I am not anti-Muslim

I am not anti-Muslim nor am I Islamophobic. I am a Christian pastor, and my calling and work is to reach out to those who are not trusting in Jesus as their Lord and Savior. I am hoping to fulfill the command of my Lord Jesus to preach His Word to all that I can.

Muslims will do the same to all those who are not Muslim. Some Muslims will present their message and leave it at that. Others will subjugate others and demand their conversion, and if not, death could follow. What a difference between the Muslim witness and the Christian witness as Jesus demonstrated it.

Almost twenty years ago, I had the sense that God was calling me to reach out to Muslim people. That impression came to me when coaching high school freshman baseball with two Muslim players on the team. They were great kids, and I became acquainted with their parents, and so then I began to pray for them that they would find Jesus. Then followed the essays and articles and finally whole books, all written with the purpose of reaching out to Muslims.

The next step was a two-year long television series with Imam Abu Qadir Al-Amin, head of a Sunni Mosque in San Francisco. For two years, we “debated,” rather “discussed” key topics. This series is still available and can be found by going to milleravenuechurch.org/watch-our-tv-shows.

While I am not anti-Muslim, I am against forced Islamism. Islamism is an extremist ideology that intends to convert the world and all its peoples to Islam, so that it will be governed by Sharia law. Though those who move in this direction are not a substantial majority, still it has captured enough of the faithful to make things dangerous.

Indeed, the true Muslim is obligated to work to destroy that which stands in the way of Islam dominating the entire world, and by any means. To kill in the name of Allah is not only accepted but emulated by far too many extremists. These jihadists do not see themselves as extremists but see others who are not striving mightily to convert the world’s people to Islam as being weak, misled, and subject to elimination.

This is tragic in two ways. One, there is no peace and pleasure in living in the world, rather strife and conflict is constant. Two, Muslim people are being fed a false salvation. There is no heaven waiting for the Muslim, only judgment and everlasting separation from God. Herein are the reasons for the writing and publication of this book. It is our effort to reach out to Muslim people, for they are people for whom our Lord Jesus Christ died, rose again, and will one day return to usher in eternity. May peace be upon Muslims the world over.

The introduction to this section of Psychic Empath states, “Kundalini awakening journeys are life changing. Once you start, you will never look at life the same” (p. 113). The energy of Kundalini is very powerful, the author states, and the “energy is pure, addicting, empowering, and so full of love and joy that it truly is unlike anything you have ever experienced before” (p. 113).

Again, our own comments will be shown in this font.

Only parts of this section apply to the central focus of this book, which is the use of Kundalini to bring enlightenment or therapeutic help to others. Kundalini awakening may or may not be used as Reiki or Akashic Records are—that is, in treating other people as a counselor would. However, understanding and/or being acquainted with the concepts behind Kundalini may be of value.

In chapter 1: Kundalini Basics, we find that Kundalini is also known as “goddess power” or “serpent power.” At the base chakra, in the lower part of the spine, there is said to be an energy that is unparalleled and is pictured as a coiled serpent. The goal of the awakening is to uncoil the serpent and have it ascend upward to the six other higher chakras until it reaches the apex, the crown chakra in the head. It is supposed that this will lead to a higher spiritual level. And the author’s recommendation is, “If you want to go deeper into spirituality, if you want to be able to harness psychic powers, then this is the one for you” (p. 113). The term “psychic powers” is key here and is the reason for including this material on Kundalini in this book.

Kundalini and Prana

A distinction is drawn between Kundalini and prana, though the terms are related. Prana is said to be an energy, a pervading energy, and is said to exist in all humans. However, when the dormant Kundalini, that serpent energy at the bottom chakra, is awakened, a “strong rush of prana surges through the body” (p. 114). And Kundalini can be awakened by drawing prana into the area where Kundalini resides, which is the at the base of the spine. 

Prana is the term used in India for this energy—it is chi in china, pneuma in Greece, and mana in ancient Polynesia. These all refer to spiritual energy. The point is to awaken the energy, and Kundalini is one of these techniques used to do this. 

The Kundalini awakening is said to be connected to various health benefits, in that it promotes good health, regulates and corrects blood pressure, relieves stress, and can fight and even cure cancer and diabetes, plus other diseases. It is also said to relieve stomach and liver problems and helps relieve kidney stones and gallstones. Also, it is supposed to give clarity of thought and increase focus, attention, and mental power (p. 117). 

Paramhansa Yogananda referred to prana as the “life-power” and said it is an inconspicuous or astral body made up of prana that underlies the physical” (p. 134) and also that prana is used to allude to the breath. Through or by means of breath control with deep breathing, prana is said to stream up in the inconspicuous spine related to the inward breath, and down with the exhalation” (p. 134). 

Breathing then is a central focus of the meditation process that is necessary to awaken Kundalini. 

Awakening Kundalini: the word “Kundalini” means serpent 

Throughout this section, various practices are described on how to awaken the Kundalini, but they all center on types of meditation, especially those focused on breathing techniques. And it is expected that anyone wishing to awaken their Kundalini will engage in long hours of meditation. “The best way to awaken the Kundalini is by doing meditation” (p. 118). 

At this point, a statement is required to the effect that the process of unleashing the Kundalini is little more than opening the door to the indwelling of demonic spirits—yes we are saying it again. People who seek this awakening are innocently opening themselves up to this tragic and dark event. Those who have been involved in this practice and then turn to Jesus as Savior and Lord have had these demonic spirits cast out of them. 

According to the authors of Psychic Empath, “at the moment of the awakening of the Kundalini, you can expect for a powerful rush of energy through your body” (p. 119). This occurs as the Kundalini energy is released, and the serpentine power shoots up through the other chakras. That which prevents the serpent power from being released is referred to as a blockage, and the solution is to make sure there is a free flow of energy through the energy channel meridians. Besides that, one must make sure the chakras are “cleansed and aligned.” 

One way of clearing the chakras is to manage stress levels, which is achieved by means of proper meditation. It is said that “meditation is strongly related to mystical experiences and Kundalini syndromes” (p. 120). This meditation is said to be more effective than yoga or prayer. 

It is said that mystical experiences occur when meditating upon a deity, a guru, a holy man or woman, or a sacred concept. Mantras can also be used, and one that is often used is “ong namo guru dev namo,” which means “I bow to the divine within” (p. 121). 

Here it is, in deep states of meditation and reciting the mantra above over and over, that a passive or shamanistic or altered state of consciousness is achieved, which in turn is the means by which demonic spirits are able to enter the meditator. Every single one of the practices in Psychic Empath resort to the same practices—various forms of meditation. 

Prayer is said to not be as effective as meditation, and that “Catholics or Christians may experience the descent of the Holy spirit—it is similar to the Kundalini but in a form that their belief systems are already predisposed to accept” (p. 121). 

Our opinion is that the above is at best a misstatement, whether intentionally misleading or born of ignorance. Christian and Catholic prayers are alert and conscious statements of praise and worship, along with requests, that are directed to the God who hears our prayers. In researching for this book, we have found numbers of statements similar to that presented in the previous paragraph. There are, however, forms of prayer, often called Contemplative Prayer, that are practiced by some Christians, which can be more meditative than actual praying, and we avoid this sort of spirituality. 

Moving Kundalini energy up 

The goal is to move the Kundalini energy up from the bottom chakra to the higher chakras. “Interestingly, waking the stored Kundalini energy can be done not only by stirring it and forcing it to shoot up from below, but it can also be coaxed upward by drawing it from above. To do this, you must make your higher chakras magnetic” (p. 125). And this can be done by meditation upon saints, mystics, deities, and other spiritual entities. 

This process is dependent, however, on cleansing and strengthening the body so that the Kundalini energy can move upward. But when it does move upward, there may be serious side effects such as a sense one is “falling apart” or experiencing “intense bouts of chaos and stress.” This may result in experiencing “massive life changes as a result of this falling apart” (p. 127). 

Part of the “falling apart” may include physical symptoms like shaking, visual disturbances, inability to relax, feeling major rushes of energy, near-death  experiences—these often accompany being awakened. 

In addition, emotional symptoms are very common in Kundalini awakenings such as anxiety, despair, and depression. Also, there can be elation, joy, and overwhelming peace. Plus, there is the experience of massive influxes of energies. 

Our experience in dealing with people over the decades is that these symptoms or experiences are the result of being indwelt by spiritual entities, and here we mean demons, which is a powerful spiritual event. Instead of being “awakened,” a person is now under the power and influence of evil spirits. 

Yoga, the various aspects of it as identified by Yogananda, are Prana Vayu, Apana Vayu, Udana Vayu, Samana Vayu, and Vyana Vayu, and this all has to do with moving air, the breath in the body. This is controlling prana. Indeed, prana “rides on the breath.” When we breath in, we take in prana, and when we exhale, we are clearing channels. A significant part of the body are the chakras, and in yoga the moving of the air impacts the chakras. It is said that the sense of well-being comes when the breath frees the chakras. So much then depends on the yoga breathing processes. 

Our experience with those who are dedicated to the breathing exercises, the yoga of breathing, is that the meditation processes result in a passive or altered state of consciousness, if not at first, then, over time, when a practitioner achieves deep states of mindlessness, curiously called mindfulness. Into the vacuum come the demonic spirits, which entry can be dramatic, even exhilarating. It seems very much like a spiritual achievement, a state of enlightenment, but it is far from that. 

