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The Popular Model Conundrum

By Robert Bruce

Courtesy of Astralpulse website

Copyright © by Robert Bruce robert@astralpulse.com

Many popular beliefs concerning the nature of Karma, spiritual reality, good and evil, stem from seeds planted by early channeled information and books on the same, from the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. These have a perpetual influence upon contemporary New Age spiritualist thought. The works of Allan Kardec, "The Spirits Book", and, "The Mediums Book" (1898) reputed channeled by spirits of high degr are prime examples.

Early Channeled Information:

The spirits quoted in Kardek's books clearly state that there are no such things as pure evil spirits, demons or devils, and that the possession of humans by evil spirits cannot occur. They also claim that the practice of all forms of magic and witchcraft are ridiculous, and that exorcism rituals (performed by the church or otherwise) are the ineffectual playacting of deluded human minds; laughed at by all spirits. But my hard life experience totally contradicts these statements. I do not criticize Allen Kardek, who was obviously a sincere and intelligent man. But its my considered opinion that some of the spirit statements and precepts offered by these books, and many others like them, are misleading if not downright untruthful.

questions and answers from Kardek's: 'The Spirits Book:'

Spirit Question 131: Are there any demons in the usual acceptation of that term?

• Spirit: "If demons existed, they would be the work of God; but would it be just on the part of God to have created beings condemned eternally to evil and to misery? If demons exist, it is only in your low world, and in other worlds of similar degree, that they are to be found. They are the human hypocrites who represent a just God as being cruel and vindictive, and who imagine that they make themselves agreeable to Him by the abominations they commit in His name."

Note: in the above statement, the spirit appears to be referring to living humans that practice various forms of Devil worship, and/or to X human earthbound type spirits.

Spirit Question 473: Can a spirit temporarily assume the envelope of a living person -- that is to say, can he introduce himself into an animate body, and act in the room and place of the spirit incarnated in it?

• Spirit: "A spirit does not enter into a body as you enter into a house. He assimilates himself to an incarnated spirit who has the same defects and the same qualities as himself, in order that they may act conjointly; but it is always the incarnate spirit who acts at his pleasure on the matter with which he is clothed. No other spirit can substitute himself in the place of the spirit who is incarnated in a given body, for a spirit is indissolubly united with his body until the arrival of the hour that has been appointed by Providence for the termination of his material existence."

Spirit Question 474: If there be no such thing as 'possession,' in the ordinary sense of that term - that is to say, cohabitation of two spirits in the same body - is it possible for one Soul to find itself dominated, subjugated, obsessed by another Soul to such a point as its will is, so to say, paralyzed?

• Spirit: "Yes; and it is this domination which really constitutes what you call possession. But you must understand that this domination is never established without the participation of the spirit who is subjected to it, either through his weakness, or his free-will. Men have often mistaken for cases of possession what were really cases of epilepsy or madness, demanding the help of the physician rather than of the exorciser."

• Two explanations Kardek gives to support the above spirit statements:
  
  Footnote by Kardek: The word possession, in its common acceptation, presupposes the existence of demons - that is to say, of a category of beings of a nature essentially evil, and the cohabitation of one of those beings with the Soul of a man in the body of the latter. Since there are no such beings as demons in the sense just defined, and since two spirits cannot inhabit simultaneously the same body, there is no such thing as 'possession' in the sense commonly attributed to that word. The word possessed should only be understood as expressing the state of absolute subjection to which a soul in flesh may be reduced by the imperfect spirits under whose domination it has fallen.
  
  Footnote by Kardek: The 'weakness' which sometimes brings a human being under the power of spirit-tormentors, despite the strenuous resistance of his will, is always the punitive and expiatory result of his own wrong doing, either in this present earthly life or in a former one.

Spirit Question 467: Can we free ourselves from the influence of the spirits who incite us to evil?

• Spirit: "Yes, for they only attach themselves to those who attract them by the evil natures of their thoughts and desires."

