False Mysticism and the Loss of Discernment : the saga of “nun” Gavrielia

  Gavrielia Papagianni died on 28 March, 1992. On the 3rd of October, after a recommendation from “Patriarch” Bartholomew, the Synod of the Patriarchate of Constantinople declared Nun Gavrielia a saint.

Since many serious state-church of Greece theologians had objected to the teachings of this nun, writers rushed to fabricate some anti-ecumenist statements that Gavrielia had supposedly made.

The authors below belonged to the new-calendarist state “church” of Greece and thus were not biased fanatics, as one might think.

Eldress Gabriella

Critiques and Commentary on the contents of the book:

“The Ascetic of Love”

By Nun Gabriella

Athens 2003

PROLOGUE

(Fr Sarantos Sarantos)

In the widely circulated book, “The Ascetic of Love”, by Nun Gabriella,

my name is mentioned as one of those who knew the nun. Indeed, we had

met once and briefly exchanged some views. This fact cannot constitute

my own “guarantee” for the book, which was subsequently written by the

homonymous author.

I take the opportunity, therefore, to present with great joy the

critique of the aforementioned book, which has been done by the most

reverend Deacon Fr Basil Spiliopoulos.

The reading of this critique is very useful for the readers of

Gabriella’s voluminous book, but also for the entire Christ-named

fullness of the Orthodox, so that they may learn to distinguish the

wheat from the chaff, the light from the darkness, the truth from the lie.

Unfortunately, the plethora of messages and incessant information of the

“New Age” blunt the Orthodox consciences of us all, immobilises the right

judgment given by our Lord Jesus Christ, aiming to deceive, if possible,

even the elect, and to integrate them into the charming panorama of the

Pan-religion.

Divine-human institutions and principles, self-evident until now, are

being relativised in insidious ways and are ultimately disputed by the

“rulers of the world-ruler of this age”, both within the global

community and within our most beloved Orthodox homeland, Greece, which

foreign and local “modernisers” are anxiously striving to modernise, as

supposedly unmodernised and third-world.

It is very sad that members of our Orthodox Church, and particularly

members institutionally dedicated to Christ are becoming entangled in

this mentality and in the New Age “missionary work”, and even try to

entangle the fullness of the faithful in the pan-heresy of the New Age

and of the Pan-religion.

Within the five hundred pages of the book under critique, a methodical

attempt is made through a heroised missionary figure, Nun Gabriella by

Nun Gabriella, her disciple, to level the adamantine, truthful Orthodox

teaching, with all the remaining false dogmas of all confessions and all

religions.

The Holy Uniqueness of the God-man person of our Lord Jesus Christ is

non-existent. The Church expects from Orthodox nuns the Orthodox

teaching and the Orthodox ethos that are both imprinted upon the persons

of the Saints of our Church. Every male and female Saint of our

Orthodoxy does not fall short at all in heroism, in feats, and in

miracles, which Christ performs through them for the good, for the

salvation, for the edification of the Body of the Church and of Her

myriad members.

Conversely, in the numerous pages of the book “The Ascetic of Love”,

Orthodox asceticism is absent, and simultaneously, the Orthodox

Divine-human Love in Christ is distorted. Syncretism, that is, the

mixing of all the obsolete confessions and religions, nullifies the

Unique, Soteriological work of our Lord Jesus Christ, His miracles, His

Sacrificial offering, His glorious Resurrection, and His Holy Ascension

into the heavens.

The indirect promotion of Hinduism and Guruism, the supposed

glossolalia, Vegetarianism, the holistic view of the world, the Global

or Universal Spirit, Yama, Non-existence and Mortification, Meditation,

Positive Thinking, the superstitions, the advertisement of Rama Krishna,

the false visions of Gabriella, along with the “healing gift”, the

blunts”alternative therapies”, complete the bombardment of our Orthodox,

divine-human Tradition—which is in all things tested within our Greek

society—the only one that truly saves the human personality.

It is indeed worthy of the greatest bewilderment how it is possible for

Orthodox nuns to alienate, to such a degree and to such an extent, the

life in Christ! It is not worthy of bewilderment to us how it managed to

circulate in thirteen editions, since the aforementioned book is flooded

with the post-lapsarian syndrome of a diffuse sentimentalism, which

motivates the reading public in its circulation.

Countless readers, however, incessantly “bother” us with the identical

question regarding our opinion of this book.

Ultimately, it appears that after a sober, internal critique by

unprejudiced readers, the heretical content of “The Ascetic of Love” is

realised, informally or consciously, and the book is placed on the

highest shelves of the bookcase so that the erosion it initially caused

may not be transmitted.

A careful study of the well-intentioned and absolutely documented

critique by Hierodeacon Fr Basil is needed, so that the reader may

acquire correct, Divine-human criteria, in order not to be misled by

base, demonic sentimentalities.

Archimandrite Sarantis Sarantos

Parish Priest of the Holy Church of the Dormition of the Theotokos,

Amarousion

GENERAL

“The Ascetic of Love” is already traversing its 13th edition, it is now

also circulating in the English language, and its volume extends to 500

pages. In many parishes of our country, it has unfortunately been used,

or is still being used, as a manual for catechetical schools.

In our opinion, this book aims at the promotion of popular ecumenism,

that is, the promotion among simple Orthodox Christian clerics and laity

of the teaching that all religions possess a part of the truth, and

consequently, not only are we not justified in rejecting their various

teachings, but we have a sacred duty to accept them, so that we may one

day reach the desired, for the bearers of this idea, union of all

religions into one. It constitutes, therefore, an act of hatred,

fanaticism or “fundamentalism” according to modern terminology, and

intolerance to persist in the dogmas, the canons, and the traditions of

our Church and to reject the remaining confessions and beliefs, a

phenomenon which, according to the author, is due to various complexes

and phobias that possess us.

We must emphasise that this teaching is the foundational teaching of the

“NEW AGE” movement[1], which proclaims that God is everywhere, and which

systematically manipulates the union of religions and the creation of

the PAN-RELIGION. The Truth, however, is not, nor can it become a

negotiable quantity. The Truth is “possessed” solely by us as Orthodox

Christians and always as members of the One Holy Catholic and Apostolic

Church, and indeed in its entirety, because it is not an abstract or

impersonal concept, but the very person of the Lord, Who most clearly

revealed to us that He is “the Way, the Truth, and the Life” (John 14:6).

Let us look, however, at the most obvious and revealing points that

verify both the existence of a ruthless and New Age syncretism, and the

delusions of the Eastern religions, which are scattered throughout the

book, carefully “disguised” as Orthodox spirituality.

A. SYNCRETISTIC ELEMENTS

As we mentioned previously, this book attempts to convince the reader

that Christian and non-Christian confessions are not far from the truth.

This is achieved in various ways, such as by referring to numerous

friends of the eldress of other religions and heterodox beliefs with

whom she maintained relations throughout her life, without, however,

converting them or even making the slightest effort. On the contrary,

she frequently considers them even as saints (e.g. p. 212 and 407) or an

example of Christians (p. 72)[2] and for this reason she converses with

them about God (about which God, I wonder?).

Let us refer to this, however, in more detail: On page 15, an Anglican

“theologian” recognises her “life in Christ”. It goes without saying

that this presupposes a common experience and a common faith regarding

Christ, which naturally cannot be equated with the Orthodox faith,

because in that case the Anglican would have persistently requested and

received Orthodox Baptism.

On page 27, the author wonders in what way the cooperation, and even the

receiving of a salary from Jews, could possibly bother the eldress? How

much is this tactic, which is presented as a virtue and is projected as

proof of the immeasurable love that the eldress had towards everyone, in

agreement with the words of the Evangelist John, who tells us, “If any man

come unto you, and bring not this teaching, receive ye him not into your

house, and bid him not greeting” (2 John 10)? Did the eldress, in the

end, possess a greater love than the one whom the Church Herself named

the “disciple of love”?

On page 33, we see the close relationship of the eldress with the heresy

of the Quakers[3]. Their work in Thessalonica is advertised as

important, while she herself holds the position of directress at their

school, as well as a teacher of the Gospel. What naive person could ever

believe that if her views and the interpretation she gave to the Gospel

were not in absolute alignment with those of the heresy, they would have

entrusted her with the two, undoubtedly, most sensitive positions in

such a heresy? Concurrently, the reader is given the deliberate

impression that the Quakers are a group of Orthodox Christians with an

important work and activities, a mistaken and highly dangerous

impression which is even proselytising. On pages 40-41, her relationship

with two more Quakers is presented, while she is also hosted in their

hostel (p. 46).

On page 63, a Methodist missionary asks for her prayers so that they

might receive yet more grace from God. This remains uncommented upon and

teaches for yet another time that Grace is not a privilege of the

Orthodox. The Grace of God, however, the Holy Spirit, operates only in

the bosom of the Orthodox Church and “upholdeth the whole institution of

the Church”. (Idiomelon of the Feast of the Holy Spirit).

