In my last post, I wrote about practices and behaviors that can open the door to demonic oppression. One such door, the New Age, has become so commonplace and accepted in our culture that I felt it would be a good idea to devote an entire post to discussing it. What is the New Age? A Wikipedia article defines it this way:

“New Age is a range of spiritual or religious practices and beliefs which rapidly grew in Western society during the early 1970s. Its highly eclectic and unsystematic structure makes a precise definition difficult. Although many scholars consider it a religious movement, its adherents typically see it as spiritual or as unifying Mind-Body-Spirit, and rarely use the term New Age themselves. Scholars often call it the New Age movement, although others contest this term and suggest it is better seen as a milieu or zeitgeist.

As a form of Western esotericism, the New Age drew heavily upon esoteric traditions such as the occultism of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, including the work of Emanuel Swedenborg and Franz Mesmer, as well as Spiritualism, New Thought, and Theosophy. More immediately, it arose from mid-twentieth century influences such as the UFO religions of the 1950s, the counterculture of the 1960s, and the Human Potential Movement. Its exact origins remain contested, but it became a major movement in the 1970s, at which time it was centered largely in the United Kingdom. It expanded widely in the 1980s and 1990s, in particular in the United States. By the start of the 21st century, the term New Age was increasingly rejected within this milieu, with some scholars arguing that the New Age phenomenon had ended.” – New Age (Wikipedia)

Many New Age concepts and practices, including certain types of health treatments, are directly connected to false religion and to the occult. I believe that allopathic medicine can also be physically and sometimes even spiritually dangerous, but I will write a separate post about that. Here I will focus on practices and healing modalities that are associated with the New Age.

The Bible is very clear about how God feels about occult practices and false religion:

“There shall not be found among you anyone who makes his son or his daughter pass through the fire, one who uses divination, one who practices soothsaying or one who interprets omens or a sorcerer, or one who is an enchanter or a medium or a spiritist or one who inquires of the dead. For whoever does these things is an abomination to Yahweh; and because of these abominations Yahweh your God will dispossess them from before you.” Deuteronomy 18:10-12

“I am Yahweh your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. You shall have no other gods before Me. You shall not make for yourself an idol, or any likeness of what is in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the water under the earth. You shall not worship them or serve them; for I, Yahweh your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, on the third and the fourth generations of those who hate Me, but showing lovingkindness to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments. You shall not take the name of Yahweh your God in vain, for Yahweh will not leave him unpunished who takes His name in vain.” – Exodus 20:2-7

I have compiled a list of practices that are often associated with the New Age which I believe to be potentially spiritually dangerous. I could write a book for each one of the practices I will mention in the following paragraphs, but for the purposes of this post, which is to warn other Christians about dangerous practices that can open doors to demons, I will keep my comments brief while providing links to videos and articles which provide more information on each individual practice.

I used to justify my involvement with yoga by telling myself that I could unhitch it from its pagan roots and just call it “stretching and breathing.” But I changed my thinking after I discovered the stories of ex-yoga practitioners who found out the hard way that they had opened doors to demonic oppression. Here are a few examples:

1. Ex-Yoga Instructor Tells All – Is Yoga Demonic?
2. Yoga Got me Demons
3. Danna Weiss: Exposing Yoga for What it Really Is

I also practiced meditation and mostly found it quite relaxing. But I was not connecting the dots, because while the practice was relaxing in the moment, I kept on getting sicker and sicker both physically and mentally. There is a proper, biblical way to meditate which involves intense focus on God and on the teachings of the Bible. Transcendental meditation is dangerous because the goal is not connection with God and his truth, but total emptying of the mind. After I watched the following video, my experience with meditation finally made sense: Proof Meditation is Dangerous and Demonic (The Shocking Truth)

I allowed myself to be influenced by friends to use crystals in an attempt to heal my body and mind. I had several quartz crystals and an obsidian. Many people dismiss the use of crystals for healing as pseudoscience and feel that any results people may obtain are due to an overactive imagination. My experience was that they had a definite effect, but so do many of the “energy healing modalities.” What is the source of this supposed healing effect? I thought it could be explained scientifically through an understanding of quantum physics. But when I read about how New Agers use crystals to get into contact with the spirit world, I threw my crystals away. Crystals are beautiful creations of God. There are crystals in heaven. But there is no evidence that crystals have any real healing properties. And because crystals are often used in ways that could pose a spiritual danger, I have elected not to use them.

