Occultism has its own charm, young people are attracted to it, occult practices promise earthly bliss and seem attractive. Is this true? Is it possible to practice magical rituals, love spells and spells for good luck “without sin or harm to health”? We tried to collect in this article information about such a dangerous phenomenon as the occult. What to do if a loved one becomes interested in the occult? How to help someone who does not understand the dangers of occult practices?
Occultism: what is it?
Man has always been fascinated by mystical phenomena and the supernatural. Unable to understand things that had no scientific or logical explanation, people tried to invent powerful “gods” responsible for certain phenomena. Some of the “gods” were favorable to people and gave them special opportunities, revealing the secrets of the world, but were they really good beings?
Occultism is a belief in certain mystical forces that can influence a person’s life and environment. Communication with these forces is available only to dedicated people. There are occult practices that help you communicate with these forces. The Orthodox Church considers the occult dangerous phenomenon which has nothing to do with Christianity. We should not forget that the spirits to whom occult practices are addressed are not of a divine nature.
Trance and mystical practices are exactly what the various “magical orders” practice. Occult practices can be very dangerous.
Occultism is built on the idea of self-development and life outside of God. The false idea that one can eat from the “tree of good and evil” not only with impunity, but even with some benefit for oneself harms the human soul. Occultism is inextricably linked with the sin of pride and the conviction of man that he can cope with all the difficulties of this world himself, calling, for example, the forces of nature. Occultism is a form of paganism. Occultism often positions itself as “science.”
Types of occultism
Types of occultism include:
The history of occultism dates back to the 16th century, this concept was introduced by the philosopher Argippus of Nettesheim, three centuries later the term “occultism” began to be used by Elphias Levi, who practices fortune telling with Tarot cards.
IN modern world there are many occult practices. The most famous of them:
- Witchcraft
- Magic
- Divination
One of the most famous occultists was Count Cagliostro, who was rumored to be able to heal even the most serious illnesses, and Saint Germain, who claimed to have invented the elixir of eternal life. Many famous people Unfortunately, they also succumbed to the false charm of the occult “sciences.”
Many occult communities became aggressive over time. Thus, the German “Thule Society,” which took its name from the mythical Hyperborea, united members of the National Socialist Party of Germany. The idea of the Aryan race, which became the fault of numerous victims of Nazism, arose from the myth that the territory of Germany was once inhabited by special people who were taller and fair-haired, distinguished by their beauty and intelligence. The symbol of Thule society was the swastika, which became a sad symbol of brutal murders and attempts to exterminate entire peoples.
Occultism and Orthodoxy
Orthodoxy condemns any pagan trends and occult sciences as false teachings that have no relation to Christianity. Many occultists use Orthodox church paraphernalia in their rituals. We can often see “spells with prayer”, icons from “sorcerers” and “shamans”, claiming that their practice and gift are of a divine nature.
The Church calls for caution regarding such statements, because “games” with the world of spirits, at best, can turn out to be fraud; at worst, they threaten human life and health. The Russian Orthodox Church does not practice spells, magic and fortune telling with cards. Occultism has nothing to do with Divine Revelation, and members of the Church should not engage in any occult practices.
The Holy Scriptures speak about the occult quite clearly. Taking on the “functions of God” is strictly prohibited; man simply cannot cope with managing the “subtle world” and, although God created man “like Himself,” man is not the Creator.
On the occult in Holy Scripture and Tradition
“There shall not be among you a soothsayer, a fortune-teller, a soothsayer, a sorcerer, a charmer, a conjurer of spirits, a magician, or an inquirer of the dead; for whoever does this is an abomination to the Lord” (Deut. 18:10-13).
“If a prophet or a dreamer arises among you and presents you with a sign or a miracle, and that sign or miracle about which he told you comes true, and moreover says: Let us follow other gods whom you do not know, and let us serve them, then do not listen to the words of this prophet or this dreamer, for through this the Lord your God is tempting you to find out whether you love the Lord your God with all your heart... And that prophet or that dreamer must be put to death because he persuaded you to retreat from the Lord your God" (Deut. 13:1-5).
“Do not turn to those who call the dead, and do not go to magicians, and do not bring yourself to defilement from them” (Lev. 19:31).
“If any soul turns to those who call the dead and to magicians to walk after them fornication, then I will turn My face against that soul and will destroy it from among its people” (Lev. 20:6; 20:27).
“And Samuel answered, Are burnt offerings and sacrifices as acceptable to the Lord as to obey the voice of the Lord? Obedience is better than sacrifice, and to obey than the fat of rams; for disobedience is the same sin as magic.” (1 Kings 15, 22-23).