On page 42, the “brazen syncretism” far exceeds the limits, as we

read, Aurelia, the eldress as a laywoman, leaving for India, took with

her only two books. One was the Gospel, and the other a book by the guru

Sivananda[4]. And while there is no word at all regarding the Gospel,

the book of the guru enthuses her so much that she desperately seeks

its author. He in his turn, “as if by a miracle”, follows her everywhere

and helps her much more in her beginnings in India[5], to prove to us,

even informally, how many powers are hidden in Hinduism and in the

gurus, which, although we ignore them, we can nonetheless gradually discover

and benefit from them.

On pp. 50-51, a comparison is made between guruistic techniques and

Orthodox views. The eldress considers, that is, that in Orthodox

monasticism, just as in Hindu monasticism, the ascetic’s attempt to

become invisible to men is a common phenomenon, a thing entirely alien

and unknown to our own ascetic tradition.

On p. 53, Hindu worship is also compared with Orthodox worship, without

the constant invocation of the name of God being absent from the list of

“similarities”, which supposedly exists in both forms of worship with

the sole difference being the name of the God which the ascetic

invokes[6]. Naturally, the difference is much more substantial, while

the message is once again artfully conveyed that all religions have the

truth with the sole difference being the name they attribute to the Divine.

On p. 54 Rama Krishna is advertised as supposedly being influenced by

Christianity, whilst on p. 47, several names of great gurus whom the

eldress knew are cited, obviously so that those interested in Indian

philosophy and its techniques might know where they ought to direct

themselves.

A little further down, the author attempts to convince us that her Jewish

friend drinks from the crucified water, when simultaneously the Apostle

Paul tells us that the Cross is “unto the Jews a stumbling block”.

What is the aim of this deception, other than to make us believe that

the followers of other religions are not possessed by the same

“fanaticism” by which we Orthodox are possessed?

Furthermore, monasticism is compared with ancient Greece, in an era when

neo-idolatry and the worship of the Twelve Gods are on the rise, and

particularly in our country (p. 106).

Elsewhere, the eldress is invited to pray inside mosques (p. 44), without

it being mentioned whether she ultimately accepted this invitation,

although this act is praised by the author.

In any case, the veneration of mosques is not contrary to the spirit of

the book, since Muslims, Hindus, and also Jews, have God within them and

are guided by the same spirit of God, as Gabriella herself maintains (p.

325)[7]. Moreover, Ramasandra is mentioned as a great man who lives

according to Christ (p. 234), whilst the reference to the gifts of Baba

Amte is also constant (p. 403). It becomes obvious, therefore,

Gabriella’s view that everyone can live and walk according to Christ

and, consequently, Holy Baptism is entirely useless, and the opposite

view is an indication of hatred.

The most characteristic points of syncretism in the book, however, are

the following:

a) On p. 101, it is mentioned that after she became a nun, one day

met with two Indian monks from Sivananda’s Ashram, they said to her:

“Now you are a true sister of ours. You wear the habit, we wear the

habit.” In this phrase is condensed the entire teaching of the book, but

also of the New Age. Indeed, in the way it is formulated, it conveys the

message both that as Orthodox we require a recognition from the other,

more “spiritual” and mystical religions, and that the Indians, as

magnanimous and unfanatical, grant us this recognition and completely

accept our asceticism, which naturally differs little from theirs. It is

the basis of a comparison between our own ascetic tradition and the

Hindu one, namely yoga and meditation, with prayer, particularly noetic

prayer, and our Orthodox worship in general. Besides, within the same

framework move the thoughts of the eldress on pp. 245-246, where there

too she does not fail, with a deliberately convoluted sentence, to tell

us that that which saves is simplicity, poverty, and the narrow way,

which, however, covertly below, is experienced both in Orthodox

monasteries and in the Ashrams[8].

b) We locate the second point on p. 39. There it is mentioned that as

Greeks we nurture an “innate” respect for Indian philosophy, because the

Indians too, just like us, have a spiritual refinement, which is a

result of their cultivation. She further writes that there are wise men

in India who have completely dedicated themselves to God, without the

slightest hint at the fact that they do not serve the same God, the only

God, Whom we serve. Indeed, if we take the word Greeks with its usual

scriptural meaning, that is, as idolaters, then we cannot but agree. If,

however, we accept that the Greeks, as Romans, that is, as an Orthodox

people, have always remained immovable in our faith and in our

traditions, then what commonality can we find between Light and

darkness, Truth and falsehood, and the father of it, the Devil?

Absolutely none, particularly if we take into consideration the fact

that our wise and holy Fathers did not accept to place in our Symbol of

Faith not even once any word that begins with the letter Ψ (Psi), the

initial of the word “Ψεῦδος” (Falsehood), teaching us that we cannot and

must not have any communion with falsehood, and that our faith is the

only one that does not contain a trace of Falsehood, the only one that

contains the Truth.

We must, however, emphasise that truly wise is only he who communes with

the wisdom of God, the True Wisdom, our Lord Jesus Christ, and becomes a

god by grace, a thing which the Hindus are unable to accept, who hope

only in their internal powers and in the possibility of

self-deification. On p. 184, finally, the sanctified figures of the

Prophets are also compared with the figures of the yogis and the gurus.

We must not, however, exclude from this chapter “The Imitation of

Christ”. “The Imitation of Christ” is a very well-known book which

expresses all the pietism and rationalism of the West and which has no

relation whatsoever with Orthodox spirituality and the Orthodox and

patristic imitation of Christ. The eldress particularly loved this book

as well as its author, as is seen on p. 205, where “The Imitation of

Christ” is included among the books she recommended to others for study,

as well as on p. 77, where she walks alongside its author, Thomas à

Kempis, and yet another heterodox monk. Highly informative on this

subject is an article by His Eminence, the Metropolitan of Nafpaktos and

Agiou Vlasiou, Hierotheos, one of the most erudite and traditional

bishops of our Church. His Eminence states, among other things: “It

(‘The Imitation of Christ’) has been attributed to Thomas à Kempis, who

was a papal ascetic writer… It seems that this book is integrated

within the Western framework and expresses the spirituality of Western

man… One can verify that its translation, with the parallel neglect of

the neptic patristic texts contributed to the Westernisation of the

Orthodox. Of course, it is a fact that when one reads ‘The Imitation of

Christ’ one is emotionally warmed, but however one is diverted, without

realising it, from the genuine expression of the Orthodox tradition…”.

We believe, therefore, that the book we are studying also has exactly

the same and even more harmful effects, because apart from the morbid

sentimentalism which it emits, it also promotes dangerous techniques and

beliefs. We recommend, consequently, without reservation, the reading of

the specific article as well[9].

We have mentioned only a few points in the book where an attempt is made

to compare Orthodox with Hindu “spirituality”, between which,

unfortunately, no difference is found by the author. But a careful and

unprejudiced look from a “critical” eye will relatively easily retrieve

countless such points, since this is also the purpose of the book in

question.

B. “SECURITY MEASURES”

It is mathematically certain, however, that if all these elements were

given to the reader without the necessary covering, then he would easily

fall into the trap. For this reason, the author has taken care to take

the appropriate, mainly psychological, security measures, so that

someone would find it difficult to suspect whether all this is perhaps

not so correct or Orthodox. Apart, then, from the covert way in which

certain information is given as well as the barrage of it, so that the

reader does not have time to process it, we will mention by way of

sample a few of the psychological “security measures”.

On p. 44, the invitation to the eldress to venerate in the small mosques

of the hotels is mentioned, but it is simultaneously emphasised that

this constitutes a heroic act “in our own era of Fundamentalism”.

Automatically, therefore, whoever does not look favourably upon this act

is characterised as a fundamentalist.

On the following page, the author refers to the words of a certain

hierarch, who says that “we Christians are endangered only by our

weaknesses”. Therefore, those who, following the tactic of the Fathers

and of the Church, do not develop special relations with heretics and

people of other religions, and mainly do not pray with them, are weak in

the faith, according to this hierarch. Conversely, those who literally

negotiate God and the Truth are very faithful. With these words, and

indeed from the mouth of an Orthodox hierarch, the author believes—and

unfortunately partly justifiably—that she will eliminate every possible

objection. Is it perhaps preferable for us, however, to obey the words

of Saint John the Theologian, which we mentioned in the introduction,

and also of the Lord Himself Who commands: “Beware of false prophets”

(Matthew 7:15), rather than a hierarch, whoever he may be? How is it

possible, besides, to believe that countless foreigners saw the light of

Orthodoxy, as is mentioned a little further down, when no more than one

or two are named? Would not the author make a systematic reference to

the real successes of Gabriella when she does the same for all her

delusions? Has it not already been understood that any attempt to

convert people of other religions and heterodox to Orthodoxy is

perceived by the eldress as a sign of fanaticism?

