Crystal Healing

The focus of this chapter is on a book by Alana Fairchild titled, Crystal Masters 333: Initiation with the divine power of heaven & earth, Blue Angel Publishing, 2014, and by going to her website, www.alanafairchild.com, it will be plain that she is fully qualified to present crystal healing. She is, however, different from many of those who identify healing with crystals. She connects with crystals via ascended masters. More on this later. 

On the back cover of Alana’s book is the following:

YOU HAVE WISE SPIRITUAL GUIDES FROM THE

MYSTICAL WORLD OF CRYSTALS AND ASCENDED MASTERS.

THEY ARE READY TO HELP YOU ON YOUR

PATH OF SPIRITUAL GROWTH NOW.

Notice the phrase “Spiritual guides” above. Notice also the phrase “Ascended Masters.” These are very real entities, but they are demonic spirits who are under the authority and control of the prince of demons, Satan. Alana is bowing down to the “god of this world” who has blinded the minds of those who submit to these guides and masters (See 2 Corinthians 4:3-4).

On the inside cover of Alana’s book is the following:

SPIRITUAL GUIDANCE

FROM THE CRYSTAL MASTERS

We, your guiding Ascended Masters, love you without condition

We help you remember and fulfill your divine life mission

We remind you to let go of your doubt and trust yourself completely

We help you remember that you, just like us, are divinity

By use of crystals one can be in touch with divine spiritual entities, and the 128 

reader must ask, what is the nature of these entities? Are they divine, angel like, highly evolved spirits, or something else? Our testimony is that they are demonic spirits pretending to be something divine and desirable. 

And how does it all work, you must ask? Supposedly, it is quite simple. All it takes is obtaining a crystal, trusting in the spiritual power flowing from it, placing it just so, and using your psychic intuition, along with meditation and mindfulness—you are now opened to receive spiritual beings, ascended masters, which are in reality evil spirits. 

We reach to you from within your own heart 

We are always with you, never apart 

We guide you to heal yourself and in doing so, the earth 

You are a sacred mid-wife, helping her rebirth 

Yes indeed, within you now, even at the core, one’s heart. And they will never leave you either. Sounds good? The only way they will leave is if someone who is a follower of Jesus, in the name and power of Jesus Christ, casts the demonic spirits out. 

We speak to you through signs, through intuition and dreams 

We call you to trust in what you feel, all is not as it seems 

We ask you to trust in the divine plan that is at play 

Surrender into it now, let the divine have its way 

The weird cacophony of the demons inside one’s body and brain distorts reality, but one is to trust in the divine plan. It can be said that demons are divine in that they are not human or animal or anything else that is tangible. Demons intend to crush and pervert human beings, since we are made in the image of God. 

It is your job to be all that you can possibly be 

To live, to feel all that you feel, to know you are free 

Choose love over fear, we’ll help you if you ask 

We are always supporting you in your divine life task 

Sounds good? Makes sense? It does, but only if one has a relationship with the Lord Jesus, but such is not the case. Instead, it is a relationship with one or more demons. (However many there may be in a person, there is usually one head demon, the first one to enter into a person who had opened up to the demonic kingdom.)129 

Over the course of four decades now, we have helped those who have unwittingly involved themselves in occultic/psychic processes and who have sought out deliverance from them. Very often, it is communicated to the one indwelt by demons that they will never leave and that no one can make them leave. This is a profound lie. We have found that, if a person begins to seek help, the demonic attacks pick up steam, since the demons know their time is now limited, and they want to derail the deliverance process. 

Fairchild writes that, to become an ascended master means to agree to be an initiate, and when that happens, one is no longer subject to “the karmic law of rebirth” (p. 11). So, rebirths no longer go on; rather, one exists in a spiritual dynamic able to help others become in tune with psychic therapies, among which are crystal healings. And one of the skills necessary to cultivate is being able to move into and out of altered states of consciousness. She says, “I had been doing it in my spiritual channelling and healing work” and the “healing” part was the use of crystals (p. 12). 

The “channelling” above was something Alana would do for hours at a time while she was writing her book. So, the material in it really comes to Alana via ascended masters. She writes, “It is channelling that has created most of this book, and so obviously I hold it in high esteem” (p. 16). 

Her experience is that not all who channel are in touch with true and mature ascended masters. To assure that she connects with only the purest, she prays, “I call upon the true Ascended Master who loves me unconditionally” (p. 16). 

Crystals and their cleansing 

“How do I work with the crystals?” is a short piece that is most relevant to what we hope to present in this chapter. The whole of it is that crystals have energy in them, and sometimes they need to be cleansed. She writes, “You can cleanse all crystals by visualizing a vibrant violet light, flecked with white” (p. 18). The cleansing removes that which is not pure in the crystal. That which is cleansed is negative energy. And one should not expose a crystal to water or sunlight. 

While cleansing a crystal one can say, “I call upon the beings of unconditional love who can assist with cleansing my crystal and transmuting negative energy into unconditional love. Through my own free will, so be it” (p. 18). 

Crystal Angels 

Every crystal has its own angel, Alana states, and may be called a nature spirit, an oversoul, or deva. “These crystal angels are the spirit, consciousness, wisdom and vibration of the entire crystal ‘species’” (p. 19). And these beings are called upon to perform healings. 

So then, when holding a crystal, one works with the energy of that 130 

particular crystal, its angel. And the practitioner calls upon the crystal angel for the healing. And it need not be that the actual crystal be present, since the angel of the crystal will be present. Alana writes, “Through connecting with the angel we can call on the healing energy of the crystal anyway” (p. 19). 

Energy healing is a term that describes working with crystals, it is all about energy, and the vibrations and energy of crystals can be the healing agent. This is the core of working with crystals, and each crystal has different energy. 

This is not dissimilar to Reiki, as it also has to do with moving energy and vibrations around, or releasing energy, or unblocking energy. 

The Crystals 

From page 23 to page 339, Alana describes one crystal after the other, 18 of them. Each section looks like these examples: 

ASCENDED MASTER LAO TZU (Eastern Wisdom) 

ZINCITE (power) 

INITIATION INTO BALANCE 

And 

BUDDHA (Compassion) 

PERIDOT (Increase) 

INITIATION OF THE BODHISATTRVA VOW 

And 

ASCENDED MASTER MOHER MARY (Protection) 

CELESTITE (Serenity) 

INITIATION OF TRUST 

The first line states the name of the personage—each one is identified with a figure in history or fantasy. The second line states the name of the crystal, here Zincite, Peridot, and Celestite. And the third line has to do with the need or act. 

Excerpts from Wikipedia 

Wikipedia, July 4, 2022 

Crystal healing is a pseudoscientific alternative-medicine practice that uses semiprecious stones and crystals such as quartz, agate, amethyst or opal. Adherents of the practice claim that these have healing powers, but there is no scientific basis for this claim. Practitioners of crystal healing believe they can 131 

boost low energy, prevent bad energy, release blocked energy, and transform a body’s aura. 

In one method, the practitioner places crystals on different parts of the body, often corresponding to chakras; or else the practitioner places crystals around the body in an attempt to construct an energy grid, which is purported to surround the client with healing energy. Scientific investigations have found no evidence that such “energy grids” actually exist, and there is no evidence that crystal healing has any greater effect upon the body than any other placebo. 

Where the practice is popular, it fosters commercial demand for crystals, which can result in environmental damage and exploitative child labor to mine the crystals. 

Origins 

In Plato’s account of Atlantis, crystal healing is also mentioned. According to Plato, the Atlanteans used crystals to read minds and transmit thoughts. The first historical documentation of crystals originated from the Ancient Sumerians (c. 4500 to c. 2000 BC). The Sumerians used crystals in their magical formulas. 

Writings dating back as far as 400 BC make observations about the powers different crystals were believed to emit. Often if a negative incident occurred, a specific stone would be used in an attempt to counteract the negative effect. This was done by wearing amulets or other talismans around the neck with specific stones. 

The origins of crystal healing is tied to Ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia, India, Ancient Greece, or Ancient Rome. 

Ancient Egyptians mined for crystals and used them to make jewelry. Crystals or gemstones were also used in practice, for their metaphysical properties. Specifically, they used crystals as aids for health and protection. They often would bury a lapis lazuli scarab with their deceased, with the belief that it would protect them in the afterlife. Additionally, in Ancient Egypt amulets were used to ensure the well-being of the individual. The amulet’s shape, decoration, inscription, color, material, or ritual performed with the amulet dictated its power. Amulets were worn or placed on the body, in the form of stones, piercings, rings, necklaces, or other jewelry. The Egyptians used amulets to benefit their afterlife, often representing an Egyptian deity and their specific powers. Amulets were also placed on mummies or in between the mummy’s bandages, with funerary pieces usually being larger than those worn by the living. In funeral practices they also used headrest amulets, these were full-size headrests placed in tombs to protect the dead, they also symbolized the deceased rising and being revived, and the sun rising between two hills, which 132 

symbolized resurrection and rebirth. 

