Monday, February 19, 2007
VASSULA RYDEN
I've been writing about Rosicrucianism/neo-Catharism. I've also written about the dangers on the right in Roman Catholicism. Vassula Ryden would appear to be a good example of both.
In her website is a description of angelic contact:
In the beginning one of the first things my guardian angel put on paper was a drawing of a heart; from the centre of the heart he drew a rose as though it was growing out from the heart. Then gently and still to my great astonishment he introduced himself as my guardian angel, Daniel.
Ryden engages in "automatic writing", and a sample of the handwriting can be seen here. Who does the writing? Here is what the website has to say:
The messages given to Vassula are written by her in a stately handwriting - distinct from her own - as she allows her hand to be supernaturally guided.
Many adults, including Vassula herself, have asked whether this is Jesus' actual handwriting. Jesus' answer was that it was not His handwriting, otherwise it would be perfect. But He always says, "Vassula allow Me to use your hand," or "listen and write......" Like many sacred mysteries, it is not easy to grasp this one fully, but it might be helpful to many if we share some of the observations that Vassula and Fr. O'Carroll have made at various times.
Another paragraph in the website is also interesting for the various visionaries mentioned by her champion Father O'Carroll:
Father O'Carroll makes this observation:... "Others, like Maria Conception de Armida, Adrienne von Speyr and, St. Bridget (Birgitta) of Sweden have taken dictation from the Lord. Vassula's case is singular in that the handwriting is directly controlled. We have the transcription of an intensely personal experience of Jesus Christ with the assurance that He was involved down to the physical element of putting the words on paper." Vassula also describes it as, having her hand 'enraptured' as when a visionary is in a state of whole-body rapture or ecstasy.
Angelic contact and automatic writing are Rosicrucian spiritual techniques. Angelic invocations are described by Alex Sumner in the "Journal of the Western Mystery Tradition", No. 10, Vol. 1, 2006, in which he describes the activities of
Rosicrucian Frederick Hockley. There seems to be little difference between his activities and those of Vassula Ryden.
Ryden seems to have chiefly an oriental following. There are numerous pictures of Ryden with various Eastern Orthodox priests in the Image Gallery. Click the link for "True Life in God Ecumenical Pilgrimage 2005" to see some of them in a pop-up window.
Mark Waterinckx has researched the position of the Roman Catholic Church on Vassula Ryden. You can read the entire text of his research here. It includes the official church documents from the Bishop of Sion-Switzerland and the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. It also includes some analysis of the doctrinal errors in her writings. It concludes with the following:
Vassula is a medium, someone who is in touch with an evil spirit (demon) who dictates so called messages to her, in the New Age style. Her Jesus talks about a united church, in much the same way as freemasonry does.
What will you choose, the farcical unity of Vassula, who refuses to obey the Roman Catholic Church, or the Church founded by Christ and entrusted to St Peter?