On p. 49, it is written that the eldress became a “window to Orthodoxy”

for others and to the world for us, opening a deep rift in our “acquired

phobia”. The author, that is, boosts our ego so that it functions as a

deterrent to our objections, since no one wants to carry the title of

being frightened.

On p. 122 possible objections are anticipated for yet another time since

the author tells us that Gabriella was the only one who had the courage

for this kind of opening, and that our remaining monks are not so

industrious either, but remain closed in their monastery, as well as

that the eldress had the blessing for something like this from a

recognised elder (Amphilochios). However, this elder had fallen

asleep much earlier (1976) than the first edition of the book (1996), as

had, of course, many others who are mentioned in it to support the

holiness of Eldress Gabriella. This fact, in combination with other

elements, must make us suspicious of the author’s motives.

Finally, on p. 288, the love that we owe to all is misinterpreted

and the eldress is projected as a confessor of the faith, whilst those

who disagree are named persecutors of love. It is necessary, however, to

escape from all the aforementioned well-laid traps. Let us answer the

accusations we are in danger of attracting by disagreeing with these

tactics (fanatic, fundamentalist, frightened, faithless, intolerant,

etc.), with the words of Christ and of the Evangelist of love, which we

have already mentioned, but also of the Apostle Paul who entreats us to

“mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine

which ye have learned; and avoid them” (Romans 16:17), who clarifies to

us that “I would not that ye should have fellowship with devils” (1

Corinthians 10:20) and draws our attention to “beware lest any man spoil

you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men…

and not after Christ” (Colossians 2:8). Let us also answer with the

words of our Spirit-bearing Fathers who clearly warn us saying that “If

any clergyman or layman shall enter into a synagogue of Jews or heretics

to pray, let him be deposed and excommunicated” (Canon 65 of the Holy

Apostles)[10]. The question arises, therefore: Did Eldress Gabriella

have a greater love than that of the Fathers, of the Apostles, and even

of the Lord? Whom, ultimately, ought we to obey and whom to trust and

follow: the Truth itself, or a deluded nun?

C. HINDUISM – GURUISM

Let us move on, however, to something more dangerous and important. One

of the characteristic features of the New Age is the inversion of

Christian terms. This, very simply, means that the various groups of the

New Age take a term common in Orthodox spirituality and attribute to it

a completely different and alien meaning. They take, e.g., the term

prayer and equate it with the content of the term meditation in order to

attract their unsuspecting victims more easily, bending possible

hesitations and dragging away, if possible, even the elect, since mention

is made of Christian virtues and methods. The phenomenon of inversion is

very common in this book as well. In an admittedly clever way, the

reader is prepared to accept Hindu philosophy and life, especially since

it is presented as a genuine form of Orthodox spirituality; he is

catechised and gradually initiated, even involuntarily, into it, and is

in danger of distancing himself from the life of the Church or of

remaining formally in it, worshiping other gods, demons in reality, who

will acquire increasing authority over him, alienating him from Divine

Grace and tarnishing his baptismal garment. However, “No man can serve

two masters” (Matthew 6:24). We will examine the points in the book

where an inversion of certain terms occurs, contrasting them with

relevant excerpts from the books of Fr Antonios Alevizopoulos[11].

On p. 3, the author wishes to “initiate” us—and the term has great

significance—into the asceticism of love, a poem that was found among

the papers of the eldress, and that the whole book might open for us a

window into her heaven. Principally, it is known that we use the word

initiation when we transmit to an “outsider” something of our own

experiences and indeed religious experiences, that is, when we gradually

introduce him to our own mysteries, to the worship of our own God. “To

initiation belongs the disciple following the commandments of his guru,

regardless of whether he lives near the guru or not”[12]. Perhaps this

parallel seems exaggerated, but we believe that subsequently you will

justify our suspicions. We read, besides, that the initiation will take

place in the asceticism of love. Here we must mention that the

world-famous guru, Sai Baba, believes that “there is only one religion,

the religion of Love… there is only one language, the language of the

heart”[13]. These are beliefs that equate, unfortunately, absolutely

with those of the eldress. Furthermore, our suspicions are strengthened

by the fact that according to the father of positive thinking[14]…

“man creates his own heaven and his own hell”[15]. Must we consider

these as random coincidences and indeed in a little paragraph, which

happens(?) to be the first of the book? At the very end of this

paragraph, indeed, it is mentioned that it (i.e. her heaven?) is our

destiny! This does not surprise us since “karma means action and action

is inevitable… and in this sense our destiny is already decided”[16],

since “every man plays his role which is detailedly determined in the

personal film of his life, and this role changes constantly from life to

life”[17], words which the eldress repeats almost verbatim on p. 396[18].

Glossolalia: On p. 10, the “gifts” of the eldress are mentioned, among

which the “gift” of glossolalia is not absent. “The phenomenon of

glossolalia is not new. It is known in ancient Greece (Pythia) and in

other extra-Christian religions, e.g. among the Dervishes… In England

the phenomenon appeared among the Quakers and the Methodists, among the

Mormons and in other American sects”[19]. From the above, we safely

conclude from where the eldress inherited the “gift”, since she

associated so much with the Quakers and the Methodists. “The phenomenon

of the autonomy of the tongue which speaks independently of the mind of

man, constitutes for these groups proof of the baptism of the Holy

Spirit”[20].

Vegetarianism: Leaving the introduction, we go to p. 28. There she writes

that the eldress stayed initially with a certain Mrs Bright, near whom

she obligatorily became a vegetarian. We must note here the hypocrisy of

the author, the deception, and the contradictions concerning the life of

Gabriella. An attempt is made, that is, to convince the reader that

vegetarianism has no relation to religious “beliefs”, but was almost

imposed on her by the circumstances. But if things are so, why did she

not simply participate, but was invited to a conference on healthy

nutrition and natural healing, which was an inspiration of Gandhi

himself (pp. 67-68)? Who could have known that she was a vegetarian

since it was imposed on her? Why (p. 91), even in the monastery, does

she not obey and not participate in the common meal but, as the author

mentions with contempt towards the other nuns, “she does not eat taramas

and cod”?

The answer is one: Ahimsa (non-violence). “This non-violence, Ahimsa,

includes all expressions of creation, even insects and animals and

plants”, because “by harming someone or something else, one does nothing

but harm exactly oneself”[21]. According to these views, Jainist monks

are forbidden to eat in the dark and without a cover over their mouths

so as not to eat an insect by mistake. Is it irrelevant to all this the

fact that she scolds someone who killed a mosquito (pp. 134-135)? That

she sends greetings with her spiritual children (?) to specific trees

whose branches she holds? That she feels so sorry for the plants that

wither and indeed buries them instead of throwing them away, when

naturally she does not resurrect them, as on p. 58? Much more so, how is

her view irrelevant that if we are tired and touch a tree, it will give

us from its strength which God gives to it (p. 134)?

Holistic View of the World: All the above refers us to the so-called

“holistic view of the world”, which includes even God and which is

projected by all the movements and groups of the New Age. “God is not

perceived as a Person; he is equated with the Global or Universal Spirit

or the living energy of the universe which is projected in varied forms.

Man himself is a projection of this Cosmic Super-consciousness”[22],

“even nutrition is chosen with the central aim of expanding

consciousness”[23], “we seek a mode of existence of the harmony of man

with himself and with all living beings, with nature and the world”[24],

because “everything is concentrated quantities of energy”[25]. Perhaps

again our thoughts seem exaggerated to some. Let them explain to us,

however, why the eldress urges us: “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God

with all thy soul, and with all thy heart, and with all thy mind” and

hastens to explain: “the universe, that is” (p. 199)? Therefore,

according to her, the universe is equated with God, the creation with

the Creator, a fact that proves the adoption on her part of the holistic

view of the world which, as we have already said, summarily teaches that

“There is no separation, everything is one, and man equates himself with

this one”[26]. She indeed calls man “Prey” and wonders on p. 489, how we

can eat meat while the animal suffers and is martyred. Surely she would

love the animals more than their Creator Himself, Who said to the

Apostle Peter, “kill, and eat” (Acts 10:13) and to Adam, “Every moving

thing that liveth shall be meat for you” (Genesis 9:3). She would love

them more than the Apostle Paul who wrote to Timothy that “every

creature of God is good, and nothing to be refused, if it be received

with thanksgiving” (1 Timothy 4:4), and even than our Church which,

based on these, deposes clerics who “abstain from meat due to abhorrence

and not for asceticism” (51st and 53rd of the Holy Apostles, 14th of

Ancyra). We must say here that the holistic view is closely related to

vegetarianism. Indicative of this correlation are the words of the guru

Sai Baba who says, initiating even 7-year-old children into

vegetarianism: “you are what you eat”[27].