The Attainment of Psychic Abilities 

Here now we come to the reason this piece on Kundalini is included. The so-called process of awakening the Kundalini leads to only one reality— the development of psychic abilities, and these abilities are used in what we call psychic therapy, which is incredibly popular in our culture and is the chief reason for the presentation of this book. The following paragraph, all quotes from Psychic Empath, is the essential reason for the tremendous growth of those who practice psychic therapies of one kind or another, including the types of life coaching that use psychic abilities such as those found in the use of the Akashic Records and Reiki. 

“Psychic abilities are said to be supernatural powers. . . . If only people could take more time to meditate, then you will see that psychic abilities are supposed to be very common. In fact, regular practice of even the basic breathing meditation can help you awaken your latent psychic abilities. . . . The more that you meditate, the more that you will realize the psychic abilities that you possess” (p. 153). 

And there are different psychic abilities. There are the “clair” abilities. One of which is clairaudience, which means clear hearing, or that what is heard is right. “It is also worth noting that messages from the spiritual world are often received through this psychic ability. . . . You might think of it as messages from your guardian angel. . . . The more that you do meditation, the more that you will be able to notice this ‘voice’ in your head” (p. 154–155). 

Another psychic ability is claircognizance, also known as clear knowing. This is different from clairaudience, however. Here no voice is heard; instead, the person simply knows what is true. 

Clairvoyance has to do with clear seeing, which may be the seeing of symbols, dreams, visions, images, and colors and may be seen with either the physical or the mind’s eyes. It is also possible to gain access to your own soul and even the soul of every person within the universe, whether past, present, or future. These are not daydreams, imaginations, or wishful thinking. 

Clairsentience means clear sensing, which lets one feel the future, past, or present of a person and also their emotional states and energy. 

Aura reading is a psychic gift that allows one to see a light present around a person, which alerts one to their spiritual state. 

Channeling is a psychic gift that allows one to enter a trance and let another spirit speak through you. “It’s sort of like demonic or angelic possession, but it’s voluntary. The person who acts as the channel will almost always be fully willing to let the spirit talk through him or her” (p. 183). 

Automatic writing is a psychic gift that involves channeling. This gift enables the writer to be able to channel one’s higher self, guides, angels, guardians, and write down what is heard (p. 183). 

Examples of automatic writing that many are acquainted with are The Book of Mormon, The Course in Miracles, the Jesus Calling series, and to some degree, the Qur’an. 

Another psychic ability is telekinesis. This is the ability to move objects using only the power of the mind, of which there are two aspects, macrokinesis and microkinesis. The “macro” refers to large objects, and “micro” to small objects. And for these, deep meditation is required. 

Then there is pyrokinesis, which allows a person to control fire. For instance, a candle is to be lighted, then the flame is to be focused on until a person is at one with the flame. Under this condition, the flame, via visualization, can be moved. 

Divination, which is the seeking of knowledge about the future by using supernatural means. “It is an attempt to get insight about a situation or question by using standardized, occult rituals or processes” (p. 175). 

The use of Tarot cards is a means of doing so, and also the use of pendulums. The author(s) state a pendulum can be found in any occult shop. 

Psi Healing is another healing technique using prana. The author(s) suggest, “You could find a school for pranic or Reiki healing and take classes” (p. 177). 

Mediumship, which is said to be highly coveted for those seeking psychic ability. It is the contacting of dead people, and Kundalini awakening can help get attain this psychic gift. 

Premonition is a psychic ability of being able to see into the future. 

Psychometry is a psychic ability that connects with facts about an object, thing, animal, place, or person by means of touching it. 

Retrocognition is the psychic ability of being able to see into the past. 

Telepathy is the psychic ability to communicate with another person without actually speaking verbally to him or her, by means of thought, emotion, or vibration. 

Astral Travel is something that is growing in popularity and is essentially travelling to other places when you are asleep. Some however, are said to travel into the underworld, the outer world, the present world, the past, the present, the future, anywhere at all while being in a passive or altered state of consciousness. One can even visit magical planes and celestial spheres. 

Floating, refers to leaving your physical body and which then seems like one is floating. This happens when one feels he or she is in his or her astral body. 

Third Eye refers to the ajna chakra, which is located between the eyebrows. This chakra is the seat of intuition and is the key to the power of clairvoyance. The third eye must be open and the two bodies, the physical and the astral body, are separated. 

Psychic Awareness 

The more one practices and develops meditation techniques, the more one will be in touch with psychic senses; it is a process of becoming aware of these psychic senses. “You can rest for sure that you will develop several psychic senses/ abilities if you religiously practice the techniques in this book” (p. 159). 

The key to success here is to become aware of the presence of energy. It is noted that from the word “psychic” comes from the word psi, which means energy. 

Empathy 

Another key to psychic awareness is to develop empathy, which is to allow one to sense human emotions and feelings. “And empathy is developed by doing the exercises in this book” (p. 160). 

For example, when meeting with a person, “visualize a chord that connects your heart chakra to the heart chakra of the other person. Keep a clear and open mind” (p. 160–161). It is therefore vital to develop the capacity of the heart chakra, and this is done by charging your heart chakra with energy and this is done via visualization. Let the heart chakra be energized until it is shining brightly in your mind’s eye. Do this several times a day” (p. 161). 

How then does one develop psychic abilities? The core of it is to focus on your breath, which is necessary to be able to cleanse and charge oneself. Then inhale and visualize positive energy coming into your body. Then exhale and feel the negative energies going out of the body. Make sure to meditate every day. And an object one encounters—hold it, feel it, and then allow your intuition to tell you the history of the object. This is known as psychometry. One must develop one’s intuition and pay attention to what it tells you. Another key is to work on one’s intuition and make sure your third eye is open. 

If this sounds fantastical, impossible, or crazy, you are right. What it actually does is create in a person who practices it a passive, altered, or shamanistic state of mind. Over a period of time, those who follow these techniques will become out of step with reality, detached and outside that which is normal. It can also take on the appearance of mental illness. The fact is that it is an invitation to be invaded by demonic spirits, which can be exhilarating at first but later becomes an awful burden. And here we recognize that only Jesus Christ casts out demons. 

If you or someone you know has tried these techniques and report that they actually work, that psychic knowledge of the past and of what is happening in other people’s lives has proved to be true, please be aware that the demons have been in this world since at least before human kind and that they are constantly observing humans and their activities, sometimes for the sole purpose of telling those they indwell these “secrets” and thus enabling their hosts to attain a supernatural knowledge otherwise unavailable. That certainly ensures that the demons are allowed to remain within the human and not be cast into hell, which is what happens to them during deliverance ministry. In fact, we have experienced firsthand while doing that ministry that the demons will threaten their human hosts with the loss of these powers, should they be sent away. The follower of Jesus is willing to give up these unclean powers, but the non-believer is usually not, regardless of the trouble and even torture the demons inflict. 

Chapter 8 explains How to Awaken Kundalini: 

Step one is to focus on your breath, then reject negativity, keep a good posture, access the “central channel,” use visualization, activate your interests, cut out  distractions, and this by refining your diet, moving your body, being a watcher, finding your tribe, getting a mentor, chant, chant, chant, enable your interests, go with the flow, make affirmations, listen to music for relaxation, and finally think of unplugging from the internet every now and then. 

******* 

Excerpts from Wikipedia 

Wikipedia on Kundalini. Gathered January 10, 2022 

In Hinduism, Kundalini is a form of divine feminine energy (or Shakti) believed to be located at the base of the spine, in the muladhara. It is an important concept in Śhaiva Tantra, where it is believed to be a force or power associated with the divine feminine or the formless aspect of the Goddess. This energy in the body, when cultivated and awakened through tantric practice, is believed to lead to spiritual liberation. Kuṇḍalinī is associated with Parvati or Adi Parashakti, the supreme being in Shaktism; and with the goddesses Bhairavi and Kubjika. The term, along with practices associated with it, was adopted into Hatha yoga in the 9th century. It has since then been adopted into other forms of Hinduism as well as modern spirituality and new age thought. 

Kuṇḍalinī awakenings are said to occur by a variety of methods. Many systems of yoga focus on awakening Kuṇḍalinī through meditation; pranayama breathing; the practice of asana and chanting of mantras. Kundalini Yoga is influenced by Shaktism and Tantra schools of Hinduism. It derives its name from its focus upon the awakening of kundalini energy through regular practice of Mantra, Tantra, Yantra, Asanas or Meditation. The Kuṇḍalinī experience is frequently reported to be a distinct feeling of electric current running along the spine. 

Kundalini awakening 

The experience of Kundalini awakening can happen when one is either prepared or unprepared. 

According to Hindu tradition, in order to be able to integrate this spiritual energy, a period of careful purification and strengthening of the body and nervous system is usually required beforehand. Yoga and Tantra propose that Kundalini can be awakened by a guru (teacher), but body and spirit must be prepared by yogic austerities, such as pranayama, or breath control, physical exercises, visualization, and chanting. The student is advised to follow the path in an open-hearted manner. 

Traditionally, people visited ashrams in India to awaken their dormant kundalini energy with regular meditation, mantra chanting, spiritual studies and physical asana practice such as kundalini yoga.

