De octo spiritibus nequitiae

Of John of Damascus, On the Eight Spirits of Wickedness. 1. Know, brother, that there are eight thoughts that war against the monk, as the Fathers say. First, that of gluttony; second, that of evil and shameful desire; third, that of avarice; fourth, that of grief; fifth, that of anger; sixth, that of acedia; seventh, that of vainglory; and that of pride is eighth. 2. You ought therefore to know, O monk, and to attend carefully, by which passion you are disturbed and troubled by our enemies and the spirits of wickedness, and to which passionate thought your mind gives assent. 3. And if you perceive that you are troubled by gluttony and by delicacy, constrain your belly, limiting by weight and measure your delicacy and drink; have a constant remembrance of the separation of the soul, of the future judgment, and of fearful Gehenna; likewise also of the desire for the kingdom of heaven. For thus you will be able to conquer and abhor pleasure through the belly. 4. If again you are possessed by the spirit of shameful and evil desire, practice bodily continence, and contrition of soul, and vigils, with earnest prayer; in addition to these, have also freedom from shame, and not to judge anyone or to slander, or to abhor at all. And ponder death, and love thirst; and by no means wish to consort with women, or even to see their face at all, and you will be delivered from the passion.

5. If you wish to conquer love of money, love poverty and lack of possessions. And ponder the condemnation of Judas, and that through it he betrayed the Lord to the lawless. And that every lover of money is called an idolater by divine Scripture. And that it separates us from the hope of God. And that the enjoyment of money is temporary, but for lovers of money the punishment is eternal. Therefore, reflecting on these things and seeking nothing beyond sufficiency, you will conquer this passion. 6. If again you are disturbed and troubled by worldly grief, you ought to pray continually, and place all hope in God, and practice meditation on the divine Scriptures, and associate with devout monks who fear the Lord, and despise all present things as if they were not, and contemplate the joy in heaven and the delights of the righteous. And if you are struck by someone, or dishonored, or driven out, do not grieve, but rather rejoice. Grieve only when you sin against God. For thus you will be able to be freed from the passion in spirit. 7. When again you are troubled by anger and quick temper, take up compassion, and humble yourself toward the brothers, and if possible, wash their feet continually in humility, and seek forgiveness from every person, and visit the sick continually, and move your tongue toward psalmody, and you will very quickly be freed from the passion.

8. If you wish to conquer acedia, labor at some small handiwork, and read, and pray frequently with firm hope of good things; consider those who are at the point of death, and the violence and suffocation of sinners, how they are mercilessly punished and tormented, and thus you will have relief from the passion. 9. If you are grievously tyrannized by vainglory and the praise of men, you ought to do nothing for display before men, but perform all your work in secret, with no one else knowing, but only God; and do not love praises, nor the honors of men, nor fine garments, nor precedence, nor the chief seat; rather, love that men should blame you, and accuse and dishonor you falsely; and consider yourself more sinful than every sinner. 10. If you see yourself assailed by the demonic passion of most evil pride, you ought to revile no one, nor judge, nor despise anyone at all, but consider yourself the offscouring of all, and reflect continually that unless the Lord builds a house, those who build have labored in vain; and always consider yourself a debtor, and humble yourself before God and all men. And do not be confident until you receive the sentence, seeing that one who, even after reclining in the bridal chamber, is bound hand and foot and banished into eternal darkness.

but even if you fast, even if you keep vigil, even if you sleep on the ground, even if you chant, even if you persevere, even if you make many acts of repentance, even if you do some other good thing, do not say that it has come about from my own labor or from my own zeal, but that it comes from God's help and assistance, and not from my own diligence. Always strive, brother, that you may be always simple and blameless; and do not have one thing in your heart and another on your lips; for this is deceitful; and pray continually with tears; and by doing so you will be delivered from the destructive and evil transgression. Of the passions, some are bodily, others are psychic; and bodily we call gluttony, fornication, drunkenness, licentiousness. Psychic are hatred toward one's neighbor, envy, strife, vainglory, pride. These act upon our soul in the absence of love and self-control; but the others are overcome by fasting and vigil. For then the mind recovers its own light and sees God without hindrance.