Chapter Three

“Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the LORD God had made” (Genesis 3:1).

The serpent, as we find elsewhere in the Bible, is Satan, an angel who rebelled against the Creator.[1] We also know him as the devil, the commander of demons. Paul wrote to the church at Corinth: “But I am afraid that as the serpent deceived Eve by his cunning, your thoughts will be led astray from a sincere and pure devotion to Christ” (2 Corinthians 11:3). 

Satan is a creature, as were all the other angels. C.S. Lewis recognized this and wrote, “There is no uncreated being except God.”[2] And who created Satan? None other than the Creator God. How preposterous!

Satan has another name as well—Lucifer—which may be translated, “Day Star.” This information is from Isaiah, the prophet who wrote in the eighth century before the common era. Here is what he said:

How you are fallen from heaven, O Day Star, son of Dawn! How you are cut down to the ground, you who laid the nations low! You said in your heart, “I will ascend to heaven, above the stars of God I will set my throne on high, I will sit on the mount of assembly in the far reaches of the north; I will ascend above the heights of the clouds, I will make myself like the Most High. But you are brought down to Sheol, to the far reaches of the pit.” (Isaiah 14:12-15)

The striving for power, authority, and adulation on the part of a created being/angel is at the heart of human history; it moved from Adam and Eve to Cain and on down to us. This is a thoroughly biblical worldview.

Theodicy—The Problem of Evil

David Hume, the eighteenth-century Scottish philosopher, captured the core of the puzzle in Dialogues Concerning Natural Religion. Attempting to define our impulse to question God on the matter of the presence of evil, Hume wrote: “He is willing to prevent evil, but not able? Then is he impotent. Is he able, but not willing? Then is he malevolent. Is he both able and willing: whence then is evil?”

Questions

The questions could go on and on with no satisfying answer. The real question, however, is whether our questions require an answer. The Scripture, both the Hebrew and Greek portions, from Genesis to Revelation, make no attempt to confront the problem of evil; it merely assumes and acknowledges it with no explanations given. Evil is assumed, with its root cause being a creature who rebelled against the Creator at some unknown point, inside or outside of time. This knowledge does not deter human inquiry, however; we are stuck on the notion of evil being a problem needing a solution.

Is it possible that we humans are not capable of true understanding here? Might the Creator not intend for us to understand? Would it change things if He provided a solution? We would likely just continue on our way, making Satan either a friend or an enemy.

In a way, God has indeed given an answer to the problem of evil. As an answer to Hume, my view is that the Creator is both able and willing to subdue Lucifer. What’s more, He has already dealt a victorious and deadly blow to Satan. This is what the work of Christ is all about!

The Beautiful Devil

Satan desires to be worshipped and has franchised his corporation out across the globe. Some submit to him directly and knowingly; others do so indirectly. We know of straight-on Satanic worship and also of the occult arts, bundled together under the broad spectrum of spiritism, magic, and divination. His presence and abilities are enough to turn a hyper-materialist into a super-naturalist in a flash. Once one experiences a demonic presence, one is never the same again.

Beautiful is the Day Star, so very attractive and powerful. He has miracles, signs and wonders, and real raw power. He delights to anoint his priests and priestesses with dark and sensational gifts. He counts his converts by the billions.

Satan would claim the authorship of evil, but though he is malevolence itself, he is ultimately impotent.

The Work of Messiah[3] Jesus

Before the foundation of our world and the entire universe, the Creator God both foreknew and predestined the course of the history of the entirety of the creation, both on the micro and macro level.  If not, He is not God.

Slowly, and from our point of view, painfully slowly, He is allowing the entire script to be played out. This is revealed piece-meal in the Bible, with the first core prophetic revelation being stated directly in Genesis 3:15. This statement is part of a longer narrative from verses 14–19 and is what the Creator said to the creature, the serpent:

I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.

The “woman” is a type but always female. First came Eve, the prototype, then the nation Israel, then the remnant Israel, then finally the single woman, Mary, mother of Jesus called the Christ.

“Enmity” is stronger than the English word generally conveys and means warfare or deadly conflict. We see “he” refers to Satan, including his followers, those angels who sided with Lucifer in the cataclysmic rebellion.

“Your offspring,” the Creator says, and these are the followers and worshippers of Satan, knowingly or unknowingly, both demon and human. Quite an army!

“Her offspring” is in the singular, “he shall bruise.”

Her offspring deals a deadly head blow to “your offspring,” which offspring is capable only of dealing a bruise on the heel.

The “he” is the Messiah, the Christ, the One appointed by the Creator to undo all that the serpent brought upon the creation. This is the fundamental theme of all the Bible. The apostle John summed it up by saying: “The reason the son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil” (1 John 3:18b).

The work of Satan is to induce humans to hide from their Creator because of their guilt and shame, which is the natural effect of sin. His plan is to blind and possess those who follow him, so they might be with Him in eternal gloom and darkness. We all are rebels against God, whether we recognize it or not. Therefore, God acted to bring peace and freedom to His beloved creation.

This “plan of salvation” moved directly to the Roman cross on which Jesus was hung about AD 30 outside the walls of Jerusalem. As the old hymn so eloquently presents it, “Only His blood can wash away my sin” — the blood Jesus shed while on the cross.

Problem of Evil Solved? 

The problem of evil is not solved, not satisfactorily answered, merely understood to some degree. This must be enough for us this side of eternity.

Will the great question be answered when we are in the presence of God? I doubt it; any possible relevance will be negated. Joy will fill us to fullness.

---

[1] See Ezekiel 28:11–19; Revelation 12:7–10; and 20:1–3.

[2] The Screwtape Letters, p. vii.

[3] Messiah, from the Hebrew, meshiach, means the Anointed One, leading to the Greek, Christos.

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 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 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 1 Corinthians 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 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 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.

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.

Sometime in 1968, I began to keep a journal. I admit this was

after the news media discovered the Jesus Movement, and it

occurred to me that it might be important to chronicle things as

I saw them.

So I began to write it all down with a pencil and a cheap spiral

notebook. I went back mentally to the night I was driving home in the

rain from my job as a shoe salesman at J.C. Penny in Corte Madera.

The Scott McKenzie song about coming to San Francisco and wearing

a flower in your hair was playing on the radio. There it was, like the

time it seemed God directly and personally called me into the ministry,

that I heard, “Go to the hippies in San Francisco.” Okay, I said to

myself, and the very next night I headed in as instructed.

That night I met David Hoyt and my whole world changed. I had

thought I would be a pastor of a normal kind of church and do the

things that I had seen my pastor, Bob Lewis, do. I had no further ambition.

I never thought I would write a book or be a great preacher or

get involved in the wild and crazy things I did.1 I paid a high price, and

my family, eventually families, also paid a high price. If I had known

then what would transpire, I might have become a Jonah and tried to

run away from the commission God gave me.

My idea was to write down my experiences as they happened and

not wait a week or so when I might have more time. As best I could,

this was the program I followed. I shared with David what I was doing,

and there were times when we collaborated and jointly tried to recall

1 Turns out I did write a book or two and, yes, I have done some wild and

crazy things, but I never did become a great preacher, although I do my best every

Sunday morning.

I hoped that, at some point, the notes might be turned into a book.

I knew I was not much of a writer, but I had an interesting story, so

I started sending out letters to publishers about what I was writing

about. Much to my surprise I got a letter from Zondervan Publishing

House in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and it was, as far as I knew then, the

largest and most prestigious Christian publishing house in America.