“The works of the flesh are known; they are... idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, envy... heresies" (Gal. 5:19-20).
“And quite a few of those who practiced sorcery gathered up their books and burned them in front of everyone” (Acts 19:19).
“It happened that when we were going to the house of prayer, we met a certain maid possessed by a spirit of divination, who through divination brought great income to her masters.
Walking behind Paul and after us, she shouted, saying: these men are the servants of the Most High God, who proclaim to us the way of salvation.
She did this for many days. Paul, indignant, turned and said to the spirit: in the name of Jesus Christ I command you to come out of her. And the spirit left at that very hour.” (Acts 16:16-18).
From the life of the holy Apostle and Evangelist John the Theologian:
“There was in that country a sorcerer named Kinops, who lived in the desert and for many years knew unclean spirits. Because of the ghosts he produced, all the inhabitants of the island considered him a god. The priests of Apollo, indignant at John for the destruction of the temple of Apollo and for the fact that he made all people followers of Jesus Christ, came to Kinops and complained to him about the Apostle of Christ, begging him to take revenge for the dishonor of their gods. Kinops, however, did not want to go to the city himself, since he had lived in that place for many years with no way out. But citizens began to come to him even more often with the same request. Then he promised to send an evil spirit to the Mironov house, take John’s soul and deliver it to eternal judgment. In the morning he sent one of the princes over evil spirits to John, ordering him to bring his soul to him. Arriving at the Mironov house, the demon stood in the place where John was. John, seeing the demon, said to him:
“In the name of Christ, I command you not to leave this place until you tell me for what purpose you came here to me.”
Being bound by John's word, the demon became motionless and said to John:
- The priests of Apollo came to Kinops and begged him to go to the city and bring death on you, but he did not want to, saying: “I have been living in this place for many years, without leaving; Will I now bother myself because of a thin and insignificant person? Go your way, in the morning I will send my spirit, and he will take his soul and bring it to me, and I will deliver it to eternal judgment.
And John said to the demon:
“Did he ever send you to take a human soul and bring it to him?”
The demon answered:
- All the power of Satan is in him, and he has an agreement with our princes, and we are with him - and Kinops listens to us, and we listen to him.
Then John said:
- I, an apostle of Jesus Christ, command you, evil spirit, not to enter human dwellings and not to return to Kinops, but to leave this island and suffer.
And immediately the demon left the island. Kinops, seeing that the spirit did not return, sent another; but he also suffered. And he sent two more of the dark princes: he ordered one to go in to John, and the other to stand outside to bring him an answer. The demon who came to John suffered in the same way as the one who came earlier; another demon, standing outside, seeing his friend’s misfortune, ran to Kinops and told about what had happened. And Kinops was filled with rage and, taking the entire multitude of demons, came to the city.
… Soon, however, they heard that John was teaching in the place where criminals were stoned. Kinops called on the demon with which he performed magic, and, coming to that place, said to John:
“I am planning to bring you even greater disgrace and shame, which is why I left you alive; come to the sandy seashore - there you will see my glory and be ashamed.
He was accompanied by three demons, whom the people considered to be people raised from the dead by Kinops. Strongly clasping his hands, Kinops plunged into the sea and became invisible to everyone.
“Great are you, Kinops,” cried the people, “and there is no one greater than you!”
John commanded the demons who stood in human form not to leave him. And he prayed to the Lord that Kinops would not be alive and it would be so; for the sea suddenly became agitated and boiled in waves, and Kinops no longer emerged from the sea, but remained in the depths of the sea, like an ancient accursed pharaoh. And to those demons whom the people considered to be people raised from the dead, John said:
- In the name of Jesus Christ crucified and risen on the third day, leave this island. And they immediately disappeared.
The people sat on the sand, waiting for Kinops for three days and three nights; from hunger, thirst and the heat of the sun, many of them were exhausted and lay silent, and three of their children died. Having mercy on the people, John prayed for their salvation, and after talking a lot with them about faith, he raised their children, healed the sick, and they all unanimously turned to the Lord, were baptized and went home, glorifying Christ.”
The influence of occultism on the spiritual world
Occultism is directly related to original sin and leads to other sins. This is both idolatry and pride, sometimes occult practices are associated with sacrifices. Occultists rely on the desire of a person, stricken by sin, to become equal to God, to serve himself. Occultism is the rejection of Heaven in favor of dubious earthly goods. Extrasensory perception, fortune telling, and communication with spirits can affect not only moral education, but also the human psyche.
