Ephesians-511.net



MAY 20, 2018

New Age

By Susan Brinkmann

OUR FIRST COLLATION OF SUSAN BRINKMANN’S ARTICLES FROM THE WOMEN OF GRACE BLOG ON NEW AGE ISSUES IS TO BE FOUND HERE:

NEW AGE-SUSAN BRINKMANN

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IT RELATES TO THE PERIOD FROM DECEMBER 2009 TO AUGUST 2011. 341 PAGES

SUSAN BRINKMANN’S ARTICLES PRIOR TO DECEMBER 2009, AND FROM SEPTEMBER 2011 TO 31 JANUARY 2016 ARE TO BE FOUND HERE IN CHRONOLOGICAL ORDER:

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423 PAGES

THE THIRD FILE IS COLLATED FROM THE WoG BLOG 1 FEBRUARY 2016 TO 5 AUGUST 2016.

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53 PAGES

THE FOURTH FILE IS FOR THE PERIOD 6 AUGUST 2016 TO 27 NOVEMBER 2017.

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103 PAGES

THE PRESENT FILE IS FOR THE PERIOD 28 NOVEMBER 2017 TO 20 MAY 2018.

ARTICLES ARRANGED IN CHRONOLOGICAL ORDER

Did astrologer predict Diana’s death?



December 5, 2017

GK writes: “I heard that Princess Diana believed in astrology and that her personal astrologer predicted her death. Is this true?”

It’s true that the Princess of Wales was a believer in astrology and very much relied on the advice of her personal astrologer; however, the prediction that was made about the weekend of her death did not concern an impending disaster, just a “dramatic experience.”

According to this article which recently appeared in the Daily Mail, the princess’ personal astrologer, Debbie Frank, who was also a close friend and confidant of the royal, predicted a “huge event” to take place on the weekend that Diana died in a car crash in Paris. The two were studying an astrological chart together at Kensington Palace when they saw an eclipse in the princess’ forecast, an event that astrologers associate with some kind of dramatic experience.

Frank, who worked with Diana from 1989 until her death in 1997 said Diana interpreted the eclipse to be warning of a positive event such as had happened in the past when an eclipse predicted the birth of her son, William, and her separation from Prince Charles.

“She was really happy with Dodi [Fayed], was spending more time with the boys and embarking on more work as an ambassador. We thought the alignment could be a positive,” Frank recalled. “I spoke to her after that meeting, in a final phone call, and she sounded wonderful and told me, ‘I’m the happiest I’ve ever been.’ I had no idea she would die. I would never have been able to stop it. Let’s get one thing clear, astrologers can’t predict death.”

Being nothing more than a Babylonian occult-art, astrology can’t predict anything, let alone death, but most astrologers believe it is unethical to do so anyway.

Diana certainly wasn’t looking for such a prediction at the time but she was known to rely on the practice quite heavily at times. At the peak of her friendship with Frank, Diana was known to call three times a day for advice. She even called from a yacht off the Greek coast while on a second honeymoon with Charles after the princess found out her husband was secretly phoning Camilla during the voyage.

The last time the two spoke was about three weeks before Diana’s death when Frank read the chart of Diana’s partner, Dodi.

“I remember the day vividly,” Frank told The Sun. “She looked radiant, full of life. She had put on weight from the gaunt person I’d first met. She was in a pink Versace dress with a tulip neckline, in tribute to her friend, fashion designer Gianni, who had been killed days before. We had an impromptu review of her life.

“We then looked at Camilla’s chart and I told her that Camilla had a tough time ahead. She said ‘that will be because Charles always blows hot and cold’. We had no idea Diana’s fate would be linked to that tough time.

“Then we went through hers. I didn’t think for one minute that something so dreadful would occur. I gave her a big hug and she waved me off.”

It was the last time they would ever see each other.

As I explain in my book, The Learn to Discern Compendium, astrology is an unscientific Babylonian occult art that is not compatible with Catholicism. St. John Paul II warns that even those who think reading horoscopes just for fun are putting their trust in something other than God’s providence.

“If we want good direction to our life, we must learn to discern its plan, by reading the mysterious ‘road signs’ God puts in our daily history. For this purpose neither horoscopes nor fortune-telling is useful. What is needed is prayer, authentic prayer, which should always accompany a life decision made in conformity with God’s law.”

ASTROLOGY-SUSAN BRINKMANN



Stranger Things TV show has its own Ouija Board



December 7, 2017

MB writes: “I have not seen the massively popular Stranger Things but I’ve heard that it’s quite ‘creepy’. I also know that they’ve put out a Stranger Things ouija board which makes me wonder if there’s anything demonic or problematic with the show itself. Lots of friends have recommended it but they’ve also talked about Harry Potter before so I’m hoping to get a clearer answer on whether watching the show is problematic. Thank you in advance.”

The Stranger Things TV show is indeed problematic on a variety of levels.

For those who have never heard of it, Stranger Things is a recent Netflix sci-fi/horror hit starring Winona Ryder that is based in the fictional Indiana town of Hawkins in the early 1980’s. Hawkins is the home of the Hawkins National Laboratory which performs scientific research for the government. However, the disappearance of a young boy named Will leads the town to discover that the lab is also involved in paranormal and supernatural experiments. These activities lead to the creation of a portal to an alternate dimension called “the Upside Down” which is full of surreal monsters.

Meanwhile, a little girl arrives on the scene at the local diner, dressed in a hospital gown and with a shaved head. Her name is Eleven and she has all kinds of otherworldly powers such as clairvoyance and the ability to move objects with her mind. She was apparently used in experiments at the lab and managed to escape. Eleven, who claims to know where Will is, and is able to communicate with him, is then employed in the plot to find the boy.

There are a variety of disturbing themes running through the show, such as references to a “stronger power,” Eleven’s use of her powers to kill people, premarital sex between the characters, shoplifting, profaning the name of Jesus, and a variety of illicit escapades.

Focus on the Family’s Plugged In, says that although the series does give us a new set of heroic tweens and teens, these kids are also prone to “swear like testosterone-deficient sailors.” They also play Dungeons & Dragons which is sure to set off alarms with parents due to the game’s darker elements. And even though the children are against alcohol and tobacco, the adults in the move indulge with great abandonment.

“When the scene shifts to the high-school set, sex (or the heady, fearful promise of it) never seems far away,” the review states.

The violence is also a factor. “Even though the violence hasn’t been particularly bloody, death is not uncommon. The monsters, and many of the men, are out for blood. And they’re not above spattering a bit of it across the screen.”

As for the games spawned by the show, they do have a new Stranger Things Ouija board which youth are gleefully using to ask the “spirits” to reveal the contents of upcoming shows.

In this article appearing on Buzzfeed (caution: obscene language) three teens – including one who says he never plays with the board because he’s Catholic – ask the board a series of questions about upcoming shows. The first question they asked was whether or not there was a spirit in the room, which received a “yes” answer. The three then ask it a series of questions about the upcoming shows, which characters are going to “hook up” and which are going to die.

The show also has it’s own themed Monopoly board game as well as an Eggo Card game.

All in all, Stranger Things is the typical non-family-friendly fare.

I would not categorize this show and its alarming by-products as healthy for anyone, regardless of age.

DOWSING OUIJA BOARD DIVINATION-SUSAN BRINKMANN



Can Catholics use Mala beads?



December 12, 2017

We recently received a question from someone who asked about mala beads, and if a Catholic could use them while praying.

For those who have never heard of them, mala (a Sanskrit work meaning “meditation garland”) beads are used in Hindu and Buddhist prayer to count mantras. They are usually in strands of 108 beads although there are bracelet-length strands and rings that are used for shorter meditations. Mala beads have been used for centuries by yogis to help them to stay focused during meditation. Some sites claim that the first malas were made in India 3000 years ago and were used in a special style of meditation called Japa which means “to recite.”

Some Catholics believe we can use these strands because they’re “just beads” like our Rosary, but this opinion gives credit to neither the Rosary nor the mala. Both have very specific meanings – and uses.

For example, this site explains the meaning behind the number of beads in the mala.

“The digits of 108 have the following meaning: ‘1’ represents the supreme consciousness; ‘8’ represents the eight aspects of nature consisting of the five fundamental elements of earth, water, fire, air and ether, plus ahamkara (individuality), manas (mind) and buddhi (sense of intuitional perception); ‘0’ represents the cosmos, the entire field of creation. To put it another way: ‘0’ is Shiva, ‘8’ is Shakti and ‘1’ is their union or yoga.”

Some scholars also believe the number 108 represents the number of skulls worn on the garland by Kali, the Hindu goddess of destruction. “It is said to symbolize the 108 reincarnations of the jiva (the individual consciousness) after which an individual will become self-realized,” the site explains.

The construction of mala beads is also significant. For example, this site explains that the beads usually incorporate a tassel which has multiple meanings such as representing one’s connection to the divine and one another.

The tassel is connected to a guru bead, which is usually the 109th bead. This bead symbolizes the guru from whom the student received the mantra that they are using while meditating with the beads and represents the student-guru relationship.

The site also explains how overhand knotting is used in traditionally crafted mala beads because this not only makes the beads stronger but provides “the perfect space for Japa meditation” which is a form of meditation that uses a bead to count each mantra.

“Your mala beads are believed to protect, guide in daily life, and serve you as a constant reminder of the divinity that is with in you,” the site explains, and offers beads that have been “blessed” in Bali.

Some like to say that mala beads are “just beads” similar to our Rosary, which is reminiscent of those who like to say that yoga postures, so rich in religious meaning to the Hindu people, are “just exercise.” But these viewpoints are shortsighted.

For example, the only similarity between mala beads and rosaries is that they both use beads. Everything else about them, including their use, is designed for a specific religious purpose. This religious meaning is intrinsic and remains intact even when used within a Christian atmosphere.

Even more problematic is the “blessing” of these beads, which is common, and their use for “protection” which implies belief in occult powers (see Catechism No. 2117).

Catholics should not use mala beads for any purpose, including prayer. We have our own “prayer beads” – the Rosary – which history has proven to be one of the most powerful prayers for protection against dangers of all kinds. Why would anyone want mala beads when they already have this?

RUDRAKSHA BEADS AND THE HINDU DEITY SHIVA



THE SIGNIFICANCE OF 108 IN HINDUISM



What is the meaning of this strange tattoo?



December 14, 2017

I was recently asked about a strange tattoo that consisted of the words “KORU, GATHA, AVESTA, and ZOROASTER.” Is this tattoo something to be concerned about?

In a word – yes!

These words are derived from an ancient Iranian religion known as Zoroastrianism. It predates Judaism and takes its name from the prophet Zoroaster who is said to have received a revelation at the age of 30 while fetching water for a sacred ritual.

In the revelation, he was led into the presence of Ahura Mazda, a supreme being whose name means “Wise Lord.” There he was taught the cardinal principles of the “Good Religion” which was later known as Zoroastrianism.

Zoroaster believed he was entrusted with the mission of spreading this message.

Although Zoroastrianism was one of the first known monotheistic religions. Monotheistic religions such as Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, believe in one God who created the universe and who intervenes in the lives of mankind.

However, Ahura Mazda, the god of the Zoroastrians is not the God of the Bible. He was not an omnipotent God like ours but one who relied on humans in the struggle against an evil entity known as Angra Mainyu whose daevas (destroyers) tried to tempt people away from the path of righteousness.

As for the words in the tattoo, GATHA refers to 17 hymns believed to have been composed by Zoroaster. These hymns form the core of the Zoroastrian liturgy (known as the Yasna). Some of these verses are directly addressed to Ahura Mazda.

AVESTA refers to the central scripture of Zoroastrianism, which contains the gathas.

The word Zoroaster requires no further elaboration.

As for the word KORU, the only information I could find about this word was found on a website that referred to a “Koru Bridge and the oneness of all spiritual paths” where all faiths, including Zoroastrianism, come together.

It is safe to assume that whoever was sporting this tattoo was either a follower or at least an admirer of Zoroastrianism.

As Jan Wakelin of Catholic Answers explains, Zoroastrianism is not compatible with Christianity.

“This is a dualist philosophy, a form of gnosticism, believing in two contrary forces in the universe, an evil god and a good god. This corresponds to material vs. spiritual warfare. This is a heretical belief system.”

TESTIMONY OF A FORMER PARSI-01 HEZUK SHROFF



My doctor says Mindfulness isn’t Buddhist



December 19, 2017

BD writes: Help! My psychologist insists that I use mindfulness to treat my PTSD and he claims it isn’t Buddhist. He says it’s just teaching us to be mindful of our surroundings; however, the exercises he gives me are all mindfulness meditation techniques! What am I supposed to believe?

What should you believe? That your psychologist is confused.

And for good reason. Many of these professionals jumped on the mindfulness bandwagon while it was still being touted as the greatest thing to treat anxiety since Xanax but are now confronting updated science which is not quite so glowing and Christian clients who aren’t comfortable with its Buddhist roots.

Like most fads, the mindfulness bandwagon hit a few ruts in the road known as “the facts,” such as where mindfulness really comes from and why most of the science conducted to date has been found lacking. These facts are why it’s safe to say that any psychologist who tells you that the mindfulness he/she is recommending is not Buddhist, but then instructs you to use mindfulness meditation techniques such as Body Scan Meditation or Breathing Space Meditation, is using the Buddhist practice of mindfulness. This is NOT the same as “just being mindful of your surroundings” – not by a long shot.

For example, just being mindful of where you are, the chair you’re sitting on, the position of your body, how you’re feeling, what you’re thinking, is not a Buddhist meditation technique. It’s just making yourself aware of where you are and what you’re doing and thinking at the moment. This is more like a “take a deep breath” or a “step back” moment.

However, this exercise becomes a mindfulness meditation technique based in Buddhism when it instructs you to let go of the contents of the mind and bring your attention to a single point of focus on the breath. This is known as Breathing Space meditation, which is designed to “expand awareness,” and is one of several types of meditation employed in today’s mindfulness fad.

As you can see, these are two very different exercises.

But don’t be too hard on your doctor. As I explain in my new book, A Catholic Guide to Mindfulness, the roots of the modern mindfulness movement have been shrouded in a very deliberate fog since the very beginning. The inventor of modern-day mindfulness, Jon Kabat-Zinn, a biomedical scientist and practicing Buddhist, spent years trying to cover up the Buddhist roots of the practice he invented which is known as Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) for fear of being branded as “New Age.”

“To my mind, this was a constant and serious risk that would have undermined our attempts to present it [MBSR] as commonsensical, evidence-based, and ordinary . . . . This was something of an ongoing challenge, given that the entire curriculum is based on relatively (for novices) intensive training and practice of meditation and yoga, and meditation and yoga pretty much defined one element of the New Age,” he wrote.

Your doctor is probably not aware of the fact that the concept of MBSR came to Kabat-Zinn in a vision during a vipassana retreat. After the retreat, he said that he had “a better sense of what my karmic assignment might be . . .” which led to the development of the modern-day version of mindfulness.

He admitted to deliberately using the umbrella term of “mindfulness” as a kind of “place-holder for the entire dharma . . . as a potentially skillful means for bringing the streams of alive, embodied dharma understanding and of clinical medicine together.”

From what I have read about Kabat-Zinn, his goal has always been to blend science and Buddhism. It was not to deceive or to make money. Although he has done both of these things, this does not appear to have ever been his motive.

Even though he gradually began to reveal the Buddhist roots of his mindfulness program in the 90’s, he still insists that MBSR instructors be personally grounded in the Buddhadharma but that they bring “only the essence” of these roots into the classroom. So it’s still being covered up to a certain extent.

Between this deliberate obfuscation surrounding the modern origins of the MBSR practice that many are employing, and the overly-optimistic science that has flooded the airwaves, it’s not hard to understand why some practitioners would be confused.