1. Do Crystals Have Supernatural Powers? Video by Everett Roeth
2. What Does the Bible Say About Crystals?
3. Thoughts on Gems, Stones, and Crystals by Marcia Montenegro
4. Crystals Healing: Stone cold facts about gemstone treatments

When I was recovering from a nervous breakdown and medication withdrawal, I had what I called my “healing toolbox,” and in that toolbox was my favorite method of combating anxiety and depression: affirmations. I had been heavily influenced by the writings of Louise Hay, who promoted the principles of “the law of attraction” or “manifesting.” Proponents of the law of attraction teach that we create our reality with our thoughts and words. According to them, if I want a new car, all I have to do is say that I have that car over and over and eventually, the car will manifest into my life. No need for hard work. No need for prayer. This philosophy attributes godlike qualities to humans and erases our need to submit to our creator. For detailed discussions of the problems associated with the law of attraction and how to differentiate what the bible teaches about the power of the tongue vs the law of attraction, see these videos:

1. Should Christians Use the Law of Attraction?
2. Manifest Your Reality! The Law of Attraction Debunked

Another practice that I am very familiar with is acupuncture. Not only did I receive acupuncture, I also studied acupuncture meridian charts so that I could learn how to use acupressure at home. Although I was very invested in the healing philosophy behind acupuncture, the undeniable fact that it is deeply rooted in the ancient Chinese religion of Taoism made me rethink my involvement with it. There is no denying that bodywork such as massage or trigger point therapy can be very beneficial, and acupuncture/acupressure can seem very similar to these types of therapies. I think we just need to be careful about how we conceptualize what we are doing and make sure that it has nothing to do with false religion or the occult.

1. Is Acupuncture Demonic?
2. The Tao and God: The Way of Man and the Way of God
3. The Religion of Life Force Energy

In my last post, I described how God showed me, much to my surprise and dismay, that homeopathy is a dangerous healing modality. Here is an excerpt from that post:

One night, I had a vivid dream that woke me up to a pitfall I had been unaware of before. In the dream, I was being followed around by a big, ugly, scary-looking man. I came up to a bookcase and pulled out a familiar-looking book about homeopathy that I had used for years to help me prescribe remedies. I told the ugly man that I knew a lot about that book. Immediately, he attacked me, and then I woke up. I knew the dream was from God and that it meant something. As soon as I began to ponder the dream, in my mind I heard God say, “Get rid of all of your homeopathy books. Burn them!” I could hardly believe it! I had begun to understand that I had been involved in some ungodly health practices, but I was shocked to find out that homeopathy was one of them. I asked the Lord for confirmation, and I found it in this video. So, I took everything I had that was related to homeopathy, hundreds of dollars’ worth of books and remedies, and got rid of them. I tried burning a few of the books, but they were difficult to burn, and I ended up trashing most of it. After that, the knocking and tapping in my room stopped for a time, but I still had a long way to go.

What is homeopathy? WebMD explains:

“A basic belief behind homeopathy is “like cures like.” In other words, something that brings on symptoms in a healthy person can — in a very small dose — treat an illness with similar symptoms. This is meant to trigger the body’s natural defenses.

For example, red onion makes your eyes water. That’s why it’s used in homeopathic remedies for allergies. Treatments for other ailments are made from poison ivy, white arsenic, crushed whole bees, and an herb called arnica.

Homeopathic doctors (who also are called “homeopaths”) weaken these ingredients by adding water or alcohol. Then they shake the mixture as part of a process called “potentization.” They believe this step transfers the healing essence. Homeopaths also believe that the lower the dose, the more powerful the medicine. In fact, many of these remedies no longer contain any molecules of the original substance. They come in a variety of forms, like sugar pellets, liquid drops, creams, gels, and tablets.”

