New Age/Occult side effects?

[D0UBTFIRE]

Hi all,
I’m a convert to Catholicism (RCIA Easter 2010) and I used to mess with all sorts of things before my conversion. I’ve visited psychics to have my fortune told (twice), I’ve learned a lot about astrology learning to make my own charts and what not, I’ve used the Ouiji board (just once), I’ve used Tarot cards (lots of time), I tried “communicating” with spirits, I tried astral projection (leaving my body), crystal balls, yoga, wicca, you name it, I tried it.

My experience with the psychics and the Ouiji board and communicating with spirits seemed like they didn’t “work”, but the astrology, tarot cards and even the astral projection were creepy in how accurate/real things were…

My question is, should I do anything about this? I mean, I’ve heard that these are ways that open you up to evil spirits, but, I stopped trying these things a while ago, and I really never had a “problem” nor am I having any problems now…which also has me a little confused, if the occult and new age stuff is dangerous - then why didn’t it have a negative effect on me? I’m not saying it’s not dangerous, I’m simply asking, if I was involved with it, what possible reason would there be for evil spirits not to be trying to afflict me?

Opinions?

 

[AndrewA]

Hi.

It doesn’t happen to everyone, and You have found God, who is infinitely more powerful then Satan.
Just consider yourself lucky, and don’t dwell on it too much.

 

[1believer1]

Hi all,
I’m a convert to Catholicism (RCIA Easter 2010) and I used to mess with all sorts of things before my conversion. I’ve visited psychics to have my fortune told (twice), I’ve learned a lot about astrology learning to make my own charts and what not, I’ve used the Ouiji board (just once), I’ve used Tarot cards (lots of time), I tried “communicating” with spirits, I tried astral projection (leaving my body), crystal balls, yoga, wicca, you name it, I tried it.

My experience with the psychics and the Ouiji board and communicating with spirits seemed like they didn’t “work”, but the astrology, tarot cards and even the astral projection were creepy in how accurate/real things were…

My question is, should I do anything about this? I mean, I’ve heard that these are ways that open you up to evil spirits, but, I stopped trying these things a while ago, and I really never had a “problem” nor am I having any problems now…which also has me a little confused, if the occult and new age stuff is dangerous - then why didn’t it have a negative effect on me? I’m not saying it’s not dangerous, I’m simply asking, if I was involved with it, what possible reason would there be for evil spirits not to be trying to afflict me?

Opinions?

You are correct in stating that dabbling in the occult/new age will open a door to evil. While you may not see any effects there are some possible reasons for this. ( Keep in mind this is in no way an exhaustive list ) They have affected you, but you do not realize what effect it has on you.The devil has ways to make you think that actions or thoughts that are bad … are okay. Tolerance of ideas or actions that are wrong are made acceptable and after a while we become desensitized and tend to accept whatever comes down the road. Perhaps you are not living your faith with much exuberance. When you become more active the devil tends to attack more, while you are lukewarm he does not need to spend much effort on you. ( this comes from personal experience ) . I would encourage you to pray for protection daily ( the rosary come to mind ) asking St Michael to protect you.

 

[Big_Dummy]

The positive effects of these things happen so that you can believe in false doctrines of the New Age movement or Occult. Basically, their support of false doctrines is their negative effects. As a Christian you should follow the example of those in book of Acts where new believers burned their “magic books”.

 

[Sufjon]

Hi all,
I’m a convert to Catholicism (RCIA Easter 2010) and I used to mess with all sorts of things before my conversion. I’ve visited psychics to have my fortune told (twice), I’ve learned a lot about astrology learning to make my own charts and what not, I’ve used the Ouiji board (just once), I’ve used Tarot cards (lots of time), I tried “communicating” with spirits, I tried astral projection (leaving my body), crystal balls, yoga, wicca, you name it, I tried it.

My experience with the psychics and the Ouiji board and communicating with spirits seemed like they didn’t “work”, but the astrology, tarot cards and even the astral projection were creepy in how accurate/real things were…

My question is, should I do anything about this? I mean, I’ve heard that these are ways that open you up to evil spirits, but, I stopped trying these things a while ago, and I really never had a “problem” nor am I having any problems now…which also has me a little confused, if the occult and new age stuff is dangerous - then why didn’t it have a negative effect on me? I’m not saying it’s not dangerous, I’m simply asking, if I was involved with it, what possible reason would there be for evil spirits not to be trying to afflict me?

Opinions?

