"The call is to serve the
wellbeing of the living planet, Gaia ... to enter into a holistic consciousness."
(Barry McWaters, psychologist)1
"The
more you contact the voice of the living Earth and evaluate what it says, the easier it
will become for you to contact it and trust what it provides."
(The Sierra Club’s sourcebook, Well Body, Well Earth)2
"Turn
...
to the living God who made heaven and earth." (Acts 14:15)
SOFT,
HYPNOTIC MUSIC greeted the parents streaming into the kindergarten classroom for a
back-to-school orientation. The teacher was
preparing a special journey via guided imagery.
She
focused everyone's attention on a poster which showed doors of every size, shape, and
color. As she began the visualization, her voice turned meditative and
mysterious:
"Imagine
that you are standing at one of the doors.
In
just a moment the door will open and you will walk in. (Pause)
"The
door has opened and you are standing at the top
of a stairway. Now, as I count, picture
yourself walking down the stairs - ten, nine, eight, seven....
"You
are at the bottom of the stairs, standing in a beautiful valley.
It is green, lush, and you are walking along a path.
Along the side of the path you notice a milkweed plant, and as you look closer
you see a caterpillar... Now you become the caterpillar.
You keep eating and eating... You get very tired.
You spin a cocoon around yourself and rest...
Now
you have become a wonderful monarch butterfly. You are flying around ... through a rainbow...."3
That
visualization may seem innocent enough.
But
was it? After the exercise,
only one
couple expressed concern. This relatively
mild hypnotic exercise encouraged the rest of the parents to relax, feel
their
supposed connectedness with related animal species - and build resistance against future
concern over similar or more occult visualizations.
"The
practice of visualization, or 'directed imagination,' is part of all forms
of occultism, ancient as well as modern.... The ability to form clear, detailed,
mental images is the key to unlocking occult powers, and visualization is the basis
for invoking any deity or spiritual being."4
Seeking
the Spirit of Gaia
Oneness,
harmony, contact with earth’s wisdom ... the promised fruit of earth-centered
spirituality - these sound refreshing to our self-focused, power-hungry generation.
Unaware
of the dangers, the educational establishment and a growing number of parents are
encouraging this "new” spiritual awareness and applauding classroom exercises
that empower" children to sense their oneness with the earth and her other species.
Today's
visionaries tell us that such spiritual connectedness is the earth’s only hope. In
The
Dream of the Earth, Thomas Berry summarized the world’s dilemma - and his answer:
Human
administration of the universe in any comprehensive manner is far too great a task ...
What we need ... is the sensitivity to understand and respond to the psychic energies
deep in the very structure of reality itself... This is the ultimate wisdom of tribal
peoples.5
The
Sierra Club Environmental Health Sourcebook, Well Body, Well Earth by Mike
Samuels and Hal Zina Bennett, shows us how.
It
tells us to "turn to the traditions of ancient cultures" such as Buddhist
meditations and Native American Hopi rituals in order to "reaffirm our bond with
the spirit of the living earth":
The
practice of visualization, that is, deliberately using your imagination to focus your
attention on a particular goal, is an important mental tool for change ...[and] probably
dates back to human beginnings… In Greece, for example, when people wanted help in
solving difficult problems, they consulted the Oracle at Delphi. [There] the priests
acknowledged a spirit of the living Earth for which the Greek name was Gaea. Priestesses
of Gaea were trained in the art of visualization and had dedicated their lives to a
study of the spirit of the living Earth.
When
asked to help a person solve a problem - such as when to plant their fields or how to
influence the conception of children - the priestess ... imagined herself consulting
with Gaea. The answer coming from the visualization of Gaea was the answer the priestess
gave....
The
visualization exercises we describe here are intended to help people focus on the
concept of the living Earth. Because most
people who live in an urban or suburban setting have little or no daily contact with the
Earth, we require something like visualization to help us get in touch with our
planet...6
Well
Body, Well Earth details the steps
(deep breathing, relaxation and autosuggestions) to "the level of
consciousness" where "you can be in touch with those forces in the universe
that. . . encourage health and wellbeing.”7
Here
in a trance state, you are ready to visualize the creation of the universe - even to
have a dialogue with Mother Earth herself.