John Chrysostom spoke about man’s desire to do without the help of God:
“How can you say that much of what is predicted comes true? So you yourself have deprived yourself of God’s help, neglected it and placed yourself outside the Providence of God, then the devil, as he wants, manages and disposes of your affairs.”
Christian spiritual life is built on a person’s desire for God and love for him. Occultism rejects God and convinces man that one can do without Him, while this is the only Source of Life and Salvation.
The main thing that can be done for a person who is interested in the occult is to pray for his admonition and enlightenment. People often mindlessly get carried away by extrasensory perception or fashionable Eastern cults, opening the door to spiritual world, but for a sinful person this world often becomes the world of fallen spirits who lure a person, promising him supernatural abilities and opportunities. This is exactly how original sin was once committed. Human soul suffers from such practices. A person is spiritually ill, sometimes this is reflected in his physical condition. The occult is dangerous and you should not get involved in it, even if the ideas of the occult seem attractive to you. This is exactly what the enemy of the human race is counting on.
IN Orthodox Church miracles happen through prayers, but they are performed not by a person, but by the Lord in response to a human request, a sincere desire to do good and sincere repentance. Trying to invent immortality or heal a seriously ill person on your own is impossible. This will benefit neither the one who is to be healed nor the one doing the healing.
The Orthodox Church is cautious about reprimanding and the process of expelling evil spirits, but it is still worth turning to a confessor if a person sees hallucinations or hears voices after occult practices. In this case, you should definitely see a psychiatrist; people with emotional instability and weak psyches are often carried away by occult ideas, hoping to find protection. Warn your loved ones against engaging in the occult.
Many people confuse the occult with esotericism. They were closed and secret topics, and remain so to this day. Few people really know anything and understand these areas.
What is called occult and what is esoteric? What is the difference between these concepts?
Occultism
This is the general name for teachings that determine the presence of natural forces and indicate the presence of other forces, direct communication with which is impossible for everyone. This communication is possible only for initiates close to the Divine world.
Communication with otherworldly forces occurs in the form of sacraments, magical rituals, trance, occult symbols and mystical attributes.
The occult sciences include:
- Alchemy. An area of philosophical knowledge that studied the process of turning metal into gold and the secret of immortality.
- Astrology. Real science that analyzes impact celestial bodies on events taking place on planet Earth. It contains mystical, magical aspects.
- Cabal. This is a religious Jewish movement that still exists today.
- Theosophy. The theoretical part of occultism studies the divine principle using magical methods.
- Theurgy. Practical magic that allows you to interact with higher powers in order to acquire certain benefits.
Occultism is a serious direction that expands ideas about the world. To understand what occultism is, you should know its history and development process.
History of the occult
This trend dates back to the first mention of the term “secret philosophy,” which was introduced by the German astrologer, occultist, and philosopher Argippus of Nettesheim in the 16th century. Three centuries later, this term began to be widely used by the French tarot reader and occultist Elphias Levy.
The practices and methods used in occultism go against the religious dogmas of various peoples. In many countries, the occult is perceived as something sinful, since its methods are based on the use of higher forces, both light and dark, to achieve their goals.
Synonyms for occultism are concepts such as:
- sorcery - communication with spirits and deities in pagan cultures and beliefs;
- witchcraft - the use of dark forces and the forces of nature to achieve one's goals;
- witchcraft - communication with dead spirits;
- divination - fortune telling for the future using magical rituals.
There are about 30 synonyms for the term “occultism”; they are all based on the use of secret knowledge and ideas, rituals and occult symbols, as well as magical and mystical practices.
Theoretical foundations of occultism
The generally accepted methods of occultism, with the help of which knowledge of the surrounding world is carried out, are sensory perception, experience and speculation.
There is a fourth method of cognition - hypersensitivity. It cannot be verified by any scientific method, and it is precisely this that presupposes communication with the other world, with the world of the dead, with superpowers and deities.
Famous occultists:
- John Dee. He proposed to start counting from the initial (zero) meridian, wrote a textbook on geography, and at the same time was a famous occultist.
- Saint Germain. He boasted that he had invented the elixir of eternal life, which he allegedly used on himself and lived for more than one century (this is his statement, which many believed in at that time).
- Count Cagliostro. He studied traditional medicine, and used secret magical methods that allowed him to heal even seriously ill people.
There have been many people involved in the occult in the history of mankind. Scientists attribute connections with the occult sciences to many writers, artists, and politicians, including Napoleon and Hitler.
Types of occultism
The number of currents and directions in occultism is incredibly large. There are such types as:
- Magical occultism. Which includes black magic, mediumship, hypnosis, sorcery, divination, prediction, fortune telling, tarot reading.