Also closely related to the holistic view is Gabriella’s opinion that a

black garment worn next to the skin removes a person’s vitality[28]

(read: vital or universal energy), which opposes the Church’s adoption

of the colour black as a priestly colour, as a colour, that is, which

“rests” upon men who are bearers of the Holy Spirit, the sole true

Vitality (The Life-giving).

Yama. Erroneous, however, and clearly anti-ecclesiastical is also the

eldress’s belief that sex, even within marriage, is anti-godly (p. 386).

In Hinduism, this is called Yama and constitutes the first stage of

yoga, incorporated into self-restraint[29]. Naturally, Yama is in

opposition to the words of God to the first-formed concerning the

reproduction of the human race, to the entire Old and New Testament, but

also to the canons of the Fathers[30]. All this, however, does not

surprise us at all. The Apostle Paul has sufficiently warned us

regarding the views of the eldress and every eldress, writing to

Timothy: “Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times

some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and

doctrines of devils… Forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain

from meats, which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving of

them which believe and know the truth” (1 Timothy 4:1-3).

Non-existence – Mortification. Another dangerous Hindu view that

permeates the book is that the goal of Christians is non-existence. It

is, we imagine, superfluous to say that this is entirely mistaken and

betrays a Hindu perception of things. We read regarding this on p. 39:

“I had died” and further down: “in a few minutes, mortification”. What

does the word “mortification” mean? If the term is equated with the

patristic term “mortification of the passions”, then we truly object. It

constitutes the greatest delusion for someone to believe that what our

Fathers achieved, indeed without acknowledging it, with the Grace of God

and fierce ascetic struggles of dozens of years, withdrawing even into

the depths of the desert, Eldress Gabriella achieved in only a few

minutes and without expending the slightest effort. Furthermore,

effortless conversion under the term “rebirth” is very “in” in the

Protestant sphere[31], the various parts of which Gabriella knew very

closely. The same term, note well, the author also uses on p. 193 and

also on p. 3, indeed equating it with the “mortification” we saw above.

But we encounter similar things in other parts of the book: On p. 215,

the eldress does not feel cold, does not feel hungry and the exhaust

fumes do not bother her because she does not exist; she even

misinterprets the words of Venerable Neilos which refer to humility, in

order to support the Hindu dogma of mortification. On p. 356 she gives

instructions for us to reach that point where we will have no

hypostasis[32]. On p. 365, she mentions again that she does not exist

(!), on p. 153 she speaks of apathy equating it with insensibility and

accepts destiny but also reincarnation (“if God wanted He could have

made me something else”), whilst she considers immobility a great

progress in the spiritual life[33].

However, not even these are unknown to us. “According to Sai Baba,

whoever acquires true Peace and experiences it does not feel at all the

turmoil and confusion that prevails in the world… Peace means

resignation from the activities of the senses, that is, for one not to

see what is happening around him, not to hear, not to feel… not to

have the sensation that he exists”[34]. “But even if a being returns to

the unmanifested state of the ONE, that is, to non-existence and to

rest, he will begin the same adventure again, because everything is

subject to periodic existence and non-existence, to action and to

rest”[35] according to Blavatsky[36], founder of Theosophy[37]. Also, Fr

Antonios tells us that “the various techniques of redemption in the

sphere of Hindu religiosity are attempts at freedom both from life and

from death”[38].

Let us look, however, at other elements that confirm the relationship of

the eldress with yoga and meditation, through her experiences. “One such

kind of experience… (which springs from yoga)… is the so-called

astral or out-of-body travels”[39]. We ought here to ask ourselves if

these travels are related to the fact that the eldress became invisible

with the help of angels (p. 192)[40], who also transported her

everywhere (p. 103)! “When one does auto-concentration daily and devotes

oneself to a soft, pure inspiration that does not contain formulated

messages, he can during the course of his experience determine its

content and record it. MC Lean maintains that it concerns messages of

angels or of the Devas, the spirits of nature”[41]. “These

manifestations are not motor, but emotional. When these internal

movements are noble and helpful, they are perceived by spiritists as

guidance from the inner teacher, as the voice of conscience, or even as

the voice of an angel”[42]. Can we, therefore, deny that the teaching of

the eldress is equated with the above occult phenomena, when she herself

proclaims that the voice we hear within us is our guardian angel and

urges us to sit and listen to this voice[43] (pp. 176-177)? Is it

irrelevant to all this the fact that the angels transported her

everywhere, or followed her as a “blue reflection” (p. 482) and wrote

messages to her on the wall (p. 146)?

Meditation. Let us analyse a little, however, what the urging to listen

to our internal voice might mean. This technique is called meditation

and is very dangerous for the one who practices it as it can cause

irreparable damage. Unfortunately, however, it is highly advertised and

widespread globally today, whilst in no case does it run alongside the

capacity of the Orthodox Christian, since it abolishes Christ as a

historical person and considers every man a god. Concurrently,

meditation is projected for promotional purposes as a method of

relaxation, well-being and beauty. Guru Satyananda himself does not deny

that it is a risk[44]. With meditation we try “to meet the god who is

located within us”. According to this teaching, “man is a spiritual

power, a spark of the divine creative essence…”[45]. With this, of

course, Eldress Gabriella also agrees, who says that “God is within us

and speaks to us in silence” (p. 410), that “God gave us Conscience:

Himself” (p. 308), that the good “exists within all men as a spark of

God” (p. 253), that “we all have a spark of Christ in the soul” (p.

325), that “true freedom depends only on the relationship of our self

with our self” (p. 302). It appears, therefore, that the eldress was

ignorant of the word prayer in the Orthodox sense, but knew the method

of meditation very well. This is also seen from the fact that she speaks

of a “state of prayer”[46] (pp. 69, 78), of silent prayer and

contemplation (p. 102) and calls prayer an energy and power (p. 344),

that is, whatever the followers of “self-deification” maintain. “The

power of prayer is a manifestation of energy”[47], Peale mentions,

meaning safely meditation. “The meditator desires external silence… in

order to hear the voice of internal wisdom”[48].

Positive thinking: However, the dogma of “positive thinking”[49], which

is not absent from the book, is also not unrelated to the technique of

meditation. This dogma very simply and summarily teaches the following:

“Man constructs his happiness or his misery in his subconscious. God

(the subconscious), who gave you the desire, will also show you the way

to its fulfilment… Man can activate God within him by thought”[50].

Correspondingly, the eldress believes that the mind and the imagination

create cold (p. 66) and illness (p. 71), whilst she herself cures these

conditions which men create by themselves, with her “charismatic” hands.

Peale (a “missionary” of “positive thinking”) proclaims that “as you

think, so shall you be” and that “you can make yourself ill with your

thoughts”[51]. But the Silva Mind Control movement also maintains that:

“One can heal with the hands”[52]. The eldress professes the same,

saying that we can acquire even money “as long as we think about it” (p.

227), that God fulfils them all as long as we have the yearning (p. 362)

and that if a man does not learn his lesson the first time, something is

running in his subconscious (p. 362).

Included in the theory of positive thinking is also the correction of

negative thinking, which for the Silva movement is “every thought of

criticism or malice or jealousy or condemnation of others or

self-condemnation, every thought of illness or accident or, in a few

words, every kind of limiting or pessimistic thought”[53]. This

correction for Silva is something very simple: “If by chance you use

such a phrase, say cancel-cancel and replace the negative with a

positive”[54]. We see this correction on p. 298, as a “lesson straight

to the head”, originating from God (obviously from the Conscience), on

pp. 66-67 as a “healing power” and in other places.

Within these frameworks, however, the follower of positive thinking is

obliged, in order to be rid of the various negative thoughts that

possess him and to impose himself upon them, to write the same phrase

many times on a piece of paper, so as to convince his subconscious. He

writes for example continuously the phrase “I am strong” or “I will

win”, in order to overcome his inferiority complex or anxiety for a

certain struggle. And this method, however, is taught by the eldress

silently, since in the book we have some (around 6) of her, surely many,

papers with the continuous repetition of a certain phrase. On p. 156 we

have one such paper that writes “Christ is born, glorify Him! Lord have

mercy”, on 352 the Jesus prayer, on 392 “Most Holy Theotokos save us”

and others on pp. 2, 8, 14. Naturally many will answer that it concerns

prayers. But what saint established or simply followed such methods of

prayer? There is, therefore, indirect systematic propaganda of the

specific method, since besides, meditation, as we mentioned previously,

can also be referred to the person of Christ.