"The
more you contact the voice of the living Earth," promise the authors, "the
easier it will become for you to contact it and trust what it provides."8
There
is no doubt that the last statement is true.
The
more a person deals with earthy spirits, the more tenaciously they cling.
While God speaks through one Holy Spirit, "the voice" of Earth comes
from armies of demons. The seeker who
follows the above advice may become deaf to God and host to an oppressive parasitic
demon that some versions of the Bible call a familiar spirit.
Only God’s authority and power can bring freedom.9
Psychics, channelers, witches and
shamans (tribal medicine men) know that occult forces may loose hidden terrors.
Some have issued strong warnings against naive experimentation which may invoke
mischievous, even murderous, spirits.
But
their warnings have failed to stop environmental pied pipers; speaking from some of
the most influential platforms in our nations, they promote earthy spirituality and
occult connections with evangelistic zeal.
Eco-Education.
One
such enthusiast, Andy LePage, wrote a book that seems to be doing what its title
promises: Transforming Education (1987).
Its long list of endorsers includes notables like Matthew Fox and Dr. Robert
Muller, former under secretary of the United Nation’s Economic and Social Council.
"Andy
LePage's book," says Muller, "opens the curtain on one of the most exciting
and promising philosophical educational debates there ever was on this planet.10
What
planetary philosophy does LePage teach?
Like
others who promote a speedy return to nature worship, he emphasizes the need to
discard the "disease of dualism",11 (in this
context: dividing reality into
two opposing forces - the physical verses the spiritual).
He challenges educators to awaken students to their oneness with the
entire creation (monism) through models such as Hatha Yoga, witchcraft, and Native
American spiritism.12
But
do educators really buy this religious dogma?
Indeed,
they do, with all their heart.
"Andy LePage has written what may well become one of most
important books in
education," says Professor Sidney B. Simon, father of values clarification,
"which should be given
to
every new teacher, every new principal, and certainly, to every new school board member.
Should that happen, the education of our children would take a turn for the
better that might be enough to save us all."13
Since
LePage wrote his book, a growing
assortment of environmental curricula
has flooded classrooms.
I hope much of it presents practical information untouched by the
persuasions of Deep Ecology. Children need
to know ecological facts and be encouraged toward environmental wisdom - but
not
its spirituality. A 1990 Wall Street
Journal article shared nationwide expressions of enthusiasm for earth
stewardship.
No
figures are available, but thousands of schools across the country have worked
environmentalism into the classroom, usually in science courses but also in social
studies,
English and other subjects. Florida,
Maryland and Iowa are among states interested in a five-year-old law in Wisconsin
that required public schools from kindergarten to twelfth grade, to integrate ecology
into the curriculum... Congress is considering a bill that would fashion and make
available an environmental studies program for schools around the country.14
It
sounds good. Yet, teaching on environmental
awareness often includes political, economic, cultural and spiritual persuasions that
neither children nor parents are prepared to evaluate.
For example, how should students (and parents) respond when a classroom cassette
tape intones the rhythmic sounds of Native American prayers to Mother Earth? Or when a school-wide Earth Fest engages the students in “water cycle
dances" - something that happened in a Pennsylvania school?15
Once
we know the sources of much of our environmental curricula, we can help our children
to discern spiritual counterfeits.
Much of
this curriculum flows from the New Age/Deep Ecology philosophies of John Denver's
Coloradobased Windstar and Steve Van Matre's Institute for Earth Education in
Illinois. The demand for their curriculum
is soaring. According to the article,
"Education That Cannot Wait' by Mike Weilbacher, Van Matre may be "the most
creative force" in environmental education:
Van
Matre's work has been replicated planet wide; his activities form the backbone of many
nature center programs.
Once,
environmental educators begged to be let inside the schools.
Today teachers are banging on the front doors of nature centers.16
What
does Van Matre believe? "This,"
he says, referring to a portion of his book The Earth Speaks, "is about
giving up old ways of seeing, about loving the earth as a whole, about tapping into the
universal flow of life ... "17
Let's
cage ourselves and let the animals run free.
Let's
tear down our egocentric structures ... and build anew.
Let's
find new stars and new songs to follow.
