July 25th Is St. Paisios 100 Year Birthday!

by —

chrissie “apples” nicolles 

+small schema monastic

🌹Elder Paisios the Hagiorite was the greatest Saint of 20th century! July 25, 2024 is his 100 year Birthday!

It bears repeating: in 1994 as he lay dying in hospital, 

people witnessed seeing this beloved monk floating above the church in Souroti, Greece blessing them down below!! Can you imagine?

Of course, Geronda Paisios was always a showman.

As one holy monk told me regarding Paisios’ death: 

“Yes, dropping the body is when the fun begins!” 

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On celebrating birthdays: I’m aware not everyone does and some get cranky over another year older, but what they don’t know spiritually, is their “glorified body of light”, one’s true body, resides within and remains forever young… 

IF after death, an old deceased soul appears on earth to a loved one, they appear in their “glorified body of light” looking young again.

Truth is, unlike us, the illumined sages always operate from their “body of light” while still on earth + have the power to even rearrange time + space…

Also, the day you surrender to the Godhead/Christ Logos – that day becomes your “Spiritual Birthday”…

but who recalls that day?

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St. John of Kronstadt said:

“In truth, a man’s birthday and name day are his personal Pascha, and those that love him rejoice.”

I personally view birthdays as milestones – look on your birthday as a spiritual renewal, ‘Know Thyself’ better + serve valiantly.

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But the bigger reason is the birth date is the day God granted you “sentience”… Out of your free will, you came all the way down to earth, from high above, out of the Mind of God — by consent of the 24 Elders in Heaven,  to enter the sphere of matter — to manifest light or manifest darkness.

In other words, to achieve divinity – Theosis – it must happen on terra firma!

Entire earthly sphere is a battlefield of duality… one we have to conquer… but for advanced souls like Paisios, a true Master — to incarnate is very auspicious + Angels rejoice.

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Birthdays … yes, but day of death is greater bc we graduate from this earth school + take all we’ve learned back to Heaven – Home. 

It’s custom in Orthodoxy to say “Many years!” but St. Paisios said: “I wish you many years — but not to be too happy, because happiness in the world isn’t really so healthy. When a man is too happy in this world, he forgets God and forgets death.”

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The Ancient Greek mathematician, Pythagoras, invested numbers with mystical meanings; blessed Elder Paisios’ birthday numbers are intensely meaningful for those who understand; his destiny number is 3 – destined to be seen + heard, speaking his truth. Unlike his comrade St. Porphyrios’ number 7 – he was more stoic, yet these two were united noetically. (*Plato saw the number 3 symbolic of the triangle + the cosmos to be built from triangles; his philosophy is influenced by Pythagoras – notably in Plato’s Republic … + ‘music of the spheres’ was first heard by Pythagoras. In other words, our ‘somatikos’ bodily coming into being is ruled by numbers. 

So celebrating dates is mathematically logical … we celebrate birth of Christ, His Mother, John the Baptist, Apostles, etc.

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I’ve been told by Orthodox men visiting Athos, there’s a motto at entrance house for pilgrims outside each monastery on Athos: 

“If you can die before you die, you will not die when you die.”

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Those aligned with their exalted spiritual body know this mystery. Geronda Paisios + all sages teach remembrance of death. The very monastic ethos IS death. 

In revering illumined ones, you begin to lose the dragon of ego, like St. George in Icon slaying the dragon; we slay our ego because it’s the only thing impeding us from theosis. 

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One of the most exciting facets of Elder Paisios, unlike other holy monastics, was his adventurous spirit. He went off alone to live as a hermit on Mt. Sinai desert, sojourned throughout the holy mountain, and met up with one of the 7 legendary Invisible Ascetics of Athos…  Aka – the naked Athonites.

So, who are these invisible monks?

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I intuitively grasp it : These are superlatively advanced beings … their food is light and prayer…

But in my research, the truth is, even Geronda Paisios could make himself invisible to certain pilgrims – some came out of curiosity, not for spiritual truth, and who can blame him for turning invisible to them? He had no peace from the daily endless crowds seeking his counsel; although he did give to all from agape, he often lamented “My name is worst thing to happen to me” + yearned to be a hermit alone as he begged beloved Theotokos who often appeared to him.

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The story goes that in 1950, monk Paisios, being new to the Holy Mountain, lost his way looking for the Skete of St. Ann’s and ended up toward the peak of Athos. He implored Mother of God to help him when suddenly an anchorite with a radiant face appeared before him, saying, “My child, this is not the way to St. Ann’s,” and pointed to the right one. His face was glowing in light!

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Later, he related the incident to some experienced elders who said, “That would’ve been one of the righteous anchorites who live invisibly at the peak of Athos!”

In 1974, a monk on Athos, Fr. Athanasios of Simonopetra monastery, had conversed with Elder Paisios about these invisible ascetics living on Holy Mountain today… Elder Paisios told him there were fifty monastics on Athos who had reached an extremely high level of spirituality.

When asked why they’ve not been revealed to the world, Elder Paisios replied: “Because God has not determined the time is right to reveal them to the world… and they don’t want the glory of the earth, they want only to be known in Heaven.”

Then blessed Paisios said something beyond belief:  “And you should know there’s examples of holiness on Mt. Athos at a much higher level than the invisible naked ascetics!”

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Phantasmagorical — Now, if only wealthy unbelievers could ponder this… they’d stop their fascination with the world, amassing more money, getting awards + finally enter their “Inner World”… humble down, and go on a spiritual quest… because, in truth, the “holy grail” everyone’s looking for is the 

Experiential —

the beatific vision of the Godhead – Theosis. 

Awards? St. Paisios has asked: “But did you get a Purity Award?” 

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Let’s end here with more salient quotes from Blessed Paisios of holy mountain: “So in every test, let us say:

“Thank you, my God, because this was needed for my salvation.”

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“Do not judge with the logical mind… it hinders the grace of God and miracles.”

*Bless us St. Paisios!

Happy 100 Years Birthday!🌹🕊️