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Why so many Americans are embracing witchcraft

Posted: February 27, 2008

1:00 am Eastern

Editor's note: This column is the cover story from Whistleblower

magazine's January 2008 issue, "Witchcraft in America."

So there I was, listening intently to local radio talker Bob White

interviewing a witch.

Yes, a real witch �?and a male one at that. The guest sounded New Agey

and effeminate, but harmless enough, and painted a colorful picture of

what modern-day witches, or "Wiccans," believe and do. You know,

god-and-goddess worship, preparing herbal remedies, casting spells,

caring for the Earth and so on �?all couched in terms that sounded

almost reasonable, or at least tolerable in a diverse society like ours.

But then he got to the part about their nighttime ceremonies, during

which everybody �?men and women �?would get stark raving naked, dance

and chant in the moonlight, have sex, worship Gaia, cast spells and

invoke the blessing of various spirits.

When he finished describing this bizarre scene, there followed a long,

pregnant pause before Bob White responded. Assuming the host to be as

shocked as I was, for a moment I savored the prospect of his imminent

rebuke �?or at least some expression of surprise.

But when White finally responded, he exclaimed emphatically: "I can't

imagine anyone having a problem with that!"

Amazing. Here I was, living in "conservative" rural Oregon, and a local

talk-show host expresses dismay that anybody could have even the

slightest problem with naked witches sexing each other in the moonlight

while summoning spirits and casting spells.

Now, the really interesting part of this story is that "Bob White" was

actually the on-air radio name for none other than Neale Donald Walsch,

who shortly thereafter became the internationally mega-best-selling

author of "Conversations with God" and several sequels.

With two-and-a-half years on the New York Times best-seller list and

book sales of over 7 million copies in 34 languages, the author became a

full-fledged, world-renowned New Age guru speaking to enthralled

audiences everywhere.

Obviously, a whole bunch of people are in love with whatever Neale

Donald Walsch �?I mean, "God" �?is telling them. Here's a sampling:

There is no judgment in what you call the afterlife ... there is no

accounting, no one giving "thumbs up" or "thumbs down." Only humans are

judgmental, and because you are, you assume I am. I cannot tell you my

truth until you stop telling me yours.

Remember, this is supposed to be God talking. When Walsch asks about

sin, here's the response from on high:

This alleged state of imperfection in which you are said to come into

this world is what your religionists have the gall to call original sin.

.... Some of your religions have built up whole theologies around this

misconception. �?/DIV>

So far, it sounds like everyone on earth can jolly well do whatever they

want �?there's no sin, and there's no hell, so party on!

When Walsch asks about reincarnation, "God" tells him:

You have had 647 past lives, since you insist on being exact. This is

your 648th. You were everything in them. A king, a queen, a serf �?/DIV>

Now that's getting pretty exotic and occult-sounding. Speaking of which,

many people warn of the dangers of "channeling" and "automatic writing,"

as Walsch has done here in producing his "with God" books. ("On a blank

sheet of paper," wrote Walsch, "I would merely write a question �?and no

sooner was the question written than the answer would form in my head,

as if Someone were whispering in my ear. I was taking dictation!") But

when Walsch asks "God" whether it's OK to develop and exercise such

occult powers, of course he's told it's just fine:

Using psychic ability is nothing more than using your sixth sense.

Obviously, this is not "trafficking with the devil," or I would not have

given this sense to you. And, of course, there is no devil with whom to

traffic.

OK. There's no devil, no hell, no sin and no judgment. �?But wait, what

about people like Hitler? Surely he didn't go to Heaven? Yet, according

to Neale's "God":

Hitler went to heaven. �?Because Hitler did nothing wrong. Hitler simply

did what he did. ... The mistakes Hitler made did no harm or damage to

those whose deaths he caused. Those souls were released from their

earthly bondage. �?No one who has experienced death ever mourns the

death of anyone.