What Christians name the prayer of faith, Silva calls it energy,

programming, relaxation… Faith is not referred to a person, to God,

but to the mobilisation of energy within us. “When there is enough

desire, there is enough energy available to ensure success”[55]. Under

these conditions, therefore, “Baba Amte and his collaborators had

courage, patience and faith to the supreme degree” (p. 58). If here

faith is given meaning as we Christians give it meaning, then as

Orthodox, we would be literally worthy of our fate, since an individual

of another religion has faith and indeed to the supreme degree. Here,

however, faith is equated with faith in myself and in my internal

powers. Therefore we are not talking about Faith but about “positive

thinking”. What could the name of Baba Amte mean, however, whom the

eldress advertises to us throughout the book? “Baba means beloved father

and signifies the supreme being within him. The guru in his physical

form, the bodily Baba, reminds us with his words, with his actions, of

the supreme consciousness”[56]. Must we, therefore, also accept Amte as

our own Baba?

Advertisement of Hindu teachers: Yet another unquestionable proof of the

fact that Gabriella had been deluded by Hindu and demonic philosophy is

the systematic advertisement of Hindu teachers. Apart from the simple,

but prideful, reference made to the gurus she knew, the poet Kahlil

Gibran is also advertised by the author, as for example on p. 72.

Without it being mentioned anywhere that he is a teacher of Hinduism, he

is presented as a great poet whose works the eldress knows very well

since she referred to them[57]. However, many gurus also refer to Kahlil

Gibran, such as for example Satyananda in his Ashram[58], and the Silva

Mind Control movement[59], which distributes his books as manuals and

naturally adopts his views, and even the “Harmonious Life”[60] of Robert

Najemy. We understand, therefore, what danger lurks, especially if we

consider that all these Sects[61] operate in our country completely

unchecked.

But no less is the danger from the advertisement of Rama-Krishna, as

supposedly having been influenced by Christian missionaries (p. 54),

whom the eldress accuses of being “barbarians”, but uses them when she

needs them, as here. Rama Krishna also operates in Greece[62] and, like

all the gurus, does not reject Christ, but accepts Him, however, as a

guru who was liberated from ignorance and delusion and reached the

sphere of eternal peace. “Whoever has reached this state is named a

Saviour of the world. Such were Buddha, Krishna, Christ, Rama Krishna

and others”[63]. Does Gabriella perhaps call this Christian influences,

or the fact that at a Christmas celebration of the order of Rama

Krishna, those present meditated upon the person of Christ, who was

supposedly within them, and felt his presence, whilst, as Swami

Prabhavananda confesses, he realised for the first time that Christ is

the same as Buddha, Krishna and all the other teachers[64]? She rather

means this latter one, if we take into consideration that even she

herself preferred to return to the Ashram to celebrate Christmas (p.

56). However, this one upon whom they meditated and meditate and about

whom they speak, is not nor has any relation to the person of Christ[65].

Superstitions. Finishing this section we mention epigrammatically the

superstitious views of the eldress regarding sleep, that we must sleep

with our head towards the South or towards the East (p. 331); regarding

non-existence, that those who became a shadow are happy because they

approach it (p. 382); regarding evening readings, that they do not

remain in the soul (p. 383), whereas conversely the Church proposes

vigils as the best opportunity for communication with God; regarding

Gysis’s painting, that it captures better than the Fathers and the

centuries-old hymnology of our Church the “ever-virginity” of the

Theotokos (p. 374), a reason which led the author to write “joyful

Christian songs” that cover the great void of our “uncivilised” Fathers;

regarding our place in church, that it must always be the same so that

the “myopic”, as it seems, angels can find us! (p. 363); regarding

children, that we must not leave them next to sick people because they

absorb their strength (p. 331); regarding melancholic people, that we

must open the windows so that their negative energy leaves (p. 331) and

other similar things which seem silly, but originate from specific

religio-philosophical movements and ideologies.

D. MESSAGES – VISIONS – DELUSIONS

The Fathers from early on clarified the word of the Gospel, that the

demon, because he is a spirit, has the ability to transform himself and

to appear to men not only as an angel of darkness but also as an angel

of light. This is exactly the reason why the Evangelist John urges us:

“Believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God”

(1 John 4:1). For this reason, besides, monks have the elder, to whom on

a daily basis they entrust their thoughts and their experiences, and

laypeople have the spiritual father, so that they may discern the

spirits, with the help, naturally, of Divine Grace. The Gerontika are

full of stories of monks who hid their “experiences” from their elder

and, literally, Satan swallowed them up, or they were saved at the last

minute by the prayer alone of the elder. In this book we do not see this

act of humility and safety, but conversely, if we follow the model of

Gabriella which the author projects to us, then we must indiscriminately

believe in every vision and “miracle”, consider ourselves saints and be

obedient to any thought of ours.

Dozens of “messages” and visions are mentioned in the book, but nowhere

is recourse to a spiritual father for a “diagnosis” mentioned. On the

contrary, the eldress not only had no need of a spiritual father to

guide her, but she herself becomes a guide of others, who are referred

to in the book as her spiritual children. Consequently, this alone is

sufficient for someone to characterise the book as a dangerous and

mistaken model for the spiritual life and struggle of the Christian. We

have various “messages” on pages 23, 40, 41, 47 and elsewhere, whilst

visions on pp. 39, 78 and in many other places. On p. 47 indeed, and on

268 more analytically, the eldress receives the “message” from the

angels to become a nun, and implements it without the slightest advice

from a spiritual father. Mention has also already been made of her

“invisibility” (p. 192) and her close relationship with the angels,

regarding whom the eldress unfortunately mentions that they see the

essence of God (p. 443) and naturally the fact causes an impression that

whilst they kept her company so much they did not inform her about this

erroneous position! “No man hath seen God at any time” (John 1:18).

Healing gift: It would be the greatest omission, however, if we did not

refer to the “gift” of the hands; on the one hand because it is an

element which, without the need of other arguments, proves the pitiable

delusion into which the eldress had fallen, and on the other hand we

would deprive the reader of the laughter that such nonsense offers.

Sometimes, she says, her hands burned and reddened supposedly from the

Holy Spirit. If at that time someone with health problems happened to be

there and she touched him, the sick person was healed and she herself

was relieved of the burn; otherwise she washed her hands with abundant

water, to be relieved (p. 137). Let us make here some necessary, albeit

self-evident for Orthodox Christians, observations:

a) The Holy Spirit does not burn, nor does It torment man, but

conversely It “rests”, It “cools” and It illumines him, and indeed It is

not restricted to a part of the body but sanctifies him entirely in both

soul and body. The only one who is burned by the presence of the Holy

Spirit is the Devil, so either the eldress was truly overshadowed by the

Holy Spirit but she herself had been possessed by a demon, a rather

improbable thing, or the spirit which “overshadowed” the eldress was

none other than the unclean and evil spirit. b) When a Spirit-bearing

man transmits the Holy Spirit, he does not lose It himself because we

are not talking about something material and quantitative. If such a

thing happened, then the Apostles would not have been able to ordain

other hierarchs than only 12, one each, and afterwards they themselves

would have lost the Holy Spirit, so we would not be speaking today in

the Church about holy Apostles. c) It constitutes a great blasphemy

against the Holy Spirit for It to be treated like a stain that is washed

out in a basin of water and leaves. This is more reminiscent of a

detergent advertisement than a “gift” of the Holy Spirit.

E. LOVE

Despite all the above, someone could put forward the objection that the

eldress, moved by love, the greatest Christian virtue, did whatever she

did, since “God is love”. As we shall see, however, love is not an

exclusive “privilege” of the Orthodox, but all the movements place it

very high on the scale of virtues. What matters is how one gives meaning

to the word love. If we accept Gabriella’s interpretation which equates

love with syncretism and the denial of the exclusivity of our Orthodox

Church regarding the Truth, then neither is Christ love, nor does the

evangelist of love have a trace of it, since both urge us to avoid

associating with heretics. This kind of love, which levels all religions

and all beliefs, is an invention of the New Age, the followers of which

are presented as flooded with and flooding all things with infinite

love, as well as being most meek and unperturbed people. We must know,

however, that this calmness is not a gift and bestowment of the Holy

Spirit, but the result of a painful and persistent effort for the easy

deception of “sentimental” people, and many times also the result of

stupefaction after systematic brainwashing. The projection of this

calmness and imperturbability is perhaps also the purpose of the

circulation of cassettes with the most meek (?) voice of the eldress

answering questions of a spiritual nature. Let us not be influenced,

however, by such external elements, which keep us far from the required

vigilance. The Fathers clearly warn us that exactly thus will the

Antichrist come: “He will be humble, quiet, he will hate injustice, he

will turn away from idols, he will prefer piety, good, loving the poor,

exceedingly comely, wealthy, cheerful to all” (St Ephraim the Syrian).

