Rare and unusual icons
On the icon “Prayer of Detention,” Saint Elius of Egypt, Saint Poplius of Syria, Saint Piama of Alexandria, Saint Lawrence of Kaluga, Saint Basil of Pechersk, the Most Holy Theotokos and Saint Archangel Michael are addressed to the Lord Almighty.
The Detention Prayer stops enemies, sorcerers, ill-wishers, evil people and serious illnesses.
This prayer rule was compiled by Elder Pansophius of Athos in 1848 in order to restrain the devil in his actions by the power of God. Also, these prayers are read to get rid of all human anger, envy and meanness. This prayer book is recommended for daily reading by devotees of piety.
Detention prayers are based on Holy Scripture. In other cases, prayers are addressed to the experience of the saints, which is narrated by the Holy Tradition of the Church. Reading these prayers not only enlightens the mind, but also the heart, instilling in it sincere faith that God is able to stop any evil and protect those who trust in Him in any situation, no matter how hopeless it may seem to a person. However, when reading these prayers, one must certainly have a humble heart and not an evil mind, for God turns away from an evil and unhumble prayer book. It is also impossible to read these prayers, relying only on the power of their words, for it is not words that work miracles and not words that help in need, but only God, who listens to our prayer words.
Believe in God and through prayers speak to Him as to a loving Father, whose mercy and help you really need and your faith will not be put to shame. Prayer of Detention Like a barren fig tree, do not sow me, O Savior, a sinner, but grant me longing for many years, watering my soul with tears of repentance, so that I may bring fruit to You, Most Merciful. . Merciful Lord! You once, through the mouth of the servant of Moses, Joshua the son of Nun, delayed the movement of the sun and moon for a whole day, until the people of Israel took revenge on their enemies. . With the prayer of Elisha the prophet, he once struck the Syrians, delaying them, and healed them again. . You once said to the prophet Isaiah: Behold, I will return back ten steps the shadow of the sun, which passed along the steps of Ahaz, and the sun returned ten steps along the steps on which it descended. . You once, through the mouth of the prophet Ezekiel, closed the abysses, stopped the rivers, and held back the waters. . And You once stopped the mouths of the lions in the den through the fasting and prayer of Your prophet Daniel. . And now delay and slow down until the right time all the plans around those standing around me about my displacement, dismissal, removal, expulsion. . So now, destroy the evil desires and demands of all those who condemn me, block the lips and hearts of all those who slander, are angry and growl at me and all who blaspheme and humiliate me. . So now bring spiritual blindness into the eyes of all those who rise up against me and against my enemies.x. . Didn't you tell the Apostle Paul: Speak and do not be silent, for I am with you, and no one will harm you. . Soften the hearts of all those who oppose the good and dignity of the Church of Christ. . Therefore let my mouth not be silent to reprove the wicked and glorify the righteous and all your wondrous works. And may all our good undertakings and desires be fulfilled. . To you, righteous women and prayer books of God, our daring representatives, who once with the power of their prayers restrained the invasions of foreigners, the approach of haters, who destroyed the evil plans of people, who stopped the mouths of lions, now I turn with my prayer, with my petition. . And You, the venerable great Elius of Egypt, who once fenced the place of your disciple’s settlement in a circle with the sign of the cross, commanded him to arm himself with the name of the Lord and from now on not to be afraid of demonic temptations. Protect my house, in which I live, in the circle of your prayers and save it from fiery ignition, thieves’ attacks and all evil and insurance. . And You, Reverend Father Poplie of Syria, who once with your unceasing prayer kept the demon motionless for ten days and unable to walk either day or night; Now, around my cell and this house (my) keep behind its fence all the opposing forces and all those who blaspheme the name of God and despise me. . And You, reverend virgin Piama, who once with the power of prayer stopped the movement of those who were going to destroy the inhabitants of the village where she lived, now stop all the plans of my enemies who want to expel me from this city and destroy me: do not allow them to approach this house, stop them with the power of prayer his: “Lord, Judge of the Universe, You, who are displeased with all unrighteousness, when this prayer comes to You, may the Holy Power stop them at the place where it overtakes them.” . And You, blessed Lawrence of Kaluga, pray to God for me, as having the boldness to intercede before the Lord for those suffering from the devil. Pray to God for me, may He protect me from the wiles of Satan. the wiles of Satan. . And You, Reverend Vasily of Pechersk, perform your prayers of prohibition over those who attack me and drive away all the machinations of the devil from me. . And you, all the saints of the Russian land, by the power of your prayers for me, dispel all the demonic spells, all the devil’s plans and intrigues - to annoy me and destroy me and my property. . And You, great and formidable guardian, Archangel Michael, cut with a fiery sword all the desires of the human race and all its minions who want to destroy me. Stand inviolably on guard over this house, all those living in it and all its property. . And You, Lady, not in vain called the Indestructible Wall, be for all those who are hostile against me and plotting to do dirty things to me, truly a kind of barrier and an indestructible wall, protecting me from all evil and difficult circumstances.
