"Women signify the supreme realization of the virtues,
which is love. Love is the unfailing pleasure and indivisible
union of those who participate through their longing in what
is good by nature. Truth signifies the fulfilment of all spiritual
knowledge and of all the things that can be known. For the
natural activities of all created things are drawn by a certain
universal intelligence to this truth as their origin and fulfillment.
For the Origin and Cause of created beings has as truth conquered
all things naturally, and has drawn their activity to Himself.
'Women are extremely strong but truth conquers all'
(I Esd. 3:12). By women he means the divinizing virtues
which give rise to the love that unites men with God and
with one another." Philokalia II, 217

"An intellect faithful in the practice of the virtues is like St. Peter when he was taken captive by Herod(cf. Acts 12:3-18). The name 'Herod' means 'made of skins or leather', and so Herod signifies the law of leather, that is, the will of the flesh. St. Peter is guarded by two squads of soldiers and shut in by an iron gate. The two squads signify the attacks suffered by the intellect from the activity of the passions and from the mind's assent to the passions. When through the teaching of practical philosophy, as though with the help of an angel, the intellect has passed safely through these two squads or prisons, it comes to the iron gate which leads into the city. By this I mean the obdurate and stubborn attachment of the senses to sensible things."
The Philokalia vol. II, pp. 182

Any thoughts on this? Agreements, disagreements? All input is welcome.
Do you think that the law of leather is the law of nature?
By sensible things I think it's meant to rely on the material, the external influences,
or strictly on the rational mind.
5. 'So Peter was kept in prison, but the church was earnestly praying to God for him.'
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=acts%2012:3-18;&version=31;
Thank you.

"If you want the body of the commandments to flourish,
you must zealously desire the pure spiritual milk of maternal grace (cf. 1 Pet. 2:2);
for is on this milk of grace that you must suckle yourself
if you wish to increase your stature in Christ."

St. Gregory of Sinai
The Philokalia Vol IV

The following is an exerpt from the Philokalia:
74. 'If you have been raised above dead actions you are resurrected with Christ. And if you are resurrected with Christ through spiritual knowledge, and Christ no longer dies, then you will not be overcome by the death of ignorance. For the death which you have now died to sin, prompted by an impulse in accordance with nature, you have died once for all; but the life you now live you live in God through the freedom of the Holy Spirit, who has raised you above the dead actions of sin (cf. Rom. 6 : 9-11). Christ will live in you (cf. Gal. 2 : 20), for you will be guided by the grace of the Holy Spirit, not enslaved to the law of your outer unregenerate self.'

Philokalia, vol. IV pp. 163.

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