NEW AGE AND THE OCCULT
- The Occult
- Demonic
- Enneagram
- Ouija & Fortune Telling
- Horoscopes
- Tarot Card
The occult is any practice that involves ceremonies, rituals, chants, magic, or activities that are obviously not God centered. These activities or rituals can change the course of nature, the the lives of those who are involved in such practices, and of course, the innocent victims.
(Q) What Does are the Viewpoints of the Catholic Church on the Occult?
(A) According to the Cathecism of the Catholic Church:
2116 All forms of divination are to be rejected: recourse to Satan or demons, conjuring up the dead or other practices falsely supposed to "unveil" the future. Consulting horoscopes, astrology, palm reading, interpretation of omens and lots, the phenomena of clairvoyance, and recourse to mediums all conceal a desire for power over time, history, and, in the last analysis, other human beings, as well as a wish to conciliate hidden powers. They contradict the honor, respect, and loving fear that we owe to God alone.
2117 All practices of magic or sorcery, by which one attempts to tame occult powers, so as to place them at one's service and have a supernatural power over others - even if this were for the sake of restoring their health - are gravely contrary to the virtue of religion. These practices are even more to be condemned when accompanied by the intention of harming someone, or when they have recourse to the intervention of demons. Wearing charms is also reprehensible. Spiritism often implies divination or magical practices; the Church for her part warns the faithful against it. Recourse to so-called traditional cures does not justify either the invocation of evil powers or the exploitation of another's credulity.
It used to be that the Ouija board was the most popular occult board game, now we have a recruiting tool for Satan--Dungeons and Dragons. Satan's main target in this game is our youth. The most powerful and successful players are those who use magic. If you do not know how to use magic, the Dungeons Master Guide gives you everything you need to know to be successful at the game. The Master guide teaches new beginners, how to communicate with the dead, cast spells, and learning to chant. Sex, crime and violence are also prominent tools of the game. It is very difficult for an individual to quit once they are hooked. Those who have managed to break away from its seductive powers admit that it ruled their life.
The use of magic revolves around evil spirits, psychic abilities and contacting spirits. What is magic? As we know, magic is a power that does not involve God. It is a power that is derived from such things as voodoo, sorcery, primitive religions and Satanism. Most witches who use magic swear that they do not worship Satan but worship the gods and goddesses of nature (The gods and goddesses of nature are hardly Jesus Christ! Of course they worship Satan! Do not let someone who practices this occult tell you otherwise!). Many of these individuals are unknown because they blend in quite well. They can be found attending church services in every denomination and they practice their magic on the side.
Witches coexist in what is called a Coven. A Coven consists of 13 members, all who must live in harmony with each other. The more harmonious they live together the greater their power and the power that flows through them. Their tools include crystals, divination, astrology, tarot cards, crystal balls, reincarnation, pendulums and séances. Most witches practice white magic because they want to use what they call the "good supernatural powers." They practice white magic to benefit themselves and do not really intend to hurt anyone. Again, anything that uses "powers," "spells," ect, is not God oriented but self-oriented and is condemned by God--including white magic!
An example of such powers, involved the exorcism of an 18 year old teenager who was taken to the exorcist by her mother. The teenager's problems began at age 12. She had dreams that accurately foretold the future. Her dreams would come true down to the last detail. She also began to have horrible nightmares. After much questioning by the exorcist, it was fond that the teenager was involved in Santeria and she frequently consulted a medium. She frequented bookstores that specialized in the occult sciences and read many books on Tarot cards and oracles from Egypt. During one of her exorcisms, the Exorcist questioned the demon's asking which of them were present. Amidst much screaming and weeping, the demon's stated "pain-sorrow, witchcraft, white magic and spiritism." The name "Vincent" also was mentioned. When her mother was questioned, it was found that "Vincent" was an occultist whom they consulted. Apparently, Vincent was trying very hard to bring this young woman under his power.
Moving on to black magic and Satanic Cults. Black magic is used to harm others. It involves the casting of spells and praying to Satan for evil to befall targeted individuals. Those members of Satanic Cults are very familiar with black magic; it is part of their daily lives. There are two types of Satan worshipers, those who are born into the cult and those who are recruited. Most recruited members are young adults, who through drugs and alcohol are introduced into this practice. The black mass is for those who are serious members of this occult. The Satanists use the black mass as a mockery of the Catholic Mass. The high priest wears the same garments as a Bishop with an inverted cross. Sometimes they are able to steal a sacred host in order that it can be desecrated. The Lord's Prayer is said backwards and when the high priest begins to say, "this is my body," the congregation pairs off and they begin to perform sexual acts. At the height of the mass, the consecration, a sexual act is performed on the main altar by the high priest. The black mass is one big orgy. Satanist also mock the liturgical feast days of the Catholic Church with a black mass. The eve of All Saints Day (Halloween) is a good example.
Such practices as mentioned above, are invitations to possession.
Catholics who practice the enneagram are very misled. They are told that the enneagram is an ancient Sulfi system of personality types prior to the time of Christ. The truth is the origin of the enneagram that is used today as a personality typing, is traced to two men, George Ilych Gurdjieff and Oscar Ichazo, who were both very active in the occult, spiritism, channeling, yoga, drugs, devil worship, and a study of Middle Eastern religions.