Some are even still insisting that the practice of mindfulness is not spiritual, but that’s not based on fact either. As I cite in my book, research suggests that even though mindfulness is often practiced in a secular manner, individuals report spiritual benefits from their practice. “On the whole, research suggests that mindfulness and spirituality are overlapping but distinct constructs, that they likely interact and contribute to one another’s development, and that both are important mechanisms through which MBIs [mindfulness-based interventions] exert benefits.”

There is a lot of confusion surrounding the mindfulness movement which is why both practitioners and their patients need to stay abreast of the latest findings and adjust their therapy accordingly.

MINDFULNESS MEDITATION-SUSAN BRINKMANN



Is Mindfulness spiritual?



December 27, 2017

A lot of psychologists and other proponents of mindfulness insist that this practice is not spiritual, that it can be divorced from its Buddhist roots, but is this really possible?

In this YouTube interview, the pioneer of western mindfulness, Jon Kabat-Zinn, was asked this question directly and had a surprisingly difficult time answering it.

The interviewer began with the question: “Is mindfulness in the western sense an offshoot of Buddhism?”

Kabat-Zinn responded by saying that the Buddha was not a Buddhist. What he didn’t bother to explain is that this is a play on words which refers to a popular saying among Buddhists, “Don’t be a Buddhist – be a Buddha.”

He then describes the Buddha as being akin to a scientist whose development of mindfulness became like “lab tools” that can now be used by scientists. And yes, by the way, a religion grew up around it, Kabat-Zinn says, as if Buddhism was a kind of afterthought.

“Although spoken of as being the heart of Buddhist meditation, [mindfulness] is about paying attention, about awareness. How Buddhist is that?” Kabat-Zinn argues.

Unfortunately, he neglects to address the fact that the method people are taught to “pay attention” and “be aware” in the way specific to mindfulness is achieved by employing Buddhist meditation techniques. This raises the question – if mindfulness isn’t Buddhist, why do we need Buddhist meditation techniques to accomplish it?

He goes on to argue that mindfulness is “about loving kindness. How Buddhist is that?”

Again, he doesn’t explain the vast difference between the Christian and Buddhist idea of “love”. For example, Christian agape love is personal, individual and free-willed. The Buddhist teaches karuna, an impersonal feeling of compassion.

A good example of how different are these two kinds of love is found in the Buddhist story of the saint who gave his cloak to a beggar. The Christian gives his cloak to the beggar because of Christ’s love for the beggar. The Buddhist gives his cloak to the beggar because it’s the enlightened thing to do. In other words, the Buddhist’s concern is not for the welfare of the beggar, as is the Christian, but for the liberation of the giver from the burden of self.

At this point, the interviewer asks the question in a more pointed way. “Is mindfulness a spiritual practice?”

Again, Kabat-Zinn struggles to answer. “That depends on what you mean by the word spiritual. I tend to stay away from the word spiritual as if it had some kind of toxic outpouring . . .” he says and everyone on the panel laughs knowingly.

“My working definition of spiritual is what it means for us to be truly human. Is giving birth spiritual? Is chopping vegetables spiritual? From that point of view, what isn’t spiritual?”

In other words, it’s not spiritual if you’re using Kabat-Zinn’s personal definition of spiritual. However, if you’re using the standard definition of the word, which most people would use, it means “relating to or affecting the human spirit or soul as opposed to material or physical things.”

According to the definition of spiritual, giving birth and chopping vegetables are not spiritual activities. They may have a spiritual component, but these activities relate to, or affect, the body or material things. Mindfulness, on the other hand, affects the human spirit or soul and is a purely spiritual activity. Although there could be a physical component to it, it is essentially a spiritual activity.

The second definition of spiritual is: “of or relating to religion or religious belief.” In his writings, Kabat-Zinn admits that he used the umbrella term of mindfulness as a kind of “place-holder for the entire dharma . . .” For those who aren’t familiar with the word, the dharma is “the teaching or religion of the Buddha.” This means that if mindfulness is a word used to refer to the religion of the Buddha, then mindfulness fits the definition of spiritual.

However, it’s not surprising to find Kabat-Zinn playing fast and loose with language in order to sell mindfulness to the American public. As my book, A Catholic Guide to Mindfulness details, by his own admission, he “bent over backward” to keep the Buddhist roots of mindfulness hidden for fear of being pegged as “New Age”

Although he overcame much of his hesitancy years ago, he is apparently still experiencing some reservations about exposing mindfulness for what it is – a Buddhist spiritual practice.

Chilling testimony on dangers of New Age and Mindfulness



January 9, 2018

In response to a radio interview that I did about my new book, A Catholic Guide to Mindfulness, with Dan Burke and Melissa Elson of Divine Intimacy Radio, we received this testimony from a woman who believes her experience with the New Age and mindfulness caused her years of suffering.

She writes:

Thanks to a novena I did last March to Our Lady of Sorrows, I realized suddenly that my decision to read Oprah recommended Marianne Williamson’s books in 1995, led to serious problems for 20 yrs. It led to me being in a psychiatric ward for 3 weeks on two separate occasions where I was misdiagnosed with schizophrenia and placed on psychotropic drugs. This led to a plethora of problems including massive weight gain and daily suicidal thoughts and the decision of my psychiatrist to put me in weekly support meetings with the local hospital where we started each session with 20-minute mindfulness exercises.

As a result of getting in touch with you, I did prayers of renunciation, as I encountered demonic oppression for 20 years. Ironically, these were the years when I was being the best Catholic I could be with fasting, Adoration, daily rosary, frequent confession, etc., but included Marianne Williamson’s prayer theory into my life, too. Never knew it was based in the occult.

I bet a lot of other single women who bought her bestsellers, “A Return to Love: Reflections on the Principals of A Course in Miracles,” and “Illuminata: A Return to Prayer” may have experienced blowback, too, never realizing the source.

I slowly came off of my meds and my life came back– as well as a priest praying for me and a woman with cancer offering her sufferings in part for me! (They put you on those horrible meds, telling you that it is like diabetes where you will be on it for the rest of your life even though you can’t function or get off the couch!!)

I applaud YOU for all you do to help us heal after decades of spiritual rubbish which was taught to us. Please continue to get the word out on the problems of Eastern spirituality. And I hope priests can become better versed in this as well.

The prayer that we provided her is a simple prayer of personal renunciation that should be made by anyone who was involved in the New Age and the occult and wishes to repent of those practices. For example, “Jesus, I repent of all the involvement I have ever had in the New Age or the occult. I renounce these practices and ask for your forgiveness.” If you are Catholic, you must also go to the Sacrament of Reconciliation and confess this involvement to a priest.

For more information about the dangers of A Course in Miracles, click here.

A COURSE IN MIRACLES-SUSAN BRINKMANN



Catholic therapist quits Mindfulness



January 11, 2018

After years of positive studies about the alleged benefits of mindfulness, the latest science is revealing a darker side. Some Catholic therapists, however, such as the one we interviewed last week, discovered on their own that this therapy is not nearly as successful as people think – and it’s definitely not Catholic.

Anne (not her real name), a 37 year-old mother of three and convert to the Faith, was working as a therapist in a practice which included mindfulness as part of dialectical behavior therapy (DBT). DBT is a therapy used to treat people suffering from borderline personality disorders and mindfulness is part of its protocol.

As I explain in my book, A Catholic Guide to Mindfulness, the practice of mindfulness is derived from Buddhism and is specific to the seventh step in the Buddha’s Eight-Fold Path to enlightenment. Called Samma Sati, or Right Mindfulness, it means controlling thoughts by maintaining awareness and focus on the present moment. The way one is trained in mindfulness is through a variety of Buddhist meditation techniques such as Breathing Space Meditation, Movement Meditation, Body Scan Meditation, and Expanding Awareness Meditation, all of which involve intense focus on the self in the present moment.

“I would use it for people who had depression,” Anne said. “The premise that I liked was focusing on one thing so that your mind doesn’t wander off into troubles and problems. You could focus on one inanimate thing, such as your jeans. I would focus just on what they look like, what they feel like and keep directing my mind back to them when I would start to think of something else.

I would continually try to find something new about them. It would settle the mind down and stop racing thoughts. That’s what I liked about it.”

But, as a Catholic therapist, Anne began to see how this intense focus on “self” could be problematic, especially for the Christian patient. Where was Christ in all of this?

She found herself becoming increasingly conflicted over the practice in spite of all the so-called positive results from study after study. In the back of her mind, she couldn’t forget the warning a professor once gave her in college.

“ . . . When in my Empirical methods course, the professor told us that any data can be cooked, shifted. Any statistic can be manipulated to prove the point you want to prove. Because of this, you must be careful and critical of each study to which you may refer.”

This is why she knew to look for who paid for the mindfulness studies. Was it a proponent of mindfulness? If so, she knew better than to believe it.

Her instincts were spot on. In the book, The Buddha Pill: Can Meditation Change You, Dr. Miquel Farias and Catherine Wikholm report on the same phenomenon, only they referred to it as “sexing up the data.”

In one example, they were looking at statistical results that didn’t quite fit their initial hypothesis and were told that they could “sex it up” by selecting the best results and reporting only these. Or, if there were secondary results that were less appealing, to “frame them in a more appealing way and publish them separately from the sexiest results.”

But isn’t this “Hollywood science?” the authors asked.

“Don’t be stupid,” they were told. “Everyone does it.”

This could account for the very “unsexy” results of the 2009 study that found a long list of psychological and physical side effects of mindfulness meditation such as depersonalization, psychosis, feelings of anxiety, disorganized speech and insomnia, to name a few.

The results of research done on inmates in seven prisons in the British Midlands were even less sexy. They found that while prisoners’ moods improved and their stress and psychological distress reduced, they were just as aggressive before the mindfulness treatment.

A report by the British Psychological Society also didn’t fit the popular talking points about mindfulness because it found that the practice does not foster empathy and can even make narcissists worse.

This explains why 15 prominent psychologists and cognitive scientists recently called for caution about mindfulness due to the pervasive methodological problems with scientific research to date.

But these facts are still being ignored, except by therapists such as Anne who have come face-to-face with the mental and spiritual dark side of mindfulness.

“I did see people who bought into it hard because they got the quick fix. After about a year they were back in their despair because it doesn’t really fix their problems,” Anne said.

“I found people who really tried mindfulness for depression who would get a ‘placebo effect’ boost in their mood, but it would drop again after time. They never got that peace that I saw in people who used prayer and focused on Christ for their healing. This is because with mindfulness, they always maintain that control and never really give it up to God. You, being the center, are always the one who is the focus. God is going to let you do it if you insist on doing it, but you will continue to struggle until you let go of ‘the reigns’ and let God help you with your healing path.”

Many Christian therapists argue that the way they use mindfulness in clinical practice isn’t spiritual, even though the pioneer of modern mindfulness in medicine, Jon Kabat-Zinn, was unable to say the same. His only answer to the question of whether or not mindfulness was spiritual was, “it all depends on what one means by spiritual.”

Anne completely dismissed this response. “I remember a politician denying he had sex with ‘that woman’ and later saying ‘well it depends on what you mean by sex’. He engaged in a sexual act. It was indeed, exactly what he was denying. If you do a little bit of research on what spirituality is, there is no way you can deny that mindfulness is a spiritual act because it is a direct engagement of one’s inner being. Consequently, it is spiritual.”

She’s not the only mental health professional to scoff at the assertion that mindfulness is not related to Buddhist spirituality.

As Farias and Wikholm explain in their book, “ . . . [W]ith mindfulness-based interventions, the aim is not to change your thoughts, but your global beliefs about thoughts – essentially, you’re expected to stop believing that your thoughts are necessarily true or important. This is where the Buddhist philosophy really kicks in: your thoughts are mere ‘mental events’ – just thoughts, nothing more – and they don’t necessarily warrant any action. All you’re aiming to do is be aware.”

The Christian, on the other hand, is taught not to dismiss their thoughts as mere “mental events” but to “take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ” (2 Cor 10:5). In this way they “put on the mind of Christ” (1 Cor 2:16) and make their thoughts holy and Christ-like.

Anne began to grow disenchanted with mindfulness at about the same time that she started listening to Women of Grace Live on EWTN radio. She would often hear me and Johnnette Benkovic talking about New Age and occult movements, such as yoga, and warning Catholics to stay away.

“At first I ignored the warnings, but eventually, I realized I needed to listen to this,” Anne said.  “I considered what they were saying and prayed about it. That’s when I started to get this strong message that I should not be teaching mindfulness, that I was leading people down a road where I could potentially be leading them away from God. My intent was not to do that!”

It was very hard because she was making good money, but she knew she had to stop this method of treatment.

“If I was to continue, I would be selling out why I became a therapist, selling out God, and selling out my own soul, because I knew what I was teaching was not biblical spirituality. I had to choose my soul over my career path.”

Her advice to other Christian therapists is to look at other coping mechanisms for patients.

“This is easy to do. You need to have continuing education anyway. Every state has requirements for continuing education and that’s why we have it – so we can learn new ways of treating people. There are plenty of other very effective types of treatment out there.”

She is particularly excited about a new method using prayerful thanksgiving instead of mindfulness.

“There’s new independent research coming about gratitude and its positive effects on the body. God tells us to be thankful and the word ‘Eucharist’ itself comes from the Greek term ‘eurkharistia’ (sic) which means ‘thanksgiving’. So, we have direct orders to ‘give thanks’ in all we do, what we have and how we think.”

She added: “How easy it would be to help your clients work on giving thanks to God and move away from aimless mindfulness!”

Catholics can’t use New Age methods to heal



January 4, 2018

RM asks: Is it okay for a Catholic to use practices such as Reflexology and Reiki when they are doing so in order to help people?

Great question!

The answer is no, it is not okay to do this.

Reflexology is problematic because it is based on the belief of a universal life force that travels through the body through pathways known as meridians. Science has never substantiated the existence of this energy which means that putting one’s faith in practices that are not medically sound can become a form of “superstitious medicine.”

Reiki is even more troublesome because it relies on the use of “spirit guides” who are connected to the “Reiki energy” and channeled through the practitioner during the procedure. A “spirit guide” is a spiritual entity that is not sourced in God; in other words, it’s a demon. Although Reiki practitioners bend over backward to get around this rather important fact, such as by saying these guides are angels, enlightened beings, power animals, ascended masters, and even the Holy Spirit, they are deluding themselves.

Anyone with even a cursory knowledge of the occult knows that there is no such thing as a power animal, ascended master or enlightened being. These are nothing more than fanciful New Age constructs. As for the angels, there are only two kinds – the good and the evil. And because God specifically condemns the occult, He would not allow His angels to consort with anyone engaged in an occult practice. This leaves only the devil to do what he does best – disguise himself as a harmless being.

As for using these practices to help people, the Catechism teaches us that good intentions never justify the use of evil.

In No. 1753 we read: “A good intention (for example, that of helping one’s neighbor) does not make behavior that is intrinsically disordered, such as lying and calumny, good or just. The end does not justify the means.”

In the case of Reiki, No. 2117 would also apply. This teaching explains that all practices that attempt to tame occult powers so as to place them at one’s serve “even if this were for the sake of restoring their health” are gravely contrary to the virtue of religion.

It’s also important to understand that Catholics are morally obligated to use ordinary means to treat any condition that is communicable and/or life-threatening. Because New Age “energy based” practices are not considered “ordinary means” and, therefore, have no scientific validity, they should not be used as treatments for anything serious.

We have only God to thank for science and the abundant legitimate ways it gives us to heal, which means there is simply no reason to resort to the occult or unscientific practices in order to assist those in need.

ACUPUNCTURE ACUPRESSURE SHIATSU REFLEXOLOGY-SUSAN BRINKMANN



REIKI-SUSAN BRINKMANN



NEW AGE ANGELS-SUSAN BRINKMANN



FDA plans crackdown on $3 billion homeopathy industry



January 16, 2018

Due numerous reports of serious injury and death attributable to the use of homeopathic drugs, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a new proposal to regulate the $3 billion industry.

The Daily Mail is reporting on a new proposal issued last Month that will target products that pose the biggest safety risks, such as those marketed for children and for serious diseases.

