OS (Text) -- 6

23 Just as a man who holds a mirror in his hand, standing in the midst of many persons and gazing into the mirror, sees on the one hand his own face, of what sort it is, and on the other hand sees in that one mirror also the faces of the others who are stooping down and peeping in—thus he who completely stoops down and peeps into his own heart on the one hand sees his own condition and on the other hand sees also the black faces of the intelligible Ethiopians.

24 But the mind (nous) is unable to conquer demonic imagination by itself alone. On no account let it ever take courage in this. For being ready to do anything, the demons make a pretence of being defeated, tripping up one’s heels from another place by means of vainglory. With the invocation of Jesus Christ, however, they do not endure even for a moment to stand and practise trickery on you.

25 Watch lest you be conceited like the ancient Israel and you yourself be handed over to the intelligible enemies. For that one, freed from the Egyptians by the God of All, invented for himself a cast idol [Exod. 32, 4].

26 Understand by ‘cast idol’ our weak mind (nous). On the one hand, he who calls on Jesus Christ against the spirits of wickedness—in any event, as long as he does so—easily gives chase to them, and with a skilful science puts to rout the invisible and hostile powers of the enemy.

On the other hand, whenever the same person foolishly should altogether take courage in himself, he is taken captive by them as foolish and weak. He says: ‘My heart hoped on God and I was helped and my flesh found vigour afresh.’ [Ps. 27, 7.] And: ‘Who except the Lord will raise me up and draw up together with me in battle array against the numberless thoughts (logismoi) which act wickedly?’ [Cf. Ps. 93, 16.] He who takes courage in himself and not in God will fall a most extraordinary fall [cf. Job 18, 12].

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