Session 5 - Practices in the Occult Pt.2

In this session, we will continue to look at things that are associated (generally) with

the occult that Christians should avoid.

Last session we looked at the most common occultic practice worldwide

(astrology); in this session we will look at less popular (but still very common)

practices.

Ephesians 6:12: “For we do not wrestle against flesh and

blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the

rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of

wickedness in the heavenly places.”

There is a war going on right now, and many Christians in America (and around the world) are unaware of the tools the enemy

uses to fight.

There are many objects, movies, themes, practices, and more here in America that

many in the church have no problem with, yet they are occultic and extremely

dangerous for a believer to be involved with.

Ouija boards

Ouija boards came into existence as a parlor

game in the mid-1800's, when spiritism (esp.

channeling) was becoming popular.

The word "Ouija" is a blend of the French and German words for "yes”.

Adolphus Theodore Wagner first patented Ouija boards, also known as "talking

boards," in England on January 23, 1854.

In the patent, Wagner called his invention a "psychograph“, and its purpose was to read the minds of people with "nervous energy.”

By 1861, Frenchman Allan Kardac described the Ouija board as an instrument people

could use to open up communication with the spirit world.

It goes even further: in seven years, the Ouija

board had evolved from a mind reader to a

portal of communication with the dead.

Modern Ouija boards (which look different than the original versions) were developed

by inventor William Fuld. Fuld sold his patent to Parker Brothers in 1966.

Parker Brothers has marketed Ouija Boards under the tagline, "It's only a game - isn't it?”

Ouija boards are a means of channeling or contacting the dead. Getting information and guidance from spirits is very dangerous and

the Bible says many things against it.

Even though the advice can be “good” sometimes, that doesn’t mean the board is.

The Devil can appear as an angel of light.

Tarot cards

There is some debate about the origins of

Tarot cards. They come in decks (most

commonly numbering 78) and have been adopted by the occult and

mystics as a method of divination.

Although commonly starting off as playing cards, the occult has

adopted forms of these cards.

In 1781, a book was published in France by Antoine Court de Gebelin, in which he

proclaimed his “discovery” that an ancient Egyptian system of occult wisdom and

divination had long been embedded within the images of these cards.

A study of the card images and symbols then began among the French occultists, and In 1855, Eliphas Levi published a book called

"The Ritual and Dogma of High Magic”.

In that book, he said that the Tarot had

been created 35,000 years earlier by

Hermes, or Thoth, the Egyptian god of magic. (With which we would

entirely disagree).

This is one of the main reasons why they are now used for divination in the occult.

Some people take this pretty far and say our normal deck of cards have symbolism,

too.52 cards in the pack suggest 52 weeks in the year.

13 Cards in each suit suggest 13 lunar months in the year, 13 weeks in the quarter.

4 suits in the pack suggest 4 seasons/year.

12 Picture Cards in the pack suggest 12 months in the year, 12 signs of the Zodiac.

Hallucinogenic drugs

In the 1960s, Timothy Leary, the Pied Piper of Harvard, led mesmerized youth

into spiritual experiences that materialistic science had told them did not exist.

Timothy Leary’s LSD (and other drugs) turned out to be the launching pad

for ”mind trips” beyond the physical universe of time, space, and matter.

For millions, it was a “mind-blowing” experience that forever changed their lives.

The drug movement of the ’50s, ’60s, and ’70s established a major entrance for the

occult to invade Western civilization.

What easier way for demonic powers to take control of your mind than you taking things that makes you lose control of it?

Alan Morrison writes: “At that time, a new counter-culture was formed which opened

up the youth of that period to a massive infestation of demonic influence and

extreme sinful behavior. Central to this was the use of hallucinogenic and mind-altering

drugs such as Marijuana, Cannabis resin, Lysergic Acid Dithylamide (LSD), di-Methyl Tryptamine (DMT), Mescaline, Peyote and

other fungal concoctions.”

This led to millions of people figuring out they could get just as “high” using Eastern

mysticism (and occultic) techniques:

Eastern techniques like TM, yoga, visualization and hypnosis.

Different things to put you in an altered state of consciousness.