Homeopathy, which dates back to the 1700s, is based on the theory that disease symptoms can be treated by minute doses of substances that produce similar symptoms when provided in larger doses to healthy people.

Many homeopathic products are diluted to such an extent that they no longer contain detectable levels of the initial substance. However, homeopaths believe that the water in which it was diluted has a memory of all substances that ever touch it and, therefore, are still effective. Homeopathic theories are not accepted by modern medical experts.

Even though many homeopathic products will remain on the market, those that have been found to be dangerous will not. For example, last year the FDA warned consumers about using teething tablets marketed as Hylands Homeopathic because they were found to contain high levels of belladonna, also called nightshade, which is a poisonous herb.

Other dangerous ingredients include nux vomica, which contains strychnine. Regulators have issued five warning letters just this year to companies selling products with nightshade or nux vomica.

As the Mail reports, in 2009, the FDA ordered Zicam to stop marketing three products that contained zinc gluconate after more than 100 users reported losing their sense of smell.

The new proposal also targets products that claim to be able to treat serious conditions such as cancer, or those that are administered by unconventional means such as injection or eye drops.

Penalties for those companies who violate the new guidelines will be the seizure of products or criminal action.

The FDA will accept comments on the new proposal for the next 90 days before finalizing the guidelines.

In 2016, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) also took action against the homeopathy industry and now holds over-the-counter homeopathic “drugs” to the same standard as other products, thus forcing the industry to start providing credible scientific evidence for health related claims.

Although proponents of homeopathy claim to have scientific evidence to support the efficacy of homeopathic solutions, the National Institutes of Health say there is little credible evidence that these medicines are effective for treating any condition.

HOMOEOPATHY-SUSAN BRINKMANN



HOMOEOPATHY 02-SUSAN BRINKMANN



The controversy surrounding Raindrop Therapy



January 18, 2018

KJ writes: I’m wondering about an essential oil practice known as Raindrop Therapy. The inventor, Gary Young of Young Living oils, claims it can cure scoliosis. Is this a legitimate use of essential oils and does it really work? 

Great question. Raindrop Therapy is very controversial within the essential oil industry.

For those who have never heard of it, Raindrop Therapy was developed by Young Living Essential Oils founder Gary Young, and involves the application of several different oils and blends to various parts of the body in order to restore balance and alignment to the body. It allegedly stimulates body systems on both a physical and emotional level.

Young claims he based the therapy on what he learned from Native American wellness traditions.

In this video depicting a typical Raindrop Therapy session, recipients are made to disrobe to the waist and the practitioner prepares him or herself by applying a specific oil blend to their shoulders and then entering the room with a “positive mindset.” The therapy is clearly ritualistic with the pouring of so many drops of oil on a right or left palm, rubbing the oil in a certain way, applying it in a straight line or other pattern, using feathering strokes, etc.

Young Living’s rival, doTERRA, has its own version of the therapy known as Aroma Touch.

The Aromatherapy Registration Council (ARC) has issued a statement of policy against the use of both Raindrop and Aroma Touch and warns that it could revoke “without notice” the registration of any aromatherapist about whom credible evidence has found to be engaging in these practices.

So what exactly is wrong with it?

The ARC believes Raindrop Therapy poses a risk to public health because it is typically practiced as a “one-size-fits-all” technique without regard for those persons who may be suffering from compromised liver or kidney function, with heart disease, or who take blood thinning medication, those with allergies to aspirin, or who have other disorders who may be adversely affected by the oils.

The technique also violates an industry rule that undiluted oil not be applied directly to the skin because of the high risk of adverse skin reactions. Raindrop Therapy does use V-6 Mixing Oil to prevent discomfort, but this is only after the undiluted oils are applied to the skin.

The ARC also reports that there is “no published, research-validated clinical evidence to support any claim that Raindrop Therapy is able to assist in correcting spinal curvatures caused by scoliosis or to align electric and structural elements of the body.”

The ARC also believes that aromatherapy should only complement and never substitute for conventional medicine.

You can read more about the controversy surrounding Raindrop therapy here and here

AROMATHERAPY ESSENTIAL OILS HERBAL MEDICINES-SUSAN BRINKMANN



YOUNG LIVING ESSENTIAL OILS-A WARNING



Is Jappa (sic) meditation ok for Catholics?



January 23, 2018

Japa (Sanskrit: जप) is the meditative repetition of a mantra or a divine name. It is a practice found in Buddhism, Hinduism, Jainism and Sikhism. The mantra or name may be spoken softly, enough for the practitioner to hear it, or it may be spoken within the reciter's mind. –Michael, from Wikipedia. It’s “japa”, not “jappa”. Women of Grace errors continue…

See CRITICISM OF THE WOMEN OF GRACE BLOG-MICHAEL PRABHU



MH asks: A friend asked me about Jappa meditation and if it’s okay for Catholics to be involved in. What should I tell her?

My recommendation is to tell her not to become involved in this practice.

Jappa (sic) meditation is a mantra-based meditation method used by Hindus, Buddhists and Sikhs. The practice is considered to be a form of worship and involves the repetition of a mantra that is usually the name of a deity which is spoken over and over. This repetition induces an altered state wherein the practitioner can experience “enlightenment.”

As this site explains, “With prolonged and constant practice, the inherent power of the Mantra-Shakti will be awakened, which will fill your very existence with the Divinity of the Mantra.”

The most oft-repeated mantra in the Hindu tradition is the OM mantra. OM is the sound believed to be made by Brahman in every creative act so that everyone actually contains this original sound in their memory. The repetition of this sound is meant to invite Brahman and all of the Hindu gods into the practitioner to speed up the process of enlightenment.

For obvious reasons, Jappa (sic) meditation is not compatible with Christianity; however, there are some who argue that because the Rosary is a repetitious prayer, they should be able to adapt Jappa (sic) meditation to a suitable Christian form, perhaps by substituting the name Jesus in the place of a Hindu deity.

While it would be perfectly fine to use prayer beads to repeat the name of Jesus, the intent of this practice is what would need to be analyzed. If the person is reciting Jesus’ name over and over again for the purpose of praising and worshiping Him, then this would not be Jappa (sic) meditation and would simply be a form of Christian prayer.

However, if we are repeating the name of Jesus over and over again in order to induce an altered mental state, or as some kind of psychological activity to de-stress, then we are engaging in what the Catechism refers to as an “erroneous notion of prayer” [No. 2726]. Christian prayer is always a two-way dialogue with God. There is no need for mind-blanking, strict focusing, or interior bliss states. These motives are all about the “self” rather than about God, who is always the object of Christian prayer.

Many Catholics also subscribe to a particular interpretation of the Vatican II document, Nostra Aetate, The Declaration on the Relation of the Church to Non-Christian Religions, which they claim allows us to adopt what is good from other religions. However, as this blog, written by author Connie Rossini, explains, this is an erroneous interpretation.

It could be that your friend is just looking for a closer connection with God, or is going through a dry spell in her prayer life and feels as if she needs a “pick-me-up.”

You might suggest that she read an excellent book by Father Thomas Dubay entitled, Fire Within, which will open her eyes to the glories of authentic Catholic mysticism. This book is a real eye-opener, especially for folks who think vocal prayer is the only option for Catholics. Vocal prayer is just the beginning! Reading this book is like stepping into a whole new world. When she gets done with it, Jappa (sic) meditation will be the last thing on her mind.

Can a Christian be clairvoyant?



January 30, 2018

SP writes: With demonic activity on the rise with support from the left and the media (i.e. TV shows “Lucifer,” “Long Island Medium,” etc.), I wondered if it is possible for one to be a legitimate clairvoyant and be Christian as well. Is it possible for ANYONE to be clairvoyant? Are there those who can “see” into other’s minds, solve crimes, etc.? If so, is this a “gift” from our LORD or always demonic in origin. Scripture is clear that occult activity is an abomination to GOD. But is it possible that certain kinds of clairvoyant ability is GOD’s will?

This is an excellent question because it highlights the confusion that exists between clairvoyance and authentic Christian prophecy.

According to , the definition of a clairvoyant is “having or claiming to have the power of seeing objects or actions beyond the range of natural vision.”

Persons who fit this description are often referred to as psychics, telepaths, empaths, prophets, visionaries, diviners, fortune tellers, mediums, or seers.

We know from Scripture that God does give some people these abilities, as evidenced in the lives of the great prophets such as Daniel, Jeremiah, and Isaiah. We also know of several instances where Our Lady appeared and made predictions to seers that later came true.

For example, at Fatima on July 13, 1917, Mary warned the children that “when you see a night that is lit by a strange and unknown light, you will know it is the sign God gives you that He is about to punish the world with war . . .”

Twenty years later, on the night of January 25-26, 1938, a rare aurora borealis lit up the sky over most of Europe and was seen as far away as North Africa and the U.S. Not long afterward, World War II broke out.

These seers might be said to be “clairvoyant” – although this term is never used to describe an authentic prophet or visionary – because they received a prophetic message from a supernatural source. So yes, it is possible for Christians to have these abilities.

And the Catechism confirms this in No. 2215 which says: “God can reveal the future to his prophets or to other saints.”

In fact, the Church has sainted many of its most celebrated mystics such as St Catherine of Siena and St Theresa of Avila so we know that the Church recognizes these abilities.

Father Lawrence J. Gesy, cult consultant for the Archdiocese of Baltimore and lead author of Today’s Destructive Cults and Movements, told me that he has encountered people with these abilities for many years in his work and believes everyone has psychic abilities to some extent.

“A mother has psychic ability. She knows when her child is in harm’s way,” he said. “Haven’t you ever known that something was wrong before it happened? We all have this. It’s an instinctual psychic ability.

“There are some who have the ability — and I’ve experienced people like this — whose powers are so strong they can see beyond the veil of this world into the next. I don’t understand it, but they do. And I really believe that is just a part of their makeup.”

The problem is when people who have these abilities put them to the wrong use, such as acting as fortune-tellers.

As the Catechism No. 2215 goes on to warn: “[A] sound Christian attitude consists in putting oneself confidently into the hands of Providence for whatever concerns the future, and giving up all unhealthy curiosity about it. Improvidence, however, can constitute a lack of responsibility.”

We’re not supposed to be overly curious about the future because it can lead to the kind of carelessness the Catechism warns about. It has led many into becoming psychics who put their abilities to the wrong use. Instead of carrying authentic messages from God to His people, the clairvoyant begins to predict the future for anyone who asks, often charging fees or seeking media attention by claiming to solve crimes (which never happens, by the way – see Can Psychics Really Solve Crimes?) This person is not working for the Lord, but for themselves, and is tapping into demonic powers for the source of their information.

This is unlike the genuine “prophet” who depends solely on God for visions and accepts them whenever God chooses to reveal them. A genuine prophet always works on God’s terms rather than his or her own.

But what about when the clairvoyant’s prediction comes true? Doesn’t that mean their information came from God?

No! Consider the story of the slave girl with the “oracular spirit” in Acts 16:16-18. She had these gifts and used them to bring profit to her owners through fortune-telling. The girl began to follow Paul around, shouting, “These people are slaves of the Most High God, who proclaim to you a way of salvation.” She did this for many days until Paul finally had enough and, in the name of Jesus Christ, commanded the spirit to come out of her – which it did.

This girl was giving accurate information but she was not doing so at the bidding of the Most High. She was doing so at the bidding of herself and her owners.

Jesus warned us that “many false prophets will arise and deceive many” (Matt 24:11) which is why we are instructed to “test the spirits” (1 John 4:1).

Authentic prophecy is a gift from God; clairvoyance is evil.

This explains why scripture is replete with warnings to avoid anyone who “practices divination or is a soothsayer, augur, or sorcerer, or who casts spells, consults ghost and spirits, or seeks oracles from the dead” because anyone who does such things is “an abomination to the Lord” (Deuteronomy 18:10-12).

It’s also why the Catechism specifically condemns clairvoyance, saying that along with consulting horoscopes, palm reading and consulting mediums and omens, “conceal a desire for power over time, history, and in the last analysis, other human beings, as well as a wish to conciliate hidden powers. They contradict the honor, respect, and loving fear that we owe to God alone.” [No. 2216]

DOWSING OUIJA BOARD DIVINATION-SUSAN BRINKMANN



Should Christians read the Book of Runes?



February 1, 2018

TS asks: What can you tell me about the Book of Runes by Ralph Blum.

Ralph Blum is one of the world’s foremost authorities on the subject of runes which are used as divination tool.

Educated at Harvard in Russian studies, Blum has authored numerous books on runes, including the Book of Runes, which details the use of these stones or tiles which are inscribed with 24 letters derived from an ancient Nordic alphabet. A 25th stone is left blank to represent the Unknowable.

[pic]

As this blog explains, there are different kinds of runes, also known as futharks, but three of the most popular are the Elder Futhark (used from 150–800 AD), the Anglo-Saxon Futhark (400–1100 AD), and the Younger Futhark (800–1100 AD). Some of these are divided into what are known as “long” and “short” branches of runes, Medieval runes (1100-1500AD) and the Dalecarlian runes (1500-1800AD).

It’s interesting to note that even though runes are an alphabet, these ancient Viking letters are rarely found in manuscripts because the Vikings were illiterate.

“While a runic alphabet can be used for writing a document, that wasn’t their purpose, as the Norse culture was an oral culture. Rather, the futhark was used for memorial purposes, or to identify an object or for magical reasons, for cursing or healing,” notes this article appearing on History on the Net.

Different meanings have been ascribed to the various letters over time, such as wealth, strength, good health, a long journey, etc. The stones containing these letters are typically used in fortune-telling or for guidance in life.

According to this interview with Holistic Networker, Blum received his first set of runes while doing research in the UK but forgot about them until rediscovering them one night while at home in Connecticut. His quest to discover the proper order of the stones led to the subject becoming a lifelong pursuit.

He recommends the use of them as an Oracle similar to the use of the I Ching or how Christians often open the Bible at random to get advice from God.

“I suggest that each of us is an Oracle, and when you consult the Runes you are consulting your own deep knowing,” Blum said.

He claims to never use the runes to tell the future because “the future is God’s business, not ours” but freely uses them to help determine how to act in a given situation, such as how to improve a relationship.

“I am committed to the premise that the Oracle will show me what constitutes right action in literally any situation.”

He also believes that they are useful in communicating with absent friends, including the dead and says he has had several conversations with his father who died just before his 18th birthday.

When asked if the use of runes conflicts with a person’s religion, Blum was straightforward and blunt.

“You bet they do,” he said, particularly for “literalists” who believe in a literal interpretation of Scripture or those who consider runes to be a “tool of the devil” or New Age nonsense.

He goes on to cite Romans 8:28 which says that “All things work together for good to them who love God.”

“I believe that they do, and that the Runes are no exception,” Blum said.

When the interviewer asked why he speaks about the Oracle as if it were a person, Blum admitted that he really thinks of the Runes as a “true and valued friend” who always has time for him and always has something to say that is worth hearing.

The use of runes is a direct violation of the First Commandment and is a form of idolatry.

As the Catechism teaches, “Idolatry not only refers to false pagan worship . . . Idolatry consists in divinizing what is not God” whether that be money, power, ancestors, pleasure, race, etc. [No. 2113] An idolater is someone who “transfers his indestructible notion of God to anything other than God” which in this case, are runes. [2114]

Even though Blum claims he does not use runes to divine the future, many others do, which is a practice the Church strictly condemns.

“All forms of divination are to be rejected: recourse to Satan or demons, conjuring up the dead or other practices falsely supposed to ‘unveil’ the future. Consulting horoscopes, astrology, palm reading, interpretation of omens and lots, the phenomena of clairvoyance and recourse to mediums all conceal a desire for power over time, history, and, in the last analysis, other human beings, as well as a wish to conciliate hidden powers. They contradict the honor, respect and loving fear that we owe to God alone.”