- Systemic techniques. This is Feng Shui, palmistry, numerology, reiki.
- Unrecognized sciences. This group includes alchemy, ufology, NLP, runes;
- Cabal.
- Extrasensory perception.
These are the varieties that form the basis of occultism. There are many more such directions, and their number is growing every day, as a person is constantly in search of information about the mysterious, the mysterious, the hidden.
The Church and others urge people not to use occult knowledge, explaining that it is associated with dark forces.
Thule Society: German Occultism
This is a German occult and nationalist movement that first appeared at the beginning of the twentieth century in Munich. The name comes from the mythical Hyperborea, mentioned in ancient legends. The community included prominent political figures and members of the National Socialist Party of Germany.
The Thule Society was created as an occult society.
The legend about the island of Thule says that during his travels Pytheas allegedly visited this mysterious land. This country was distinguished by its fertility, and a cultured population lived here. Until now, it has not been possible to correlate Thule Island with a real geographical object. There is a hypothesis that this island has disappeared.
As German ideologists believed, the island of Thule was part of the Arctic continent, a kind of northern version of the legendary and mysterious Atlantis. This territory was inhabited by fair-haired, tall people who created a highly developed civilization. This chosen race of people was called Aryan. Their land was isolated from the rest of the world, separated from it by the sea, thanks to which they preserved traditions and purity of blood (Aryan). But as a result natural disaster The climate changed and life on this earth became impossible. About 15 thousand years ago, the Aryans left their lands and settled initially in the European zone of Scandinavia. Later they began to settle in that part of the territory Central Europe, which later became the Holy German Empire.
The Aryans kept the memory of their ethnic land - Tula, so as not to forget their traditions, they put their sign everywhere - the swastika. Adolf Hitler became a member of the Thule Society in 1919.
Another teaching
What does esotericism mean? What does this concept include? Esotericism is a multifaceted teaching about the soul; it includes occult sciences, mysticism, psychology, philosophy, and religious movements. There are no clear boundaries for this direction. The purpose and essence of esotericism is to study the mysterious worlds and the development of man in them.
The term “esotericism” was introduced by Pythagoras and translated from Greek it means “inner territory.” This is a set of teachings, concepts, beliefs, the meaning of which is hidden from ordinary people, and is accessible only to a select few or initiates. This is the doctrine of the material world and spiritual development. This includes various practices: yoga, meditation, breathwork, palmistry, psychic schools. It is necessary to begin the study of esotericism by studying the fundamentals of the psychology of the human soul.
The most famous esotericists were Castaneda, Helena Roerich, Blavatsky.
Books on esotericism describe the three gunas (qualities) of human nature: goodness, ignorance and passion. Every person is influenced by all three components, but only one is fundamental in his life, it controls his life:
- Guna of goodness. A person who is under its influence is virtuous, does good deeds, and brings positivity to the world. He strives for spiritual development, he is conscientious, honest, noble.
- Guna of ignorance. Under a huge number of people are influenced by it. They prefer an idle lifestyle, momentary pleasures. They do not perceive other people, they try to retrain everyone and adjust the world to themselves. This does not mean at all that spoiled, bad people belong to this guna. Their ignorance lies in the desire to violate the laws of nature and adjust the world to suit themselves.
- Guna of passion. Such people put passion above all else. Pleasures, an idle life, pleasures are the main characteristics of this group of people.
Directions of esotericism
Scientists identify the following areas of esoteric knowledge:
- Knowing yourself. There are many schools that teach a person to be himself through meditation, travel, and breathing practices. As a result, he must receive enlightenment, liberation. In this direction, esotericism is strongly intertwined with tantric yoga, Tibetan Buddhism, and sutra yoga.
- Improvement and discovery of abilities to heal other people. Many achieve good results in this direction. There are people who were able to develop superpowers: tearing stones with their fingers, bending forks and spoons with their eyes, healing other people from deadly diseases. A person can develop many different abilities, and various teachings and techniques help him in this.
- Impact on the world. These are teachings and practices that can help a person influence reality. This includes teachings about black and white magicians, extrasensory perception, the astral plane, energy, poltergeists, etc.
What does esotericism give?
Why can only a select few comprehend esoteric knowledge? Because not each of us is ready to say goodbye to the old idea of the world, to the old thoughts, to the usual three-dimensional space. Only a select few strive for this knowledge, for transforming themselves and their thoughts.
But esoteric practices and technologies give people not only knowledge, they help to start thinking differently, to feel space, to understand that the world around us is not three-dimensional, but limitless and our consciousness is omnipotent.
