Challenges to Faith

In Western society, many people have began to move away from faith and claim to hold no religious beliefs. In America, atheism is the fastest growing standpoint on religion. Spiritual and religious people face serious opposition from the anti-religious. The hate that Christians pushed onto those of other religions and even on atheists is now being sent back to the religiously oppressive by the atheists. It is a vicious cycle that must be broken. No matter which side the hatefulness comes from, it is still hate. Hate destroys people and tears lives apart.

The Christian church has failed many people in many ways. Perhaps, the most profound way it has failed is that is has caused people to lose faith. Many churches have led people away from the real meaning of God.

However, there is much to be said about the failures of modern atheism as well. The fact that many mainstream atheists are closed-minded and are refusing to rely even on scientific fact (one of the only weapons in their arsenal) is a disturbing trend. Many atheists refuse to even use sound logic in their own arguments. This in itself, is troubling.

As society becomes more polarized, there are still those who refuse to jump to one extreme or the other. Many of these people include groups such as agnostics, Spiritualists, New Agers, and others. For those who seek their own path, it is imperative that they resist the madness of the heavy debates amongst those who cannot see past their judgement and hate.

The Difference Between Religiousness and Spiritualism

Religious people tend to have a long list of complicated and unnecessary rules for everything. Spiritual people tend to focus on more abstract concepts such as love, community, happiness, friendship, and light. For those who are spiritual, there is no right or wrong path to God. The only thing that could be considered wrong is causing harm to another person; whether directly or indirectly.

Pacifism

Pacifism doesn't just describe an opposition to war or the desire to keep the peace at all costs; it also describes a desire to avoid conflict of all sorts, to promote harmony and good will, and to lift the human spirits through positive thought and action. Pacifism is a trait that is found in many religions but primarily those that focus on spiritual endeavors rather than physical laws or pursuits.

Facing the Challenges to Faith

If someone criticizes your beliefs, simply smile and state "At least I am happy."

Picture Credit goes to Bahman Farzad of Flickr.com

How to Bless a New Home

Blessing a new home is an important step in maintaining household sanctity and good fortune. Household blessings are simple rituals that are meant to bring peace and prosperity to all who dwell in the home while keeping out negative forces.

Ingredients

You will need:

• Dried Basil Leaves
• Dried Sage
• Rock Salt
• A small wooden/earthenware dish
• Candle Lighter
• Two White Candles
• A Wooden Spoon
• Black Salt

Method

Perform this ritual in your sacred garments. If you do not have sacred garments you may perform the ritual sky-clad. Take the black salt and spread it thinly onto all of the openings of the house; window sills, doorways, even the vents. Say "Let no evil or negative forces enter! By the power of Divine Light, I decree this!".

Light two white candles on your altar. Mix the sage, rock salt, and basil in the wooden dish and say "Let this mixture bring peace and prosperity to my home and all those who dwell here." Use the lighter to smudge the mixture. Walk around the entire house, letting the smoke of the mixture touch every corner of the house in every room. In the center of each room, hold the mixture at chest height and say "By the power of the Divine, I bless this room. May only love, light, and peace reside here".

Go back to your altar. Snuff the candles and thank the Divine Light for blessing your home. Thank any angels that you wish to thank as well.

The Meaning of Esoteric Christianity

Esoteric Christianity is what some might call "the true form of Christianity". Unlike mainstream Christianity, which frowns upon ritual magic, the exorcism of demons, and focuses solely on the modern translation of the Christian bible; Esoteric Christianity acknowledges the fact that God created the force that we call "magic" and it is here for our use, courtesy of a fair and loving God who wanted us to seek after his knowledge.

Esoteric Christianity is a very uncommon religion and it's beliefs are held by very few in this time period, known as the attention age. It is considered a mystery religion. Many esoteric Christians believe that God is neither male nor female. An omnipotent being has no need to reproduce and therefore, no need for gender. Esoteric Christians as well as Spiritualists, and New Agers begin their prayers with "Father-Mother God" to acknowledge that God is both a father and a mother, but holds no true gender.

