Is it possible to meditate and have spirit animal guides and still be a Christian?
-Paladin
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Shamanism
- Thread starter Paladin14
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Kinda like a spiritual seeing eye dog huh. hehehe
I don't think I go any farther than this..
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I think you will end up with a lot of problems you didn't plan for. (Besides hair on the stairway to Heaven and chewed up shoes speeding the gospel of peace.)
If you study global reports of people who used spirit guides, you will find many stories of mixed results and willful spirits. People are helped in the beginning, become dependent, and then are troubled by being harmed by the spirits.... still trying to appease them.
Meditation can be fairly innocuous if you are just relaxing and reflecting. But when you start asking spirits for help, you should realize you may get what you ask for.
Throughout the Bible, God speaks against people consulting other sources for help. There are plenty of supernatural beings in God's kingdom that will help you, without conditions or risks.
If you study global reports of people who used spirit guides, you will find many stories of mixed results and willful spirits. People are helped in the beginning, become dependent, and then are troubled by being harmed by the spirits.... still trying to appease them.
Meditation can be fairly innocuous if you are just relaxing and reflecting. But when you start asking spirits for help, you should realize you may get what you ask for.
Throughout the Bible, God speaks against people consulting other sources for help. There are plenty of supernatural beings in God's kingdom that will help you, without conditions or risks.
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Here are some bible verses that relate to the kind of thing I think you are talking about.
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sorcery: the use of power gained from the assistance or control of evil spirits especially for divining : necromancy
Leviticus 19:26
‘You shall not eat anything with the blood, nor shall you practice divination or soothsaying.
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Leviticus+19:25-27&version=NKJV
Acts 16:16 Now it happened, as we went to prayer, that a certain slave girl possessed with a spirit of divination met us, who brought her masters much profit by fortune-telling. 17 This girl followed Paul and us, and cried out, saying, “These men are the servants of the Most High God, who proclaim to us the way of salvation.” 18 And this she did for many days.
But Paul, greatly annoyed, turned and said to the spirit, “I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her.” And he came out that very hour.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Divination: Divination (from Latin divinare "to foresee, to be inspired by a god",[2] related to divinus, divine) is the attempt to gain insight into a question or situation by way of an occultic standardized process or ritual.[3] Used in various forms for thousands of years, diviners ascertain their interpretations of how a querent should proceed by reading signs, events, or omens, or through alleged contact with a supernatural agency (= spirit guide)
- Leviticus 19:31
‘Do not turn to mediums or spiritists; do not seek them out to be defiled by them. I am the LORD your God.
Leviticus 19:30-32 (in Context) Leviticus 19 (Whole Chapter) - Leviticus 20:6
‘As for the person who turns to mediums and to spiritists, to play the harlot after them, I will also set My face against that person and will cut him off from among his people.
Leviticus 20:5-7 (in Context) Leviticus 20 (Whole Chapter) - Leviticus 20:27
‘Now a man or a woman who is a medium or a spiritist shall surely be put to death. They shall be stoned with stones, their bloodguiltiness is upon them.’”
Leviticus 20:26-27 (in Context) Leviticus 20 (Whole Chapter) - Acts 19:18 Many also of those who had believed kept coming, confessing and disclosing their practices. 19 And many of those who practiced magic brought their books together and began burning them in the sight of everyone; and they counted up the price of them and found it [f]fifty thousand (AA)pieces of silver. 20 So [g](AB)the word of the Lord (AC)was growing mightily and prevailing.
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sorcery: the use of power gained from the assistance or control of evil spirits especially for divining : necromancy
Leviticus 19:26
‘You shall not eat anything with the blood, nor shall you practice divination or soothsaying.
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Leviticus+19:25-27&version=NKJV
Acts 16:16 Now it happened, as we went to prayer, that a certain slave girl possessed with a spirit of divination met us, who brought her masters much profit by fortune-telling. 17 This girl followed Paul and us, and cried out, saying, “These men are the servants of the Most High God, who proclaim to us the way of salvation.” 18 And this she did for many days.
But Paul, greatly annoyed, turned and said to the spirit, “I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her.” And he came out that very hour.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Divination: Divination (from Latin divinare "to foresee, to be inspired by a god",[2] related to divinus, divine) is the attempt to gain insight into a question or situation by way of an occultic standardized process or ritual.[3] Used in various forms for thousands of years, diviners ascertain their interpretations of how a querent should proceed by reading signs, events, or omens, or through alleged contact with a supernatural agency (= spirit guide)
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- Mar 22, 2011
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Possibly, but that doesn't mean it's a good thing to do. At all. There is one mediator between God and man, the man Jesus Christ. God can speak through anything - nature, people, angels - and He can speak directly to us. But why would you open yourself to sources that might not be in Christ? There's huge potential for being led astray.
