“For our struggle is not with flesh and blood but with the principalities, with the powers, with the world rulers of this present darkness, with the evil spirits in the heavens.”
(Ephesians 6:12)
This scripture gives us a picture of the invisible air that surrounds us, and those spiritual beings who occupy it. From the moment we were born, there has been a battle waging for each one of our souls. God has given us a guardian angel to protect and guide us through this life. To lead us on the path towards God and away from the world. But the devil’s main objective is to steal our souls. Demons were once angels who fell.
“Satan or the devil and the other demons are fallen angels who freely refused to serve God and his plan. Their choice against God is definitive. They try to associate man in their revolt against God.“
Paragraph 414 of the Catechism of The Catholic Church states
Because they were once angels they still retain the supernatural powers God gave them before they fell, and they use them to tempt us towards sin. God limits those powers but even so, they are far more intelligent than we are. They observe us and are therefore privy to our weaknesses, and they use those flaws to pull us into sin and tear us away from God. They whisper lies into our minds and do everything in their power to influence us into their way of thinking. They never grow weary, and they will never stop trying to destroy us until we die.
“Many people are drawn into the occult because the world makes it so attractive and accessible.”
WEndy
It cannot be denied that in the world today what is good is seen as bad, and what is bad is seen as good. This sad reality has been accepted by many people, but it is an epidemic among our youth and young adults. There are a lot of things I could focus on here but I am going to choose one, which is multi-faceted: the occult or the New Age movement. It is presented as a good and has been interwoven into our culture today. Many people are drawn into the occult because the world makes it so attractive and accessible.
It has infiltrated even the Catholic Church. I googled Catholic retreats and what I found shocked me. There is a long list of pagan and Eastern religious practices taking place at these centers. They include energy therapies, yoga, labyrinth, mindfulness training, centering prayer, meditation halls, training workshops, eco-spirituality and more. These forms of meditation come from non-Christian religions. For example, the Labyrinth comes from Greek mythology, centering prayer comes from Buddhism, and yoga comes from Hinduism. None of these have anything to do with Catholicism, yet they were taught in Catholic retreat centers. It gives the laity searching for God a false sense of security, and opens them up to false gods and religions that are totally contrary to the Catholic faith. Lay people put their trust in the Church; if these new age beliefs are presented to them as acceptable, then they will most likely believe and use them. These practices are a mockery of the true faith. They are mixing different gods and religions with Catholicism. It is a deception not only of the faithful, but also those perpetuating these heresies.
A person does not have to take a workshop or learn centering prayer to achieve peace. Coming to truly know and love God in the depths of our hearts isn’t learned; it is His free gift to all of us. All you have to do is pray. Sit quietly in adoration and pray, and you will be brought to contemplation. That is not something you have to learn; it is simply the fruit of consistent prayer before our Lord in the Eucharist. Jesus is the one true God, you are not going to find Him in yoga and meditations based on Eastern religions. These practices are “I” centered not God-centered.
If meditation is placed on anything other than Christ, it may open a door to the demonic. There are also some common new age practices we see every day that include; dreamcatchers, crystals, horoscopes, astrology, numerology, psychics, tarot cards and I could go on. People do not know the dangers they put themselves in by participating in these occult practices. The devil uses deception to pull people away from God. One example is people who wear shiny stones around their necks thinking it is going to transmit cosmic energy into them, thereby spiritually enhancing their lives. That is just impossible, yet people believe it is true so they do it anyway. The devil’s deception is working. These things are idols that take the place of Jesus Christ.
“You shall have no other gods before me.”
(Exodus 20:3)
I read an article about witches who have started gathering across the country to begin a ritualistic attack against President Donald Trump. I think it is essential to point out that witchcraft is a very real and powerful form of black magic. I know this personally because I was spiritually attacked by witchcraft. I had no idea what was happening to me or why my life was so out of control. During those years, God taught me so much about the evils that exist in the world and how to defeat them. At first, I didn’t believe in witches. So, I understand that there are going to be people who will also find it hard to believe, but witches are real. They are people who have chosen to serve Satan in exchange for worldly favors and supernatural powers that give them the ability to secretly harm or control others. Father Garbriele Amorth said, “Just as Christ gave his apostles and their follower’s specific powers for the good of the body and the soul, so Satan gives specific powers to his followers for the destruction of the body and the soul.” An Exorcist Tells His Story Pg. 30. We can see then that witchcraft is a much darker form of the occult. It is real and can cause great harm and even death to the innocent who are attacked by it.