This is when the New Age Movement really starts to take off here in the U.S.

Crystal balls and Scrying

Scrying is a form of fortune telling that

comes from gazing into a crystal ball, mirror,

bowl of water, or shiny metal object where the scryer claims to be able

to see visions of the past, present, or future

inside.

Many people think it’s harmless and just for fun, but

there's more to it.

The Pocket Guide to Crystals and Gemstones recommends that a person who intends to

scry should choose a stone that “feels physically and psychically comfortable.”

Scryers all tend to have their own methods of “clearing” and then “charging” their

stones of alleged energies.

This is one of the oldest forms of divination and is believed to have originated with the

Druids who used beryl stones to scry.

And we made a fun equivalent for

our children, didn’t we?We call it the

magic 8 ball.

The sad thing is many kids (and some adults) look into these things and actually believe

and take the guidance it gives them.

When they come in contact with crystal balls, they’ll be more comfortable with the idea.

Palm readingPalmistry is a form of

divination that uses the lines in a person’s palms to get details about the

individual’s life and personality.

This is very similar to astrology (and old like

astrology); it’s like another horoscope.

Palmistry blog website describes it this way:

“Chiromancy palmistry roots of palm reading can be historically traced back to ancient Greece and Aristotle. Palm reading was

widely used throughout the empires and nations of that region, and the east. It was used in Egypt, Babylon, India, Tibet, China,

Sumer, Persia and more. It is commonly believed that palm reading actually

originated in India, and has its roots in astrology, I Ching, and fortune tellers…

“A Hindu sage, Valmiki, is thought to have written about palm reading several

thousand years ago. From India, it is really believed to have spread throughout the area

east and west by word of mouth and practicing palm readers where it eventually

reached Aristotle and many others.”

Like astrology, many people are convinced this works because of how long it’s existed.

But by all accounts, the practice is occultic and should be avoided by Christians.

According to Joyce Wilson, The Complete Book of Palmistry, pp. 7, 10, 16:

“Palmistry... is one of the esoteric, or occult, sciences... [and] to become a

professional palm-reader... would take many years of devoted application to the

occult arts.... Professional palmists are somewhat mediumistic and ‘see’ events

this way…

“As you pursue palmistry, you will find your own ESP sharpened—and will begin to ‘read

between the lines’ so to speak, perhaps even to see future events (clairvoyance) or

to hear (clairaudience) things happen.”

Be aware, though, with many of these occultic practices (crystal balls, astrologers,

palmistry) there are a lot of counterfeit practitioners who are just faking it for

money.

Next I want to look at two trending themes that are becoming increasingly popular here

in America (in movies/books).

These are things that MANY Christians (especially the youth) are fine with being

part of; they don’t see the evil in them, and we need that to change.

1 Thessalonians 5:22“Abstain from every form of evil.”

The Obsession with Vampires/Werewolves

Stephenie Meyer’s series, Twilight, has a dedicated fan base,

with more than 17 million books in print.

Amazon.com labeled Twilight as the “Best Book of the Decade… So Far” (2000s).

Almost overnight, competing vampire stories have crept into our view in the form

of new TV series’ and movies. Not long after Twilight was released in theaters, the

CW introduced The Vampire Diaries, which is based on novels published in the ‘90s.

HBO premiered their own vampire drama, True Blood, and everyone seemed to

be a fan. Their first season got several prestigious awards, including an Emmy

and a Golden Globe.

Where did Twilight come from? Meyers said:

“I woke up . . . from a very vivid dream. In my dream, two people were having an intense 

conversation in a meadow in the woods. One of these people was just your average girl. The 

other person was fantastically beautiful, sparkly, and a vampire. They were discussing the 

difficulties inherent in the facts that A) they were falling in love with each other while B) the 

vampire was particularly attracted to the scent of her blood, and was having a difficult time 

restraining himself from killing her immediately.”

“Edward” came to Meyer in a second dream that frightened her. She said,

“I had this dream that Edward actually showed up and told me that I got it all wrong

and like he exists and everything, but he couldn’t live off animals . . . and I kind of got

the sense he was going to kill me. It was really terrifying and bizarrely different from

every other time I’ve thought about his character.”