Elements

Esoteric Christianity consists of the following key elements:

• Ritual magic using items such as incense, candles, and herbs. Divine magic is called theurgy while demonic magic is called goetia.
• Prayer to God (the ultimate deity) and to angels.
• The invocation of angels and evocation of demons.
• A scholarly mindset. One must desire to seek after hidden truths.

Controversy

Esoteric Christianity faces quite a bit of controversy. Mainstream Christianity completely rejects the ideas that are a part of the Esoteric Christian faith. Because of the fact that esoteric Christianity is considered a mystery religion, it has often incorrectly been lumped in with the occult. It's important to note that while many occultists hold an "anything goes" mentality in terms of magic and deeds, Esoteric Christians only practice divine or "white" magic and use it only for the purpose of benefiting themselves or others.

Who Were the Nephilim? Part 1

The modern Christian bible only mentions the Nephilim twice. Yet, the question of who or what the Nephilim really were continues to puzzle religious scholars to date. Unfortunately, in the modern Christian bible, this is all we get:

1. Genesis 6:4
   The Nephilim were on the earth in those days—and also afterward—when the sons of God went to the daughters of men and had children by them. They were the heroes of old, men of renown.
   Genesis 6:3-5 (in Context) Genesis 6 (Whole Chapter)
2. Numbers 13:33
   We saw the Nephilim there (the descendants of Anak come from the Nephilim). We seemed like grasshoppers in our own eyes, and we looked the same to them."
   Numbers 13:32-33 (in Context) Numbers 13 (Whole Chapter)

Source: BibleGateway.com

Why is it that the Christian bible says very little about the nephilim? Sadly, not very many people know. Perhaps, the answer to that question lies within the practices of the early church. The first Christians took into consideration all holy texts from their land of Israel. However, as time progressed and the order of Christianity became more and more complex, they strayed away from the original teachings of Jesus.

Several books of the bible were removed such as the book of Enoch, the book of Jubilees, and the book of Adam and Eve; until all that were left were the books that we see in the bible today. If you've ever wondered why some parts of the bible don't make much sense or don't elaborate enough on important details, such as the Adam and Eve story, look to the lost books.

The book of Enoch is an excellent source to find information about the nephilim. It also speaks of Christian mysticism, which is looked down upon by the modern mainstream Christian church. This could explain why the book was removed, along with several other important texts such as the book of Adam and Eve and the book of Jubilees.

The nephilim were obviously giants as stated in the following passage:

6. Thou seest what Azâzêl hath done, who hath taught all unrighteousness on earth and revealed the eternal secrets which were (preserved) in heaven, which men were striving to learn: 7. And Semjâzâ, to whom Thou hast given authority to bear rule over his associates. 8. And they have gone to the daughters of men upon the earth, and have slept with the women, and have defiled themselves, and revealed to them all kinds of sins. 9. And the women have borne giants, and the whole earth has thereby been filled with blood and unrighteousness. Enoch 9: 6-9

From this passage alone we can see that there were a few angels that God placed in charge of the others. They even have names! These are the angels that fell along with their associates for creating the giants known as the nephilim. The only part of this passage that is a bit confusing is the second part of the last verse. What could Enoch have meant when he stated that the earth was filled with "blood and unrighteousness"?

Some scholars have interpreted this to mean that the nephilim were cannibals. Others have interpreted it to mean that the nephilim were violent and evil creatures. Few scholars take a less literal stance on this passage. Perhaps, when Enoch is referring to "blood and unrighteousness" he is referring metaphorically to the chaos that the giants have wreaked on human society. After all, such large creatures could threaten food supplies and place regular humans in danger of starvation. However, this is all speculation so it isn't counted as fact.

To be continued...

The Interaction of Angels & Humans: A Global Perspective

Angels are mentioned across a variety of different cultures but are not always called angels. A helpful spirit, a friendly stranger, or an animal that helped someone out are all examples of potential angel-human encounters.

