The same Evagrius the Monk: Chapters on the distinction between passions and thoughts
1. Of the enemies who oppose the art of the ascetic life, the first to come out to battle are those entrusted with the appetites of man, and those who plant in us the love of money and drive us to seek glory from men. All the rest stand behind and take up those whom the first have wounded. No one can fall into the hands of the spirit of unchastity who has not first fallen through gluttony; no one can be stirred to anger unless he is fighting for food, or wealth, or glory; and no one can escape the spirit of dejection who has not suffered the loss of wealth or of glory. No one will escape pride — the first offspring of the devil — until he has destroyed the love of money, the root of all evils, for according to the word of Solomon, «poverty humbles a man» (cf. Prov. 10:4). In short, a man cannot fall into the hands of the enemy until those who go first have wounded him. This is why the devil once put these three thoughts before the Saviour: that the stone should become bread; that he would give Him the whole world if the Lord would worship him; and that if the Lord would listen to him He would be glorified and suffer no harm when He cast Himself down. But the Lord showed Himself higher than these thoughts and commanded the devil to depart from Him, teaching us thereby that the devil cannot be overcome unless we despise these three thoughts.
2. All demonic thoughts introduce into the soul mental images of sensible things, and the intellect, having received them, carries within itself the forms of these things; and by this it recognises which enemy has drawn near. If in the imagination there appears the figure of one who has offended or dishonoured us, this exposes the thought of rancour. When wealth or glory is remembered, by this we recognise who is rising up against us. And in other thoughts too you will find who it is that attacks and brings them. But not all recollections of such things come from the demons, for the human intellect by its very nature moves and imagines what has been. Only those images come from the demons which bring with them excessive anger and desire. These powers are thrown into confusion, and the intellect commits adultery in thought and struggles, for it cannot remember God who gave it the law. For the light of God appears in the intellect during prayer, when there are no thoughts of things.
3. A man will not be able to cast off passionate memories unless he labours to cast off desire through fasting, vigil and sleeping on the ground, and unless he calms his anger through long-suffering, freedom from malice and forgetfulness of wrongs. For from these two passions come almost all the thoughts that cast the intellect into ruin and destruction. It is impossible to conquer these passions without renouncing food, and riches, and glory, and even one’s own body, for the sake of those who wish to wear it down by frequent assaults. It is very necessary to imitate those who are in danger at sea, who, when the winds burst forth and the waves rise, throw their cargo into the sea. But here we must take care that we do not throw the cargo overboard in order to boast before men, for then we shall receive our reward and our ship will be broken, and our misfortune will be worse than the first, when the fierce wind of vainglory blows against us. This is why the Lord, instructing our helmsman — that is, the intellect — says: «Take heed that you do not do your good deeds before men, to be seen by them; otherwise you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven» (Matt. 6:1). And again: «And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, who love to pray openly in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by men. Truly I say to you, they have their reward» (Matt. 6:5). «And when you fast, do not be gloomy like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces so that men may see that they are fasting. Truly I say to you, they have their reward» (Matt. 6:16). It is fitting to listen to the Physician of souls, how He heals anger with almsgiving, purifies the intellect with prayer and mortifies desire with fasting — and so there arises «the new man, who is renewed unto perfect knowledge according to the image of his Creator. Here there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcised nor uncircumcised, barbarian nor Scythian, slave nor free, but Christ is all and in all» (Col. 3:10-11).
On dreams
4. It is worth observing how in dreams the demons fashion forms and images in our intellect. This happens not only in sleep, when the intellect either sees with the eyes, or hears with the ears, or perceives by some other sense, or when the memory produces images in the intellect, receiving them through the body. It seems to me that in sleep the demons act upon the memory and so bring images into the intellect, since the bodily organs are then inactive. It is fitting to ask how they act upon the memory. Is it only through the passions? This is clear from the fact that the pure and dispassionate do not experience such things. There is a certain movement of the memory that comes either from ourselves or from the holy powers, through which, as it were, we converse and dine with the saints. Yet we must remember that what the soul experiences together with the body, the memory afterwards repeats without the body. And this is clear from the fact that such things often happen in sleep, when the body is at rest. Just as a man may remember water, whether he is thirsty or not, so he may remember gold, whether with the feeling of avarice or without it. And other things too may be remembered in the same way. And since dream images are so various, this is a sign of demonic cunning. We must also know that the demons use external things as well for producing dreams — for example, the noise of the waves for sailors.