Let's
build some foundations under our dreams. (Steve Van Matre)18
Curriculum
that takes students beyond objective reality and opens the door to earth-centered
spirituality can be divided into three categories:
Training students to connect with earth’s life force.
Reinstating earth-centered myth
as a guiding force.
Teaching practical witchcraft
and mind control
While
some of the illustrations in this and the next two chapters may not sound like
environmental teaching, they encourage students to discard traditional views of reality
and to accept the pagan perspective (paradigm) essential to Deep Ecology.
Notice that the beliefs and practices of spiritism (communicating with demonic
spirits), witchcraft, and shamanism (using magic to contact various spirits) fit right
into ancient nature worship. According to
their promoters, these steps will help our children connect with the earth, with their
supposedly divine inner selves, and with each other.
They will empower them to rebuild their sick polluted world.
Training
in Spiritism
Like
every earth-based culture before us, America is tapping into occult forces that blind
people to God’s truth. It doesn’t
matter whether we call the force Mother Earth, Gaia, psychic power, or cosmic energy;
all point to the same unholy source.
Satan’s
power may be puny compared to the might of our sovereign King, but it is far greater
than mere human strength. And the most vulnerable among us, our children, face the greatest
onslaught.
Schools
have adopted age-old pagan formulas to teach self-esteem and personal empowerment.
For example, "Pumsy in Pursuit of Excellence," a controversial
self-esteem program used in "more than 12,000 elementary schools nationwide",19
uses a cute dragon puppet to train students in self-hypnosis.
Presented as a "cognitive, mental health curriculum,"20 it
trains children to use relaxation exercises, visualizations, and chants to create their
own meadow,
float
through the air on Pumsy's back meet and speak with Pumsy’s friend, feel strength
coming into their bodies...
That
occult indoctrination can happen on a grand scale was proven during 1989-1990, when
teachers in seventy Los Angeles schools introduced children to their personal spirit
guides. Two thousand children, third grade and up, participated in the pilot program,
"Mission SOAR - Set Objectives, Achieve Results." Bob Simonds, President of
Citizens
for Excellence in Education (CEE), alerted parents through a newsletter with the
following information:
The
lessons in Mission SOAR parallel closely ... the exercises outlined in the New Age book,
Beyond Hypnosis: A Program For Developing Your Psychic and Healing
Power,
by leading New Age psychic William Hewitt.
Children
... are hypnotized, introduced to demonic spirits, and told to seek "their
counsel'” when making decisions. Hard to believe?21
This
outline of the exercises taught in the program shows the most familiar steps to occult
connectedness and oppression:
Prehypnotic preparation through
relaxation
Hypnotic control through colors
(visualizing a rainbow)
Breaking the hypnotic spell
Conjuring up the dead, summoning
spirit guides
Creating an inner psychic room to
meet spirits
Learning that psychic medicine
will cure all illnesses
Accepting the spirit beings into
your life
Receiving power from a white
light, a common element in psychic practice
(2
Cor. 11:14)
Planning one's life with the help
of spirit guides.
"Your
helpers are both experts and can help you, teach you, guide you, listen to you, and
counsel you at anytime ... Know that [he and she] will always be there at your side
whenever you need [them]."22
A
Girl Scout jamboree director led about forty junior scouts (ages 10-12) on a similar
journey. According to a concerned
California scout leader who observed the campfire ceremony, the director, dressed as a
Native American, invoked the Great Spirit and the spirits of the woods, the North,
South, East, and West. After explaining
their entrance into womanhood and marking their foreheads with ashes, she led the girls
on a meditational journey to contact the earth and a personal spirit guide. Imagine a
meadow..." intoned her mysterious voice. "See a young woman sitting under a tree. Talk to her." This
wise person would be their life companion and helper.
With
such constant and faithful spirit helpers, who would want to follow advice from Mom,
Dad, or God? Why invite a contrary opinion
when the guide speaks what one wants to hear - at least in the beginning?
The
Apostle Paul warned us that "in later times some will abandon the faith and follow
deceiving spirits and things taught by demons" (1 Timothy 4:1).
Spiritual experimentation, whether in the name of ecology, globalism or
selfrealization, yields confusion instead of wisdom, fear instead of selfconfidence,
and bondage instead of freedom. Each such
program results in wasted teaching time, erosion of biblical beliefs and values, and the
possibility of devastating mental and spiritual oppression.