Your head is undoubtedly spinning 360 degrees at this revelation that

"Hitler did nothing wrong," but hang on �?there's more. Walsch asks

"God" about sex, always a hot-button issue with the human race. While

both Judaism and Christianity have strict moral codes when it comes to

sex, when Walsch asks, "Is sex OK?" "God" responds:

Of course sex is 'OK.' �?Play with sex. Play with it! It's wonderful

fun. �?Sex is sacred, too�?But joy and sacredness do mix (they are in

fact the same thing). �?You have repressed sex, even as you have

repressed life, rather than fully Self expressing with abandon and joy.

You have shamed sex, even as you have shamed life, calling it evil and

wicked, rather than the highest gift and the greatest pleasure.

By golly, I think I'm beginning to understand why millions of people

love Neale Donald Walsch and his god! There's no sexual immorality, no

sin to run afoul of, no devil, no hell, no judgment �?and everything

turns out peachy no matter how evil you've been in this life. Even

Hitler goes to Heaven!

But wait a minute. Is it really God talking to Walsch? After all, it

would ruin everything if it turned out it was just Neal's subconscious

mind talking to him �?or whatever crazy, malevolent, deceitful spirit

might be lurking down there just beyond his subconscious mind. Remember,

channeling bizarre spiritual entities �?which always claim to be "good"

�?is very common in the New Age world.

Interestingly, during an April 7, 2000, interview on CNN's "Larry King

Live," Walsch admitted that maybe it's not God after all that he's been

channeling all these many years:

King: "How do you know you weren't, one, hallucinating? People do that."

King: "Imagining this voice?"

King: "Two, your own subconscious, in a sense, talking to you, you have

Walsch: "I don't know, Larry."

King: "You don't know that."

Walsch: "I don't know."

King: "So maybe it wasn't God."

Walsch: "Maybe it wasn't. And the day ..."

King: "But you wrote a book called 'Conversations with God.'"

Walsch: "Because I think that it was. I sincerely think that I was

inspired by the divine."

OK, so let's sum up: Millions of people are embracing an immoral,

unbiblical and disastrously delusional view of God and life, which will

�?if they don't wake up �?determine their very destiny for eternity,

based on the murky spirit channeling of a former local talk-show host

who admits, "Maybe it wasn't [God]."

In any event, it's now clear why Walsch, in his former persona of radio

talker Bob White, had no problem with the

naked-witches-sexing-in-the-moonlight thing. After all, if Hitler is

beamed up to Heaven after his hellish romp through life on earth, why

not a peaceful, nature-worshipping witch who might occasionally engage

in bizarre and immoral behaviors, but hey, never murdered millions of

Good witch, bad witch

Actually, my first contact with witchcraft was as a young child. The

witch was frightfully ugly, wore a black robe and hood, had a hooknose

with a big wart on it and was obsessed with poisoning Snow White. Then

came the witch-who-morphed-into-a-dragon in "Sleeping Beauty," and of

course there were all the black-pointy-hatted hags that came out every

Halloween. It was pretty clear to this little boy that all witches are

But then I saw "The Wizard of Oz," which challenged my previous belief

about total Wicca wickedness, since it featured equal numbers of wicked

witches (East and West) and good ones (North and South).

Today's young people, of course, have been immersed for years in "Harry

Potter" books and movies, featuring beautiful, heroic young wizards and

witches zooming about on broomsticks and waving their magic wands while

barking ancient-Latin-sounding spells like "Wingardium Leviosa!" (to

make things levitate) or "Expelliarmus!" (to disarm an opponent) or �?my

favorite �?"Stupefy!" (to render one's adversary unconscious).

All this may be great entertainment, but it has nothing whatsoever to do

with real witchcraft.

So, what is witchcraft? Is it the same as Wicca? Is it a form of Satan

worship, as critics allege? Or can witches be good? Can they really cast

spells that somehow call forth the spirits beyond the world of nature to

help them accomplish their will �?whether good or evil? And what's the

deal with going naked? Most of all, why do so many people today aspire

I'm a journalist, and in the news world we see many reports on witches,

but they don't have hooknoses or poisoned apples. Instead, we hear that

increasing numbers of modern-day Americans �?housewives, students,

professors, even soldiers believe it or not �?self-identify as witches

or Wiccans. We see stories about Wicca being an official, legal religion

and a fast-growing one at that, about judges ruling that witches must be

allowed to lead prayers at local government meetings, and that Wiccan

convicts must be provided with requested "sacred objects" so they can

perform spells in their cells.