Anyone using magic is practicing witchcraft. There are different forms of witchcraft and some are more powerful than others. Satanism is the worship of Satan and it is one of the most powerful forms of witchcraft. They perform rituals and black masses in mockery of the Catholic Church. There is also Voodoo and Santeria, which are both a mix of Catholicism and African Magic. Again we see a mockery of the Catholic faith and its practices. Wiccans do not believe in the devil, they focus on the earth and goddess worship. This doesn’t mean Wicca is any less dangerous, they are still calling on evil spirits to do their bidding whether they acknowledge that or not. Wiccans use pentagrams and magic, which you also find in Satanism. Father Gabrielle Amorth states that “It is not necessary to become a Satanist in order to serve the devil and become one of his followers. There are many, alas, who do not officially consecrate themselves to Satan but choose to follow his basic principle, and as a result, they place their souls at great risk.” An Exorcist Explains The Demonic pg. 34. This statement shows us that all forms of the occult, whether one believes in the devil or not, reject God and have the potential to lead to eternal suffering in hell.
“The devil does not rest, he continually pursues us and if we are not alert then we will be caught up in his trap.”
Wendy
There is no way I could cover everything concerning the New Age and the occult movement in one article. But I hope I have given a good picture of the basics. If we make ourselves aware of what is happening in our parishes, in retreat centers, prayer groups and even within our own homes, then that is a great start in protecting ourselves from these dangers.
My personal experience as a victim of witchcraft taught me some very good lessons. If you are uneasy or uncertain about something, then follow your instincts and do not engage in it. People say don’t rely on feelings, but I am living proof that you will feel the existence of evil when it is around you. Pray and God will guide you as to what to do. Parents pay attention to what your kids are involved in and ask questions. My son’s friends once wanted to use the Ouija board and he refused because we had talked about it; otherwise, he probably would have done it. The devil does not rest, he continually pursues us and if we are not alert then we will be caught up in his trap. We have been given the power to defeat the enemy through the name of our Lord Jesus. As we read in the gospel of Luke: “The seventy[-two] returned rejoicing, and said, ‘Lord, even the demons are subject to us because of your name.” Luke 10:17
WONDERFUL Post. Thanks for sharing
Write more, thats all I have to say. Literally, it seems as though you relied on the video to make your point. You obviously know what youre talking about, why waste your intelligence on just posting videos to your site when you could be giving us something enlightening to read?
There is not a video connected to this specific article Britteny. But yes, I do use videos at times to allow the reader to get to know who I am as a person, and also to bring prayers that may not be known to my readers. You like a longer article, not everyone does so I try to have a balance to accommodate everyone. I appreciate your taking the time to express your opinion and I will consider what you have said.
I respect your opinions full heartily, and I am so dearly sorry you have had bad experiences with witchcraft. How horrible- for someone to use a force that could so easily be for good to harm others. It saddens me.
Please do know that not all witches and wiccans are evil. Actually; its quite the contrary. Our practice is diverse and rich with life. There are many, many different ways people choose to follow the path of witchcraft and magick, so I cannot speak for all of us. There are those who worship gods, some who identify as “Satanists”, some that don’t believe in a god at all, or even Christan witches, who are just as devout as any other! At times, even more so!
I again stress that I cannot speak for all witches. But please, do know that the majority of us work with nature, with the magick that is of GODS creation, and use magick not for curses, or hexes- but for protection, and love.
I hope that you can have an open mind about those of different traditions. Especially those of pagan descent. Our practices are strange, but I do hope we can come to an agreement that all life is wonderful, big and small! No matter its origin or belief! The world is an incredible place, despite the struggles, and we are all better for it!
Bless it be. And I hope you have a wonderful day. (And life!) <3
Thank you Trinity, your message is beautiful and I can tell you have a kind heart. I do not believe that all people who practice witchcraft are evil. There are so many different forms of divination, and many different practices in the occult and New Age. It can’t be possible that all of those people are evil, but I do think they are being misled. I have the fullness of faith right here in the Catholic Church and I have never felt the need to look elsewhere. Maybe you feel the same way, but you mention God’s Creation, which leads me to believe that you have some knowledge of God and Jesus. If that is so, then I urge you to look up scriptures on witchcraft and divination and see what the bible teaches on the subject. I also get the feeling that you pray. I am not sure who you pray to, but if it is Jesus then ask Him what it is He wants to show you concerning these things. He will tell you. If you do not pray to Jesus, then pray to God and ask Him, you will get an answer. One other thing, there is really no such thing as a Christian witch. Witches do not follow Christ if they did they wouldn’t participate in things that were contrary to their God or their faith, so that is a misrepresentation. It is like people who say they practice Christian yoga. There is no such thing. Yoga originated from a non-Christian religion so that makes little sense. I will pray for you as I do all the people who visit this site and I want to thank you again for your thoughtfulness and concern for me.
Not every witch is a satanist. Some are pagan, hellenistic, celtic, and any number of other pantheons. And not all witches practice left hand magic. Most witches I know focus on healing or green witchcraft, which is basically taking care of plants. Maybe do a little more research into how witchcraft is a practice and not a religion.