Blum’s use of the stones to have a conversation with who he believed to have been his deceased father is also a form of necromancy, an extremely dangerous practice that the Almighty has condemned in no uncertain terms – see Deuteronomy 18:10.

Christians should not read the Book of Runes because it can lead them into idolatry and divination. But also because the guidance we need in life is too critical to be acquired through the random selection of an inscribed stone. Through prayer and the reading of Scripture, Christians can get all the guidance they need in life from the only failsafe Source – their Creator.

Using incense during prayer



February 6, 2018

MP writes: I have a question concerning the way I pray and honor God and even the saints and angels. I have a collection of incense of many scents at home, and although I know the Church uses incense, it’s Japanese incense, normally used for pagan practices . . . I really like praying with it as a timer sometimes because each stick burns for about 30 minutes, which is a good amount of time spend doing a little something for/with God like reading the Bible. I also sometimes say a quick prayer and leave the incense burning to honor the Blessed Mother, a saint, or an angel of Catholic canon, and of course God Himself. I asked my local priest to bless my incense and he said it was a lovely idea but I wanted to ask you . . .”

Before addressing the type of incense, it’s important to note that there is nothing wrong with the burning of incense during personal prayer. As we read in Psalm 141, “Let my prayer come like incense before you; the lifting up of my hands, like the evening sacrifice.”

The burning of incense has been in use by all of the world’s major religions since antiquity, usually for purification purposes or as an offering to a deity. It also has more practical uses such as warding off insects and to mask odors.

It generally comes in two forms – direct and indirect burning.

Direct burning incense (sticks, cones) is lit directly by a flame which is then snuffed, leaving the ember to smolder and emit the fragrance. Indirect burning incense (powders, pastes) requires some other heat source in order to burn.

The use of incense by Christians is believed to have come from the Jewish tradition dating back to the time of Moses when the Lord instructed him to burn incense in front of the veil to the entrance of the meeting tent where the ark of the covenant was kept (Ex 30:1-10). Incense was also used as a thanks offering along with oil, rain, fruits and wine (Numbers 7:13-17).

Some people have expressed concern about whether or not incense bought from non-Christian sources may come with “blessings.”

As this blog explains, the art of incense crafting in some countries does indeed involve spiritual rituals, particularly those fashioned in cultures where incense is used medicinally. However, as the article states, this is not the norm.

If you want to be sure, you can always have your incense blessed or buy it from Catholic sources such as St. Patrick’s Guild or Church Supply Warehouse.

INCENSE



Why doesn’t the Church condemn Reincarnation?



February 8, 2018

BD writes: Some Catholic friends of mine, who believe in reincarnation, say that the Church is ‘open’ to it and believe this is why they never issued an official condemnation. Is this true?

Absolutely not!

But don’t be too hard your friends. A 2009 Pew poll found that 22 percent of Christians in America believe in reincarnation. And many Catholics who believe in rebirth share your friends’ belief that because the Church has never officially condemned it, this means she may one day reconcile reincarnation with the Christian concept of death and the afterlife.

However, this is a misunderstanding that Cardinal Christoph Schönborn addressed in his book, From Death to Life: A Christian Journey, where he writes:

“Why has Christianity always rejected the idea of reincarnation? As far as I know, the Church has never formally condemned the doctrine of reincarnation: not because she might regard it as a doctrine that could be compatible with the Christian faith, but on the contrary because reincarnation so obviously contradicts the very principles of this faith that a condemnation has never seemed necessary.”

As he points out, Church teaching on the subject of death and the afterlife could hardly be more clear. “Death is the end of man’s earthly pilgrimage, of the time of grace and mercy which God offers him so as to work out his earthly life in keeping with the divine plan, and to decide his ultimate destiny. When ‘the single course of our earthly life’ is completed, we shall not return to other earthly lives: ‘It is appointed for men to die once.’ There is no ‘reincarnation’ after death.” [Catechism No. 1013]

This teaching comes straight from Scripture in the Letter to the Hebrews which responds to the question of whether or not there is more than one lifetime. It clearly states that it is “appointed for mortals to die once, and after that the judgment.” [Hebrews 9:27]

Thus, Catholics believe that “Each man receives his eternal retribution in his immortal soul at the very moment of his death, in a particular judgment that refers his life to Christ: either entrance into the blessedness of heaven—through a purification or immediately—or immediate and everlasting damnation.” [Catechism No. 1022]

For a Christian, there’s no need to come back and work out our bad karma. Our bad karma was nailed to the cross of Jesus Christ, who took our sins upon Himself and reconciled us to the Father.

In other words, we don’t need a re-do.

KARMA AND REINCARNATION-VISHAL MANGALWADI



What’s a pagan workshop doing in a Catholic Conference Center?



February 13, 2018

The Archdiocese of Los Angeles is being criticized after news broke that the conference center affiliated with Our Lady of the Angels Cathedral is being used for a Filipino native spirituality workshop that one critic says will expose Catholics to the demonic.

LifeSiteNews is reporting on the controversy involving a February 24 Filipino Well Being Training Summit, led by the Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health, which will feature ethnic events such as an “Arawaw Indigenous Cultural Opening Ceremony and an introduction to “Babaylan-Inspired principles of Self-Care.”

Rexcristano Delson, a Catholic writer and evangelist who is familiar with Filipino customs said the event has “pagan” influences and is spiritually dangerous.

For example, a “babaylan,” according to the event’s publicity material, is a “healer, ritualist, folk-therapist, [and] intermediary with the spirit world.”

The seemingly innocent Araraw ceremony is described as a way of “dispelling malevolent spirits while inviting our ancestral spirits to commune and celebrate in the festivities.”

Delson, a second-generation Catholic whose grandfather was an indigenous Igorot manbunong (pagan priest/shaman), reviewed the event information and says it bears an “eerie resemblance” to the spirituality his family rejected when they became Catholic.

Delson told LifeSite that these practices are an attempt to “manipulate” supernatural forces.

“The act of dispelling and inviting spirits is something non-Christian and some Christian Igorots continue to do today because they believe spirits can be manipulated by man to work in our favor by appeasing them through rituals and offerings,” he said.

Even though some of these spirits are perceived as malevolent or benevolent but, “it is important to understand that all these spirits are demons,” Delson explained.

Delson also pointed out that participants who do not understand the language of the “chant” that will be offered may be unconsciously participating in the invocation or worship of pagan gods – which is precisely what happened to him.

“I once observed a mumbaki (spiritual shaman) from another tribe chant/pray during what I thought was a harmless ceremony because he knew those of us participating were Catholic,” he told LifeSite. “It wasn’t until later that he told me he summoned pagan deities and spirits along with our ancestors. There is nothing wrong with praying for our ancestors, but we should never summon spirits and deities. Again, each time we do, we open doors to the diabolic.”

Another concern he has is that Filipino tribal ceremonies are never written down so it’s impossible to tell in advance exactly what will happen at the cathedral’s center.

The workshop will also feature a Trauma-informed Dance/Yoga workshop as well as a workshop on Homophobia, Transphobia and Queerphobia within the Pilipinx Community.

Last summer, the diocese came under fire for permitting an event featuring Planned Parenthood speakers to book the center. They responded by saying they weren’t aware of the booking and quickly cancelled the event.

Thus far, LifeSite’s request for comment from the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels has gone unanswered; however, the name of the cathedral was removed from the event’s Facebook page shortly after this request was made. It now lists the location only as “Centre at Cathedral Plaza.”

Catholics are being asked to respectfully communicate their concerns to the Archdiocese:

His Eminence, José Horacio Gómez

Archdiocese of Los Angeles, 3424 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90010-2241, phone: (213) 637-7000

email: info@la-

NEW AGE ART IN CATHEDRAL OF OUR LADY OF THE ANGELS



FDA may ban deadly Kratom supplement



February 15, 2018

Kratom, an herbal supplement used as an alternative pain remedy, has been found to contain the same addictive chemicals found in opioids and has led to at least 44 deaths.

According to the Associated Press, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) published an analysis of the supplement earlier this week which officially declared it to be an opioid – thus opening the door to possibly banning the substance.

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Advocates of the herb say it relieves pain, depression and anxiety. Some scientists say it could hold the key to not only treating pain but also to combating addiction to other opioid medications such as Oxycontin and Vicodin which have contributed to an epidemic of drug abuse in the U.S.

However, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) has been warning for several years that kratom poses the same health risks as other opioids and should be banned. In 2016, it announced plans to make kratom a Schedule 1 drug which is the same as heroin, LSD, marijuana and ecstasy; however, the decision was put on hold after Congress convinced them to delay the ban until the public had a chance to weigh in.

Kratom comes from a tropical tree in Southeast Asia. Its leaves, which can be eaten raw or crushed and brewed in tea or turned into capsules, have been used for hundreds of years to relieve pain.

In low doses, it can act as a stimulant. In large amounts, it acts as a sedative and can lead to psychotic symptoms and psychological addiction.

“Taken in total, the scientific evidence we’ve evaluated about kratom provides a clear picture of the biologic effect of this substance. Kratom should not be used to treat medical conditions, nor should it be used as an alternative to prescription opioids. There is no evidence to indicate that kratom is safe or effective for any medical use,” the FDA reports.

“And claiming that kratom is benign because it’s ‘just a plant’ is shortsighted and dangerous. After all, heroin is an illegal, dangerous, and highly-addictive substance containing the opioid morphine, derived from the seed pod of the various opium poppy plants.”

The FDA has identified 44 deaths related to kratom.

The AP reports that even though kratom remains legal under federal law, FDA inspectors have been seizing and destroying shipments at international mail facilities for months.

The FDA’s report will be reviewed by the DEA which will once again consider including kratom in the same category of drugs as heroin. There is no time frame for the DEA’s final decision.

AROMATHERAPY ESSENTIAL OILS HERBAL MEDICINES-SUSAN BRINKMANN



A MAGICKAL HERBALL COMPLEAT-PINO LONGCHILD



HERBALISM-MEDICINE OR MYSTICISM



The dubious history of the Vita Flex technique



February 22, 2018

We recently had a question from a reader about the merits – or demerits – of Vita Flex. What is it? Where did it come from? Does it work?

Vita Flex is similar to reflexology and was supposedly developed by the Tibetans thousands of years before acupuncture. It’s name means “vitality through the reflexes.”

ACUPUNCTURE ACUPRESSURE SHIATSU REFLEXOLOGY-SUSAN BRINKMANN



It’s based on the premise that you can apply slight pressure to certain points on the body which creates an electric charge that supposedly clears nerve pathways and eliminates blockages caused by toxins and damaged tissue.

Vita Flex is often used in conjunction with essential oils which allegedly contain electromagnetic properties, thus enhancing the healing effect of the therapy. Typically, a therapist will apply essential oil to a certain point on the client’s hand or foot and use a gentle rolling motion with the fingers to stimulate the nerves.

There are 13 Vita Flex techniques that supposedly cleanse the colon, respiratory and lymphatic systems as well as the sinus and digestive systems. Proponents claim it can improve hearing as well as posture and mobility issues.

However, there is no objective science to support any of these claims.

The practice originated with a man named Stanley Burroughs (1903-1991), who was not a medical doctor and whose claim to fame came about after he wrote the popular book, The Master Cleanser, also known as “the lemonade diet” in the 1950s. Much of what is contained in the book is not supported by medical science.

Defend Your Health reports that Burroughs, who was also known as Aaron Hayes, was a nudist and a vegan and was always very interested in alternative health theories such as light therapy and reflexology, as well as deep tissue massage.

His lack of reliance on sound science found him eventually convicted of second-degree felony murder in the death of a man named Lee Swatsenbarg who came to him for treatment for cancer. Burroughs put him on his famous “lemonade diet,” subjected him to vigorous massage and used colored light exposure with which he claimed to have treated thousands of people successfully. Swatsenbarg was told to consume nothing but herbal tea, salt water, and the special lemonade for 30 days.

Unfortunately, Swatsenbarg’s condition deteriorated within just a few weeks. Burroughs told him to stick to the plan and to postpone the bone marrow test that his physician was recommending. When Swatsenbarg began vomiting and experiencing severe pain in the abdomen, Burroughs did deep abdominal massages that caused a massive hemorrhage that led to the man’s death.

The California Supreme Court eventually reversed the second-degree murder conviction but they upheld other convictions, such as the unlawful sale of cancer treatments and felony practicing medicine without a license.

According to Defend Your Health, this case was the most serious of his legal problems but it wasn’t the only one. He was also convicted of practicing medicine without a license in 1960.

Suffice to say, the Vita Flex technique is as a dubious as its origins and those seeking healing would be wise to look for it in more credible places.

YOUNG LIVING ESSENTIAL OILS-A WARNING



Risky Yoga move leaves girl, 4, paralyzed



March 1, 2018

A risky yoga move known as the “back bridge” is being blamed for the paralysis of a four year-old girl in China.

The Daily Mail is reporting on the tragic story of a young girl named Xiao Bao who was attending dance lessons in Zhengzhou, China, when her instructor, who was later found to be uncertified, asked the class to perform the “back bridge” pose. A CCTV video captures the moment when Xiao attempts to perform the pose, then collapses to the floor, unable to get up.

She was rushed to Zhengzhou Children’s Hospital where the head of neurosurgery, Doctor Qi Lin, told local media that although the girl did not break her spine, she suffered serious damage by trying to perform the difficult move. He referred to her injury as likely to be a spinal contusion.

“It’s not looking optimistic,” Doctor Qi said. “There’s a very big chance this child could be paralyzed for life in her lower body.”

The back bridge is a particularly risky move because of the stress it puts upon the spine.

“It’s the arched position of the back when you’re performing the back bridge that can be dangerous,” reports . “This hyperextension of the back places significant compressive forces on your spine, which can in turn do damage to the discs in between your vertebrae.”

Possible injuries involve compressed discs or spondylolysis which occurs when a person has a defect or fracture in one of the vertebras.

Although we rarely read about it, yoga injuries such as these have been steadily increasing through the years. Experts in the industry and medical profession say there are a several reasons for this increase.

“More people perhaps are gravitating toward yoga who are not more prepared, or teachers or the studios that are opening perhaps aren’t at the level they should be,” says study co-author Gerald McGwin, Ph.D., Director of the Center for Injury Sciences at the University of Alabama at Birmingham.

This has resulted in injuries ranging from mild to permanent disabilities, according to published reports in both the British Medical Journal (BMJ) and the Journal of the American Medical Association.

These include brain injuries which can arise from quick movements or excessive extensions of the neck, similar to whiplash. Such extreme motions of the head and neck can wound vertebral arteries, producing clots, swelling, and constriction, and generally wreaking havoc in the brain, according to the BMJ.

So why don’t we hear more about these injuries? The answer is simple – it’s too costly.

In The Learn to Discern Compendium, you’ll learn that the yoga industry is currently a $27 billion a year business in the U.S. with more than 70,000 instructors and anywhere from 35 to 40 million students.

With that much money at stake, it’s no wonder the silence surrounding these injuries is nearly impenetrable.

We can only hope that the grave injury suffered by this innocent little girl will serve as a warning to yoga enthusiasts everywhere about the very real dark side of this practice.

YOGA-SUSAN BRINKMANN



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The Christian response to the “Yoga Wars”



March 6, 2018

There are a lot of valuable lessons to be learned by the ongoing “yoga wars” – the decades long battle between Christians who believe yoga is just exercise, and those who believe it’s a Hindu spiritual practice. One side has a tendency to look down on yoga enthusiasts as somehow less Christian then they are, while the other sees anyone who opposes their yoga workouts as “religious fanatics.” Thankfully, the Bible gives us clear instruction about how to conduct ourselves charitably when confronting conflict – regardless of what side we’re on.

For those who may find themselves tempted to look down upon yoga enthusiasts, remember Jesus teaching in Matthew 7 to “Stop judging that you may not be judged.” Of course, this doesn’t mean that you turn a blind eye to blatant sin such as unmarried couples living together, same-sex “marriages,” the use artificial contraception for birth control, supporting abortion, etc. These are clearly against the teachings of the Church.

