The Footprints of the Serpent:Tapping Into The Forces
http://allanturner.com/sample01.html The Footprints of the Serpent:
A critical analysis of the New Age movement and its reflection of Humanism, ancient sorcery, occultism, Eastern religion, Gnosticism, the Human Potential movement, and modern physics
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Tapping Into The Forces
Whether one is practicing some form of occult magic or some form of occult Eastern religion, one will be trying to harness the power of The Force. In Hinduism, the wife of Shiva the Destroyer is named Kali and it is she who is the most feared and revered of the Hindu deities. She is also known as Shakti, which means, "force," and represents the impersonal Force that occultism teaches runs the universe. Incidentally, in witchcraft the Force is called "Mother Nature." This is why many feminist groups are returning to the practice of Wicca or witchcraft (the "old religion"). Witches not only worship the Force, which they believe permeates all of nature, but they rely on it for help as they cast their spells. Those who practice witchcraft tell us that the source of both black and white magic is exactly the same. Any seeming difference is in the mind of the practitioner. This is explained by Anton Szandor LaVey, High Priest of the Church of Satan, in The Satanic Bible:
There is no difference between "White" and "Black" magic, except in the smug hypocrisy, guilt-ridden righteousness. and self-deceit of the "White" magician himself. In the classical religious tradition, "White" magic is performed for altruistic, benevolent, and "good" purposes; while "Black" magic is used for self-aggrandizement, personal power, and "evil" purposes. No one on earth ever pursued occult studies, metaphysics, yoga, or any other "white light" concept, without ego gratification and personal power as a goal. It just so happens that some people enjoy wearing hair shirts, and others prefer velvet or silk. What is pleasure to one, is pain to another, and the same applies to "good" and "evil." Every practitioner of witchcraft is convinced that he or she is doing the "right" thing.17
In Taoism, the impersonal Force that permeates the universe is known as Yang and Yin. As was previously pointed out, Yang is male and good, and Yin is female and evil. According to Taoists, Yang and Yin are simply flip sides of the same Force. By this time it may or may not surprise you to learn that many adult Americans and practically all their children have already been introduced to the impersonal Force that witches worship and Eastern mystics idolize. The "dark" and "light" sides of the Force in the Star Wars movies correspond to both the "black magic" and "white magic" of the witchcraft Force and the "good" and "evil" sides of the Force of Eastern religion. If you saw any of the Star Wars movies, you will recall that the secret of being in touch with the Force was an altered state of consciousness. This is what Dave Hunt had to say about it in his book The Cult Explosion:
Luke Skywalker was coached by Obi-wan Kenobi to let his mind go so the Force could take over. Spirit communication (necromancy) as in a seance was also involved: after Obi-wan died he spoke to Luke from the spirit world. In the final analysis, the Force was greater than technology, which reflects precisely the new consciousness view and the direction that science itself is taking toward a marriage with Eastern mysticism. It was not the sophisticated space machine Luke was flying, but the Force, that enabled him to destroy the Death Star in the end.
Of course that wasn't the end. As we have already noted, Darth Vader's survival was only logical. Why should one side of the force win out over the other? And who can say what the difference is between the "dark" side and the "light"?18
In another book, Mr. Hunt wrote:
The movie "Star Wars" popularized the concept of a Force that permeated the universe, with its dark and light sides, that can be tapped into and used for good and evil. This modern concept of God has generally replaced all past ideas of God or gods. George Lucas [creator of Star Wars] is only one of millions of people who believe in this Force, including many of today's leading scientists [we will have more to say about this in another chapter, AT]: and his film series is an evangelistic tool for converting the world to his belief. This is the basic Hindu-occult philosophy..., and it lies at the heart of the New Age Movement.19
Although I disagree with Dave Hunt on several major points of Bible interpretation, he has done an excellent job in identifying the many different philosophies that have came to make up the New Age movement. As a matter of fact, his book The Seduction Of Christianity: Spiritual Discernment in the Last Days, should be on the required reading list of anyone who wants to know more about the devastating toll New Age thinking has already had on those who think of themselves as Christians. But for the time being, it is time for us to move along in this study.