Hi there DOUBTFIRE: Mystical experiences like astral travel, visions, remote viewing and the like can be a side effect of some spiritual practices, although once again they are side effects and not the objective for those who run into them on spiritual journeys. I understand there are those who practice these things for their own sake, and I’m sure that’s fine. I’m told that the biggest danger in these experiences is that they inflate the ego and distract the mind. Most of us don’t need much help in getting distracted or feeding our egos

Your friend
Sufjon

 

[KathleenGee]

I met a lady who became Catholic after being involved with the New Age for 2 years…she said she could still feel its pull on her several years after leaving it.

All I can say is continue to go to Mass, receive the sacraments, and become part of your parish community…

 

[gurneyhalleck1]

Hard to believe people mess with Ouija Boards. Haven’t these folks seen the “Exorcist!?” “Captain Howdy!” eesh!

 

[edwest2]

All of this is indeed dangerous. I’ve had tarot cards read for me, for example. God knows our hearts and intentions. I worked with a man who did astrology charts and I questioned him about why he believed astrology worked. He allowed me to go through one of his chart making books. It was all unconvincing to me.

Horoscopes are published in newspapers. If you read all of them, you will notice a pattern of sameness. Some will offer the promise of something good is about to happen, others will tell you to continue what you’re doing, and others will offer a vague warning.

There are different degrees of involvement. Some are curious and once they understand it, lose interest. Others get pulled in and it becomes an obsession which might lead to more serious things. Still others are looking for ways to do something bad and may - I said may - come to believe a crystal, ritual or even a spell, can bring them what they want.

Sorcery is forbidden in the Bible. Witchcraft is forbidden as well. Diviners are to be avoided, like fortune tellers.

Hope this helps,
Ed

 

[gurneyhalleck1]

Agreed. “Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live” is a pretty good determiner of how the Old Testament viewed the occult!

All of this is indeed dangerous. I’ve had tarot cards read for me, for example. God knows our hearts and intentions. I worked with a man who did astrology charts and I questioned him about why he believed astrology worked. He allowed me to go through one of his chart making books. It was all unconvincing to me.

Horoscopes are published in newspapers. If you read all of them, you will notice a pattern of sameness. Some will offer the promise of something good is about to happen, others will tell you to continue what you’re doing, and others will offer a vague warning.

There are different degrees of involvement. Some are curious and once they understand it, lose interest. Others get pulled in and it becomes an obsession which might lead to more serious things. Still others are looking for ways to do something bad and may - I said may - come to believe a crystal, ritual or even a spell, can bring them what they want.

Sorcery is forbidden in the Bible. Witchcraft is forbidden as well. Diviners are to be avoided, like fortune tellers.

Hope this helps,
Ed

 

[Elene]

You are correct in stating that dabbling in the occult/new age will open a door to evil. While you may not see any effects there are some possible reasons for this. ( Keep in mind this is in no way an exhaustive list ) They have affected you, but you do not realize what effect it has on you.The devil has ways to make you think that actions or thoughts that are bad … are okay. Tolerance of ideas or actions that are wrong are made acceptable and after a while we become desensitized and tend to accept whatever comes down the road. Perhaps you are not living your faith with much exuberance. When you become more active the devil tends to attack more, while you are lukewarm he does not need to spend much effort on you. ( this comes from personal experience ) . I would encourage you to pray for protection daily ( the rosary come to mind ) asking St Michael to protect you.

I agree with this. In addition, I think you need to be extra vigilant because it sounds like the issue in the past was your own curiosity about the unseen world. I think you are still at risk if you have not fully conquered the curiosity that led you to those occult/new age practices in the first place. Evil will not seek you out when you expect it; it will tempt you with what seems (at the time) like harmless exploration into a practice that is interesting but deviates (perhaps even just slightly at first) from the teachings of the Church.

I have a relative who has practices all kinds of new age stuff and although the rest of the family can see how dark, negative, and hateful her life has become, she herself can’t see it. It is one of the saddest things I’ve ever seen, because unless she chooses to turn away from all of those things, her life is already over. In the future, if you feel the need to explore, look deeper into your own Catholic faith. The Church has such a beautiful and rich history that no single individual could ever explore it all in a lifetime.

 

[Angels_Eyes]

Agreed. “Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live” is a pretty good determiner of how the Old Testament viewed the occult!

I know this quote from the bible very well, as I was a practising Witch many years ago. I always thought this was heartbreaking. Even now, although I am also still struggling with fully accepting God, I still believe that today, the Church would recognise that a mistake was made…Christian’s should not kill…Thou shall not kill…this is the one thing I never understood, which is why I began my search elsewhere, it is sad, but true for a lot of people out there.