About prayer
For people who are not churchgoers, the earthly world is full of mysticism. When they come to the temple, they assume that there is both faith and magic. But the Church initially did not recognize witchcraft and sorcery - and these interventions in human souls are included in the list of mortal sins.
Some people who previously believed in God began to deny Him. It is easier for them to believe in Satan and the devil; they believe that black magic, and not the Almighty Christ, can help with any problems. Of course, prayer does not help instantly, not at the “snap of a finger.” She is not a lifeline or a ritual. Prayer is help and support from Heaven, and a person who sincerely believes in Christ can do the rest himself.
Attention! Detention prayer is considered scary and dangerous and violates some of the Bible rules. Therefore, one should resort to reading it only in the most extreme cases.
Features and rules of reading
In order for the prayer to fulfill its intended functions, you need to know the algorithm for reading it correctly.
Before you start reading, you need to clear your thoughts of everything mortal and begin a conversation with God. You must fiercely believe in every word you read, truly believing in the Lord.
Prayer is considered quite powerful, so you should be sure that you really need it. It is important that the reader be baptized, since a person far from the church may not realize the full depth of what is happening, regarding prayer as a pagan mine.
It is recommended to fast, take communion and attend several liturgical services before starting to read the prayer. It is very important to understand each of the words you read, passing them through your soul, only in this case can you know that you did everything right.
The Detention Prayer is not aimed at punishing the offender, it heals the soul from bad thoughts and feelings, leaving the person bright and clean inside. Put meaning into every word you say, sincerely believing in the Almighty, and he will definitely hear you.
Interpretation of prayer words
The prayer of detention from Elder Pansophius is quite difficult to interpret, because its meaning after reading becomes self-explanatory. The prayer text was written on behalf of a person who considers himself surrounded on all sides by enemies. Moreover, the prayer contains the statement that they can be both visible and invisible.
This means that prayer can become a protective tool, both from the actions of evil people and from the machinations of otherworldly evil forces.
The actions of real forces in prayer are scrupulously listed. The text indicates that enemies can do harm by condemning, slandering, being angry, roaring, blaspheming, humiliating and despising a person. Enemies standing around are harboring evil plans for relocation, dismissal, displacement. Enemies also seek to expel him and destroy him.
It becomes clear that by sincerely offering such a prayer one can successfully resist real evil. As a rule, such a prayer is read when a person subconsciously feels a threat emanating from people around him.
The effectiveness of prayer is enhanced already at the beginning of the prayer text when turning to the Merciful God. Here we recall an action from the Old Testament, when God stopped the movement of the Sun and Moon for a whole day in order to provide the Israeli people with the opportunity to take revenge on their enemies. Various actions that he performed through the mouth of the prophets are also listed.
After such a listing, there is a request to delay and slow down all the actions of the enemies of the praying person.
Contained in prayer and appeals to the Saints:
Venerable Great Elius of Egypt, who lived in the 4th century. He had the gift of clairvoyance and could control animals. Once he was able to protect the place where his disciple was settling with the sign of the cross, after which he commanded, with the name of the Lord on his lips, not to be afraid of demonic temptations.
The Monk Poplia of Syria, who, being a Syrian ascetic, was able to keep the demon motionless for ten days with his unceasing prayer.
Venerable virgin Piama , living in the 4th century. She was able, through the power of prayer, to stop the enemies who were heading to destroy the inhabitants of her village.
Blessed Lawrence of Kaluga, who lived in the 16th century, who with the power of his words was able to encourage the soldiers who defended Kaluga from the invasion of the Tatars and give them the strength to win.
Reverend Vasily of Pechersk, who lived in the 9th century in the Near Caves of the Kiev Pechersk Lavra. His prayers had enormous power.
A slightly pagan bias is addressed to all Russian lands, which should help dispel the demonic spell around a praying person.
But after this there is an appeal to the Archangel Michael, who leads the army of the Lord. The prayer text contains a request to cut with a fiery sword everyone who wants harm to the human race, those who direct evil against the praying person.
At the end of the detention prayer there is an appeal to the Mother of God , depicted in the “Unbreakable Wall” icon.
This image of the Most Pure Mother of God is one of the greatest shrines of Orthodoxy. It is believed that Prayer before the icon of the Mother of God “The Unbreakable Wall” grants reliable protection and patronage of the Most Holy Theotokos. If you hang the icon opposite the front door, then a person with evil intentions will not be able to enter the house.
Detention Prayer
This prayer has a strong effect, protecting the person praying from the forces of the devil, “detaining” them, which is why it is called the prayer of detention. The writing of the texts belongs to the elder Pansophius of Athos, who, with God's help, created them. The description of his life indicates that he had a special gift, with the help of which he pacified predators and resisted evil throughout his life.
