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'''Prelest''' (from {{lang-ru|прелесть}} - charm, seduction, {{lang-el|πλάνη - ''plani''}}), also known as: spiritual delusion, spiritual deception, delusion, illusion, – according to Holy Fathers of [[Eastern Orthodox Church]], a false spiritual state, a spiritual illness, "a wounding of human nature by falsehood" (St. [[Ignatius Brianchaninov]]).<ref name="ign">[http://orthodoxleader.paradosis.com/articles/on-spiritual-deception/ On Spiritual Deception. Orthodox Life, July-August 1980.]</ref> The concept of prelest should not be confused with somatic mental illness of any kind, prelest is rather a spiritual illness,<ref>{{Fr icon}} Jean-Claude Larchet, Thérapeutique des maladies mentales. L’expérience de l’Orient chrétien des premiers siècles (1992, 3rd edition 2008) ISBN 2204045187 {{Ru icon}} [http://www.sociodinamika.com/lib/larshe1.html Жан-Клод Ларше, Исцеление психических болезней. Опыт христианского Востока первых веков]</ref> an illness of the soul in its personal relation to God, an illness that originate originates from vainglory, pride and demonic suggestion and that is to be cured by humility and Holy Sacraments.

To a A modern reader, this subject is particularly well and clearly described can find the most thorough explanation of Prelest in the writings of St. Ignatius (BrianchaninovBryanchaninov)where he relentlessly keeps the traditions of Holy Fathers. Some modern ascetics such as elder [[Joseph the Hesychast]], <ref name="joseph">[http://oprelesti.ru/index.php/kinds-of-spiritual-delusion/134-false-visions/310-true-visions-from-god-are-often-a-consolation-in which he relentlessly kept -suffering Elder Joseph the Hesychast, Monastic Wisdom, From letter 55.]</ref> elder [[Paisios (Eznepidis)|Paisios of the tradition Holy Mountain]],<ref name="paisios">Elder Paisios of the Holy FathersMountain, Spiritual Counsels, Vol. 3. Spiritual Struggle.</ref> elder [[Daniel Katounakiotis]]<ref name="daniel">{{Ru icon}} [http://lib.eparhia-saratov.ru/books/10k/katunakskii/katunakskii1/16.html Elder Daniel Katounakiotis. Angelic living.]</ref> also wrote about prelest.

Also some modern The concept of prelest is very important in Orthodox spirituality and ascetics wrote about prelest including: elder . It is one of the main dangers for a Christian (especially monastic) starting to pray with the [[Joseph the HesychastJesus Prayer]],.<ref name="josephpiligr">[http://oprelestiwww.ru/indexpravmir.phpcom/kindsthe-way-of-spirituala-delusion/134pilgrim-false-visions/310and-truebishop-visionsignatius-frombrianchaninov%E2%80%99s-godteaching-areon-oftenprayer-a-consolation-in-suffering Elder Joseph the Hesychast, Monastic Wisdom, From letter 552/ Interview with prof.]</ref> elder [[Paisios (Eznepidis)|Paisios of the Holy Mountain]],<ref name="paisios">Elder Paisios of the Holy Mountain, Spiritual Counsels, VolA. 3I. Spiritual StruggleOsipov.</ref> elder [[Daniel Katounakiotis]]<ref name="danielThe Way of a Pilgrim" and Bishop Ignatius (Brianchaninov’s) Teaching on Prayer">{{Ru icon}} [http://lib.eparhia-saratov.ru/books/10k/katunakskii/katunakskii1/16.html Elder Daniel Katounakiotis. Angelic living.]</ref> and others.