Thus, however, will also be his forerunners and followers. Sai Baba,

e.g., believes that all disciplines such as yoga and meditation are a

waste of time and dangerous if there is no “moral basis”: “Truth

(sathya), Virtue (Dharma), Peace (santi), Love (Prema), and non-violence

(ahimsa)”[66]. He himself again “floods everyone with infinite love,

seeks love everywhere and installs it in the heart of every man”[67],

whilst even on the cover of the book “Introduction to the teaching of

Sri Sathya Sai Baba”, it is mentioned: “there is only one religion, the

religion of love, there is only one social class, the social class of

humanity, there is only one language, the language of the heart”[68].

Furthermore he himself tells us elsewhere that as soon as we overcome

our fear and realise that everything in life is One, we will be capable

of letting ourselves love an ever greater circle of people[69]”.

But, someone will insist, whatever the case may be, the eldress

ministered to Christ in the person of her neighbour. Are things,

however, thus? For the good to be good, it must also be done well. If,

for example, under the pretext of love, which the Church teaches, we

distance ourselves from every other teaching of Hers and accept

delusions and false teachings as true, then the good is not done well

and ceases to be considered good. This is our first objection. The

second objection has to do with whether the eldress did all this work of

“love” entirely freely and out of love for her neighbour. “So-called

unselfish service is incorporated into the first path of yoga, the

so-called ‘Karma yoga’. It is service without attachment to the result

of your action… This path prepares for other forms of yoga, of a

higher order. For this reason, unselfish service is emphasised in the

self-knowledge seminar during the first year, whilst during the second

year meditation techniques are offered which move beyond the stage of

unselfish service[70]”. After the reading, therefore, of the specific

book, we believe that the reader is absolutely ready to follow the

second year of the seminar, without the slightest difficulty.

Besides, the question is raised: How did an Orthodox nun stay in an

Ashram, where the goal of those residing there is the service of the

guru[71], indeed following faithfully the programme of the Ashram even

when she found herself far away from it, so the excuse of coercion does

not stand? Let us see what the Satyanandashram says about this:

“Unselfish service constitutes an attempt for the purification of the

mind from its grossest desires”, whilst for those who are in the Ashram,

it mentions: “The Ashram is not a place where the Sannyasins[72] sit

lazily and talk about God or Brahman all day… They work incessantly

from morning until evening… The work they do is not selfish or with an

egotistical motive… When you come to the Ashram and serve the guru and

work for him, you unconsciously clear the path and allow the energy to

pass to higher and more powerful centres… The day begins at 4 in the

morning and ends at 9 in the evening[73]”. We hear another sannyasin

say: “I get up at 4 in the morning and sit in silence listening only to

the birds… then I go down to the Ganges… at 12 I eat lunch… 5 to 6

a walk, until 8 quiet time. From 9 until 4 in the morning, lock up”. And

yet this is the programme of the eldress (p. 71) and indeed far from the

Ashram, and which, not only is the same as that of the sannyasins, but

does not include prayer anywhere, which is replaced by the admiration of

nature and the hearing of the birds, a thing which proves the influence

of and participation in Hindu worship and philosophy.

Finally, let us listen to what Elder Porphyrios Bairaktaris said about

the love of these groups: “You fool, what love do they teach? You idiot.

Be quiet, you. True love is the love of Christ[74]”.

F. PHYSIOTHERAPY

Finally we will expose our perplexity about how much physiotherapy,

which is mentioned as being practiced by the eldress, has to do with the

known, classical, globally accepted and unquestionable medical science.

If, therefore, she had any relationship with medicine, how could she

heal before she even began her studies in physiotherapy (p. 28)? What

does the term “chiropodist” mean (p. 29)? What is the specialty that

heals soul and body (p. 30)? What doctor heals with a touch, a

phenomenon common in neo-Pentecostal[75] and guruistic groups, but

entirely alien and unknown to medical science? Furthermore, the

combination of physiotherapy with positive thinking on p. 337 provokes

suspicions, where the eldress says: “…without the mind and the soul

suffering, the body does not get sick. Now all doctors know this…

Illness begins from the head. With a thought. With an anxiety… But

there is also another thing… He who does physiotherapy must not speak

at the same time. Speech, as you know, is the greatest energy that man has”.

Finally, the question is reasonable: For what reason does an Ashram

publish, and indeed at its own expense, the book of Gabriella, which

contains photographs with the various positions of her hands and the

method of her own inspiration (p. 51), if they have no relation to their

own methods and perceptions? Do the Hindus and the gurus appreciate

science so much and exert themselves for its progress, or was the

eldress perhaps such a great scientist that she invented methods of

healing without the slightest scientific and laboratory research and

study? All the above refers us, unfortunately, to the so-called

“alternative therapies”, which, naturally, are incompatible with the

Orthodox faith and the capacity of the Orthodox Christian, since they

are based on worldviews and influences of Eastern origin and mainly on

the holistic view of the world.

We must note here that in our country “in the 80s, attempts were made

for the unification of metaphysical groups, for the creation of a

Federation of Occult Movements… The first meeting took place at the

Spiritual Centre of the Roman Catholic Church of Greece… The text of

the meeting… mentions that there are infinite aspects and branches of

metaphysical philosophy. It even cites an incomplete draft which is

characterised as a first study… The text cites 4 columns: Religion,

Esotericism, Yoga Schools and Health” in which physiotherapy was also

included[76]. Moreover, the views of the eldress run alongside in many

points the views of other “alternative therapies”, since they besides

all have the same basis and essentially constitute “adaptations of the

same work”.

We will cite, therefore, some similarities of the “physiotherapy” which

the eldress practiced (using her own thoughts as a guide), with

something seemingly unrelated, homoeopathy, as they are presented in the

book of the Parents’ Initiative of Northern Greece, so that the

relationship of these “therapies” becomes more understandable and apparent:

a) “…Based on this worldview of absolute pantheistic monism, which is

expressed by the known dogma of occultism ‘all is one’, homoeopathy also

interprets the phenomenon of illness: Life exists as long as the supreme

God who is a substance, flows continuously towards the beings… This

divine substance or energy… is what homoeopathy names ‘Vital

energy[77]'” (Compare the views of the eldress regarding the colour

black and see also the chapter concerning the holistic view of the

present text).

b) “According to George Vithoulkas, apart from homoeopathy and

acupuncture, another therapeutic method is that ‘by the laying on of

hands’ by an individual of a high spiritual level… who in reality is a

channel of global energies[78]” (See p. 28 of “The Ascetic of Love”

concerning the gift of her hands and also the fact that she healed

before she began her studies but, as she herself says, “the healer was

another”. Obviously she was the channel.)

c) “Another important point of the theory of homoeopathy is the theory

of the ‘miasms’, by which homoeopaths attempt to interpret the creation

of various illnesses… Man was created free, he was created with the

possibility to think and to do either good or evil. In order for him to

become susceptible to the psoric miasm, therefore… the desire for what

is wrong and evil must exist. Thus man by thinking and desiring evil

prepares the body to receive the illness[79]” (See in the subsection of

our study concerning positive thinking).

d) Besides, homoeopathic treatment proceeds from the soul towards the

mind and the body[80], or as the eldress says it: “Whatever has a

relationship with the body of man, also has a relationship with his

soul. If you ever go to treat a hand that hurts or a leg, you see that

the soul hurts more…” (p. 338). There are many more elements which

will not benefit anyone who prejudicedly believes in the holiness of the

eldress any further, whilst these few will help the well-intentioned and

whoever is truly interested in the truth. “He that hath ears to hear,

let him hear”.

In any case, however the matter stands, this book constitutes an

excellent introduction to Guruism and a weapon in the hands of the New

Age for the erosion of the Orthodox conscience and the opening of the

way for the establishment of the Pan-religion. But, as Elder Porphyrios

said very beautifully: “Only the religion of Christ unites, and we must

all pray that they come to this religion. Thus will the union happen,

not by you believing that we are all the same and all religions are the

same. They are not the same[81]”. Also according to Fr Antonios

Alevizopoulos “he who will compare Mount Athos with the Himalayas, and

will hasten to draw the conclusion that it is the same thing, ignores

something very basic… There is no common element, therefore, between

the ascetic tradition of our Church and these groups, or their

techniques. That such a non-existent position is projected inferentially

constitutes a delusion or a trap, even if it is done by Christian

theologians[82]” or missionaries, we would add, although the eldress is

not entitled to bear this title, since she was, as is seen from the

accusations she levels against them, by conviction against missionaries

and their work[83], equating missionary work with only social offering,

and indeed of Hindu origin, as we said, and she catechised no one in the

Orthodox faith but conversely she herself was “catechised” in alien

dogmas without giving the Orthodox witness and confession which she

ought to as a missionary.

