Friday, September 29, 2006
TANTRA, TAROT, AND THE HOLY GUARDIAN ANGEL
Chaos magician Phil Hine reviews SEX, MAGIC, TANTRA & TAROT by Christopher S. Hyatt and Lon Milo Duquette (Grand Master of Ordo Templi Orientis). From the review:
Sex Magic, Tantra & Tarot was formerly known as ‘The Way of the Secret Lover’. Like Secrets of Western Tantra, it draws heavily on the symbolism of the Tarot, the work of Aleister Crowley, the rituals of the Golden Dawn and other ‘standards’ of the Western Esoteric Tradition in order to provide a framework for progress and development. A central theme here is that the Holy Guardian Angel can be identified with the so-called ‘Secret Lover’.(Emphasis mine - ct)
"The Way" Hmmm. Strange, don't you think, that John Paul II's favorite theologian would write a forword (now afterword in the latest edition) for a book about the tarot? Especially when that favorite theologian had his own favorite medium who listened to angels.
Brings to mind Fr. Andrew Greeley's book ANGEL FIRE which was about an interaction with an angel, complete with sexual overtones. It was disturbing when I read it several years ago, and that's probably why I remember it.
I see that Greeley has a new angel book out--CONTACT WITH AN ANGEL. Looks like he travels further down the road he started with ANGEL FIRE, but since I haven't read it, I can only make the assumption based on the excerpt at this website.
Guardian angels are getting around! And they are getting a whole new image.
O.T.O. researcher P. R. Koenig places angelic sexual contact within Manicheanism:
In Manichaeanism matter is seen as evil, the world a place of decay. Although many Manichaean scriptures enjoin asceticism (no meat, sex, or marriage), there are some that preach the opposite. It is a firmly held tenet in all Manichaean doctrine, however, that angels may copulate with spiritual rulers called Archons to lose their evil restrictions; through the unification of good with evil, souls are cleansed, and what remains over may be"given to all the species of the Earth."
Heresy, it seems, never dies, and so the question remains on the table--How does one make contact with and listen to angels and avoid making contact with the angels of the Satanists? What is the criteria of separation, if there is one? When we pray to angels, which angels respond? We have the names of only four, as Fr. Euteneuer explained.
According to "An Introduction to Chaos Magick" by Adrian Savage, Crowley:
...proclaimed the goal of the Magician to be "the attainment of the knowledge and conversation of the Holy Guardian Angel," the fulfillment of his "true will," and the realization of his own divinity.
We have chaos within Roman Catholicism. Is it chaos magick derived from these forbidden practices?
I think any Catholic who messes around with angels in the present climate of occultism that America and the web provide, had better beware, particularly in the light of the ideas that have crept into Catholicism via the monastic orders and orders of women religious, where witchcraft and Gurdjieffian spirituality can be found.
An article by Mary Drahos titled "Angels of the New Age Kind" describes the disguises that angels come in today:
Many New Agers say that their angelic informants tell them that, through the ages, people have had a very false impression of fallen angels. Lucifer, for example, "has been identified in our mind as the devil, instead of an aspect of God dedicated to our growth by helping us strengthen our spiritual muscles," we are told. He is the "Light Bearer" who teaches about the necessity of life's dark side.
This reminds us of the words of St. Paul, "Even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. It comes as no surprise that his ministers disguise themselves as ministers of the justice of God. But their end will correspond to their deeds" (2 Cor 11:14-15).
Satan and the other fallen angels are very smooth con artists. Satan can assume an air of sanctity and act as though his were the noblest of motives-- a real gentleman, as Shakespeare put it.
She also outlines the criteria of discernment:
We can discern New Age angels by applying Jesus's classic test, "By their fruits you shall know them." The kingdom of darkness is always in opposition, camouflaging its intentions. Evil spirits are sent in the guise of good angels.
A typical New Age view is that "Our angels tell us the future is now," we read in a New Age book authored by Alma Daniel, Timothy Wyllie and Andrew Ramer. "Talking with our angels, connecting with the divinity within us, elevates our personal awareness, which in turn improves our lives and circumstances."
By contrast, good angels know that only through Jesus is our salvation assured and our perfection in God possible when our earthly life ends. Angels work diligently, leading us to an ever closer union with Our Lord and Savior.
Judging by fruits is always in season, but it leaves us vulnerable up front. We can't know the fruits without first experiencing the deception. Best to leave unfamiliar spirituality alone until all concerns are satisfied. Praying to angels is a help to the spiritual life, not a necessity. Stay with the tried and true Tradition of the Church down through the ages, and shun novelties like the Cabbala and contacting your Guardian Angel. We know about Gabriel, Raphael, and Michael. We know we have a guardian angel, but not the angel's name. Take it at that and leave it at that. As every mother tells her child, "Better to be safe than sorry."
Our Lady of Fatima, pray for us!