Why does a person engage in esotericism?
Esotericism and occultism are different roads that lead to the same knowledge. They appear in a person’s life at the very moment when they are really needed:
- when he is in search of new sensations;
- when the world loses its attractiveness for him, becomes boring and does not bring joy;
- when he stops seeing a miracle and looks only from the negative side;
- when he is in search of a new method of treatment (traditional medicine turns out to be powerless);
- when a person is in a state of prolonged depression, despair, grief.
Esotericism and occultism, religion or magic help a person to recover spiritually and physically. This is knowledge and wisdom accumulated over many years. Esotericism and occultism are mysteries that everyone can comprehend and with the help of which they can overcome difficulties. Become free and free from heaviness, achieve results, become healthy and happy.
How does occultism differ from esotericism?
Esotericism is a branch of occultism. This is exactly what scientists and researchers who are interested in this issue say. Is there a difference between esotericism and occultism? The goal of esotericism is not to attract the love of higher powers. It is aimed at gaining knowledge about the material and spiritual world, self-knowledge, gaining knowledge and information about higher powers.
Occultism is aimed at subjugating otherworldly forces, usually dark ones, in order to obtain any kind of benefits.
Esotericism and occultism: substitution of concepts
Occult sciences are a system of knowledge about the material and spiritual world that gives a person enormous opportunities. They closely resemble esoteric teachings, but there is one significant difference. Esotericism is self-knowledge and spiritual development, awareness of the divine essence and complete renunciation of material wealth. Occultism is aimed at developing abilities to acquire power and strength in the material world. That is, occult knowledge should help achieve status and material benefits. Often occult sciences, such as palmistry, astrology, numerology, and fortune telling are called esoterics. But this is an erroneous statement, since their main task is to improve financial situation. While esotericism is the divine path and spiritual perfection.
a general name for many teachings. In particular, for those of them that determine the presence of certain forces of nature and indicate the presence in the world of certain other forces, direct communication with which is impossible for everyone...
And perhaps it is only for those who are among those initiated or close to the world of the Divine.
Communication with higher powers itself occurs in the form of various kinds of sacraments, magical ecstasy, through rituals and mystical attributes. Among the sciences, or, so to speak, conditionally existing sciences, united under the general definition occultism, the following forms of esotericism can be distinguished:
- Alchemy: a conditionally existing science, or more precisely, an area of philosophy, the formation of which took place in the geometric tradition; studied the process of turning metal into gold and the secret of eternal life;
- Astrology: a very real science that allows you to analyze the impact of celestial bodies on events taking place on Earth; it also contains magical, mystical, philosophical and other similar aspects;
- Kabbalah: a religious Jewish movement that still exists;
- Theosophy: the actual theoretical part of occultism, closely intertwined with the study of the knowledge of God of the divine principle using mysticism;
- Theurgy: practice in magic, which made it possible to interact with higher powers, receiving certain benefits from them; known since the era of Neoplatonism in pagan cultures. - etc.
As you can see, the fairly broad concept of occultism must be understood only through familiarization with its main components, sciences, practices, teachings and religious movements. All this taken together, with a proper understanding of the basic principles, will make it possible to more clearly determine the origins and history of the development of this topic as a whole.
What is occultism
To understand what occultism is, it is necessary to turn to the moment of its appearance and the process of development.
The history of occultism begins with the first mention of the term “secret philosophy”, coined by the natural philosopher, astrologer and lawyer Argippus of Nettesheim back in the 16th century AD. Somewhat later (almost three centuries), this concept, already known to us, was used by the French occultist and tarot reader Elphias Levy.
The affected areas of distribution of this set of practices often go against the tenets of religions different nations. In many of them, it is generally accepted that occultism is a sin, since its methods promote the use of higher powers (both dark and light) for their own not always godly purposes.
Synonyms
Synonyms for the word occultism, which, in part, also reveal its essence, bringing researchers closer to a clearer understanding and study of it, include such well-known terms as:
- Witchcraft (communication with deities and spirits in pagan cultures);
- Witchcraft (the use of the forces of nature or dark forces to achieve desired goals, interpretations may differ in different cultures);
- Warlock (communication with the world of the dead, similar in essence to necromancy);
- Fortune telling (attempts to find out a person’s future through magical rituals).
There are more than 30 similar words that reflect the essence of occultism. All of them are based on the use of secret knowledge or rituals, as well as mystical and magical practices.