A few basics: "Wicca" and "witchcraft" are often used interchangeably,

but they aren't exactly the same. While witchcraft goes back into

ancient times, with many varieties springing from diverse cultures and

worldviews, Wicca is a relatively modern nature-based religion first

popularized in the 1950s by an Englishman named Gerald Gardner. Most

"witches" today, at least in the Western World, are followers of the

Wiccan religion. Although Gardner claimed he was resurrecting an ancient

pre-Christian, matriarchal pagan religion, that is disputed �?some

historians saying he just made up parts of it. And while there are other

forms of Wicca today besides "Gardnerian" Wicca, each with their own

variations of belief, ritual and practice, all share certain basic features.

According to Wiccan teachings, to find balance, practitioners must

worship both the male and female aspects of deity, the god and the

goddess, embodying the life-force manifest in nature. Although males are

welcome, Wicca is predominantly a female religion, and the goddess

Here's how the U.S. Army's chaplain's manual �?titled "Religious

Requirements and Practices of Certain Selected Groups: A Handbook for

Chaplains" �?describes Wicca. (Warning: As with all religious groups

described in this Army reference book, the description of Wicca was

written by Wiccans themselves.)

Wiccans worship the sacred as immanent in Nature, often personified as

Mother Earth and Father Sky. As polytheists, they may use many other

names for Deity. Individuals will often choose Goddesses or Gods from

any of the world's pantheons whose stories are particularly inspiring

and use those Deities as a focus for personal devotions. Similarly,

covens will use particular Deity names as a group focus, and these are

often held secret by the groups.

It is very important to be aware that Wiccans do not in any way worship

or believe in "Satan," "the Devil," or any similar entities. They point

out that "Satan" is a symbol of rebellion against and inversion of the

Christian and Jewish traditions. Wiccans do not revile the Bible. They

simply regard it as one among many of the world's mythic systems, less

applicable than some to their core values, but still deserving just as

much respect as any of the others.

Most Wiccan groups also practice magic, by which they mean the direction

and use of "psychic energy," those natural but invisible forces which

surround all living things. Some members spell the word "magick," to

distinguish it from sleight of hand entertainments. Wiccans employ such

means as dance, chant, creative visualization and hypnosis to focus and

direct psychic energy for the purpose of healing, protecting and aiding

members in various endeavors. Such assistance is also extended to

non-members upon request.

What about Wiccan ethics and behavioral standards? Says the Army handbook:

The core ethical statement of Wicca, called the "Wiccan Rede," states

"An it harm none, do what you will." The Rede fulfills the same function

as does the "Golden Rule" for Jews and Christians; all other ethical

teachings are considered to be elaborations and applications of the

Rede. It is a statement of situational ethics, emphasizing at once the

individual's responsibility to avoid harm to others and the widest range

of personal autonomy in "victimless" activities.

Prejudice against Wiccans is the result of public confusion between

Witchcraft and Satanism. Wiccans in the military, especially those who

may be posted in countries perceived to be particularly intolerant, will

often have their dogtags read "No Religious Preference." Concealment is

a traditional Wiccan defense against persecution, so non-denominational

dogtags should not contravene a member's request for religious services.

How do Wiccans worship, and why the nudity?

Wiccans usually worship in groups. Individuals who are currently not

affiliated with a coven, or are away from their home coven, may choose

to worship privately or may form ad-hoc groups to mark religious

occasions. Non-participating observers are not generally welcome at

Wiccan rituals. Some, but not all, Wiccan covens worship in the nude

("skyclad") as a sign of attunement with Nature.