A vice-president named Bob DeVries sent the letter. I sent a follow-

up letter to him asking what he wanted me to do, and his reply

was a request for the manuscript, which I immediately sent. Then I

waited. Within a few weeks, he flew out to the Bay Area to meet David

and me for lunch at the St. Francis Hotel by Union Square. Having

grown up in what sociologists of that era described as lower middle

class, I had never before eaten in, let alone seen, such a fancy restaurant.

Shocking to us was Mr. DeVries’ eagerness

for us to sign a contract, which we

were also eager to do. Bob DeVries was a

most pleasant and gracious man, probably

the most important person I had ever met.

He remained so throughout the adventure

with the story of the hippies.

We had entitled the book, Two Brothers

in Haight. Zondervan kept the title

but said the book had to be rewritten, so

they hired a professional, Norman Rohr,

who made a living ghost writing as well

as teaching writing. When he showed up

a couple of weeks later we talked about

the book and our story, so he could begin

reworking what we had done. After I read

his version, however, I called Bob and said

something like, “I don’t think so.”

Not giving up on us, they hired Ed Plowman to do the next rewrite.

I knew Ed, because he was a founding member of Evangelical Concerns

and pastor of the Presidio Baptist Church in San Francisco.

Things went much better with Ed’s version, and the book was placed

in line for printing.

The whole process dragged on considerably, and by the time I

received the galley proofs, David had long since moved from Walnut

Creek to Atlanta. I sent the galleys back and waited for the printed

version.

Halt !

But then it happened; David was swept up into the Children of

God. I was presented with a dilemma at that point. If the book came

out, I suspected the COG would make use of it in a way I couldn’t tolerate.

By that time I knew way too much about The Family and was

convinced the book should not be published.

I called Mr. DeVries and told him what had happened. I unloaded

my worries and, after calming down, said, “We cannot publish the

book.” He instantly agreed. The irony is that the printing job was

nearly complete, and the book would have been in the mail in less

than two weeks.

That book, two versions of it plus my own original manuscript,

sits amongst my archives of the Jesus People Movement. It might yet

see the light of day.

Sometime in 1968, I began to keep a journal. I admit this was

after the news media discovered the Jesus Movement, and it

occurred to me that it might be important to chronicle things as

I saw them.

So I began to write it all down with a pencil and a cheap spiral

notebook. I went back mentally to the night I was driving home in the

rain from my job as a shoe salesman at J.C. Penny in Corte Madera.

The Scott McKenzie song about coming to San Francisco and wearing

a flower in your hair was playing on the radio. There it was, like the

time it seemed God directly and personally called me into the ministry,

that I heard, “Go to the hippies in San Francisco.” Okay, I said to

myself, and the very next night I headed in as instructed.

That night I met David Hoyt and my whole world changed. I had

thought I would be a pastor of a normal kind of church and do the

things that I had seen my pastor, Bob Lewis, do. I had no further ambition.

I never thought I would write a book or be a great preacher or

get involved in the wild and crazy things I did. I paid a high price, and

my family, eventually families, also paid a high price. If I had known

then what would transpire, I might have become a Jonah and tried to

run away from the commission God gave me.

My idea was to write down my experiences as they happened and

not wait a week or so when I might have more time. As best I could,

this was the program I followed. I shared with David what I was doing,

and there were times when we collaborated and jointly tried to recall

1 Turns out I did write a book or two and, yes, I have done some wild and

crazy things, but I never did become a great preacher, although I do my best every

Sunday morning.

the events of the days that we spent together walking the streets of

the Haight Ashbury.

I hoped that, at some point, the notes might be turned into a book.

I knew I was not much of a writer, but I had an interesting story, so

I started sending out letters to publishers about what I was writing

about. Much to my surprise I got a letter from Zondervan Publishing

House in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and it was, as far as I knew then, the

largest and most prestigious Christian publishing house in America.

A vice-president named Bob DeVries sent the letter. I sent a follow-

up letter to him asking what he wanted me to do, and his reply

was a request for the manuscript, which I immediately sent. Then I

waited. Within a few weeks, he flew out to the Bay Area to meet David

and me for lunch at the St. Francis Hotel by Union Square. Having

grown up in what sociologists of that era described as lower middle

class, I had never before eaten in, let alone seen, such a fancy restaurant.

Shocking to us was Mr. DeVries’ eagerness

for us to sign a contract, which we

were also eager to do. Bob DeVries was a

most pleasant and gracious man, probably

the most important person I had ever met.

He remained so throughout the adventure

with the story of the hippies.

We had entitled the book, Two Brothers

in Haight. Zondervan kept the title

but said the book had to be rewritten, so

they hired a professional, Norman Rohr,

who made a living ghost writing as well

as teaching writing. When he showed up

a couple of weeks later we talked about

the book and our story, so he could begin

reworking what we had done. After I read

his version, however, I called Bob and said

something like, “I don’t think so.”

Not giving up on us, they hired Ed Plowman to do the next rewrite.

I knew Ed, because he was a founding member of Evangelical Concerns

and pastor of the Presidio Baptist Church in San Francisco.

Things went much better with Ed’s version, and the book was placed

in line for printing.

The whole process dragged on considerably, and by the time I

received the galley proofs, David had long since moved from Walnut

Creek to Atlanta. I sent the galleys back and waited for the printed

version.

Halt !

But then it happened; David was swept up into the Children of

God. I was presented with a dilemma at that point. If the book came

out, I suspected the COG would make use of it in a way I couldn’t tolerate.

By that time I knew way too much about The Family and was

convinced the book should not be published.

I called Mr. DeVries and told him what had happened. I unloaded

my worries and, after calming down, said, “We cannot publish the

book.” He instantly agreed. The irony is that the printing job was

nearly complete, and the book would have been in the mail in less

than two weeks.

That book, two versions of it plus my own original manuscript,

sits amongst my archives of the Jesus People Movement. It might yet

see the light of day.

Chapter 4 from The Preposterous God, very short

Chapter Two

The Created in the Image of the Creator

It is no wonder we are tempted to think of ourselves more highly than we ought. We are created in the very image of God. Image. What is this? When we look in a mirror, we certainly don’t see God, who does not look like we do; this is easily concluded.

What, then, does “created in the image of God” mean? We see from the biblical account that it took both the male and the female to express something of the nature of God: “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them” (Genesis 1:27).

But “image” has much more to it than mere physical attributes.

We note that none of the animals God created, as depicted in Genesis chapter two, had a personal relationship with their Creator. That ability or status was reserved for the humans, Adam and Eve. Their relationship with God was personal to the extent that God actually communicated directly with this first couple. We see this in Genesis 3:8-13 after they disobeyed His one commandment:

And they heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God among the trees of the garden. But the LORD God called to the man and said to him, “Where are you?” And he said, “I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked, and I hid myself.” He said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten of the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?” The man said, “The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me fruit of the tree, and I ate.” Then the LORD God said to the woman, “What is this that you have done?” The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.”

Image therefore takes on the idea of the capacity to have fellowship with, to know and be known by, and to communicate with, the Creator. This idea may seem strange, even preposterous to us, yet it is at the heart of the ultimate intention of the Creator. There is a lot more to the story. Genesis, after all, means beginning.