This might not be exactly the same, but there's a good book called The Beautiful Side of Evil, which chronicles a woman's descent into the occult. It was presented to her as good spiritual power, and it was some kind of animism cloaked in the symbols of the RCC. It was only later, after she had a hook in her, that she began to see that the whole thing had a spiritually impure source.
There's even another example right in Scripture. In Acts 16, Paul encounters a slave girl with a spirit of divination. She's actually shouting, These men are servants of the Most High God and are proclaiming to you a way of salvation!. The message was correct, but the spirit was wrong. After three days Paul finally had enough and cast the spirit out, leaving the woman without her divination powers, and free. Clearly, spiritual knowledge and power can have another, unholy, source beside God, and it's not always readily apparent what's going on. This stuff is not something we intentionally should be getting involved in.
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Some non-Christian examples below....resisting posting too many because it opposes the goals of the forum, but there are thousands of easily-found examples. I am not saying these represent my views, but show others' healthy respect for potentially dangerous powers.
Spirits have been presented this way throughout history, across all cultures. Think about why people have sacrificed humans to volcanoes and giant statues. They knew spirits were at the root, and they were afraid of wrath.
Jungle taboos and supernatural hoodoos | Take The Path Less Ordinary
British Museum - Wooden figure of a tree god
" Co-existence between the different beings is regulated by sets of rules and their transgression can lead to illness. The symptoms are interpreted to identify which spiritual being is responsible for the illness and an image is made of it with the relevant physical attributes."
Trees Have a Meaning
Tortured By Hearing Voices (I disagree with this advice)
Spirits have been presented this way throughout history, across all cultures. Think about why people have sacrificed humans to volcanoes and giant statues. They knew spirits were at the root, and they were afraid of wrath.
Jungle taboos and supernatural hoodoos | Take The Path Less Ordinary
British Museum - Wooden figure of a tree god
" Co-existence between the different beings is regulated by sets of rules and their transgression can lead to illness. The symptoms are interpreted to identify which spiritual being is responsible for the illness and an image is made of it with the relevant physical attributes."
Trees Have a Meaning
Tortured By Hearing Voices (I disagree with this advice)
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- Mar 24, 2011
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No.
1 Corinthians 10:21
Ye cannot drink the cup of the Lord, and the cup of devils: ye cannot be partakers of the Lord's table, and of the table of devils.
A Christian gives his entire heart to Christ. He meditates on the word, and he is guided by the Holy Spirit. God doesn't want some of your life, He wants all of it. He wants you to give up everything else and lay it at the cross. He wants your whole heart, today.
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When you think about it, what country does not have a legend of cantankerous or fearful spirits? And still they honor them, or give offerings, take advice from, carry on ceremonies for the spirits.
Greek deities with selfish ambition
Hindi gods/goddesses for every town
Babies burned at Molech statues
Aztec and Mayan blood frenzy
Inuit fearing spirits that deceive and snatch people away
It sounds like a fun modern mystique, but it is as old as civilization. Would it turn out any different for you, than for the other well-meaning billions? Before you decide whether to take part in it, weigh the costs. If those stories are all legends, then there's no reason pretending to believe in something you don't. If the legends are true, then getting involved is playing with fire. (Literal.)
Greek deities with selfish ambition
Hindi gods/goddesses for every town
Babies burned at Molech statues
Aztec and Mayan blood frenzy
Inuit fearing spirits that deceive and snatch people away
It sounds like a fun modern mystique, but it is as old as civilization. Would it turn out any different for you, than for the other well-meaning billions? Before you decide whether to take part in it, weigh the costs. If those stories are all legends, then there's no reason pretending to believe in something you don't. If the legends are true, then getting involved is playing with fire. (Literal.)
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Angels and Saints are often good guides
No. Nowhere in the bible are we told to ask for guidance from angels and saints. But to ask to be led by the holy spirit.
To the OP:
But to ask to be led by the holy spirit. I see, how some people can find it tempting, and seducing to do such spiritual stuff, but don't do it, you'll regret it.
It's ABSOLUTELY not okay to ask for guidance from spirits, it will lead you into a big mess. They are demons of Satan.
Then meditation. Why play with fire?
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What is meditation? I think I sometimes just lay down and relax and recharge myself that way. Spirit guides... there are not any, hate to say. We can be like animals at times... bull, ram (male sheep), lion, leopard, giraffe, monkey, eagle, vulture, and so on.
I think it is more about not confusing your brain and staying sane.
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jroger1
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Christians are only to meditate upon God's word, everything else is sin. As for spirit animal guides, they are demonic spirits, and Jesus does not want you to commune with fallen angels for your own good. if you need deliverance from such visions, what you need to do is to confess your sins to God and ask Him to forgive you.
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The only meditation Christians should practice is that advocated by King David. It is the one upon the Word of God. Any other meditation, including yoga is from the Dark Kingdom and is designed to control your mind. It is a subtle but sure method to eventual, total demonic possession.
