What is it like to visit Mount Athos? Archimandrite Vasileios of Iveron – [Mount Athos] writes, regarding particular fathers, that “when you are near them, you do not acquire knowledge but rather receive a radiation that judges you and gives you joy, heals and matures you...”
I happened to be reading Fr. Vasileios’s book, The Thunderbolt of Everliving Fire, while on Mount Athos, next to his monastery and while he was in his 40 days of repose. Our bishop offered it to us because of his recent repose. The whole experience with the book and the timing seemed divinely inspired. The quote above is what it feels like to be on Mount Athos! I listened as much as I possibly could from different monks, priests, brothers, etc., and I did learn from them, but what was radically astounding was the way many, if not all of us, experienced this type of radiating grace that Fr Vasileios describes.
Our first monastery on the map was St. Sava’s, Hilander. In this monastery, not only were there monks praying and what seems like radiating to us, there was the casket of St. Sava’s father, himself, St. Simeon. It was all there! All, meaning, the Spirit, the angels, the saints, the fathers (monks), the brothers, and even the sanctified walls themselves…walls covered with rich iconography going back hundreds and possibly a thousand years. Several of us expressed how we could physically feel it all run through our bodies and souls, like an energy gently resting within us.
Many other monasteries produced that same kind of energy. It seemed like it did depend on both the place as well as the fathers that greeted and talked to us. This obviously means that not everyone is going to have the same exact experience at the same places, necessarily. If you are close to one particular saint, he may very well be praying and/or guiding you in that monastery due to that being his home. For instance, one of the monasteries that was right on the beach, had a well within the hall. This well was founded by Archangel Michael and Gabriel. Could they have been with us in the pursuit of that well and the drinking of it’s water? Most certainly!
When Fr Vasileios says, “receive a radiation that judges you and gives you joy, heals and matures you”, I believe it pans out in this way: The holiness of Christ’s incarnation is upon you at that moment. It is sacramental in the sense of God using his creation to heal us, much like he uses in the ecclesial manner (bread, wine, water, etc), but through the everyday nature that those sacraments have a hold of. Mount Athos is such a place. The continuing practice of the Liturgy is affecting everything around it, and you get to run into these “radiative experiences” on probably a daily basis. This is why St. Sava first went to Mount Athos, but then left. He needed to share with his countrymen the grace of Athos for the building of the nation.
In another monastery that went to two or three times - since we were staying right next door - there was a father that began instruction us about the icons in the nave. This was a type of experiential teaching. For instance, in one case, he had us all walk past an icon of the Theotokos while look at her eyes. The eyes followed us with this reassuring love like no other icon any of us has ever seen…and there were some very experienced Orthodox men in the group. The father then presented some relics to us, and he did not just explain the relic, but gave us a hug afterwards. It was genuine! He knew what we were experiencing in that temple, and he wanted to give us comfort. It was hard hitting. Relics, healing icons, instruction, saints, and angels. It did feel like some judgement, but in a way that was strengthening us.
Many of us wanted to have conversations with the monks on the mountain, but as Americans in a foreign land, this is not easy. A small group of us did run into a type of holy fool who made several comments to us, only for us to later realize that he was directly confronting us on a clairvoyant level. This was humbling not only because we later realized he was speaking about our sin, but also because we were not in tune to him like we really should have been. I think our American spirit/guard against “crazy people” was up.
The Holy Mountain has many monasteries, but it is not just the monasteries, but entire peninsula that is holy. Journeying through the land was a spiritual adventure that was testing all of us. Hustling and planning like men need to hustle and plan…almost like we were a battalion in a war! Physical challenges that were overcome with small miracles, changes in schedule due to vehicle problems, and even feeling let down when trying to visit certain sketes and monks that were not available.The land itself is holy! It was chosen by the Mother of God, herself. We do have documentation on that, btw. A friend and I joked that Mount Athos is like Las Vegas, where people say that “what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas”, but what happens in Athos does not stay there, it radiates into the rest of the world!
Mount Athos is described in many ways by the fathers and saints, but one common theme they probably all have is that Mount Athos anchors the world from drifting into the abyss. If you choose to go, or to send your friend of husband, you must prepare spiritually. It is good to read about the fathers that were there, and to prepare mentally through prayer on how you will handle being away from your comfort zones such as your family and even your conveniences. Not all men are capable of this, and if this is the case, you might want to resolve such a posture, lest you be preoccupied while on the trip and miss much of what is going on around you, both relationally and spiritually. On the other hand, perhaps if you are the type that is does not do well on pilgrimages like this, maybe you should indeed go! It is all a matter of timing and how you believe that you can and are willing to be healed. If you are going to go without willing to experience awkwardness and out-of-comfort-zone experiences, then it is going to be difficult to experience the healing. It is going to be a fight, and you may risk returning home disappointed and/or even embittered. The grace of God is with you in the decision, whichever way you choose!