God Incarnate

Is the garden appearance a case of God becoming incarnate—physically present? Christian thinkers have been divided on this issue for the last two thousand years. The passage quoted in Genesis 3 above seems to indicate that an actual, physical Being was present in the Garden (Paradise) and literally spoke with Adam and Eve.

While the writer of the passage might have taken literary license and conveyed a most complex event into a manner more easily understood, there are also other possibilities, yet the minimum clear statement is that we find the Creator in real and actual conversation with a man and a woman. The Creator never spoke to any of the animals we find listed in Genesis chapter two, verses 18 through 23. But with Adam and Eve He did.

A Lonely Creator?

It has been suggested that the Creator was lonely, which prompted Him to create humans in order to have someone with whom to communicate and have a relationship. Neither the living organisms nor the angels satisfied Him, so fellowship would depend upon a Creature somewhat like Himself, a creature made in His image. Perhaps fellowship with human beings was the ultimate intention of the Creator. Perhaps He put that same desire for fellowship with Him inside of each human being.

Image—we humans are made in the image of the Creator. Do you ever have a sense of this? Have you read the writings of poets, heard the music of great composers, seen the paintings and sculpture of artists, or watched the films of talented directors, and seen the deep longings that abide in the spirit of men and women? Have you found in those creations the sound of a cry to know the Creator of all? The Creator is not lonely, as He is complete in His Being. However, we humans have a deep inner loneliness that can only be assuaged by a relationship with Him.

A Different Reason

We may never know why we are created in His image, and we may not really need to know. But just maybe the answer is that He loves us.

I can hear it now—the retort that the Creator can’t possibly love His creation. After all, look at the world and see the suffering throughout history. We are born and we die, and in between is turmoil and strife, with our best hope being a painless death. If love is the reason, then why the evil loosed upon us?

The Creator’s love is preposterous to us, given what we see in the world.

 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.

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.

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 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 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.”  

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. 

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

The Creator

That some entity created all there is, meaning the entire universe, is unimaginable.

It has been postulated that the universe just is, that it exists with no Creator necessary, that the universe is simply the fundamental reality, without need for a Creator, a first cause. No god or goddess, no Mind, no Consciousness, no Singularity, no Strings attached—it is what it is.

Of course, this leaves a lot to be explained, if indeed, there is something that needs explaining. Maybe acceptance of such an ultimate reality is as close to actualization as a human being can get. But is this a mindset placed by God?

The history of humankind, what little we know of it, illustrates that most of us on the planet have a sense of a Being, often called God, or called something else but with the same essence. Does this prove there is a God? Certainly not! We can all be completely wrong.

A Major Confrontation

Some time in the past a series of legends or generational stories began circulating among an ancient people known as the A’bru.[1] Eventually, they were committed to writing during the time of Moses, in the mid-second millennium before the common era, a date of approximately 1500 BCE.

The earliest accounts of these are recorded in the book called the Hebrew Bible. There are multiple versions of what we refer to as “creation accounts” in the first book of this Bible.[2] One begins in Genesis 1:1 and runs through Genesis 2:3.[3] Here the word for the Creator is transliterated as Elohim or El.[4]

The second account begins at Genesis 2:4 and runs through Genesis 3:24 or 4:26, depending on one’s view. The third is merely the first two verses of chapter 5:

This is the book of the generations of Adam. When God created man, he made him in the likeness of God. Male and female he created them, and he blessed them and named them Man when they were created. (Genesis 5:1-2)

The first account reads: “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth” (Genesis 1:1). “Beginning” is assumed to mean the creation of the universe, since the passage goes on to describe, blow by blow, how all there is came to be. An ancient and poetic description of the process may be seen in the account, yet the basics are plain. Verse 27 says: “So God created man in his own mage, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.” This verse is very similar to that of Genesis 5:1-2 quoted above.

The second account translates the Hebrew Yahweh as God, thus distinguishing this account from the first. The first is thought to be the oldest of the three, because the word Yahweh came into use during the time of Moses, as is evident from Exodus chapter 3. The first verse of the second creation account is: “These are the generations of the heavens and the earth when they were created, in the day that the LORD[5] God made the earth and the heavens” (Genesis 2:4).

The Creator

It all starts with the Creator. Either there is a Creator, or all of existence is a mystery.

How does one know what is what? Ecclesiastes 3:11 gives a credible answer:

He has put eternity into man’s heart, yet so that he cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end.

Solomon, the likely author of the verse, stated poetically the human condition that resonates with us, because we have an awareness of the truth expressed. However, all we need to do is look around us at the world in which we live to see something supremely gigantic and quite preposterous yet real, which tells us there is more than the eye can see.

Theologians call this “general revelation,” and it is shared by all human beings. This may explain why history confirms that human beings have always had a “god sense” about them that turns into religion. Yet, there is a built-in limit.

In the eighth century before the common era, the prophet Isaiah clouded the waters. Yahweh, the personal name of the God of Israel—the El or Elohim—revealed to Isaiah the following:

For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.

Mystery indeed! Eternity is placed into humans, but there is a limitation placed there by the Creator.

Adam and Eve

Whether one believes in a literal Adam and Eve is irrelevant, at least to many of us Bible believers. I myself do believe in an actual Adam and Eve who were the first truly human creatures and that they did not evolve from lower or more ancient organic forms. In addition, I suspect their creation to be rather recent, as geological time goes. My sense is that the evolutionary process implanted into all living forms simply could not develop a creature made in God’s image. And we will continue the concept of “image” in the next chapter.

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[1] A’bru is only an approximate spelling. In time the word Hebrew was used to denote this primitive middle eastern tribe whose origins are unknown.

[2] Some insist there is only one creation account, others say three. I am among the latter.

[3] The chapter and verse designations were added during the common era, about mid 2^nd millennium. Some errors were made in assigning verse numbers, as is obvious to those who study the Scripture.

[4] To transliterate is to use, as here, English letter equivalents for Hebrew letters.

[5] The large and small caps combination of “LORD” indicates the underlying Hebrew word is Yahweh.

We don’t get very far when we attempt to figure out what or who God is. 

I have no idea, or almost no idea, of what or who God is. And I am a Christian who believes the Bible; I have several degrees plus ten years of theological seminary culminating in a doctorate. I have also been a pastor for more than fifty years and consider myself a preacher of the Gospel. 

When I read my Bible, I discover what God did. The short version of that story is summed up in The Apostles’ Creed. He (and He is a She as well, which can be argued based upon Genesis 1:271) is unlike any he or she of which we might ever have had awareness.2 

1 In this book I capitalize pronouns referring to the Trinity, thus He and Him. The English Standard Version of the Bible used throughout does not so capitalize. 

2 We do not need to get excited about the fact that the ancients did not have the sensibilities about gender issues that we do today. The authors of Scripture were people of their day, not ours. 

He created everything that exists, was actually present in the Garden of Eden on day one, communicated with the man and the woman, and then, due to a major problem, sent them away. Theologically, we know why the Creator took this drastic course of action. Sin, which is the breaking of God’s Law, cannot be united with Him. There has never been, nor will there ever be, sin in the direct presence of God. 

This is therefore the reason why the rebel, Satan, was cast out of heaven way back when. This is the reason Adam and Eve were sent out of the garden as well. Heaven, an utterly unimaginable realm, is where God dwells in utter holiness, meaning that no unholiness can be in His presence. This is an image or concept we will never understand, at least while on the planet. 