On p. 54 for example it is mentioned, and indeed blatantly, that the

eldress participated in ceremonies for the birthday of guru Sivananda,

ceremonies, that is, of worship of the guru, as a god. When according to

the typical order they offered her to drink milk from that in which the

guru had washed his feet, she simply washed her hands saying that this

is what we do in Greece. What is an Orthodox Christian and especially a

missionary seeking in pagan ceremonies of worship of the guru? Where is

the catechism or at least the Orthodox witness and confession? Does she

not teach men with her presence that there do not exist significant

differences between Hinduism and Orthodoxy? We have in the synaxaria of

our holy Church many martyrs who sacrificed their lives because they

refused, not only to give, but also to say that they gave a libellus of

apostasy or even children (in age), who were martyred in order not to

break, not the dogmas of our faith, but unwritten and more recent (as

many today contemptuously say, indeed asking for their abolition)

traditions such as the fast of the 15th of August[84]. In the exact same

geographical area, that of India, the holy Apostle Thomas preached

Christ, baptised many destroying the demonic idols, worked miracles and

was finally martyred, however much the eldress takes these acts as an

indication of hatred and fanaticism.

Christians are not called to seek some non-existent common religious

ground or a common road of salvation. Apart from the love they owe to

all, they must be ready to offer also the confession “…of the hope

that is in us to every man that asketh with meekness and fear.” (1 Peter

3:15). This constitutes our own debt, particularly when we verify that

today there are so many voices which bring confusion and disorient even

people of the Church[85]. As for the author of the book, however, that

which Fr Antonios has written about Najemy fits her: “He claims to be a

Christian. Simultaneously he recognises the guru Sai Baba as a Teacher

and considers his teaching at least equal to the New Testament. Is he

aware that the two realities, prayer and meditation, are mutually

incompatible? If he truly cannot distinguish these two things, he is in

a pitiable delusion and drags unsuspecting Christians into this

delusion. If, however, he has it in mind, then it concerns dishonest

behaviour and an impermissible way of proselytism[86]”.

EPILOGUE

“For those who are outside the Church, persistence in dogmas is

considered fanaticism. For us Orthodox, this is a term of life and

existence. The exclusivity of the person of Christ, that is, the

Christological dogma, is that which founds prayer and particularly

noetic prayer. Without this dogma, prayer does not exist. Every spirit

that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of

God: and this is that spirit of antichrist. (1 John 4:3). It is not,

therefore, a matter of ecumenical breadth and brotherly love or

‘goodness’, so that we might overlook this differentiation. This

exclusivity is a sign of real love towards our fellow men[87].

Abbreviations

· Guruism: Occultism, Guruism, “New Age”, Athens 1997

· Meditation: Meditation or Prayer? Athens 1997

· Self-knowledge: Self-knowledge, Self-realisation, Salvation, Athens 1991

(All by Fr Antonios Alevizopoulos)

[1] It concerns an old thought encountered in extra-Christian religions.

According to it, humanity passes through a continuous alternation of

certain eras and does not follow a horizontal trajectory. The modern

term New Age is taken from astrology, which believes that for the solar

system to pass from one Zodiac sign to another, more than 2100 years are

needed. in our days, as they believe, the era of Pisces is ending, that

is of Christianity, an era, according to them always, of restriction and

narrowness, and we are entering the era of Aquarius. See Fr Antonios

Alevizopoulos: Occultism, Guruism, New Age, p. 7 et seq. and “Astrology

in the light of Orthodoxy” p. 58.

[2] Writing to the non-Christian Amte, she says: “Reading yesterday the

Acts of the Apostles in chapter 4:34, I searched within my heart to find

such a Christian. You and Yehouda came to my mind! And to think that

neither of the two of you is a Christian by name!”. (Acts 4:34). This

last phrase proves the syncretistic character of the book, emphasising

that works and not faith and holy Baptism—which, as it appears, offers

only the name of the Christian and nothing more—save. Therefore,

everyone is able to be saved wherever they believe, as long as they are

moral and “virtuous” men. Christianity is thus demoted to a moral ideology.

[3] “The Quakers, on the other hand, contributed to the subjective and

sensitive quality of our nation, something equivalent, but on a

religious level, to the sovereign slogan of Rousseau, ‘return to

nature’, which characterises the movement of Romanticism… The almost

complete subjectivisation and privatisation of the spiritual ‘calling’

and of the ‘inner light’ were popularised by the Quakers… Teaching,

liturgy and guidance were replaced by personal conscience and intuition”

(Frank Schaeffer, Dancing Alone: The Quest for Orthodox Faith in the Age

of False Religions). According to the above, therefore, we will be able

to interpret phenomena we shall encounter further down, such as the

eldress’s excessive love for nature, the intense

sentimentalism-romanticism, the absence of a spiritual father and guide

or the distancing from him even in great decisions such as becoming a

nun, her view that freedom depends only on the relationship of our self

with our self and other similar things. We must note, however, that

Schaeffer knows Protestantism very well, since he originates from it and

converted to Orthodoxy from it.

[4] “Leaving she took with her two books only. The Gospel and a book

which a friend of hers gave her at the last minute who heard she was

leaving for India. A very well-known Indian at that time, Guru

Sivananda, had written it” (The Ascetic of Love p. 42). Perhaps here the

popular saying is appropriate: With such friends, what do you need

enemies for?

[5] “As soon as she spoke to him about Sivananda’s book he offers

himself and refers her to his brother who, oh! what a miracle, was an

employee at the Indian consulate!” (p. 43).

[6] The Orthodox ascetic or Christian invokes, according to the urging

of the Apostle Paul, the name of God unceasingly, in order to attract

His mercy, feeling his sinfulness, but also his inability to escape from

it without the help of God and the overshadowing of His divine Grace.

Conversely, the Hindu invokes God as a means to penetrate into his very

self. We read relatively: “For example, we can begin to concentrate on

the name and form of Jesus Christ. After intense practice, we will begin

to feel Christ, not as a man with a form anymore, but as energy, as

light, as consciousness, as vibration, as the Word…”, Robert Najemy

(Fr Antonios Alevizopoulos: Meditation or Prayer? p. 63). It is

therefore evident that we are not talking about the historical and

existing person of our Lord, but about an aid in the effort for

SELF-DEIFICATION, for a purely demonic presence and experience,

something analogous to the words of the serpent to Eve.

[7] “They told me many times: Why do you consider the Indians as your

own? or the Muslims, or the Jews? Why, because I see Christ Himself

within them, Whom perhaps consciously they have not yet known… And I

saw many of them with their actions doing that which the spirit of God

led them to do…”. The word perhaps causes an impression, which means

that even without the Grace of Baptism, some have possibly consciously

known Christ.

[8] “But the Lord said it. Strait is the gate, and narrow is the way,

which leadeth unto the Truth… And He took me by His hand. And again

the next day, elsewhere and elsewhere, to the Hospital of a large

Cenobium with Monks where there too everything was simple, just as in

our own Monasteries…”. (The Ascetic of Love p. 245-246). If we notice

the words written with the initial letter capitalised, we can conclude

the following: a. Whoever walks the narrow way is led to the Truth,

therefore to Christ. It is enough, therefore, for one to live simply in

order to become holy. b. Cenobium and Monks and Monasteries, Hindus and

Orthodox monasteries are the same thing. This besides is seen from the

phrase which we underlined.

[9] It concerns the article with the title “The imitation of Christ

according to the Orthodox tradition”, in which the most reverend author

develops with patristic documentation who is the Orthodox way for the

imitation of Christ, contrasting it with the deviation of the specific

book. The article was published in the journal “Gregorios Palamas”,

issue 764, 9/10 1996 p. 587.

[10] Similar things are mentioned by Canons 7, 45, 71 of the holy

Apostles, 11 of the 6th Ecumenical Council, 1 of the Council of Antioch,

6, 32, 33, and 38 of the Council of Laodicea and others.

[11] “…Fr Antonios was a pioneer, unrepeatable, original, systematic

and profound apologetic father of our Church, with amazing intuition and

a sensitive Orthodox sense. His offering is precious for the Church…

He dedicated his whole life to informing Pastors and the Orthodox

fullness about the dangers and problems created by the activity of

heresies and para-religious groups of the so-called ‘New Age’, for the

individual, the family, and society. He bequeathed to the Orthodox Greek

bibliography 40 precious and unrepeatable books, which for many years

will constitute the basis of the pastoral work of our Church in the

sensitive and vital sector of its anti-heretical activity… I think

that for many years the voice of our Church regarding heresies and

para-religious organisations will be the ‘voice of Antonios

Alevizopoulos’. And I think that I do not exaggerate in maintaining that

we (who remain), if we wish to speak correctly in this sensitive

pastoral sector, must speak ‘according to Alevizopoulos’… They accused

him, they slandered him, they maligned him, they ironised him, they

mocked him, the enemies of Orthodoxy… yet Fr Antonios remained

unshakable, conquering through the grace of Christ, which strengtheneth

him” (Article by Fr Kyriakos Tsouros, secretary of the synodal

Committee of the Church of Greece on heresies, and is responsible for the

anti-heretical struggle of the Holy Archdiocese of Athens, published in

the journal “Dialogos” issue 22, 10/12 2000 pp. 9-11).