Contrary
to Satan’s glowing promises, spiritism hinders rather than helps us live peaceably
with the earth. God told us so!
His
warning
to Israel rings true for us today:
Let
no one be found among you who ... practices divination or sorcery, interprets omens,
engages in witchcraft, or casts spells, or who is a medium or spiritist or who consults
the dead.... Because of these detestable practices the Lord your God will drive out
those nations (Deuteronomy 18:10-12).
WHAT
CAN FAMILIES DO?
PRAY for wisdom from the
Holy
Spirit.
Prepare your family to resist
counterfeit spirits.
1.
Know the role of the Holy Spirit in your life.
2.
Join together with other families.
3.
Put on the Armor of God (Ephesians 6:10-18).
4.
Enjoy your Father's world.
Choose a family project from the
list on pages 170-175.
1.
KNOW THE ROLE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT IN YOUR LIFE.
Discuss the following verses: John 3:5-6, 34-35; John 14:16-17, 26; John 16:7-14;
Acts 1:8 (power to accomplish God’s will, not our demands); 1 John 4:2, 13.
2.
JOIN TOGETHER WITH OTHER FAMILIES.
Today's battle for children’s minds and biblical values is primarily spiritual.
We cannot fight the rising tide of counterfeit spirituality alone.
In Your Child and the New Age, I have described a course of action that
begins with prayer, is sustained by ongoing communication with God and confidence in His
Word, and is accomplished as Christian families seek God’s direction and victory
together. I encourage you to read it.
If
the Holy Spirit prompts you to speak to local educators, consider the following steps:
Ask God to help you build a
Christian support group that prays and works together.
Many occult exercises throughout the country (including the meditations in
Michigan and Los Angeles) were discontinued after parents prayed, joined together, and
explained to schools that such activities are illegal.
When approaching a teacher or
school officials, trust God to speak the truth in love (Ephesians 4:15) through
you. Begin by expressing understanding for
the school’s goals and appreciation for genuine efforts.
As an ambassador for His kingdom, reflect His love, wisdom, and patience - not
fear, hostility, and a self-righteous attitude.
Many
teachers have been won to Christ by the loving concern of a Christian parent.
3.
PUT ON THE ARMOR OF GOD.
Young and old members of God's family need to embrace wise environmentalism but
to reject pagan spirituality. I know no
better way to nurture discernment between these than by putting on our spiritual armor
as outlined in Ephesians 6:10-18.
God
showed our family that to resist deception, each of us needed to know truth and to be
alert to the enemy's tricks. The essential
first step involved family Bible study - filling, renewing, and protecting our minds
with truth. We began to read and discuss a
psalm and a chapter a day. Then, using
truth as our filter and guide, we could take a closer look at the counterfeit.
In
Screwtape Letters, C.S. Lewis tells
about two "equal and opposite errors" that undermine our defense against deception
and therefore delight Satan and his invisible armies: "One is to disbelieve in
their existence. The other is to believe,
and to feel an excessive and unhealthy interest in them."23
Demonstrating
a healthy balance, Paul’s letter to the Ephesians gives us five chapters of
information about God, His grace, and His ways before it exposes our adversary.
Finally, in chapter 6, verse 12, Paul tells us that "Our struggle is not
against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities,
against
the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual force of evil
in
the heavenly realms.”
The
commander of this spiritual army is Satan.
Masquerading
as an angel of light, he began to work on Eve soon after Creation, by causing her to
doubt
God’s word: "Did God really say.. ?" And by promising a tempting
alternative. "When you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be
like God, knowing good and evil” (Genesis 3:1-5).
Today he still lures people with enticing offers of higher knowledge
and
oneness with God.
Our
family made a striking discovery. The
Armor of God provides an outline of essential truths that enable us to discern all kinds of
deception. These truths parallel all the
popular lies of Deep Ecology, neopaganism and the New Age movement.
In other words, when we know, trust, and speak the truths of the armor,
they will expose and counter every deception.
To
put on the armor, we review and we affirm each of the essential truths, starting with
the truth about God Himself. Trusting the
Holy Spirit to make these truths living and active in us (Hebrews 4:12), we pray
something like this:
TRUTH.