The Ancient Greeks assigned a multitude of properties to crystals. The word ‘crystal’ is derived from the Greek word “krýstallos” which translates to “ice”. The Ancient Greeks believed that clear quartz crystals were a water that had frozen to the point where it would remain in its solid form. The word “amethyst” in Ancient Greek language means “not intoxicate.” Amethyst was worn as an amulet that they believed would aid hangovers or prevent intoxication. 

Precious stones have been thought of as objects that can aid in healing— in a practice known as lapidary medicine—by a variety of cultures. The Hopi Native Americans of Arizona use quartz crystals to assist in diagnosing illnesses. Both Pliny the Elder and Galen claimed that certain crystals had medicinal properties. In Europe, the belief in the healing powers of crystals (and in particular crystal amulets) persisted into the Middle Ages. The alleged medicinal properties of precious stones, as well as other powers they were believed to hold, were collected in texts known as lapidaries, which remained popular in Medieval and Early Modern Europe until the 17th century. 

Across cultures, different stones can symbolize or provide aide for different things. An example of this is rose quartz. In Egypt, it was believed rose quartz could prevent aging, but the Romans used rose quartz as a seal to signify ownership, while in the Middle Ages it was used in healing potions, today rose quartz is known as the “love stone” and is used to balance emotions and heal anger and disappointment. 

Introduction to the New Age movement 

New Age crystal healing ties to three cultures, British, Indian, and Native American. British culture has a Pagan history which has inspired many people who practice modern-day witchcraft. Indian culture uses crystal healing as a form of holistic healing and is written in the holy texts of Indian culture. 

New-age healing in the Western world has ties to the British, and more specifically paganism. While many people may not want to practice animal sacrifice, modern practices have simplified many ancient rituals and practices, making them more available and attractive to those in Western society. Western astrology is also used with crystals, and ties into modern paganism. Practitioners believe certain stones align with and share properties with certain planets. Using astrological birth charts someone may also use types of stones that are compatible with their star signs. 

In the Vedic texts of Hinduism, specifically the Garuda Purana and Graha-gocara, there is a lot of information about the importance of crystals in Indian culture. In these texts Hindu Demigods trick the Vedic demon Valla into attending a pretend sacrifice ritual and after allowing himself to be tied to a stake, Valla learns the demigods are not pretending and the Demigods 133 

dismember Valla, whose body parts turn into gem seeds which contain talismanic powers, made more powerful the purer the gem. Vedic crystal practices is still alive in modern India and are used by both the older and younger generations. 

Tibetan refugees practicing Buddhism used crystals in meditation as malas, or prayer beads and many other people in Indian culture still use crystal healing when modern medicine does not work or is unattainable. 

Native American culture and crystal healing have been passed down through generations through word of mouth, due to this many traditions and secrets have been lost due to the extinction of many indigenous languages. In native cultures there are two important principals when it comes to crystal healing, meditation, and respect. Meditation varies from person to person but usually includes good thoughts and a healthy mindset when handling crystals. In Native American culture crystals are considered an entity and you must show respect to the stones, you can also show respect to the crystals through respect of the Earth. In native traditions they can use the crystals by wearing them to benefit from healing vibrations, either one at a time or several but the stones should never touch, or tinctures can be made with the stone and water and then administered internally. 

Contemporary use 

New Age 

In the English-speaking world, crystal healing is heavily associated with the New Age spiritual movement: “the middle-class New Age healing activity par excellence”. In contrast with other forms of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM), participants in crystal healing view the practice as “individuated”, that is dependent on extreme personalization and creative expression. Practitioners of crystal healing purport that certain physical properties such as shape, color, and markings, determine the ailments that a stone can heal; lists of such links are published in commonly distributed texts. Paradoxically, practitioners also “hold the view that crystals have no intrinsic qualities but that, instead, their quality changes according to both participants. After selecting the stones by color or their believed metaphysical qualities, they place them on parts of the body. Color selection and placement of stones are done according to concepts of grounding, chakras, or energy grids. 

Crystal healing today is often featured in jewelry and is used side by side with yoga, meditation, or mindfulness. Often people turn to crystal healing when they become dissatisfied with modern medicine and people are looking to revive cultural traditions from older generations. Today the use of crystal healing is typically used by middle and upper-class individuals because they have the time and resources to seek out this type of alternative medicine. More affluent people are also able to afford better quality crystals. 

Twenty-eight

What Title to Use

“How shall we refer to you on the wedding

announcement?”

“I like ‘Most Holy Reverend Doctor’. It has a ring

to it don’t you think?”

         

Just what or who are we? The usual titles are

“reverend,” “minister,” or “pastor,” and some like

to use “Doctor” if they have an earned doctorate.

Though I have an earned doctorate, a DMin., (not an

academic, but practical degree) I do not use it. It sounds

pretentious. I reserve “Doctor” for medical doctors,

dentists, and other medical specialists. But I will use

the term, also, for university, college, or seminary

professors if they have an earned Ph.D. or Th.D., but

that is about it. I restrict my use of the title because I

noticed that I was too pleased with being called “Dr.

Philpott”.

One day I introduced myself as Doctor Philpott to

a small group that included a rather well known medical

doctor. The M.D. gave his name, Doctor so-and-so. It

embarrassed me. He intended, I felt, to embarrass me.

He knew my doctorate had something to do with

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What Title to Use

theology, and he could, I think, sense the kind of selfimportant

way in which I announced myself. That was

the last time I pulled that. I do not use the title in the

Yellow Pages of the telephone book, and I do not use

the term on my stationary or my business card. I have

no quarrel with others who do use it, however.

“Pastor” is the designation I use. I do not like the

title “reverend” maybe because I do not feel very

reverent most of the time. And I do not know what

“reverend” means exactly except that it is a ministerial

designation. The term “minister” is appropriate. When

I sign a wedding document (at least the ceremonial

certificate) I declare that I am a “Minister of the

Gospel.”

Essentially my function is to pastor a church, so

that is the title I use. When I meet people for the first

time they often don’t know how to address me. I will

generally extend my hand and say, “My name is Kent

Philpott” thereby letting them know how I prefer to

be called. If people ask “How am I to introduce you?”

or “How am I to list you on the program?” I will say,

“After my name should read, ‘pastor.’” And if they

want more than that I say, “Pastor of Miller Avenue

Baptist Church.” But generally, upon introduction, I

give my full name without title.

The question comes up, “How are kids to refer to

you?” I may not have the right spin on this, but I just

introduce myself to them as “Kent”. If a parent wants

to say, “This is Pastor Philpott”, or “Pastor Kent”, or

“Reverend Philpott” I let it go at that. However parents

wants to instruct their child to refer to me I will accept.

I will not correct a child but will let them call me

anything they want to.

Robes, clerical robes—though not the subject of

this chapter, I do not want to come up with a separate

134

For Pastors

chapter about robes—deserve some comment. I have

worn robes yet never felt comfortable with them. One

Sunday morning I tripped on the stole on my way up

to the pulpit and thereby generated a chorus of giggles.

I would not mention this topic except that I have met

too many ministers who take what I consider to be too

great a delight in dressing up in robes and other

religious garments. Robes were developed in an era

when the office of minister was undergoing a transition

from servant to shaman, or servant to magician. Special

garments symbolized extra ordinary powers. That is

one theory anyway, and another is that robes help set

the ministry apart or call attention to the specialness

of Christian ministry. I have little objection to this latter

view, but clothes should not be what makes the

ministry special.

If a particular denomination or church traditionally

uses robes, fine, ignore what I have said here all the

while keeping in mind our tendency to think of

ourselves more highly than we ought.

         

  What title do you prefer?

  What does the old term, “puffed up” mean to you?

 Sarah Young: Jesus Calling

The following is repeated from our own book, The Soul Journey: How Shamanism, Santeria, Wicca, and Charisma are Connected, in which we propose that the “connection” between these spiritual paths is actually the mediumistic practice of attaining a trance state and contacting spirits, be they supposed spirits of dead ancestors (shamanism and Santería), spirit quides (various occult renditions), lords and ladies of the Realm (Wicca), or even the supposed Jesus of Sarah Young’s series of books that started with Jesus Calling in 2004. 