Most readers, I suspect, are slightly relieved to hear that the "Wiccan

Rede" prohibits witches from harming others �?although the "rede" (or

rule) is more akin to the '60s hippie counterculture ethic ("Like, I can

do whatever I want, dude, as long as it doesn't hurt anyone else �?you

dig?") than the much nobler Golden Rule.

Now, what about spells and magic circles and strange rituals?

To celebrate their various festivals, practice magic and cast spells,

Wiccans engage in a wide variety of rituals. Typically, a rite begins

with the establishment of a purified magic circle, during which the

practitioners may invoke spirits or "guardians" of the north, east,

south and west, representing earth, air, fire and water, respectively.

Special tools are used during these rites, including candles and

incense, a broom, cauldron, chalice, wand, altar cloth, pentacle and

other items. After placing the ritual tools on an altar in the circle,

the rite is performed, following which the practitioners thank the

goddess, god and guardians and close the circle.

"OK, whatever," you might well say. "But where do the moon-lit sex

orgies fit in?"

Exhibit A: The "Ritual of the Great Rite." In keeping with Wiccan

cosmology, this is a ritual enactment of the creation of the universe in

the union of the god and goddess. As explained by Vivianne Crowley, a

prominent Wiccan high priestess, author, university lecturer and

psychologist: "The outer rite involves a linking of the male and the

female, the God and Goddess. The inner symbolism is a uniting of the

initiate with the animus or anima. The sacred marriage is outwardly a

marriage of two people, but inwardly it is a marriage of the two within

one person."

So, what seems to a mere muggle (that's "Harry Potter" lingo for a

non-magical person) as just a chance to have sex in the woods, to a

Wiccan has a much more sacred purpose �?that of unifying and integrating

the practitioners' inner selves through the union of opposite polar

energies. And if that isn't highfalutin enough for you, one Wiccan

website explains the Great Rite as "the opening of the gateway to the

womb of the Goddess that the Self may be reborn."

Well anyway, I think I see why more and more men are being drawn to this

woman-dominated religion. But right now let's take a quick look at

witches' spells.

Here's a "love spell" from BeginnerWicca.com:

Desire Me Spell

A simple candle spell to bring desire to the eye of your beholder

First you need to scoop some soil.

Sprinkle this around the base of a red candle anointed with your spit

and some patchouli oil.

Light the candle and focus on you being desired. See you in another's

arms and bed.

When the vision is strong intone as many times as you like:

"Come to me

My will is great

Your new fate

You can't escape."

Do this every night until the next full moon.

And here's a spell to enhance one's beauty:

Moulin Rouge Spell

For this spell wear colorful clothes, flamboyant and luscious! However

if you can't bear to venture out in anything but black make sure you

wear opulent jewelry �?stones of topaz, sapphire and ruby.

Stand in the center of four lit red candles that have been anointed with

cinnamon oil.

You need to invoke the blessings of the night when glamour and mystery

abound.

"Guardians of the night,

Bless me so that I radiate

A beautiful light, and bewitch

All held in my sight."

In your mind's eye see the flames leap up and join above your head,

spiraling into the cosmos and know that you are the center of all beauty

and glamour in the universe.

Right. Here's one more spell, this one to bring good fortune:

Good Luck Spell

Make a fire outside and throw on seven big handfuls of leaves and seven

big handfuls of dried chamomile. Do not light the fire yet.

Now have a cold shower and go outside. Light the fire and leap through

the smoke seven times as you say:

"Away Away

Bad luck and woe

The tide is turned

My fortune grows."

When the fire dies down, turn the ashes into the soil to bury your old

bad luck.

By now, you must be asking: What is accomplished by jumping through a

fire while chanting, "Away away, Bad luck and woe"? How on earth can

they believe this stuff works?

Wicca is intentionally shrouded in mystery. In fact, each initiate

maintains a hallowed, hand-copied book of spells, rituals and magical

information called �?mysteriously �?the "Book of Shadows." Yet, in the

news business we prefer sunshine to moonlight, believing it makes a much

better disinfectant. So why don't we now pull the veil of mystery off of

Wicca? Let's let the sun shine. Let's set aside all the esoteric,

intoxicating words that beguile our minds and seduce our senses. Let's

take off the amethyst-colored glasses, extinguish the incense �?and

honestly, soberly look at our growing obsession with New Age religions

like Wicca.

