UDC 271.2BBK 86.372С-37Recommended for publication by the Publishing Council of the Russian Orthodox ChurchIS R 14-410-1074

Drawings by Daria Bezborodykh

Simeon of Athos, mon. Golden rules for beginners, gathered in solitude (About painful issues) / Monk Simeon of Athos. – M.: PSTGU Publishing House, 2014. – 100 p. ISBN 978-5-7429-0904-0

The presented book was written by monk Simeon of Athos (hieromonk Simon (Bezkrovny)) and reflects the experience of monastic spiritual practices. Monk Simeon began his monastic journey in the Holy Trinity Lavra of St. Sergius under the care of the elder, Archimandrite Kirill (Pavlov). For a long time he labored in the Caucasus mountains, in Abkhazia. Currently he lives in one of the monasteries of Holy Mount Athos. He took his pseudonym in memory of his father, the monk Simeon, who died on Mount Athos. “The Golden Rules for Beginners, Collected in Solitude” is a brief collection of the very essence of spiritual life. Each section identifies the main obstacles in comprehending Orthodoxy, which prevent the soul from becoming truly Orthodox. The titles of the chapters themselves speak about this: “Difficulties of growth”, “Difficulties of behavior”, “Difficulties of practice”. The book concludes with the chapters “Difficulties of Communion with God” and “Difficulties of Love”, leading the soul to the practical assimilation of the Gospel Truths, expressed in a brief and deeply meaningful form in the final chapter “On painful matters.” Readers will also be interested in the questions and answers at the end of the book (From a notebook), spiritual advice from the author.

© Pustyn New Thebaid, 2014© Bezborodykh D. A., illustrations, 2014© Design. Publishing house of the Orthodox St. Tikhon's Humanitarian University, 2014