But things aren’t nearly so clear when it comes to what a person is doing while striking the cobra pose on their yoga mat. I have given presentations on the dangers of yoga throughout the country and can tell you that most yoga enthusiasts have no idea that many of the poses they enjoy for fitness are actually positions of worship of Hindu gods. In fact, most of them are downright shocked when they hear this. So it’s safe to assume that they probably spend most of their class time focused on perfecting their poses rather than worshiping the Hindu pantheon.

And while it’s true that worship of a pagan god is a direct violation of the First Commandment and a grave sin, the Catechism tells us that this sin requires full knowledge and complete consent (No. 1859).

But even if the person performing the yoga knows that these poses are positions of worship to Hindu gods, they must have the intention of worshiping those gods to commit a sin and because we cannot possibly know what’s in their heart, it is not for us to condemn them. As Scripture teaches us, the heart is the Lord’s domain.

“God does not see as a mortal, who sees the appearance. The Lord looks into the heart.” (1 Samuel 16:7)

We must be careful not to become self-righteous. Remember, Jesus had a real aversion to this vice. The few times we ever see Him riled in the Gospels is when He’s confronting the Pharisees and the Sadducees. It wasn’t because the rules they were following were wrong, it was how they were following the rules – with little or no charity – that distressed Him.

For those who stand on the other side of this debate and insist that their yoga practice is just exercise and everyone who disagrees is a “yogaphobe” or a “fanatic,” the Lord has some words for you as well.

“Then let us no longer judge one another, but rather resolve never to put a stumbling block or hindrance in the way of a brother.” (Romans 14:13)

Rather than stoop to name-calling and accusation, let Christian charity prevail by realizing that your practice of yoga can indeed cause scandal among those who see the practice as being somehow “impure” because of its non-Christian roots. This position is not only reasonable and justified, it is also well-documented in Scripture. The faithful have expressed fear of being led into false worship by engaging in pagan practices since the days of the Old Testament where we find numerous accounts of martyrs who were willing to die rather than even appear to be worshiping other gods.

As St. Paul continues, “If your brother is being hurt by what you eat, your conduct is no longer in accord with love. Do not because of your food destroy him for whom Christ died. . . . Everything is indeed clean, but it is wrong for anyone to become a stumbling block by eating; it is good not to eat meat or drink wine or do anything that causes your brother to stumble.” (Romans 14:15-21)

In other words, even if you disagree with their position, if your practice is causing scandal and upset to your fellow Christians and you continue to engage in it, “your conduct is no longer in accord with love.”

By continuing your practice, you could risk the sin of scandal, which the Catechism teaches us “can be provoked by laws or institutions, fashion or opinion” (No. 2286).

The sin of scandal isn’t just about causing upset in people, it’s about leading others into sin. Because yoga is universally associated with Hinduism, your practice could lead someone to believe that engaging in Hinduism is okay because they see you doing it.

As the manager of the New Age blog here at Women of Grace, I can say that both sides of the yoga debate have well-reasoned and credibly substantiated arguments in their favor. Both sides have prominent figures in the Church and academia who support their point-of-view. This adds up to a potential learning experience for both sides that can be rich and rewarding.

When it comes to the “yoga wars” – and all similar conflicts involving the voluntary participation of Christians in non-Christian practices – we need to get beyond judgment and name-calling. Both sides of the yoga war need to put aside the rancor – those who are too quick to condemn yoga enthusiasts, and those who resort to mockery and offensive labeling of anyone who does not agree that yoga is just exercise. Neither of these behaviors is acceptable for Christians.

The best thing either side can do for their argument is to put up the white flag of surrender and submit themselves anew to the teachings of Jesus Christ.

YOGA-SUSAN BRINKMANN



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Is Women of Grace going soft on Yoga all of a sudden? Do they expect Catholic critics of Yoga to avoid “scandal” or to not expose the spiritual dangers of the Hindu meditation system?

Can the RESPeRATE device induce an Altered State?



March 15, 2018

J asks: What do you know about the Resperate device? A friend is using it and I’m afraid it might be leading her into the use of breathing techniques that could induce an altered states.

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Spelled RESPeRATE, this device appears to function around the body’s natural tendency to follow musical rhythms. It analyzes breathing patterns and composes a kind of personalized melody that is used to guide the user into breathing at a rate of 5-6 breaths per minute which has been found to help reduce blood pressure. It’s supposed to be used for 15 minutes three or four times a week.

There is a large body of evidence supporting proper oxygenation for overall better health so I see nothing wrong with this device. It is definitely not based on any Eastern Meditation practices but seems to follow those practices that are aimed at teaching people how to breathe more efficiently (i.e., diaphragmatic breathing).

Even though this is not the same as the breathing techniques used in Eastern Meditation to induce an altered state, the device does include a separate “Meditation Mode” to be used by people who wish to meditate in this way.

Many meditation techniques rely on focused breathing to induce an altered state so this could happen even while using this device for other purposes. This is why it’s always important to remain in a state of grace where you are insured of God’s protection.

HYPNOSIS, HYPNOTISM, HYPNOTHERAPY AND ALTERED STATES OF CONSCIOUSNESS



MEDITATION-SUSAN BRINKMANN



The strange messages of an entity named Kryon



March 20, 2018

MH asks: What do you know about Kryon? I know people who are taken in by Lee Carroll and the being that he channels that calls himself ‘Kryon of Magnetic Service’. It goes against basic Christian beliefs, and so many pro-kryon videos and websites are out there, but nothing warning or denouncing these channeled messages, the channel, or Kryon. Do you think Carroll is a fake, or is he really channeling an entity? Please look into this and write on it because many people are falling for this nonsense.

For those who have never heard of Kryon, this is an alleged being who is being channeled by a man named Lee Carroll. Carroll claims to be the original Kryon channeler who began to communicate with Kryon in 1989. He describes Kryon as being “a loving angelic entity” who gives messages containing advice on a wide variety topics from abortion to what happens when we die. The answers are as fanciful as they are non-Christian.

For example, in a question about why Jesus and Buddha did not preach the same truth, Kryon explains that the real teachings of both men were hidden. The idea of Christ dying on the cross for the salvation of mankind was “created later from a false assumption” in order to “control the population with religion.” Kryon claims that Jesus taught about our past incarnations but this was deliberately left out of the Bible. “Why is it missing?” The Buddha’s teachings were also hidden and then revamped to suit the needs of those who were in control of his teachings.

When asked what his name meant, Kryon explains that it’s “a sound within your energy” which has meaning to the cellular structure of all. Messages are contained within the sound of the name, which isn’t really a name, he says, but the only one “applicable to your 4D” (whatever that means.)

There is no evidence to support any of Kryon’s predictions or claims. In fact, the more one reads from this Q&A section of the website, the more outlandish the messages become.

Carroll, an economics major, says Kryon comes from the “magnetic service” and is responsible for reconstructing the magnetic grid of the Earth. His relationship with Kryon resulted in the publication of more than a dozen books. Carroll and his “spiritual partner” Jan Tober, claim to have introduced the earth to the term “Indigo Children’ in the 1999 book by Hay House entitled, The Indigo Children. (This term actually originated with a parapsychologist and psychic named Nancy Ann Tappe in the 1970s.) According to New Age lore, these children are supposedly higher evolved beings who are born with special supernatural abilities and whose purpose is to bring about One World Order.

The story of Kryon is the perfect example of why people should not become involved with channeling. Even a rudimentary knowledge of the occult reveals that demons are more than happy to masquerade as whatever kind of “higher power” a person might be searching for in their spiritual life. They are adept at pretending to be God or an angel, to be kind, loving, compassionate, and full of empathy for mankind.

For example, Kryon claims to belong to the same family as the Archangel Michael. Those who are not familiar with Christian teaching on the angels, and how they differ from the New Age variety, are liable to get pulled into the strange doctrine of Kryon.

In this day and age, people are much too willing to discard the idea of objective Truth and to create whatever version suits themselves. If one faith is as good as another, who’s to say the Bible is right and Kryon is not, they ask?

If only we could reach out to them and explain that our faith is not based on some esoteric being that no one has ever seen. Our faith is based on the teachings of a man who walked the earth, a man who eyewitnesses say was able to command the elements, to raise people from the dead, to raise Himself from the dead – and that those powers were passed on to His followers for centuries.

No other prophet can make the same claims because no other prophet is “the way, the truth, and the life.”

The strange tale of Kryon is just another reason why we need to do more to spread the Word!

Essential Oils linked to abnormal breast growth in boys



March 22, 2018

Another study has found a link between the use of lavender and tea tree oils and abnormal breast development in boys.

The BBC is reporting on the study, conducted by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), which found that key chemicals in the oils boost estrogen and inhibit testosterone.

A link between the oils and prepubertal gynecomastia, the medical name for the growth of abnormal breast tissue in boys, has been suspected for years.

The study examined eight key chemicals from the hundreds that make up the oils and found that all eight demonstrated varying degrees of promoting estrogen and/or inhibiting testosterone properties.

Many of these chemicals appear in at least 65 other essential oils, which is of concern to researchers. These oils are typically found in soaps, lotions, shampoos, and hair styling products in addition to being used medicinally and as alternative cleaning products.

“Our society deems essential oils as safe,” says J. Tyler Ramsey, the study’s lead researcher. “However, they possess a diverse amount of chemicals and should be used with caution because some of these chemicals are potential endocrine disruptors.”

There have been a growing number of reported cases of male gynecomastia that have coincided with topical exposure to the oils. When exposure to the oils was discontinued, the symptoms subsided.

As the BBC reports, this is not the first study that found a link between gynecomastia and essential oils. A previous study, conducted by Dr. Kenneth Korach, who also participated in the new study, found that lavender and tea tree oil had properties that either competed with, or hindered, the hormones that control male characteristics – which could affect puberty and growth.

Ramsey warned, “Lavender oil and tea tree oil pose potential environmental health concerns and should be investigated further.”

AROMATHERAPY ESSENTIAL OILS HERBAL MEDICINES-SUSAN BRINKMANN



Can an object be cursed?



April 3, 2018

SC writes: My friend and her husband were given some African prayer beads a few years ago. She has been experiencing some problems with her health, insomnia, and some spiritual warfare. For some reason I remembered last night that they had told me & my husband about these prayer beads. I have a very bad feeling about them. What do you think?

Your “bad feeling” could be a clue from the Holy Spirit, and because the beads come from a continent where a variety of indigenous religions practice magic, it’s very possible that the beads may have been cursed or used in some kind of magic ritual.

However, as Father Gabriele Amorth writes in his book, An Exorcist: More Stories, the infestation of an object is very rare.  He recommends that a person “proceed with great prudence before claiming that something is infested” (pg.159).

One of ways to determine if an object has been cursed is to examine where it came from. Were the beads given to your friend by someone who engages in the occult, ritualistic magic, etc.? As Father Amorth writes, “If a magician gives us something, it is probably infested.” (Note: Infestation does not mean that the devil is in the object, it simply means that the object was exposed to some kind of evil rite, generally with the intent to harm someone in particular.)

Another way is by the effects of the object. Did your friend’s symptoms begin when the beads were brought into her home? If so, has she tried to remove them from the home to test if her symptoms subside?

If one suspects that an object has been cursed, Father Amorth suggests that it be sprinkled with holy water and then burned in an open area while praying. The ashes should be thrown into flowing water such as a stream or river (pg. 160).

Can a Fortune Cookie divine your future?



April 5, 2018

Fortune cookies are a traditional end-of-meal treat at most Chinese restaurants in the United States these days, but what exactly is the connection between this treat and the fortune inside? Is there anything wrong with reading these “fortunes?”

Someone recently sent us this question and I was surprised that it took almost 10 years of operating this Q&A blog for someone to ask it. In fact, not even I thought of it!

First, a little history.

In spite of the fact that these cookies are traditionally associated with Chinese food, they actually originate in Japan. Thanks to the research of a Yasuko Nakamachi, a folklore and history graduate student at Kanagawa University outside Tokyo, we know that there is evidence of the existence of fortune cookies in Japanese culture in books written as long ago as 1790. Referred to in some books as tsujiura senbei (“fortune crackers”) and omikuji senbei (“written fortune crackers”), she found generations-old family bakeries making the cookies near a temple outside Kyoto. Although the cookies are larger than those we commonly see today, they have the same distinctive shape and contain strips of paper containing “fortunes.”

These fortunes are derived from what the Japanese call omikuji which means “sacred lot.” These are random fortunes written on small folded or scrolled strips of paper that are distributed at Shinto shrines and Buddhist temples in Japan. A person is usually required to make a small offering in order to get a fortune which is randomly picked out of a box. In some places, they can even be bought from coin-slot machines. And, as Nakamachi found, some Japanese bakeries were placing them inside the bend of their “fortune crackers.”

Most believe fortune cookies became popular in the U.S. during World War II. According to the Smithsonian, a Japanese immigrant named Suyeichi Okamura, who operated a confectionery store in San Francisco, was making fortune cookies and selling them to local eateries in 1906 where they were known as “fortune tea cakes.” During the war, military personnel on their way back from the Pacific encountered the confections and created a demand for them in their hometowns. When the Japanese were interred in prison camps during the War, Chinese businessmen supposedly seized on the opportunity to create the sought-after cookies which is how they became associated with Chinese restaurants.

By the late 1950’s, there were an estimated 250 million fortune cookies being produced in the U.S. and the fortune cookie was on its way to becoming more of an American product than Japanese. That number is now closer to three billion cookies produced annually around the world with the majority being consumed here in the U.S. The largest manufacturer, Wonton Foods based in Brooklyn, New York, produces 4.5 million fortune cookies per day and has a data base of over 10,000 fortunes that it slips inside each one.

Many smaller companies also sell these cookies and put custom fortunes inside, mostly for marketing purposes. For example, the movie Kung Fu Panda 3 used fortune cookies containing “Po-isms” to promote the movie. Lottery systems have also used the cookies to advertise their jackpots by putting a “lucky number” on the back of the slips that could possibly help someone to win the prize.

As a result of this mass-marketing, most of the “fortunes” in our fortune cookies today are fairly benign and not really about divining the future. For example, the Fortune Cookie Database contains silly messages such as “Your shoes will make you happy today” and “Land is always on the mind of a flying bird.”

When asked about fortune cookies several years ago, Father Michael Schmitz, director of youth and young adult ministry for the Diocese of Duluth and chaplain of the Newman Center at the University of Minnesota Duluth wrote: “I am only relying on what I have noticed, but I’ve seen more and more fortune cookies becoming less and less about fortune telling. I don’t know the last time I saw a fortune cookie that contained anything more than a clever saying or a joke (for example, ‘It’s easier to resist at the beginning than at the end” or “Don’t eat any Chinese food today or you’ll be very sick!’).”

However, a person can choose to take these messages seriously, such as a fortune that reads, “Wealth awaits you very soon,” which would then put them in danger of believing the fortune inside a cookie has the power to predict the future, something known only to God. This is a direct violation of the First Commandment.

Relying on any form of divination “conceals a desire for power over time, history, and, in the last analysis, other human beings, as well as a wish to conciliate hidden powers. They contradict the honor, respect, and loving fear that we owe to God alone” (Catechism No. 2116).

As Father Schmitz warns, “We have a God who loves us very much. While we all experience some degree of fear regarding the future, recourse to anything other than reason and God reveals that something deeper may be going on in our heart.”

DOWSING OUIJA BOARD DIVINATION-SUSAN BRINKMANN



Can Christians use Headspace?



April 12, 2018

Several of our readers have asked about the Headspace app and if it’s something that Christians should use.

The answer to this question is simple – the Headspace app is fine if you want to learn Buddhist meditation, because this is all it offers.

According to the website, the popular Headspace app was designed by a man named Andy Puddicombe who decided to quit college and become a Buddhist monk. Ordained in a Tibetan monastery in the Indian Himalayas, his meditation training took him all over the world. When his monastic commitment was complete, he returned to the UK with a goal to teach mindfulness and meditation to as many people as possible.