According to Fr. Mitch Pacwa (Catholics and the New Age) Gurdjieff is responsible for the symbol of the enneagram. He discovered it while traveling through central Asia. The enneagram was used for numerology divination (numerology is a method of divining hidden knowledge by understanding the secret meaning of numbers and letters) by searching for the mystical and spiritual meaning of the decimals. Oscar Ichazo comes into the picture when he builds on Gurdjieff's symbol and adds personality traits.
Fr. Pacwa states "There is no evidence that the enneagram of personality types goes back any father than Ichazo in the 1960s. Neither Gurdjieff nor his disciples write about it. It was Ichazo who wrote short descriptions of the nine types, employed animal symbols or "totems' for each type, and placed the personality types on the enneagram symbol." Pacwa goes on to say that Ichazo's disciple Claudio Naranjo, added psychological concepts, like the Feud's defense mechanisms.
Gurnieff made millions selling the enneagram idea promoting the fact that it would help people know the future. People sought after Gurnieff so as to learn this new spiritual tool, which he claimed to date back 4,500 years and just recently was given to him in his travels, never before being told to anyone.
Sadly enough, Fr. Pacwa states that in the 1960's the enneagram showed up in religious communities all over the country as the "new rage." He was once a follower of the enneagram, until he saw many contrary and disturbing facts and decided to investigate to learn the truth.
(Q): What is the enneagram?
(A): It is a system that finds the hidden motivation behind each personality type. That seems harmless enough, correct? Well, not exactly. The harm begins like all New Age practices; the Enneagram is rooted in self-not God.
(Q): What exactly is the problem with the enneagram?
(A): Fr. Pacwa explained that he noticed that people would assign numbers to people assuming that they were a certain personality finding that they were way off track. Fr. Pacwa admitted that he once misidentified friends. There was one incident when a student was cast typed by fellow students, each one of them giving him a different number!
The enneagram is based on the occult. Devotees are encouraged to take control of their lives in order to save themselves. Drugs are recommended to help reach the higher altered states of consciousness.
Moral theologian, Msgr. William B. Smith, wrote in the March, 1993 issue of Homiletic and Pastoral Review warning Catholics about the enneagram. He stated, "It resembles a college-educated horoscope; and is not compatible with Catholic doctrine or practice. As a tool for spiritual direction, it seems to me most deficient, even dangerous. It is contradiction of Gospel teaching." Msgr. Smith continued, "Pope John Paul II said on November 1, 1982, that any method of prayer is valid insofar as it is inspired by Christ and leads to Christ who is the Way, the Truth, and the Life (John 14:6). The enneagram is NOT the Way, not is it the Truth, and on those basis not truly compatible with, much less essential to the life of Christ." (cf. Origins, V. 12/28/89)
The enneagram tempts others with a sense of power over someone else because of "what they know". Why not go to a fortune teller! Should we really type cast others? Why would any Catholic believe in the enneagram? Especially since it comes from an "ancient" Islamic practice! Our Catholic faith is far "richer" in religious exercises. At least we know that practices such as the Exercises of St. Ignatius has been proven to lead many down the path of sainthood by eliminating sin and personal quarks--the Catholic way. How many saints has the enneagram produced? "So by their fruits you will know them" (Mt. 7:20).
(Q): The Ouija board and Fortune Telling aren't for real, are they?
(A): Yes, they are both real. Do you want to become possessed fast? Use the Ouija board! The Ouija board is one of the easiest and quickest ways to become possessed. When the Ouija board is used, a supernatural question is expected--a question obviously not from God. (NOTE: When the prayers of exorcism are pronounced over the Ouija board it will not work again.).
Involvement in such practices indicates that an individual does not trust God for answers and thus is sinning against God. God gives us answers in many ways, through the Bible, signs, wonders, and by people we know and people we do not know. The most significant way to find answers is in God's gift of the Holy Spirit--our guide. We must trust in what God has planned for us. He knows what is best for our souls. Fortune telling is on the same lines as the Ouija board in that we are not trusting in God and what he has planned for our soul.
Fortune telling is a form of divination and God forbids it! There are many people who claim to have the psychic gift of knowing the future. Some even claim to be devout Catholics. The question is, if psychic abilities do come from God, as most psychics' claim, why does God forbid their use? Let us look at Lev. 19:31 "Do not go to mediums or consult fortunetellers, for you will be defiled by them. I the Lord am your God."
(Q): How can horoscopes be harmful?
(A): Horoscopes are harmful because people seek them to know the future (how their day will turn out, etc.).
The Catechism teaches us the following:
2117 All forms of divination are to be rejected: recourse to Satan or demons, conjuring up the dead or other practices falsely supposed to "unveil" the future. Consulting horoscopes, astrology, palm reading, interpretation of omens and lots, the phenomena of clairvoyance, and recourse to mediums all conceal a desire for power over time, history, and, in the last analysis, other human beings, as well as a wish to conciliate hidden powers. They contradict the honor, respect, and loving fear that we owe to God alone
(A): According to Mictch Pacawa' book "Catholics and the New Age", the card is a deck containing seventy-eight cards and is used to divine information about someone's personality and future. The person picks out cards from the deck and the "reader" interprets their meaning.