Theoretical foundations
When studying occultism, a person, first of all, must know and understand the generally accepted methods through the use of which knowledge of the surrounding world is carried out in this area of esoteric knowledge. Thus, among those methods that are indisputably confirmed by science, we can highlight:
- Sensory perception (for example, feeling objects, etc.);
- Experience (in the course of life, a person encounters different situations and finds ways out of them, the totality of events that happen to a person is experience);
- Speculation (thinking, using which a person can build various kinds of assumptions).
However, it must be borne in mind that with all this, in occultism there is also a fourth method of cognition: the supersensible. And it is precisely this that cannot be verified by known and generally accepted scientific methods, while it presupposes communication with the world of the Divines, the world of the dead or other superpowers and transcendental worlds through revelations or rituals. It is these methods that represent the foundations of the occult.
Ideals
Like any science, occultism has its own ideals. And, first of all, these are its famous occultists: of course, a number of extraordinary personalities who in one way or another influenced the development of this set of sciences and practices, bringing them to a new level.
Among these figures, some well-known names can be distinguished:
John Dee, a scientist who proposed counting from the prime meridian and wrote a geographical textbook, was known as a follower of the occult sciences;
Saint Germain, a man of mystery, boasted that he had invented an elixir of immortality, which he used on himself, which allowed him to live for hundreds of years (but these were just his statements, which, however, were believed by many);
Occultism(from Latin occultus - secret, hidden) - the general name of sciences and teachings that study the relationship between the spiritual (invisible) world, man and the material (visible) world.
- Occultist- a person who studies various occult sciences.
- Occultism often confused with esotericism. And this is not surprising. Both esotericism and occultism use knowledge, experience and faith. However, there is a main difference between them - this is the ultimate goal. Driving force, motive - for what a person spends his energy, time, and sometimes money.
If esotericism is the path of spiritual development, knowledge of God through understanding the world around us and oneself. That popular occultism caters to human desires, gives a person power in the material world.
- Occult sciences are sciences about the secrets of Nature. They reveal the essence of things in Nature, develop hidden abilities sleeping in a person, and thereby give him enormous advantages over ordinary (ignorant) people. If scientists study matter, then occultists see the manifestation of energy in it.
- A true occultist- a person who has much more power than other people.
Occult sciences, as well as esotericism, have always been closed, secret, so that selfish people would not abuse them for their own benefit. And uneducated people simply will not understand them.
- The occult sciences include: alchemy, magic (including healing), astrology, numerology, physiognomy, phrenology, palmistry, occult mineralogy, occult botany, occult zoology, occult anatomy, occult medicine, psychology, symbolism, geomancy.
- Towards occult directions also include such phenomena as clairvoyance, dreaming (the study and interpretation of dreams), hypnotism, spiritualism, predictive systems (fortune telling, Tarot cards, etc.)
Occult Schools have two areas of activity:
- Internal activities- selection of students, improvement of secret teaching.
- External activities- moral and ethical management of the people, educational activities, education of rulers (leaders of states), replenishment of Schools by revealing some Secrets.
Recently in Russia there has been an unusually strong craving for the occult in all its manifestations, including occult methods of treatment. Like mushrooms after rain, various occult teachings, schools, trends, including satanic ones, arise among us. So what is occultism?
The Satanic “Church” and the Masonic Lodge are officially registered in Moscow. Newspapers and magazines publish advertisements for sorcerers and magicians inviting people to visit them in order to remove the “evil eye,” “damage,” “healing” from all ailments, love spells, etc. Occult newspapers and magazines are published (“UFO”, “Secret Power”, “Oracle”, “Anomaly” and many others), a huge number of books on magic, witchcraft, extrasensory perception, ufology are published; The Association “Ecology of the Unidentified” was established. International Institute space anthropoecology. International Institute of Human Capacity. Center for Unconventional Research "Alpha", International "Society of Ancient Astronauts", International Association of Psychoeniosuggestology, multiple centers of Dianetics. Academy of Parapsychology, Academy of Energy and Information Sciences, ufological centers, etc.
All these centers, societies, associations, academies, magazines, newspapers are engaged in “research”, “practice” and dissemination of occult knowledge among the people. But what is occultism?
Great Soviet Encyclopedia(1974, vol. 18, p. 348) defines the word “occultism” this way.
Occultism(from the Latin word occultus - secret, hidden) - the general name of teachings that recognize the existence of hidden forces in man and the cosmos, inaccessible to ordinary human experience, but accessible to “initiates” who have gone through a special initiation (dedication) and special mental training. At the same time, the purpose of the initiation ritual... is seen in achieving the highest level of consciousness, which opens access to the so-called “secret knowledge.”
