Entry Point Number 5: Involvement in the Occult

He immolated his child by fire. He practiced soothsaying and divination, and reintroduced the consulting of ghosts and spirits.  He did much evil in the LORD’s sight and provoked him to anger. (2 Kings 21:6).

Sensationalized movies like Ouija and common place novelty items like horoscopes tend to desensitize us to the dangers present in the occult.  But, the reality is that anything that seeks knowledge or power (including favors and wishes) outside of the Holy Spirit could potentially be deemed of the occult, and therefore of Satan.  To make matters worse, our culture has ingrained so many occult practices into our daily lives that we have often assimilated many of them into habitual activities before we were old enough to even spell occult. 

At what age were you when you first made a wish on a falling star, looked for a four-leaf clover, carried a rabbit’s foot, or even blew out birthday cake candles?  These are all examples of traps set by the evil one to desensitize us to the difference between luck and grace.  This desensitization (and related relativism) works to open the door to spiritual bondage and puts us at risk of inadvertently worshipping him (Satan) through these superstitions as opposed to worshipping the one almighty God.

The World Apostolate of Fatima published a chilling thought on the topic:

“Many people live in sin and have false peace, because their conscience has been formed, not by the Gospel, but by the spirit of this age.  They may be leading very respectable lives, be law-abiding citizens, and in the estimation of people, leading good lives. But if they are not living according to the Ten Commandments, the Gospel, and the moral teaching of the Church, even in just one area that concerns serious sin, they are probably living in the Kingdom of Darkness.”

If you have been involved in the occult, it is important that you repent of the activity as soon as possible.  For Catholics, the Sacraments of Reconciliation and the Eucharist are especially powerful weapons Jesus gave us to overcome this.  Non-Catholics should repent to the Lord, admit to another person their involvement (see entry point 1), and pray for spiritual communion with the Lord.

It is often necessary to renounce evil spirits involved in the occult and to renounce occult itself.  A spiritual director familiar with spiritual bondage can help with this discernment of spirits and help guide through the appropriate renunciations.  Furthermore, a spiritual director can help be a level of accountability as one begins to distance themselves from the familiar ways of the occult to the Way of Jesus Christ.