Orthodox church resources against ARS

The resources available from the Orthodox Church listed below have been found by the Affected Person to be the most effective against ARS.  The experience of the AP suggests that the Orthodox church services and home readings can be used to alleviate ARS related discomfort once the binding of ARS matter to the body has taken place.  The following was found effective in battling ARS if you are Orthodox:

Church services

1)  Going to Confession and Communion at least every 3 weeks to a month.  It is customary to fast for 3 days in the former Soviet Union before Communion, however some priests say that Wednesday and Friday fasting is sufficient if Communed on a weekly basis, consult with your priest.

2)  Attending Orthodox church services as often as possible (i.e. morning and evening services on consecutive days "back-to-back" i.e. at least for a couple of weeks or months if you are able to do that).  This is easily done in major cities in countries like Russia, Belarus since the Orthodox church holds services every day there (a longer or shorter service in the evening and a Liturgy in the morning every day).  If you are in the United States, finding a church which serves more often than on the weekends and Feast Days would be a challenge.  Some of the few Orthodox places which hold services on weekdays in the United States would be Monasteries.  Staying at a monastery in the United States is much cheaper than hotels but would still add up if staying for a long time depending on your finances.

3)  Going to Holy Unction when it is offered (usually during the Great Lent).

Church resources available at home

1)  Getting the house or apartment blessed.

2)  Never skipping the morning and evening prayers.

3)  Reading Typika services at home (a substitute for a service held at the church when you are not able to attend a church service. Typika is something a layman is allowed to do.)  In Russian there is this Guide and a Sunday service which could be followed to modify the services for specific Feast Days and weekend services such as those available at posledovanie.ru.

4)  Reading Troparia and Kontakia for the Saints of the Day.  A resource in Russian for this would be at http://days.pravoslavie.ru/Days/today.html.

Specific Orthodox reading sequences found useful against ARS

The sequences of prayers and other religious works found useful against ARS by the Affected Person are listed below and are provided for reference only.  It should be pointed out that a blessing of an Orthodox priest must be obtained to start reading Psalter or any other sets including the ones presented below at home.  Some other combinations of Psalter / prayer readings may work better.  Make sure to consult your priest and get a blessing for whatever prayer sequence etc. your priest thinks would fit you best.

1)  Reading one Kathisma of Psalter when the ARS effects intensify.

2)  Reading 5 Kathismas of Psalter one after another in one run.  This sequence may be replaced with sequence 3b.  (One of these sequences would most often be used in the evening but may be read during the day instead).

3a)  Reading one Kathisma of Psalter (including prayers for the commemoration of the living and the dead), followed by 150 Hail Mary prayers (and this link) with ”Belt-low bow with touching earth by a hand” (see this link) after each time the Hail Mary is read, followed by one more Kathisma of Psalter (including prayers for the commemoration of the living and the dead).

3b)  Similar to 3a.  The difference is that the 150 Hail Mary prayers are read one more time at the end of 3a followed by one more Kathisma of Psalter at the end (thus this set is composed of 3 Kathismas of Psalter with two sets of 150 Hail Mary prayers in between the Kathismas).

4)  This sequence would normally be read at night (i.e. when one would wake up naturally at night):
– reading sequence 3 above,
– then reading a short prayer to the Guardian Angel "Holy Angel, my Guardian, pray for me." 50 times (this prayer is from the Orthodox "Canon to the Guardian Angel"),
– reading the Jesus Prayer 100 times with ”Belt-low bow with touching earth by a hand” after each Jesus Prayer (previously recommended alternative was reading of the Jesus Prayer 300 times without any bows while sitting),
– reading an Akathist (i.e. Relating to the Theotokos, the Guardian Angel, Archangel Michael, Nicholas the Woderworker etc.),
– reading the "Canon of Repentance",
– reading one chapter from the "Acts of the Apostles", the Epistles, or the Book of Revelation,
– reading one chapter from the Gospel.

5)  For a stronger effect the AP suggests that Sequence 4 above may be combined with Sequence 2 by starting Sequence 4 with reading of 4 Kathismas of Psalter instead of only one.

6)  Sequence 4 above supplemented with one additional Kathisma read at the end.

7)  If going back to sleep is not planned,  Sequence 4 above followed by morning prayers and one additional Kathisma read at the end.