I was introduced to homeopathy by a family friend when I was about 13 years old. From that time on, I used it often to provide relief for things like colds, coughs, and menstrual cramps. At the age of 16, I went to a homeopathic physician for the first time for relief from low energy and gastrointestinal problems. The treatment I received from her felt like a miracle. I gained a healthy amount of weight and saw multiple health problems disappear in a matter of a few weeks. I became a true believer in the power of homeopathy and eventually studied it extensively myself in order to be able to effectively treat myself and my family. But in addition to the successes I experienced, I also had strange and frightening experiences, especially when experimenting with very high potency remedies. In spite of that, I was attached to my understanding of homeopathy and felt quite shocked when God told me to stop doing it. But once I did some research on the occult origins of homeopathy, I understood much better why God was leading me away from it. To learn about the history and philosophy of homeopathy and why it can a problem for Christians, check out the following resources:

1. Homeopathy, the Occult, and Beyond by Marcia Montenegro
2. New Age Medicine: Homeopathy by David Brown

I used to go to a Naturopath who used applied kinesiology and “remote” energy healing techniques. Applied kinesiology is, according to Wikipedia, “a pseudoscience-based technique in alternative medicine claimed to be able to diagnose illness or choose treatment by testing muscles for strength and weakness.” According to chakraconsiousness.com, a remote healer is “an Individual who assists in the healing of someone at a distance. A remote healing session may be done when the practitioner and client are both individually anywhere on earth.” My Naturopath treated me and my son with both types of techniques. Applied kinesiology and remote healing are inherently spiritual and, for obvious reasons, could theoretically open people up to spiritual deception and possibly demonization. Jesus is the only one who we ought to look to for spiritual healing.

1. How Demons Come in Through New Age Energy Healing
2. Muscle Testing: Repackaged Divination
3. Why I No Longer Muscle Test

I was introduced to sage burning while visiting a friend who engaged in this practice. It is not something that I ever got into myself, but I feel it’s worth mentioning, as it’s a very common practice among those who have been influenced by the New Age. The origin of sage burning is decidedly pagan, and it cannot be mixed with Christianity. It will invite demonic spirits into your surroundings rather than repelling them.

1. The Truth Behind Burning Sage and Other False Spiritual Practices
2. Exposing Burning Sage: My Story & What Happens

Christ Consciousness is a New Age philosophy that can sound deceptively like Christianity. I have never believed in this philosophy, but I have seen people I know fall prey to it. Some proponents of this philosophy claim to be Christian and use scripture to explain their beliefs. But what is it really? Is it scriptural? Gotquestions.org defines it this way:

“The Center for Christ Consciousness’s website defines Christ consciousness as “the highest state of intellectual development and emotional maturity.” They go on to claim that “Jesus achieved this [higher state of being] in his human life, and was given this term [Christ] before his name as the recognition of his achievement of this spiritual status. This path is open to anyone regardless of their religious tradition if and when he or she is open to become a living vessel of love and truth on the planet and actively strives to attain it.” Another site defines it this way: “Christ consciousness is the state of awareness of our true nature, our higher self, and our birthright as children of God.” It does not take much research to uncover the ancient roots of this idea. It is the same man-centered philosophy that is behind most religions.

So-called “Christ consciousness” has been known by various names in history, such as Jainism, Buddhism, Hinduism, and most Eastern mystical religions. More recently, Deepak Chopra has popularized the “christianized” version of this same pseudo-spirituality. The danger in this latest version of mysticism is the use of Bible verses and Christian terms, which can easily lead astray those who don’t check the Scriptures for themselves.”

Check out the following resources for more information:

1. What is the Christ Consciousness?
2. Exposing Christ Consciousness
3. Christ Consciousness Debunked by Jesus

The following is a list of New Age belief systems and practices that I have had little to no experience with, but which are also worth mentioning, as they are very mainstream in our culture.

1. Reiki – Reiki Healing is Not What You Think
2. Astrology – Why I Quit Astrology and Turned to Jesus
3. Chakra balancing and chakra meditation – Should Christians Open Thier Chakras? Ex-Hindu Tells All
4. Feng Shui – What is Feng Shui?
5. Psychics – A Psychic’s Road to Salvation
6. Tarot readings – Tarot is Evil! Ex-Tarot Reader Tells All
7. Dowsing – What Does the Bible Say About Dowsing?
8. Hypnotherapy – Dangers of Hypnosis
9. Amulets and talismans – What Does the Bible Say About People Who Use Amulets
10. Pendulums – God Forbids Crystal Pendulums

My hope is that by bringing to light how these practices originated and what their potential spiritual effects can be, any Christian who is involved in any of this, or is thinking about whether or not it would be wise to become involved, would do their own research and, most importantly, take this subject to God in prayer.