5. Our anger greatly assists the designs of the enemy, being excessively mobile and yielding to all their fierce cunning. That is why more than one of them dares to trouble it by day and by night. But when they see it bound by gentleness, then they try to loose it under seemingly reasonable pretexts, so that it may become sharper and more useful for their brutal designs. Therefore it is not fitting to stir it up either for righteous or for unrighteous deeds, nor to put a sword into the hands of those who push us towards evil; yet many do this often and flare up over trifling causes. Why, tell me, do you begin to be angry, if you have despised food, wealth and glory? Why do you feed a dog when you say you have no property at all? If the dog barks and rushes at people, then evidently it has something to guard. But I think that such a man is far from pure prayer, for pure prayer destroys anger. Besides, I am amazed that such a man has forgotten the words of the saints, especially of David, who says: «Cease from anger and forsake wrath» (Ps. 36:8), and of Ecclesiastes, who commands: «Drive anger from your heart and put away evil from yourself» (cf. Eccl. 11:10). And the Apostle bids us «in every place to lift up pure hands to heaven, without anger and quarrelling» (1 Tim. 2:8). Is this not what we learn from the ancient custom of driving dogs out of houses when the time of prayer comes? This custom itself testifies that anger should not dwell in those who pray. The Scripture says: «Their wine is the venom of serpents» (Deut. 32:33) — and therefore the Nazirites drank no wine. And as for not being anxious about clothing or food, it is superfluous to write of it: the Saviour Himself forbade it in the Gospel: «Do not be anxious for your life, what you shall eat or what you shall drink, nor for your body, what you shall put on» (Matt. 6:25). For this is the way of the heathen and of unbelievers, who reject the providence of the Master and turn away from the Creator; but it is foreign to Christians, since Christians believe that even two sparrows sold for a farthing are watched over by angels. Yet the demons have this custom too, that after unclean thoughts they introduce thoughts of worldly cares, so that Jesus may be lost among the many thoughts of the intellect and the word may remain fruitless, choked by thoughts of care.
Note: «He who received the seed among thorns is he who hears the word, but the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful» (Matt. 13:22).
Therefore, laying these aside, let us cast our sorrow upon the Lord, being content with what we have, living and clothing ourselves in poverty; and let us daily cast off the vainglory of our forefathers. And if anyone thinks that he looks unseemly in poor clothing, let him look at Saint Paul, who in cold and nakedness hoped for the crown of righteousness. And since the Apostle called this world a spectacle and a race, let us consider whether it is possible for a man clothed in thoughts of worldly care to run for the prize of the high calling of God, or to wrestle against the principalities, the authorities, the rulers of this world of darkness. I know this from an instructive comparison: just as the runner in a race becomes entangled in his own tunic, so the intellect becomes entangled in such thoughts; for the Word says truly that the intellect abides in its treasure: «For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also» (Matt. 6:21).
6. Some thoughts have to be cut off, and others cut themselves off. Evil thoughts cut off good thoughts, and conversely good thoughts cut off evil ones. The Holy Spirit looks at the first-born thought and by it either condemns or accepts us. And it also happens thus: I have a thought of receiving travellers, and this thought is from the Lord. But then comes the thought of receiving travellers for the sake of glory, and it cuts off the former thought. And again: I have a thought of receiving travellers for the sake of human glory, but a better thought comes and cuts it off and directs our virtue towards the Lord, and moves us to receive travellers not for the sake of the human eye.
7. Observing our thoughts, let us learn to distinguish which of them are from the angels, which from man, and which from the demons. Angelic thoughts examine the nature of things and search out their spiritual meaning: for instance, why gold was created, and why it is scattered in small grains in the earth, and why it is obtained with great effort and labour; why, when it is found, it is washed with water and melted in fire and, when refined, given into the hands of craftsmen who make of it the lampstand for the tabernacle, the censer, the incense-vessels and the cups from which, by the grace of our Saviour, the king of Babylon no longer drinks, while Cleopas offers a heart burning with these mysteries. But the demonic thought knows nothing of this and does not understand; it merely suggests the accumulation of material gold and foretells the glory and comfort that will come from it. The human thought neither seeks acquisition nor searches out what gold signifies, but simply imagines the appearance of gold without passion and without avarice. And the same may be said in reflecting on other things.
