To see the symbols:
http://www.crossroad.to/Books/symbols1.html"In the world of the occult, many symbols are imbued with power by the magician working in conjunction with the demonic spirit world. The Wiccan leader Starhawk, founder of the Covenant of the Goddess, knows that well. "To cast a spell is to project energy through a symbol," she wrote in The Spiral Dance, her popular manual for witchcraft.
Since the occult use of symbols have spread like epidemic across the Western world, we want to exercise caution. Therefore, when we began to add pictures to the original list of symbols, we decided to leave out certain images – particularly satanic symbols that obviously represent evil. Though many were already familiar to children in public schools, we didn’t want to risk implanting those images on a child’s mind. (We will explain why in another note.) We also left out the theosophical symbol, some of the more complex masonic symbols, and other symbols typically used for magic and alchemy. To explain, let me share an important lesson I learned about five years ago.
I was speaking at a Bay Area Sunday School Convention (BASS) in California on the topic, "The Unholy Power of Charms and Symbols." Parents and teachers were still crowding into the small auditorium, when I began showing transparencies of simple symbols such as the yin-yang, the peace symbol, and the ankh. We discussed why these symbols were important to people long ago – and why their popularity has skyrocketed today.
Then we looked at more universal symbols such as the pentagram, the lightening bolt, the sun, and the circle -- including the Wiccan quartered circle, the Native American medicine wheel, and the Buddhist wheel of life. "Why are they considered universal?" I asked. "What mythical themes do they echo from around the world? Why are they so important to multicultural education?" (We will post a chapter from A Twist of Faith which answers these questions.)
Finally, we looked at compound symbols. (You can see an example at the end of the current list of symbols.) The day before the conference, I had been searching for a particular combination of symbols found in a Theosophical emblem. By the time I did find it, it was too late to put it on a transparency. Then I had made a foolish decision: I prepared to draw the occult image onto the transparency in front of the class.
Putting the clear transparency on the projector, I drew a large circle, then added two overlapping triangles (one pointing up, one pointing down), forming a hexagram. I began to fill in various single symbols: the pentagram, swastika…. Suddenly, something dark and heavy hit me in the chest. For a moment I lost both my balance and my breath, then, in a flash, I knew what was happening. I had unwittingly performed an occult ritual common to Buddhist and Native Americans traditions as well as to medieval alchemy. By the very act of drawing the symbols, I had invoked a spiritual entity.
Still in front of the crowd and the microphone, I cried out, " "Forgive me, Lord! Cover me with your blood. In the name of Jesus Christ, I declare Your victory over the evil one. In You, we are 'more than conquerors!' Thank you, Jesus, my Lord and my King!"
I apologized to the audience, asking their forgiveness for imposing on them a ritual that brought forth this evil. Then we all thanked God for His lesson and protection.
As fast as the demonic entity came, it was gone. Among the people gathered around me afterwards was a woman who said, "I think I know what happened to you. While you were drawing that symbol, the man sitting next to me was moving his hands in strange ways and murmuring something as if he was casting a spell. He may have come to bring occult interference."
It didn’t surprise me. I have often encountered challenges when I address these topics in public places. But God has always used it for good, giving me answers on the spot as well as ongoing opportunities to share with them God’s truth and wisdom.
Only God knows exactly what happened. But His Word is full of warnings concerning any participation in the works of darkness. If I opened the door to evil interference through my foolish demonstration, a servant of Satan could surely work with the evil one to enhance his work. God, who promises never to give Satan more reigns than His love allows, will still allow the painful consequences needed for our training in obedience.
Though we fellowship at a small, non-charismatic, non-denominational Bible church, God has often put me in places where I have had to help those who were trapped in occult bondage. Through these lessons, I have learned to look with sober caution at the power of evil. Yet, all the more, I praise my Lord for His continual protection and faithfulness
As our nation slides back toward paganism, God’s people need to understand the increasing influence, trickery, and cruelty of the evil one – while always thanking and following our God, whose power is far greater. Therefore, I plead with all of you to exercise great caution when confronted with any sign of Satan’s work. Please read the section on God's armor, and remember that we leave the "breastplate of righteousness" behind when we go where He tells us not to go. For the armor that covers us is the very life of Jesus, our Lord. Walking with Him in His ways, we are always safe."
Verses: 1 Corinthians 10:18-22; 2 Corinthians 6:14; Deuteronomy 4:15-24; Deuteronomy 32:16-19; 2 Thessalonians 2:7-12
To see the symbols:
http://www.crossroad.to/Books/symbols1.html
