Church Doctrines
Many people mistakenly believe that their church teaches against magick. That isn't quite right. You have to understand what exactly the scriptures are referring to and what magick really is.
The Bible is full of magick, from Genesis to Revelations. But to understand the cautions included in the Bible, you have to understand the history of it.
The Old Testament has several verses in it that people take out of context to conclude that magick is against the Bible. When you read those, you should not only include everything said before and after, but you should know why they were written and to whom.
Let's examine a few of them in depth.
Witchcraft and Sorcery
First there is a familiar verse we have heard over and over: "Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live". Then there is the admonition against familiar spirits.
Let's put these in context. You have to remember that the Bible is based on the Torah- the sacred book of the Jews. This book was written concerning how Jews should live and act. It was their principles that separated them from the world around them, where people lived differently, and had different understandings of how their world worked - much like today.
The religions of that time were mostly matriarchal - as opposed to the patriarchal path of the Jews. Most revered a Goddess and then a God - the way their ancestors had done for centuries. They had religious rites that the Jews didn't understand.
Primarily the laws were given by a priest, or by Moses. They, as most religious ministers even today will say about their own perceptions or prophecies, received these laws from Jehovah, or God. However, the rules were created to govern their society and to lead them in a path that would be best for their nation and religion. You have to remember that Israel was and still is a Theocracy.
The entire book of Exodus contained many laws to tell them how they must live now that they were leaving Egypt. It included not eating certain foods that were known to be contaminated - like pork and scavenger fish.
Exodus 10 is where the verse (about killing witches) came from but it referred directly to certain practices among the surrounding nations and religions. The Jewish priests didn't want other religions to permeate and undermine their own religion.
You also have to remember that the Bible as we know it today was interpreted from the originals into other languages including English. The climate at the time was the Inquisition and many people were killed with accusations of witchcraft.
The Burning Times was a terrible time in our history. The writers of the day often interpreted words they didn't understand according to the social climate of that time. Later writers kept those original mistakes and people believe them to be law.
There is a wonderful website that explains this in full: http://biblehub.com/topical/w/witchcraft.htm
One paragraph reads as follows:
One paragraph reads as follows:
"Since the ideas we attach to "witch" and "witchcraft" were unknown in Bible times, the words have no right place in our English Bible, and this has been recognized to some extent but not completely by the Revisers of 1884. The word "witch" occurs twice in the King James Version, namely, (1) in Exodus 22:18, "Thou shalt not suffer a witch (the Revised Version (British and American) "a sorceress") to live"; (2) in Deuteronomy 18:10, "or a witch" (the Revised Version (British and American) "or a sorcerer"). The Hebrew word is in both cases the participle of the verb (kishsheph), denoting "to practice the magical article." See MAGIC, V, 2. In the first passage, however, the feminine ending (-ah) is attached, but this ending denotes also one of a class and (on the contrary) a collection of units; see Kautzsch, Hebrew Grammar 28, section 122,s,t."
(Kautzsch was an interpreter of the Hebrew language. Some of his work can be found on the internet:
wikisource: about his work and his book 27. I was unable to find his book 28, but all in all, this is an interesting read. Also interesting is that it was interpreted into English by A.E. Crowley)
wikisource: about his work and his book 27. I was unable to find his book 28, but all in all, this is an interesting read. Also interesting is that it was interpreted into English by A.E. Crowley)
About familiar spirits, the Bible is quite clear what it means. This means a person possessed by an evil spirit or someone who summons a spirit- evil or not. It refers directly to the oracles and summoners and other people who had the gift of prophecy who weren't Jews. It directly related to the other religions around them and was pretty much a biased belief.
Like many religious leaders today, when the Jewish prophets prophesied, they got their gift directly from God. If any other people did the same, they must have gotten theirs from an evil spirit. The early Jews didn't understand the ways that other people used their abilities so they were afraid of them.
Another thing the Bible teaches against is willful contact with the dead. The dead don't want to be disturbed. If they have something to tell you, they will come to you. Most magickal teachings include a warning against summoning the dead or unknown spirits. This can be a dangerous practice.
The Bible and Sacrifices
Magick and its practice is all throughout the Bible starting in Genesis. It was interesting to note in the story of Cain and Abel in Genesis 4, that when it came to an offering to God, Cain, who was a farmer, a grower of crops, offered his first fruits to God and was rejected. God apparently didn't value the fruits and vegetables. He wanted blood.
