakes, weaknesses and damages received and committed by your soul. A confessor is someone who finds the key to the problems of your soul and helps you get out of them by turning to God. The confessor helps you find that personal path on which your soul will open up before the Lord and accept His grace.

How to find a confessor? Firstly, we must really ask the Lord about this. Secondly, try to notice which of the priests your soul opens up to in particular, whose instructions especially solve the problems that arise for you.

The confessor, first of all, reveals the internal disorder of the spiritual child

Often we go to confessors with some question, hoping to find an answer. At the same time, we naively think that having received a resolution to the issue, we will immediately make our life easier. However, experienced confessors see that each of us suffers not from an unresolved issue, but from a whole complex of spiritual problems that we may not even think about. Therefore, true clergy consists not only in resolving momentary issues, but, first of all, in revealing in a spiritual child his basic internal disorders, in solving problems that prevent the child, in essence, from being with God.

Often we like those confessors who allow us to do what we ourselves want. It is painful to hear the bitter truth about our way of life, it is scary to change ourselves, and therefore we often seek a confessor to adapt to us, soften the demands of spiritual life and help, so to speak, to make a compromise between our conscience and our laxity. This is very wrong. It is important to find a confessor who would help us gradually change ourselves, to free ourselves from old age, who would select the spiritual treatment that would be most effective against our main passions.

The confessor sees us from the outside

Spiritual direction is essential for a Christian. In any business starting from scratch, a person needs an assistant, a mentor. You cannot achieve results in a foreign language by studying according to a self-instruction manual. It is impossible to get results in the gym without turning to a trainer. It’s the same in spiritual life: you need someone who sees you from the outside, and also (God willing) has certain skills in spiritual life, which he can teach not from books, but from experience.

A confessor is a person with whom a parishioner regularly confesses and with whom he consults on various issues of inner life. In order to meet such a person, you need to pray for such a meeting, attend services in several churches. Look at the communities - what the people are like, how the priest serves and preaches. If your heart is drawn to someone, approach and arrange a meeting at which you can ask questions and/or confession. This is how a contact can begin that will later develop into a serious relationship of spiritual growth for both the parishioner and the priest.

True confessors do not ruin the spiritual and social life of their children

First, you need to go through a good school of spiritual guidance yourself. This is both in and in the Church. Only those who have gone through the school of obedience, humility, and controllability can rule and command. Someone who knows what it's like to be submissive.

Not to be a spiritual leader, but to prepare yourself to be nourished by a confessor.

He who knows what it is like to be subordinate treats the subordinates, the flock, with mercy and compassion. When a person jumps into the position of bishop who has not gone through a genuine theological school - neither a serious parish school nor a monastic one, but who has rubbed shoulders with the bishop as a subdeacon for some time and essentially does not know the life of the flock, then nothing good can come of it. Unless by the great mercy and grace of God. This applies to shepherding in general and church governance.

As for spiritual guidance, namely the salvation of souls, this is a science, and a person himself should not take it upon himself.

We have nowhere to go, since confession before Communion is mandatory for us. That’s why young, inexperienced priests are also appointed to confess. In Greece, the attitude towards confession is completely different: inexperienced people are not invited to confession. Another thing is that, unfortunately, not everyone there confesses. Young priests in Greece are prohibited from confessing. They are sent to confession to experienced, serious confessors. For us this is unrealistic and unfeasible. And young priests, in my opinion, should be very careful. In a number of cases, if they are faced with a problem that is clearly insoluble for them, clearly beyond their spiritual experience, they must know to whom to send the confessor if he shows sufficient will to do so. Here you need a clear understanding of your competence. This is, firstly.

Secondly, one should not seek spiritual guidance or feel the desire to become a spiritual leader.

How to find yourself a spiritual leader? The Scripture says: “You will be reverent with the venerable... and with the chosen you will be chosen, and with the obstinate you will be corrupt” (Ps. 17: 26-27). We must look for people who are reverent, chosen, and prayerful. It is not necessary that these people be nice, famous and well-known people. The main thing is that these are people of grace, around whom love and peace reign, and whose children’s lives are arranged for salvation.