8. There is a demon called the deceiver, and he most often appears to the brethren in the morning. He leads the intellect from city to city and from village to village. At first the intellect carries on simple conversations, and then it converses longer and longer and loses its state among those it meets, and gradually departs from the knowledge of God and from virtue, and forgets its vow. Therefore the solitary must watch where this demon comes from and where he stops. Not without purpose and not by chance does he make this circuit, but he does it in order to destroy the state of the solitary, so that the intellect, inflamed and intoxicated by many conversations, may at once be attacked by the spirit of unchastity, or of anger, or of dejection, which most of all harm the brightness of its state. But when we wish to see his wiles clearly, let us not be quick to contradict him; rather let us describe at once his coming, and how he begins to converse with the intellect, and how little by little he leads the intellect to death — and then he will flee from us at once. He cannot bear to be seen while he is doing this, and then we shall learn nothing of what we wished to know. Let us allow him to continue what he has begun for a day or two, so that, having fully understood his wiles, we may expose him with a word and drive him away. But since at the time of temptation the intellect is troubled and does not understand what has happened to it, do this when the demon has departed: sit down and recall what happened to you, where you began and where you went, and in what place you were seized by the spirit of unchastity, or of dejection, or of anger, and how it happened. Having understood this, remember it, so that you may expose the demon when he comes again; note the place he conceals, and you will no longer submit to him. And if you wish to enrage him, expose him at once as soon as he appears, and name in words the first place you entered, and then the second and the third — then he will be greatly grieved, for he cannot bear to be put to shame. The thought will depart from you, and this will be proof that it was right to speak with him thus, for he cannot endure such exposure. After the victory over this demon there will come deep sleep, a heaviness of the eyelids with great chilling, endless yawning and heaviness in the shoulders — all of which the Holy Spirit will disperse after fervent prayer.
9. Hatred of the demons greatly helps our salvation and is necessary for the working of the virtues. Yet we are unable to keep it within us as an offspring of good, for the spirit of self-indulgence drives it away and makes friends with the soul. But the Physician of souls heals this friendship by abandonment, as an incurable gangrene is healed by amputation. He allows us to suffer something dreadful from the demon by day and by night. And then the soul returns to its former hatred, having learned to say to the Lord in the words of David: «They have become my enemies» (Ps. 132:28). He hates his enemies with a perfect hatred who sins neither in word nor in thought, which is the sign of the greatest and first dispassion.
10. Shall I say anything more about the demon who makes the soul insensible? For I am afraid even to write of him: how the soul departs from its proper order at his coming, and loses the fear of the Lord and reverence, and does not consider sin to be sin, nor lawlessness lawlessness; how it hears the word about eternal torment and judgement as an ordinary word, and laughs at the shaking of the fire, and, though it confesses God, does not know His commandments. You strike your breast when it moves towards sin, and it does not feel it. You speak to it with the words of Scripture, and it is blinded and does not hear. You show it the disgrace it will suffer from men, and it does not see; the shame before men — and it does not understand, like a pig that has shut its eyes and broken through the fence. This spirit is brought on by thoughts of vainglory when they linger long in the intellect. Because of this spirit, «unless those days had been shortened, no one would be saved» (Matt. 24:22). The reason why this spirit rarely attacks the brethren is clear: when the soul is moved by the misfortunes of others, when they are ill or suffer in prison, it comes to compassion — and then the insensibility brought on by that spirit is destroyed. But we do not know this, because there are few sick among us and they are rarely seen. In order that we might drive away this spirit, the Lord commanded in the Gospel that we should care for the sick and visit those in prison: «I was sick and you visited me» (Matt. 25:36). But we must also know this: if one of the solitaries, having listened to this spirit, did not accept thoughts of unchastity, and did not abandon his dwelling out of despondency, he would have received patience and chastity sent from on high, and blessed is he for such dispassion. But let those who, having promised to keep reverence, wish to settle among worldly people, beware of this spirit. As for me, I am ashamed before men to say or write anything more about him.
