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St. Sophronios of Jerusalem (Feast Day - March 11)
By Protopresbyter Fr. George Papavarnavas
The season of Holy and Great Lent we are experiencing is a time of repentance, fasting, prayer and spiritual struggles. It is an arena of the virtues for anyone who wants to approach it freely, to compete spiritually, without anyone forcing them. "The arena of the virtues has opened; those who desire to compete may enter, girding themselves with the good struggle of fasting". Fasting, when accompanied by prayer, is the most powerful weapon against the devil, the enemy of human salvation, ("this kind does not come out except by prayer and fasting"), but also a source of heavenly gifts, ("through fasting, vigils and prayer we receive heavenly gifts").
True fasting means abstinence not only from food, but "to control the tongue, to alienate the passions, to forbear from anger, to abstain from lust, slander, falsehood and perjury." The abstinence of food and so-called adult carnal misconduct is perhaps the easiest struggle. But effort against harder things is needed, such as condemnation, envy, slander, etc. The Prophet David pleaded with God to keep him from slander, in order to fulfill His commandments: "Redeem me from the slander of men and I will keep Your commandments."
Fasting that is "true and pleasing" to God is as we mentioned above, and "to alienate the passions" means to transform the passions, to be healed of the passions. Human passions are nothing else but the unnatural operation of the powers of the soul, namely the intelligent, the incensive and the desiring. The virtues are the natural movements of the powers of the soul. For example, when anger operates according to nature then it turns against the devil and sin, but when it is against nature it turns against other people, even against this creation, such as animals, plants, etc. The intelligent part of the soul in its natural state turns to God, and the desiring wants everything that is pleasing to God. Otherwise it is directed against the will of God and is enslaved to the devil and created things. The therapy of the powers of the soul, or their restoration to their natural operation takes place with abstinence, prayer and love. Maximus the Confessor says to us: "The incensive part of the soul is restrained by love, the desiring is withered by temperance and the intelligent is given wings by prayer. Thus the light of the nous is never darkened."
Saints are those who have purified their vessels, who have transformed their passions and attained from the image to the likeness of God and have seen God. They are full of the Holy Spirit and their words are "words of eternal life". They are the champions of spiritual athletics and true models of the athletes of the spirit. One of these was Saint Sophronios, whose memory is celebrated during this period. He lived in temperance and wisdom from a young age, and later also when he became a Monk in the Monastery of Saint Theodosius the Cenobiarch. He became Archbishop of Jerusalem "due to his abundant virtues", as Saint Nikodemos the Hagiorite says, and he shepherded his flock in an Orthodox ascetic and sacrificial ethos that distinguished him. He was a man of the spirit in the true sense. That is, he was full of the Grace of the Holy Spirit. He acquired spiritual eyes, or rather he purified his nous, which is the eye of the soul, and he saw God, which is why he was able to lead his flock unerringly. According to the expression of the author of the Great Canon, he was a "nous that beheld God".
When Jerusalem was captured by the Persians, he was given hospitality in Alexandria by his friend Saint John the Merciful, and when he "departed to the Lord" he wrote a funeral discourse in his honor and "was very saddened by his passing". The saints have a pure and soft hearts. They truly love and weep for their loved ones, like Christ wept for his friend Lazarus. But they do not grieve "as those who have no hope", but as having hope in eternal life, since they are crucified and resurrected and taste the kingdom of heaven in this present life. Here we should mention that he wrote among other things also the wondrous life of she who was equal to the angels, the venerable Mary of Egypt.
Through the intercessions of the wise Saint Sophronios, may God grant us a "spirit of wisdom, humility, patience and love", as well as a zest and appetite for spiritual struggles.
Source:: http://wicca-teachings.blogspot.com
In past postings I discussed the magical power of okra and how it can be used in protective work. Okra is also useful in breaking evil, curses and any kind of negativity. One of the best ways to do this is to make a magical bath with okra.
Okra baths are effective in a single application or you can do them regularly as part of a spiritual hygiene routine. Whenever I feel that someone has thrown some serious curses at me, or even reversed work back at me, I use an okra bath to shatter the curse or evil, and allow me to smoothly move through life slipping out of its grasp. It's important to note that if you are allergic to okra you should not be doing this bath.
HOW TO PREPARE A MAGICAL BATH WITH OKRAOkra baths need to be made a bit in advance in order to get the most out of the herb. Okra emits a slimy juice, it's characteristic herbal property, that reacts with water to create a mucilage. This slippery, slimy juice is what breaks the evil magic and also allows you to slide under the radar and escape enemy attack.
"You'll need:"
* About 20 fresh okra pods
* A large basin
* Fresh water
* A sieve or strainer
Start by pouring about 2 cups of fresh water into the basin. Now begin manually breaking up the okra pods with your hands in the water. Try to rip them up into the smallest pieces you can. Use your hands and pray over the okra, asking that God shatter any evil that has been sent at you. Once you have broken up all of the pods with your hands, begin scooping them up in your hands and squeezing as much juice as you can out of them. Keep adding water, cup by cup taking time to squeeze the pods and extract their juice into the water between additions. Once you've filled the basin up with enough water for a magical bath set the basin aside to sit for about half an hour. (Use reason to figure this out - quantities are NOT specific here. All you need is enough to dump over your head and cover your body.)
After the bath has sit for about half an hour, being to scoop the bits of okra out of the fluid. Give them a good squeeze and place them into the strainer (holding the strainer over the basin - the mucilage will continue to drain out into the basin). Once you've gotten all of the okra bits out of the bath and you have a strainer full of the stuff, use your hand to press the last bits of juice out of the herbs, allowing it to fall into the bath. Then take the okra chunks and toss them in the garbage. All we need is the juice.
Stir the bath up well with your hands. As you do so, you'll note it's VERY slimy. This is precisely what we want.
Take your basin into the bathroom. Light two white candles and place them on either side of the tub or shower to that you will cross between them as you exit the tub (like a gateway of light). Disrobe and take the basin with you into the tub. Now begin by praying Psalm 37 "Do not fret because of evildoers, nor be envious of the workers of iniquity. For they shall soon be cut down like the grass, and whither as the green herb!" (or you can read the psalm in its entirety) If you don't like reading the psalms you can also just pray in your own words to your higher power for it to shatter the curses laid against you, wipe you clean of any evil and restore you to peace and grace.
Now, pour the bath over you from your head down to your feet. Yes it is slimy. Yes it feels weird. Yes it really works!
Make sure to cover EVERY part of your body with the bath. Then set the basin outside of the tub. You can then shower off the slime, making sure to get it all off. Once you are fully clean you can exit the shower passing between the two lit candles and towel dry. You can also pinch out the candles and reuse them for another bath, or if this is a one-off bath, just set them on a counter or your altar and let them burn down completely.
You should notice how good you feel IMMEDIATELY after the bath. Dress in clean light colored clothes and avoid getting agitated or angry for that day. Do something relaxing and keep your calm. If you have a protective oil or mojo bag you can wear, it's a good idea to use it after you've dried off from the bath.
**NOTE**This is one example of a magical bath that is NOT left on the body to dry. While the slime has healing properties and IS very good for the skin, you don't want to keep it on your body. Additionally, this is a magical bath where you DO NOT capture your used bath water. Just let it run down the drain and rinse out the shower or tub after you are done.
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