Spirit Question 470: Have the spirits who seek to lead us into evil, and who thus put our firmness in rectitude to the proof, receive a mission to do this; and, if so, are they responsible for the accomplishment of such a mission?

• Spirit: "No spirit ever receives a mission to do evil; when he does it, he does it of his own will, and, therefore, undergoes the consequences of his wrongdoing. God may let him take his evil way, in order to try you; but He does not command him to do so, and it is for you to repel him."

Spirit Question 471: When we feel a sensation of vague anxiety, of indefinable uneasiness, or of interior satisfaction, without any assignable cause, do these sensations proceed simply from our physical state?

• Spirit: "They are almost always an effect of the communications which you unconsciously receive from the spirits about you, or which you have received from them during your sleep."

Spirit Question 489: Are there spirits who attach themselves to a particular individual, in order to protect and help him?

• Spirit: "Yes, the spirit brother; what you call the spirit protector, or the good genius."

Spirit Question 491: What is the mission of a spirit protector?

• Spirit: "That of a father towards his children - to lead the object of his protection into the right road, to aid him with his counsels, to console him in his afflictions, and to sustain his courage under the trials of his earthly life."

Author's Note: spirit protector is an antiquated term for Spirit Guides.

Spirit Question 492: Is a spirit protector attached to an individual from his birth?

• Spirit: "From his birth to his death; and he often follows him after death in the spirit-life, and even in several successive corporeal existences; for these existences are but very short phases of his existence as a spirit."

Spirit Question 511: Is there, besides the spirit guardian, an evil spirit attached to each individual for the purpose of exciting him to evil, and thus of furnishing him with the opportunity of struggling between good and evil?

• Spirit: "It would not be correct to say 'attached.' It is very true that bad spirits endeavor to draw you out of the right road, when they find an opportunity of doing so; but when one of them attaches himself to an individual, he does so of his own accord, because he hopes to be listened to. In such a case, there is a struggle between the good spirit and the evil spirit, and the victory remains with the one to whose influence the man has voluntarily subjected himself."

Spirit Question 553: What is the effect of the formulas and practices by the aid of which certain persons profess to be able to control the wills of spirits?

• Spirit: "Their only effect is to render such persons ridiculous, if they really put faith in them; and, if they do not, they are rogues who deserve to be punished. All such formulas are mere jugglery; there is no 'sacramental word,' no cabalistic sign, no talisman, that has any power over spirits; for spirits are attracted by thought, and not by anything material."

If you carefully examine the above extracts, you will see possibilities of erroneous seeds being sown into the public mind. Over the many years since, these fruit of these seeds have greatly influenced contemporary New Age spiritual thought. I refute many of the above spirit statements through personal experience, logic and reasoning. Note that the actions of bad spirits, affecting, attaching to or obsessing people, are never said to result from a divine mission to enact Karma.

Note the disclaimers where the above spirits say that possession (deemed obsession) cannot occur without either the consent or wrongdoings of the victim, in this life or in previous lives, and, that bad spirits can only attach themselves to those who attract them by the evil natures of their thoughts and desires. These cover just about every conceivable possibility of bad spirit entities abusing humans, justifies all cases of 'obsession' and puts the blame squarely upon victims. This is not only an illogical and unworkable model, its very unfair to victims. It offers no hope and succor, nor resolutions dark supernroblems.

Contemporary Channeled Information:

As said, early channeled information (as given by Kardek) continues to influence New Age spiritual thought today. Early channeled information contributed to the precepts upon which the contemporary New Age spiritual model was developed. All today's channels have beliefs, which have been greatly affected by beliefs seeded by early channeled material.

Because of the delicate nature of channeling, any modern spirit would have serious problems passing glaring contradictions of popular New Age beliefs through their respective channels. I think it more than possible that such spirits are forced to work within this erroneous and stifling conceptual framework, if they are to be taken seriously and not rejected. And as long as these errors in belief continue to hold widespread popularity, this situation will undoubtedly continue unchecked.