******* 

Sarah Young practices “listening prayer,” in which she hears messages directly communicated from Jesus. She describes her technique in her bestselling book, Jesus Calling, which has sold over nine million copies in twenty-six languages (as of the end of 2013). This book was the fifth bestseller for the first half of 2013 for all books, not just Christian books. Through it all, the author maintains a low profile, partly due to physical disabilities, and thus she is relatively unknown. She has experienced chronic physical difficulties for many years and writes inspiringly of her loving connection with whom or what she thinks is Jesus giving her comforting and encouraging messages. 

It all began with Sarah wondering if she could receive messages during times of prayer. She hoped God would talk to her personally. And it began to happen. And yes, she believes that Jesus is really and actually speaking with her. She prays then listens, and He answers. This has been her experience for many years. 

As she hears, Sarah journals what she hears, and after a number of years she published some of what she heard. Readers and prayer groups are encouraged and comforted by the messages, and as sales of books demonstrate, she has a growing audience. Many thousands are now taking up the practice of listening prayer. 

The key question which must be asked is, who is speaking? Jesus or 125 

someone else? Is it possible there is clever counterfeiting here? 

Over the centuries Christians have thought that God does speak to them. Richard Foster, who champions contemplative prayer or meditative prayer, defends Young’s practice. He has modeled his own recommendations for deep meditation and contemplation on what Teresa of Avila, St. John of the Cross, Ignatius Loyola, and many others practiced and experienced centuries ago. What Young does is the same as or quite similar to the exercises of these Christian mystics. 

Sarah Young describes her own custom as meditating on Scripture and then waiting quietly to hear a reply from Jesus. When Jesus speaks, she writes down what she heard or was placed on her heart. She insists that the words or messages are not revelatory in the sense of prophecy or fortune telling; the content of the messages is fairly ordinary and biblically based. The Bible plays a major role in Sarah’s life, and she firmly believes it is the inspired revelation of God; however, and this is a huge “however,” she wanted more than what the Bible offers. She indeed got more and has come to rely on these communications, the “encouraging directives from the Creator,” as she originally said before that phrase was removed from her 2013 edition. 

But there is a worrisome twist. When Young journals the words supposedly spoken by Jesus they are written in the first person with Jesus as the person speaking. She does not, for instance, write, “Jesus said,” but rather, “Focus on me.” Since she purports to write down whatever Jesus says, her readers must logically conclude that her journal is as authoritative as the Bible, almost a fifth Gospel. If this is not so, then Jesus Calling is pseudo-biblical, an imitation, albeit very clever, of a revelation from God. 

Young’s error is therefore serious and similar to that of the Course in Miracles, supposedly communicated by Jesus to Helen Schucman in the 1970s. Schucman’s Jesus dictated profoundly spiritual concepts to her, which she wrote down, and one of the most successful new age cults was born. Schucman’s Jesus bears little resemblance to the biblical Jesus, unlike Young’s Jesus, but could this make the counterfeit even more difficult to detect? 

Young’s book sales are phenomenal, and again I cannot help but be reminded of Helen Schucman and the Course in Miracles; however, Young’s book is far more biblically Christian than Schucman’s. The difference seems clear, and many Christians are tempted to embrace Young’s claim to hear the voice of Jesus. But it will not work. There is neither biblical precedent nor warrant for quieting oneself, praying, and then listening for Jesus to speak. Young’s techniques fit into the broad spectrum that is Charisma today, emboldening yet another dangerous counterfeit practice. 

The Jesus supposedly speaking to Sarah Young is very affirming and encouraging, but little else. The messages lack the doctrinal content of the real Jesus found in Scripture. Encouraging promises found in quotes supposedly 126 

from Jesus’ appeal to those who are easily dazzled by assurances of personal satisfaction and are therefore attracted to purveyors of the health, wealth, and prosperity gospel. 

Nowhere in Scripture does God promise to speak individually to believers or answer prayer by speaking directly to the one praying. This is the critical point. What I discovered in my decades of ministry is that, if you want to hear things from God, you eventually will hear something. But the communication is not from God, however real and spiritual the communication might be. 

John 10:27 is quoted by proponents of Young’s book as proof that Jesus speaks directly to His ‘”sheep.” “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.” To “hear” is to know Jesus as the Good Shepherd as distinct from a false shepherd or a wolf; the literal application of “hear” does not work here. It is the Holy Spirit who indwells the believer at conversion who “bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God” (Romans 8:16). 

An instruction for believers to listen for the actual audible voice of Jesus, be it solely in the mind, is foreign to the New Testament writings. There is nothing in Scripture about praying then listening for a response. It is surprising that so many do not know this. Churches across the country have instituted prayer groups devoted to Young’s methods. Again, it illustrates the fascination with feelings and direct experiences rather than seeking to learn what the Word of God actually teaches. 

We are all hungry to know more of God, and little by little we do grow up into the fullness of the stature of Christ (see Ephesians 4:1-16). Following Jesus is a lifelong process and there are no shortcuts. Quick and easy methods of “going direct” to the source can be addictive and difficult to disengage from. Christians are yet sinners and living in a sinful world; we are pilgrims traveling the straight and narrow road that is often filled with pain and sorrow. God hears our prayers and does strengthen and comfort us, but He speaks to us through the Scripture. That is enough for us. We do not need more. Eve wanted more and she got it, but it brought disaster upon her and all of us. 

******* 

We strongly suggest acquiring Brenna E. Scott’s book, Christian Journaling or Psychic Channeling? A Critical Comparison of the Jesus Calling Series with Occult Training Literature. You will find in this book a brief history of how Sarah Young encountered a devotional book, God Calling, written in the 1930’s by two women who practiced waiting in God’s Presence in a mediumistic manner. Ms. Scott is quite thorough in her analysis of the contents of Sarah Young’s books. There is a foreword by Chris Lawson, and it is published by Brenna Scott Publishing, LLC, 2022.

Hello All, I will be starting a Bible study by Zoom, this going through the Gospel of Mark, starting September  8, at 4pm Western time. Will last one hour. Expect to get a nice looking invitation with a link in it for the Zoom class. If you don’t get one by Monday let me know.

First time ever doing this, so their might be some clitches, but we will work it out.

Kent

Twenty-seven

Limit Promotions

“I just got a letter from our missionaries in South

America and they need a new computer and a new

truck. I figure it will run about $12,000. Pastor, what

are you going to do about it?”

“I think I will simply scrape a little bit more gold

off the chandelier.”

         

Pastors are asked, sometimes expected, to promote

many important and worthy causes: in some

instances it seems more like a demand than a request.

Before I learned how to say “No,” I spent an inordinate

amount of time begging for money. Squeezing money

out of people seemed like a major feature of my job.

Of course I present the need for giving tithes and

offerings. In the Sunday morning bulletin I routinely

have an offertory theme. Sometimes the theme

coordinates with the sermon, sometimes it does not.

The offertory theme provides an opportunity for a brief

teaching on giving. In addition, a record of the week

by week giving is presented in the Sunday bulletin.

The monthly newsletter contains a complete

accounting of the giving and spending for the past

month.

129

Limited Promotion

Miller Avenue is part of a particular denomination,

and the denomination has four offerings a year. We

participate in the “The One Great Hour of Sharing”

offering, an America for Christ offering (home

missions), the World Mission offering (foreign

missions), and an offering for retired ministers and

missionaries. This is characteristic of American Baptist

Churches. Prior to the date of the offering, I receive a

box of promotional materials, videos, cassette tapes,

posters, and bulletin inserts. A financial goal is set, an

educational and motivational process is set in motion,

and the goal is usually met.

Beside the four basic denominational offerings

there are others we promote as well. Several of the

missionary organizations we give to usually send a

representative around once a year to promote their work

and take up a love offering. In addition, there are other

important groups who make requests to come before

the congregation and present their ministries. And then

there are the local charities and outreaches; they too,

look to churches for support. The over-riding need is

money, sometimes money and volunteers.

It is difficult for me to make evaluations about the

worthiness of a ministry or outreach. What makes it

even more stressful is that friends will be entreating

me to support their ministry. However, limitations must

be made, pastors must learn to say, “I wish I could”. If

not, the pastor will continually be asking the

congregation for money.

A common perception, for Christians and non-

Christians alike, is that the church is simply after

money. This perception is not far from the truth. We

are too often either taking an offering or preparing to

take one.

130

For Pastors

It is essential to limit promotions. There will be

some promotion certainly, and my suggestion is to

select one or two or three a year and do a sensible

promotion. And be very straightforward about it: “We

are going to raise money for _____ and here is the reason

why.” Giving, I have found, will actually increase when

the constant selling, promoting, and persuading is

limited. Above all, reject any tactic that tends to make

people feel guilty for not giving.

