All of us are almost always slaves of thoughts. They burst into consciousness, clogging it with unnecessary, empty, even harmful, corrupting ideas, pictures, and memories. Thoughts, memories and ideas that do not go to the point and interfere with work, for example, about yesterday’s meeting, about an unpleasant conversation, about plans, impressions, about newspaper reports, etc., burst into the correct and calm train of thinking. And especially all this clogs the consciousness and heart when a person begins to pray or comes to the temple of God. As if on purpose, as if from a cornucopia, all sorts of extraneous thoughts, plans for the future, small worries, worries about the forgotten, sometimes irritation against another person will pour into your head; the need to do this and that, and your prayer begins to go wrong, it interferes with you, delays you, you begin to pray hastily in order to quickly finish the rule and get down to business, etc. Why is all this happening to us? How to deal with this? You will learn about this from the teachings of the holy fathers, elders and devotees of piety of ancient and modern times. Source: Contents: Introduction Chapter 1. THE GRADUAL EFFECT OF THOUGHTS ON THE SOUL OF A MAN “Beware of your thoughts, for thoughts are heard in heaven” Conversation of the Athonite Elder Paisius About the War of ThoughtsTrust thoughts leads to mental illnessAbout the fight against thoughts Chapter 2. VARIETIES OF THOUGHTS Section 1. Blasphemous thoughtsFrom the book “Spiritual Medicine for Confused Thoughts”From the “Ladder” degree 23From the “Paterikon”From "Paternal Proclamations" From "Lives" saints"From a special discussionFrom the conversations of an old priestAbout embarrassmentThe experience of fighting with blasphemous thoughts of Archimandrite KronidElder Paisios about what thoughts are blasphemousWhere do blasphemous thoughts come fromContempt for blasphemous thoughtsIn what cases are we guilty of blasphemous thoughts ourselves Section 2. Prodigal thoughts" All of us, as one, without exception, are subject to prodigal, unclean thoughts...” About the fight against prodigal passion and unclean thoughts. How destructive is the pleasure of sinful thoughts. The story of the afterlife torment of a virgin An incident from the life of St. Parthenius of Kyiv EXAMPLE FROM THE BOOK “THE SHEPHERD” Reproof of Hermas for his own weaknesses and for his negligence in correcting his childrenCleansing the heart is the work of a lifetime Section 3 . Different thoughts About thoughts and carnal movements From instructions St. Ambrose of Optina on thoughts during prayer EXTRACTS FROM THE INSTRUCTIONS AND LETTERS OF ELDER SCHIARCHIMANDRITE JOHN (MASLOV)On the fight against sinful thoughts TEACHINGS OF THE ATHON ELDER DANIEL KATUNAKSKAGOU on chastity INSTRUCTIONS THE ELDER OF OPTINA AND OTHER FATHERS ABOUT THOUGHTS AND ABOUT THE FIGHT WITH THEM Thoughts in prayer Fighting with thoughts Prodigal thoughts Thoughts of suicide Thoughts of blasphemy Where do thoughts come to us? How does the enemy influence the mind? You go to extremes... How to understand whether a thought is good? How to deal with evil thoughts ? CONCLUSION Rule on getting rid of blasphemous, prodigal and evil thoughtsPsalm 50Psalm 3Prayer 1Prayer 2Prayer 3Prayer 4 to the Most Holy Theotokos The shortest way to get rid of blasphemous thoughtsPrayer for evil thoughtsAnother prayer DURING WAR CARLAINPrayer against the war of fornicationPrayer for deliverance from temptations St. Simeon the New TheologianPrayer of Archbishop Anthony (Mikhailovsky)Prayer for deliverance from unclean thoughtsPrayer appeal to the Most Pure Virgin Mary for the preservation of virginity and purityPrayer of St. Macarius of Optina, that I may during carnal warfarePrayer when there are unclean thoughts and a desire to sin or despondency, despair, melancholyPrayer to the Guardian AngelPrayers at the end of prayersFinal prayer