The Dangers of the Occult

“Let no one be found among you

who sacrifices their son or daughter

in the fire, 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.”

~ Deuteronomy 18:10-11 



Fr. Jose Fortea, Priest & Exorcist,
speaking at St. Joseph Church in Waipahu
(click on photo to view a larger image)

In the early part of this month, a local religious association sponsored a visit to Hawaii from the Spanish author and exorcist, Fr. Jose Antonio Fortea. He spoke at two churches, of which I attended the first presentation that was held at St. Joseph Church in Waipahu. Rather than really being a presentation, the event was more of a question and answer session, with Fr. Fortea inviting the audience to ask questions related to his unique line of work.

Interestingly, the majority of the questions had to do with the occult - witchcraft, spiritualism, curses, etc. - and its negative effect on the spiritual life. Unfortunately Fr. Fortea’s responses were so drawn out and generalized, I felt his answers never truly addressed the audiences’ questions and concerns… and oddly enough, some of his remarks also seemed to contradict the opinions of another high-profile exorcist - Fr. Gabriele Amorth of Rome - who in his best-selling book, An Exorcists Tells His Story, was very clear about the direct connection between various occult practices and demonic influences. On the otherhand, when he was asked about the same subject, Fr. Fortea emphatically stated that he didn’t believe occult rituals such as witchcraft or divination was a major factor that could lead to demonic oppression or possession; I was admittedly baffled by his response and respectfully disagree with his opinion. Rather, I believe Fr. Amorth got it right with his conclusions, and as you continue to read on, I think you will understand why.

Based on my personal observation at Fr. Fortea’s presentation, I am speculating that there are many people out there who are genuinely interested in learning more about the connection between the occult and the presence of evil spirits. It prompted me to share the following personal experience as a testimony and a warning about the dark spiritual forces at work through seemingly harmless occult paraphernalia such as Tarot Cards and Ouija Boards. The story that follows is completely true and I hope readers will take it to heart…

In my early 20s, I briefly dabbled in the practice of divination (fortune telling/psychic readings)… it’s not something that I’m proud of, but it happened. Before narrating further, let me just say that at the time, I did believe in God, but in hindsight I now know I lacked the level of maturity and personal commitment to Jesus Christ that I later developed in my faith-life. There was a part of me that was still searching and I wanted to explore other methods of spiritual connection... and after having been ill-advised by a “professional psychic”, I purchased a few decks of fortune telling cards, including the infamous Tarot Cards. I, myself, in just a few weeks, became so proficient at using them that the “readings” and predictions that resulted were uncannily accurate... and I revelled at the thought that I might just be gifted with some sort of supernatural power. My use of these cards lasted several months, and probably would have continued for a longer period of time, had not the Lord mercifully intervened in a terrifying way.

One night, I awoke from sleep to find myself “floating” above my bed and looking down on my physical body. I saw myself so clearly and the sensation of being weightless was so tangible, I knew it wasn’t just a dream. After the initial surprise wore off, I realized I wasn’t alone in my bedroom - around me appeared several ominous shadow-like figures that were darker than the darkness of the night. I don’t recall how many there were, but if you saw the Patrick Swayze movie, “Ghost”, the evil shadow-entities depicted in the movie are a close comparison to what I saw - I immediately sensed they were evil and full of overwhelming hatred, and they began beating me and throwing me amongst themselves as easily as though I was an inflatable beach ball. I was filled with complete fear and instinctively called on the holy name of Jesus for help, and recited the Our Father and the Hail Mary prayers over and over.

A drawing I made of my terrifying

encounter with evil spirits

I can’t remember how many times I repeated the prayers but after what seemed like hours I felt the sensation of being “sucked” down into my body. Once I was back within my physical shell, I immediately jumped off my bed and turned the light on. For the rest of the night I stayed awake, praying and pondering over the traumatic experience I had just gone through. My mind was filled with the solid realization that the entities were actually demons and they were directly connected with the fortune telling cards that I used during my readings.  The entire episode pointed to the fact that the supernatural power that I was tapping into wasn’t from God at all, but really from the depths of Hell, itself. Horrified, I begged Jesus for forgiveness, while also thanking him for allowing me to see the truth… and from that moment on, I renounced all forms of occult practices and divination, and burned all the fortune telling cards that I owned when morning came.

To this day I abhor all forms of divination and superstitious practices and will never get involved with them again… I continue to regret my delving into the occult, but at the same time, I value my experience as a powerful life-lesson from God. As humbling as it is for me to publicly share this story, I believe that Jesus allowed me to go through this ordeal for good reason, which is to testify to the truth of the occult... and I hope readers of this blog will seriously consider my testimony and avoid all forms of such practices: fortune telling, magical talismans, seances, witchcraft, etc. These practices are simply DANGEROUS and they open peoples’ lives to the negative influence of the devil and diabolic forces.  Believe me - I’ve seen the demons and experienced their attack, firsthand. If you open the door even just a bit to them, you’ll be in way over your head and it’s just not worth the risk of putting one’s soul in jeopardy.

So rather than putting your faith in the works of lying spirits, put your faith in the truth - Jesus Christ; seek your knowledge from Holy Scriptures, in the Church’s sacred teachings, and in the writings of the Saints... and get your spiritual connection to God through the Eucharist and by sincerely praying to Him from the heart. One thing Fr. Fortea and Fr. Amorth both stated in common, was that God is greater than all evil… and that we, who put our faith in the Lord, have nothing to fear from the devil and his minions. Through Jesus Christ, and with the help of Our Lady, the Holy Angels, and the Saints, we are assured ultimate victory over the forces of darkness.  Thanks and praises be to God Almighty!

(Please read the Comments Section for another true story of how occult paraphernalia directly attracted the presence of unclean spirits)


UPDATE, 1/1/2020: For those interested in learning more about spiritual warfare, I highly recommend viewing talks given by Fr. Chad Ripperger available on YouTube (very enlightening!). Fr. Ripperger is an experienced exorcist and an expert speaker on this topic.  Click here to view one of his talks.