1. The thought enters the mind:
As human beings our minds function like a big open window. Throughout the day many thoughts enter in and out of our minds either not giving them much thought or we linger on them for quite a time. If you take public transportation or drive for long periods then you would know what I speak of. Thoughts come and go every single minute of our lives. My next question would be what do you do with them?
2. You dance with the idea:
The answer to the question is that we can dance with the thoughts that enter the mind. An analogy would be a fly (thought) enters through the window (mind). We have two options at this point. We either let it fly around for a few minutes and it will leave or we will try, with our will, to chase it out (dancing with the idea). Many times this is what we do with a thought. A practical example would be the thought of an exam comes to mind that you have to write it tomorrow and by thinking of this exam it might bring you down because you do not want to write it. This second step is very dangerous because it naturally will lead to the next point.
3. You entertain the idea:
You entertain the idea is the stage that once we reach can be difficult to escape from. This can take shape in the following form. "I want to buy clothes" (step 1). "Yes I need to buy clothes because I lack many shirts" (stage 2). Stage 3 would be "I will buy the clothing attire" but you still haven't because you are waiting for the object that will get you to the clothing and that can take form in the transportation or credit card money etc. This is why at this point the thought can still escape the mind but can be difficult.
4. The deed is done:
This stage is the deed being done. You are buying the clothing.
5. Possession (Addiction):
The most dangerous level is the last level which is called possession or addiction. This level is dangerous because once you get to this level the first 4 stages are avoided completely. You commit to this level naturally not realizing it is an addiction and this is why this level is dangerous to the soul of the individual. This step will naturally begin to develop the thought process of any person which might not lead to good consequences.
Summary:
Now ideas that come into our minds can both be "good" and "bad" thoughts. I only give "bad" thoughts in my examples stated above however; this can work for "good" thoughts also. Our souls will always have open windows and this is why thoughts come in and out of our minds. We live in a society in which the appreciation of silence is taken for granted. We live in a society that throws images, music, and what society thinks is a "normal life" at us every day. This poses a great challenge for many of us to overcome stage 5 which is addiction that is not realized. There are two types of addiction. One that is realized and the individual is trying to overcome and the second type which is more dangerous than the previous is the addiction that is not realized and continues to be the "norm" for many of us. Anyone's natural question would be then how to overcome this? One answer I will provide and many will find strange because it's not the "norm" however, I (summarizing what the fathers teach) will pose that this should be the norm because out of this norm we will be able to love each other the way Christ says love your neighbors as yourself.
Our soul's then if we are to understand and accept the fact that open windows will also be part of who we are then closing a few windows is the solution. One way to close a few windows (and I offer this as the start of the solution because our goal should be that all windows are to be closed) is to go back to what the fathers taught us and that is to become "monastic". I do not mean leave the world and become a monk or nun but rather living the monk to the world today. Monasticism should not be thought of as something that is not part of this reality of our society. I would suggest that we are all called to live the monk life in our lives. How do we overcome our thoughts? We must begin to fill our windows with good thoughts all the time. We must begin to see the beauty and goodness in creation because God is the creator and we are to offer everything back to him being the creator. In the Byzantium liturgy of St. John Chrysostom there is a part during the Anaphora prayer where the priest recites "Your own of your own we offer unto you and on behalf of all and for all". So if we are to understand that everything belongs to God then we offer it back to him because it is his creation. This would make sense also for our own bodies. If we accept this as our starting point or as the fathers called "the first principles" then we can begin to live like the monastic's. This is when we will start to overcome stage 5 that we all find ourselves in. If we stop living for tomorrow and for yesterday and begin to realize that we live in the present the thoughts will slowly start to leave our minds. So going back to the previous example it should not matter if there is an exam you need to worry about writing for tomorrow. Tomorrow has not come so that should not worry you. We live for the here and now so the thought should be I will study right now for x amount of hours and through this studying I will be able to write the exam that might come my way.
Why can't we live for tomorrow? Because we do not know if we will even have a tomorrow. St. Anthony the Great is quoted as saying "lived everyday like it's your last". The beauty in living everyday like its your last will make you realize any thoughts about the future and the past are futile because it is out of our control. However advanced this might be too many it must have a starting point in order for it grow and be nourished. Like previously mentioned it is not easy because society bombards us with this consent living in the future and the past. Father Lazarus el Antony (St. Anthony's Monastery) says that living in the word not only do we have our thoughts to struggle with but we also have the world to deal with. His words are true because not only do we have to deal with the thoughts that cause us to stumble but we have to deal with the physical.
The one point that I began with is silence. Silence is a must need in our lives in order to overcome these thoughts and struggles. Once inner silence is attained through prayer then we can truly lift our hearts unto the lord through prayer. When praying many thoughts come to mind. Begin your prayer by contemplating these thoughts and slowly begin to let go. Then afterwards focus on the inner silence in which after you are completely let go of this world begin to pray with your heart and mind. Pray with your heart. This is a major tool the fathers use to battle the thoughts. Inner silence and prayer are two great tools that must be used to battle the thoughts. The following are different quotations by different fathers on this very topic followed by suggested readings by the fathers that speak more in depth on the concepts of prayer and inner silence:
1. A hermit said, "take care to be silent. Empty your mind. Attend to you meditation in the fear of God, whether you are resting or at work. If you do this, you will not fear attacks of the demons.
2. Father Moses said, "Sit in why cell and thy cell with teach thee all".
3. An Elder said "A man who keeps death before his eyes will at all times overcome his cowardliness".
Suggested reading:
The Sayings of the Desert Fathers
The Lives of the Desert Fathers
The Life of St.Anthony by St. Athanasius
Philokalia
The Ladder of Divine Ascent
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