A confession is due right now. Early in my Christian walk I did not question what the Bible says about God. Now, with sixty one years at the time of this writing of walking with Jesus, I question my preposterous God more than ever before. I am confident I can do so knowing I am not in danger of losing my salvation. Then again, I am past the stage when I worry about what others might think when I raise serious issues about fundamental elements of the Faith. But most of all I think this book comes out of knowing God more completely than ever before. My child-like faith has grown up enough, to the point I grasp the enormity, at least from a human stand point, of the absurdity of the God of the Bible. For me, this Little Book had to be written for myself and others like me who dare to bring up the big issues. 

God is preposterous. The Oxford Concise Dictionary uses the words “absurd, outrageous, contrary to nature, reason, or common sense” to define the term. 

These attempts do not go far enough when it comes to what and who God is. After all, they are merely terms we understand, and if we are honest, we will admit that our understandings are very limited. We are not on equal terms with God, we will not become God, we will not be absorbed into God, nor will we have union with God. 2 

God is preposterous, even while we wish He were not. We keep trying to whittle Him down, reduce Him, or find a formula for Him, but it will not work. 

May we allow ourselves to ask the question, “What and who is God?” 

As in the essay on mindfulness, the following material on the subject of the ancestors was taken off the internet from several different sites. Our reason for doing this is so the reader can see what proponents of ancestral medicine are saying rather than a critique from those of us who disavow it. And the reason we stand against it, despite its growing popularity, is that it is another practice that easily leads to being invaded by demonic spirits, which is why it takes its place in this book. 

What does ancestral medicine encourage? 

Everyone has loving and wise ancestors they can learn to invoke for support and healing. Coming into relationship with your ancestors empowers you to transform negative family patterns into blessings and encourages good health, self-esteem, clarity of purpose, and better relationships with your living relatives.

What does it mean to heal your ancestors? 

When we reconcile with ancestors who experienced different types of persecution or who enacted violence and oppression, we make repairs in our personal psyches and family histories that, in turn, mend cracks in the larger spirit of humanity. 

How can I heal my ancestors? 

Make prayers to your Ancestors and speak your desire to heal the wounds in your Family and your DNA. Burn the plant offering with this prayer. Know that you are supported by your ancestors in this endeavor and feel their love and support. Read the Release Intention and Burn it in the Fire. 

How do you start ancestral healing? 

Begin simply, by making a family tree that includes everyone up until your grandparents (or great-grandparents if you have access to that information). Then, next to each person, write down any and all traumas they endured.

How do you release ancestral trauma? 

Four ways to break ancestral trauma: 

1. Acceptance of your parents as they are/were. 
2. Acknowledge unconscious loyalties to pain/addiction you might be carrying from your lineage. 
3. Everyone belongs, no matter what; each person must be given a place. 
4. Release what doesn’t belong to you; own what does. 

What is ancestral bloodline? 

Bloodline Powers: You have the power of your collective ancestors surrounding you, and the powers you gain manifest in part due to the heroic or dastardly deeds your family members have achieved before your time. You have been selected by these spirits to build upon your family’s greatness. 

How do I make my ancestors happy? 

The easiest way to venerate ancestors is simple: put a photo of the deceased beside a glass of water and a white candle and talk to them or recite their favorite prayers. You can also add food or drinks they enjoyed. There is no right or wrong way to honor those who have passed on. 

How do I connect with my ancestors spiritually? 

In addition to prayer, calling on your ancestors in meditation is likely the easiest and fastest way to feel their presence. Take time to sit in meditation for 10–30 minutes, specifically calling whichever ancestor by name you feel most connected to and ask them to talk to you! 

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Following are some remarks on two biblical passages that relate to ancestral connections, both from the Hebrew Bible, the first from the Torah, Leviticus 20:6 and 27, then from the prophets, Isaiah 8:19. 

Leviticus 20:6: 

[6] “If a person turns to mediums and necromancers, whoring after them, I will set my face against that person and will cut him off from among his people. (ESV) 

Our focus is on the word “necromancers.” The passages concern people who want to connect with dead people, usually ancestors, and they turn to mediums and necromancers to help with this task. Both mediums and necromancers offer to contact the dead. And the passage is clear that such were rejected by God and cut off from the people of Israel.94 

Leviticus 20:27 

[27] “A man or a woman who is a medium or a necromancer shall surely be put to death. They shall be stoned with stones; their blood shall be upon them.” (ESV) 

Now the passage speaks specifically about the medium and the necromancer. Not only those who want to connect with ancestors by means of mediums or necromancers are to cut off from the people of God but also the mediums, and this by means of execution. 

Deuteronomy 18:9–12a 

[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, [12] for whoever does these things is an abomination to the LORD. 

Thus comes a second warning from the Torah, and again the message is the same, clearly stating, “one who inquires of the dead.” 

God’s word does not assume that the dead can actually be contacted—they are dead, and there is no available pathway to them—but there are evil spiritual entities that do impersonate the dead. 

Isaiah 8:19 

[19] And when they say to you, “Inquire of the mediums and the necromancers who chirp and mutter,” should not a people inquire of their God? Should they inquire of the dead on behalf of the living? (ESV) 

Again, now from Isaiah who lived hundreds of years after the writing of Leviticus, comes the same message. The land of Israel had been occupied for long periods by those who practiced occult arts, and the Israelites copied them. Here now comes reality from their creator God, that His people should seek Him rather than the mediums and necromancers. 

********** 

How do you know if you are receiving an Ancestral call? 

And for some, ancestors speak to them until it is like they are mentally disturbed. And some cannot find a job or cannot have children. The physical symptoms most commonly related to the calling, are: (severe) headache,  

stomachache, burning feet, back pain, loss of appetite, fatigue, palpitations and fainting. 

We question whether this, then, is something to be desired and sought! 

What is respect for the ancestors? 

The veneration of the dead, including one’s ancestors, is based on love and respect for the deceased. In some cultures, it is related to beliefs that the dead have a continued existence and may possess the ability to influence the fortune of the living. Some groups venerate their direct, familial ancestors. 

What is the relationship between God and ancestors? 

Together with their descendants, ancestors worship God. As mediators between God and humankind, ancestors do not possess the power to mediate salvation. Ancestors remain in contact with descendants for quite some time 

How do I pray to my ancestors? 

God, Source of all hope and love, Hear our prayers for our ancestors. May the road they walked in pursuit of peace and joy in you Mirror for us the same peace and joy we long for. Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them. 

How do you call ancestors? 

In addition to prayer, calling in your ancestors in meditation is likely the easiest and fastest way to feel their presence. Take time to sit in meditation for 10–30 minutes and specifically call-in whichever ancestor by name you feel most connected to and ask them to talk to you! 

What is ancestor karma? 

Ancestral karma has been described as karma, which is made up of our ancestors’ habits and beliefs, wrongdoings and right doings, and middle-of-the-road actions. 

What are the signs of having a calling? Here are 7 signs you have found your calling. 

1. Your actions match your plans. You make big plans and then you carry out the actions to match. . . . 
2. You reach a state of flow. . . . 
3. You can’t be deterred. . . . 
4. You suspect you’re onto something. . . . 
5. Your output is huge. . . . 
6. You’re happy. . . .

