Ed Note: the following frank testimony is from a woman who desires to remain anonymous  (posted with permission). It illustrates a number of points made in True to His Ways. It is an example of medical practitioners referring their patients to meditation groups to become involved in spiritual practices that, in fact, have potential to harm them.  It shows how men and women who unwittingly turn to the occult in search of God or truth are at first “rewarded” by pleasing experiences, but then become subjected to demonic attack, including one poor soul through whose lips a spirit spoke and identified itself as “Antichrist”. (See our reflection, ­The Good That Is Not, for a discussion of the “good” experienced through occultism.)
This testimony shows how so-called powers of clairvoyance are developed through exposure to the occult. It also witnesses to the development of ungodly ambition among occultists and a lust for mammon.
Aaahh… the plagues, the wormwood and gall, that attend those who will not obey God’s commands to stay away from the occult!

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Dear Ruth:

This is one of the most informative and correct sites I have come across. I left the occult about 2 years ago and recently turned to Christianity.  I didn’t understand that meditation, etc., are occult practices. At first it seemed good but then I began to experience spiritual attacks, as did others in my group. I still struggle with intense, powerful upsurges of rage which I am learning to control, but which I trace back to my involvement in occult spiritual practices.
 
I guess you could say I was looking for God but took the wrong road (to sum it up). I joined a meditation group back in 2003. I was burnt out and my doctor recommended I learn to de-stress and relax. The first night I was a bit wary as the meditation leader (I’ll call her “Sue”, not her real name) took us through a guided meditation. This was different, but Sue assured me it was very safe.

After a few weeks I noticed that I was relaxing and felt happy, the happiest I had been for a while. So I thought it was great. Then after a while, when we had finished meditating, Sue would get us to do activities. What I didn't realize was that all these activities that she told us brought us closer to God in love and in light were actually magic practices. (There are things that I did not take part in such as channeling.)

I also did a self-development course with her; it was from here that I started to get attacked. I had opened a door that should never have been opened. It got worse. I was now being attacked in my sleep and in meditations by a man in black, and this is where the rage started. Amazingly, but which I didn’t realize at the time, this was happening to everyone else who attended the meditation class. I only learned last year that others were experiencing the same attacks.

Also I started to see things - specks of light which Sue told me were angels and spirit guides (and of course I believed her). I started to read tarot cards and suddenly got very good at it—there was so much I just knew and didn't know where it came from! I just knew it. I felt very confident and then suddenly got over-ambitious about having my own 'healing' center and how much money I could make (I have never in my life been like this ever...) It was incredible how powerful this feeling was. And I learned again, which I think must be significant and a sign of the same sort of spirit at work, that everyone in the meditation class also developed ambitions for the same thing. And some have it now.

Our leader ended up getting the sack for being dishonest but she kept in touch with me. About this time I was drawn to go to church and started attending regularly. The minister was lovely and did take the time to listen. He gave me a bible and explained quiet a bit to me. I didn't stay as I still felt unworthy of God's love (I was not brought up with Christian teachings.)

I started to distance myself from Sue as she was getting too controlling, but one day she called me and asked for help. One of the other students from the meditation group was at her house and apparently suicidal. I went around, not that I knew what to do but I'm always there if people ask me for help.  If I had known what I was walking into I wouldn't have gone. The student had completely lost it. From the moment I walked in she introduced herself as the Antichrist.  I tried not to listen. I kept using her real name to see if I could get her to snap and come out of it (I didn't believe she was possessed but it terrified me). She kept calling out to me and telling me of things that were going to happen to me while I was on the phone trying to get a psychiatrist and then her parents. Sue was on the floor writing every thing down. When the student had calmed down, her parents came and took her home.

I was angry at Sue and asked why she did this, I couldn't work it out. She said she wanted to know what the student had to say. I informed her that the student was speaking as though she was Satan. This didn't bother Sue but it did me. I didn't want anything to do with her after this but Sue gave my home number to the student, who rang me over and over again, calling herself Satan. I went back to the minister from the church where I had attended previously, who listened to me yet again. He prayed with me.

It wasn't until I was pregnant a few months later with my son that I picked up the bible and started to read it. I had a bad pregnancy and almost lost my baby (as the student had said I would!). I was attacked so bad in my labour at my most weakest time and a spirit made it clear that it was Satan that was in the room with me (my husband was detained, I was alone. Also I wasn't given any drugs or medications at the time.) I remember praying, mainly to save my son. I surrendered myself to God as I was too weak (not begging, just told him that this is not what I wanted and asked for him to show me the way). Shortly after this a new Doctor came on and I ended up having a c-section to save my son.

Since then I have prayed to Jesus and asked forgiveness for all I have done. What I got in return was I felt a veil taken from my eyes to see for myself the misery, damage and the lies that I had been completely oblivious to. I honestly did not see what I had done and what was slowly happening to me. I honestly believed I was on my path to God, serving him, helping people. I believed I was surrounded by angels and had guides helping me. I believed so much yet I was so blind. What I saw when the mask was taken away wasn’t beautiful, the beauty had gone it was ugly. Everything stopped. I felt like I was being laughed at by ugly little demons. It felt like a cruel joke. But it made me realize how lost and lonely I was, how I wanted to be accepted but I accepted the first thing that came along. I see how easy it is for people to be lost and just how easy it is for them to be fooled into believing they have found God and it’s not Him. Its very sad how evil works, but I have valuable lessons that I have learnt and I'm hoping to help others see if I get given the chance. (As for Sue, since I have handed my life over to Jesus she doesn't want anything to do with me!!).

Sorry this is so long (I have abbreviated it and left out quite a lot!) but I gather you'll understand. I don't like to talk about exact experiences as I'm scared of opening people up to things that they don't need to know about.

* * * * * * * * *

This testimony illustrates the teachings of the reflection The Good That Is Not, an exploration of the pain, pleasure and evil we experience when we partake of forbidden fruit; occultism is forbidden fruit.