Rewind to the "Good Luck Spell" we just discussed: It's actually not

hard to understand why people might think an invisible spirit can

somehow help them banish their "bad luck" and bless their lives with

health, prosperity and happiness �?because that's the truth. There is

such a God. But He's not the god or goddess of Wicca, or the god

channeled by Neale Donald Walsch or any other New Age guru. He (not she)

is Almighty God, the Creator and Sustainer of the universe and

everything in it, including us.

Moreover, each of us, created "in His image" and for His purpose, has an

inner "programming" put there by Him, to seek His influence in our

lives. This programming �?so deeply engrained in us, as though it were

embedded in our DNA �?says we must discover and submit to His inner

leading in all things, or else live meaningless, deluded and ultimately

wasted lives.

Here's the problem. If for any reason we're not willing to submit to God

�?a state of honest transparency that tends to annihilate our selfish

pride and bring us the blessings of happiness, common sense and

moderation �?then by default we find ourselves attracted to false gods,

that is, to worldviews and religions that sustain our angry rebellion

against our Heavenly Father.

Feminism and Wicca: Rebellion against Father

In dysfunctional families, if you have a problem with your father, it's

very easy to bond extremely closely �?often too closely �?with your mother.

Goddess worshippers worship creation �?"Mother earth," with her trees,

flowers, clouds, streams, rocks, and of course the sun, moon and stars

and so on �?because they're in rebellion against the Creator Father.

They're totally identified with Mom because they have a problem with

Heavenly Dad, Who perhaps seems too "judgmental" �?too stern and mean

and out-of-touch with them.

Two big reasons for this rebellion against God the Father are the

failure of most earthly fathers and husbands to be truly manly (strong

and gentle), and the failure of today's Christian church to be truly

Christ-like (strong and gentle). Indeed, while America's news and

entertainment media gave the New Age movement a huge boost during the

'60s and '70s through their enthusiastic and uncritical treatment, the

biggest single reason for the upsurge in neo-pagan religions like Wicca

is undoubtedly the falseness and shallowness of so much of the modern,

institutional Christian church. Sorry about that, but the truth hurts.

Unfortunately, the mainline Christian church world, which today is full

of confusion and outright rebellion against time-honored biblical

principles, displays the outer trappings of the faith while falling

further and further away from genuine Christ-centered spirituality. Thus

it has very little natural authority, but instead turns people off in

droves. Some discover faith outside the church, some fall away to

agnosticism or atheism, and some are attracted to other religions that

appear to be deeper and more spiritual, including New Age religions.

In many ways, the interest in Wicca among women (at least two-thirds of

Wiccans are female) parallels the growth in feminism and lesbianism �?/FONT>

all fueled by disillusionment with and alienation from men. Indeed,

sociologist Helen Berger, who spent 10 years researching and writing the

authoritative book "A Community of Witches: Contemporary Neo-Paganism

and Witchcraft in the United States," reports the astounding conclusion

that at least 40 percent of Wiccans and neopagans are homosexual or

bisexual. Clearly, Wicca has become the spiritual home for many

feminists, including lesbians. It's also the most graphic, in-your-face

example of a much more universal phenomenon �?the increasing

feminization of the Christian church and of Western culture.

Although many feminist women today resent men and reject what they see

as the "repressive patriarchy" of Christianity, the sad irony is that

the true Father in Heaven is not only strong and just, but also kind,

patient and full of love. In other words, He's the father they never had

�?the perfect father every child wants and needs.

But why, then, does He condemn witchcraft? In the Old Testament of the

Bible, we read, "There shall not be found among you any one that maketh

his son or his daughter to pass through the fire, or that useth

divination, or an observer of times, or an enchanter, or a witch, or a

charmer, or a consulter with familiar spirits, or a wizard, or a

necromancer. For all that do these things are an abomination unto the

LORD: and because of these abominations the LORD thy God doth drive them

out from before thee" (Deuteronomy 18:10-12).