Though this does not logically belong at the end

of this chapter, I want to include a tangential issue. I

think it is extremely important that no one know what

anyone else in the church is giving. Certainly the

church treasurer is going to know, and consequently

that church treasurer needs to be a confidential person

who will not divulge information. And the treasurer

must not act towards someone in a deferential manner

on the basis of giving.

Pastors do not want to know who gives what! I do

not know who gives what and I do not care who gives

what. It matters not if a person gives a dollar or a

thousand dollars a month; I will not pay attention to

the one person over the other. It is a mistake to do so.

Too easily we can get into a situation where we are

afraid of losing somebody we know is a substantial

financial contributor. Such a person can then wield an

unhealthy power over us. We want to reject that kind

of fear and entanglement.

131

Limited Promotions

         

  Do you have strong feelings about money and the

church?

  Perhaps the worst experience is having to promote

an offering for a cause you do not care for. Have you a

plan for limiting promotions?

 Channeling and Mediumship

Following are highlights from the book Opening to Channel: How to Connect With Your Guide. It is written by Sanaya Roman and Duane Packer, published by H. J. Kramer Inc, Tiburon, California, in 1987. Much, even most, of the material in the book has been channeled to the authors by their guide spirits Orin and DaBen. 

Channeling and mediumship are united. The medium channels: thus, mediums engage in channeling. A medium may be referred to as a psychic or a channel. And what is channeled comes from what are referred to as guides, spirit guides, animal guides, dead ancestors, and more. 

Then there is the term “trance channeling,” since channeling is done while in a trance, which is a passive or altered or shamanistic state of mind or consciousness. This state of mind is usually entered into by using various forms of meditation involving concentration, emptying the mind, deep breathing and relaxation, and waiting to be contacted by spirits. 

The stated purpose of the book under consideration is to teach the reader how to channel a guide. The authors say that one can “learn to channel a high-level guide or your higher self” (p. 10). And by means of channeling one can access “all the ideas, knowledge, and wisdom that is and ever will be known” (p. 13). 

Again, all of this hinges on the trance state. To enter this state, you must learn to concentrate, rid yourself of your own thinking, and be open or receptive to higher guidance. It is in the trance state that the higher energies are contacted. 

Once the guide is contacted, this entity becomes a friend “who is always there to love, encourage, and support you” (p. 14). This friend becomes a wise teacher, “one who comes from within rather than without” (p. 14). 

The book by Sanaya Roman and Duane Packer is an account of how two well-meaning people became indwelt by spirits, and we mean evil spirits or demons. This is a typical pattern; one we have often encountered. Many are 119 

anxious to tap into wisdom and acquire or access power and knowledge, and to be indwelt by these spirits is usually quite exhilarating. Make no mistake, it is very spiritual. It does not have to be religious, meaning, one does not have to engage with or be a member of a religious organization, whether Christian, Hindu, Buddhist, or other, although that is not prohibited. 

Here is how Orin and DaBen describe themselves to Sanaya Roman and Duane Packer: “We, Orin and DaBen, are beings of light. We exist in the higher dimensions, and our goal is to assist you in opening your channel to these dimensions so that you may evolve more rapidly” (p. 15). 

The above is not fantasy or the work of someone attempting to sell books; it is evangelical outreach of a diabolical sort. And it is incredibly deceptive, when all of a sudden one is aware of actual contact with spiritual entities. Few realize what has taken place. Here is something new and exciting, even something where some money could be made. The understanding that these spirit guides are unholy or demonic is rare. Deception and devotion come quickly. One would have to have a solid Biblical theology to recognize that he or she has been duped. 

These guides, by various means, can prove their incredible spiritual power by giving knowledge that would not be accessible by any other means. Revealing events and histories of those they possess and of others is enough to capture most. 

Orin and DaBen teach what channeling will or will not do for you. For one thing, a person will be able to make a difference in the world and will experience not as much depression, anxiety, or heaviness. And, high-level guides will “not take over or control you” (p. 16). 

Here is a huge deception, because, in fact the guides will take control little by little, and this is over a period of time and in a way that is almost imperceptible. It is little by little, but the dependence grows. 

Then Orin and DaBen say that “channeling will help you learn to love yourself more” (p. 17), by being free of normal prejudices, thus loving yourself more, especially as you follow your higher path. It will also greatly enhance creativity. 

Then Orin and DaBen describe what a person can use channeling for. “Some people’s guides assist them in counseling, teaching, therapy, healing, or bodywork” (p. 17). 

Here we grasp the heart of the incredibly rapid growth in the numbers of those who offer various forms of psychic therapies. The “Life Coach” is a new industry that is sweeping across America. Not all those who present themselves as life coaches use mediumistic or psychic means to do their work, but a growing number do. We are acquainted with a few who do not, but very 120 

many rely upon psychic means, using practices like Reiki, Akashic Records, tarot cards, and so on to do their “therapy.” And here is how it works: 

Jesus, while teaching His disciples, said to them something of incredible importance. “For where two or there are gathered in my name, there am I among them” (Matthew 18:20). Even just two together and because of Jesus, in worship or prayer or fellowship, and He, by the power of the Holy Spirit, is actually present with them. 

It has long been known that Satan mimics the things of God. He is the great counterfeiter. The craft and power of the devil and his angels are great, as Martin Luther wrote in the hymn “A Mighty Fortress Is Our God.” And for every gift of the Holy Spirit, as we find in Romans 12:3–8 and 1Corinthinas 12:4–11, there is a counterfeit or demonic gift. Those “gifts” coming from Satan are very convincing and often dramatic. 

Orin and DaBen state that asking for a guide is all one needs to do. “If you request a guide to assist you, one will begin to work with you” (p. 23). Supposedly, this will most often happen in a person’s dream state or even at unexpected moments. Engaging with tarot cards is another way to make a connection. In addition, using the Ouija board, seeking automatic writing, and deep meditation are also means of connecting with a guide. 

Chapter 2 is titled “Channeling in Trance,” and directions are provided on how to achieve the trance state. And it is the trance state that allows a person to connect with a guide. “Channeling involves the achievement of a slightly relaxed state where you can turn your attention inward and upward to receive messages from higher realms” (p. 27). Meditation practices can assist in achieving the trance state, but a relaxed state of internal focus also works. 

There are also states where the consciousness disappears all together, and those who reach such a state are called “unconscious channels.” The person now is not aware of the contact with the guides and will have little or no remembrance of it at all. The “conscious channel” will be able to recall some experiences of engaging with the guide spirits. It is said that most people fall somewhere between deep, unconscious trances and full alert states. Orin and DaBen suggest it is best to remain conscious while channeling. 

Sanaya experiences Orin as a very loving, wise, gentle being with a distinct presence. Duane says DaBen’s interaction with him can change greatly, but is a very radiant energy, loving and exacting. And DaBen has great knowledge. 

Chapter 3 is titled, “Who Are The Guides?” 

Orin and DaBen say that guides come from many places, so many that they seem to be infinite. Some guides have incarnated on the earth, others have not, and they come from dimensions outside the galaxy and stars, like from a fourth dimension. These are the Masters such as St. Germain, angels such as Michael 121 

and Raphael, guardian angels, and other extraterrestrial entities. Orin says he was incarnated once on earth and has long since evolved into pure light and spirit without a physical body. DaBen is also a being of light and has not incarnated. 

Guides pick people to indwell who have similar goals and purposes. Not all entities from the higher realms choose to be guides. 

Guides, in order to work with people, must be able to work with energy where their electromagnetic fields are at a very subtle and refined level (p. 36). 

Orin and DaBen say some guides will be known to those they work with, figures like Christ, Buddha, angels, American Indians, Chinese sages, East Indian masters, or one of the great masters like St. Germain. Some guides will appear as male or female, however, there is no actual polarity with guides. 

Orin and DaBen are not guides; they are demonic spirits. Without a Christian and biblical understanding, Orin and DaBen might get away with this lie. But those who are biblically grounded know better and have for ages. Yet, what these two evil spirits have to say will be readily accepted by many, especially when they learn how to focus, meditate, and attempt to connect with higher powers of energy. This is the devil’s playground, and it seems so exhilarating at first. Down the line, however, these spirits will present themselves as who they actually are, and this realization may prompt the person who has become indwelt by them to seek relief from the misery these minions of Satan bring. This is called deliverance ministry. 

Excerpts from Wikipedia 

Wikipedia, February 22, 2022 

Channeling 

A conduit, in esoterism, and spiritual discourse, is a specific object, person, location, or process (such as engaging in a séance or entering a trance or using psychedelic medicines) which allows a person to connect or communicate with a spiritual realm, metaphysical energy, or spiritual entity, or vice versa. The use of such a conduit may be entirely metaphoric or symbolic, or it may be earnestly believed to be functional. 