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If you throw that question out in some Christian circles, you will get a panicked response. People don't always explain the reasoning behind their convictions (like my first short post).
Then listeners aren't fully convinced because a full and convincing set of reasons was not provided. The reality of conversations is that we can never fit everything we're thinking into the time a discussion lasts.
So we will try our best.
"And still be a Christian" is an interesting twist in the question. There's the right:wrong of an issue, and there's the how-far-can-it-go question.
Meditation can be simple reflection. Scriptures suggest that we meditate on His Law day and night. Gurus suggest we focus on a third eye. Shaman might suggest we ask the animals spirits for guidance. Meditation beyond reflection proactively asks for help beyond oneself, from spirits the person believes are real.
If you believe they are real enough to request help from, then your premise is to get involved with supernatural beings. A Christian may tell you, "you're opening the door for demons" and that may seem irrational. But in truth, any proponents of these practices DO know that it opens the door. Asking for help in real life opens a door for someone to get involved.
So we have to ask ourselves, what are these beings?
Search for: Ezekiel 8 - Bible Search - Reference Desk - StudyLight.org
It will also eventually cause a shift in what people perceive to be Judeo-Christianity.
The passage above reminds me of how God currently speaks to us through dreams and visions. He shows us things that need human attention and prayer, sometimes action. These are things that have been intentionally hidden, while PR presentation of activity might be completely different.
There are some very fascinating things going on in the Kingdom of God. You don't need to tap into Shamanism to get spicy experiences-- God has plenty of adventures up His sleeve.
Then listeners aren't fully convinced because a full and convincing set of reasons was not provided. The reality of conversations is that we can never fit everything we're thinking into the time a discussion lasts.
So we will try our best.
"And still be a Christian" is an interesting twist in the question. There's the right:wrong of an issue, and there's the how-far-can-it-go question.
Meditation can be simple reflection. Scriptures suggest that we meditate on His Law day and night. Gurus suggest we focus on a third eye. Shaman might suggest we ask the animals spirits for guidance. Meditation beyond reflection proactively asks for help beyond oneself, from spirits the person believes are real.
If you believe they are real enough to request help from, then your premise is to get involved with supernatural beings. A Christian may tell you, "you're opening the door for demons" and that may seem irrational. But in truth, any proponents of these practices DO know that it opens the door. Asking for help in real life opens a door for someone to get involved.
So we have to ask ourselves, what are these beings?
-Can we predict what their end objective is,
-can we guess how they will get there,
-Do they really have all kinds of time on their hands to help us without any benefit to them?
-Do they change their minds?
-Will they lead us closer to God, or further away?
-Is their truth real, or does it just appear true because of the mysterious method used, and a few coincidences.
-If they show power, is it power that will benefit or harm us?
Read through Ezekiel 8. It shows how people who were respected as religious leaders, seen as saved and righteous, had involved themselves in things that opposed the work of God and profaned His temple.-can we guess how they will get there,
-Do they really have all kinds of time on their hands to help us without any benefit to them?
-Do they change their minds?
-Will they lead us closer to God, or further away?
-Is their truth real, or does it just appear true because of the mysterious method used, and a few coincidences.
-If they show power, is it power that will benefit or harm us?
Search for: Ezekiel 8 - Bible Search - Reference Desk - StudyLight.org
He brought me to the door of the court; and when I looked, behold, a hole in the wall.
Then said he to me, Son of man, dig now in the wall: and when I had dug in the wall, behold, a door.
I went in and saw; and see, every form of creeping things, and abominable animals, and all the idols of the house of Yisra'el, portrayed on the wall round about.
There stood before them seventy men of the Zakenim/elders of the house of Yisra'el; and in the midst of them stood Ya`azanyah the son of Shafan, every man with his censer in his hand; and the odor of the cloud of incense went up.
In the New Testament, we are called His temple. God dwells within each one of His believers. Bringing opposing things into your inner temple is going to cause problems. Then said he to me, Son of man, dig now in the wall: and when I had dug in the wall, behold, a door.
I went in and saw; and see, every form of creeping things, and abominable animals, and all the idols of the house of Yisra'el, portrayed on the wall round about.
There stood before them seventy men of the Zakenim/elders of the house of Yisra'el; and in the midst of them stood Ya`azanyah the son of Shafan, every man with his censer in his hand; and the odor of the cloud of incense went up.
It will also eventually cause a shift in what people perceive to be Judeo-Christianity.
The passage above reminds me of how God currently speaks to us through dreams and visions. He shows us things that need human attention and prayer, sometimes action. These are things that have been intentionally hidden, while PR presentation of activity might be completely different.
There are some very fascinating things going on in the Kingdom of God. You don't need to tap into Shamanism to get spicy experiences-- God has plenty of adventures up His sleeve.
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