Hi Melody, I think I made it clear in the article that not all people who practice witchcraft are Satanists. I cannot make a distinction between different types of witches or what they worship. I am a Catholic and I worship only Jesus Christ. I do not say that to disrespect you or anyone else, I say that honor the Lord. I also believe that the bible is the inspired word of God. So, I believe what is written in it and there are many passages that forbid the practice of witchcraft and other forms of divination. I am assuming what you mean by “left-hand” magic is that it is dark magic, but to me, any magic or form of the occult, is dark, whether a person realizes that or not. The thing that they worship becomes the idol that replaces the Creator. You may not think that witchcraft is a religion, and I agree with you, but different sects or forms of the occult are recognized as religions by the government, even Wicca and Satanism. I appreciate comments and your interest in the subject.
I would like to say that I agree that this stuff is to be messed with. I was raised a Catholic but considered myself an atheist from a teenager. I was interested by esoteric things from an imaginative perspective and did not believe that Satan or true evil existed. A year ago I thought I had a ‘spiritual awakening’ and had developed psychic gifts and got into tarot cards, crystals and wicca, as well as yoga and meditation, reiki energy healing, manifestation and the law of attraction as well as casting spells for abundance and protection; I was fascinated with many of the new age ‘hobbies’ which are now being marketed as harmless. I in earnestness believed I was having beautiful communications with my passed on loved ones, spirit guides who were benevolent and angels, particularly AA Gabriel, working from the Doreen Virtue Oracle card deck. (She has recently renounced the New Age and converted to being a Christian and said she had in fact been, unknowingly and in the belief she was helping people, communicating with demons. ) I thought my guardian angel told me his name and trusted him; I believe the demons twist that Catholic trust in the idea of angels so that I believed it was a benevolent guide sent to me by God to help me and other people. I have recently come to the horrific awareness that this was not an angel but something really dark, and I’m honestly cautious about the idea of angels now as I think God doesn’t want you to name them, or you should just pray to God for help. I had dark thoughts and became quite depressed and isolated and had nightmares, but the dark things made me think it was the flaws in myself and not them causing the disturbance. I have always believed I am a good person, and my intentions were good even if I did not practice religion. I believe that the dark things prey on those vulnerabilities to try and make people turn to them and not to God or Jesus Christ and to in turn spread the practice of idolatry and witchcraft or even Satanic practices, by twisting the truth so that people think they are doing good; spiritual awakening, improving oneself, helping others. They play on a person’s feeling different, a lack of faith or people who have issues with religion, a sort of innocent belief that there is no pure evil or a desire to do good in the world and an interest in magical things in the belief it is harmless or a perpetuated idea that it is ‘cool’ and Christianity is not. I am truly speaking as someone who did not think I would go back to Chritianity or get involved in occult practices for real, as I honestly thought that both were bogus, though the latter was more interesting, which is shameful but honest. I thought I had my awakening this time last year in April, and have come to my senses in April as well, which I thank God for. I believe the dark things really hate Jesus Christ and there have been unholy parallels between what I thought were God given signs and allusions to Satanism, as if they want to demean and warp the story of Jesus Christ. I can’t express how disturbing this has been, but it was like the dark things lured me or baited me gradually by building trust with me and worked on my self doubt and naievity. It certainly was not my intention to get into dark things or cause harm and I hope I haven’t spread sacrilegious ideas too much which could lead others on this dangerous path, but God will judge me and I hope my story will help someone. There is a dangerous plot at work here to lead people away from God and into these practices and it is seeping into media and art and music in such an insidious way and tempting way, by making these things look harmless or interesting, ‘magical’ and to sort of tie them into the positive thinking and female empowerment movement, which I fell into, as someone who always believed the church was misogynistic. Automated writing and angel numbers and astral travel were other things I believed were guidance from the angels and God. The spreading of the angel oracle tarot cards has been one of the most dangerous things I think now, because everyone thinks angels are beautiful and harmless and I admit I found it easier to talk to what I thought were angels than God. This feels a bit like a surreal nightmare, but I really hope that this will make people who think wicca and tarot and new age beliefs are glamorous things be cautious or stop. I admit I don’t know all the answers but I have to trust in God now. Take care, Clare
# This stuff is NOT to be messed with.
Thank You for sharing your story Clare. I have never practiced the occult so it is interesting for me to see it from that perspective. The one thing that kept coming to me while I read your comments was, are you practicing the catholic faith now? You are right that God will judge you, but He will also forgive you here and now through confession. There are also ways you can protect yourself from the enemy. Prayers and sacramentals. You can be blessed and prayed over by a priest and I know from my own experience, that is extremely powerful and effective. I will add the link to an article I wrote that will give you information that can help. The article is What to do When the Devil Attacks.
https://www.conquerthedevil.com/what-to-do-when-the-devil-attacks/
THANK YOU for this!! My mind is racing with so many questions for you!!
I am happy it helped you.
Amazing article