At some point, likely in late 1968, Lonnie Frisbee began asking

me some questions about specific doctrines like the deity

of Christ, the Trinity, and speaking in tongues, among other

issues. Later I learned that a Bible teacher named Victor Paul Wierwille

was visiting the House of Acts in Novato, and his teachings were

causing division among both the members and those attending the

weekly Bible studies held there.

Someone living at the house had stumbled across a series of

tapes made by Wierwille entitled, Power for Abundant Living, and the

thirty-six hour course of instruction was drawing a lot of interest. At

that point, I asked Ted Wise if it was okay for me to come to Novato

and speak with Wierwille face to face.

On two separate occasions, two afternoons when just a few people

were at the house, I debated him. What had been troubling Lonnie

was Wierwille’s insistence that smoking marijuana was permitted

for Christians. It also seemed that he advocated open marriage. I had

wrongly assumed his theology was orthodox. These were only the

first of many troubling doctrinal issues.

At that point, I defended speaking in tongues, as I had begun

speaking in tongues myself, but Wierwille carried it to the point of

being the absolute proof for the resurrection of Jesus. Though I did not

accept it, I knew that many Pentecostals were convinced that speaking

in tongues was the primary evidence of being truly born-again,

but my mainline evangelical theology would not let me go there.

Wierwille would not budge and I did not push it. (Speaking in

tongues never did get too far at the House of Acts.) But then I found

that Wierwille denied the deity of Christ, followed by the revelation

that he rejected the Trinity. He said the Trinity was introduced into

the Church several centuries after the ministry of Jesus and was the

result of pagan ideas. An even more severe issue was that Wierwille

claimed that the original documents of the New Testament were

written in Aramaic, not Greek, and that he alone had the manuscripts,

so he alone knew what was true. Over and over I asked to see them

or to see a photo of them, but Wierwille had his reasons, ones I have

now forgotten, why this was not possible. It reminded me of Joseph

Smith and the golden tablets from which the Book of Mormon had

supposedly been copied.

Most of what I saw come out of the confrontations with Wierwille

was a division occurring in the house; some of the original members

of the household left. Among those who left were Jim Dopp and Steve

Heathner,1 who remained with The Way. A competing Bible study

then developed in Mill Valley by adherents of Wierwille, and it continued

for some time but never really caught on. Those who led the

group did not have the tight control necessary to enforce doctrinal

conformity, like most of the Bible based cults do, and so there was

constant slippage.2

Of course, the cause of Christ was tarnished as a result, and I am

aware that some are still impacted by it after all these years. Later, in

the mid 1990s, I offered a Cult Recovery Support Group and placed

ads in the local Marin paper announcing it. A twenty-six week course

developed and drew many from a number of different groups, and

included among them were former participants in The Way.

The Jesus People Movement was a mixed bag. On the one hand

was the obvious power of God to save, and alongside this, which is

actually characteristic of most genuine awakenings of the Spirit of

God, were the “dark sides,” the “wild fire,” the aberrations and distortions.

Toward the closing years of the JMP, as I experienced it, the

seeds of destruction and division had been sown and would yield bad

fruit. This aspect I will address more fully coming up.

1 Steve Heathner, known as Steve O’Shay, was a well known D.J. on the most

popular of San Francisco’s radio station that featured rock and roll music. Steve

would slip in Jesus zingers into his radio program and it was no small deal.

2 Former participants in The Way began to attend Miller Avenue Church,

where I am yet pastor, and updated me on the developments following the breakup of the House of Acts and the death of Wierwille.

The title of this essay may seem a bit unusual, and a reader may wonder how I could know much about this subject. Therefore, let me describe an event that occurred around twenty years ago, at the time of the first Gulf War.

My son, Vernon, was a military policeman in the U.S. Army, and he was stationed in Saudi Arabia even before the military action began. When it did, his unit’s job was to move prisoners of war from the front battle lines to the rear. One of the processes was to take away from each prisoner, and they were all Muslims, what they had on their person, and that included their wallets. To their shock and surprise, these MPs found the photographs of these men’s boyfriends—their lovers—within the wallets. Vern even mailed to me one of these photo envelopes, which had about six or seven photos of young Muslim men.

After contemplating what this all meant, it occurred to me that, due to the social circumstances in Muslim-dominated countries like Saudi Arabia, young men had little or no access to Muslim women. The older Muslim men, those with authority, wealth, and power, had multiple wives. Therefore, many of the young men had only one another. My opinion was, and is, that these guys were not truly homosexuals, as one might suppose.

It was about this time that I began to reach out to Muslims. I even, and on only a few rare occasions, was I able to ask Muslim men what this was all about. I would tell the story about my son Vern and the wallet contents. Every time, these guys flatly stated that they were ashamed about it but did admit that it was often so. They made sure that such was not the case here in America. And I believed them, to a point.

I then began to think about Muslim women in Muslim-dominated countries. In the process of writing my two books on Islam, If Allah Wills and Islamic Studies, and in talking with Muslim people following the Friday Jummah prayers, I saw, not so much heard, that relations between the males and females were carefully monitored and directed. And this is the case here in the good old USA. What then about Muslim-dominated countries?

What was revealed by means of conversations, was the extent of the troubled sexual relations that the young women also experienced. They were trapped by the men and separated from the outside world, and even if they did appear in public, they would have only their faces showing, often with a kind of net over their faces. For a period of two years, I conducted a kind of class situation at the church I pastor in Mill Valley and frequently invited guest speakers. Some of these were local Muslim leaders from both Sunni and Shiite mosques, in addition to former Muslims now believers in Jesus as Savior. And as best I could, I would ask these representatives to speak about how things were between Muslim men and women. There were some red faces and quite a bit of taqiyya(h), which means “permission to deceive.” And this lying is even emulated, as made plain by one of Allah’s 99 names, which is “The Greatest Deceiver.”

A Muslim man can have four wives, and one can only surmise what might be taking place, as these wives are secluded and watched carefully. I have personal knowledge of a Muslim man, now elevated to the position of mufti, meaning one who can issue fatwas, who has four wives, but only one here in America. He travels year-round visiting three other wives and families who live in three different Muslim-majority countries.

Sexual repression gives birth to sexual perversion, for men and for women. It is all undercover, and again, it is an embarrassment to most Muslim people. Normal human beings have a sexual drive, a need for sex. It is common to us all, and when this God given gift is denied or prevented from being expressed, irregular sexual activity should be expected.

During my thirty-five years at San Quentin Prison, which is about six miles away from where I am right now, I have encountered numbers of young men who have engaged in homosexual relationships either willingly or unwillingly. It is just a reality. For three years, I led a Bible study in the Protestant Chapel, and for fourteen years I visited inmates in their cells, either in West or North block. Then came eighteen years coaching the baseball team.[1] This experience helped me understand the plight of some Muslim men and women.

The reason for the inclusion of this essay is to expose the reality of sexual repression for far too many young Muslim men and women.

---

[1] We have recently published the first of three books I wrote about baseball in San Quentin: Strike Three, You’re Out!: Baseball at San Quentin: The 2010 Season.

 Akashic Records

In this chapter we review How to Read the Akashic Records: Accessing the Archive of the Soul and its Journey ¹ 

1 Linda Howe and Juliette Looye, How to Read the Akashic Records: Accessing the Archive of the Soul and Its Journey, (Boulder, CO: Sounds True, 2009, 2010). 

The author is Linda Howe with Juliette Looye. This book was recommended to us by a woman who makes her living by helping clients learn how to access the Akashic² 

2 “Akasha” is a Sanskrit word and means primary substance, that out of which all things are formed . . . it is the first stage of the crystallization of spirit. Records. She views her work as spiritual therapy. 

Our comments will be noted in this font. 

Here is the introduction to Linda Howe’s website that deals with the Records: 

The Akashic Record is a dimension of consciousness that contains a vibrational record of every soul and its journey. It is completely available everywhere. Location and time do not affect the Record. Human beings have been interacting consciously and unconsciously with this body of energies throughout history. These interactions have been both deliberate and accidental. Referred to in virtually every major traditional religion as the Book of Life and the Book of God’s Remembrance, this body of wisdom has been an ever-present source of spiritual support for people including those in our Western Judeo-Christian tradition. 

The Record is an experiential body of wisdom, insight, guidance, and healing information. This collective of spiritual consciousness is best revealed through a spiritual means. It is not a body of thought that can be linked with the mind through mental discipline (like visualization), although thought is included with the Record, as is emotion. The access of the Record can not be achieved through emotional or sensational means, though for many, the experience of the unconditional love of the Record 63 

can be very emotional. Essentially, the most efficient and effective means to spiritual consciousness is through spiritual action. 

For centuries, the Akashic Record has been the exclusive domain of mystics, scholars, and saints. Rightfully so. Infinite power and wisdom are available in the Record, and they have been entrusted to those well-prepared for the responsibility of deep knowing. In the U.S., it was through the work of Edgar Cayce in the early to mid-twentieth century (“The Sleeping Prophet”), that Akashic Records readings became a familiar practice in the movement of consciousness development. Today, the Records are no longer the exclusive domain of saints, scholars, and mystics. The collective consciousness of humanity has been growing, evolving, and maturing. 

In this time of great change, the availability of the Record is shifting. The light of the Spirit is pouring into human consciousness at an unprecedented rate. This light infusion is causing radical upheaval in all areas of life for the purpose of bringing us into the highest possible alignment with the Divine Reality. One of the great tools for the development of our consciousness is the Akashic Record. 