In Orthodox spirituality Elder [[John Krestiankin]] in his word about spiritual guiding says that the most dangerous time in relation to prelest is the beginning of the spiritual life. "Upon entering the Church, winged with new sensations, the newly-born reaches with his consciousness straight for the Kingdom of Heaven, to the heights of mysteries that are hidden behind the impene­trable curtain of Divine revelation. At that moment the spiritual father and asceticshis spiritual child enter into a unified struggle with the dark powers, the concept latter of which are ready with their deceit to turn the new convert from the path of prelest is very importantsalvation. The enemy's deception will hunt after this person for the rest of his life, offering him its dangerous sweetness. It This initial period is one particularly dangerous, for this sweetness still resonates with the nature of the main dangers fleshly man, and finds ­sympathy and response deep within his soul. The spiritual father's strength in this struggle lies in prayer and love for a Christian (especially monastic) starting his spiritual child's soul, which has come to pray with desire its own salvation. The spiritual child's protection lies in his trust of the pastor, in the [[Jesus Prayer]]awareness of his own sinfulness, and mistrust of himself".<ref name="piligr">[http://www.pravmirpravoslavie.comru/the-way-of-a-pilgrim-and-bishop-ignatius-brianchaninov%E2%80%99s-teaching-on-prayer-2english/ Interview with prof7204. Ahtm Letters of Fr.IJohn Krestiankin. Osipov. "The Way On the work of a Pilgrim" and Bishop Ignatius (Brianchaninov’s) Teaching on Prayer"pastor.]</ref>

[[Theophanes (Bystrov) of Poltava|Theophan]], the Archbishop Theophan of Poltava clarifies , comments on this notionstatement of St. Ignatius briefly by setting apart "general prelest" and prelest in its "proper sense" of the word. On the bases of all the above mentioned he gives the following definition: "Briefly, the difference between 'general prelest' and prelest in the particular sense of the word can, on the basis of the above, be expressed thus. General prelest is forgetting and not noticing one's sinfulness. That which we call prelest proper is attributing to oneself righteousness when it does not actually exist. If a man thinks he is righteous, then his righteousness is not divine, but diabolical, foreign to the grace of God and to humility. One should recall the famous saying of Abba Poemen the Great: 'I prefer a man who sins and repents to one who does not sin and does not repent. The first has good thoughts, for he admits that he is sinful. But the second has false, soul-destroying thoughts, for he imagines himself to be righteous' (Bp. Ignatius, Patericon, 75)".<ref>[http://www.roca.org/OA/66-68/66n.htm Letters of Theophan, Archbishop of Poltava, Letter 31.]</ref>

[[Saint]] Ignatius (Brianchaninov ) notes that there are two distinct kinds of prelest:# ''self-conseit'' (pride, arrogance) – the person attributes to himself dignity before [[God]] that he does not have.

According to St. Ignatius Brianchaninov, St. Gregory of Sinai,<ref name="greg">Philokalia, Vol. 4, St. Gregory of Sinai, On Commandments and Doctrines, Warnings and Promises; On Thoughts, Passions and Virtues, and Also on Stillness and Prayer: One Hundred and Thirty-Seven Texts, Ch. 131.</ref> St. Symeon the New Theologian,<ref>[http://www.myriobiblos.gr/texts/english/symeon_threeways.html Saint Symeon the New Theologian, The Three Ways of Attention and Prayer.]</ref> Valaam Elder Schema-Abbot [[John (Alexeev)]]<ref>[http://oprelesti.ru/index.php/what-is-spiritual-delusion/413-how-to-pray Letters of the Valaam Elder Schema-Abbot John (Alexeev), On Prayer]</ref> and other ascetics, second the first kind of prelest very often leads to insanity. The first second kind sometimes does not result is in a mental disease, but the person cannot achieve salvation being in a state of one of the seven deadly sins - pride.St. Ignatius writes about it: "This kind of prelest - is terrible: it is equally fatal for the soul as the first one, but is less evident; it rarely ends in madness, suicide, but definitely corrupts both the mind and the heart."<ref name="ign1"/>

According to the Holy Fathers, false visions are associated with pride. St. Ignatius Brianchaninov says that those people, who want to see visions, and whose mind was is not renewed and recreated by the Holy Spirit, are filled with pride.<ref name="ign1">{{Ru icon}}[http://www.hesychasm.ru/library/stbrianch/prelest.htm St. Ignatius (Brianchaninov). On prelest.]</ref> - that means, as writes St. Ignatius, that there is a connection between prelest of the first and the second kind. Archimandrite Seraphim (Alexiev) says: "Where there is pride and at the same time one has a vision - it can not be from God, but by all means - from the evil one."<ref>{{Ru icon}}[http://www.3rm.info/10811-nastavlenie-o-voznoshenii-sebya-i-lozhnyx.html Archimandrite Seraphim (Alexiev). Instruction on the self-conceit and the false visions.]</ref>