Abel killed a lamb and was immediately accepted. The people around them offered similar sacrifices. Some offered crops, and others offered blood- sometimes human blood. Usually the people who offered crops were matriarchal and seemed to abhor bloodshed. (Not all- there were some bloodthirsty goddesses too.)
I find it interesting to hear Christians talk about "heathens" making blood sacrifices. They seem to find the practice abhorrent. Yet they gladly recount how Abraham prepared to offer his son Isaac as a sacrifice and just in time a lamb showed up to take his place. Then they relate this story to Jesus as the son of God who was the lamb that took our place.
I can understand that Christ gave His life so that a new religion could be born. After all, when He died, the veil that hid the "Holiest of Holies" was ripped from top to bottom, a sure sign that the old religion was no longer relevant to Christians.
With the new movement, no more little doves, lambs and goats would have to die. Seems He cared more for the animals than the God of the Old Testament did.
I do understand that Jesus was often referred to as the Lamb of God because He was destined to become die. The reference was clearly made to the practice of blood sacrifice of the Jews and how this new religion would change all of that.
The Influence of other Cultures
Most of the religions of that time worshiped a dual deity. They also had statues of their gods - which were called idols. The Judaic religion chose to separate itself from other cultures of the day by forbidding such statues.
Two cultures seemed to have influenced Judaic religious practices immensely- Egyptian because of years of captivity, and Babylonian because of the next years of captivity. The Jewish leaders were well versed in their ways - Moses because he was raised by the Egyptian royal family and others from direct contact with the Babylonian culture while in captivity.
In both cultures, there were a few things they liked, and other things they abhorred. I found particularly interesting the similarities between ancient Jewish practices and the ancient Babylonian practices- in reference to the "holiest of holies". In Babylonian practices, the priests were the only ones who could go behind a veil to pray to the gods. In the Jewish religion, it was the same. In both religions, the area behind the veil was referred to as the Holiest of Holies.
The Bible and Predictions
Let's look at the second chapter of Acts. It speaks of a miracle that happened on the day of Pentecost- which was a Jewish holy day. It states that the people were gathered in a small room. They sat together "in one mind and one accord". They were praying.
There was suddenly a rush of wind and they perceived little flames above their heads. Some began to speak in other languages. They got pretty excited, loud enough that passers-by could hear them.
At the time of the happening, as was the custom of Judaic holy days, there were people there from all nations. The Jews even in those times were spread out among other countries. Some of them barely spoke Jewish. So when they heard what was happening, they rushed to the scene.
They were amazed to hear their own languages spoken by some lowly Jews- mostly poor, uneducated and considered not the best of people. After all, Galileans were kind of looked down on back then. So they wanted to know what this meant.
Some said they were possibly drunk. I am sure that was only the nicest thing they said. However, Apostle Peter had a different explanation:
Acts 2:14- 22:
"14 But Peter, standing up with the eleven, lifted up his voice, and said unto them, Ye men of Judaea, and all ye that dwell at Jerusalem, be this known unto you, and hearken to my words:
15 For these are not drunken, as ye suppose, seeing it is but the third hour of the day.
16 But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel;
17 And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams:
18 And on my servants and on my handmaidens I will pour out in those days of my Spirit; and they shall prophesy:
19 And I will shew wonders in heaven above, and signs in the earth beneath; blood, and fire, and vapour of smoke:
20 The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before that great and notable day of the Lord come:
21 And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved.
22 Ye men of Israel, hear these words; Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by him in the midst of you, as ye yourselves also know:"
This was a direct quote from the Old Testament: Joel chapter 2:28-32
28 And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions:
29 And also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out my spirit.
30 And I will shew wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke.
31 The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and the terrible day of the LORD come.
32 And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the LORD shall be delivered: for in mount Zion and in Jerusalem shall be deliverance, as the LORD hath said, and in the remnant whom the LORD shall call.
Not only does this chapter in Joel speak of the coming disasters that worry everyone, but it speaks of visions, dreams and prophecies that everyone can do. And other scriptures in the Bible speak of things that seem like miracles such as the parting of the Red Sea, walking on water, seeing a bush on fire but not burning, animals that actually talked.
There are those who say, no, those were just perceptions- especially the part where the donkey and the snake talked. However, if you take part of the Bible as literal truth, you have to take it as the whole thing being literal. You can't pick and choose parts of it and say this is real and this isn't.
Truth and Interpretation
The one thing that people don't realize is that truth is open to interpretation. Yes you can take it literally and not care about the fact that the original wording was not even close to what we read today. Or you can dig deeper for the real truth hidden in the words.