Understand that Vampires are not just fictional today, there are now vampire communities all over the United States.

Fox News Channel’s Sean Hannity reported, “There’s actually a vampire subculture that

exists in the United States right now and spreads into almost every community

in this country.”

I’ve met people who honestly identify this way and believe they are vampires.

A 19-year-old in Texas, claiming to have been a 500-year-old vampire needing to be fed, broke into a woman’s home, threw her against the wall, and tried to suck her blood.

Another instance in Florida involved a teenage girl who was charged along with four others for beating a 16-year-old to death. They were part of a purported

vampire cult, with one teenage girl calling herself a vampire/werewolf hybrid.

The Bible talks about drinking blood, and isn’t friendly to the idea.

Acts 15:29: ”that you abstain from things offered to idols, from blood, from things strangled, and from sexual immorality.

If you keep yourselves from these, you will do well.”

Pagan legend says that by drinking blood, a person can gain power.

God connects drinking blood with the occult long ago.

Leviticus 19:26: “You shall not eat anything with the

blood, nor shall you practice divination or

soothsaying.”

What’s with the apple on the cover of one of the

twilight books?

What does Meyers say? “The apple on the cover of Twilight represents ‘forbidden fruit.’ I used the scripture from Genesis (located just after the table of contents)

because I loved the phrase ‘the fruit of the knowledge of good and evil.’ Isn’t this

exactly what Bella ends up with? A working knowledge of what good is, and what evil is. . . . In the end, I love the beautiful simplicity

of the picture. To me it says: choice.”

This reflects her Mormon beliefs which would see the fall as being a good thing (they fell up), while we would see this as

being obviously demonic in influence.

Those in deliverance ministry (all that I’ve spoken to) see the occultic and spiritual

danger of Twilight (and Vampires/Werewolves in general).

Where do Vampires and Werewolves original come from?

The Mesopotamians, Hebrews, Greeks, Indians, and Romans had stories of proto vampires that were grotesque demons.

Vampires as we know them originated in southeastern Europe in the 18th Century.

They were believed to be undead suicide victims, or witches, or demon-possessed corpses that were back from the dead.

Many geographic areas had tales of demons who drank the blood and

ate the flesh of the living.

Montague Summers described vampires in his 1928 story:

“Throughout the whole vast shadowy world of ghosts and demons there is no 

figure so terrible, so dreaded and abhorred, yet endowed with such fearful 

fascination as the vampire;…

“who is himself neither ghost nor demon but who partakes of the dark natures, and 

possesses the mysterious and terrible qualities of both…A pariah even among 

demons, foul are his ravages.”

There were other ideas associated with vampires, like birth defects. The one thing

that is clear is the demonic and occultic ties with these beings.

The obsession with Zombies

The origin of the concept of zombiism stems from Haitian

Voodoo culture. The word zombie--in Haitian

it is "zombi"--means "spirit of the dead”.

There is quite a bit of history in Voodoo about Zombies and how it works.

Zombies would stay under the control of the Bokor (Voodoo priest) who made him a

Zombie until the Bokor died.

Everyone today likes zombies, and will see any movies having to do with zombies.

It’s sad that we even have to address this with Christians - that it’s not so obviously

evil and disturbing. Why do we glorify and love death?

2 Corinthians 6:14: “Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what

fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light

with darkness?”

The media (sometimes) changes the way zombies become zombies; now it’s usually a virus or disease etc. But that doesn’t change

the fact that it’s occultic - it’s demonic.

Almost all Americans (and most people worldwide) see zombies as a fictional

invention, but understand they are real in the minds of the people involved with

occultic teachings (like voodoo).

Are there actually zombies? Probably. Demons can interact with this world, why not in this way too? Is it possible that so

many people involved with Voodoo (originally) believed in them because

demons made it happen?

Why do we have these obsessions, why do we entertain ourselves in this way?

Philippians 4:8: “Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble,

whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there 

is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things.”

Would Jesus watch movies about zombies?

2 Corinthians 6:14: “Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what

fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has

light with darkness?”

Memory Verse