His work began with a meditation consultancy where he worked with politicians, athletes, and business leaders. He eventually met a man named Rich Pierson who needed help dealing with stress and the two of them began to “skill swap meditation for business advice.” That’s how Headspace was born.

The kind of meditation that this app provides is about training people “in awareness and getting a healthy sense of perspective,” the site says. The aim is not to turn off thoughts or feelings, just learn how to observe them without judgement.

The beginner course on the app is free, but other content requires a paid subscription of $7.99 or $12.99 a month and $399.99 for a lifetime. The app also includes reminders, rewards, and ways to connect with friends for motivation.

The types of meditation offered generally fall into two main categories – calming meditation which involves concentration on a particular object such as breath or a mantra, and insight meditation which is aimed at transforming the mind by developing wisdom and compassion.

Even though these styles of meditation derived from Buddhism, they are billed as “non-religious” so “We won’t ask you to chant mantras, burn incense or even sit cross-legged!” the site says, although it clearly uses mantras as referenced above.

While there is nothing wrong with learning how to keep your thoughts under control and stay in the moment, Christians don’t need Buddhist techniques – or even so-called “secularized” Buddhist techniques – to do so. We have our own version of mindfulness which is found in the classic, The Practice of the Presence of God written by Brother Lawrence of the Resurrection and a devotion known as the “sacrament of the present moment” by Father J. P. DeCaussade.

In Chapter Six of my new book, A Catholic Guide to Mindfulness, these practices are explained in detail. Unlike today’s mindfulness craze, our “app” isn’t about a technique and it doesn’t need a smartphone. It’s about a relationship, one that we are all longing for in the depths of our hearts and can only realize in the arms of our Creator.

The meditation techniques featured on Headspace may be billed as “secular” to consumers but, like Dr. Anthony E. Clark writes in the foreword of my book, “ . . . [W]hat one person calls ‘science,’ or what another calls ‘non-religious’ is actually very much related to the spiritual and religious realm.”

He adds: “Common sense tells us that the direction one drives a car determines the place one arrives at, and spiritual practice is no different.”

If we are employing practices that are based in Buddhist techniques, the direction we’re headed is into our selves. If we’re employing Christian practices of prayer as dialogue with God, then we’re headed toward God.

The question you need to ask yourself is this – which direction do you want to go?

What’s missing from “The Mindful Catholic”?



April 18, 2018

One of the best things about the Women of Grace® New Age Q&A Blog, which has been answering questions for nearly a decade from people all around the world, is that it keeps our “finger” on the pulse of what’s happening in the realm of spiritual movements. And one of those “happenings” is a course called Catholic Mindfulness by Dr. Gregory Bottaro which has now been made into a book. What is this all about? Is it really Catholic? And why are so many people concerned about it?

Until recently, our research on mindfulness has been about the practice in general – what it is, how it got started, who are the main players in the modern mindfulness movement, etc. However, Dr. Bottaro recently inserted himself into our work, accusing us of being “anti-Catholic mindfulness” in our writings and television shows, even though we have yet to address his work in any publication or broadcast.

On April 2, Dr. Bottaro took this a step further and published a blog entitled, “The Catholic Guide to Mindfulness, or Coffee – Satan’s Drink.”  In this publication, he misrepresents our position on the subject of mindfulness, then insinuates that this invented position makes us akin to the bumbling advisors of Pope Clement VIII who wanted him to ban coffee as an invention of Satan because it tasted too good. Even though the insinuation was based on a fabrication, it did make for an interesting lead!

For the first time, we will address his published work as well as the inaccuracies in his April 2 blog.

Having taken his course and read the book, entitled The Mindful Catholic, I must admit that on the surface, the program sounds wonderful. The way Dr. Bottaro presents it is that it’s a method aimed at helping people to learn how to focus so that they can better focus on God. Like the subtitle says, “Finding God One Moment at a Time.” For this reason, those who are not well-versed in today’s popular practice of mindfulness would have little reason to suspect anything wrong with it.

But those who do understand mindfulness see a lot wrong with Dr. Bottaro’s material. To the trained eye, the problem is not about what is in the book, it’s what is not in the book.

Here are the five main criticisms that we share along with the many people who have written to us about this program.

1. Dismissal of the Buddhist Roots of Mindfulness

For the most part, this criticism lies in Dr. Bottaro’s insistence that what he’s teaching isn’t based in Buddhism. In the appendix of his book, he states his belief that the Buddhist practice of mindfulness “is simply the ability to stay focused on the present moment.”

He expounds upon this idea in the April 2 blog where he asserts that Buddhist practices and the ideas upon which they are founded are two separate things and can be separated. EWTN and Women of Grace® were accused of believing that “because it is a Buddhist practice, it must constitute Buddhist ideas.” Yes, we do believe this because religious practices do indeed originate in religious beliefs/ideas, much like the practice of making the sign-of-the-cross originates from our belief in the Trinity and the saving work of Jesus Christ. He goes on to claim that we can separate the practice from the belief that it was founded upon. In other words, it can be secularized.

Some of his own peers have disagreed with him on this point. In the book, The Buddha Pill, Dr. Miguel Farias and Catherine Wikholm sum it up this way: “In principle, it’s perfectly possible to meditate and be uninterested in meditation’s spiritual background. However, research shows that meditation leads us to become more spiritual and that this increase in spirituality is partly responsible for the practice’s positive effects. So, even if we set out to ignore the meditation’s spiritual roots, those roots may nonetheless envelope us, to a greater or lesser degree. Overall, it is unclear whether secular models of mindfulness are fully secular” (pg. 218)

In his book, Bottaro also asserts that we can use these “secularized” methods because they are derived from Buddhist knowledge of the psychological process of paying attention to the present moment that we Christians never developed. However, to say that Buddhists had a better handle on the psychological process of paying attention than Christians such as St. Paul who advised the faithful to “put on the mind of Christ” (1 Cor 2:16) and “take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ” (2 Cor 10:5) is a matter of opinion, not fact. Buddhism may have been in existence before Christianity, but that doesn’t mean the teachings of Christ are any less effective in helping us to control our thoughts. Nor is it a reason to lightly set aside Christian methods, which is something St. John Paul II specifically warned about in his book, Crossing the Threshold of Hope (pages 88-90).

Regardless of how artfully proponents present “secularized” mindfulness, the bottom line is that the practice of mindfulness that is so popular today, particularly in the mental health field, is not about a secular idea of “just learning how to focus.” It’s about learning how to focus according to the Buddhist practice of mindfulness.

This is because the practice that made its way into the mainstream did so via a program known as the Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) program, which was designed by a devout Buddhist and biomedical scientist named Jon Kabat-Zinn.

As Dr. Bottaro clearly states on page 11 of his book, his Catholic mindfulness program is based on the MBSR, which is not about “just learning how to focus.” It’s about learning how to focus the way Kabat-Zinn and the MBSR prescribe, which is the Buddhist way.

2. Failure to Disclose the Use of Buddhist Meditation Techniques

This dismissal of the Buddhist roots of mindfulness could explain why Dr. Bottaro freely introduces his students to Buddhist meditation practices without telling them this fact. For example, on page 58 of The Mindful Catholic, he suggests an exercise which he describes simply as “Body Scan.” What he doesn’t explain is that the Body Scan meditation used in the MBSR program is a form of the Buddhist practice of vipassana meditation that is intended to help expand mind/body awareness as well as ease tension and quiet the mind.  When confronted by this fact, Bottaro dismisses it by claiming there’s nothing exclusively Buddhist about focusing on your body parts. No, but his Christian clients aren’t just learning how to focus on their body parts – they’re learning how to focus on their body parts via a method that originates in a non-Christian religion. They deserve to be told this so that they can decide for themselves how relevant this may be for them.

Otherwise, Dr. Bottaro risks what the late clinical psychologist Margaret Thaler Singer warned about when clients “are led to adopt religious or spiritual concepts in which they previously had no interest and which may run counter to their personal belief system. Although the clients thought they were seeking psychotherapy, they were in effect put through a religious conversion . . . Unexpectedly taking on this belief during the course of therapy can cause certain clients to experience upsetting internal conflict, and they may not recognize the source of their difficulty.” (pg. 19 of Crazy Therapies: What Are They? Do They Work?)

Granted, not everyone will be put off by Catholic programs that incorporate Eastern practices, but there are many who will and are afraid of being inadvertently led into a non-Christian spirituality. This is a perfectly valid concern and one that has been around since Biblical times. In fact, St. Paul wrote about it in Romans 14, telling us to “never put a stumbling block or hindrance in the way of a brother.” Even if we don’t agree that it’s a stumbling block, we are called to respect these concerns, not dismiss them as the rantings of “fanatics.”

3. Failure to Disclose the Relevance of the MBSR Program

To his credit, Dr. Bottaro does admit his association with the MBSR; but that’s all he does – mention it. Only people who know the history of the MBSR would know that Kabat-Zinn’s life goal was to integrate the Buddhadharma into his professional work – and the MBSR was how he accomplished this.

Bottaro offers none of this information to his readers or students, saying only that Kabat-Zinn “studied” Zen meditation and Buddhist practice and wanted to bring the peace he found in these practices into the secular clinical population.

This is an understatement akin to describing Mother Teresa as an Albanian nun who loved Jesus. There’s a whole lot more to her story – and his.

Kabat-Zinn wasn’t just enjoying Zen and the adventures of the Eightfold Path when he came up with the MBSR. He was on a serious quest to find his “karmic assignment” at the time and was particularly interested in finding a way to integrate the Buddhadharma into his scientific work. One day, while on a vipassana retreat, he had a vision in which he “saw” what would become the MBSR program which incorporated his love for yoga and Buddhist meditation with individual and group dialogue.

But Kabat-Zinn is an intelligent man and, at the time, knew that any mention of Buddhism would find him branded as some kind of New Age kook. And so, in his own words, he “bent over backward” to hide this aspect of the program. He deliberately developed an “American vocabulary” that hid any mention of the dharma (Buddhist doctrine) lest it cause “unnecessary impediments.”

Those who don’t know the full story incorrectly assume that Kabat-Zinn’s program is divorced from its Buddhist roots but this is simply not true. Kabat-Zinn would never do this. How could he? The whole purpose of the program, and his life goal, is to help people find the peace he found in the dharma he loved so much. In fact, to this day he tells MBSR instructors that it would be “hugely helpful” for them to have a strong personal grounding in the Buddhadharma before teaching the program, an instruction that would hardly be necessary if the Buddhism was excised from the program.

While it’s safe to say that not everyone will be concerned about this, a practicing psychologist – especially a Catholic one – has a moral and ethical responsibility to inform his Christian patients about all of these facts – not just the ones he thinks they ought to know.

4. Adding Christian Prayer to Eastern Meditation

Dr. Bottaro not only fails to do so, he takes it a step further. While introducing Buddhist meditation techniques (which he doesn’t identify as such) as part of their weekly exercises, he specifically warns patients that these techniques are not prayer. This would be fine, except that he begins the exercise with a prayer. Students are asked to put themselves into the presence of God and see themselves as awesome creatures of God before beginning the meditation.

Perhaps Dr. Bottaro is not aware of this, but anyone who has taught Christian mysticism to the general Catholic audience would know that many Catholics don’t understand the parameters of Christian prayer and are already prone to blending eastern meditation techniques with western prayer even though these two types of prayer are not compatible. This is a serious pastoral problem in the Church today and there are several reasons for it.

First, most Catholics don’t understand the vast difference between non-Christian Eastern and Western Meditation. Christian meditation is about prayer that consists of dialogue with God. Eastern meditation is a mental exercise designed to induce an altered state of consciousness in order to facilitate personal enlightenment.

Second, erroneous interpretations of Nostra Aetate (Declaration on the Relation of the Church to Non-Christian Religions) have led many to believe they can indiscriminately adopt bits and pieces from other religious because they all contain a “ray” of the Truth. However, the document says nothing of the kind. It merely states that the Church “rejects nothing that is true and holy in these religions” (No. 2); it says nothing about adopting their practices.

Third, they aren’t aware of the warning in Cardinal Ratzinger’s document, Letter to the Bishops on Some Aspects of Christian Meditation, about the dangers of adopting techniques from non-Christian forms of meditation that obscure the Christian purpose of prayer which is to dialogue with God.

Dr. Bottaro’s failure to fully disclose the Buddhist roots of the Body Scan meditation (and the Breathing Space and Movement Meditation he also uses in his program), coupled with his addition of Catholic prayer to the exercise, only compounds the confusion that is already so prevalent among the Catholic population.

As a result, a student is liable to see nothing wrong with employing some Eastern mindfulness techniques in their prayer life, which is why introducing these methods to the general public has resulted in some Catholics losing interest in Christian prayer and, consequently, the Catholic faith.

If you live in the land of Facebook, you might call this fear-mongering. But in the real world, it’s a fact, and one that we cannot escape here at Women of Grace®.

For example, we have received mail from people who describe family members who gave up praying the Rosary or going to Mass or reading Scripture after partaking in mindfulness meditation such as Body Scan as part of MBSR therapy for a stress-related problem. For that matter, we recently interviewed a Catholic therapist who quit her practice because she was so tired of seeing people abandon prayer for the meditation techniques they were learning in mindfulness therapy.

Dr. Bottaro’s program of introducing the general Catholic public to Eastern spiritual practices (which he doesn’t identify as such) is problematic for several reasons.

First, he’s not doing so solely within the practice of psychology. He is also introducing it to the Catholic population as a way to better practice their own faith. This is troublesome, especially because Buddhist doctrine is not being presented accurately.

For example, in his April 2 blog, he furthers a popular misconception that various steps in the Eightfold Path – right action, right speech, right intention, right mindfulness, etc. – are “pretty healthy directives to follow” and suggests that they may be practiced by Christians.

In reality, the “right” actions he’s referring to are deeply imbedded in the teachings of the Buddha which are known as the Four Noble Truths. The fourth of these Noble Truths, known as the Eightfold Path, is the path that leads to awakening. All of the “right” action, speech, intention, mindfulness, concentration, etc. in this path are aimed at achieving enlightenment. They each “sit in mutual relationship to one other and are each essential elements in an integrated approach to the Dharma.” It is only by accepting the Four Noble Truths that a person can have the “Right View” or “Right Speech” or “Right Action.” In other words, these “rights” can never fit into a Christian worldview. And should we attempt to detach them from their Buddhist worldview, it would render them useless because Christianity already has its own dictates about what constitutes right action, right speech, etc. Unfortunately, the average Catholic of today is not able to make these distinctions which is why erroneous interpretations of Buddhism such as this can be so damaging to the faithful Catholic.

Second, Dr. Bottaro’s efforts to introduce his teachings en masse means he is doing so without knowing where people are in their spiritual life. This is a serious concern. In addition to causing confusion about prayer, it also preys upon those Catholics who have not yet advanced beyond the stage where they come to prayer because it “feels good.” Eastern meditation techniques such as yoga, mindfulness, and transcendental meditation, are designed to induce altered states, bliss states, etc., all of which can feel very good. This makes the inexperienced Catholic even more likely to adopt these techniques.

Cardinal Ratzinger specifically warned about this in his Letter to the Bishops. “Some physical exercises automatically produce a feeling of quiet and relaxation, pleasing sensations, perhaps even phenomena of light and of warmth, which resemble spiritual well-being,” the document states. “To take such feelings for the authentic consolations of the Holy Spirit would be a totally erroneous way of conceiving the spiritual life.”

And yet when I took Dr. Bottaro’s course, there was no screening of applicants, no questions asked. Just enter a credit card number and get started.

5. Dismissal of Warnings about the Lack of Sound Science behind Mindfulness

Dr. Bottaro recently used his Facebook page to critique a live show on mindfulness which was being broadcast by EWTN’s Women of Grace. After introducing the show to his viewers under the erroneous title of “an anti-Catholic mindfulness show” (the show was not about Catholic mindfulness) he scoffed at the mention of rising concerns in the scientific community about the shoddy science behind today’s practice of mindfulness.