It all began when Linda Howe, at age twenty-eight, attended a Renaissance fair where a tarot reader looked at her cards. This experience gave her a desire to bring others the kind of help that came to her by means of tarot. Indeed, she writes, “I wanted to be a professional tarot card reader” (p. xxii). 

At a later point, she then began taking classes in shamanism at the Foundation for Shamanic Studies. She turned from the tarot to offering shamanic healings. This was followed by a desire to access both knowledge and power that could be simply and easily acquired. This led her to the Akashic Records. Soon she felt a significant “shift” and realized that this was where she needed to be. 

Linda connected with a woman, Mary Parker, who had received a “sacred prayer,” which served as an “access code” to the Records. This “prayer code” was something she recited and which then enabled her to enter into, experience, and exit the Records. This was the pathway for Linda to become certified to teach the Akashic Records by means of using the sacred prayer. At a later date, Linda received her own sacred prayer directly from the Records, and it is found in several places in her book. 

In her classes, where she teaches others how to enter into the Records, she uses a “meditation” in order to “facilitate this shift in consciousness” (p. xii). “The Pillar of Light” meditation is similar to a number of exercises designed to open oneself up to a shamanistic state of consciousness and involves properly sitting in a chair, mind clearing, breathing techniques, and so on, all to achieve a new consciousness or reach a spiritual plane. 

Chapter One is titled “An Introduction to the Akashic Records.” Linda begins by describing what the Akashic Records are. She writes, “The Akashic Records are a dimension of consciousness that contains a vibrational record of every soul and its journey. This vibrational body of consciousness exists everywhere in its entirety and is always completely available and in all places. As such, the Records are an experiential body of knowledge that contains everything that every soul has ever thought, said, and done over the course of its existence, as well as all its future possibilities” (p. 3). 

Indeed, the Records is a collection of all that a “soul” has experienced in past lives via reincarnation and even includes what will happen in future existences or lives. It is by working through this special and sacred knowledge that a soul is able to be healed from damage experienced in both former and present living experiences. 

In the process of accessing or opening the Akashic Records, a person moves from a “state of ordinary human consciousness to a state of Divine universal consciousness in which we recognize our Oneness with the Divine at all levels. This state of consciousness allows us to perceive the impressions and vibrations of the Records” (p. 4). 

In footnote #2, Akasha is described as the so-called primary substance, which Linda describes as “energy in its first and earliest state—before it has been directed by our individual thoughts and affected by our emotions in this lifetime” (p. 5). She then quotes passages from the Bible to support her theory. The first is from Psalm 56:8–9 where is found the phrase “your record.” The second is Psalm 40:7–8, “in the volume of the book” supposedly is a reference to the Records. Then Hebrews 10:7 and the phrase, “what is written of me in the volume of “The Book.” Fourth is from Psalm 139:16: “all were recorded in your book.” Last is “the book in which men’s actions, good and bad, are recorded, the Book of Life” from Revelation 20:1–2. Her last effort is a quote from “The Aquarian Gospel of Jesus the Christ.” 

Yet still in the first chapter, Linda explains that the “Akashic Records are governed and protected by a group of nonphysical Light Beings called the Lords of the Records.” These “beings ensure the safety and integrity of the Records. They determine not only who can access the Records but what information they can receive. The Lords of the Records work with the Masters, Teachers, and Loved Ones—who serve as the interface between the Akashic and earthly realms by ‘downloading’ to the Masters, Teachers, and Loved ones the information that they will relay during each Akashic reading” (p. 6). 

It is explained that the Lords of the Records and the Akashic Masters are nonphysical beings, but some of the Teachers and all of the Loved Ones have previously existed as humans on earth. 

No one will ever see the Lords of the Records nor the Teachers and Loved Ones as they existed in human form, but it is possible to experience their  “energetic presence.” However, “the Masters, Teachers, and Loved Ones prefer to remain anonymous so that we will learn to rely on the energy of the Records rather than on specific identities in the Records” (p. 7). 

A basic and core understanding of the Akashic Records is the doctrine of reincarnation and that all “souls” are eternal. Also, it is understood that the Records “hold the archive of each soul as it has existed from lifetime to lifetime as different human beings on the earth plane while evolving throughout time and space” (p. 7 and 8). 

Linda tries to ‘de-religionize’ the Records, teaching that any religion or spirituality may make use of them. We have also found that this concept is embraced even by those sitting in the pews of Christian churches. Those who identify with Hinduism, Buddhism, and any and all occult-oriented spiritualities may indeed incorporate the Records into their thinking and experience without much sense of contradiction. However, no biblically oriented Christian would ever do so, except under a cloud of confusion and deception. 

Edgar Cayce (1877–1945) gave out daily Akashic Records readings, more than fourteen thousand of them, which are yet accessible. Besides Cayce, others engaged in occult-oriented spiritualities also intersected with the Records. Now, the Records are seeing a revival across America. 

Linda Howe subscribes to the “Pathway Prayer Process” as a means of access to the Akashic Records. “While some people use prayers to access the Records, others gain access through hypnosis. Still others have been able to tap into the Records by using the symbols of the healing practice known as Reiki” (p. 12). Also, some are able to do so by means of various meditation practices and other forms of consciousness development. 

We would agree, based upon our own experience, that these people are accessing “something.” But what is that something? Almost any form of meditation that moves a person into what may be known as a shamanistic or altered state of consciousness may be wide open to demonic deception. There is a spiritual presence and power in the occult world, and in practices like the Records and Reiki, but it is not holy; rather, it is devilish, which may not be apparent for a long period of time. 

How can we speak in this very dogmatic manner? The answer is simply that, over the years, we and many others, have cast demons out of those who have engaged in such practices, despite how very sincere and dedicated they may have been. Entering into the so-called “meditative” state actually opens up a means whereby demonic spirits enter in, and these disguise themselves as servants of righteousness. Yes, there is the element of power and knowledge, the cornerstones of the devilish kingdom,  but the end is worse than imaginable. 

Linda, on page 14, notes that there are not many books written about the Akashic Records, and she states that her book is one of the first of its kind. 

Today channeling of various sorts, psychic therapy, maneuvering energy, tarot card reading, astrology, etc., are growing in popularity. In fact, there are multitudes of people who make a living applying these esoteric forms of healing. These people have learned how to “channel” the energies they encounter “to move through our bodies, hearts, and minds” (p. 15). Those in Linda’s field “channel energy and information directly from the Akasha, not from entities or personalities from other dimensions,” which she believes is a far better and safer mechanism. 

Linda’s book is designed to use the Pathway Prayer Process to ”Access the Heart of the Akashic Records.” This is the primary reason for the writing of her book. She then asks the reader, “Why use a prayer to access the Akashic Records?” Her answer is, “Since they exist within the realm of spirit, they are considered a ‘spiritual’ entity, so this particular domain of consciousness is best accessed and achieved through the spiritual action of prayer” (p. 17). 

Perhaps it is here where some are lured into using the Records, since it appears to be religious, with an emphasis on prayer and meditation. That old enemy, that lying serpent, that master of disguise, has made good use of the Akashic Records. 

From our personal perspective, we can see why occult/spiritual practices are growing in popularity. For several decades past and perhaps many decades to come, there has been a downturn in Christianity of all forms— Orthodox, Catholic, Protestant, Pentecostal, and other. During such periods, something always comes along to feed the spiritual need, since we are all made in the image of God and are at our core hungry for what is authentically holy and spiritual. Eagerly waiting is a clever substitute, unhappily a demonic one. Of course, atheism satisfies some, especially if it can be linked with charitable causes. We would be atheists ourselves, if we were not Christians, but atheism does not fill the need for most of us. 

On page 31, Linda Howe explains the core dynamic behind engaging with the Akashic Records: “The first thing that will happen while you’re accessing your Records is that while you speak the Opening Prayer, you’ll shift out of your ordinary human consciousness and into the Divine universal consciousness.” 

This is exactly what happens to a person who carefully attends to the Pathway Prayer Process. 

And just what is the “Divine universal consciousness?” It is direct contact with the demonic kingdom ruled over by Satan itself. It is very spiritual, 67 

having direct contact with evil spirits, who will not usually be experienced as evil, and which are not in some other worldly realm, but are actually resident within that person. It is called “demon possession.” This is clear from the Scripture, has been so understood by Christians of all stripes down through the ages, and is widely known today. 

Does Linda Howe know what we are talking about? Yes, she does, as evidenced on page 32 in her strict denial of this possibility. She writes, “At this point, you may be wondering if any ‘negative’ energy or ‘dark’ entities can enter your consciousness or attach to you while you’re in the Akashic Records. My answer to you is no–unequivocally, unmistakably no.” 

Shamans, in their trance state, believe they leave the body and travel to the lower or upper word to do their work, perhaps retrieving a “soul” from the lower world and transporting it to the upper world, usually for a fee. But they have gone nowhere—it is all in their minds. It is the same with the Divine universal consciousness—it is all in the mind. Yes, a person entering this consciousness by means of the Pathway Prayer Process will “see” things in their mind’s eye. Linda writes, “You may see colors, auras, or energy fields, images, symbols, or shapes or ‘streaming video’ of a particular event” (p. 34). 