[12] Guruism p. 30

[13] Meditation p. 163

[14] Joseph Murphy is considered the father of positive thinking, who

“accepted only an Endless Power that is located in each man and makes

possible the fulfilment of every desire. It is the God who is located

within us”, Self-knowledge p. 15.

[15] Ibid p. 16.

[16] Guruism p. 15

[17] Meditation p. 185

[18] “Each of us will be free to fulfil his destiny and his

destination,”says the Eldress, writing to Amte.

[19] Fr Antonios Alevizopoulos, Manual of heresies and para-religious

groups p. 175

[20] Ibid. p. 163.

[21] Meditation p. 183.

[22] Ibid. 71.

[23] Ibid. p. 117.

[24] Ibid. p. 72.

[25] Ibid. p. 74.

[26] Ibid. p. 71.

[27] Meditation p. 164.

[28] “In the photograph, observe the white blouse she wore over her

inner cassock to hold the baby. She said that the black garment absorbs

vitality when we wear it next to the skin.” (The Ascetic of Love, p. 131).

[29] Guruism p. 171.

[30] See e.g. 1 Corinthians 7:1-9 and 28; Mark 1:6-10; Canon 5 of the

Holy Apostles; John Chrysostom, Homily 17, P.G. 255, et al.

[31] “The Protestant, Enlightenment-type, political religion of America

has at its core a faith in the dogma of instantaneous, effortless, and

in a magical way conversion and change. For conservative Protestants,

this change manifests itself on its own as ‘rebirth’. But the modern

descendants of the humanists of the Enlightenment and our own

secularised American Roman Catholics also believe in ‘rebirth’ but in

the form of a secular conversion.” (Frank Schaeffer, Dancing Alone: The

Quest for Orthodox Faith in the Age of False Religions, p. 41).

[32] “The spiritually advanced person is he who has reached the point of

not having hypostasis.” (The Ascetic… p. 356).

[33] “I know someone who so became accustomed to immobility, that he

made it his experience and the angels granted him for this invisible

wings of the soul. Thus he turns both on Earth and in heaven and in the

invisible universe.” (The Ascetic… p. 179).

[34] Meditation p. 176.

[35] Guruism p. 98.

[36] “Blavatsky was a Russian woman of German descent… At the age of

17 she married General Blavatsky and after three months she abandoned

him… she became active as a medium in America… She founded a

spiritualist circle under the name ‘Miracle Club’. This circle was

renamed on 17-11-1875 as the ‘Theosophical Society’.” (Fr Antonios

Alevizopoulos, Guruism… p. 91). Cf. also the highly informative book

of N. Stavrianidis, Theosophy – New Age, Athens 1997.

[37] Some of the goals of this movement were and are the following:

“Unification of religions without racial, social and religious

differences; study of global religions with the aim of forming a single

global morality; searching for and developing the hidden divine powers

within man.” (Ibid. p. 92). “The teaching of the movement is secret. The

members promise to keep secret ‘everything that is recommended’… the

followers are free to maintain also a second identity, that is to be

members of a church or religion… every follower must accept that all

religions owe their existence to the ‘Great White Brotherhood’ and none

of them can claim exclusivity… On this basis the unity of religions is

pursued… In the view of the movement there is no distinction between

the creator and the creation…” (Ibid. p. 94-95 et seq. for more

information).

[38] Ibid. p. 170.

[39] Ibid. p. 176.

[40] “On the eve that Baba Amte was to leave the hospital, I find the

station master and say to him: ‘I have a small request. Will you permit

me to stay one more night?’ ‘But when did you arrive? Have the 48 hours

that you have a right to already passed?’ ‘Ah, did you not see me? It

seems the angels made me invisible! You know, I have been here 14 days.'”

[41] Guruism p. 203.

[42] Ibid. p. 204.

[43] “Eldress, is this hidden voice that we hear many times our angel?”

“Yes, and we must realise it. To clarify it. And slowly God will give us

holy power…” We have at this point, therefore, the clear urging for

meditation, while the delusion is obvious that the guardian angel dwells

within us. That which we must listen to while meditating is none other

than the evil and unclean spirit. Since, however, the eldress perceives

very well that these things do not run alongside the Orthodox faith and

many will understand the existence of the Evil One in this process, she

hastens to anticipate the objections saying: “Be sure and listen not to

the world that speaks of temptations and temptations…” (p. 176). We

could indeed take this urging as a denial of the existence of the Devil,

which greatly accommodates such temptational situations.

[44] Guruism p. 173.

[45] Self-knowledge p. 95.

[46] The description by Gabriella of the clearly sensual vision that

follows this state of prayer (p. 78), proves its meditative content:

“One day, it was midday, she was in a state of Prayer. And then she

received a Vision, a Visitation…” Eldress Gabriella: “His hair dark

brown. His skin wheat-coloured. I had this experience but I had it thus

far. Only His Eyes did I see. Only His Eyes and Forehead did I see…

Unforgettable… very otherworldly… Brown, full of Life and Light. As

if there were no need for Him to speak. It was only His Eyes and they

were very close to mine.” Indeed she saw this vision in the Himalayas,

the “capital” of Hindu philosophy.

[47] Self-knowledge p. 60.

[48] Meditation p. 65.

[49] “The movement around the power of thought appears already in the

past century. Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882) proclaimed that the only

reality is the divine element, which is found within man; he used

hypnosis with the aim of awakening the inner powers of man, and promised

by his method to lead to the fullness of existence. Similar ideas were

proclaimed also by the French pharmacist Émile Coué (1856-1926).

However, Joseph Murphy (+1981) is considered the father of positive

thinking. Basic missionaries are Norman Vincent Peale, E. Freitag et

al.” (Self-knowledge p. 13).

[50] Ibid., p. 15.

[51] Ibid. p. 51.

[52] Ibid. p. 74.

[53] Ibid. p. 73.

[54] Ibid. p. 73.

[55] Ibid. p. 84-85.

[56] Guruism p. 28.

[57] “As your beloved poet also says… Kahlil Gibran”, The Ascetic of

Love p. 72.

[58] Guruism p. 44.

[59] Self-knowledge p. 81-82.

[60] Meditation p. 136.

[61] By the term “Sects” are characterised the cults that are

destructive and dangerous for the individual and society.

[62] Guruism p. 69.

[63] Ibid. p. 21.

[64] Meditation p. 89.

[65] “The meditator has set as a goal to transcend the object upon which

he meditates even if it concerns the form of the deity whom he

worships… The one meditating upon the form of Christ is called to

transcend it, to equate himself with ‘Christ’, with the Light, with the

other persons, with the universe. This is named ‘Christ consciousness’.

The goal is the union with the universal consciousness! Christ,

therefore… is not the Jesus Christ to whom Christians pray… The form

upon which the meditation takes place here is not valued more than any

other meditative symbol… It could be the form of an idolatrous deity

or—why not?—the form of Lucifer” (Ibid. p. 87-88 et seq.).

[66] Meditation p. 80.

[67] Ibid. p. 158.

[68] Ibid. p. 64, 163.

[69] Ibid. p. 179.

[70] Ibid. p. 182.

[71] See Guruism p. 31-32 et seq.

[72] The Hindu monks, slaves and subordinates and disciples of the guru.

[73] Guruism p. 46-47.

[74] Cassettes and booklets, “The Orthodox spirit is the true one”.

[75] For a full and complete informing regarding the “healing gifts” of

the neo-Pentecostals and their interpretation, we recommend the

wonderful book of Fr Seraphim Rose “Orthodoxy and the Religion of the

Future” from the EGREGORSIS publications, of the Association for the

Protection of the Unborn Child. It would not be an exaggeration if we

characterised this book as an “antidote” to Gabriella since by reading

it, you have the sensation that it was written as an answer to “The

Ascetic of Love” insofar as it interprets almost all the phenomena of

the New Age and the influences of Hinduism in the West.

[76] Guruism p. 68, 83.

[77] “Homoeopathy incompatible with the Orthodox faith”, Parents’

Initiative of Northern Greece, p. 8.

[78] Ibid. p. 12.

[79] Ibid. p. 17.

[80] Ibid. p. 20.

[81] Cassettes and booklets, “The Orthodox spirit is the true one”.

[82] Meditation, p. 232-233.

[83] See p. 48-49 where our missionaries are accused of being “lovers of

comfort” in contrast to Gabriella, a model of a missionary, but also

other heterodox yet holy, according to the eldress, missionaries, such

as e.g. Grundy, p. 211-212.

[84] Saint John of Monemvasia was martyred because he did not accept to

break the fast of the Panagia, despite the fact that his mother

entreated him to the contrary. The Saint, despite his young age,

stubbornly refused, answering his mother: “Mother, I am a priest’s

child, and more than the others I must keep the established traditions.”