The Christian witches/ occultists vs. mainstream Christian tumblr fight has seriously brought out the worst of ignorance in Christians and has made me facepalm harder than ever before. It’s just become long-winded rhetoric about not judging others while failing to get to the core of the misunderstandings.
The occult can be a good or bad thing, just like the study of any philosophy or spirituality. Many Christians don’t know that most western occult traditions stem from Judeo-Christian philosophy and are mere variations of mystical Christianity. Some study it to grow in union with God and draw knowledge from the angels and saints; others use it to conjure demons to do their bidding. Some try to do both.
You can’t just lump everyone together and claim that the Bible preaches against discovering how the spiritual universe works. Let’s not forget that the most prominent of Catholic saints were mystics, visionaries, and healers who used their ability to speak with God and the angels for the benefit of others: writing down their conversations in volumes of books with the good of the faithful. Ven. Mary of Agreda, St. Teresa of Avila, St. Hildegard von Bingen, and St. Julian of Norwich are the first to come to my mind. This isn’t some recent fad that’s come in as a form of syncretism between occult and Christianity; it’s an ancient path that has been paved by the saints which is almost just as old as the Church (other forms are even older). The most prominent of alchemists and herbal healers were Catholic monks and priests who covered massive ground in discovering alchemical and spiritual proceses that would form the basis of modern chemistry. It’s not just about mixing fancy chemicals and chanting around circles with the names of God and angels; it’s about the transmutation of the soul to its highest form to unify with God.
What us Catholics do is almost indistinguishable. Blessing ourselves with salt infused holy water, walking around in glimmering robes and Latin chants, consecrating churches and altars with holy oil, swinging incense, touching sacred relics and icons, and using a variety of sacramentals that range from wax figures to blessed ropes and cords, are all ways we connect with God. Personally, I use the Lesser Banishing Ritual of the Pentegram from the Golden Dawn to spiritially cleanse areas, ask the Holy Spirit’s presence when I’m fixing up some whacky herbal teas when my friends and relatives are sick, cast circles before I do Lectio Divina, read loads on Jewish and Catholic mysticism to deepen my understanding of God, and pray to specific angels to illuminate me with the information and wisdom I need at that moment. What exactly in this contradicts the basic tenats of Catholicism?
What are most mainstream Christians’ definition of Christian occult anyway? Is it necromancy and conjuring Satan? Summoning demons from the Goetia? Is it trying to predict the future? Because I can assure you that the Christian witches and occultists I know don’t do any of those things and focus on hermetic philosophy, spellwork (literally intention infused with ritual- an elaborate form of prayer), and the angels. What exactly are the objections that mainstream Christians have towards this? It just seems to be a knee-jerk reaction without much research into what it actually is.
As a person who has an intense need to engage the spiritual, I will give you a graphic to explain the problem I see.
You have to ask yourself why just praying and meditating on God, why serving in a Church, witnessing to others etc…isn’t enough. Why do you need a lesser banishing ritual when you could just rebuke in Christ’s name…for instance?
Why? is it REALLY for God, or is it for you? That’s where the little graph comes in. It’s ok to have things for us, granted we can let them God the second God asks us to.
So if you want to draw a pentagram on something as part of kicking out a demon…whatever. It biblically adds ZERO force to what you are doing, and it may actually suggest that you are misplacing some faith, but I don’t think you are doing anything more than making God shake his head a little. Why? because you aren’t, as you said, summoning demons, appealing to other deities, divining the future or trying to speak with the dead.
Onto the rest of your post. You need to drop the act of accusing Christians of ignorance as if you are superior because, young padawan, there is always a bigger Fish.
Someone might point out that Mysticism etc doesn’t trace back to archaic Catholics, it goes back much farther. i suggest Michael Heiser’s book “The Unseen Realm.” It all goes back to the creation of Earth, mankind and God’s intentions concerning the relationship these two things have to the spiritual realm. In entails the things the ‘Sons of God” taught to man that they weren’t supposed to teach. In concerns an entire camp of other spiritual powers that are trying to gain and maintain control of…us, and who have extended to us methods of engaging the spiritual in order to gain that dominance.
Besides, just because an old Catholic did something “mystic” before doesn’t make it ok. that’s not a valid argument.Besides, MANY people think all that catholic ritual is unbiblical (with good reason….we aren’t told to do it all anywhere)
Here’s a question for you, how do you KNOW that God is 100% ok with you trying to use and effect the spiritual per your whims? We know God is ok with us entertaining a lot of our whims in the physical realm. I can make a bowl out of clay and paint ducks on it. God is cool with that. But can use my spirit to light my candle? is that ok?
I want to know how you KNOW that is ok. I want to know how you know, because I want to light a candle using my spirit. I would be VERY fulfilled by being able to do that (yes, this is an example that assumes the possibility of the act, but I really do want to be able to)
That’s the million dollar question, that’s the question it all boils down to. Does God allow mankind to utilize the spiritual (including our own spirits) in the same way he allows us to utilize the physical?
Do share how you have found an unmistakable answer to this question
It’s a sad time when “Christians” just tack God on to their own desires. This is why Paul told us to judge within the church to weed out this ignorance.
Recent Comments