Such things may be seen but they are demonic illusions intended to convince the person so possessed to think something far different. And these events, as we have found so many times, are sufficient for evil spirits to capture their prey. 

Supposedly, by means of the Pathway Prayer Process, one may read his or her own Akashic Record or the Records of other people. There is a caveat, however, as Linda makes clear: “When opening another person’s Records, you must have his or her consent” (p. 66). And this is possible, says Linda, by following directives explained on page 48, which has nothing to do with contacting that person in real time. 

Then, even more remarkably, one can read the Records of animals or pets, as Linda assures those who have had strong attachments to deceased pets. Not only that, but the Records of public monuments, buildings, parks, cities, towns, or areas of land can be read. And more, also the Records of a company or a department within a company can be read. For those who use their craft for others, as counselors or chancellors, etc., they may obtain a patient’s or client’s Records as well. 

It is even possible to heal your own past lives in the Akashic Records, since the Records have a record of all our lifetimes, a search may be made to discover how things went badly in previous lives, and these traumas can then he healed. But this can only be done with the “permission of the Lords of the Records who then allow the Masters, Teachers, and Loved Ones to share information that we are ready to hear” (p. 135).  

At the conclusion of her book, Linda lays out what she calls the “Absolutes,” which are “absolutely true of absolutely every soul, absolutely all of the time.” They are: 1) There’s always more than meets the (human) eye; 2) We are all One; 3) Everything and everyone is Divine; 4) Everyone is always in active pursuit of peace; 5) Reincarnation is not about “good” and “bad” lifetimes, and 6) Karma is not about reward and punishment. 

In closing out this piece on the Akashi Records, we want to make clear that we have found practitioners, professional or not, who have committed to the use of the Records, to be sincere and loving people, who mostly desire to help others and heal themselves from whatever trauma they are experiencing. We are friends with some of them who make their living using the Records. Our prayer for them is that the Holy Spirit of God will open their eyes and that they be freed from the enemy’s grasp. 

******* 

Excerpt from Wikipedia 

Wikipedia December 21, 2021 

In the religion of theosophy and the philosophical school called anthroposophy, the Akashic records are a compendium of all universal events, thoughts, words, emotions, and intent ever to have occurred in the past, present, or future in terms of all entities and life forms, not just human. They are believed by theosophists to be encoded in a non-physical plane of existence known as the mental plane. There are anecdotal accounts, but there is no scientific evidence for the existence of the Akashic records. 

 Chapter 30 

George Müller of Bristol

Before my days as a Jesus freak, a fellow student at Golden Gate Seminary gave me a book by Arthur Tappan Pierson about George Müller, the German Christian who began an orphanage in Bristol, England. 

What impressed me about the life of Müller was how God met his financial needs. Müller wanted God alone to be thanked and praised for this, so he would not let others know of the content of his prayers or otherwise broadcast the often dire circumstances the orphanage faced. His prayer requests would be specific about the amount needed and when it was needed. The prayers were answered just as specifically. The answers to prayer were a continued source of strength and encouragement for him and a clear and unequivocal statement about the God who answers prayer. 

After I left the seminary and began my work in the City, I also had to leave my job as a shoe salesman at J.C. Penney, and the money I received each month as part of the G.I. Bill came to an end. I had no income, no savings, no credit card, and a family of four. Müller came to mind, and I began copying his approach. 

My experience mirrored Müller’s. I told no one, not even my parents, of what I was facing, but I instead simply asked God to meet the needs. He did, and right on time. I know it sounds incredible, and I would not be upset if someone doubted the truth of it all.¹ 

1 Somewhere in my archives I have prayer lists I kept at the time which give credence to how our needs were met. Though it may seem contrary to the objective, Müller also eventually had to describe what happened. 

So I prayed, and praying has never been a strong suit of mine. I am a reluctant prayer, but in this period I set aside time, usually in the morning, for what I called “devotions.” I adopted the Billy Graham practice of reading two chapters in the Old Testament, three Psalms, and at least two chapters in the New Testament. In the back of my Bible I had a prayer list divided into columns, with the date on the left, the request in the middle, and the answer with date on the right. I could then track what was going on. 

I continued the practice when the Christian houses started. Today we read in the newspapers about a “fiscal cliff,” and I faced many of them, one right after the other, yet we never one time fell over the cliff. I thought it might be nice if God would simply lay on us a large lump of cash, but it never happened. For most of that time, actually all the way to 1980, I had no checking or savings account. I lived month to month, and even today it is not much different. 

A Shift in Procedure 

I hope this does not sound pretentious or otherwise haughty, but about 1969 I started being noticed by the media, and invitations began to arrive. So I began to travel about the country, sometimes alone with my guitar, other times with Joyful Noise, flying here and there like a celebrity of sorts. What I did on these travels was collect names and addresses of people I met along the way who seemed interested in the work in California. My recollection is that in 1970 I began to send out a monthly newsletter to people I thought might be interested in following what was going on with me and might even contribute some money. 

We did have a non-profit corporation, Christian House Ministries. Chuck Kopp, an attorney whose wife Nancy was involved in our work, did the paper work. So I was able to send out tax deductable receipts. With over two hundred on the mailing list, we were able to get a bulk mailing permit. I had a big, old Royal typewriter, and eventually a mimeograph machine, and the letter went out, and money started coming in. By 1972, the average income from the letter was $800 a month. Bobbie was working at Marin General Hospital, and though it was still month-by-month, we were doing fine. It was about this time that I ceased doing the Müller imitation, but I missed it. My thinking was that the newsletter was God’s way of meeting our needs, and it also meant I was developing an account of my years as a Jesus freak by way of the monthly newsletters. 

The title of this essay may seem a bit unusual, and a reader may wonder how I could know much about this subject. Therefore, let me describe an event that occurred around twenty years ago, at the time of the first Gulf War.

My son, Vernon, was a military policeman in the U.S. Army, and he was stationed in Saudi Arabia even before the military action began. When it did, his unit’s job was to move prisoners of war from the front battle lines to the rear. One of the processes was to take away from each prisoner, and they were all Muslims, what they had on their person, and that included their wallets. To their shock and surprise, these MPs found the photographs of these men’s boyfriends—their lovers—within the wallets. Vern even mailed to me one of these photo envelopes, which had about six or seven photos of young Muslim men.

After contemplating what this all meant, it occurred to me that, due to the social circumstances in Muslim-dominated countries like Saudi Arabia, young men had little or no access to Muslim women. The older Muslim men, those with authority, wealth, and power, had multiple wives. Therefore, many of the young men had only one another. My opinion was, and is, that these guys were not truly homosexuals, as one might suppose.

It was about this time that I began to reach out to Muslims. I even, and on only a few rare occasions, was I able to ask Muslim men what this was all about. I would tell the story about my son Vern and the wallet contents. Every time, these guys flatly stated that they were ashamed about it but did admit that it was often so. They made sure that such was not the case here in America. And I believed them, to a point.

I then began to think about Muslim women in Muslim-dominated countries. In the process of writing my two books on Islam, If Allah Wills and Islamic Studies, and in talking with Muslim people following the Friday Jummah prayers, I saw, not so much heard, that relations between the males and females were carefully monitored and directed. And this is the case here in the good old USA. What then about Muslim-dominated countries?

What was revealed by means of conversations, was the extent of the troubled sexual relations that the young women also experienced. They were trapped by the men and separated from the outside world, and even if they did appear in public, they would have only their faces showing, often with a kind of net over their faces. For a period of two years, I conducted a kind of class situation at the church I pastor in Mill Valley and frequently invited guest speakers. Some of these were local Muslim leaders from both Sunni and Shiite mosques, in addition to former Muslims now believers in Jesus as Savior. And as best I could, I would ask these representatives to speak about how things were between Muslim men and women. There were some red faces and quite a bit of taqiyya(h), which means “permission to deceive.” And this lying is even emulated, as made plain by one of Allah’s 99 names, which is “The Greatest Deceiver.”

A Muslim man can have four wives, and one can only surmise what might be taking place, as these wives are secluded and watched carefully. I have personal knowledge of a Muslim man, now elevated to the position of mufti, meaning one who can issue fatwas, who has four wives, but only one here in America. He travels year-round visiting three other wives and families who live in three different Muslim-majority countries.

Sexual repression gives birth to sexual perversion, for men and for women. It is all undercover, and again, it is an embarrassment to most Muslim people. Normal human beings have a sexual drive, a need for sex. It is common to us all, and when this God given gift is denied or prevented from being expressed, irregular sexual activity should be expected.

During my thirty-five years at San Quentin Prison, which is about six miles away from where I am right now, I have encountered numbers of young men who have engaged in homosexual relationships either willingly or unwillingly. It is just a reality. For three years, I led a Bible study in the Protestant Chapel, and for fourteen years I visited inmates in their cells, either in West or North block. Then came eighteen years coaching the baseball team.[1] This experience helped me understand the plight of some Muslim men and women.

The reason for the inclusion of this essay is to expose the reality of sexual repression for far too many young Muslim men and women.

---

[1] We have recently published the first of three books I wrote about baseball in San Quentin: Strike Three, You’re Out!: Baseball at San Quentin: The 2010 Season.

This is primarily a summary of Reiki from the book Psychic Empath: 5 Books in 1, published by the Spiritual Awakening Academy with some of our own comments in this font. (No copyright date or author is given in the book.) 