What are the characteristics of true shepherds? - Lack of lust for power and at the same time real spiritual power

What are the characteristics of such shepherds? I will note this: the absence of lust for power and at the same time real spiritual power, because from the ill-considered lust for power of confessors a lot of bad things happen in the lives of the flock. True confessors do not ruin the spiritual and social life of their children. They, like experienced gardeners, on the contrary, carefully straighten the crooked; like experienced doctors, they bandage the lame; They awaken to life all living things that are in their child. They often say, as my late confessor Father Vasily Ermakov did: “Think for yourself.” They don’t become crutches, they don’t become substitutes, but, on the contrary, they try to ensure that their children would rather go on their own, think, do, and decide for most of their lives. They do not trample on the God-given freedom of their children, but offer surprisingly delicate advice, as Father John (Krestyankin) did. I remember communicating with him: he gave delicate advice. I received “the full program” if I didn’t obey him, and only after that I understood it, but even then he accepted me with all his love, despite my stubbornness, disobedience, stupidity, unreasonableness, and pride. This is also an amazing trait of a true confessor - such patience and love.

Terrible troubles arise from the lust for power and from the seeking of spiritual power, from spiritual tyranny. I knew of one simply tragic case, connected with a very famous confessor - I will not mention his name. His child, a future priest, came to his reception with his bride, whom he loved. At this confessor’s reception, a girl was sitting on the sofa. This future priest asks the elder: “Father, bless me to marry so-and-so.” “No, she’s not yours, but here she is, waiting for you,” and points to a completely unfamiliar girl sitting on the sofa. - This is where you will get married. Clear?" He, in obedience to his confessor, broke off communication with the bride, with whom everything had been agreed, and married the one whom the elder advised. What happened? His wife loved him with all her soul, but he could not see her. When she came to his place of service, literally a few hours later he went with her to the station, bought her a return ticket and escorted her to the next station so that she would not decide to jump out on the way and return to him.

So many tragedies arose from the power-hungry and unreasonable leadership of confessors!.. A true confessor should not power-hungry trample on his child. Where necessary, he, of course, must intervene, and testify to the untruth of his life, and instruct him firmly. But where there are no shameful and sinful things, where the child should and can act on his own, there a real confessor must give this the “green light”.

We must clearly distinguish between the problems of spiritual life and those related to our social and family responsibilities

How to find a real confessor? We need to pray about this. We must lead a regular church life and ask the Lord. Here it is not even necessary that the confessor be glorious, great, spiritual. It is enough that he is simply a kind priest, conscientious about his spiritual duties, attentive and prayerful. If a person trusts him and prays to God that God will reveal His will through him, then he will receive everything according to his request, he will receive everything he needs for salvation.

Another thing is that we must clearly separate things related to our spiritual life, to our salvation - and, on the other hand, to our social and family responsibilities. My late grandmother had such a case. During confession, the priest asked her: “Where do you work?” And she worked at the Baltic Defense Plant; she had no right to talk about her place of work. And she found the courage and spiritual intelligence to say: “Father, forgive me, this does not apply to confession.” Reasoning and sobriety are needed both for the confessor himself and for his child.

When difficult trials occur, anxiety and worry set in, people ask for help from God or sages to receive advice and recommendations to solve their problems. And then there is a need to find a person who can guide you on the right path and help you understand yourself and your own troubles. A spiritual mentor often becomes such a person, who helps the soul to open up, repent and decide to change his life.

Why is spiritual direction necessary?

Without a leader, a person cannot live a life of holiness. You can find a teacher in a church, where you need to come and pray to the Lord to send a confessor who will console, advise and direct your thoughts in a godly direction. The role of a spiritual mentor is great. When communicating with his child, he conveys what the spirit of God conveys to him, instills peace and harmony in the soul.

Typically, a spiritual director is a person who has extensive life and religious experience and is obedient to guide the religious lives of others. The confessor plays a huge role in the life of the laity and the clergy, and he is necessary in order to, listening to his advice, live piously and achieve the Kingdom of Heaven. The history of the church has several variations on mentoring. But the main ones are:

• the service of a priest in a parish, where he is the spiritual healer of all parishioners;
• eldership, it is this that has become widespread in Russia.

Elders are healers of souls

Originating in Byzantium, it firmly entered into Russian culture and occupied one of the most important places. The elders took a vow of obedience and, through their words and deeds, were called upon to expose sins and console people confused in their own doubts. With saving conversations and instructions, they healed souls, brought peace and tranquility into them.