1. You’re making progress. 

Your Calling Is Closely Tied to What You Enjoy 

Always be watchful for that same feeling. When you find yourself in the middle of a task, hobby, or job and notice that same satisfaction, know that you have found the point where your God-given talents align with the tasks He has laid before you. 

What does the Bible say about ancestral spirits? 

Some have used Leviticus 19:26b-32 to justify the veneration of ancestor spirits. It reads: “Rise in the presence of the aged, show respect for the elderly and revere your God. I am the LORD” (NIV). 

Of course, this completely misses the point of respecting one’s living elderly and also completely ignores the passages quoted earlier from Leviticus, Deuteronomy, and Isaiah. 

What religion believes in ancestor worship? 

Ancestor worship and reverence to family are fundamental elements of Confucianism. Rituals to honour ancestors are extremely important and must be performed in precise ways. By carrying them out properly, an individual can receive the aid and cooperation of deceased relatives. 

********** 

Here now is the danger. Contact with an entity who disguises itself as a dead ancestor is very deceiving. A person is convinced when he or she hears a voice that exactly fits with the ancestor. This entity also knows secret things that only the two, the voice and the person, could possibly know. However, it is no actual ancestor; it is an impersonation. How the demonic kingdom has this knowledge is quite incredible and chilling. One suspects that there are always prying demonic eyes watching us in order to gain the ammunition needed for this kind of deception. We have even experienced, during sessions of deliverance ministry, demons trying to derail its being cast out by blurting out (accurate) accusations against us, the ministers, about sins we ourselves had committed. With the collected information the demons have stored, anyone could be deceived. 

We therefore see that the further danger for the person in contact with who they think is a long-gone ancestor is being open to invasion by the very demonic spirits who are impersonating the supposed ancestor. 

Fifty-two years of experience in the pastorate has proven that grieving people may be vulnerable to this sort of deception. In particular, recovering from the death of a loved one puts one in a vulnerable frame of mind, easily manipulated

by the magnet of a chance to interact with that loved one again. We have recently encountered this, when a man stated, quite seriously, that his dead wife was waiting to speak with him. Such a powerful temptation! 

There is a parable of Jesus that fits in right here. It is titled, by the editors of the English Standard Version of the Bible, as “The Rich Man and Lazarus.” It is found in Luke 16:19–31. 

[19] “There was a rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously every day. [20] And at his gate was laid a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, [21] who desired to be fed with what fell from the rich man’s table. Moreover, even the dogs came and licked his sores. [22] The poor man died and was carried by the angels to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried, [23] and in Hades, being in torment, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham far off and Lazarus at his side. [24] And he called out, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus to dip the end of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am in anguish in this flame.’ [25] But Abraham said, ‘Child, remember that you in your lifetime received your good things, and Lazarus in like manner bad things; but now he is comforted here, and you are in anguish. [26] And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, in order that those who would pass from here to you may not be able, and none may cross from there to us.’ [27] And he said, ‘Then I beg you, father, to send him to my father’s house—[28] for I have five brothers—so that he may warn them, lest they also come into this place of torment.’ [29] But Abraham said, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them hear them.’ [30] And he said, ‘No, Father Abraham, but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent.’ [31] He said to him, ‘If they do not hear Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be convinced if someone should rise from the dead.’” 

Lazarus is a poor man and is “carried by the angels to Abraham’s side,” or to Abraham’s bosom in some versions. “Abraham’s side” is an ancient Jewish term for heaven, or the presence of God. 

Then the rich man, who knew Lazarus, also died and was carried not to heaven but to Hades, a term used in that era by Jewish people as a very awful place full of torment and misery. (Hades would be more completely identified as hell, a place ruled over by Satan and his demons.) 

In the parable, and not necessarily to be taken literally (commentators disagree on this issue), the rich man sees Lazarus in a place of tranquility and goodness. The rich man wants Abraham to send Lazarus with a drop or two of water. Abraham’s response is the core of what we are presenting here. It is verse 26: “And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, in order that those who pass from here to you may not be able, and none may cross from there to us”. 

This is only a parable, but it contains great truth. No one comes back to the planet once dead. Throughout Christian history, theologians and all Bible commentators have not maintained that there is a crossing over from heaven to hell or from hell to heaven. The destinations are fixed. 

********** 

Ancestral Medicine 

Ancestral Medicine: Rituals for Personal and Family Healing, by Daniel Foor, Ph.D., published in 2017, describes perhaps the clearest presentation of what Ancestral Medicine is. Following is a brief presentation of the core of some of his points. 

In the introduction to the three sections of the book, he speaks of spontaneous ancestor contact such as dream visits, waking visions, and synchronicities. Also, the reader may “learn to partner with wise and loving ancestors to assist the souls of any deceased family members who have not yet joined the ancestors” (p. 3). 

All of the dead then are not necessarily part of the “ancestors,” but those who are may be contacted through various shamanistic and psychic processes. He will go on in the book to explain how to contact ancestors, which he says will be healing in many ways. 

Part One: Foundations of Ancestor Work 

Chapter one, My Personal Journey with the Ancestors. 

He states on page 10, “Allow space for personal reflection as you read, and stay open to helpful dream visits or other spontaneous contact from your loving and supportive ancestors.” 

He expects the reader will be contacted, but this contact will not be with ancestors, it will be with demons who impersonate dead ancestors. Based on what we have experienced, the very idea that an ancestor may be contacted is enough for a demon to play the role and make the contact. 

Dr. Noor concludes the chapter by encouraging any attempt to connect with an ancestor. “There is nothing unusual about having a healthy, ongoing relationship with our ancestors; in fact, it’s one of the most inherently human things we could do” (p. 12). 

Chapter two, Who are the Ancestors? 

Dr. Noor states that our oldest ancestors lived more than 200,000 thousand years ago in Africa, know the entire journey of human beings, and “are custodians of our generic and cultural memory” (p. 21). 

Key to his understanding of the ancestors, he asserts that some of these are “deeply at peace, while others may still be working things through” (p. 21). 

The author states that the dead are not dead, and says that “most indigenous peoples, animists, shamans, pagans, spiritual healers, and others who intentionally relate to the dead would agree with the following four assertions: 1) Consciousness continues after death; 2) Not all of the dead are equally well; 3) The living and the dead can communicate; and 4) The living and the dead can strongly affect one another. 

He thus lays the groundwork for communicating with souls or spirits. Satan could not have expressed it better. Indeed, the reader is being groomed for talking with the dead. 

The dead are no more dead, Dr. Noor states, “than angels, gods, the spirits of plants and animals, or other unseen forces” (p. 23). But then, he says it is best when thinking about the living and the dead to think of the distinction between human souls who are currently living and souls who were previously living and with whom we can still relate. Indeed, “throughout this book I refer to ‘the ancestors’ interchangeably with ‘the dead’ (meaning all human souls not incarnate on Earth at this time)” (p. 26). 

This sets the stage for the enormous lie, the lie of the “soul.” Every one of the psychic therapies or practices depend on the concept that there is a soul trapped or living in a human body and which is the true essence of the individual. This concept of the soul is mere confusion, and the essay, “Soul Confusion” presented in this book details where and how this tragic error is derived. 

The author, Dr. Noor, writes about how the living and the dead can communicate. “Contact between the living and the dead can take many forms. Sometimes the deceased come unsolicited as visitors in our dreams. Sometimes they speak through waking visions or synchronicities, or at times when our psychological defenses are thin (e.g., near-death experiences, altered states)” (p. 27). 