In the latter half of the 20th century, Western mediumship developed in two different ways. One type involves clairaudience, in which the medium claims to hear spirits and relay what they hear to their clients. The other is a form of channeling in which the channeler seemingly goes into a trance and purports to leave their body, allowing a spirit entity to borrow it and then speak through them. When in a trance the medium appears to enter into a cataleptic 122 

state, although modern channelers may not. Some channelers open their eyes when channeling and remain able to walk and behave normally. The rhythm and the intonation of the voice may also change completely. 

A notable channeler in the early 1900s was Rose Edith Kelly, wife of the English occultist and ceremonial magician Aleister Crowley (1875–1947), who allegedly channeled the voice of a non-physical entity named Aiwass during their honeymoon in Cairo, Egypt (1904). Others purport to channel spirits from “future dimensions”, ascended masters or, in the case of the trance mediums of the Brahma Kumaris, God. Another widely known channeler of this variety is J. Z. Knight, who claims to channel the spirit of Ramtha, a 30-thousand-year-old man. Other notable channels are Jane Roberts for Seth and Esther Hicks for Abraham. 

Mediumship 

Mediumship is the practice of purportedly mediating communication between “familiar spirits” or spirits of the dead and living human beings. Practitioners are known as “mediums” or “spirit mediums”. There are different types of mediumship or spirit channelling, including seánce tables, trance, and ouija. 

Mediumship gained popularity during the nineteenth century, when ouija boards were used by the upper classes as a source of entertainment. Investigations during this period revealed widespread fraud—with some practitioners employing techniques used by stage magicians—and the practice began to lose credibility. Fraud is still rife in the medium or psychic industry, with cases of deception and trickery being discovered to this day. 

Mediumship is associated with several religious belief systems such as Shamanism, Vodun, Spiritualism, Spiritism, Candomblé, Voodoo, Umbanda and some New Age groups. 

In Spiritism and Spiritualism the medium has the role of an intermediary between the world of the living and the world of spirit. Mediums claim that they can listen to and relay messages from spirits, or that they can allow a spirit to control their body and speak through it directly or by using automatic writing or drawing. 

Spiritualists classify types of mediumship into two main categories: “mental” and “physical”: 

• Mental mediums purportedly “tune in” to the spirit world by listening, sensing, or seeing spirits or symbols. 

• Physical mediums are believed to produce materialization of spirits, apports of objects, and other effects such as knocking, rapping, bellringing, etc., by using “ectoplasm” created from the cells of their bodies and those of séance attendees.123 

During seances, mediums are said to go into trances, varying from light to deep, that permit spirits to control their minds. 

Channeling can be seen as the modern form of the old mediumship, where the “channel” (or channeller) purportedly receives messages from a “teaching-spirit”, an “Ascended master”, from God, or from an angelic entity, but essentially through the filter of his own waking consciousness (or “Higher Self”). 

History 

Mediumship became quite popular in the 19th-century United States and the United Kingdom after the rise of Spiritualism as a religious movement. Modern Spiritualism is said to date from practices and lectures of the Fox sisters in New York State in 1848. The trance mediums Paschal Beverly Randolph and Emma Hardinge Britten were among the most celebrated lecturers and authors on the subject in the mid-19th century. Allan Kardec coined the term Spiritism around 1860. Kardec claimed that conversations with spirits by selected mediums were the basis of his The Spirits’ Book and later, his five-book collection, Spiritist Codification. 

Some scientists of the period who investigated Spiritualism also became converts. They included chemist Robert Hare, physicist William Crookes (1832–1919) and evolutionary biologist Alfred Russel Wallace (1823–1913). Nobel laureate Pierre Curie took a very serious scientific interest in the work of medium Eusapia Palladino. Other prominent adherents included journalist and pacifist William T. Stead (1849–1912) and physician and author Arthur Conan Doyle (1859–1930). 

After the exposure of the fraudulent use of stage magic tricks by physical mediums such as the Davenport Brothers and the Bangs Sisters, mediumship fell into disrepute. However, the religion and its beliefs continue in spite of this, with physical mediumship and seances falling out of practice and platform mediumship coming to the fore. 

In the late 1920s and early 1930s there were around one quarter of a million practicing Spiritualists and some two thousand Spiritualist societies in the UK in addition to flourishing microcultures of platform mediumship and ‘home circles.’ Spiritualism continues to be practiced, primarily through various denominational Spiritualist churches in the United States, Canada, Australia and the United Kingdom. In the United Kingdom, over 340 Spiritualist churches and centres open their doors to the public and free demonstrations of mediumship are regularly performed.

Thirty-six

Do Not Ask

“We have five hundred families in our church. How

about you Pastor Philpott?”

“Somewhat less than that, probably about 95% less.

And all our ‘families’ are not configured along the lines

of the traditional model. We are small and blessed.”

         

The chapter’s thesis: Do not ask other pastors about

the size of their congregations or budgets. Miller

Avenue is a small congregation. We vary in size from

30 to 60 people; there have been services when only

15 have attended. Pastors who preach conversionoriented

sermons may experience rather large

fluctuations in the numbers of people who attend the

public worship service. If someone began to preach

strong gospel sermons to a congregation that had not

heard such preaching, over time, a good percentage of

that congregation would leave. No church would ever

want to call me as a pastor when there was some

question as to whether or not most of the congregation

had actually experienced true conversion. If I were to

go to such a church, maybe as high as 50% of the

congregation would eventually leave. There would,

164

For Pastors

hopefully, be people who would become converted,

but those who realized they were not converted, and

did not want to be, would leave.

Some would become angry with me for preaching

such sermons. Some would want to hear “how to”

sermons, sermons with folksy stories and humor,

messages that would encourage, uplift, and inspire

them. Some would find a more “user-friendly” church

that would help them feel spiritual. Perhaps this

evaluation is extreme, but such a scenario could well

develop.

I was shaken, frankly, some years ago when I came

to the realization that some people at Miller Avenue

might be unconverted. I had been reading about the

great awakenings in America, particularly the First

Great Awakening, and became aware of the danger of

false conversion. I often preach conversion-oriented

sermons so that unconverted people might come to

Jesus for salvation. Though I have always considered

myself to be an evangelistic preacher, the fact is I did

not preach much of the gospel to my own congregation;

I assumed these people were genuinely born again. At

first, I thought we might lose 20 percent. We lost at

least 50 percent over the course of about a year and a

half to two years. As church attendance began to decline

people would say, “What happened to so-and-so, and

how come we are not having a lot of people come?”

These questions can be troubling, painful questions,

and there can be a tendency to take it personally. Of

course, I had an idea of the general dynamics and I

would try to relate that, but many people found it hard

to understand. The Holy Spirit will convict people of

sin and they will become uncomfortable even angry.

The fact is they can simply avoid the uncomfortable

165

Do Not Ask

feelings by going to another church or drop out

altogether.

It takes a certain amount of courage to withstand

the pressure. At one point I nearly backed down. Dear

members of the church would say, “Kent, we wish you

would preach something else for a change.” And so I

would preach something else for a change, but that

did not make much difference. Perhaps it was too late.

Other ministers heard about the shrinking Miller

Avenue. A former Miller Avenue member or two would

eventually tell the tale. In a week or two I would hear

the result. “You know minister so-and-so doesn’t agree

with you.” At the local ministerial meeting I would be

asked, “Well, Kent how is the church going? How

many people are attending now?”

I would think to myself, “Oh, I am failing. I am

not being successful; other churches are growing and

my church is getting smaller.” It is an unpleasant

feeling at minimum; however, it is something a pastor

must come to terms with. At this point I have come to

a place of acceptance, and it does not bother me as

much any more. But, at least, I learned the

inappropriateness of asking another pastor about

attendance and budget.

Pastors can get into a kind of gamesmanship—the

one who has the largest congregation and the biggest

budget is the one who is winning. Everyone wants to

know what the bottom line is. In the business world

one might hear: “How many vice presidents do you

have? What was your net last year?” “Which direction

are you sales headed in?” “What are your stock options

worth now?” These measurements are, of course,

deceiving. In addition, in my estimation, the

assumptions are false; the size of the congregation and

166

For Pastors

budget are not indicators of how well a pastor is doing.

The very reverse may actually be the truth.

We are beginning to see the outcome of the “church

growth movement”. When advanced and sophisticated

tele-marketing techniques were applied to church

growth, churches grew like crazy, staff members were

added, budgets went through the roof, property was

purchased, buildings went up, and people were filling

up the pews. Phenomenal rates of growth were

reported and everyone wanted in on it. Absolutely

staggering!