On the spirit of dejection
11. All the spirits of self-indulgence teach the soul something, but only the spirit of dejection cannot do this. It destroys thoughts, cuts off every delight of the soul and dries it up with sorrow, for it is said: «When a man is dejected, his bones dry up» (cf. Prov. 17:22). When it attacks rarely, the solitary gains experience, for he learns to accept nothing from this world and to renounce all pleasures. But when this spirit attacks often, it gives birth to thoughts that counsel him to lead the soul away or to flee from that place. So too the righteous Job pondered and suffered when this spirit attacked him. «If only I could», he says, «kill myself, or ask someone else to do it for me». The symbol of this spirit is the viper: when its poison is taken in small doses, it destroys the poison of other beasts, but taken in excess it kills the one who takes it. To this spirit Paul handed over the man who committed lawlessness in Corinth. That is why he wrote to the Corinthians: «Show him love, lest such a one be broken by excessive sorrow» (cf. 2 Cor. 2:7-8). But this spirit, which wrongs men, can also lead them to a good repentance. That is why the holy Baptist called those who, stricken by this spirit, ran to God, a brood of vipers: «Brood of vipers! Who taught you to flee from the wrath to come? Bring forth then fruit worthy of repentance, and do not think to say to yourselves: We have Abraham as our father» (Matt. 3:7-9). Yet everyone who, like Abraham, has gone out from his land and from his kindred, is stronger than this spirit.
12. He who has conquered anger has conquered the demons also. But he over whom it rules is far from the solitary life and estranged from the ways of our Saviour. The Lord Himself says: «He will teach the meek His ways» (Ps. 24:9). Therefore it is not easy to catch the intellect of the solitary when he flees to the valley of gentleness: the demons fear no virtue so much as gentleness. Great Moses possessed it, who was called the meekest of men. And holy David proclaimed meekness worthy of God’s remembrance, saying: «Remember, Lord, David and all his meekness» (Ps. 131:1). And the Saviour Himself commanded us to imitate His gentleness, saying: «Learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls» (Matt. 11:29). But if someone avoids food and drink while sharpening his anger with evil thoughts, he is like a ship with a demon at the helm. Therefore it is fitting for us to watch over our ship as far as possible, and to remember that it may be attacked, and to be gentle towards men.
On vainglory
13. The thought of vainglory alone can come in many different forms; it encompasses almost the whole earth and opens the doors to all the demons, as a wicked traitor opens the city gates to the enemy. It greatly humiliates the solitary, filling his intellect with many words and deeds and destroying the prayers by which he heals all the wounds of his soul. This thought grows through all the thoughts that have been conquered, and through it they come back again into the soul — and then the last state is worse than the first. From this thought is born also the thought of pride, which cast down from heaven to earth the seal of likeness and the crown of beauty. But turn away from it and do not linger, «lest you have to give your glory to others and your years to men without mercy» (Prov. 5:9). This spirit is driven away by fervent prayer and by the wish to say and do nothing that fosters vainglory.
14. When the intellect of the solitary attains even a little dispassion, then, mounting the horse of vainglory, it rides through the cities, gathering unrestrained praise from its fame. But by providence the spirit of unchastity meets it and drives it into some stable, and thereby teaches it not to rise from its bed until it is completely healed, and not to imitate those disorderly sick people who, before they are healed, set out on a journey and fall ill again. Therefore, remaining where we are, let us take care that in acquiring the virtues we do not become inclined to sin. Struggling wisely, we shall receive a multitude of visions and, raised up by them, shall see more clearly the light of our Saviour.
15. I cannot describe all the evil deeds of the demons, nor can I enumerate their wicked cunning, out of fear for the simplest of my readers. But listen to the cunning of the spirit of unchastity. When a man attains dispassion in the desiring power of the soul and shameful thoughts have as it were cooled down, then this spirit suggests to the solitary images of men and women caressing one another and compels him to look at their shameless deeds. But this temptation does not last long. It is driven away, as the wind drives away a cloud, by fervent prayer, by abstinence, and by a stricter life with vigil and exercise in spiritual contemplation. Sometimes this evil spirit acts also upon the flesh, arousing it to irrational burning, and devises a thousand other assaults, of which it is not fitting to speak before all or to set down in writing. Against such thoughts kindled anger also helps, when it rises up against the demon. He fears this anger most of all when he stirs up such thoughts, for it scatters his designs. That is why it is said: «Be angry, and do not sin» — for thus the soul receives the healing it needs in temptations. Like this spirit is also the spirit of anger. He too shows the ascetic in imagination that one of his relatives or friends is being reproached by unworthy men. The spirit urges the ascetic to say or do something evil, to show that he knows about it. Such thoughts must be guarded against, and we must tear our intellect away from such images, so that they may not linger in it and become like a burning brand at the time of prayer. Most often it is irascible people, quick to flare up, who fall into these temptations. They are far from pure prayer and from the knowledge of our Saviour Jesus Christ.
