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Question Title	Posted By	Question Date
Guiding possible New Ager in safe preparation for meditation	Maggie	Wednesday, May 21, 2008
Question: Dear Brother Ignatius, I was approached by the husband of an artist/author from whom I purchase books and materials. He practices meditation, but is not a practicing Catholic. He asserts that God wanted him to contact me and ask me for advice or guidance on his meditation and spiritual life. I have spent years meditating upon the Rosary, as well as other meditations during Holy Hours before the Blessed Sacrament, and I also have aided priests in healing, inner-healing and deliverance, having been a part of a group of prayer teams. I have also studied a great deal about these things, including exorcism, and have had some experience with folks who have been both oppressed and possessed. This fellow who has asked me for guidance says he had called upon the angels in one of his meditations last week, and an old Indian man appeared to him wearing bright, colorful peacock feathers. Now, I know how absolutely literal the evil one is, and one carelessly uttered word may open the door to evil spirits--especially if an individual does not partake of the sacraments, nor is in the state of grace. This "vision," of course, sets off warning bells for me, as perhaps a spirit disguised as a spiritual guide to this fellow. He is very excited about it. There is always a real possibility that God has encouraged this man to write to me in order to ask for guidance, so I do want to do right by Him. I have sent the gentleman a few simple letters regarding the ways of the Holy Spirit, but I need to lay out a prayer/meditation plan for him that can prepare him for meditation with our REAL creator, and not some dead-beat spirit that happens by. I fear that perhaps his calling on the angels, but not specifically calling upon the "holy angels" may have instigated this alleged vision. Perhaps not praying in the Name of God, or Christ, opened him more to darkness as well. Do you possibly have any material that lays out the manner in which an individual may prepare to meditate on only the things of God, emphasizing proper wording, since words do have power, and he may already have had a brush with the evil one? Since he is not Catholic (and very possibly has been attracted to New Age spirituality), perhaps there is something more generalized that non-Catholics may use to ensure that they are addressing only God. Thanks very much for your kindness and time, and for whatever advice you may offer. Many blessings to you and yours, Maggie
Question Answered by Bro. Ignatius Mary, OLSM Dear Maggie: Well, the first thing this man needs to do is to come back into full communion with the Church. Without that he will always be in spiritual danger. He must discipline himself to do only Christian meditation and to reject all other forms. He is unlikely to do that given what you have described. For a Church document that speaks direction to this issue see: On Some Aspects of Christian Meditation. Perhaps you can take that document and use excerpts or re-write parts of it into a form that he will accept. The bottomline, however, is that we should not do forms of meditation that lead us into altered states of consciousness. This is dangerous and opens us to spiritual entities (and those entities will not be God's angels). Indian men or shamans and the like are not visions of God. We are not to empty our minds. This also opens us up to spiritual invasion. What we are to do is to focus, to engage our mind, on Christ. Pray for him about this, but pray more that he will come back to the Church. God Bless, Bro. Ignatius Mary Footer Notes: This forum is for general questions on the faith. See specific Topic Forums below: Spiritual Warfare, demons, the occult go to our Spiritul Warfare Q&S Forum. Liturgy Questions go to our Liturgy and Liturgical Law Q&A Forum Liturgy of the Hours (Divine Office) Questions go to our Divine Office Q&A Forum Defenfing the Faith Questions go to our Defending the Faith Q&A Forum Church History Questions go to our Church History Q&A Forum

Question Title

Posted By

Question Date

Guiding possible New Ager in safe preparation for meditation

Maggie

Wednesday, May 21, 2008

Question:

Dear Brother Ignatius,

I was approached by the husband of an artist/author from whom I purchase books and materials. He practices meditation, but is not a practicing Catholic. He asserts that God wanted him to contact me and ask me for advice or guidance on his meditation and spiritual life.

I have spent years meditating upon the Rosary, as well as other meditations during Holy Hours before the Blessed Sacrament, and I also have aided priests in healing, inner-healing and deliverance, having been a part of a group of prayer teams. I have also studied a great deal about these things, including exorcism, and have had some experience with folks who have been both oppressed and possessed.

This fellow who has asked me for guidance says he had called upon the angels in one of his meditations last week, and an old Indian man appeared to him wearing bright, colorful peacock feathers. Now, I know how absolutely literal the evil one is, and one carelessly uttered word may open the door to evil spirits--especially if an individual does not partake of the sacraments, nor is in the state of grace.

This "vision," of course, sets off warning bells for me, as perhaps a spirit disguised as a spiritual guide to this fellow. He is very excited about it. There is always a real possibility that God has encouraged this man to write to me in order to ask for guidance, so I do want to do right by Him. I have sent the gentleman a few simple letters regarding the ways of the Holy Spirit, but I need to lay out a prayer/meditation plan for him that can prepare him for meditation with our REAL creator, and not some dead-beat spirit that happens by. I fear that perhaps his calling on the angels, but not specifically calling upon the "holy angels" may have instigated this alleged vision. Perhaps not praying in the Name of God, or Christ, opened him more to darkness as well.

Do you possibly have any material that lays out the manner in which an individual may prepare to meditate on only the things of God, emphasizing proper wording, since words do have power, and he may already have had a brush with the evil one? Since he is not Catholic (and very possibly has been attracted to New Age spirituality), perhaps there is something more generalized that non-Catholics may use to ensure that they are addressing only God.

Thanks very much for your kindness and time, and for whatever advice you may offer. Many blessings to you and yours,

Maggie

Question Answered by Bro. Ignatius Mary, OLSM

Dear Maggie:

Well, the first thing this man needs to do is to come back into full communion with the Church. Without that he will always be in spiritual danger. He must discipline himself to do only Christian meditation and to reject all other forms. He is unlikely to do that given what you have described.

For a Church document that speaks direction to this issue see: On Some Aspects of Christian Meditation.

Perhaps you can take that document and use excerpts or re-write parts of it into a form that he will accept.

The bottomline, however, is that we should not do forms of meditation that lead us into altered states of consciousness. This is dangerous and opens us to spiritual entities (and those entities will not be God's angels). Indian men or shamans and the like are not visions of God.

We are not to empty our minds. This also opens us up to spiritual invasion.

What we are to do is to focus, to engage our mind, on Christ.

Pray for him about this, but pray more that he will come back to the Church.

God Bless,
Bro. Ignatius Mary

Footer Notes: This forum is for general questions on the faith. See specific Topic Forums below:
Spiritual Warfare, demons, the occult go to our Spiritul Warfare Q&S Forum.
Liturgy Questions go to our Liturgy and Liturgical Law Q&A Forum
Liturgy of the Hours (Divine Office) Questions go to our Divine Office Q&A Forum
Defenfing the Faith Questions go to our Defending the Faith Q&A Forum
Church History Questions go to our Church History Q&A Forum