The “unchurched” were attracted to the “user

friendly,” seeker churches, attracted more to the

church, often, than to Jesus and His cross. In addition,

the unconverted do not stay very long—they are soon

off looking for the next exciting thing. And

unconverted people do not give much money and will

renege on their capital funds campaign pledge. When

it gets down to it, they are not committed servants of

Jesus. They want to be fed. They want to be cared for.

They want to be inspired and excited. They want

attention given to them. After a while that must break

down and they will go away. Now the capital funds

campaign begins to falter, the construction on the new

building is going to have to be reexamined and maybe

even terminated. Staff is going to have to be let go.

The finance committee is thrown into one desperate

meeting right after another. It is no longer any fun to

go to the church board meetings because the focus is

now on downsizing. And this is happening all across

America—sadly so.

We want to get away from thinking that bigger is

better. My view is that bigger is not always better, and

I am going to discuss this a little more in the chapters

167

Do Not Ask

“Pastoring the Small Church,” and “Pastoring the

Large Church.”

I avoid asking a pastor, “How large is the church?”

I am not going to ask another minister how large the

budget is. It is none of my business in the first place.

These have been some rather “off the cuff”

remarks. I hope I have not offended anybody unduly

by this, but I think there is something serious here—

we do not gauge our value or that of anyone else on

the basis of the size of a congregation or a budget. We are

called to be faithful servants of our Lord Jesus Christ,

and that alone matters. What I hope for more then

anything else is to hear Jesus say, “Well done, good

and faithful servant!” That must be enough for me.

         

  The best case of all: large numbers of people being

both converted and faithful in their giving. Still, is it

necessary to know the details?

  If the details are offered, or if we offer them, how

may this be done so as to honor and glorify God and

not the church and pastor?

Thirty-six

Do Not Ask

“We have five hundred families in our church. How

about you Pastor Philpott?”

“Somewhat less than that, probably about 95% less.

And all our ‘families’ are not configured along the lines

of the traditional model. We are small and blessed.”

         

The chapter’s thesis: Do not ask other pastors about

the size of their congregations or budgets. Miller

Avenue is a small congregation. We vary in size from

30 to 60 people; there have been services when only

15 have attended. Pastors who preach conversionoriented

sermons may experience rather large

fluctuations in the numbers of people who attend the

public worship service. If someone began to preach

strong gospel sermons to a congregation that had not

heard such preaching, over time, a good percentage of

that congregation would leave. No church would ever

want to call me as a pastor when there was some

question as to whether or not most of the congregation

had actually experienced true conversion. If I were to

go to such a church, maybe as high as 50% of the

congregation would eventually leave. There would,

164

For Pastors

hopefully, be people who would become converted,

but those who realized they were not converted, and

did not want to be, would leave.

Some would become angry with me for preaching

such sermons. Some would want to hear “how to”

sermons, sermons with folksy stories and humor,

messages that would encourage, uplift, and inspire

them. Some would find a more “user-friendly” church

that would help them feel spiritual. Perhaps this

evaluation is extreme, but such a scenario could well

develop.

I was shaken, frankly, some years ago when I came

to the realization that some people at Miller Avenue

might be unconverted. I had been reading about the

great awakenings in America, particularly the First

Great Awakening, and became aware of the danger of

false conversion. I often preach conversion-oriented

sermons so that unconverted people might come to

Jesus for salvation. Though I have always considered

myself to be an evangelistic preacher, the fact is I did

not preach much of the gospel to my own congregation;

I assumed these people were genuinely born again. At

first, I thought we might lose 20 percent. We lost at

least 50 percent over the course of about a year and a

half to two years. As church attendance began to decline

people would say, “What happened to so-and-so, and

how come we are not having a lot of people come?”

These questions can be troubling, painful questions,

and there can be a tendency to take it personally. Of

course, I had an idea of the general dynamics and I

would try to relate that, but many people found it hard

to understand. The Holy Spirit will convict people of

sin and they will become uncomfortable even angry.

The fact is they can simply avoid the uncomfortable

165

Do Not Ask

feelings by going to another church or drop out

altogether.

It takes a certain amount of courage to withstand

the pressure. At one point I nearly backed down. Dear

members of the church would say, “Kent, we wish you

would preach something else for a change.” And so I

would preach something else for a change, but that

did not make much difference. Perhaps it was too late.

Other ministers heard about the shrinking Miller

Avenue. A former Miller Avenue member or two would

eventually tell the tale. In a week or two I would hear

the result. “You know minister so-and-so doesn’t agree

with you.” At the local ministerial meeting I would be

asked, “Well, Kent how is the church going? How

many people are attending now?”

I would think to myself, “Oh, I am failing. I am

not being successful; other churches are growing and

my church is getting smaller.” It is an unpleasant

feeling at minimum; however, it is something a pastor

must come to terms with. At this point I have come to

a place of acceptance, and it does not bother me as

much any more. But, at least, I learned the

inappropriateness of asking another pastor about

attendance and budget.

Pastors can get into a kind of gamesmanship—the

one who has the largest congregation and the biggest

budget is the one who is winning. Everyone wants to

know what the bottom line is. In the business world

one might hear: “How many vice presidents do you

have? What was your net last year?” “Which direction

are you sales headed in?” “What are your stock options

worth now?” These measurements are, of course,

deceiving. In addition, in my estimation, the

assumptions are false; the size of the congregation and

166

For Pastors

budget are not indicators of how well a pastor is doing.

The very reverse may actually be the truth.

We are beginning to see the outcome of the “church

growth movement”. When advanced and sophisticated

tele-marketing techniques were applied to church

growth, churches grew like crazy, staff members were

added, budgets went through the roof, property was

purchased, buildings went up, and people were filling

up the pews. Phenomenal rates of growth were

reported and everyone wanted in on it. Absolutely

staggering!

The “unchurched” were attracted to the “user

friendly,” seeker churches, attracted more to the

church, often, than to Jesus and His cross. In addition,

the unconverted do not stay very long—they are soon

off looking for the next exciting thing. And

unconverted people do not give much money and will

renege on their capital funds campaign pledge. When

it gets down to it, they are not committed servants of

Jesus. They want to be fed. They want to be cared for.

They want to be inspired and excited. They want

attention given to them. After a while that must break

down and they will go away. Now the capital funds

campaign begins to falter, the construction on the new

building is going to have to be reexamined and maybe

even terminated. Staff is going to have to be let go.

The finance committee is thrown into one desperate

meeting right after another. It is no longer any fun to

go to the church board meetings because the focus is

now on downsizing. And this is happening all across

America—sadly so.

We want to get away from thinking that bigger is

better. My view is that bigger is not always better, and

I am going to discuss this a little more in the chapters

167

Do Not Ask

“Pastoring the Small Church,” and “Pastoring the

Large Church.”

I avoid asking a pastor, “How large is the church?”

I am not going to ask another minister how large the

budget is. It is none of my business in the first place.

These have been some rather “off the cuff”

remarks. I hope I have not offended anybody unduly

by this, but I think there is something serious here—

we do not gauge our value or that of anyone else on

the basis of the size of a congregation or a budget. We are

called to be faithful servants of our Lord Jesus Christ,

and that alone matters. What I hope for more then

anything else is to hear Jesus say, “Well done, good

and faithful servant!” That must be enough for me.

         

  The best case of all: large numbers of people being

both converted and faithful in their giving. Still, is it

necessary to know the details?

  If the details are offered, or if we offer them, how

may this be done so as to honor and glorify God and

not the church and pastor?

 Tarot

After perusing numbers of books on Tarot, we settled on Tarot for Beginners, by Meg Hayertz, published by Althea Press in 2018. The following is a brief summary of Meg Hayertz’s book.

Ms. Hayertz received her first tarot card reading in Portland, Oregon, at a psychic fair at the age of 19. And due to some issues in her life, she found that the reading helped calm her, which then resulted in wanting more.

Kent reports: I recall a similar kind of fair in Berkeley some years back and another one in San Francisco later on. Though a Christian at the time, I was stunned if not overwhelmed by the spiritual power I witnessed. If it had not been for my Christianity, I might well have been attracted to that which is psychic.

Still in the introduction, Hayertz says it is not enough that the cards shine a light on what goes on in a person’s heart and mind; this must be put into action. “I suggest we use the 78 archetypes of the tarot to empower ourselves to become more loving and free” (p. IX). And to this end, she dedicates her book.

The origin of the word Tarot goes back to the mid-15th century. In various parts of Europe games such as Italian tarocchini, French tarot, and Austrian Königrufen were popular, and the general term tarot attached itself to what became the present-day tarot. 