16. The thoughts of this age the Lord has entrusted to man, as sheep are entrusted to a good shepherd. And it is written that the Lord gave to every man «the thoughts of the heart» (cf. Gen. 6:5), joining to them desire and anger as helpers: that the shepherd might with anger drive away the designs of the wolves, and with desire might love the sheep and feed them, though rain and wind often beat upon him. Besides this, the Lord gave also a law for tending the sheep, and a green place, and still water, and a psaltery, and a harp, and a staff, so that from this flock he might be fed and clothed, and gather hay in due season. «Who», says the Scripture, «tends a flock and does not feed on the milk of the flock?» (1 Cor. 9:7). Therefore it is fitting for the solitary to guard his flock day and night, so that no lamb may be seized by wild beasts or stolen by robbers. And if such a thing happens in the forest, he must snatch it from the jaws of the lion or the bear. A thought about a brother becomes a beast of prey when it is pastured in us with hatred; a thought about a woman, when it dwells in us with shameful desire; a thought about gold and silver, when it settles in us with avarice; and thoughts about holy gifts, when they are pastured in the intellect together with vainglory. And other thoughts are of the same kind when the passions steal them away. Not only by day must the flock be guarded, but also by night must it be watched over vigilantly. And this is what holy Jacob says: «What was torn by beasts I did not bring to you; I bore the loss myself; you required it of my hand, whether it was stolen from me by day or stolen by night. This was my lot: by day the heat consumed me, and by night the cold, and sleep fled from my eyes» (Gen. 31:39-40). And when despondency comes upon us from our labour, then, standing on the rock of knowledge, let us play upon the harp, striking the strings of the mind with the virtues. Let us pasture our sheep also beneath Mount Sinai, so that the God of our fathers may speak to us from the thorn bush and grant us the words of signs and wonders.
17. The rational nature, put to death by sin, Christ raises up by the contemplation of all the ages. And the Father raises the dead soul by the death of Christ and by His own manifestation. This is what the Apostle Paul says: «If we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him» (Rom. 6:8).
18. When the intellect has cast off the old man and clothed itself in the man of grace, then in prayer it will see its own state, like sapphire or the blue of heaven, which the Scripture calls the place of God, seen by the elders of Israel on Mount Sinai.
19. Some unclean spirits tempt man as man, while others trouble him as though he were an irrational animal. The first, drawing near, plant in us thoughts of vainglory, or pride, or envy, or condemnation, which do not occur in irrational creatures. The others, drawing near, arouse excessive rage and desire. These passions belong both to us and to animals, and are hidden beneath our rational nature. Therefore the Holy Spirit says of the thoughts that come to men: «I said: You are gods, and all of you sons of the Most High. But you shall die like men, and fall like one of the princes» (Ps. 81:6-7). And of the passions proper to animals which occur in man, He says: «Do not be like the horse and the mule, which have no understanding. With bit and bridle you must curb their jaws, or they will not come near you» (Ps. 31:9). When the soul sins, it dies. And this is said because when men die, men bury them; but when an animal dies or is killed, it is devoured by wild birds or ravens. Some fledglings call upon the Lord, others are defiled in blood. He who has ears to hear, let him hear.
20. When the enemy draws near and wounds you, and you wish to strike him with the sword, according to the word of Scripture: «Let their sword enter into their own heart» (Ps. 36:15), then do as we tell you. Divide within yourself the thought that has been sown, and ask yourself what this thought is, of what it is composed, and how it strikes the intellect. For example: when the thought of avarice comes to you, divide it into the mind that received it and the thought of gold; and this last, into the gold itself and the passion of avarice. And then ask yourself which of all these is sin. Is it the intellect? But it is the image of God. Is it the thought of gold? But who, having sense, would say so? Or is the gold itself sin? Then why was it created? The cause of sin therefore lies in something else — neither in the thing itself nor in the thought of the thing. Sin is the man-hating passion, which is born of free will and prompts the intellect to use God’s creation wrongly; and the law of God commands us to cut off this sweetness. When you examine it in this way, the thought will vanish, because you have divided it into the parts of which it is composed. The evil spirit will flee from you as soon as your mind rises upward, having understood this thought. And if you do not wish to turn the sword against him, but wish first to overcome him with your staff, then take a stone out of your bag and try to understand that angels and demons enter into our world, whereas we do not enter into theirs, and we can neither unite the angels more closely with God, nor make the demons more unclean. And how Lucifer, who rose in the morning, was cast down to the earth (cf. Isa. 14:12), and the sea is to him like a vessel of ointment, and the abyss of hell like a slave; the deep boils for him like a cauldron (cf. Job 41:22-23); with his malice he stirs up all men and longs to rule over all. Such a view of these things wounds the demon and drives away his whole regiment. But only those can see in this way who have been purified from the passions and can perceive the causes of what has happened. The unpurified cannot behold this with the intellect, nor will they learn it from others, for in them there is much dust from the battle and much confusion from the passions. For the regiment of the foreigners must be completely quieted, so that only Goliath may come out against our David. In the same way must we divide the thought and wage battle when unclean thoughts trouble us.