It is this so-called “secret knowledge” that underlies witchcraft and magic, from which extrasensory perception, bioenergy, ufology, etc. came into the arena of the day. IN recent years occult sciences - extrasensory perception, bioenergetics, ufology, the doctrine of karma, hypnosis, parapsychology, etc. have become particularly widespread, especially among the scientific intelligentsia. The works of the Roerichs and Blavatsky on the development of the teachings of Agni Yoga played a significant role in this.
Occult teachings come to us from both the West and the East. This is largely due to the development of ideological and spiritual pluralism, or permissiveness, against the background of the so-called democratization of society. Before our eyes, a terrible spiritual aggression is being committed against Russia and, first of all, against Orthodoxy in Russia, for only Russia remains the pillar and stronghold of true Christianity in the world. But this is precisely why enormous efforts are being spent to undermine Orthodoxy and the Church both externally and internally. Probably few people know that just last year, 1994, the CIA spent $150 million for spiritual aggression against Russia and a stream of various anti-Orthodox preachers poured into our country, who began to create various sects, schools, including occult ones - extrasensory perception, magic, ufology, astrology, etc.
On the other side, the collapse of our healthcare, considered at one time the best in the world, the impossibility of freely obtaining highly qualified medical care, which has become a subject of trade, and a very expensive one at that, the high cost of drugs, the disappearance of many necessary drugs from the pharmacy network, the appearance large quantity psychics, sorcerers, shamans, healers offering relatively inexpensive help at almost every step, religious illiteracy of the population led to a sharp surge in occult healing and the craving for it of many non-believers or people of little faith.
Meanwhile, the attitude of our Church towards occult healing methods is sharply negative. According to the rules St. Basil the Great people who practice magic are subject to the same church punishment as murderers.
According to rules of the VI Ecumenical Council, people who resort to the help of wizards are subject to a six-year penance, as well as cloud casters, charmers, and talisman makers. Those who are rooted in this matter and do not turn away at all are thrown out of the Church.
He is harsh towards sorcerers, fortune tellers, sorcerers, i.e. towards representatives of the occult sciences, Old Testament. Deuteronomy (chapter 18, vv. 9-13) says: “When you enter the land that the Lord your God is giving you, then do not learn to do the abominations that these nations have done. There shall not be among you one who guides his son or daughter through fire, a soothsayer, a fortune-teller, a soothsayer, a sorcerer, a charmer, a conjurer of spirits, a magician, and one who inquires of the dead. For anyone who does these things is an abomination to the Lord, and because of these abominations the Lord your God drives them out from before you. Be blameless before the Lord your God.”
In the book Leviticus it says: “Do not turn to those who summon the dead, and do not go to wizards, and do not bring yourself to the point of being desecrated by them. I am the Lord your God" (19, 31). “And if any soul has turned to those who call the dead and to magicians to go after them fornication, then I will turn my face against that soul and destroy it from among its people. Sanctify yourselves and be holy, for I am the Lord your God,holy" (20, 6-7).
In the book Exodus it says: “And when they say to you: turn to the summoners of the dead and to the sorcerers, to the whisperers and ventriloquists, then answer: should not the people turn to their God? Do the dead ask about the living? Turn to law and revelation. If they do not speak like this word, then there is no light in them.” And one more thing: “Don’t leave the witches alive”(22,18).
The book of Leviticus says especially harshly and directly about people involved in the occult: “Whether a man or a woman, if they call the dead or cast magic, they shall be put to death; They shall be stoned, their blood shall be on them." (20, 27).
Thus, in Old Testament the attitude towards people involved in magic, fortune-telling, sorcery, astrologers (astrologers), etc., i.e., occult activities, is quite clear and harsh - even to the point of putting them to death. About those who turn to them for help with fortune telling, etc., it is said: “...I will set My face against that soul and will destroy him from among his people.”(Lev. 20:6).
From our subsequent narrative it will be clear that those who turn to sorcerers, magicians, shamans, and psychics for help really begin to suffer spiritually and physically, even to the point of death. Many people interested in UFOs and “aliens” also end their lives tragically. This is how words come true in life Bible “...I will set My face against that soul and will destroy him from among the people.”
Why are occult healing methods scary?
Hypnosis, extrasensory perception, witchcraft, coding use methods violent influence on the human psyche, suppressing his will and developing people’s behavior according to someone else’s will - a hypnotist, psychic, sorcerer, etc. Without acting on a person’s subconscious, they put their program of behavior and thinking into the subconscious. This program, passing into consciousness, determines a person’s behavior, actions and even way of thinking. It seems to him that he is acting of his own free will, according to his own desire. In fact, he fulfills the will of a stranger, a stranger's spirit. Such violent influence limits a person’s personality, paralyzes his will, changes behavior and even thinking. A person becomes, as it were, a biorobot; the Image of God is killed in him.