False visions as any demonic action can be very harmful to the soul. Elder [[Daniel Katounakiotis]] writes in a letter about one hierodeacon by the name of Ierotheos who had a lot of visions. Even though he confessed everything, nobody of the confessors understood that this was a delusion. Then elder Sava [[Sabbas the Father Confessor of Mount Athos‎|Sabbas]] advised him how to find out the truth. When the delusion was revealed and when the visions ceased after repeated exorcism, the injury to the soul of Ierotheos remained very serious and later he broke all monastic vows.<ref name="daniel"/> ===Self-conceit=== St. Ignatius (Brianchaninov) writes that "people infected with prelest of 'conceit' are very common. Anyone who does not have a contrite spirit, who recognizes any own merits and achievements, anyone not holding steadily the teaching of the Orthodox Church, but discussing about any dogma or tradition arbitrarily, at his discretion, or according to the heterodox teaching, is in this kind of prelest. The degree of deviation and persistence of deviation determines the degree of prelest".<ref name="ign1"/> St. Ignatius also quotes St. [[Macarius the Great]] who said: "as there is no person completely free from pride: there is no person who would be completely free from the action on him of a subtle delusion called 'conceit'". There is an example when "conceit" may also result in a mental disease. Hieromartyr Bishop Arseny (Zhadanovsky) in his "Spiritual Diary" writes about one woman who was in this kind of delusion. She wanted to take the Holy Communion every day. When she was forbidden to do so, she started to serve the Divine Liturgy herself at her home. "Her case, however, ended sadly. She lost her mind and she is currently in the mental hospital."<ref>{{Ru icon}}[http://true-orthodox.narod.ru/library/book/Arseny/diary/index.html Hieromartyr Bishop Arseny (Zhadanovsky). Spiritual Diary.]</ref>

Sometimes the demons can "help"<ref>Saints Barsanuphius and John, Guidance Toward Spiritual Life: Answers to the Questions of Disciples. Letter 421.</ref> a deluded person. This "help" can include either advices recommendations about certain things, even theological and very complicated, or can take the form of false spiritual gifts: false healing ability,<ref name="cass">[http://www.tertullian.org/fathers2/NPNF2-11/Npnf2-11-65.htm Saint John Cassian, Conferences. Conference 15. The second conference of Abbot Nesteros. On Divine gifts. Chapter 1. Discourse of Abbot Nesteros on the threefold system of gifts.]</ref> false clairvoyance,<ref name="nic">[http://www.roca.org/OA/66-68/66p.htm Living of Saint Nicetas of the Kiev Caves.]</ref> false gift of prophecy,<ref name="greg"/> false unceasing prayer,<ref name="raph">{{Ru icon}} [http://lib.eparhia-saratov.ru/books/16r/rafail/secret/33.html Archimandrite Raphael (Karelin). The mystery of salvation. Conversations about spiritual life. Schema-Archimandrite Seraphim.]</ref> false power over demons,<ref name="cass"/> false reading of thoughts,<ref name="ant">{{Ru icon}}[http://video.mail.ru/mail/lapin737/1170/1357.html?autoplay=1 Conversations with Bishop Anthony of Sourozh. On prelest. Spas TV]</ref> false dispassion<ref>{{Ru icon}} [http://www.hesychasm.ru/library/psychology/vlhs_4.htm#n4 Metropolitan Hierotheos Vlachos. Orthodox psychotherapy. Dispassion.]</ref> etc. The term "false" here means "not Divine". An inexperienced person, not knowing enough about true Divine gifts, can easily accept such false gift as being Divine. Usually, such false gifts or "help" are is sent to an already conceited person, i. e. being in prelest of the first second kind.<ref>[http://stvladimirs.ca/wordpress/letters-of-elder-macarius-of-optina/ Excerpts from the Letters of Elder Macarius of Optina.]</ref> Metropolitan [[Anthony of Sourozh]] recalls that when he was young, he had an ability to read thoughts of other people. Once he asked God: "If this gift is not from You, dispel it". And this ability immediately disappeared.<ref name="ant"/> It is very difficult for a conceited person to decline such gift, to consider oneself unworthy of receiving it and ask God to take the gift away. If these false gifts are accepted by the deluded person, it can lead him /her into demon possession or suicide.<ref>[http://oprelesti.ru/index.php/kinds-of-spiritual-delusion/136-healing-ability-from-demons/341-healing-ability-from-the-demons The Letters of Elder John (Krestiankin).]</ref>

