This book was written by Father Simon, the Hermit, who was born in 1948 in the Russian village of Cuban. He became a monk in Trinity Larva of Sergius, an Orthodox monastery near Moscow, later spent long years in the Caucasus Mountains, in southern Russia, and then moved to a small, secluded monastery on Mount Athos, Greece. Mysterious Discourses is one of a dozen of his latest works on religious philosophy and psychology.

The inner essence of this book of parables and allegories is concealed behind the external. The innermost stratum of the book is aimed at overcoming the customary logical perception of spiritual categories and realities. The intention of that innermost meaning is to unravel in man the spiritual heart, the soul capable of perceiving spiritual tradition. The modern man lives more by reason than by the heart. Therefore, this book requires intuitive rather than intellectual reading. As soon as the reader feels that silent call to the depths of his heart, the comprehension of the innermost spiritual essence of the book will come by itself, step by step.

The book intends to awaken one’s intuitive side, to bring it back to life. It should also be noted that to truly understand allegories and parables, the reader’s interest in co-creating a story is needed along with a desire to gain awareness and a transformed mind.

This book has appeal to anyone looking for eternal wisdom beyond the illusions of what we take as real.