Being weak, a person cannot always independently cope with evil forces and evil thoughts directed against him. The prayer for the detention of Elder Pansophius of Athos will come to the rescue, and it is customary to consult with a priest, who can recommend just such a prayer, or suggest using another.
The Church does not approve of this prayer and considers it apocryphal, i.e. non-canonical
Help Icons Detention
They pray in front of the icon, asking for protection, both for themselves and for loved ones. The Icon of Detention helps in many matters, but everything is somehow connected with protection. People often ask God for help in resolving conflicts and serious illnesses. There is a lot of mystical, even pagan, associated with this prayer, so the church does not recommend using it. Orthodoxy does not recognize magic. The prayer is read when they want to protect themselves from evil spirits, for example, brownies, or to remove damage from an individual or an entire family, which can be expressed in frequent illnesses or deaths, or failures in marriages. The icon also helps to ward off evil people and avoid meanness and betrayal.
Prohibitions
In preparation for the ritual of reading the prayer of detention, it is necessary to visit the church several times. When praying, they ask the Lord for forgiveness and remission of the sins of all their envious people and ill-wishers. A week after finishing the reading, they visit church again and ask for forgiveness again.
While reading the forty-strong amulet, you cannot:
- Say the names of supposed enemies.
- To wish envious people punishment, especially death.
These prohibited actions are contrary to the laws of the church. When thinking about the negative influence of other people, it is human nature to make mistakes. Their true attitude towards the person praying is known only to the Lord God. You can only use candles and incense purchased in church shops. Water used in prayer must be blessed.
Many prayers for solving problems are usually read more than once (“Our Father” - 40 times). This number has something magical and is directly related to the church and man: a woman carries a child for 40 weeks, during which he is fully formed as a person, fasting lasts 40 days, 40 days passed before the ascension of Jesus Christ.
Many clergy consider this sign to be magical, coming from the evil one. Therefore, it is recommended to read the prayer of detention according to the behest of Elder Pansophius.
General description and purpose of the prayer of prohibition
The power of prayer lies in stopping the devil's actions and all evil. The text is distinguished by features that cast doubt on the authorship of the monk:
- the absence of repentant and glorifying words to the Lord - instead of them, lengthy comparisons with the acts of the Old Testament prophets;
- denouncing enemies and asking them to punish them - to bring about spiritual blindness;
- a request for the protection of material wealth, and not for the salvation of the soul;
- rancor instead of love.
The prayer of detention is contrary to the Christian teaching of forgiving enemies rather than exposing and punishing them. The text is structured in such a way that the reader appears to be an absolute righteous person, and according to the Christian canon, this is pride. A person considers himself infallible and equates himself with God. Not noticing his sinfulness, he exposes other, “evil” people.
In the prayer of detention, the reader even puts himself ahead of God, considering his enemies to be the enemies of God. But his request is only to delay, and not to destroy, the evil being committed against him.
This is interesting: How to make a protective amulet against envy and evil people with your own hands?
How to read a prayer correctly?
Like any petition , the prayer of detention from all evil must be read without strain, demanding or imperative intonations. It is not recommended to inform anyone that a believer is using this prayer.
The reading of prayer words should take place only in front of the icon of the Prayer of Detention, which, in addition to the Savior, the Most Holy Theotokos and Archangel Michael, also depicts eleven holy saints.
You need to read the text of the detention prayer for 9 days, morning and evening.
At the same time, it is important to remain calm, not to enter into any conflicts, quarrel, or be nervous.
The prayer of detention is very powerful, so its reading must be taken extremely seriously. It is also worth considering that there are certain days for reading it. For men it is Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, for women it is Wednesday, Friday, Saturday. Sunday is not a day for saying a prayer or even memorizing one.
It is also necessary to remember that when pronouncing the words of prayer, including in Russian, it is necessary to think about each of them. The choice of prayer for protection from demons and other representatives of dark forces must be approached with caution and in no case wish harm to your offenders.
In what cases does prayer detention help?
The text should be read in the following cases:
- During a serious illness, there is no stronger prayer. You can pray both for yourself and for a sick relative or close friend.
- If it is known that a curse has been imposed on the family line, which is accompanied by frequent deaths, illnesses, scandals, and divorces.
- If you can’t find your soul mate and find family happiness, relationships with the opposite sex don’t work out—perhaps a woman (man) has been crowned with celibacy. This action is actively used by black magicians.
- If there are drummers and other otherworldly forces in the house, or incomprehensible sounds are heard - there is no equivalent to a petition for detention, the elder will save health, nerves and life.
- In the absence of finances, even if the family has no money for bread, after prayerful work those in need soon find a good job, get out of the debt hole and live with dignity.
- To protect against the evil eye, cunning thoughts and meanness from others.