21. When we have at once driven away some unclean thoughts, let us seek the reason why this happened. Was it through the absence of the object, because the object is not easy to find, or was it that through our dispassion the enemy had no power over us? For instance, if one of the solitaries imagines that the spiritual governance of a city has been entrusted to him, let him not retain this thought within himself. Through it he learns of the aforementioned absence of the object. But if someone is the governor even of an ordinary city and yet reflects in this way, he is blessed for his dispassion. In the same way we must deal with other thoughts, testing them thus. This we must know, according to our diligence and strength, so that we may discern whether we have already crossed the Jordan and are near the palm trees, or whether we still live in the desert and are beaten by the foreigners. It seems to me that the spirit of avarice is very cunning and treacherous in its seductions; often it is hard pressed by complete renunciation, and then it pretends to be a good steward and a lover of God: in thought it receives strangers who have not yet come, sends alms to others who are likewise absent, visits the city prisons, ransoms those who have been sold, urges a man to attach himself to wealthy women, and bids others submit to those whose storehouses are full of riches. Thus, having gradually led the soul astray, it surrounds it with thoughts of avarice and hands it over to the spirit of vainglory. This spirit leads astray many of those who glorify the Lord. Some it prompts to speak with one another about ordination to the priesthood; it foretells the death of the priest who now holds office and adds that the man cannot escape ordination, whatever he may do. And so the wretched intellect, clothed in these thoughts, quarrels with those who do not accept it. To those who accept it, it distributes gifts and receives gifts from them. Those who rise up against it, it hands over to the judges and orders them to be expelled from the city. And when these and other thoughts are stirring within, at once there appears the spirit of pride, which often sends lightnings and winged serpents flying through the cell and finally takes away the reason. But let us, having asked of the Lord the destruction of such thoughts, abide in non-possession. «For we brought nothing into the world, and we can carry nothing out. But having food and clothing, with these we shall be content». And the Apostle Paul goes on to say: «The love of money is the root of all evils» (1 Tim. 6:7-8, 10).
22. All unclean thoughts, lingering in us through the passions, cast the intellect into ruin and destruction. As the thought of bread lingers in the hungry man because of his hunger, and the thought of water in the thirsty because of his thirst, so the thought of wealth and the unclean thoughts born of food linger because of the passions. The same is seen in thoughts of vainglory and in other thoughts. It is impossible for the intellect, when oppressed by such thoughts, to stand before God and to be adorned with the crown of righteousness. These thoughts strip that thrice-wretched intellect mentioned in the Gospel, which renounced the subtle knowledge of God, and whose hands and feet were bound and who was cast out into the outer darkness (Matt. 22:13); his garment was woven of such thoughts, and therefore the Lord judged him unworthy to be at the wedding feast. For this reason the wedding garment signifies the dispassion of the rational soul which has renounced worldly desires. And as to the reason why thoughts about sensible things, when they linger, corrupt the mind — this has been said in the chapters on prayer.
23. Among the demons that harm the ascetic life there are three chief ones, and after them follows the whole regiment of foreigners. These three stand first in the battle and by unclean thoughts move the soul to sin. To them is entrusted the appetite of gluttony, which drives us on to avarice and pushes us to seek human glory. If you desire pure prayer, guard yourself against anger; and loving chastity, restrain your belly and do not give it its fill of bread and water. Do not sleep at prayer, and drive rancour far from you; let the words of the Holy Spirit not grow scarce in you, and knock at the door of the Scriptures with the hands of the virtues — then the dispassion of the heart will shine upon you, and in prayer you will behold the intellect shining like a star.