The person, man or woman, who enters monastic life, tries to leave his or her old self behind, with all the old joys and sorrows, virtues and sins, and starts a new life, seeking to find a new relationship to all things and people in Christ, to Whom he vows his life. The taking of the monastic Vow and Habit are but a repetition and amplification of the baptismal vows. In the beginning there were no stages in monastic life, no postulants or novices but simply monks. Today monasticism is a progressive process the postulant looks forward to becoming a novice, the novice to receiving the habit and going on to full profession which may take many years or, which he may not reach at all. There is no prescribed time lapse for each stage, but at least three years must elapse before full profession, and the monk must be over thirty. The vows are four in number: Stability, Obedience, Poverty and Chastity. The intermittent stages may even be dispensed with today as in communist ruled territories, where the normal now of monastic life is impossible. But under normal circumstances the four stages are adhered to. There is also no absolute obligation to advance from one stage to the other, should a novice not feel ready or not wish to progress for reasons of humility he is free to remain in the monastery as he is. The monk may or may not become a priest, while on the other hand the priesthood does not affect his monastic status.
1) Novice - One starts by being a Postulant who may be permitted alter three months or so to wear a portion of the Habit (tunic and leather belt), which is regarded as a tacit expression of a determination to abide in the monastic life of asceticism, subject to the approval of the Abbot. When becoming a Novice one receives besides the Podryasnic (tunic) and leather belt the monastic headdress, called for men skoufos and for women, apostolnic.
2)Rasophore - When the Abbot thinks fit, the novice may ask the Bishop to receive the rasa or habit, an overgarment having wide sleeves and reaching to the ankles and also the monastic headdress which has a long veil and is called in Slavic, Klobuk and in Greek, Kamelas. This portion of the habit is given with the appropriate rite in church by a priest, who must be a monk. The new monk or nun takes no vows, but at this ceremony he receives the tonsure and the above mentioned portion or the habit which is especially blessed. His or her own conscience and public opinion as well, imposes upon him or her the moral obligation of continuing in the monastic life. Should a Rasophore leave the monastery and wish to marry, he or she must receive written permission of the bishop to do so, without which he would incur excommunication.
3) Stavrophor - from the Greek stavros (cross) and phoros (to wear), so called because the monk wears a wooden cross on the chest strapped under the habit to Paramandyas or Paramand which is worn on the back. The Paramandyas or Paramand is a small square piece of fabric embroidered with representations of the cross of Calvary, spear, reed, sponge, skull and Adam’s cross-bones and Peter’s cock. At the same time he receives the Mandyas or Mantya, a flowing woolen cloak, without hood, which reaches to the ground in long narrow pleats, and which is worn only to church. This solemn profession is made according to an imposing and sober rite and the vows are taken before a monk-priest. The profession is made publicly in church and the vows given by the candidate before he or she receives the tonsure, the cross and mandyas, which are now added to the habit. The officiating priest bestows a new name upon the monk which he receives as he did that of his baptism. He does not choose it himself but accepts it. This is his first act of obedience.
4) Megaloschemos - from the Greek megas (great) and schema (habit) or in Slav Schemnic because he wears the Great Schema. The difference between the Stavrophoros and the Megaloschemos lies in the degree of asceticism required, which is great, and not in every man’s capacity. The Megaloschemos wear, in addition to the habit of the Stravrophoros the Analovos which is rather like the Western Scapular in shape but has absolutely no symbolic or historic connection with it. The Mystical Cross, which the monk is to take daily in following Christ, is embroidered upon it as it is also upon the koukoulion, a thimble-shaped kamelos. These are given according to a rite (much resembling that of Stravrophoros) in which the original vows are repeated with yet greater solemnity. These two rites are also referred to respectively as the receiving of the Little and the Great Habit. The distinctive colour of the Monastic raiment is black, because it symbolizes that the second Baptism is more laborious than the first – whose symbolic colour is white – for it is the Baptism of penitence, which state will end only with the present deceitful life. The wearing of a gray Podryasnic is permitted for work within the convent enclosure and in the fields.

The Orthodox attitude towards monasticism is best summed up in the collect of the Prodigal Son with which the ceremony of profession opens:

(The Monk here is a penitent.)

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