Thank You, God, for showing me the truth
about Yourself and Your ways.
RIGHTEOUSNESS.
Thank You, Jesus, for giving me Your righteousness.
I can't please You on my own, but You live in me, and Your life is perfect. (We
also confess our sins, remembering God's promise in I John 1:9.)
PEACE.
Thank You for Your peace in me.
Filled
with Your righteous life, I have peace to share with others - no matter what.
FAITH.
Lord, I choose to count on Your promises and follow Your Word today.
SALVATION.
I trust You to lead me safely today and forever.
SWORD, GOD’S
WORD.
Show me which Scriptures I need to know and affirm in order to triumph in every
battle I face today. (Our favorite: Galatians 2.20.)
Does
the armor really keep us safe?
Yes,
as long as we keep wearing every part.
But
keep in mind, putting on the armor is not simply a formula to follow.
It is a daily commitment to seek, study, and follow Truth - Jesus Christ Himself.
When you know and acknowledge Him, and follow the path He has shown you to
Himself (through confession, repentance, and the work of the cross), He protects you.
For Christ, who is Himself the armor and all its parts, is the One who covers you
even as He fills you with His own life (John 14.20; Romans 13:14; Psalm 32:7).
We
can count on Him! Many years ago, as a new
Christian, I went to a holistic therapist for help with my back.
“Polarity balances the positive and negative energies of your body," she
had told me. But I felt uneasy -
especially, when I noticed a mystical picture on the wall.
"Who
is he?" I asked cautiously.
"That’s
my priest. He's like a spirit guide."
"I'm a Christian," I said. "I get my strength from God.
Where
do you get your power?”
“From
my spirit guide.” A coolness had crept
into her voice. "It's the energy of
the universe, but it comes through my guide into my hands and then into you."
Into
me?
Though
I had put on the armor that morning, I quickly affirmed each part again.
I continued to pray that God Himself would shield me from any occult power
operating through the Vita's hands.
He
did! As soon as she touched my back, she
began to cough. Her body shook until she
moved away from me.
“What
are you doing?" I asked.
"Realigning
my energies,” she explained.
But
the moment she tried to start the massage, another attack of coughing stopped her.
Frustrated and angry, she announced what I already knew.
"I can’t work on you.
My
power won’t enter your field of energy."
I
tried to explain that God had protected me, but she didn’t want to hear.
Thankful that my Lord had demonstrated His power to both of us, I drove home.
Once again He had proven that He who lives in me, "is greater than he who is
in the world” (I John 4:4).
4.
ENJOY YOUR FATHER’S WORLD.
We don’t need a mystical host of guides and spirits to show us God’s creation.
If we ask, the Holy Spirit will open our eyes to enjoy God’s wonders.
He wants to use those wonders to show us the Creator Himself.
When
the crowds pressed and the demands seemed unending, Jesus often sought solitude and
strength on a quiet Mountainside or by the shore of Galilee.
There He would talk with His Father and receive wisdom and strength for the day.
"Come with Me by yourselves," He invites each of us, "to a quiet
place and get some rest' (Mark 6:31).
It's
not easy to find time or solitude in our hectic, highpressured lifestyles.
If I had to catch up on all obligations first, it would never happen.
Yet, when I make time to meet my Lord in one of the special places He has shown
me, His quieting strength more than compensates.
When
my sons were younger, we often explored the nearby park.
We would ask God to show us something special - small or large, ordinary as a
trail of laboring ants or extraordinary as a bird feeding her babies - that would
demonstrate His love, order, and creativity.
Sometimes
we would simply lie on our backs and gaze up into the leafy crowns of surrounding trees.
We would close our eyes, listen to nature's sounds, and thank our Shepherd for
His wonderful presence. Unlike Eastern
meditation (where one empties the mind, then welcomes any spiritual voice willing to
fill it), this time of stillness sharpened our minds - and filled our thoughts with
God’s words, works, and wonders.
Author
and nature guide Joseph Cornell has helped thousands of people - young and old - to know
and enjoy nature. He also demonstrates the
two-sided thrust of the environmental movement: practical help and occult spirituality.
In Sharing Nature with Children, he suggests several ways you can build
respect and love for nature in yourself and others.