No question about it: Scripture clearly condemns witchcraft and sorcery

as "abomination." And yet, miracles are evident in both the Old and New

Testaments of the Bible �?the same book that condemns magic. Do we

understand the difference? Although we use the word "miracles," would it

be correct to say Jesus performed "magic" when He turned water into

wine, greatly multiplied scant supplies of fish and bread to feed

thousands of people, calmed storms, walked on water and many other

wonders? And by the way, we can't ascribe this "magical" ability solely

to His being the Son of God, because He also said, "He that believeth on

me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these

shall he do; because I go unto my Father" (John 14:12). Indeed, His

disciples reportedly performed miracles.

But in truth, there was no magic, witchcraft or sorcery involved in

biblical miracles. Why?

Jesus made the point crystal clear when He said: "I can of mine own self

do nothing: as I hear, I judge: and my judgment is just; because I seek

not mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me." (John

5:30)

That's the problem with Wicca, magic and occultism of every variety, and

it's the very reason the Bible condemns them all: In the eyes of God,

it's an abomination for people to try to harness the hidden powers of

nature and beyond nature, for whatever purposes they will �?because they

are literally playing god. All they accomplish, if anything, is to open

spiritual doors and allow malevolent entities to take up residence in

their bodies �?which were meant to remain the temple of the Living God

alone.

Furthermore, your will and my will mean nothing, as this whole notion of

individual will is something of an illusion: In reality, we either serve

God's will or we are slaves of the unseen dark forces we have submitted

to �?forces that pull on the strings of our minds and bodies (but which

we think of as our own will) when we lack commitment to what is right.

When Jesus performed miracles, it wasn't His will. When Moses parted the

Red Sea, it wasn't Moses doing it. Standing there with his outstretched

arms and staff, he was just the instrument. The true miracle worker has

no sense of power. It's a paradox �?like many other biblical paradoxes

(The last shall be first and The greatest of you shall be the servant of

all and so on).

Magic spells are affirmations, ceremonial expressions of the Wiccan's

will, of what she or he wants, typically sprinkled with the elements �?/FONT>

earth, fire and so forth �?in hopes of subtly harnessing those powers by

the force of their will. That is the aim of occult practices in the real

world: To manifest our selfish will. But not God's loving will.

In "Magick in Theory and Practice (Book 3)," notorious British occultist

Aleister Crowley, an important mentor to Wicca founder Gerald Gardner,

defined "magick" (he always spelled it with a "k"), as "the Science and

Art of causing Change to occur in conformity with Will."

"Will" was a big deal to Crowley, whose central credo was: "Do what thou

wilt shall be the whole of the Law." (In case you didn't notice, this is

Thus, Wiccans claim magic spells, ceremonies and rituals focus the

practitioners' hidden reservoir of psychic energy, along with the aid of

benevolent spirits, in the service of the witches' will.

Now, even though much of what passes as magic can be chalked up to

hypnotic suggestion, affirmation and outright delusion, we need also to

realize that each of us is a spiritual being inside a physical being.

And much of what the occult world alludes to �?the astral plane,

spiritual entities and the like �?is quite real.

Astral travel, for example, is indeed possible �?and exceptionally

dangerous. Some New Age religions like Eckankar teach "soul travel," a

euphemism for astral projection �?literally the intentional separation

of the soul or consciousness from the body so it can travel around

freely, sightseeing, spying on others and so on. The hard truth is that

practitioners' souls can return "home," only to find their body has

become inhabited by a malevolent intruder spirit while they were

foolishly gone, and they can't get back in.

Then there are near-death experiences, or NDEs, which generally are

nothing more nor less than beautiful delusions �?created by the "Great

Deceiver" for the purpose of evangelizing the living regarding the

superior joys of death. How many people have committed suicide or

otherwise given up on life because they heard someone like Dannion

Brinkley ("Saved by the Light") or Betty Eadie ("Embraced by the Light")

talk rapturously about how delightful death and the afterlife are.