Passion of unauthorized teaching becomes a kind of prelest when the desire of teaching is based on the passion of pride rather than on the wish to share some information with others. Speaking about vainglory, St. [[John Climacus]] says: "Ignore him when he tells you to accept the office of bishop or abbot or teacher. It is hard to drive a dog from a butcher's counter."<ref>St. John Climacus. The ladder of Divine Ascent. Step 22.</ref> The conceited teacher often does not notice that he causes does harm to his students because they do not understand, understand incorrectly or even cannot understand at all some subject, but the teacher does not cease his teaching. Lord Jesus warns against teaching those who are unprepared and cannot understand: "Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend you." (Matthew 7:6). St. [[John Chrysostom]] says that the corruption of life is the reason why the teaching is not understood.<ref>[http://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/npnf110.iii.XXIII.html St. John Chrysostom. Homilies on the Gospel of Saint Matthew. VII.]</ref> The same idea is expressed by [[Apostle Paul]]: "But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned." (1 Corinthians 2:14)

Elder Joseph the Hesychast writes that when one passionate person starts to teach another passionate person, the first one immediately loses the gracebecause God gives the privilege of teaching only when the teacher achieved the state of dispassion and contemplation.<ref>Elder Joseph the Hesychast. Monastic wisdom. Letter 22.</ref> Elder Joseph and St. [[Symeon the New Theologian]]<ref>{{Ru icon}} [http://www.pagez.ru/lsn/simeon/83.php St. Symeon the New Theologian. Word 83.]</ref> say also says that the reason for this is teacher should know the subject from experience. Also elder Joseph notes that he witnessed many times that unless God gives will help with His grace to understand, no human efforts alone can make the privilege teaching successful. St. [[Innocent of teaching Alaska]] writes that only to those the one who know something from experience have plenty of faith and love can have a mouth and who achieved wisdom, which all hearts of the state listeners shall not be able to resist.<ref>{{Ru icon}}[http://www.fatheralexander.org/booklets/russian/innocent_alaska_r.htm St. Innocent of dispassion and contemplationAlaska. Instruction for a missionary priest.]</ref>

Also, in James 3:1, Apostle warns against unauthorized teaching. Archbishop [[Averky (Taushev) of Syracuse|Averky (Taushev)]] in his analysis of James 3:1 says that one should start teaching with the great caution and distrust to oneself.<ref>{{Ru icon}}[http://azbyka.ru/hristianstvo/bibliya/tolkovanie/averkiy_sobornye_poslaniya_10-all.shtml Archbishop Averky (Taushev). Exegetic analysis of the Epistle of James.]</ref>