Part 1: Tarot Then & Now

The origins of the tarot are murky, but they are cards, 78 of them, divided between Major and Minor Arcana. The Minor Arcana are much like the standard deck of 52 cards but instead of spades, clubs, hearts, and diamonds, there are cups, pentacles, swords, and wands, but with four additional cards. The Major Arcana contain 22 cards, four of which are The Empress, The Hermit, The Fool, and the Devil. Each of the cards have several meanings that can be attached to them depending upon the reader.112 

The author states that when Napoleon brought back artifacts from Egypt to Europe, there grew an interest in divination. In 1887, A. E. Waite, a member of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, developed occult symbolic systems around divination and astrology, which in time became related to the tarot. He then asked an artist, Pamela Colman Smith, to create a deck of tarot cards using symbols that were known at the time. This deck was published by William Rider & Sons, of London, in 1910. 

The author claims that reading tarot cards can reveal one’s potential future, and rightly evaluate one’s present circumstances, help with making decisions, help one to understand life, plus develop self-knowledge, intuition, and creativity. 

Tarot is a form of divination, a magical technique, not scientific, for gaining knowledge about the unknown and the future. And as a form of divination, it is condemned in Deuteronomy 18, verses 9–12: 

[9] “When you come into the land that the LORD your God is giving you, you shall not learn to follow the abominable practices of those nations. [10] There shall not be found among you anyone who burns his son or his daughter as an offering, anyone who practices divination or tells fortunes or interprets omens, or a sorcerer [11] or a charmer or a medium or a necromancer or one who inquires of the dead, (ESV) 

Hayertz states that divination is a form of magic as well as most forms of meditation, “since a meditation practice can bring self-knowledge and spiritual knowledge from beyond our rational mind” (p. 7). She wants to dismiss the idea that there is a divide between the magical, or divine, and the ordinary, thus making tarot divination ordinary and common. 

In regard to the two major divisions of a tarot deck, the Major Arcana and the Minor Arcana (Arcana means mystery), which come from Catholicism and Judaism, as well as Greek and Egyptian mythology, she notes the Major Arcana reflects Gnostic, Catholic, and Pagan imagery. There are also many spiritual traditions that have come to be associated with the cards, such as astrology, Kabbalah, numerology, and alchemy, as well as still more spiritual traditions that have found parallels and connections with the tarot, including crystal healing and Ayurveda (the traditional system of medicine in India) (p. 7). 

It is clear then that our author places tarot solidly amongst occultic practices.

Part 2 Tarot Mechanics 

Tarot card reading fits clearly into what is known in the occult world as divination. The cards are used to answer questions about the past, present, and future, and it is said that tarot is an opening into one’s spiritual self.113 

The first step for a person who wants to do tarot is to select a deck. Meg uses the Rider-Waite-Smith deck, otherwise known as RWS, but there are many others. And before making the first reading one must both purify and attune to the deck. Once readings begin, the deck must be cared for by keeping it clean and cleared of extraneous energy. 

Here in the process of purifying and attuning the deck reveals the occultic, New Age, divination, fortune telling nature of tarot. 

A deck can be purified by placing the deck on a “windowsill or outside during a full moon.” Or, one can bury the deck in salt for a few days, but in a plastic bag so that the salt does not touch the deck. 

Alternately, sage or a smudge stick can be burned while the deck is held in the smoke. Another way to purify the deck is to put the 78 cards in order, first the Fool (O) then on until the Word card (XXI), then observe through that suit all the way to the King of each suit. Once the deck is in order, it must be reshuffled. 

Attuning is the next step, and it means forming a connection with the deck—in other words, attuning to it. This means treating the deck with respect and trust. It takes a week to attune to the deck, gazing at the images on the cards to determine if there is any intuitive sensing—emotional, mental, or spiritual connections that come up. 

The deck must be cleansed regularly, as the deck can pick up unwanted energy from previous readings. There are two rituals that can be performed. One, shuffle the deck rhythmically and tap the deck on the table in order to release any extra energy. Two, fan the deck out in your hand, blow softly on the edges, and with the whole deck knock once on the top of the deck. 

It is this purifying and attuning process that brings the one selecting a tarot deck into a spiritual arena, and this is an evil arena. Indeed, this is the door opening to the demonic realm. This need not be a terrifying experience at all, but a change has occurred—a new and amazing ‘spiritual’ life and experience comes to life. And these supernatural experiences are real and not imagined. In fact, they can be quite exhilarating and captivating. 

There is a definite procedure to begin a reading; one needs to prepare a space and deck. Some tarot readers will create an altar where are placed the reader’s personal spiritual items. In any case, one needs to turn off phones, light a candle, play some music, and then invite the guidance of any higher power in. Be open then to any wisdom or insight that might be communicated in the reading of the cards. 

From six to ten minutes before beginning a reading for oneself, quietly focus the breathing and/or visualize a beam of light entering through the top of the head, which will fill the body with light. 

When one is in the right spiritual state of mind, one asks a question, but the 114 

tarot does not answer back with any direct answer. Instead, the reader, as he or she examines the cards, will relate ideas and events and reveal areas needing growth. The future is never spelled out in terms of certainty. 

On page 14 and 15, Meg Hayertz writes about Tarot Symbolism and states that symbols found on tarot cards come from a variety of sources. The version she is speaking to is the Rider-Waite-Smith deck, or RWS. 

The first is Christian mythology. Adam and Eve are depicted many times, and there is the Devil and the snake of Genesis chapter 3. There are images of a church, the pope, two monks, and more. 

The second is Egyptian mythology, or more accurately the European interpretation of Egyptian mythology. 

The third is source is from Kabbalah, a Judaist offshoot. 

Each sign of the zodiac is also found amongst the cards. 

Interpreting the cards takes practice, the author states. As we read through materials on tarot, it seems apparent that any counsel or direction from an intuitive framework could result in almost anything. (Toward the end of this chapter are some statements found on interpretation of the cards, mainly focused on intuition.) 

Our author claims there is both an intellectual and an intuitive side to determining what the cards are saying to the reader or to the one who is consulting the tarot reader. There is an opening of “your intuitive associations sparked by the cards.” Then, “note how your associations and intuitive messages match up with the meanings of the cards.” Third, note how the cards’ symbolism matches up with one’s experiences. Last, consider what actions one should then take. 

The author next moves on to which spiritual practices are connected with or are tied to tarot card reading. These are Astrology, Kabbalah, Numerology, Rosicrucianism, and Alchemy. (Our view is that there are many other spiritual/ occult practices that could be included here.) And each of these fit snuggly into and are recognized as occult practices. 

This association is an eye opener, as tarot is placed among very direct forms of the occult (pages 16 and 17). During long years of casting demons out of people, so many of them attracted demons into themselves by means of the occult. This is not child’s play nor adult play but is extremely serious. We are reminded of a most important verse at this point, 1 Peter 5:8, since this is what is going on in our world today with the wide open and public embracing of the occult arts, of which tarot is only one among many: 

Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. 

In chapter 3 of part 1, the author begins to explain how one decides what the card spread means. One card, two cards, three cards, or more are pulled 115 

from the deck and spread out. Then the reader considers the meanings of the cards and how it all applies to him or herself, or to the one for whom the reading is being done. 

After examining this material, it is obvious to us that a reader could interpret the cards in many different ways. There is no concrete counsel, no clear solving of a dilemma, nor help with making a decision. It seems that a professional tarot card reader could bend the reading to just about anything, including flattering or messages that the “client” was clearly hoping for. There is obviously much room here for deception. 

Yet this is not the very worst outcome, which is giving oneself, however unwittingly, to an occult practice, which is animated and realized by demonic power. And the outcome of this is nothing less than judgment and an eternity in hell. Is it worth that? 

Chapter 4, part 1, is titled “Growing From the Tarot.” No comment is needed on part 2 of the book by Meg Hayertz, as it only presents each of the cards, the Major and Minor Arcana, and possible meanings for each. 

She begins this section by saying, “I use the cards to help my clients.” 

We completely believe her. Based on what we have encountered with psychics of many different persuasions, very few of them are aware of the evil nature of their work and do not care one way or the other. Either that, or they fear the loss of income, or are afraid of being tormented should they turn from their practices. 

Yes, Meg is probably sincere when she says for her clients that she wants to “unlock creative blocks, deepen their inspiration, and become more aware of issues and values that underlie their personal lives and creative work” (p. 62). 

To read tarot cards is simply to meditate on the cards “to see what feelings, associations, and narratives arise. Then, we match the experiences that arose during meditation to the definitions of the cards” (p. 63). 

