thesoulpurposedotorg

“The intuitive gift is a sacred gift and the rational mind it’s faithful servant.” Albert Einstein

Over the last several decades, I’ve watched with interest the various manifestations of New Age practices. I remember the first time I was introduced to the use of the pendulum to discern energy flow or to answer “yes” and “no” questions. I found it quite amazing but remained skeptical. I know many people who use Tarot cards and have palm readings, energy readings, and chakra readings. I’ve always been quite skeptical, in part because the teachings of my youth taught that such things were an abomination to God. I’m not so sure about that. When someone is sincerely seeking to know and communicate with the eternal, I believe God’s mercy and grace is greater than what we know or perceive. I also am quite sure that such things cannot be relied upon and can be the source of much confusion.
It seems that many people are naturally superstitions. Listening to the Fresh Air program on NPR, Getting the Shmooz on Yiddish yesterday, I heard an interview with a Yiddish expert. He gave numerous examples of practices and curses in Yiddish that were originally meant to ward off the “evil eye.” This includes the smashing of a glass at the end of a Jewish wedding ceremony, the thinking being that if you make something bad happen, it will trick the “evil eye” to look elsewhere.
I admit to using necklace as a pendulum just to see what would happen once or twice. Sure enough, the necklace swung slowly at first and then in an increasing arch in response to my “Yes” and “No” questions. I found this funny, remembering that my son once explained to me the unconscious source of this swinging being communicated from my hands to the necklace. Basically, the “pendulum” is telling the person holding it what they want to hear.
I believe the increasing phenomena of turning to ancient and pagan religious practices speaks of an often unconscious hunger for the Holy. Clearly most of reality is beyond our five sense perception. What our five senses perceive is frightening these days, is it not? The practice of meditation is a most time-honored, Christ-like way of tuning into the holy. It isn’t a quick “read” or a parlor game. It is a way of tuning the body, mind and spirit to receive what the Spirit has for us.
This is my transliteration of John 16:12-13. I refer to the Spirit in the feminine case because the word in the original languages is a feminine noun.

“I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. When the Spirit of truth comes, she will guide you into all the truth; for the Spirit of Truth will not speak on her own, but will speak whatever the Spirit hears, and this Spirit of Truth will declare to you the things that are to come.”

The practice of the presence of God fine tunes our body, mind and spirit that we might receive the Spirit of Truth and learn to discern the spirits of confusion. The gifts that come from this are gifts of grace and cannot be manipulated. In those most beautiful words of St. Paul in the book of Romans:

For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.