Regarding the teaching in the church, the rule 64 of the 6th [[Sixth Ecumenical Council ]] reads: "That a layman must not publicly make a speech or teach, thus investing himself with the dignity of a teacher, but, instead, must submit to the ordinance handed down by the Lord, and to open his ear wide to them who have received the grace of teaching ability, and to be taught by them the divine facts thoroughly. <...> If anyone be caught disobeying the present Canon, let him be excommunicated for forty days."<ref>[http://www.intratext.com/IXT/ENG0835/__P3S.HTM Canons of the seven [[Ecumenical Councils|ecumenical councils]]. [[Quinisext Council|Quinisext Ecumenical Council]]. Rule 64]</ref> The interpretation of this canon then reads: "But if any layman chance to be experienced in discourse and modest in manner, he is not prohibited from answering and teaching in private those asking questions, as Zonaras states, and ch. 32 of Book VIII of the Apostolic Injunctions declare. For they shall be, it says, all taught of God: in which manner Apollos spoke, and taught the facts about the Lord, and in spite of the fact that he only knew the baptism of the Lord (Acts 28:25), and Aquilas and Priscilla, who taught the same Apollos the way of God more exactly". ===Carelessness===The delusion of carelessness and negligence is the gradual and unnoticeable weakening of zeal for virtues in a man and appearance of a false idea that salvation can be achieved without labors. St. Ambrose of Optina writes in one of his letters about carelessness as about a kind of delusion: "The delusion of carelessness (maybe); but regular delusion will not occur because we are not ascetics".<ref>{{Ru icon}}[http://www.optina.ru/lec_amvr/11/ Letters of St. Ambrose of Optina. Prelest.]</ref> In another letter, he cites the Gospel: "You complain about the coldness and reluctance to fulfill your Christian duties. Remember the words of the Gospel, that the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force (Matthew 11:12), and force yourself according to your abilities and opportunity."<ref name="ioann1">{{Ru icon}}[http://www.ioann.ru/parts/strasti/xochetsya-otdoxnut-ot-duxovnoj-borby Words from Holy Fathers about carelessness]</ref> True ascetic is never satisfied with his current state. He understands that it is never enough, that he has to fight and that he does not fulfill the commandments.<ref>[http://www.sestry.ru/church/content/library/blagaja_chast/92_chapter/view Schema-archimandrite Abraham (Reidman). The Good Part. V. 3.]</ref> In the state of negligence and in the absence of spiritual zeal, the human condition inevitably worsens: "The human soul as being immortal, can not remain in the same state: it either improves or worsens". (St. Macarius of Optina).<ref name="ioann1"/>  St. Gregory of Sinai says that the cause of carelessness is self-esteem.<ref name="ioann1"/> Schema-archimandrite Abraham (Reidman) in his book of conversations with the monastics<ref>{{Ru icon}}[http://www.sestry.ru/church/content/library/blagaja_chast/82_chapter/view Schema-archimandrite Abraham (Reidman). The Good Part. V. 3. Between Scylla and Charybdis.]</ref> also thinks that carelessness is delusion and says that carelessness in some sense is opposite to pride, but even more dangerous. A very common manifestation of carelessness is the weakening of abstemiousness in food. With excessive nutrition, the passions begin to act in the person and darken the mind, especially the passion of sexual lust, and especially in the young persons. Also carelessness can manifest itself in laziness to physical labor, when the person is too sparing himself, is lazy to attend long church services, abandons the daily prayer rule. In obedience, a monk can be lazy to fight with himself cutting out his will, not striving to do exactly according to the blessing of the spiritual father but rather trusting his own intellect and reasoning. Schema-archimandrite Abraham considers the abandonment of Jesus prayer to be the most dangerous manifestation of the carelessness for monastics: "If a person abandons the Jesus Prayer, he rejects the spiritual life", "abandonment of the prayer rope rule means that you do not conduct any monastic life." Holy Fathers say the same about abandonment of the prayer. St. John Climacus writes: "Self-will is the ruin of the monk living in obedience. But ruin for the solitary is the interruption of prayer."<ref>St. John Climacus. The Ladder of Divine Ascent. Word 27.</ref> St. Isaac of Syria says that "The start of the mind derangement (when the sign of it starts to show up in the mind), is primarily seen in the laziness to the Divine service and to the prayer."<ref>{{Ru icon}}[http://www.hesychasm.ru/library/isaaksr/txt01.htm St. Isaac of Syria. Ascetic Words. Word 2.]</ref> In addition, St. John Climacus names carelessness as one of the reasons for the demon attacks as well as one the reasons why God may not fulfill the prayers of a man: "Every demonic upheaval within us arises from the following three related causes namely, carelessness, pride, or the envy of demons. The first is pitiable, the second deplorable, but the third is blessed"<ref>St. John Climacus. The Ladder of Divine Ascent. Word 26.</ref>; "When requests are made to God and are not immediately answered, the reason may be one of the following: either that the petition is premature, or because it has been made unworthily or vaingloriously, or because if granted, it would lead to conceit, or because negligence and carelessness would result."<ref>St. John Climacus. The Ladder of Divine Ascent. Word 26.</ref>

Many Orthodox Holy Fathers and modern ascetics wrote about the dangers of wrong practice of the [[Jesus Prayer]] and prayer in general: Saint Symeon the New Theologian, Saint Ignatius Brianchaninov, Saint [[Theophan the Recluse]], Saint Ambrosius of Optina, Saint Macarius of Optina, elder Joseph the Hesychast, Vallam elder John (Alexeev) and others.<ref name="ioann">{{Ru icon}} [http://www.ioann.ru/?id=424&partid=19 Gleanings from Holy Fathers on the dangers of the prayer of the heart.]</ref>

