…we should not embark on the ascetic life in the hope of seeing visions clothed with form or shape; for if we do, Satan will find it easy to lead our soul astray.
Our one purpose must be to reach the point when we perceive the love of God fully and consciously in our heart – that is, “with all your heart, and with all your soul… and with all your mind” (Luke 10:27).
For the man who is energized by the grace of God to this point has already left this world, though still present in it.
St. Diadochos of Photiki