So, if you're enamored of such "signs and wonders" as channeling, astral

traveling, clairvoyance, remote viewing, communicating with

disincarnated spirits, reading auras, near-death experiences and other

psychic phenomena, just remember that God is not the only one who can

confer "gifts." Indeed, recipients and purveyors of such occult

abilities may well be much closer to hell than you are. After all, don't

you think the devil knows the future? If so, can he not impart knowledge

of it to the minds of a gullible human helper, for the purpose of

deceiving many others?

As Jesus Himself said, "For false Christs and false prophets shall rise,

and shall shew signs and wonders, to seduce, if it were possible, even

the elect" (Mark 13:22).

This is why the Bible prohibits sorcery and witchcraft and talking to

dead people, and why even so-called "white magic" is not blessed by God

�?because it not only does not serve His will, but it invites evil and

deception to invade our world. There's a fantastic complexity to the

"spiritual mechanism" of the human being, but just like a new

sophisticated piece of electronics, it's not supposed to be

user-serviceable or modifiable. That's the realm of the Manufacturer

alone. Instead of meddling with the Maker's sacred matrix of Life, we're

meant to share in an entirely different kind of "magic."

For this magic to bless our lives �?the seemingly effortless walk

through difficult circumstances, the aid of a hidden hand we call

"grace" �?we need to abandon pride and "wait" patiently on God in each

moment of our life. In this state of grace, we are in alignment with His

will and thus the creative powers of the universe, and not the other way

around. We have a sense of well being, a lack of time pressure, a

knowing that the future is being rolled out before us by God, and that

we just need to be there to discover it in each moment.

It's a sort of "magic," yes, but we're not the magicians making it

happen. We're just the grateful receiver, full of wonder as our life

unfolds, because to ourselves we don't seem very worthy. Much of what we

see from moment to moment, in fact, is our very real flaws and faults

and weaknesses. But that's the very humility that connects us up with

the real-life "force" of God.

However, sorcery, witchcraft �?where we're literally trying to play god,

harnessing the hidden or "occult" forces of creation to accomplish our

will �?is an abomination, and a doorway through which hell readily

enters this earthly realm. It's pure rebellion against God.

'Ye shall be as gods'

Ask yourself: How is it that millions of people can grovel at the feet

of Neale Donald Walsch, who has channeled an ungodly spirit entity

claiming to be God? How can they follow such a profoundly

counterintuitive ("Hitler went to Heaven") and frankly insane path to

"enlightenment"?

It's because most of us are unconsciously addicted to the power of lies

that keeps our pride alive �?our love of the great illusion of life that

says we ourselves can be masters of our own destiny.

This, of course, was the original lie in the biblical account of Adam

and Eve. Remember the story? God gave the first two people a test in

obedience:

"Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: But of the tree of

the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day

that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die" (Genesis 2: 16-17).

Shortly thereafter, the story goes, Satan in the form of a serpent

approached Eve and said: "Ye shall not surely die: For God doth know

that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye

shall be as gods, knowing good and evil" (Genesis 3: 4-5).

Long story short: Adam and Even couldn't resist the promise that they

would be "as gods," and we've been falling for the same lie ever since.

This is the madness of Eastern, New Age and other religions that claim

we are all gods, and that �?just as Neale Donald Walsch and other gurus

teach �?our only problem is that we haven't yet realized our own

greatness and divinity.

So, the Wiccans are absolutely right when they say Satanism and

witchcraft are different. The problem is, they're both different forms

of rebellion against God. One is male in nature �?overtly angry,

arrogant, selfish and rebellious. The other is female, a seductive

version of the same rebellion �?smiling, passive and powerfully alluring.

But both are separated from the love of God, obsessed with magic

(playing god), and clothed in the beguiling philosophies of the serpent.

Yet what a sad, pathetic, shadowy reflection of the real power we're

supposed to freely enjoy in our lives, when we truly live in the

sunlight of the One True God.

Note: All Bible quotations in this article are taken from the King James

Version.

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