 

[autdrew]

One thing I wanted to point out that I dont think was mentioned yet, is not letting yourself fall into it in a Catholic sense. There can be a temptation to use sacramentals or some prayers as kind of magic spells or good luck charms. They arent, of course, but neither were some of the other items you tried, it was misplaced belief.
I used to be fascinated with some of those things when I was younger. Even 20 yrs ago, when I was first learning about the Church, I used the Rosary in a superstitious way. Not on purpose because I didnt realize that was what I was doing, but it was still wrong. I prayed a Rosary every day that I was separated from my fiancé due to his military service.
Ouija boards always gave me the creeps. I used it twice with friends as a young teen, but there was something that has kept me away ever since.

 

[Angels_Eyes]

I met a lady who became Catholic after being involved with the New Age for 2 years…she said she could still feel its pull on her several years after leaving it.

All I can say is continue to go to Mass, receive the sacraments, and become part of your parish community…

Kathleen, this is true. I called myself a Witch for over 5 years, then become a Spiritualist, giving readings with Oracle Cards, using crystals and everything else. I always had a yearning for more. I am slowly feeling more content with my prayers to God, and I do think soon (I hope) my ‘pull’ back to the New Age with be gone…the fight is hard at times, as everywhere I seem to look it is always around, stores, magazines etc, so I just keep praying to God…that’s all I can do.

 

[Angels_Eyes]

Hi all,
I’m a convert to Catholicism (RCIA Easter 2010) and I used to mess with all sorts of things before my conversion. I’ve visited psychics to have my fortune told (twice), I’ve learned a lot about astrology learning to make my own charts and what not, I’ve used the Ouiji board (just once), I’ve used Tarot cards (lots of time), I tried “communicating” with spirits, I tried astral projection (leaving my body), crystal balls, yoga, wicca, you name it, I tried it.

My experience with the psychics and the Ouiji board and communicating with spirits seemed like they didn’t “work”, but the astrology, tarot cards and even the astral projection were creepy in how accurate/real things were…

My question is, should I do anything about this? I mean, I’ve heard that these are ways that open you up to evil spirits, but, I stopped trying these things a while ago, and I really never had a “problem” nor am I having any problems now…which also has me a little confused, if the occult and new age stuff is dangerous - then why didn’t it have a negative effect on me? I’m not saying it’s not dangerous, I’m simply asking, if I was involved with it, what possible reason would there be for evil spirits not to be trying to afflict me?

Opinions?

Hi Doubtfire,

I know exactly what you are going through. I am on a continuing struggle with this everyday it seems. I was a practising Witch and Pagan for over 5 years, then looked into Spiritualism and became dedicated into it and continued with that for over 3 years. I was content enough at the time, but started to feel empty somehow.

My son started school this year in a Catholic school and I think this has been excellent for me. I felt the pull back to the Church after we decided to Baptize him, but ignored it and continued with my Pagan ways. Now I am trying to accept God into my life but some days have a lot of doubt. Everywhere we look we see crystals, oracle/tarot cards, magazines, horoscopes, it’s everywhere, and I always find myself still drawn to it in the stores. Why!!!

I believe that this will be a long and hard journey for me…and you. This is our time to say no to those things, to accept the love and light of God in our lives. This ‘pull’ will be there for a long time I think, we need to stay focused on God or I believe there is a risk we will be drawn back to our old ways.

I find if all I am reading is God focused, I am feeling good and happy and my confussion subsides.

Hope this helps.
May God continue to shine his light on you. xx

 

[streetpreacher]

Looking at your profile: Religion: unsure

When/If yours reads: Religion: On fire for our Lord Jesus Christ

And you live eat and breath it, expect to see an army of that in the past you dabbled with, in demonic form, full force against you and you will know, trust me, you will know what doors you have opened up that will take serious struggle to close. For now, you are sitting in the luke warm side lines, tinkering with this new fad called Christianity in your being, not at all allowing the seeds to take deep root. When/If you do allow them to sprout forth, it will come, when you allow them to blossom into true faith and being a die hard follower of Christ, they will come in full force. Prepare yourself and always know, he that is in you is greater then he that is in the world.

 

[KathleenGee]

Angel Eyes,

I truly sympathize with you. What ended my ministry in the church was dealing with a woman in witchcraft…she totally misrepresented me…it took this one cleric 10 years to finally realize who I really was. It was such a force, and only now is my life returning to normal. The archdiocesan exorcist believed me but the parish clerics didn’t. He told me she was into wicca, and using goat horns to get information from demons. She uses a fake name. In my very last class of training with the archdiocese, it was summer and the door was left open. She was attending classes as well. She stood at the door when class was going on and just stared at me, her countenance changing. The last I heard was that she was sacrificing animals at her place in the woods and when the police came, they could do nothing because she was using domestic animals – goats.