Synchronicity: this concept came from Carl Jung. The term refers to two or more events that are meaningfully related but which otherwise would be unlikely to occur. 

But then, some will seek to contact the dead by means of “ancestor reverence,” which can include ancestor-focused prayer, meditation, inspired song, and creative expression; psychic and mediumship practices; some types of divination; and any other practice that facilitates communication (p. 28). 

Here is where occult practices like mediumship intersect with meditation. When one engages is various forms of the psychic occult one opens oneself up to being invaded by demonic spirits. Based on lengthy experience, the 100 

initial contact or invasion can be either frightening or stimulating, sometimes both. Something occurs, and not merely an emotional something, but something real and tangible, though it may remain mysterious for some period. 

Once the initial event occurs, contact with the dead may be initiated by the living person, or the dead ancestor may initiate the contact. Interestingly, Dr. Noor admits that “the ancestors can confer blessings of health and longevity, or they can send us to an early grave” (p. 29). Yes, the idea is that some ancestors are mature and benevolent and some the opposite. “We on Earth can also benefit the ancestors. . . . when we speak well of them and feed them through heartfelt offerings (e.g., food, drink, flowers)” (p. 29). After all, death is just the beginning of a rite of passage for the recently deceased. 

Of interest is that Dr. Noor states that ancestors are not only real, but they are also not all equally well, and they can and will communicate, even if we do not seek the contact. The ancestors can give gifts of longevity and fertility and give a person an even temperament. 

Ancestor “reverence” practitioners will sometimes encourage knowing the names of ancestors back to seven generations; thus, as many as 254 ancestors may be made known to them. But all of these ancestors may not be equipped to be “supportive” family ancestors, and such can cause “disruption and disequilibrium for the living” (p. 35). 

Yes, this so-called gifting and knowledge is not all that can be given; indeed, ancestors may open the door to physical and mental illness. 

It is interesting to note that Dr. Noor repeatedly states that there are often experiences when ancestors whose souls indwell or contact a living person may not prove to be a wholesome event. 

In our years of doing the work of “casting out of demons,” we have often seen the disruption experienced with those who have “souls” living in them or have contacted them. Our experience, and that of countless others, confirms that the presence of such ancestors is frightening to the point they are compelled to find help. 

Dr. Noor draws a distinction between “ancient ancestors” and those a person knew during their life on Earth. “No longer tethered to Earth by name or living memory, these older ancestors often appear to living people as a group or a collective energy” (p. 36). These spirits may appear as more loving and peaceful than those who departed more recently, and they may be in a state of restlessness and pain. So, it is said there is a “family lineage repair process,” whereby older and younger family ancestors can be helped (p. 40). Noor also states, “Although it’s not usually the case, it is entirely possible that such work will destabilize your life” (p. 41). 

A summary of the chapter is given on page 42: “This chapter began with the question, ‘Who are the ancestors?’ To summarize, our ancestors include both the remembered dead and those ancestors whose names are forgotten. Both our recent and our older, collective ancestors influence our identity and sense of place in the world: ideally, we will include both in our practices of ancestor reverence.” 

Ancestors is a word that has good feelings associated with it; those in our family tree that we can know and benefit from—this is the author’s premise. He does not realize, or maybe he does, that he is inviting people to become indwelt by demons and not merely by making contact. And who can resist such a generous invitation? 

Chapter three: Spontaneous Ancestral Contact 

Contact and communication with ancestors can be sought or they can happen spontaneously, Dr. Noor explains. This latter means of contact may happen all of a sudden, without warning or intent. The spirit or soul of an ancestor just shows up and makes itself known. Dr. Foor says that “either type of contact can be helpful, harmful, or both” (p. 46). 

Contact can be made by means of dreams—not that a person merely dreams about the ancestor, but that the ancestor actually shows up in a dream. To acknowledge the contact, a person might make a simple offering to the ancestor, such as a prayer, lighting a candle, or pouring out a libation when awake. If the contact is that of a “troubled dead,” someone who has not yet become an ancestor, one can “make prayers, dedicate offerings, direct positive energy, and even conduct healing rituals for the elevation of these ancestors” (p. 47). 

Dr. Noor says that it is relatively common that ancestors show up when a person is in some altered or passive state of consciousness. And if such an event unexpectedly occurs, the encounter was likely with the troubled dead. 

Here now the deception runs deep. These “ancestors” are not ancestors at all but are what are sometimes referred to as “familiar” spirits, demons who impersonate dead people and appear and sound like an actual person. It can be very deceiving and again, such contact will eventually, if not quickly, result in demon possession. 

Dr. Noor, in my opinion, is not attempting to deceive the reader but does sincerely believe in what he is relaying. My attempt to contact him and request an interview was rejected. 

Chapter Four: Ancestor Reverence and Ritual 

There are many ways, says Dr. Noor, to relate to and communicate with one’s ancestors. One way is “ancestor reverence” and may involve many different forms and rituals. He says that many religions practice and perform rituals for this including those in the animistic and shamanistic traditions, Buddhism and even Christianity. 

The word “Christianity” reminds us of the Catholic tradition of praying to saints including the Virgin Mary. Although we know as Christians that we pray alone to “Our Father, who is in heaven,” there are certainly Christian brothers and sisters who, when praying, say, “Lord Jesus hear my prayer” or “Holy Spirit hear my prayer.” Such is not concerning since our Lord is Three-in-One and One-in-Three. 

Dr. Noor believes it is right to connect with our ancestors, because “we are bonded with the ancestors as life to death, light to shadow” (p. 57). He goes on to say, “One reason for engaging the ancestors is to more fully receive their support in our everyday living. Another reason is to extend support to the troubled dead” (p. 57). He also speaks of talking with dead ancestors and states that one needs to be careful, as others who overhear such conversation might wonder what is going on. 

Rituals are the focus now, and he mentions Celtic Samhain, the Mexican Day of the Dead, and the Japanese Obon festival as illustrative of such rituals. There are many others, of course, and he discusses how to establish them. 

Surprisingly, Dr. Noor states that the “troubled dead” can be a problem to the point that a “full exorcism may be needed to untangle the spirit of the deceased from the living” (p. 58). 

He does not understand that all of the so-called ancestors, troubled or not, are demons. 

“As stated in chapter 3, the living may experience direct contact with spirits of the deceased at any time” (p. 63). And this may occur by means of meditation, trance, and by direct intuition. Meditation is a usual and common way for entering into a trance type state or by what Dr. Noor terms direct intuition. 

Meditation, in every book we read, written both by those who support mindful meditation practices and by those who know these are means to connecting with evil spirits, know it is a manner in which ancestors, meaning demons, connect with humans. 

Dr. Noor notes that it is necessary to “trigger a shift in consciousness, which allows us to hear ancestral spirits more clearly” (p. 64) and the means to create such a shift include meditation, contemplation, vision quests, fasting, retreats, even drumming and rattling, intensive song and dance, psychological and physical ordeals, and the intentional use of psychoactive substances. 

It has become popular is some Christian churches and ministries to focus on a type of worship where music dominates, meaning the praise band, with long periods of ecstatic arm waving, dancing, and closing of the eyes, and then words of prophecy (so-called) are heard. This has been present for some 103 

decades and only recently have there been some corrections. 