Professor of the Moscow Theological Academy [[Alexei Osipov|A.I. Osipov]] analyzes<ref name="piligr"/><ref name="apol">[http://www.holytrinitymission.org/books/english/apologetics_osipov_e.htm A.I. Ospiov. Apologetics.]</ref> the teaching on the prayer by St. Ignatius (Brianchaninov) and points out that the prayer should have three properties: attention, reverence, repentance. Also humility should be the basis of the prayer as St. Ignatius says: "Today I read the declaration of St. Sisoes the Great, which I always particularly liked. A [[monk ]] said to him: 'I am in constant memory of God'. St. Sisoes responded to him: 'That is not great; it will be great when you consider yourself to be worse than any creature.' St. Sisoes continues: constant memory of God is a very elevated activity!! However, this height is very dangerous, when the ladder to it is not founded on the solid rock of humility".<ref name="apol"/>

If at least one of the following meetexists:

#the person does not truly repent of some sins, e.g. lives in licentiousness,<ref name="ioann"/><ref>{{Ru icon}}[http://www.ioann.org/pisma/molitva.html Letters of elder John (Krestiankin). On Prayer.]</ref>he /she can fall into prelest.

St. Ignatius tells a story about the proper way of the prayer. A monk came to him from Mt. [[Mount Athos]].This monk did not need warm clothes in winter because of the internal heat in the his body caused by the prayer and was wearing chains. At first, St. Ignatius thought that this is a true ascetic and wanted to hear something useful from him about the prayer. But then he found out that the monk uses wrong way of prayer with exaltation and imagination. St. Ignatius gingerly asked the monk to try to keep the mind in the words of the prayer. That was enough to cure him. All his visions disappeared and he could not make them return. When the monk returned later, he no longer looked conceited. He took off the chains and could not do without warm clothes.<ref name="ign1"/>

Sometimes, very rarely, God gives some humble and pious individuals, who reached the highest degree of purification from passions, a gift of unceasing heart prayer.<ref name="ambr">{{Ru icon}} [http://www.optina.ru/starets/amvrosiy_letters_chart2_29/#294 Letters of St. Ambrose of Optina. Letter 294.]</ref> That is one of the greatest blessing blessings from God that a person can receive. Many people, practicing the Jesus prayer, would like to receive such gift. But if the person is conceited, he may get a similar gift from the demons or may confuse the Divine gift with something natural.

Archimandrite Raphael (Karelin) writes about Saint [[Seraphim (Romantsov)]], elder of the Glinsk monastery, and about the importance of obedience which is required to receive the Divine grace. Once Fr. Seraphim spoke to a nun who thought of herself as having an unceasing prayer. She lived in the mountains and severely fasted. Fr. Seraphim said: "Once a day, you have to have a hot meal". She stared at Father Seraphim: "Do I have to waste the time and distract the mind from the prayer to prepare lunch?" Fr. Seraphim widely crossed himself: "Cross my heart, that you do not have any prayer and never had it". When she left, Fr. Seraphim said, "She did not understand anything. The one, who gave her the schema, he was in prelest himself. Poor soul, how much struggles she will have!"<ref name="raph"/>

Also St. Ambrose of Optina also writes in a letter that one person has had an unceasing prayer when asleep. And when he listened closer to what his heart was saying, he heard: "Meow" − like a cat but not the Jesus prayer.<ref name="ambr"/>

According to Saint Ignatius (Brianchaninov), some of the most respected saints of the [[Roman Catholic Church]] who were glorified since it turned to papal supremacy were in a state of prelest and therefore cannot be could not have been considered as saints. St. Ignatius provides examples of visions and other mystical experiences of St. [[Francis of Assisi]], St. Ignatius of Loyola, St. Thomas à Kempis and compares them with experience of Orthodox saints of the first centuries.