Russian eldership takes its origins from the Monk Paisius Velichkovsky and achieves its development thanks to the monks of the Optina Hermitage. Monasteries with their spiritual mentors have been the center of pilgrimage for the Orthodox people for a long time. Eldership had its own peculiarity, where strict asceticism alternated with active outings into the world. These outlets were expressed in contact with the people and in service to the world as a spiritual assistant, mentor and adviser.

Achieving simplicity through humility

While engaged in the religious education of their students, the elders taught wisdom and promoted moral growth and improvement. During the earthly life of their spiritual student, they coordinated and directed the actions and actions of the child. The connection between teacher and student was very strong because it was built on trusting and respectful relationships, humility and love. Father Zachary instructed to take care of your conscience and strive for simplicity, which can only be achieved through humility.

People came to the elders for advice when there were doubts and difficult situations arose. They expected consolation and help from the confessor. The uniqueness of eldership in Orthodoxy lay in the unshakable faith and spiritual strength of the elders and in the subtle work that they carried out in the soul of their student. Influencing the human psyche, they delicately and carefully guide a person on the path of finding love for the Lord.

Finding a Mentor

Great grace for a believer is to find a clergyman who will be responsible before the Almighty for his student, will pray for him, control the growth of spirituality, guide his actions and instruct in worldly life, and also guide him on the path of virtue, which leads to eternal life .

For a believer, the path to solving problems is different from the path chosen by unbelieving lay people. People who are far from religion, as a rule, try to solve their problems by relying on the help and advice of their friends and mostly people who are far from religion. And often the problem is not resolved, but only gets worse. This happens because all the difficulties are concentrated within us, away from God. And as a result, under the accumulation of sins, there is a breakdown in spiritual harmony.

If unforeseen situations arise, a churchgoer should go to his confessor for advice. At the same time, the believer understands that when asking what to do, he is waiting for an answer to his question from the Lord. Seeing his humility, God, through the priest, gives the right advice and blesses him. A Christian will never doubt that it is necessary to follow what his confessor says. He is sure that the Almighty is sending him his support. Only if you transfer your heart and soul into obedience to your confessor will God’s grace settle in a person.

The Church does not set restrictions and provides the opportunity for a good Christian to choose his confessor himself. How to find a spiritual mentor? It’s good if it’s a clergyman from the temple where you often come to pray. But everything is individual, and sometimes it can be difficult to find a confessor with whom you can establish a trusting and cordial relationship.

Mentor's task

Spiritual mentoring strives to improve the personality and manifest the image of God in it, to nurture the spiritual principle in a person. An Orthodox Christian should definitely read and understand the instructions of the holy fathers. They read:

• the spiritual thoughts of any Orthodox Christian must be guided by a priest, whose help must be sought both in confession and in teaching;
• try to communicate with your confessor throughout your life, revealing your sins and ungodly thoughts;
• following the teachings of your spiritual father, you will certainly gain the Kingdom of Heaven;
• If you entrust your heart to your confessor, then God’s grace will settle in your soul.

How to choose a spiritual father?

How to choose a spiritual mentor? There is no need to look for any ways. There is no need to make any special efforts when starting the search for a spiritual mentor. This is what your heart will tell you. The understanding of whether this person is yours or not will come naturally if:

• Father’s advice has a beneficial effect and heals the soul;
• you receive comfort and feel supported;
• you experience joy and peace when communicating with him;
• you feel and believe in the power of his prayer and mutual goodwill.

How to start searching for a spiritual father

In order for God to tell you how to find a spiritual mentor, you need to pray a lot and passionately. When starting your search, you need to take a closer look at the parish where the priest conducts services. A good priest always has a friendly atmosphere in the temple. It is worth talking with parishioners and finding out their opinion about the pastor.

You should not go to distant lands, wondering where to find your spiritual mentor. He may be nearby and closer than you think. You don’t need to tell anyone about your mentor once you meet him. Religious life is private and there is no need to put it on public display.

Come often to a church that you like. Open up to the priest in confession and pray for him, and then God will reveal his will through him. When communication with a clergyman takes place in confidence, then you should follow the priest’s advice and, having received parting words, carry it out. There is no need to come to many priests with one question or problem, hoping for a change in admonition.

There is no need to rush and call the first priest you meet your confessor. When visiting church, confess and ask the priest for advice about your pain. And then it is possible to meet a confessor close to you.

When communicating with parishioners, find out where to find your confessor, and which priest enjoys authority and respect among the flock.