Part Two: Healing with Lineage and Family Ancestors 

This second part “presents a framework and exercises to support direct engagement with loving and wise ancestors for the intention of personal, family, and lineage healing” (p. 72). And this includes greeting ancestral guides and other elevated ancestors, helping troubled ancestors, and much more. 

Chapter Five: Family Research and Initiating Ancestral Healing 

Dr. Noor describes how to “directly engage the spirits of your ancestors.” By this he means that it is time to “invite and start talking to dead people and listening for their responses” (p. 79). 

One of the vital processes is to become attuned to a person’s four primary bloodlines, these being one’s grandparents, two on each side. He then describes six stages for the work of speaking and hearing from dead ancestors. This is something Dr. Noor promotes, teaches, and uses to help supposedly troubled ancestors, thus the title for his book, Ancestral Medicine. 

We must be blunt here, because Noor is promoting what is often referred to as channeling and acting as a medium and a necromancer. The Hebrew Bible, in Deuteronomy 18:9–12 speaks to these “abominable practices”: 

[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, [12] for whoever does these things is an abomination to the LORD. And because of these abominations the LORD your God is driving them out before you. (ESV) 

Note the phrase in verse 11, “inquires of the dead.” Clearly Dr. Noor ignores this, (he likely is aware of it), but he encourages and teaches others to engage in these “abominable practices. Based on nearly fifty years of dealing with people who desired to have demons cast out of them and having acquired these evil spirits by means of any number of occult practices/arts, among those listed in Deuteronomy, we agree with the biblical warning. 

The numbers of those involved in contacting the so-called dead is growing exponentially. We do not mean to imply that those who engage in occult practices like that of speaking to the dead are evil people. No, they simply have been lured into a “spiritual” practice that is demonic. The devil and his demon  angels are spiritual and have powers that amaze and fool many of us. 

Chapter Six: Meeting with Ancestral Guides 

The focus here is how to “converse with bright ad elevated ancestors through practices of trance work and guided visualization” (p. 96). The guides are spirits of people who once lived on the earth and are part of a person’s actual blood ancestors. The guides are able to help their living ancestors and help any troubled dead. Dr. Noor refers to them as our “elders in spirit.” (p. 97) 

Various types of rituals are used in order to make contact with ancestral guides, the author states. “This section explores ritual structure, energetic protection, the use of nonordinary states of consciousness, ways to distinguish imagination and fantasy from authentic spirit contact.” (p. 100) On the next page we find that “During ritual, participants sometimes work with nonordinary states of consciousness or access strong emotion.” 

On page 102, Dr. Noor says, “If you intend to communicate with ancestral guides or other spirits of the dead, then you will likely need to enter into a state of awareness that is conducive to this type of dialogue.” 

Dr. Noor notes that there are a number of ways to prepare oneself to make communication with the spirits of the ancestors without using consciousness-altering substances. These include “mindful and medically safe fasting or eating lightly . . . engaging in exercise or disciplines like yoga, dance, chi gong, and martial arts.” (p. 102) He says one must “take caution” if one uses alcohol, cannabis, peyote, ayahuasca, and pyschoactive mushrooms to get into the proper state of mind for rituals. Instead, he does recommend meditation and drumming for the shifting of consciousness. The meditating is to calm and still, and the drum is for sensory stimulation. He also mentions “rattling,” the sound of the Native flute or recorder that will “support a light trance” (p. 103). 

We take note of the phrase “nonordinary states of consciousness” above. This reveals that the contacting of spirits involves an altered, passive, or shamanistic state of being. At this stage, the “therapist” enters into such a state by varying means often termed meditative or mindful states of consciousness. 

In our studies of these states of consciousness and conversing with those involved with various meditative practices, we discovered that the early stages of meditation and similar routines will most often produce pleasant and peaceful states of mind in the practitioner. There is no denying it; however, things will change over time and not for the better. This is when such a person may become fearful, disoriented, and may seek out help to deal with what turns out to be the presence of evil spirits. And it is only Jesus Christ who casts out demons. His followers, indwelt by the Holy Spirit, do this ministry today. 

Of course, Dr. Noor does not understand or perhaps is even unwilling to admit, that the spirits are not good at all. This would upset all he has committed himself to and would even cause him to wonder about the true nature of these ancestral spirits. 

Let us state once again: the ancestral ancestors are demons and not souls. In our view, one of the greatest deceptions ever to ascend from the nether region is the idea that a person has a soul inside the body, and which survives the death of the body. (See the chapter titled Soul Confusion for more on this subject.) 

Under the heading “Ways to Deepen Relationships with Ancestral Guides,” Dr. Noor states the first way is to “spend quality time with the ancestral guide” (p. 110). This is followed by, “Meet helpful spirits associated with this lineage.” And these other spirits “may include the collective spirits of animal and plants, deities, elemental powers, or spirits of place” (p. 111). He goes on to suggest that one might call upon the virgin Mary to help. 

In regard to “lineage,” those existing prior to any ancestors, this goes back to the formation of the universe and some, especially “indigenous peoples,” see themselves as being descendants of “specific powers, deities, land spirits, stars, natural forces, or exceptional and ancient human beings.” 

If one were to do so, he or she may well be rewarded with actual contact with spiritual entities. But what are these? Demons are able to assume any posture or identity, which is widely known. The worst of all outcomes is being in the presence of a demon under the control of the prime enemy of God, Satan. 

Let us assume that Dr. Noor believes what he is writing. We do not think he is making an attempt to fool people and lead them into danger of the worst imaginable kind. He believes he has made contact with the ancestors and other guides and entities, and he is thoroughly sold. 

In the interest of brevity, and because it should be clear to reader by this point in this chapter what Ancestral Medicine entails and what results, the remainder of our comments on Dr. Noor’s book will be abbreviated. 

In chapter eight, Dr. Noor writes of what is called a psychopomp, or soul guide, which is human or non-human, like a land spirit, a natural force, whose function is to “help the recently deceased reach the realm of the ancestors.” (p. 149) In other words, they deal with troubled souls. 

In chapter Nine is “Integration and Work with Living Family.” On page 176 is, “To embody, incarnate, or incorporate the ancestors literally means that they are en/in our caro (flesh) and corpus (body).” 

A rather perfect definition of being indwelt or possessed by . . . ancestors. He does not, I suppose, understand that these spirits are demons. Or does he? He makes is sound so wonderful—this “acquiring spirits/souls of dead ancestors in order to help them and allow them to help you.” Notice the terms: 106 

embodiment–this means that the ancestors are in you, and this applies also to the term possession. Then mediumship, again the same as embodiment and possession, as the medium traffics with souls or spirits within them, and spirit and soul are, by the way, one and the same thing. 

He mentions Mongolian and Siberian shamanism where the shaman actually embodies the spirits in many of their rituals. This is called ongon orood, which is having the “spirits inside the body” and “the shamanic state of having one or more shamanic helper spirits in possession of the shaman’s body” (p. 177). 

Dr. Noor also encourages the reader by saying that “almost anyone with sincere intent can embody the spirits of their ancestors” (p. 177). And this has been his experience as well. 

It could not be clearer; Dr. Noor is busy inviting others to become invaded by spirits or souls of ancestors. Apparently, he does not realize the nature of these spiritual entities. 