Introduction 

The opening words of the introduction are, “Reiki healing allows you to connect with the energies of the universe and use it in a way that encourages the body to heal itself. It can be used to treat aches and pains, overcome allergies and headaches, and even heal chronic or painful diseases. The results depend heavily on your abilities and your mindset, as it is important to be receptive to the Reiki energies for them to result. Often the emotional and physical health problems that we struggle with stem from blocked energy channels in the body.” 

A key phrase here is “Reiki energies.” And it is the nature of these “energies” that is a core concern. Also, in the introduction we read that Reiki “is actually a powerful energy that is inside all of us.” Of chief concern is the nature of these energies, and few clues are given in the Reiki section that describe or identify these energies nor what they are or where they come from. 

It is our conviction that these “energies” are demonic spirits. 

Reiki Healing 

“Reiki is a form of therapy that promotes healing and balance in life,” per the author of the book, and “The focus of Reiki is to improve or increase the flow of positive energy through the use of energy that flows from the hands of the practitioner.” 

The word Reiki originates from the Japanese word for Rei, referring to a “higher power,” “power of the universe,” “spirituality,” or “universal power,” and Ki refers to energy or life force. Reiki therefore is associated with power and energy. 

The origins of Reiki are unknown but are thought to be ancient. Dr. Usai, a Japanese Buddhist monk, studied Reiki and discovered its benefits and made it known to others. 

Reiki is developed through training sessions or classes in a series of attunements. The power of Reiki develops over time as it helps to clear and heal the mind, allowing a stronger flow of positive energy transferred from one place or person to another. 

There are several forms or types of Reiki. Jikiden Reiki is the most traditional and original form of Reiki practiced today. It is also known as Eastern Reiki, as it is closely related to the way it was initially used when first developed. It is known as the purest form of Reiki. It is said that the healing process is spiritual, yet it is claimed that it does not aim to change or conflict with the different beliefs of other people and is said to work regardless of a person’s religion or faith. The core of the process is channeling energy, which energy is supposedly universal and available to everyone. 

Usui Reiki is also known as Western Reiki and is said to be a spiritual healing but through physical means. This means that light or energy is “transferred or channeled through the hands from one person to the other.” It is a process, the author states, that involves the transference of universal energy. It is claimed that Usui “is used as a way to help those who have passed away to transition or move from the current physical existence to an afterlife or spiritual existence.” 

Frequently the unknown author of the piece on Reiki states something similar to this quote: “There is no conflict with other people’s faiths or beliefs” (p. 27). It is at minimum disingenuous and at worst a complete fabrication, especially as seen from a Biblical point of view. 

Karuna Reiki focuses on developing a “deep sense of love and spreading it to others through the practice. While the first two forms of Reiki focus on the physical healing process, along with the spiritual, Karuna Reiki aims to use more spiritual healing as a way to treat or improve others mentally and psychologically.” 

There are those who combine these three forms of Reiki and those who do find that Karuna Reiki is superior to the others. Its main goal is the “extension of love and care to yourself and the people around you. In doing this, the energy transfer is of a higher level and can promote healing more effectively as a result.” 

Sekehem Reiki (also known as Sichim Reiki) comes out of Egypt and is an extension of the worship of the Egyptian Goddess Sekhmet. Here the energy channeled is like vibrations full of light that reject negativity and pain. Essential oils are also used with Sekehem. It is said that the benefits of Sekehem are, one, “a deeper sense of awareness and focus in life;” two, “it promotes connections with other people, and gives a strong sense of enlightenment and spirituality along with inner peace and acceptance;” and three, “provides for stronger and faster healing” (p. 31). 

Lightarian Reiki makes use of both Usui and Karuna forms of Reiki. It is said there are eight bands or levels of energy in Reiki which create a path to higher awareness and spirituality. Usui and Karuna forms of Reiki focus on the first two bands and the other six are reached via Lightarian Reiki. These bands connect a person with the Ascended Masters, or a higher sense of being. 

The book’s author states that in Lightarian Reiki one can progress through higher forms or energy that will be of benefit for clients, since one is channeling a higher form of energy faster and stronger than other forms. 

It is concluded that Usui Reiki is the most popular method practiced in North America. But then comes praise for Karuna Reiki and for those who practice that version. Those who do so “often need to report to their Spirit Guides, Angels, and their Higher Self, and then afterwards they feel their presences at times” (p. 34). 

Two points: First, we find the connection with the Akashic Records (see the following chapter on the Akashic Records,) the Lords, Masters, Teachers, and Loved Ones. “Connection” is a deceptive concept, as it really is possession by demonic spirits. The Ascended Masters, Lords, Masters, Teachers, Loved Ones are all evil spirits ruled over by the master deceiver Satan. Some who practice Reiki and the Records are aware of this but feel trapped and helpless. These sad people are forced to cope with the ravages that come from demonic invasion and will have a strong repulsion for anything that is actually holy. 

Second, over the last fifty or so years, we have engaged in the casting out of demons, and this not by elaborate rituals but by simple ministry as we see in Scripture. I have three books on this subject. The most recent and shortest is The Deliverance Handbook, which describes how demons are cast out of those who want this deliverance. 

Over the years, many hundreds of people have received this common and biblical ministry, and some via Zoom. This work is necessary, because the so-called spirit guides, angels, higher selves, spirit animals, etc. are demons in disguise. How many are caught up in this unscientific, unverified charade conducted by channelers, psychic therapists, energy workers, mediums, and life coaches who employ methods like Reiki and work with Akashic Records? Their “clients” are unaware of what they are getting into and are taken advantage of by evil spirits that only bring everlasting tragedy.

Benefits of Reiki 

Now a listing of the so-called benefits of the various forms of Reiki that are sprinkled throughout the book, with our comments in italics. 

1. Does not require you to convert into another religion. 

It is often said in the book that Reiki is not a religion. But no Bible-faithful Christian would practice Reiki, as it is not only another religion, but it is based on occult practices. 

1. Helps you deal with past-life issues. 
2. Helps you be more mindful and in the moment. 
3. Noninvasive. 

Nothing could be further from the truth. 

1. Can help ease panic attacks, fatigue, and muscle pain. 
2. Heals the body on a cellular level. 
3. Helps with self–image problems. 
4. Assist in the manifestation of goals. 
5. Improves your ‘inner light’ and your ability to sense the energy around you. 
6. Can assist a dying person’s soul transcend peacefully to the afterlife. 
7. Can balance the chakras in the body. 
8. No need to convert to other religions. 
9. Promotes wholistic health and well–being. 
10. Is sage for use by pregnant women. 
11. Gives a person the ability to heal others. 

It is made plain that Reiki will not work on someone who cannot open their mind and body to the flow of energy. This, of course, opens the door for demonic possession, as all the natural safeguards against an evil spiritual world are closed down or rejected. The passive state of consciousness, the altered state of consciousness, the shamanistic state of consciousness—these are all terms for opening up the mind and body to spiritual entities, all of which are of a demonic nature. After some period of time, the Reike practitioner realizes this, but most will not back away or attempt to protect their clients. A large motivation is greed, as many channelers and mediums and Reike counselors make a great deal of money from their clients. 

Symbols of Reiki 

There are five traditional symbols of Reiki. These were developed in 1922 by Dr. Mikao Usui who received the revelation of the symbols following a 21-day fast. The symbols will be drawn or displayed by the Reiki master during treatments. 

Those who advocate Reiki healing methods believe that these symbols are essential tools in the world of Reiki healing. They are considered to be the keys to open the doors to higher levels of awareness, and thus are considered holy and sacred. The symbols are said to be “guiding tools,” so students and masters can focus on the energy they hold within them. 

First is the power symbol. It is also known as cho ku rei and represents the increase and decrease of one’s power and appears as a coil. This symbol regulates the energy as it contracts and expands. This symbol is used to begin a Reiki healing session, which is said to increase the practitioner’s power. Also, it is the power symbol to get rid of negative energy. 

Second is the harmony symbol, also known as sei hi ki, and has to do with mental and emotional healing and appears as a bird’s wing dashing on the wave flowing across the ocean. This symbol is used to help people recover from traumas and for treating addictions and depression. 

Third is the distance symbol, also know as sha ze sha, and is displayed as a tower or pagoda. It has to do with sending energy across distances. This is said to help people go over their personal issues, and also to bring energy from great distances and heal at distances. 

Fourth is the master symbol, also known as dai ko myo, and represents everything about Reiki. The symbol looks like a combination of multiple symbols and shows the users who have ascended their levels to finally becoming masters. It is used to gain enlightenment, especially for those who desire to become Reiki masters. 

Fifth is the completion symbol, also known as raku, and symbolizes the intention of closure. A lightning bolt is the picture of this symbol. At this point a person is “attuned,” the process to become a Reiki healer is complete and they will see this symbol. This symbol is used to bring closure and rise with the awakened energy. This symbol can be visualized at the ending of a Reiki session. 

Reiki and the Chakras 

It is said that Reiki is chakra work. It means that Reiki masters work on the seven main energy centers they think lie along the spine in the subtle body. Beginning with the crown chakra at the head, where light energy is absorbed, this energy then travels to the core where light is absorbed through the feet. 

Chakras are not static points but are moving light wheels, and Chakra means “wheel.” The theory is that light and energy are compromised, blocked, etc., and then physical and mental and spiritual harmony are disturbed. So, the Reiki master then goes about aligning and cleansing the chakras. 