To do this, you must take the writings in context with the culture of the day and realize what they meant back then. Then you have to relate them to what we know and how we live today. To do this, you have to either be willing to look up an interpretation of questionable words, or go study the original Hebrew for the Old Testament and Greek for the New Testament.
Words when accurately translated from other languages mean very different things from what we often see written in the Bible. That is because some words were difficult if not impossible to translate. The writer had to translate it based on his own perception or culture. It was all he had to go on.
Faith and Natural Forces
Still, you can find the use of natural forces to affect one's personal life and atmosphere all throughout the Bible. They are stated rather clearly and often, as appropriate to the culture and religion, talk about "calling on God" and "waiting on the Lord".
The Bible tells you that if you have the faith of a grain of a mustard seed, you can say to a mountain, "be removed," and it will be. (Luke 17:6). We are also told that God knows our need before it is even asked and will take care of us. (Matthew 6:26-34)
Jesus also told us that greater things than he did, we can also do if we just have the faith. (John 14:12). What exactly did He do?
Well, let's see. There was the time he fed a whole crowd with two little fish and five loaves of bread. (Luke 9:16 and Matthew 15:34).
He made the lame to walk, cast out evil spirits, and even raised the dead. (John 11). He turned water into wine. (John 2). And He knew before it even happened who would betray Him and how they would do it. (Matthew 26). He also knew that Peter would deny him. (Matthew 26:24).
So if you look at the life of Jesus, you will find many wonderful works that fit our definition of magick- bending nature to our will by the use of natural laws and forces.
You might say "but what Jesus did was supernatural". Really? What is supernatural?
According to the dictionary it is: "1.
of, relating to, or being above or beyond what is natural; unexplainable by natural law or phenomena; abnormal.
2.
of, pertaining to, characteristic of, or attributed to God or a deity.
3.
of a superlative degree; preternatural:
a missile of supernatural speed.
4.
of, relating to, or attributed to ghosts, goblins, or other unearthly beings; eerie; occult."
Please note - "above or beyond what is natural. " But was what He did unnatural? I don't think so. Not once did He or any of the people in the Old or New Testament state that what they did was beyond the laws of nature.
Every teaching in His ministry, from "what you sew, so shall you reap", to how to not worry and live in the moment, letting the future take care of itself, was all about explaining how natural law that the creator of the universe put into place at the beginning of time, had rules that we must not break and was there to take care of us, the creation.
Every teaching in the Bible speaks of our obligation to the Earth and that we need to take care of both the plants and the animals. It also teaches us how to become more spiritual so that we can experience the beauty of the magick all around us and within us. Magick has many names. One of them is Nature.
Sorcerers and Magicians
The Bible often speaks of the sorcerers and magicians of other cultures. It also mentions the rituals of other religions. It claims that the Jewish prophets had the exact same power. For instance, in Exodus 7, it describes a confrontation between the Pharaoh and Moses.
It starts with Moses showing his own brand of magick:
Exodus 7:7-12
7 And Moses was fourscore years old, and Aaron fourscore and three years old, when they spake unto Pharaoh.
8 And the LORD spake unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying,
9 When Pharaoh shall speak unto you, saying, Shew a miracle for you: then thou shalt say unto Aaron, Take thy rod, and cast it before Pharaoh, and it shall become a serpent.
10 And Moses and Aaron went in unto Pharaoh, and they did so as the LORD had commanded: and Aaron cast down his rod before Pharaoh, and before his servants, and it became a serpent.
11 Then Pharaoh also called the wise men and the sorcerers: now the magicians of Egypt, they also did in like manner with their enchantments.
12 For they cast down every man his rod, and they became serpents: but Aaron's rod swallowed up their rods.
One must note that back then, people lived way over 100 years. Some lived over 1000. Seems they had plenty of time to perfect their art and grow their spirituality. Moses and Aaron were in the prime of their lives at 80 and 83 when they took over the exodus of the people from Egypt.
To deny the use of magick is to deny the very essence of the Bible. It exudes magick from almost every page. You will find it in every book and almost every chapter.
The Psalms are full of magick- from telling you how to live so that you will enjoy protection and abundance, to how to ask for vengeance. It even tells how David called down God Himself to avenge him - a very powerful story in Psalms 18.
So before you begin to think that people who practice forms of magick are evil and against the Bible, before you think those who predict things today are evil, read your Bible. Ask for a revelation as you do so. You may find your eyes opened in a unique, seemingly miraculous way.
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