Over long years of ministry of dealing with those who wanted to be free of indwelling entities, meaning demons, it became clear that, at first these entities were mysterious, but over time their actual identity was discovered, and now their human “hosts” came looking to be rid of the now tormenting evil spirits. We must remember that there is only one Holy Spirit, and the Holy Spirit always and only glorifies and magnifies our Lord Jesus Christ. Could it be that Dr. Noor cannot face the reality of what he is caught up in? 

Our reason for setting out this brief snippet is to draw attention to the place of meditation. It seems so benign, this meditation, but it is the door opener to all of the contact with the evil spiritual world. The Scripture never even comes close to advocating or teaching this type of meditation. We recall the “Lord’s Prayer” that Jesus taught His disciples to pray; see Matthew 6:9–13. It has nothing at all to do with meditation, or sitting quietly focusing on one’s breathing, or attempting to rid the brain from thinking about anything at all. No, actual words are directed to Our Father in heaven. And the recorded prayers in Scripture, like John 17, are thoughtful and concrete, spoken by a person who is talking directly to his or her Lord. 

Part Three: Honoring Other Types of Ancestors 

The last part of Dr. Noor’s book is essentially an invitation to “reflect on your own death, practices to encourage conscious dying, preferred funerary customs, and the post-death journey, and beliefs about consciousness after death” (p. 200). 

Perhaps this is the most seriously dangerous part of the book, as Dr. Noor is convinced that after death there is still life, soulish in nature, but ongoing 107 

consciousness at any rate. And this is false hope indeed. 

After our dying, the very second after our dying, one of two things happen. For those safe in the salvation of our Lord Jesus, eternity in the presence of our God in heaven begins and never ends. Those not safe in Jesus will find the beginning of an eternity in the presence of the devil and his angels, that is, the demons. 

We cannot help but say that Ancestral Medicine is as far as one can get from the truth. Sad indeed. 

Chapter Ten: Ancestors and Place 

The reader is encouraged to “safely and respectfully commune with your ancestors at a cemetery or other burial place.” (p. 207) Following then are various things to be considered in such a process. 

There are certain places on Earth that enhance and support connecting with ancestors, such as certain plants or animals, natural formations like caves, waterfalls, mountains, etc. Plus, there may be places where ancestral spirits dwell near one’s home. 

Chapter Eleven: Affinity Ancestors, Multiple Souls, and Reincarnation 

The purpose of this chapter is to “provide one framework for dealing with multiple souls, reincarnation, and past lives” (p. 229). 

Affinity—this refers to ancestors one is familiar with: family members, close friends, teachers, mentors, and cultural heroes. 

Multiple souls—here is meant the bone and body soul, the blood and breath soul, the star and ghost soul. He counsels that if one having a problem with a ghost, make sure you are not being paranoid or delusional. Dr. Noor advises, “If you do conclude that a troubled human ghost has in some way linked his or herself to you or inhabits your home, consider contacting a ghost care specialist.” (p. 242) 

Again, we say that only Jesus casts out demons. Throughout decades of deliverance ministry, which is the actual casting of demons out of people, we have seen hundreds of demons cast out of hundreds of people, the majority of whom were Christians who discovered some time after their conversion that there were demonic spirits in them, usually the result of engaging in occult-oriented practices, or visiting mediums, engaging in serious yoga and meditation, and so much more. 

Yes, there is a controversy among Christians as to whether or not Christians can have a demon. Only on rare occasions have non-Christians wanted demonic spirits cast out of them. So, the debate continues, but our experience and that of many others, is that only Christians realize their dilemma and seek to have demons cast out. We have even done this via the internet, even for those in foreign countries. 

To see more of what we have written on the subject, look for the following: Deliverance Handbook: A Guide to Casting Out Demons for Today’s Christian. It contains an important questionnaire, which can be used in a deliverance session. 

Chapter Twelve: Joining the Ancestors 

Here are some highlights from the final chapter. 

Dr. Noor now speaks of preparing for the moment of death. He advises calling on the “support from the unseen worlds (e.g., ancestors, spirit guides, deities, God/dess) and that you are able to receive this support and to enjoy their guidance for what’s to come” (p. 260). He also states that some psychics who “claim to communicate with the souls of the recently deceased report that they may face a life review or reckoning with their life on Earth before fully joining the ancestors” (p. 264). 

Some Hindu and Buddhist traditions practice cremation, as fire severs unnecessary attachments to the past and helps release the soul from the most recent incarnations. 

The souls of people have been likened to a bird more than any other creature, which flies away at the point of death. It pictures the soul escaping the “cage” of the body. In fact, “our winged relatives are common messengers for the ancestors in this world” (p. 273). 

It is understood by many spiritual traditions that there is a period of time following death when the soul is still present, and only lasts a few days up to two weeks. Those who grieve the death of a loved one or friend and are available for this sort of contact can directly engage with the spirit—soul—of the recently deceased person. And, it is advised, speak aloud to them. Some say that it takes about four hundred days before the dead graduate to the status of ancestors. And these then are available to help us in this world. 

Our author, the psychologist, has likely used the above concepts to help grieving people come to an acceptance of a loss through death. And it may work for some, for a while anyway. However, what really has occurred is the one suffering loss is now exposed to demonic spirits that impersonate the dead. The contact with the soul, or the evil spirit in actuality, opens the door to more deception and a growing level of possession. 

How the demonic spirits accomplish this is beyond our understanding, but that it occurs is beyond question, as it has been known for long centuries. There is a knowledge that the satanic kingdom has that is incredible. Evil spirits can imitate, with incredible accuracy, all that can be known about a person. We  

We are reminded that Jesus casts out demons today just as He did when He was on the planet. Just recently, several demons were cast out of a person during our food pickup ministry. Our words were simply “Jesus Christ of Nazareth casts you out, you unclean spirits.” This we said two or three times, and what a difference, but there it was. Indeed, Jesus has given His followers this ministry, and they have been aiding troubled people all this time and all over the world. We say this to give those bothered by spirits, souls, entities, and other strange forces hope. 

Excerpts from Wikipedia 

Wikipedia, July 22, 2022 

What is ancestor healing? 

Ancestral healing is the process of revealing and releasing inherited wounds and traumas that have been passed down by our ancestors. Anyone researching their heritage will uncover both positive and negative issues that pass through the bloodlines from one generation to the next. 

What is ancestral work? 

Ancestral work is broad, vast, and incredibly important to any personal magical and spiritual practice. Ancestral work is part intuition, part dialogue, part deep listening. It can be research and reading based. It is engaging with the practices, food, medicines, stories, and beliefs of your cultures. Apr 15, 2021 

Can your ancestors help you? 

There are people all around us struggling through tough times. And if you find yourself battling loneliness, anxiety, or disappointment, the ancestor effect can help you. If you’re willing to reexamine the story of where you come from, you can create new emotions and promote healthy actions in hard seasons of life. Jul 23, 2017 

How do you stop the ancestral spirit from healing? 

You can’t stop the heal, but you can deal with as much damage as possible to negate the effect. The Ancestor spirit can only heal in large chunks when surrounded by spirits again, so taking down its health quickly afterwards is key. Mar 25, 2022 

How do I connect with my ancestors spiritually? 

In addition to prayer, calling in your ancestors in meditation is likely the easiest and fastest way to feel their presence. Take time to sit in meditation for 10-30 minutes and specifically call-in whichever ancestor by name you feel most connected to and ask them to talk to you! Oct 22, 2021