But I thought no one could spiritually overcome me and break my faith. Well, she was so powerful she did…I did meet a woman from South Africa who later went to Canada. She said the New Age, etc. is very powerful up there as well. She discerned in the Holy Spirit that this woman was a high priestess of some sort.

A few years ago I ran into some people who defended her and had me ousted from my position to found something here. I asked how their group was going and the woman turned to me and said “evil … that woman is evil…and our lives have never been the same.” The priest told me she had cursed my family. My children’s faith broke.

It is very weird because this woman is a returning Catholic. I felt such power like it was freezing me…then being spiritually dragged out where she then had the power to re-define me to the local church inspite of what I said. I was in a new place and my native diocese people knew me. So I really had no long term relationship of people here to defend me…and the few that were trying to were also ignored.

I did work professional ministry but this time was hit on by a group that was unmanageable in a parish, and I was still vulnerable and broken. The townpeople liked me, and later some told me they were still thinking of the various things I taught them. But I just wasn’t healed because that woman hit my psyche, my very connection of faith in God…another sign that woman was demonically guided…

But what I was going to say is that the other DRE’s told me lay people in ministry were suffering all sorts of injustices across the USA. Then I read an article and this phenomenon was not only happening to the Catholic ministry, but also to clerics and protestant ministers…The Protestant ministers coined such toxic people in church communities as ‘clergy killers’.

Later I spoke with a laywoman from another parish, and spoke briefly of mine…and her response was, 'Well you were hit, too? Every one was hit."

So I believe that there was a massive Satanic hit on the convictions of many devout and active Catholics in the 1990’s before the expose of pedophile and abusive priests were made public.

What provided me significant healing was a lay Carmelite. I was allowed to go there out of the city to be in refuge. I considered joining. I spoke of my afflictions when travelling. Every 2 am, this woman would come back to me accusing me…for about 2 years…afflicting my rest. Anyway, during my travels to Carmel, I finally shared that between Dec 8, the Immaculate Conception feastday and Dec. 12, Our Lady of Guadalupe, I felt a healing…I felt someone was praying and offering up sufferings for me…on the 12th I met the Carmelite priest…and he looked at me and recognized that affliction was gone. It turned out the lay Carmelite was waking up every 2 am offering up a painful surgery for me.

So I later wrote a letter to our Catholic newspaper exhorting people to offering up physical sufferings for abuse victims for their healings. Later on, the archbishop set up Ember Days to offer up for healing of these victims.

Offering up suffering for abuse victims really works. Angel Eyes, I would ask someone like a nun to pray for you. In fact, I know of some one who just does that. You can PM me and I will contact her later today.

Kathleen

 

[kenofken]

Agreed. “Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live” is a pretty good determiner of how the Old Testament viewed the occult!

Yeah, well the Old Testament guys also thought it was cool to kill insolent kids and adulterous women. Whatever the virtues of that, if you try it today, the child protective services people and prosecutors get all PC/righteous on you!

 

[kenofken]

I too have been a Wiccan for some years now, and I’ve found that it’s opened doors to all sorts of sinister influences: unwashed hippies with names like Rain and Moonfeather who always seem to have a incense-and-cat funk about them, the sounds of all-night drum circles played with great enthusiasm and modest skill, unreasonably attractive young women (and middle aged ones). I would call in an exorcist to sweep them all away and revert except that I feel…at home with all of it!

 

[AntiTheist]

My experience with the psychics and the Ouiji board and communicating with spirits seemed like they didn’t “work”

That’s because they didn’t work. There’s no such thing as spirits, so people can’t contact them.

but the astrology, tarot cards and even the astral projection were creepy in how accurate/real things were

Sure, because these things require you to interpret. The human imagination is very clever, and even very uncreative people can twist readings to make them “fit” in ways that seem coincidental.

You can relax: there are no “evil spirits,” or spirits of any kind, for that matter. You haven’t “opened” yourself to any danger – you were taken in by the lucrative New Age marketing movement and convinced to part with some of your hard-earned money for nonsense.

 

[edwest2]

I too have been a Wiccan for some years now, and I’ve found that it’s opened doors to all sorts of sinister influences: unwashed hippies with names like Rain and Moonfeather who always seem to have a incense-and-cat funk about them, the sounds of all-night drum circles played with great enthusiasm and modest skill, unreasonably attractive young women (and middle aged ones). I would call in an exorcist to sweep them all away and revert except that I feel…at home with all of it!

So, that’s where those unwashed Hippies ended up.

God bless,
Ed