A.I. Osipov also says<ref name="lec1">{{Ru icon}}[http://alexey-osipov.ru/video/kurs-seminarii-i-akademii-2006-2007/2007-01-22-s5-mistika-i-prelest/ A.I. Osipov. Lecture for the students of the 5th year at Moscow Theological Seminary and Academy, 22.01.2007.]</ref> that there are 3 main manifestations of delusions of Catholic mystics:  * compassion of Christ that reaches its ultimate degree;* matrimony with God, flirting with God, romance with God etc.;* dreaminess of imagination. Russian philosopher [[Aleksei Losev|A.F. Losev]] analyzes Western spirituality and in particular, visions of St. Angela of Foligno: "That is not a prayer and talk conversation with God. These are very strong hallucinations on the basis of hysteria i. e. prelest".<ref>{{Ru icon}} [http://www.ccel.org/contrib/ru/Other/Losev/PLATO_IV.HTM A.F. Losev. Essays on Antique Symbolism and Mythology. 1930.]</ref>

New-martyr [[Mikhail Novoselov|Mihail Novoselov ]] compares the teaching of St. Ignatius (Brianchaninov), St. Theophan the Recluse, writings of M.V. Lodyzhenskii and the writings of Roman Catholic mystics.<ref>{{Ru icon}} [http://pravbeseda.ru/library/index.php?page=book&id=221 Mihail Novoselov. Mystics of the Church and mystics of Western faiths. 1912.]</ref> He writes that it is enough to read several pages of the writings of the Western mystics, in particular, the writings of St. Teresa of Ávila, to see that they were in prelest. Father George Macris also compares the mysticism of St. Seraphim of Sarov and St. Francis of Assisi and analyses in detail different manifestations of their humility. He writes in the conclusion that St. Francis "moved progressively in his life in a growing condition of plani"; "as startling as it may appear to some, he bore many characteristics which are prototypical of Antichrist, who will also be seen as chaste, virtuous, highly moral, full of love and compassion, and who will be regarded as holy (even as a deity) by people who have allowed carnal romanticism to replace the Sacred Tradition of the Holy Church"; "The sad fact is that the attainment of a true spiritual relationship with Christ was never a possibility for Francis, for being outside the Church of Christ, it was impossible that he could have received Divine Grace, or any of the gifts of the Holy Spirit. His gifts were from another spirit".<ref>[http://www.fatheralexander.org/booklets/english/st_francis_st_seraphim.htm George Macris. A Comparison of the Mysticism of Francis of Assisi With That of St. Seraphim of Sarov.]</ref> Prof. A.I. Osipov says that deviations in the Roman Catholic Church started from such things that are rather subtle and not easy to understand for everyone, even for the person who knows the basics of the spiritual life. A.I. Osipov gives an example of his personal misunderstanding. He speaks in one of his lectures<ref name="lec1"/> about the time when he studied in the Moscow Theologial Seminary in 1950-60s. He knew about the book "Imitation of Jesus Christ" by Thomas à Kempis – in Ignatius Brianchaninov’s writings, there is a case when a landlord saw his daughter with this book, took it out of her hand and said: "Stop flirting with God." And A.I. Osipov took and read the book and did not see anything bad: "Why do they criticize it? It is true, we must imitate Jesus Christ." When he looked into this book again after a long time – he saw prelest everywhere: rapture, exaltation, false love. A.I. Osipov adds: "I did not understand, imagine that! I did not see. The people who just knew it and felt it – they understood. They saw where the falseness is."

Father George Macris also compares the mysticism of StAlso Prof. Seraphim of Sarov and StA. Francis of AssisiI. "The sad fact Osipov says that, in his opinion, this is that the attainment of a true spiritual relationship with Christ was never a possibility for Francis, for being outside key to the separation between the Church of Christ, it Eastern and Western Churches - not filioque or papal supremacy - these are only consequences visible to everyone. The beginning was impossible that he could have received Divine Grace, or any of in the gifts spiritual deviation of the Holy Spirit. His gifts were people who turned from another spirit".<ref>[http://www.fatheralexander.org/booklets/english/st_francis_st_seraphim.htm George Macris. A Comparison the path of fight with passions to the Mysticism of Francis of Assisi With That of St. Seraphim path of Sarovfalse love to God.]</ref>

