Metropolitan Anthony in _Meditations on a Theme_ quotes from a correspondence between a merchant in St. Petersburg and a starets, in which the former asks the latter whether or not he should hire a maid recommended to him, and then later whether or not he should fire her because she makes him angry. This doesn\'t seem to fit into the tidy categories people have laid out here -- it is a lay person asking a starets for detailed guidance about regular life decisions, and doing it remotely (via correspondence). Some time ago when I talked with my parish priest about a spiritual father he suggested I visit a priest in a certain monastery. My attempt to follow up then fell afoul of some chaos in my life. I suppose the answer from folks here will be \"stop reading and complicating things and go consult your parish priest again.\" Which is excellent advice.
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