Every person bears the image of God within himself, no matter how bad and fallen he may be. The image of God in man is that man has the properties inherent in God: reason, free will, immortal soul. By taking away a person’s will and imposing their own on him, changing a person’s way of thinking and behavior, occultists mock the Image of God, belittle it, and subjugate the human soul to themselves.
According to the teachings of the Holy Fathers of the Church, a person can act according to his own will, according to the will of God and according to the will of demons, which is imposed on him in this case through an intermediary - a sorcerer, a psychic, a hypnotist.
Extrasensory perception, bioenergy, witchcraft, magic are carried out experimentally, contrary to the prohibition of the Church and Holy Scripture, invading the spiritual world and achieving certain therapeutic results. But a psychic and a sorcerer invade the spiritual world with their sinful, unrefined soul, and, naturally, in the spiritual world they can only communicate with the world of negative forces (demonic).
“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God” - said in Gospels. Occultists, on the other hand, invade the spiritual world without purifying their souls through repentance and generally in a sinful manner, contrary to the prohibition of the Church.
Orthodoxy does not set as its goal the acquisition of any supernatural abilities, but sets the goal cleansing the soul from sins through repentance, prayer, fasting, abstinence, doing good deeds, love for God and people.
The basis of the Christian life is love and faith, good deeds, asceticism (fasting, abstinence). The Christian path goes through moral improvement: “Be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect,” and not through exercises that develop supernatural abilities without cleansing the soul (repentance), love, and doing good deeds. This path is dangerous and disastrous.
Perfect love leads to humility, and humility is anti-pride. In pride, a person recognizes himself as perfect, great, the best among people, powerful. And occultism precisely develops in people the desire for power over people, that is, it develops pride, which is the beginning and end of all sin. It was through pride that Dennitsa the devil fell, and it was precisely through pride that the first people on Earth - Adam and Eve - sinned. The serpent, in whose image the devil was hiding, inspired Adam and Eve: “God knows that in the day that you eat of it (the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil), your eyes will be opened, and you will be like gods...”(Genesis, 3, 5). This is the essence of sin: disobedience and pride - “you will be like gods.”
So it turns out that God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.
Invasion into the spiritual world without moral purification and repentance through physical and spiritual exercises leads to the development of pride, and often such pride leads to serious mental illness of this person and suppresses the Image of God in him.
The Christian path is aimed at developing the Image of God and exalting Him. This is the way deliverance from the slavery of sin. "Know the Truth and the Truth will set you free"- it is said in the Gospel. But what is Truth? Lord Jesus Christ said: “I am the Way, the Truth and the Belly.” This means that only in the knowledge of God do we acquire the real path, know the Truth and acquire Life. Outside of God this does not exist. Occultism leads us to a path without God, a path that is not true and not vital.
“Know the Truth and the Truth will set you free.” Free from what? Can a person be free in this world, which lies in sin and evil? In this world, a person is subject to the influence of various laws on him: natural, biological, physiological, legal, social, economic, moral, spiritual. And he must not violate any of these laws, otherwise he will have to be strictly responsible for violations. What will the knowledge of the Truth make a person free from? From committing sin! This means that having come to know the Truth (God), he becomes free from committing sin. Ap. John the Theologian said: “Whoever abides in (God) will not sin”(1 John, 3, 6): This is the true freedom of man!
Freeing himself from sin, a person conquers his nature, i.e., the laws of biology. We know that many, many Christian saints were not married, that is, they lived in complete abstinence, hardly slept, prayed a lot, ate very little (for example, one prosphora a day or one cracker). And so, in asceticism, in faith and in love for God and people, “conquering the order of nature,” many of them received the grace of God and were able to heal and perform miracles.
Occultists take a completely different path- through special training without cleansing the soul and body from sins, they develop the supernatural abilities that every person has or receive them from the devil.
Without special spiritual tension and moral improvement, a person directly receives the fruits of his work - “healings,” prediction of events (clairvoyance), influencing events, “correcting a person’s fate,” etc.
In Christianity, the purpose of life is not the development or acquisition of supernatural abilities, but acquisition, i.e. acquisition. Holy Spirit, according to the word of the venerable Seraphim of Sarov. Christianity is the path to the creation of a “new creation in Christ” (Apostle Paul). This does not happen in occultism. Therefore, occultists do not act by the Grace of God, but act through the world of negative spiritual forces - the world of demons. And this leads to serious, sometimes tragic consequences.