Examples of the propagation of early channeled ideas can be found in most modern channeled books. The following spirit quotes come from the book, "Seth Speaks: The Eternal Validity Of The Soul" channeled and written by Jane Roberts. I chose this book as a modern example, simply because it happened to be laying on my desk this morning. I have no idea how it got there.

Please understand that my intention here is neither to decry nor insult the author, channel or spirit who produced this book, nor any books of similar content. My intentions are without prejudice. But I have serious questions that need serious answers, and I make no apologies for asking them. I am simply asking for reasonable explanations as to why repeated hard life experience (mine and that of many others) contradicts some of the channeled information upon which the New Age model of spiritual reality was founded.

are some quotes from the book, Seth Speaks, by Jane Roberts

Seth Speaks, page 162:
"Quite simply, a belief in the good without a belief in the evil, may seem highly unrealistic to you. This belief, however, is the best kind of insurance that you can have, both during physical life and afterwards."

"It may outrage your intellect, and the evidence of your physical senses may shout that it is untrue, yet a belief in good without a belief in evil is actually highly realistic, since in physical life it will keep your body healthier, keep you psychologically free of many fears and mental difficulties, and bring you a feeling of ease and spontaneity in which the development of your abilities can be better fulfilled."

Seth Speaks, page 238:
On the one hand, quite simply and in a way that you cannot presently understand, evil does not exist. However, you are obviously confronted with what seem to be quite evil effects. Now it has been said often that there is a god, so where must be a devil - or if there is good, there must be evil. This is like saying that because an apple has a top, it must have a bottom - but without any understanding of the fact that both are a portion of the apple."

"You must understand that each mental act is a reality for which you are responsible. That is what you are in this particular system of reality for. As long as you believe in a devil, for example, you will create on that is real enough for you, and for the others who continue to create him."

"Because of the energy he is given by others, he will have a certain consciousness of his own, but such a mock devil has no power or reality to those who do not believe in his existence, and who do not give him energy through their belief. He is, in other words, a superlative hallucination. As mentioned earlier, those who believe in a hell and assign themselves to it through their belief can indeed experience one."

"This hallucination is created, therefore, out of fear and out of restriction. The devil idea is merely the mass projection of certain fears - mass in that it is produced by many people, but also limited in that there have always been those who rejected this principle."

Seth Speaks, page 239:
"The light-and-darkness contrast presents us with the same kind of picture. The good was seen as light, for men felt safer in the day. The evil was therefore assigned to nightfall. Within the mass of distortions, however, hidden beneath the dogma there was always a hint of the basic creativity of every effect."

"There are, then, no devils waiting to carry anyone off, unless you create them yourself, in which case the power resides in you dthe mock devils."

Conflicting Evidence:

Early New Age spiritualist thought began focusing on good and denying the existence of evil and evil beings for very good reasons. The first would be the lack of church support caused by the New Age spiritualist shift away from organized religion, and away from a historical perspective of evil. Lacking the knowledge to understand evil spirits, and with no effective procedures to counteract and protect against them, extremely uncomfortable belief system insecurities arose. Its far easier to deny evil, focus on the good and work around the problem by creating beliefs that foster security. This is a protective attitude that makes the most of natural mental shields. The quotes from Seth given above seem to agree with this but do not elaborate. This may have been an attempt to work around the popular model problem, in that Seth seems to be giving practical advice to avoid and disempower evil spirits, but without openly acknowledging their existence. Seth, like all channeled spirits, may have been forced to conform to the heartfelt beliefs of his living channel, and of his intended audience.

Glaring contradictions arise if one attempts to explain away or assimilate the evidence I am about to offer, or to answer the questions that arise, using popular New Age models of spiritual reality. This assimilation is logically impossible, no matter how far one stretches and modifies the framework of the popular model. Please keep an open mind here, as the evidence coming up stems from the real-life experience and suffering of many innocent people.

I have seen babies as young as nine-months-old under strong, direct psychic attack from unquestionably evil spirits. I have seen toddlers attacked, overshadowed, possessed and tormented. I have stood in nurseries and seen manifestations (visible to the naked eye) that would make a normal person's hair turn gray. By large, these children came from decent but usually non-religious families, i.e., with no dabbling, substance abuse, or other possible lifestyle neg. attractors being involved.