His five points on "How To Be an Effective Nature Guide" remind
us as
adults to slow down and tune our hearts to the Creator's own art.
Teach less, and share more.
Be receptive.
Receptivity means listening.
Be
alert. Something exciting or interesting is
almost always happening.
Focus the child’s attention
without delay. Involve everyone as much as
you can, by asking questions and pointing out interesting sights and sounds ...
Look and experience first; talk
later. Observe the tree from unusual
perspectives. Feel and smell its bark and
leaves. Quietly sit on or under its
branches, and be aware of all the forms of life that live in and around the tree and
depend on it.
A sense of joy should permeate
the experience. Remember that your own enthusiasm is contagious.24
Sharing Nature with Children
has been endorsed by the National Audubon Society as a powerful tool in
educating children," the National Science Teachers Association, and the
Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts of America.
Sound
good? But wait a moment!
Before you run out and buy one of his bestsellers, let me share something else
about Joseph Cornell. This inspiring nature
lover belongs to the Ananda World Brotherhood Village, a cozy community nestled in the
foothills of California's Sierra mountains.
Sri
Kriyananda, founder and spiritual director of Ananda, was discipled by Indian yoga
master, Paramhansa Yogananda, who came to America to "awaken” Hindu spirituality.
Ananda
satellite groups adorn suburban centers and university campuses with posters inviting
the public to a delicious assortment of spiritual treats: Self-Realization, Attunement,
Meditation.
In
Listening to Nature, Cornell paints
a panorama with quotes from various pagan teachers.
Black Elk’s Native American spirituality exposes the heart of Deep Ecology:
"Peace ... comes within the souls of people when they realize… their oneness with
the universe and all its powers, and when they realize that at the center of the
universe dwells the Great Spirit, and that this center is really everywhere.
Unfortunately,
Cornell’s enticing blend of delightful insights, heartfelt devotion, and spiritual
deception characterizes much of the environmental movement.
Ask God to show you to His choice of books - then read with discernment,
wear the armor of God, and trust your Shepherd to guide your family as you follow Him.
Endnotes:
1. Barry McWaters, Conscious Evolution, 10.
Cited in Elliot Miller, A Crash Course on the New
Age Movement (Grand Rapids; Baker Book House, 1989), 73.
2. Mike Samuels, M.D. and Hal Zina Bennett,
Well Body, Well Earth
(San Francisco: Sierra Club Books, 1983), 73.
3. As told by a participating parent in Walnut Creek, California.
4. Brooks Alexander, "Mind Power and the Mind's Eye,"
SCP Journal
(Vol. 9:3, 1990): 14.
5. Thomas Berry,
The Dream of the Earth (San Francisco: Sierra
Club Books, 1988), 48.
6. Samuels and Bennett, 68.
7. Ibid., 69.
8. Ibid., 73.
9. Ephesians 6:12-18; Luke 8:30-36, 2 Corinthians 10:3-5; Zechariah
4:6.
Andy LePage,
Transforming Education (Oakland, Calif.: Oakmore
Press, 1987), back cover.
Ibid, 5.
12. Ibid, 17, 56, 118.
13. Ibid., back cover.
14. Suzanne Alexander, "Schools Sow Environmental Seeds Early," The
Wall Street Journal, 26 June 1990.
15. Mike Weilbacher, "Education that Cannot Wait,"
E Magazine
(March/April 1991): 30.
16. Ibid., 33.
17. Steve Van Matre, "Earth Spirit,"
The Earth Speaks (Warre
nville, III.: The Institute for Earth Education, 1983), 125.
18. Ibid., 129.
19. "Parents Rally, Pull Kids from Class,"
San Jose Mercury News,
25 March 1991.
20. Brochure from Timperline Press Inc, Eugene, Ore. Jill
Anderson de-veloped the curriculum with the help of a government grant.
21. Bob Simonds, "President’s Special Report - News Alert," May 1990
(Box 3200, Costa Mesa, Calif. 92628).
22. Mission S.O.A.R. Curriculum, 36. Cited by Bob Simonds.
23. C.S. Lewis,
Screwtape Letters (New York. Bantam Books,
1982), xiii.
24. Joseph Cornell,
Sharing Nature with Children (Nevada City,
Calif.: Dawn Publications, 1979),11-14.
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