Using only a broad-brush stroke to report on this process, it begins with “Connecting with our Intuition.” 

Intuition: this word can be so difficult to define, but after encountering it hundreds of times, it is apparent to us that it involves impressions that come to one while engaging in the process, and this process is usually meditation and focus of one’s breath or something else linked to gaining a state of so-called mindlessness. 

The term used here is “meditative inquiry into your inner life.” When this is achieved, then Meg says one is to “sit with what arises and open to it” (p. 64). Meg then concludes this part with, “This first step is noticing and illuminating our experience and connecting with our intuition.” 116 

We wonder, whatever in the world does that mean? 

The next step is to select a card or cards from the tarot deck, lay the card or cards down in front of you and meditate on these. One must look at the artwork, note the name of the card, like “The Emperor,” consider it’s also-known-as name, in this case the Grandfather, then note the keywords, in this case, Reliability, Fatherhood, and Responsibility, the element associated with it, here Fire, and astrological sign, here Aries, and then numerology, in this case 4. 

These clues or cues, which may be the right word here, are to be meditated upon. If there is more than one card spread out, then think about what might be at play between the cards. Then one can ask oneself questions such as, “Do the dynamics between the cards feel tense? Or, what are the relative ages of the figures in the cards? Or, are they facing each other? Or, what are the cards’ similarities and differences? 

The next major step is “Integrating intuition with conscious awareness.” Something is then stirring in one’s mind, and the goal here is coming to a place of understanding. And it is here when meditation is core so that the meaning of the cards comes into one’s awareness. 

We must say that the process described to grasp the message of the cards is very elusive, fanciful, lacking substance, and unrealistic. It could yield almost anything. 

Meg describes how it is that one integrates insight brought by the card reading into action. Mainly, this happens by reliance upon your intuitive sense. 

Finally, by means of meditation, envision yourself entering the card or spread. Ask a character therein, like The Emperor, if that is the card drawn for the deck, for guidance regarding action. Allow “the words or gift they offer you to intuitively come to you” (p. 68). If things are not clear, one should ask their intuition for assistance and illumination. 

Again, let the participant beware of invoking unintended spirits by “asking a character therein, like The Emperor, for guidance.” 

Closing thoughts 

Using words like intuition and meditation is deceitful. It should be evil spirit or demon instead of intuition. It should be connecting with the demonic rather than meditation. However lighthearted this tarot card reading business is presented, it is merely a cheap disguise for a course on how to become demon possessed.117 

Excerpts from Wikipedia 

Intuition is the ability to acquire knowledge without recourse to conscious reasoning. Different fields use the word “intuition” in very different ways, including but not limited to: direct access to unconscious knowledge; unconscious cognition; inner sensing; inner insight to unconscious pattern-recognition; and the ability to understand something instinctively, without any need for conscious reasoning. July 9, 2022 

The word intuition comes from the Latin verb intueri, translated as “consider” or from the late middle English word intuit, “to contemplate.” July 2, 2022

Meghan Rose, a spiritual advisor and tarot reader, defines intuition as “the ability to understand something without rational or conscious reasoning.” So, in the context of tarot cards, the reader, who could be a professional or yourself if you’re reading your own cards, receives intuitive messages from the cards that they won’t be able to explain with logic. They just know. And because we all have intuitive superpowers, honing your intuitive tarot skills is totally possible with a bit of practice. 

The tarot (/ˈtæroʊ/, first known as trionfi and later as tarocchi or tarock) is a pack of playing cards, used from at least the mid-15th century in various parts of Europe to play games such as Italian tarocchini, French tarot and Austrian Königrufen, many of which are still played today. In the late 18th century, some tarot decks began to be used for divination via tarot card reading and cartomancy reading to custom decks developed for such occult purposes. 

Tarot card reading is a form of cartomancy whereby practitioners use tarot cards purportedly to gain insight into the past, present or future. They formulate a question, then draw cards to interpret them for this end. June 26, 2018 

Tarot cards are a form of divination, which literally means working with the divine, or your higher self, which is the ultimate purpose of tarot cards, just like yoga. June 26, 2018

Thirty-five

Weddings and Funerals

“I have to tell you this is not my first time. Well, it is

my third. But we are worried about something. What

denomination are you?”

“American Baptist,” I answered.

“We used to be Catholic. What happens then?”

“Well, if I did the ceremony that would make you

Methodists.”

         

Weddings and funerals have presented me with

excellent opportunities to present the gospel,

and have, in fact, generally expanded my pastoral

ministry.

Weddings are not necessarily easily done. I have

six or seven wedding ceremonies that cover most

situations.* It is irrelevant to me whether people have

a church or religious background or not. (On this

subject I may seem to be hopelessly liberal, but I have

adopted this approach so that I can present the gospel

to people I might not otherwise encounter.)

Furthermore, I do not require premarital classes

though I know most ministers will. Because of the high

divorce rate some are calling for a renewed emphasis

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For Pastors

for premarital counseling as though this would be the

great cure. It does not seem so to me, but I think

premarital classes and counseling may be helpful.

It is enough that a couple wants to be married; my

view is that adults understand what they are doing and

do not need me involved in the process. If requested,

I will discuss pertinent issues. Few couples want to.

When I ran the Marin Christian Counseling Center

I would not marry anyone unless they went through a

six-week premarital session with me. I soon discovered

that people would not be honest about themselves or

their relationship out of fear I would disapprove or

attempt to interfere. In the fifth week I would ask,

“How do you fight?” I wanted to get at a couple’s

strategy for conflict resolution. Invariably the response

was, “We don’t fight.” I figured this had to be a lie. As

a result, I began to question the value of my premarital

counseling. And the truth is I am not trained to be a

marriage counselor.

Couples I marry do not have to be attendees of

Miller Avenue. The same holds true for a funeral. I

will accept almost any wedding or funeral that comes

my way. However, I will not perform the so called

“sacred unions”; I will not join homosexuals, and I will

not perform phony ceremonies for people (men and

women) who are living together and merely want their

union ”blessed”, so-called, without the legal formality.

But I will marry anyone who can be legally married

and where there is nothing theologically or morally

questionable in the ceremony. And I do this service to

the best of my ability.

The primary ministry to the people I marry occurs

when I send out a sermon tape to acknowledge

anniversaries. It has proven to be a good way to present

the gospel. To many of the people I perform weddings

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Weddings and Funerals

for I become their pastor. When the normal crises of

life occur, I may get a phone call. Some wonderful

things have happened. Without exaggeration, the most

fruitful evangelism I engage in occurs in and around

weddings.

When I do a wedding I do not preach at it. I do not

say anything in the wedding other than what the couple

wants me to say. The wedding is not the place to preach

the gospel. A wedding is a wedding; it is not appropriate

to take advantage of that circumstance.

It is the same with a funeral; I do not present the

gospel unless I am specifically invited to do that. I will

make certain statements and make myself available as

best I can. Before the funeral or after the funeral I have

a chance to personally present the gospel, but I will

not take advantage of the circumstances. I am there to

perform a particular function and I carry that out in the

most dignified and helpful way I can.

On my computer I have different funeral

ceremonies or orders of service and all I usually do is

fill in the blanks. In addition, I have a number of

bulletin covers available that are suitable for a funeral.

There is never much lead-time for funerals; in fact, I

have been called in the morning to do a funeral that

afternoon.

When I receive a call for a funeral my first objective

is to meet with the people who have experienced the

loss. In that meeting I negotiate the contents of the

bulletin that I will prepare for the memorial or funeral

service. I hope to build rapport, I want people to feel

comfortable with me. A week for so after the service, I

may contact the principle people by mail or phone and

offer to visit them. Additionally, I will contact them

again on the anniversary of the death. Usually a grieving

person has sufficient support early on, but that support

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For Pastors

diminishes over time. Being aware of this, I will make

contact later on.

Weddings and funerals are rather stressful,

especially the weddings. I’ve made some rather glaring

errors at weddings. One of the worst occurred when I

asked the bride, “Do you Suzy, take Joe, to be your

wedded wife?” Once I presided at a wedding where

hundreds of the cream of Marin society turned up. I

couldn’t calm down for two days afterward.

People often want to know if they can give money

and I say “Yes.” It is not helpful to be shy at that point.

Name a figure and say, “Thank you.” Put the money

in the offering plate or put it away for fun family

outings.

         

  Imagine the worst that could go wrong at a wedding

or a funeral?

  Whatever you thought of could easily happen to you

one day?

  If you were invited to present the gospel at a funeral,

how would you go about it?

*I have wedding ceremonies and funeral services on file in my

computer that I will be glad to e-mail to anyone who wants them.