The goal is for a free flow of energy travelling up to the crown chakra. This is also referred to as Unio Mystica and is the mystical union of yin and yang. And it is only here where Reiki folks believe is the summit of synthesis, where lasting fulfillment is possible. 

The benefits of balanced chakras are said to be the following: 

1. It releases blocked emotional and physical energy. 
2. Eliminates confusion and gives one confidence and motivation. 
3. Makes one feel and look younger. 
4. Makes one feel more in touch with your intuition. 
5. Provides for stronger emotional connection with others. 
6. Helps to overcome lying in favor of telling the truth. 
7. Makes one more comfortable and self-confident. 
8. Produces a better memory. 
9. Gives more energy and motivation. 
10. Helps one connect with their subconscious mind. 
11. Helps with dealing with stress, anxiety, insomnia, depression, etc. 
12. Helps to think more clearly and promotes creativity. 
13. Gives one mental toughness. 
14. Improves one’s overall health. 

The core idea here is this: The trouble is always negative energy, and it is everywhere. And a balancing of the chakras means a path to a more balanced life. 

Levels of Reiki 

Reiki comes in different levels or degrees, of which it is claimed, there are three. 

The First Level is the practitioner’s initiation. Here comes the basic instruction of what Reiki is, its history, and the methods used, along with group practice sessions. This is followed by the attunement, which must take place before moving to the second level. This state is done through the working of the Reiki master. 

Here now is the possession of the practitioner by demonic spirits, commonly known as demons. It is a spiritual experience and will not usually seem dark and dangerous by the practitioner, but it will rather be a startling and powerful experience that captivates. It is all about power, the fundamental draw of the demonic and occult world. Even the power to heal and comfort is central. This ‘otherness’ makes it all appear beneficial and good. 

The Second Level is where first level Reiki people practice on others, all the while making use of the symbols and gradually “expanding or opening more energy channels” (p. 60). 

In this level the Reiki masters provide those attuned with the symbols for power harmony, and distance. 

It is thought that some Reiki masters combine levels one and two. 

Channeling is a key component of Reiki. In the second level is where prospective masters learn various techniques to channel energy. It is really all about how to open a person to invasion by evil spirits. 

The Third Degree, otherwise known as Inner Master or Master Attunement, represents a student’s mastery and who becomes then a teacher of Reiki as well as a practitioner, and therefore acquires the means to attune others and can then open up energy channels on a much deeper level. And at this point, “you can even put up your own practice and become a practitioner like the other Reiki masters across the globe” (p. 61). 

Reike Healing Hand Positions 

How does Reiki lower stress and help the body heal? Largely it has to do with the power of the energetic vibrations in the Reiki practitioner’s hands. “These vibrations are then passed from the practitioner to the client to induce healing.” (p. 64-65) It is also true that yoga, acupuncture, qugong, and shiatsu, to name a few, do much the same. The focus of Reiki is to restore the biofield’s or unified field’s balance like those practices named above. Some say that Reiki is more similar to meditation than these other energy therapies. 

The base concept is that we humans have types of energy that run through us and around us. These can get out of balance or blocked, and Reiki, along with other processes, like those named above, are said to restore and correct these energy flows and balances. 

Reiki practice is very passive. The master’s hand does not even move for most of the period of treatment. The hands are held steady on or over and above a chakra or place of pain, and then energy flows are corrected—this is the working concept. 

The practitioner is mostly meditating as is the patient while forces work on the vibrations and energy flows. The patient, prior to this, is taught how to move into a passive state of mind and depend on unseen forces to bring about the desired result. 

Again, we call attention to the passive, altered, or shamanistic state of mind, which is what is really going on in Reiki as well as a number of other wholistic healing practices. There is no Biblical precedent for this. Christianity does not speak of mindlessness or mindfulness, but rather a simple prayer for healing and nothing more. Some will “lay hands on” but this is no transfer of power nor is it magical in any way. It is simply a time-honored way of praying. 

What is involved in a Reiki Session? 

At the outset, the “recipient” is lying down or upright in a comfortable chair. The practitioner’s hands are placed in multiple locations like the head, back, and belly, and never on any private parts. Injured areas are concentrated on. 

It is said to be a realignment of energy, unblocking flows of energy, which are thought to bring healing. 

The experience of the patient varies. Sometimes there is little to be felt, other times there is a warmness, or coolness, sometimes a pulsating effect supposedly caused by energy flows. The patient’s role is to relax and trust in the practitioner’s skills. 

The Reiki session is meant to infuse the patient with love. It is said that Reiki opens one up to the power of the universe’s unconditional love. A person is said to sense a connection to everyone and everything around them. 

It is also said that “Reiki chooses you” (p. 7). No one then consciously decides to become a Reiki healer, they are called to this by a higher power. And there are a whole host of blessings that then come to this chosen person. 

Reiki and Meditation 

Meditation is a major part of Reiki and there are two basic forms of it. One is to clear the mind of all thoughts, and the second is to focus on a specific question, concern, or situation. “With Reiki meditation, the focus is on Reiki energy rather than any other subject. During a Reiki meditation, you focus on the universal energy as it is within you, around you, and within everything around you. You want to feel connected to that energy to create a feeling of tranquility, connection, and peace” (p. 80). 

Reiki meditation also works with “affirmations,” said to be “a positive sentence that will affect your conscious and subconscious mind” (p. 93). These are to be repeated continuously and visualized so that the affirmation will become reality. Reiki meditation is also used to “heal the auric field,” which “surrounds human energetic bodies” or “energy field” and must be in sync with chakras, as well as mental, spiritual, etheric, emotional, and physical bodies. “When all the chakras and energy bodies are in harmony and are working well together you will be full of vitality and have a sense of wellness” (p. 83). 

Reiki depends upon feelings and a highly subjective and complex set of internal circumstances. There is absolutely no scientific validation for the existence of energy fields, either large ones or small ones, plus the mental, spiritual, etheric, emotional, and physical bodies. Both the Reiki practitioner and the patient must commit to a very strange and esoteric formula, and this necessity will result in demonization. It is the devil’s playground. 

Meditation to heal the karmic past 

This is intended to heal deep emotional wounds and other family patterns of dysfunction. It is intended to continue for at least two weeks. 

It begins with lying down, then bringing attention to your breathing and offer thanks to Reiki for your healing. Then ask Reiki and Universal life-force energy to guide you on your healing path. Then ask for guidance and assistance from your spirit guides and any other Masters of healing in the Universe. Close your eyes and relax, inhale and exhale. Then use your third eye to feel that Reiki energy beaming through your crown and filling your whole body. . .and it goes on and at the end the instruction is to “release the meditation and give gratitude to Reiki with a gassho” (p. 101). 

Notice the phrase “your spirit guides.” Of course, those committed to Reiki would not understand that these entities are actually demonic spirits. People committed to Reiki and other forms of occultic practices will most often state they have a spirit guide and also a spirit animal living inside of them. So at least two spirits indwell them, often more, and these are merely evil spirits. I know this, because over the decades I and many others have cast these out of people. This is well known by those who have been involved in deliverance ministry. 

Where does the Reiki energy originate? 

It comes from the Higher Power, which is found on a dimension, which is higher than the physical world that people have come to know. However, the real source of the Reiki energy is within oneself. “The energy comes from a transcendental part of oneself, which is linked to an inexhaustible healing energy supply” (p. 102). 

It is heart breaking to read this sort of deception. We live in an era of an explosion of systems and practices like Reiki, and also an era when Christianity is on a major decline. The vacuum here is being filled in with practices, however spiritual, exciting, and helpful they may seem to be, but which lead to invasion by evil spirits and also result in a separation from reality, thus opening oneself up to mental illness. 

Is the Reiki system a type of religion? 

The book’s author(s) answer “No.” Though it is spiritual, it is not considered a religion, and to practice Reiki, one does not need to change religion. 

Perhaps some would buy this, but a Christian guided by the Scripture would not. A staunch atheist would not either. Some religious forms would accept this, however, two of these being Hinduism and Buddhism. My experience is that Buddhism is often the launching pad for practices like Reiki. 

It is interesting to find Reiki adherents say their practice is not a religion. Of course, it is; in fact, it is an all-consuming religious practice. The claim that it is not a religion and that anyone can be involved in it and not lose whatever faith they have is a false and dangerous idea. 

******* 

Excerpts from Wikipedia 

Wikipedia on December 21, 2021 

(This article is about the Japanese pseudoscientific healing practice.) 

Reiki is a Japanese form of energy healing, which is a subset of alternative medicine. Reiki practitioners use a technique called palm healing or hands-on healing through which a “universal energy” is said to be transferred through the palms of the practitioner to the patient in order to encourage emotional or physical healing. 

Reiki is a pseudoscience and is used as an illustrative example of pseudoscience in scholarly texts and academic journal articles. It is based on qi (“chi”), which practitioners say is a universal life force, although there is no empirical evidence that such a life force exists. 

Clinical research does not show reiki to be effective as a treatment for any medical condition, including cancer, diabetic neuropathy, or anxiety and depression; therefore it should not replace conventional medical treatment. There is no proof of the effectiveness of reiki therapy compared to placebo. Studies reporting positive effects have had methodological flaws. 60 

Scholarly evaluation 

Reiki is used as an illustrative example of pseudoscience in scholarly texts and academic journal articles. 