In the West, where Christianity is a dominant religion, angels are considered helpful beings that are sent by God to assist humans with various tasks. They can even save peoples' lives!

In the East, encounters with friendly but disappearing strangers are reported as well.

Identifying an angel can be difficult if you don't really know who or what angels are. Rather than focusing solely on the Christian or Western interpretation of angelic beings, this article will focus on angels across a variety of cultures. Obtaining a global perspective of angels and their specific tasks can help you identify angels in your day-to-day life.

Angels Around the World

All around the world, angels help people each day. Their tasks can range from small missions such as helping someone avoid an accident to large tasks such as bringing back the dead. Yes, people do come back from the other side; but only if it isn't their time to go.

Angels also protect people from negative forces of nature, also commonly referred to as demons. While direct human encounters with demons are slightly more rare, they do happen. Many people have reported feeling that their was something else in their body or doing things that they were not conscious of. Angels combat these forces all of the time but humans can also do their part to assist them.

In some monotheistic religions that accept the use of magic, such as Spiritualism and New Age, it can be considered common to summon angels from their heavenly realms. Summoning angels is no easy task, however, and some might argue that this practice is controversial.

Angels and humans interact all of the time. Chances are, you will meet at least one angel every day and not even know it. No matter what part of the world you're in, angels are everywhere.

In conclusion, there are many ways to interact with angels. You can summon them, pray to them, pray with them, see them in their human form unaware of their presence, or see them through clairvoyance. Be sure that you are emitting positive energy as that is the best way to attract them.

The True Form of Angels

I'm sure that all of us have wondered what angels look like. There are many different interpretations of angels' appearance. Angels can take on a human form but it's important to bear in mind that their human form is not their true form. Each class of angels - cherubs, thrones, etc. have a different appearance. Just as there are different races of people, each with their own unique characteristics; there are also various races of angels that are distinguishable from one another.

In the West, angels are depicted as winged, human-like creatures, usually with a fair complexion and maybe even with a glow around them. However, not all angels have wings and not all are fair in complexion.

When angels are in their true form, they are invisible to most people. I say most people because some people have the special gift of being able to see them, also known as clairvoyance. Angels are made up of many colors that are invisible to the spectrum of light that we humans can see. The study of advanced color theory explains this beautifully. Angels are made up of several fascinating colors. If angels made themselves visible in their true form, they would look similar to a multi-colored aurora. Now imagine the lights of the aurora taking the shape of a person, animal, or other recognizable being or object.

Ultimately, angels can choose whether or not they want to make themselves visible to human beings. The most common human view of angels is when the angelic beings take human form. Those with clairvoyance may be able to see them in their true form but this is always for a purpose. Whether they are seen or unseen, all angels have one goal in mind; helping humanity in whatever way that they can.

The Purpose Behind the Studies

The topic of metaphysics in and of itself is an academic rarity in the modern world. However, there are some areas within metaphysics that are rarely explored as well. One of these areas is a personal favorite of mine. I've been devoted to angelology, also known as the study of angels, since I was a child. One small sliver of the pie really fascinated me more than anything I could have ever imagined; the study of the Nephilim.

The Nephilim were an ancient race of hybrids that were supposedly tall in stature as well as cannibalistic. However, while some texts state that the Nephilim were cannibals others state that they were simply large and their diet was very similar to the diet of the average human, only that they ate much more than the average human ever could.

There are several theories on what the Nephilim really were. I happen to be one of the few modern meta-physicists that believes they were a hybrid race; the result of a human-angel coupling. For who else, could the sons of God really be? How could mere human beings create a race of giants? Is it so hard to believe that angels can fall into the very temptation that humans can? After all, no one but the Divine is truly perfect.

For brevity's sake I am going to end my argument there. My reasons for studying these subjects are slightly self-indulgent. In a way I feel led, as though this is one of my callings and it is also something that I am very passionate about. Enjoy reading my journey through the study of metaphysics.