If the person conceals sins or thoughts in confession or does not trust to his spiritual father, he can also can fall into prelest: "Think in this wise: the Holy Spirit dwells in your confessor, and he will tell you what is right. But if you say to yourself that your confessor lives a careless life, how can the Holy Spirit dwell in him, you will suffer mightily for such thoughts, and the Lord will bring you low, and you are sure to fall into delusion".<ref>Archimandrite Sofronii. Saint Silouan the Athonite. P. 292.</ref> Also, elder Ephraim of Philotheou speaks about his teacher, elder Joseph the Hesychast, who used to say to his disciples about some people who suffered from prelest. Such people quite often committed suicide because they believed that an Angel appeared to them, whereas it was a demon. The delusion was in the thought: "Do not tell that to the Elder".<ref>{{Ru icon}} Elder Ephraim of Philotheou. My life with elder Joseph.</ref>

Orthodox ascetics consider that there are several means to cure be cured from prelest:

# Prayer without foreign side thoughts, especially without imagining Lord [[Jesus Christ]], [[Angels]], Heaven, etc., keeping the paying attention in to the words of the prayer;# Prayer Prayers of other people of the holy life about the deluded person.

The first way to cure get rid of prelest is the Sacrament of Confession. If the person saw any vision, he should tell it immediately to his spiritual father not concealing anything.<ref>[http://www.saintseraphimbookstore.com/?page_id=243 Nun Macaria, The Angel of Light and Spiritual Discernment in the Orthodox Tradition.]</ref> Other Sacraments are needed as well, but sometimes deluded persons are forbidden to take the Holy [[Communion ]] by their spiritual father for some period of time, sometimes rather long (1–3 years).<ref>{{Ru icon}} Архимандрит Иоанникий (Коцонис). Афонский отечник. 2011. Стр. 352. ISBN 9785985990645</ref> Also One woman saw a lamp before icon at her house lit by itself. That happened every midnight and even in monasteriesthe presence of other people. She accepted that as Divine. But when she told that to her spiritual father, a known ascetic Bishop Basil (Preobrazhensky), he said: "No, this phenomenon is not from grace, but from the enemy. And because you accepted it as being from grace, I am giving you a penance: do not receive the Holy Mysteries for one year. The lampada will not light itself again". Truly, sometimes persons the lampada did not light by itself from that day on.<ref>[http://www.alexey-osipov.ru/english.doc A.I. Osipov. Search for Truth on the Path of Reason. P. 190.]</ref> Sometimes in monasteries people suffering from prelest are also given ignoble obediences to humble them. Work therapy decreases pride and demonic attacks that cause prelest.

==Orthodox saints who were in suffered from prelest and recovered==

When Saint Niphon, bishop of Cyprus, was an ordinary monk, he was struggling with against demons and fell into partial insanity for 4 years but later was cured.<ref>{{Ru icon}}[http://ru.wikisource.org/wiki/%D0%96%D0%B8%D1%82%D0%B8%D1%8F_%D1%81%D0%B2%D1%8F%D1%82%D1%8B%D1%85_%28%D0%94%D0%B8%D0%BC%D0%B8%D1%82%D1%80%D0%B8%D0%B9_%D0%A0%D0%BE%D1%81%D1%82%D0%BE%D0%B2%D1%81%D0%BA%D0%B8%D0%B9%29/%D0%94%D0%B5%D0%BA%D0%B0%D0%B1%D1%80%D1%8C/23 Living of Saint Niphon of Cyprus.]</ref>

Saint Isaac the Recluse of the [[Monastery of the Kiev Caves |Kiev Caves]] was living in seclusion for 7 years and was deluded by a false vision of Lord Jesus. He was left by demons lying unconscious. Saints Antonius and Theodosius of the Kiev Caves were nursing him and praying about him for 2 years. After that, St. Isaac got better and in the end of his life he received the power over demons.<ref>{{Ru icon}}[http://ru.wikisource.org/wiki/%D0%96%D0%B8%D1%82%D0%B8%D1%8F_%D1%81%D0%B2%D1%8F%D1%82%D1%8B%D1%85_%28%D0%94%D0%B8%D0%BC%D0%B8%D1%82%D1%80%D0%B8%D0%B9_%D0%A0%D0%BE%D1%81%D1%82%D0%BE%D0%B2%D1%81%D0%BA%D0%B8%D0%B9%29/%D0%A4%D0%B5%D0%B2%D1%80%D0%B0%D0%BB%D1%8C/14 Living of Saint Isaac the Recluse]</ref>