You need to start reading with simple and understandable texts. Spiritual books will help you correctly determine your goals and priorities in life.

Does a person need a spiritual mentor?

In any field of activity or in sports, a novice specialist, athlete or school student always has a mentor. He helps to master the profession, shares his experience and advice. The mentoring of a clergyman is aimed at achieving strength of spirit, religious self-awareness and fulfillment of divine commandments by the student.

The relationship between a child and a confessor is not measured by the amount of time spent together. Sometimes a few sentences are enough to calm your soul and resolve your issues. It is important to follow all the advice received from your confessor.

In worldly life, it is important for families following the laws of God to confess to one confessor. It happens that internal family problems that arise can be solved together.

It is advisable for a churchgoer to keep a record of his sins and then confess them to his confessor as often as possible. It is believed that salvation lies in a lot of advice. Therefore, it is good for the soul to seek answers to questions from several priests. But it is better to reveal thoughts and sinful thoughts only to your spiritual father.

Some believers do not know that when going to the shepherd, they need to read the prayer: “Lord! Give me mercy and inspire my spiritual father to give me an answer according to your will.” Entrusting yourself to your spiritual father is the best way to take the path of correction. The devil will not be able to intervene where everything secret and sinful has been revealed to the confessor. It is important to obey your leader, because through him you obey God.

Spiritual teacher

A confessor is like a teacher who reveals the true meaning of many things and the truth to his students. A teacher, spiritual mentor must expand the inner potential of the individual, influence it, and make the student’s spiritual world consonant with his own.

Mentoring is also the prayers of the confessor to send him wisdom in teaching his students. This is his appeal to God in intractable situations, a request for support from the Heavenly Intercessor in moments of doubt and helplessness. The spiritual father is responsible before Jesus Christ for the children entrusted to him.

Spiritual guides of man

On our way we come across many people who call and consider themselves spiritual mentors. Often they have their own teaching, schools, or they call themselves followers of famous spiritual personalities. Such mentors have students, like-minded people and admirers who support their views and beliefs.

In addition, each person has his own invisible spiritual helpers. These include angels who protect and protect throughout life. If you can learn to understand them, then life will become much easier and simpler. Coming into the world with a newborn baby, the angels leave him after death.

A believer who strives to follow God's commandments with a clear conscience and thoughts, in the face of adversity. They only strengthen his beliefs and improve his soul. Going to his confessor, he understands that he is asking for advice not from a person, but from the Lord, who, through the priest, gives the necessary advice and blesses. The parting words of the spiritual father, carried out strictly, will lead to help from God. For the purpose of human existence on earth is to purify one’s heart and feel the closeness of God.