In criticizing the State University of New York for offering a continuing education course on reiki, one source stated, “reiki postulates the existence of a universal energy unknown to science and thus far undetectable surrounding the human body, which practitioners can learn to manipulate using their hands,” and others said, “In spite of its [reiki] diffusion, the baseline mechanism of action has not been demonstrated …” and, “Neither the forces involved nor the alleged therapeutic benefits have been demonstrated by scientific testing.” Several authors have pointed to the vitalistic energy which reiki is claimed to treat, with one saying, “Ironically, the only thing that distinguishes reiki from therapeutic touch is that it [reiki] involves actual touch,” and others stating that the International Center for Reiki Training “mimic[s] the institutional aspects of science” seeking legitimacy but holds no more promise than an alchemy society. 

A guideline published by the American Academy of Neurology, the American Association of Neuromuscular & Electrodiagnostic Medicine, and the American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation states, “Reiki therapy should probably not be considered for the treatment of PDN [painful diabetic neuropathy].” Canadian sociologist Susan J. Palmer has listed reiki as among the pseudoscientific healing methods used by cults in France to attract members. 

Evidence quality 

A 2008 systematic review of nine randomized clinical trials found several shortcomings in the literature on reiki. Depending on the tools used to measure depression and anxiety, the results varied and were not reliable or valid. Furthermore, the scientific community has been unable to replicate the findings of studies that support reiki. The review also found issues in reporting methodology in some of the literature, in that often there were parts omitted completely or not clearly described. Frequently in these studies, sample sizes were not calculated, and adequate allocation and double-blind procedures were not followed. The review also reported that such studies exaggerated the effectiveness of treatment and there was no control for differences in experience of reiki practitioners or even the same practitioner at times produced different outcomes. None of the studies in the review provided a rationale for the treatment duration and no study reported adverse effects.  

Safety 

Safety concerns for reiki sessions are very low and are akin to those of many complementary and alternative medicine practices. Some physicians and health care providers, however, believe that patients may unadvisedly substitute proven treatments for life-threatening conditions with unproven alternative modalities including reiki, thus endangering their health. 

Obviously and unfortunately, this article does not identify demonic possession as a safety concern. 

Training, certification, and adoption 

There is no central authority controlling use of the words “reiki” or “reiki master.” Certificates can be purchased online for under $100. It is “not uncommon” for a course to offer attainment of reiki master in two weekends. There is no regulation of practitioners of reiki in the United States. 

 Chapter 29 

Jerry and Pat Westfall lived about six miles east of Mendocino off the Compte-Ukiah Road on a beautiful tract of forested land they called Antioch Ranch.¹ 

In Antioch of Syria followers of Jesus were first called Christians. This wonderful Christian couple made space for others to stay there and turned the place into a kind of Christian retreat. 

At some point in 1968, Jerry heard of us in some way and visited us at Soul Inn. His retreat ranch was ready for guests, and Jerry wanted us to know that we could send folks up his way. We did just that. 

I will never forget the first trip I made to the ranch. It was October 31, 1968, Halloween Day. I was hitchhiking, and it took me all day long to get to Mendocino. It was raining hard, and I was thoroughly soaked. My last ride took me right into the town of Mendocino, where I stepped out of the car door and into a driving rain. A bell somewhere chimed midnight, and I wondered how in the world I was going to make it the last stretch to the ranch. The town was dead quiet, with no one around, but I didn’t have time to fret, as I heard a voice calling out my name. It was Jerry, and he had been waiting for hours for me to show up. It was a happy ride down the twisty country road to the safe haven of Antioch Ranch. 

One of the first to go up to Antioch Ranch was Ira Monroe, a Canadian, who had come to America to avoid military service there.² 

2 After his conversion to Christ, some years after, Ira went back home, turned himself in, and spent some time in prison. He came right off Haight Street, a brand new Christian with long blond hair and a serious demeanor. Ira was a real hippie, and everybody loved the guy.  

A number of others followed, and I made the trek myself a number of times, sometimes to teach and baptize, and one time to help tear down an old building in downtown Mendocino. We did the job for free, just to get the old redwood out of it to build dorms on the ranch’s property. That was one of my favorite memories. It was a bright but brisk day, and we were up on the second floor, with the Pacific Ocean behind us, the wooded hills opposite us, and the white and glistening little town all around us. How I wish I could go back or at least have photographs of that day, as I can still see myself carefully pulling out the hundred year old square nails, gently handling the long planks of redwood siding, and working alongside a bunch of ex-dopers singing Jesus songs. 

Money was always tight on the ranch, and one way we made money for it was to cut down redwood and pine trees and make coffee tables from the wood. I had the great pleasure of making a number of these myself, even cutting down smaller trees for the legs. We carted them to Marin and sold them to the parents of the kids who came to the Bible studies. I still have four of those tables. The legs are pine logs, the tops usually three-inch thick slabs of gorgeous redwood, and on each I laid seven layers of clear varnish. They are as solid and beautiful now, really more so, than they were then. 

Jerry and Pat were members of a Presbyterian Church in Mendocino, and I attended there whenever I spent the weekend. At that time, I was not pastor of a church, so it was possible for me to do this. That congregation welcomed the hippies and provided a real church home for them. I do not remember the name of the pastor, but he and I got along very well. 

Jerry himself was a wonderful and competent Bible teacher, and I still recall one of his studies. Seated in a deep leather chair in the large, rustic front room of the main house, he plainly, lovingly, taught verse by verse through long passages of Scripture, and we stayed there as long as he cared to go on, not noticing the passage of time. 

Jerry and Pat were a great gift to me and to many others. At the time of this writing, they are still up there at Antioch Ranch in Mendocino welcoming folks to their beautiful retreat. You can find it by means of a Google search.  

Other Jesus People in Northern California 

As time went on, we began to hear of other Jesus freaks in other places. Of course, in our various journeys around the country, we discovered other folks engaged in the same or similar ministries as ours. We knew of things going on in Los Angeles, mostly in Hollywood, but of special interest was what we heard was going on in Eureka and Chico. 

Jim Durkin was a real estate agent in Eureka, and a rather large flock of young believers formed around him. (Jim’s son, Jim Durkin, Jr., wrote a piece about his father, which appears in the Bio section of this book.) We knew of the work in Eureka as Gospel Outreach, but also as the Lighthouse Ranch. There was some cross-pollinization, but I never made a trip up north to visit these people. 

Sometime in 1970, however, we worked out a plan via telephone to have a gathering of the Jesus People in Petaluma. We rented out the KOA campground just north of Petaluma and went about inviting Jesus People from far and wide. Gospel Outreach was a big part of it, and it was here I finally got a chance to meet Jim. The Eureka bunch arrived fully organized. They set up a large white tent, put in Army style cots, and had nurses and medics ready with all the necessary equipment. Everyone was amazed. They also brought about two dozen young guys wearing armbands with “SERVANT” on them, and they patrolled the grounds ready to help out with anything that needed to be done. 

It was a special time as the “tribes” gathered from San Jose to Eureka, with hundreds of Jesus people all having a wonderful time. Several leaders spoke at the teaching times, and I can still see Jim Durkin, a quiet, thoughtful, patient, loving, big man, full of years and experience, being a kind of father to the rest of us. This one event was the only time I can recall when we were together, but it was something I will never forget. 

A leader I had only heard of was Gaylord Enns of Ivy House in Chico. The first time I met Gaylord in person was recently in the summer of 2013. Scott McCarrel and I had gotten to know each other a couple of years previously, and Scott was a close friend of Gaylord and arranged for the three of us to meet for a lunch in Mill Valley. My son Vernon and I had a wonderful lunch with Scott and Gaylord at the India Palace, and as soon as we sat down, I asked Gaylord when he first experienced the JPM. He said, “1967.” I was shocked to hear someone else make that identification; I said nothing but went on to a follow-up question: “When did it end?” He said, “1972.” 

Not able to contain myself, I burst out, “That is exactly my experience, too!” This confirmation was stunning, as it corresponded with what I had thought over the years; but here was a person, a leader in the JPM, living not far from the Bay Area, who held the same impression. Gaylord is a special guy, who wrote a wonderful book titled, The Love Revolution, which I keep a supply of to give away. He reminds us of the command of Jesus to love one another, a message that resonates with all who read it. 

Scott, Gaylord, and a close friend of Scott’s, Randy Sager, and I have teamed up under Scott’s leadership to have conferences for people who lived through the JPM, in order to talk about that time of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, encourage those who made “shipwreck” following the JPM, and think and pray about another awakening in the future, if God would so will. I will bring this up once again at the end of the book.

Hello Everyone, yesterday I read an incredible article in the current edition of The Atlantic––I am still in awe, and dazzled.

The magazine, started publication in 1857, is quite political, which you know I shy away from, but I keep up as best as possible and examine many sources, and the article attached here is somewhat political, but fabulous. You know I do my best to stay away from politics, and I don’t know how I will vote in the coming year or even if I will vote. That aside, this is the most incredible article I have ever read in The Atlantic going back many years. Tim Alberta is a solid Christian and how and why The Atlantic folks would allow this to be published is kind of a miracle to me. Please do not think I am pushing a political agenda here, but you will likely be very pleased to read this, and those who regularly receive the magazine will be presented with a wonderful Gospel/Christian message. Kent