For example, our show cited a 2014 meta-analysis of nearly 19,000 mindfulness and mantra-based meditation studies conducted by researchers at Johns Hopkins University which found only 47 to be methodologically sound.

Dr. Bottaro dismissed this finding because the study was based on both mindfulness and mantra-based meditation. However, as the analysis shows, mindfulness and mantra-based meditation were studied separately, and of the 47 acceptable studies, those involving mindfulness found nothing more than “moderate evidence” that mindfulness improves anxiety, depression, pain, etc. And none of the studies proved that mindfulness was any more effective than other treatments for stress and anxiety.

The fact that these results are significant is borne out by the paper published in October of 2017 in Perspectives in Psychological Science by 15 experts from some of the world’s leading universities. These experts specifically cite the 2014 meta-analysis by Johns Hopkins among the evidence that mindfulness studies do not support the widespread use of this practice. They assert that “misinformation and poor methodology associated with past studies of mindfulness may lead public consumers to be harmed, misled and disappointed.”

Psychologists with far more experience than Dr. Bottaro believe this is a young field and one that is seriously lacking in quality research. This is why they feel that much better scientific studies are needed in order to determine if mindfulness is helpful for all or just for particular people in specific circumstances.

They also cite the worrisome lack of research into the negative effects of mindfulness meditation – such as depersonalization, psychosis, hallucinations, disorganized speech, feelings of anxiety, increased risk of seizures, insomnia, and loss of appetite. Lest we think these are rare, a 2017 study found that UEs (unwanted effects) of mindfulness are prevalent.

Conclusion

Although The Mindful Catholic may seem like a successful venture on Facebook, once you step back into the real world, you quickly discover that it’s a lot more controversial than it appears on social media. Particularly among those Christians who are educated on the roots of today’s mindfulness movement, many are finding the Catholic Mindfulness program to be more risky than they find comfortable.

Which begs the question, if Catholic Mindfulness is just about using a method of thought control to help us focus, why bother with the mindfulness part at all? Why not use the methods our Church has been using for centuries? We’re taught to think about “whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable — if anything is excellent or praiseworthy — think about such things and the God of peace will be with you” (Phil 4:8).

Dr. Bottaro mocks us for suggesting that these Catholic teachings are enough and makes the erroneous claim that people should embrace mindfulness as an adjunct to their spiritual lives because “mindfulness itself is not spiritual.” Again, his own peers have been known to disagree with him, including Jon Kabat-Zinn himself. In a recent interview, when asked if he believed mindfulness was spiritual, Kabat-Zinn artfully dodged the question: “That depends on what you mean by spiritual,” he said.

But let’s be honest about all this. The reason Christian methods of thought control aren’t popular today is because mindfulness is all the rage and Christianity isn’t. This won’t be the first time that Americans have eagerly embraced the habit of culturally appropriating Eastern religions while telling themselves that they’re “respecting the beliefs of others.”  Are we really respecting other religions by picking and choosing whatever we need from them in order to turn our latest spiritual craze into a billion-dollar industry? Outside of the land of Facebook, there are plenty of very upset Hindus and Buddhists who aren’t impressed by how we’re demeaning their belief systems in order to sell more yoga mats and make our therapy sessions more avant garde.

Finally, for those folks who have written to express their disappointment that Dr. Bottaro’s new book has a foreword from Dr. Peter Kreeft, I can assure them that there are plenty of equally prominent Catholic scholars who disagree with the marketing of mindfulness, such as the renowned East Asian scholar, Dr. Anthony E. Clark.

To those who complained that a bishop endorsed the book, you may want to consider this – after more than 14 years in the business of investigating the New Age, I have spoken with numerous priests, nuns and bishops who were the first to admit that they don’t know nearly what they should about the New Age and the many spiritual movements of our day. If they only read what Dr. Bottaro wrote in the book, and never bothered to look further into the subject matter, they will see absolutely nothing wrong with this program.

The Mindful Catholic book and the Catholic Mindfulness course are missing important information about the origins of the course and the relevance of those origins upon the material being presented.

For the sake of Catholic souls, we can and must do better.

MINDFULNESS MEDITATION-SUSAN BRINKMANN



Are raw food diets New Age?



April 24, 2018

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We have had several questions asking about whether or not raw food diets are linked to the New Age.

While these diets are not New Age in themselves, they are promoted by New Age enthusiasts. This is because promoters of raw food diets often subscribe to the New Age philosophy about health.

As the Pontifical document, Jesus Christ the Bearer of the Water of Life explains, “In a New Age perspective, illness and suffering come from working against nature; when one is in tune with nature, one can expect a much healthier life, and even material prosperity . . . The source of healing is said to be within ourselves, something we reach when we are in touch with our inner energy or cosmic energy.” (2.2.3)

These beliefs are what has fueled the rise of so-called “natural cures” such as homeopathy, naturopathy, essential oils, herbs and supplements, ayurvedic medicine, aromatherapy, etc. And these “natural cures” are often associated with “natural diets” such as the raw food diet.

A raw food diet is one where the food is either uncooked or cooked at low temperature. No processed foods are consumed, meaning nothing that has been pasteurized, homogenized, produced with food additives, or was treated with insecticides/fertilizers in the growing process.

These diets can be raw vegan, meaning they consist mainly of raw plant foods. Or they can be raw animal food diets which consist of uncooked and unprocessed muscle/organ meats, raw dairy, and fermented raw animal foods.

Some of the most popular diets today are the Primal Diet and the Raw Paleolithic diet.

It was interesting to discover that raw food diets are not a new invention. They are believed to have originated with a Swiss man named Maximilian Bircher-Benner (1867-1939) who invented muesli, a dish consisting of raw rolled oats, grains, fresh or dried fruits, seeds and nuts that is sometimes mixed with milk, yogurt or fruit juice.

As a young man, Bircher-Benner became fascinated with a German “back to nature” movement known as the Lebensreform movement which was all about embracing holistic medicine, nudism, free love, and “natural” foods. Although he began eating a vegetarian diet, the writings of Charles Darwin which depicted humans as being just another animal convinced him that we were meant to eat raw food. He decided to adopt this way of eating and eventually opened a sanatorium in 1904 in the mountains outside Zurich which he called Vital Force, a term that referred to sunlight. Patients who came to his clinic were fed raw foods and muesli.

He wasn’t the only proponent of raw food diets. A naturopathic physician named John Richter and his wife Vera opened America’s first raw food restaurant, known as The Eutropheon, around 1919.

Norman W. Walker, who invented the Norwalk Juicing Press, popularized raw food dieting in the 1970s along with Leslie Kenton, whose book Raw Energy – Eat Your Way to Radiant Health (1984) claimed a diet of 75% raw food could do everything from slow the effects of aging to preventing degenerative diseases.

While there is plenty of evidence that a raw food diet can help a person lose weight due to its high fiber content and disease-fighting phytochemicals, there are more drawbacks than benefits to this way of eating.

“The diet is difficult to follow and inadequate in many essential nutrients, such as protein, iron, calcium, vitamin B12, and more,” writes Kathleen Zelman, MPH, RD, for WebMD.

“Plus, contrary to the claims of many raw food fans, cooking does not make food toxic but instead makes some foods digestible. Cooking also boosts some nutrients, like beta-carotene and lycopene, and kills bacteria, which helps you avoid food poisoning.”

The risk of food poisoning from eating raw and undercooked foods is great enough that it outweighs the benefits of a raw food diet.

There is also no scientific evidence that raw foods prevent illness.

If the thought of eating raw food is unappetizing to you, don’t worry – you’re not missing anything. There are plenty of better-tasting diets out there!

Woman shuns New Age, finds strength in Jesus



April 26, 2018

We recently had a beautiful testimony from a woman who remained true to Christ in spite of being recommended to a variety of New Age practitioners for help with her chronic pain. Although she has still not found the help she is seeking, Jesus is filling her with the grace she needs to trust in Him. May He reward her with the healing she seeks!

TR writes: I am a Medical Esthetician and have been unemployed due to disability from chronic pain after a traumatic brain injury and lyme disease. Because of the ways that traditional medicine treats these issues (drugs and various surgeries for body parts that break down), I have been left with much more suffering. That would include worse suffering from seasons of drug dependency and then major withdrawal, nearly costing me my life on more than one occasion.

My sister has unfortunately referred me to many alternative therapies including some discussed in your blog. NAET, NET, cranio sacral, energy work, acupuncture, chiropractic, massage therapy, qi gong. tapping (EFT), yoga and probably more. She later became an energy practitioner “healer” herself, but I went in the other direction.

I am a born again Christian and think about the modalities I have tried to gain relief and I cry in repentance. The Lord has had mercy on me and I recognize Him as my healer. I am at a place of the “now what” with my chronic conditions, and I want to share briefly that the daily power of His Spirit is my source of joy, peace and help.

The grace He supplies me with to get up out of bed every day is real and where I find my strength. I love the Lord and want to walk in His ways. This means not trusting all sources of healing and being able to discern the spirits. Finding a born-again massage therapist? Is it even possible??

So, I have considered that my testimony may be used to help others in the New Age trap, and I have indeed been persecuted for my sharing Christ in New Age salons (previous employment), even among professing Christians who are practicing massage therapy!

It made me wonder if there is even a place for hands-on therapy at all! Then I read your article from a massage therapist who is struggling on her end to find a place to practice her trade. So there must indeed be a genuine place for massage therapy to meet Christians’ needs who need help in their bodies from acute or chronic pain and do not want to undergo pharmaceutical toxicity at the hands of their doctor.

It would be an amazing grace to have the kinks worked out of my back and not worry about the spiritual practices of the practitioner!

I was encouraged by your article and hope that I may find a true Christian who happens to be a massage therapist that has not begun to listen to the eastern religion influence or even shamanic dangers. There is so much going on out there and we must not be afraid to speak up for Christ and tell the truth…..even when we are in need and looking for help from them. It is a delicate place to be!

Let us keep this courageous Christian woman in our prayers!

Goat Yoga gets the boot in NYC



May 1, 2018

Just days before the hotly anticipated first goat yoga class was scheduled to launch in New York City last week, officials forced the event to close due to permit complications.

The New York Post is reporting on the cancellation of the “trendy workout that combines sun salutations with barnyard animals” that was supposed to take place in the city last week.

A pop-up class from the South Berlin, NY-based NY Goat Yoga, which operates out of Gilbertsville Farm, the latest yoga gimmick involves a yoga workout performed with a bunch of baby goats milling around. For sanitary purposes, the goats wear diapers to avoid accidents.

However, the city doesn’t allow goats in any city buildings whether they’re wearing diapers or not.

Sharon Boustani, owner of NY Goat Yoga, told the Post that the health department was open to evaluating goat-related requests on a “case-by-case-basis.”

“We were very optimistic,” Boustani says. “And so were they, kind of.”

The city could not review their application until everything was in place, then decided it was a no-go because of how the animals would be allowed to freely wander through the class and make contact with participants. The permit would only allow something like a demonstration with the goats, but no class participation with the animals was permitted.

“Unfortunately, the laws [in New York City] do not allow for anything close to what a goat yoga experience should be,” Boustani says. She didn’t define what a “goat yoga experience” should be, but participants in other classes say it’s not the best environment for a good workout. The reason is because participants are more interested in what the goats are doing and forget all about their downward dog pose.

As crazy as it all sounds, two years ago when we first reported on it, this yoga-petting-zoo gimmick seems to be appealing to some yoga enthusiasts with the classes springing up in over 200 locations across the U.S.

The workouts aren’t the best but the animals are cute and it keeps the money flowing so why not? These are the kinds of gimmicks that keep the multi-billion dollar yoga industry in business – dog yoga, face yoga, laughter yoga, hot yoga, Dru yoga, naked yoga, baby yoga, topless yoga, etc. Who cares if keeping the magic alive means we can continue to make money off of the cultural appropriation of someone else’s religion?

Suhag L. Shukla Executive Director and co-founder of the Hindu America Foundation criticized the adulteration of yoga in America in a Huffington Post article and this long and ludicrous list of contortion-fests that have strayed so far beyond the ancient spiritual tradition that she holds dear.

“The truth is that none of these are yoga simply because they incorporate some form of asana and say they are. What’s the saying? ‘You can put lipstick on a pig…’”

. . . Or a goat.

YOGA-SUSAN BRINKMANN



YOGA-SUSAN BRINKMANN-02



Media shamelessly promotes Yoga/Mindfulness in Elementary School



May 3, 2018

Coverage of a recent dust-up between parents of students in a Maryland elementary school who voiced concern over the introduction of yoga and mindfulness is the perfect example of how the media uses hyperbole and biased reporting to promote non-Christian practices.

USA Today is reporting on the conflict between some of the parents and administrators at Buckingham Elementary School in Berlin, Maryland after the school announced plans to begin a 6-10 minute mindfulness and yoga session each morning to help students “positively start off their day.” The program comes in the form of a recorded video which is used to help students calm themselves both physically and mentally so that they can focus better on their schoolwork.

Many of the parents objected on the basis that mindfulness is rooted in Buddhism and yoga in the practice of Hinduism. If schools aren’t allowing Christian prayer in schools, why are they allowing these practices?

The answer is simple, at least according to USA Today – because mindfulness is just about “focusing on the present moment” and yoga is just about “stretching” and anyone who thinks otherwise is a right-wing extremist.

For example, the article interviewed several well-spoken advocates of yoga while featuring atypical Christians to speak on the anti-yoga position, such as a woman who thinks yoga is a “last days deception.” Of all of the experts they could have interviewed on the subject, such as Professor Candace Gunther Brown, Bishop Fabian Bruskewitz, Father Mitch Pacwa, etc. this is the best they could do? It’s no wonder the comments section was filled with people spewing hatred for Christians.

They also neglected to do any fact-checking and, as a result, allowed inaccurate information to be disseminated to the public. This is how Monika Lupean, owner and operator of Salisbury Yoga & Wellness Center, in Salisbury, Maryland, got away with insisting that there are “more than 10,000 scientific studies” which say mindfulness helps people lead happier, healthier lives.”

Neither the yoga instructor nor USA Today gave any source for this information, nor did they reference the 2014 study by Johns Hopkins University which found only 47 of 19,000 mindfulness studies to be of enough quality to draw any conclusions about its efficacy.  Late last year another group of prominent researchers voiced serious concerns about the lackluster science behind mindfulness and warned about continuing to promote it so broadly.

Obviously, USA Today and Ms. Lupean didn’t get the memo.

As a result of this slanted coverage, more fuel was added to the fire of hostility against Christianity which was appallingly evident on the article’s Facebook page. The discussion is riddled with the usual hysterical name-calling, personal attacks, accusation, and mockery of Christians.

For example, when one woman said she believed one ought to be careful to keep the physical aspects of yoga separated from the ideology, she was accused of being “mentally weak/pliable.”

Another commenter, who posted a very serious video about the dangers of yoga which was made by a woman who had spent years in the New Age, was dismissed out-of-hand and told that she sounded ridiculous.

The vitriol was typical, especially that of the “devout Christians” who practice yoga. You know, the ones who come out of the woodwork during these discussion and present themselves as the resident “experts” when it comes to addressing Christian concerns about incorporating non-Christian practices into their lives.

One such “devout Christian” who weighed in on this discussion claimed to be “well read.” Judging by the way she disparaged Christians who dared to question yoga, the Bible is obviously not on her reading list. Otherwise, she would be more aware of the admonition of St. Paul where he addresses those who disagree with the religious sensitivities of others.

“Then let us no longer judge one another, but rather resolve never to put a stumbling block or hindrance in the way of a brother,” we read in Romans 14:13. If a fellow Christian is being hurt by what we’re doing, even if we disagree with them, we are obliged to stop doing it; otherwise, “your conduct is no longer in accord with love.”

No wonder I wasn’t feeling the love.