Modern people are exhausted, they have gone crazy and have reached complete darkness from their sins and selfishness. Therefore, now more than ever, good and experienced confessors are needed who will treat their children with unfeigned love and sincerity and will guide them wisely so that their souls find peace. If there are no good spiritual mentors, then churches will be empty, but hospitals, psychiatric institutions and prisons will be overcrowded. People need to understand that the reason for their suffering is separation from God. They must humbly repent and confess their sins. And the task of a spiritual father is to heal the human soul. There is no better doctor than a wise confessor, whose pure life inspires trust. Without any medicine - by the grace of God alone - he heals bodies and souls, driving out thoughts inspired by the devil. Enlightened by the Holy Spirit, a spiritual shepherd understands the state of a person and can guide him on the right path.
You can confess to any priest, because each of them has Divine grace, and when they read the prayer of permission, God covers everything. But if someone is looking for a spiritual mentor, he should not go blindly, because only one who, through asceticism, has gained experience and purified his soul, can minister to others.
You need to find an experienced confessor who will treat you with love, and turn to him for advice. You cannot cure at a distance - the doctor must be nearby. From a distance, you can only ask for prayer.
Of course, a person must find a spiritual mentor for himself. There is no need to entrust your soul to just anyone. Wanting to be healed physically, a person turns to a skilled doctor. In an effort to gain mental health, you need to find an experienced confessor and constantly reveal to this spiritual doctor the illnesses of your soul.
It is better to find a spiritual leader nearby, where you live, because he, like a doctor, must always know the condition of the “patient” so that he can give the necessary “medicine” at any time. He may find a suitable remedy, but if after a few days something significant happens and your inner disposition changes, then it will become useless. Once, having a cold in my head, I applied a patch, and the pain subsided. Another, seeing this, did the same when he had a headache, but the pain became stronger because it arose not from the cold, but from the heat. It’s clear why your confessor needs to know your condition?
The most important thing now is to have a spiritual leader whom you can trust, so that you can constantly go to confession and ask for advice. If people go to church, receive communion, are ministered to by an experienced confessor, and find time to pray and read religious literature, then they may not fear anything in this life.
For the soul to move along the right path, it must be led by a spiritual leader. For example, reading religious literature greatly contributes to spiritual success. However, a person who does not have a confessor can understand what he read in his own way and be spiritually damaged as a result. A believer must have a spiritual mentor who will constantly accept his confession and give advice. Without this, a person living spiritually cannot be convinced that he is on the right path.
An Orthodox Christian who does not have a spiritual leader loses his way, becomes exhausted and can barely move his legs. It is very difficult for him to achieve his goal. Anyone who tries to solve his problems on his own, no matter how smart he is, remains in darkness because he behaves proudly and with conceit. And a person who denies himself, humbles himself and carries out the will of his spiritual father with trust, receives help, because in this case the Lord will certainly reveal to the confessor how to act correctly.
In order for a spiritual mentor to solve a problem involving two people, he needs to communicate with both. When listening to the disagreements between two people, the confessor should have an idea of ​​the state of both, since each of them can cover events in his own way. The confessor can only intervene in this if they agree to resolve the matter according to the Gospel, because all other options will be a complete headache, so you will have to swallow pills all the time. In addition, the confessor must show each of the disputants his place, without justifying anyone, opening the eyes of both to their shortcomings. This way he will smooth out all the corners and lead people to mutual understanding and unanimity.
In order to create a strong Orthodox family, spouses need to find an experienced spiritual father who will be a mediator between them and will not allow quarrels. If the husband and wife do not find mutual understanding, then with hope in God they will ask the confessor for advice. Otherwise, the marriage may fall apart: parents will intervene, everyone will pull in their own direction, and the family will be destroyed. If the spouses have a spiritual mentor, he will be able to help them in difficult circumstances.
In family life, it is very important that none of the spouses justify themselves. If both husband and wife believe that they are always right, then no matter how much they read spiritual literature, it will be of no use. And if they have a good disposition and live in obedience to their confessor, they will not have difficulties. Without a spiritual “judge of the peace,” a full-fledged family life is impossible. The best thing is for spouses to have the same spiritual father. If the boards are cut by different carpenters, each in their own way, then they will not be able to fit tightly to one another. And if a husband and wife have the same confessor, he “cuts off” the “corners” - that is, the flaws - of both. When he smoothes out the imperfections of both, problems in their relationship disappear. But now even those married couples who are attentive to their spiritual life rarely have one confessor, so there is no one to help them. I know of spouses who were very suitable for each other, but they separated because there was no spiritual leader who could solve the problems of both. And in other families, husband and wife, having the same spiritual father, live in peace and harmony, although they are very little suited to each other.
Of course, it is even better if the whole family has one confessor. If difficulties arise, he can look at the issue from different angles, talking with all family members. In one case, he will give strict orders to the parents, in another, he will call the children to him if he does not understand the situation according to the words of the father or mother. Or, for example, if there are problems in the family, the cause of which is the wife, the confessor can advise the husband what to do. In the end, he may turn to one of his family or friends for help.
Elder Paisios always said that confessors and clergy need to be very careful in matters of spiritual guidance, and he related the following incident:
- When in my youth I lived in the desert in Sinai, I fasted very strictly - I didn’t eat anything all week, and on Saturday I allowed myself a little rice with olive oil. There we encountered one problem: we often did not serve the liturgy. Suddenly on Sunday they told me that there would be a service. I wanted to take communion. An unknown priest called me and asked what I had eaten the day before. Having learned that the rice was with butter, he said that he could not allow me to take communion, because I had not fasted yesterday. He didn't even ask why I ate - maybe because I was sick - and after that I didn't tell him that I hadn't eaten all week.
Anyone who is in a hurry to become a confessor, although he himself has not yet achieved spiritual health, is like an unripe tart quince, from which it is impossible to make tasty jam, no matter how much sugar you pour into it, and if you make jam from it, it will quickly turn sour. Heartfelt words and great truths have value only when spoken by worthy lips. And only people with a good disposition and a pure mind can accommodate this.