Star Wars or Heaven’s Plan?



May 4, 2018 – By Johnette Benkovic

Today is National Star Wars Day and many of the film’s fans will be offering the movie’s famous greeting “May the force be with you,” or its pun for the day, “May the fourth be with you.” Judging by world conditions and the strife that abounds both at home and abroad, we could use some force and power to bring relief, order, and justice to our beleaguered globe.

But, the force of Star Wars isn’t going to do it. Nor is the force of men. International relations are fragile and strained at this time. There is no need to catalogue the existing dangers that threaten international security and peace. The headlines carry the weight of them each day. And we’ve all watched the failed attempts of sanctions, treaties, and threats. But, there is a way for peace to triumph, in fact, a foolproof plan has already been given.

We know that true power resides with the Triune God and comes to man through the salvific act of His Son, Jesus Christ. Conformity to God’s will is the key and He desires His people beseech His help and cooperate with it.

Consider the passage from 2 Chronicles 7:14. It is one of several Scripture passages that give God’s directive; “… and if my people, upon whom my name has been pronounced, humble themselves and pray, and seek my presence and turn from their evil ways, I will hear them from heaven and pardon their sins and revive their land.”

Note that the Chronicle’s quote is specific about those who are to pray – they are God’s people “upon whom His name has been pronounced.” It is the duty and divine obligation of every baptized Christian to be at the forefront of intercession and prayer. That’s you and me. Assuming that we are willing to do it, the question is how do we do it?

Fortunately, Heaven has already given us the answer. It came to us by way of our Blessed Virgin Mary in 1917 through the messages she entrusted to three shepherd children in Fatima, Portugal. In that year World War I was ending but the Bolshevik Revolution was beginning. This revolution in Russia would usher in atheistic communism, legalized abortion, divorce for any reason, and persecution of the Church.

Our Lady told the children to pray the Rosary every day for peace and to stay the errors that would come by means of this Revolution. Otherwise, the errors would spread throughout the world and entire countries would be no more. The children heeded Our Lady’s message with great generosity but for the most part Our Lady’s request fell on deaf ears.

History tells the rest of the story. The Red March wiped out countries and nations, and sowed the seeds of atheistic communism throughout the world including the West. In fact, evidence suggests we are living in a type of “cultural communism” even now by way of secularism, relativism, utilitarianism, and materialism.

Last year, on May 13th, Catholics celebrated the 100th Anniversary of the apparitions of Our Lady of Fatima. Is it possible that in that great centenary year Heaven once again gave us opportunity to humble ourselves and to pray seeking God’s presence? Is it possible that Heaven desires to hear our supplications, pardon our sins, and heal our land? I think so.

One indication is that on the day before the anniversary date, on May 12, the United Nations hosted a two-hour event commemorating the 100th anniversary of the apparitions at Fatima. In fact, the United Nations World Apostolate of Fatima Pilgrim Statue of Our Lady of Fatima was showcased at the event. It was the first return of this statue to the UN since its inaugural visit in 1952.

In the one building on earth that holds the name United Nations, a name that promises the hope of a world united in the cause of peace, filial charity, and solidarity people gathered. They formed a cross-section of the cultures and religions of the world, a type of global microcosm. And there, in their midst, stood the pilgrim statue of Our Lady of Fatima, Mother of God and Mother of all peoples. As she came to the world through her apparitions to the shepherd children, she came once again to remind the people of the world that the message is the same: That peace, and hope, and solidarity is possible through Heaven’s plan. The fundamental question is will we say “yes” to it?

What comprises Heaven’s plan for peace? It is basically five-fold:

(Prayer

(Reparation

(Daily recitation of the Rosary

(Devotion to the Five First Saturdays

(Consecration to the Immaculate Heart (For this I recommend the de Montfort consecration outlined in True Devotion to Mary, by St. Louis de Montfort.)

Rather than the Star Wars cry of “May the force be with you” may our cry be “May the peace and power of God be yours!”

Women of Grace Blog – Our Lady’s Miraculous Return to the United Nations

Women of Grace Blog – Johnnette is Going to the UN

National Catholic Register – Our Lady of Fatima Statue Will Visit UN

EWTN News – Our Lady of Fatima is coming to the United Nations

Catholic News Agency – Our Lady of Fatima is coming to the United Nations

NEW AGE MOVIES-THE STAR WARS TRILOGY, ETC



Company Fined $5.1 Million for Forcing New Age Practices on Employees



May 8, 2018

Ten employees of the Long Island-based United Health Programs of America were awarded $5.1 million in compensatory and punitive damages by a jury who ruled that the company forced employees to practice rituals associated with a cult-like organization that relies on a cartoon character known as “Onionhead” to teach “emotional awareness” to followers.

The New York Daily News is reporting on the decision from a unanimous jury in Brooklyn Federal Court last week that granted $5.1 million to employees who were forced to behave in bizarre ways – or were fired – when the company became involved with a cult-like non-profit organization known as the Harnessing Happiness Foundation.

Founded by Denali Jordan, the aunt of United Health CEO Robert Hodes, it aims to help people “infuse happiness and hope into every day life” by acquiring “emotional knowledge and intelligence, conflict resolution and life handling skills.” Followers rely on the teachings of a cartoon character named Onionhead – which is a talking onion – who teaches emotional awareness by showing the many layers of feelings.

Ex-employees reveal a bizarre workplace environment created by Jordan, who made monthly trips to Long Island from her home in California to lead spiritual readings and prayer sessions. They were forced to wear Onionhead pins, to share personal problems during sessions with Jordan, participate in spiritual cleansing rituals, prayer, and religious workshops. They were also encouraged to say “I love you” to management and colleagues, were forced to work with no overhead lights, and to make donations to Jordan’s non-profit from their paychecks.

Employees also attended a weekend “corporate retreat” with Jordan and her female co-workers which turned ugly when they found themselves getting yelled at for taking smoke breaks or drinking wine. During the retreat, Jordan was said to have started a “foodfight” after becoming possessed by what she later described as a “spirit in the room” who made her do it.

An employee named Faith Pabon, who was born Jewish and raised her children Catholic, was fired for opposing these practices.

Another former employee named Francine Pennisi, who worked for the company for six years, told the court that the office “did a switchover to the weirdness” in 2007 when Jordan became a consultant to the company. “If you weren’t a follower of Denali Jordan or Onionhead, you would be fired,” she added.

In a statement issued after the ruling by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), which was a party to the lawsuit, they agreed that the United Health violated federal law by coercing 10 employees to engage in religious practices at work and by creating a hostile work environment for nine of them. The jury also found the company guilty of violating federal law by firing Faith Pabon, who opposed the practices.

Even though attorneys representing United Health tried to say these practices were not religious, a judge ruled otherwise and said that the practices did constitute a religion.

“The aunt, employed by CCG [Cost Containment Group, Inc., which is the parent company of United Health] as a consultant and fully supported by CCG’s upper management, spent substantial time in the company’s offices from 2007, implemented the religious activities at the workplace and had a role in employee hiring and firing. Nine victims said the religiously-infused atmosphere created a hostile work environment for them, and the jury unanimously agreed.”

Amy Traub, a lawyer for United Health, said her client planned to challenge the damages award.

“Our clients will weigh their options for further litigation of the claims, if any, once a judgment is made final,” she said.

Do colors have power?



May 10, 2018

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AD asks: “Can you explain what Colorstrology is?”

Colorstrology is the brainchild of a woman named Michele Bernhardt, author of Colorstrology: What Your Birthday Color Says About You, who describes herself as an intuitive, astrologer, numerologist, and metaphysician who believes she can help people with the healing power of color and sound.

During an interview with Goop, the New Age blog of actress Gwyneth Paltrow, Bernhardt explained how she came up with a formula based on astrology, numerology, and intuition to create a color system. She looks at a person’s sun sign, their ruling planet, and what element the person belongs to (earth, air, fire, and, water). Because she believes a person’s birthdate carries a “numerological vibration with specific meaning,” all of these elements combine to form a person’s personality and experience which can be expressed through color.

For example, for those who are looking for money, they may want to use May’s Bud Green color. “Green is good for a number of things—like balancing the body—but I would say particularly for prosperity. So, if you’re trying to tune into money, look toward green—you might even get a little green wallet.”

But you don’t necessarily have to wear the color of your birthday month. For example, she advises those who are looking for help with relationships to use October’s light blue color because “it helps bring harmony and balance.”

September’s Baja Blue is when “Mercury and then Venus move through the heavens. “It’s when appreciation for beauty is turned up. This alluring color can open the mind, while helping us to be more discerning.”

As an intuitive, she sometimes wears light shades of cream and white because “these colors reflect things, so I’m less inclined to absorb the emotions around me,” she said.

It’s one thing to wear colors or paint a room in a cheerful color to create a certain ambience, but it’s quite another to ascribe powers to a color such as the ability to attract prosperity. These beliefs, combined with the fact that colorstrology is based in divinatory practices, makes colorstrology off-limits for Catholics.

As the Catechism teaches: “All forms of divination are to be rejected. Consulting horoscopes, astrology, palm reading, interpretation of omens and lots, the phenomena of clairvoyance, and recourse to mediums all conceal a desire for power over time, history, and, in the last analysis, other human beings, as well as a wish to conciliate hidden powers. They contradict the honor, respect, and loving fear that we owe to God alone” (No. 2116).

COLOUR THERAPY OR CHROMOTHERAPY



Reader Disturbed by God Calling



May 15, 2018

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Many people say they were inspired by the book, God Calling, which was written by two “listeners” who were using automatic writing to obtain messages that allegedly came from God; however, not everyone was impressed, such as this reader who said she found the content to be quite disturbing.

PB writes: “Thank you for posting the comments on the book ‘God Calling.’ I have a copy – I don’t even remember where I got it – but I’ve read a bit here and there. The book does NOT bear witness with my spirit. I couldn’t quite identify what is was. I just knew the book was “off.” I would pick it up and put it down…just not quite sure . . . my disquiet led me to look up A.J. Russell which led me to your comments. So thank you for stating the facts.”

Click here to read more about the controversy surrounding God Calling. 

You may also be interested in learning why many people are turned off by Jesus Calling, the mega-bestseller which was written by a woman who was inspired by God Calling and wanted the same “gift.” This blog explains the issues surrounding the controversy and this blog reveals how the publisher chose to hide the facts about the origins of Jesus Calling in later editions.

IS ALL AUTOMATIC WRITING NEW AGE AND OF DEMONIC ORIGIN?



Is Flotation Therapy New Age?



May 17, 2018

LG asks: I recently was told about a spa that offers Float Therapy. Is this New Age?

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Float therapy in itself is not New Age, although it is considered to be a form of alternative medicine.

For those who never heard of it, the float therapy (aka flotation therapy, float tank, deprivation tank) gaining popularity today consists of a temperature-controlled salt water tank that can be made soundproof and even lightproof if desired in order to provide the maximum escape from sensory input.

Some establishments offer pod-like tanks for customers and give them the option to have lights on or off. Large quantities of Epsom salt added to the water makes the body float effortlessly on the surface which is supposed to be relaxing. Proponents say it offers a variety of benefits from improved sleep to pain reduction and even enhanced creativity although there is little scientific evidence to support these claims.

Where the New Age enters into the picture is in the man who created float therapy. This device was the brainchild of John C. Lilly (1915-2001), a neuroscientist, psychoanalyst, philosopher and inventor who was very interested in the nature of consciousness, dolphin communication and psychedelic drugs.

A highly educated man, he became interested in sensory deprivation research in order to determine what would happen if the mind was deprived of nearly all stimulation. The first tank he developed was dark and soundproof and full of warm salt water that was kept at the same temperature as the skin. In the original device, people wore a “black-out” mask which provided air but blocked any light from reaching the eyes. Not surprisingly, people often left the tank feeling anxious and stressed.

In the 1960’s, his intense interest in altered states of consciousness found him dabbling in psychedelic drugs. He also became a student of yoga and Oscar Ichazo, the Bolivian-born occultist who pioneered the Enneagram.

From there, he went even further off the rails and began to believe that he was making contact with other species as well as with creatures from other dimensions and civilizations who were more advanced than our own.

Lilly was obviously very much involved in the early days of the New Age, but the flotation tanks he designed – and the tanks so popular today – were never based on New Age philosophies.

However, it should be noted that these tanks are frequently located in spas where customers could be introduced to other New Age alternatives so caution is advised when seeking this kind of relaxation therapy.

Note: When you see astrology or Yoga for example, it indicates that the particular Ms. Brinkmann article is not included in the ephesians- files (often indicated on the same page) specific to the same subject.

SUSAN BRINKMANN/WOMEN OF GRACE RELATED FILES

CRITICISM OF THE WOMEN OF GRACE BLOG-MICHAEL PRABHU



CRITICISM OF THE WOMEN OF GRACE BLOG 02-MICHAEL PRABHU



A COURSE IN MIRACLES-SUSAN BRINKMANN



ACUPUNCTURE ACUPRESSURE SHIATSU REFLEXOLOGY-SUSAN BRINKMANN



APPLIED KINESIOLOGY MUSCLE TESTING TOUCH FOR HEALTH THERAPEUTIC TOUCH-SUSAN BRINKMANN



AROMATHERAPY ESSENTIAL OILS HERBAL MEDICINES-SUSAN BRINKMANN



ASTROLOGY-SUSAN BRINKMANN



CENTERING PRAYER-SUSAN BRINKMANN



CULTS-SUSAN BRINKMANN



DEPTH ECOLOGY ENVIRONMENT AND THE NEW AGE GODDESS GAIA-SUSAN BRINKMANN



DEVILS AND DEMONS DELIVERANCE AND EXORCISM-SUSAN BRINKMANN



DOWSING OUIJA BOARD DIVINATION-SUSAN BRINKMANN



DREAMWORK-SUSAN BRINKMANN



ENNEAGRAMS-SUSAN BRINKMANN



GHOSTS-SUSAN BRINKMANN



HARRY POTTER-SUSAN BRINKMANN



HOMOEOPATHY-SUSAN BRINKMANN



HOMOEOPATHY 02-SUSAN BRINKMANN



HYPNOSIS-SUSAN BRINKMANN



MARTIAL ARTS-SUSAN BRINKMANN



MEDITATION-SUSAN BRINKMANN



MINDFULNESS MEDITATION-SUSAN BRINKMANN



NEW AGE-SUSAN BRINKMANN DECEMBER 2009 TO AUGUST 2011 341 PAGES



NEW AGE-SUSAN BRINKMANN 02 PRIOR TO DECEMBER 2009 AND SUBSEQUENT TO AUGUST 2011 (UPTO JANUARY 31, 2016) 423 PAGES



NEW AGE-SUSAN BRINKMANN 03 1 FEBRUARY 2016 TO 5 AUGUST 2016 53 PAGES



NEW AGE-SUSAN BRINKMANN 04 6 AUGUST 2016 TO 27 NOVEMBER 2017 103 PAGES



NEW AGE ANGELS-SUSAN BRINKMANN



NEW AGE GAMES-POKEMON SKYLANDERS ETC-SUSAN BRINKMANN

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OPRAH WINFREY-SUSAN BRINKMANN



PROSPERITY GOSPEL-SUSAN BRINKMANN



PSYCHOLOGY-SUSAN BRINKMANN



REIKI-SUSAN BRINKMANN



ROCK MUSIC-SUSAN BRINKMANN



SHOULD CATHOLICS PERFORM BHARATANATYAM-SUSAN BRINKMANN



SUPERSTITION-SUSAN BRINKMANN



TOYS GAMES ENTERTAINMENT YOU WANT YOUR KIDS TO AVOID-SUSAN BRINKMANN



VASSULA RYDEN-SUSAN BRINKMANN



WATER MAGNETIC FAR-INFRA-RED NEW AGE WELLNESS THERAPIES-SUSAN BRINKMANN



YOGA-SUSAN BRINKMANN



YOGA-SUSAN BRINKMANN-02



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