I once became possessed myself and was almost killed, while trying to exorcize a powerful entity from a five-year-old boy. I have also seen animals attacked, even possessed and driven mad by negs. I know the past life Karma explanation can still be used to cover most of this, but this does not make any sense at all. There is no truth nor justice in this model. One could sit and argue this point until the cows come home -- hard life experience versus popular belief. But such dogmatic philosophical debate does not help understand these things any better, nor does it halt the human suffering.

Over the years, many knowledgeable spiritual teachers I have consulted with on these matters have suggested that I not intervene when babies and children are under psychic attack. They have said I should withdraw and allow them to suffer and work out their own Karma undisturbed, because this is the only way their problems can be resolved. But this is something I cannot in all good conscience do. Not when I know I can help such children by applying a few simple countermeasures that, according to the spirits quoted above, should have no affect at all on spirit beings. These spirits clearly state that no physical action or rite can affect bad spirits, because such spirits are mental beings, thought forms or hallucinations if you like. So, why is it that the vast majority of bad spirits cannot cross running water and are clearly affected by other such physical countermeasures?

Spiritual teachers I have consulted with on these matters have always been sincere and well-intentioned. However, its obvious that my questions concerning babies, very young children and animals with dark supernatural problems, stretch all commonly-accepted explanations and models way beyond their breaking points. The only choices for steadfast believers are either to deny the possibility of the scenarios in question and do nothing, or to blame it on the unfathomably enigmatic mysteries of Karma, and again do nothing. But either course is inherently unfruitful as it involves some measure of dogma and even unreasonable denial of hard, repeatable, experiential evidence.

I have also consulted several reputedly-advanced spirits over the above matters, through their respected mediums (channels) on these same matters. This was done kindly and fairly, following all the rules of philosophical debate and charity. The answers always conform with the channeled information given above. But when I have questioned more closely, citing examples concerning very young children and animals, plus my own extensive hard-life experience with psychic attack, possession and exorcism, the popular model again stretches beyond breaking point.

In all cases, faced with contradictory proof of the popular model, said spirits began contradicting their previous statements and, basically, changing the subject. When this was respectfully pointed out, in all cases, no further spirit communication was possible. In some cases, the channels of these spirits had great difficulty restoring contact with their spirits. All channels ended up denying my evidence and logic. In their eyes I was at best reduced to the status of a well-meaning but ignorant unbeliever, with much to learn concerning true spiritual reality. At worst I was dubbed an unspiritual, troublemaking liar. I can only conclude from the above experiences that the spirits I communicated with either did not know the truth of the matters in questions, or did not want to discuss them. But all these spirits agreed to a candid and open philosophical discussion beforehand, and all claimed advanced knowledge of metaphysics and spiritual matters, plus access to any and all higher knowledge as necessary. I made very sure these spirits made actual statements on their limitations before proceeding with my questioning. But again, when I questioned the popular model and offered serious hard-life contradictory evidence, they all began acting peculiar and soon withdrew from the discussion. I was kind, courteous and non-demanding, but stuck to my guns throughout. The communication problems arose soon after I began quoting their words back to them (I recorded all exchanges) and respectfully pointed out the glaring contradictions.

One question I posed to each spirit related to the human energy body, about which all claimed intimate knowledge. My NEW Energy Ways system had not been released at this time. But about a hundred volunteers were already proving its worth, so it was not exactly new -- no pun intended. According to their rules concerning the release of new knowledge (which I made sure they stated clearly) they should have been able to freely discuss all these matters.

I first asked about the large secondary energy centers in the feet and big toes, and how better to stimulate these. Their initial response was, in all cases, that this was a trick question. When I offered further proof on the validity of my question, I was given a curious mixture of replies: the most memorable was when a spirit claimed the big toe centers could be developed into sense organs with the power of physical sight. The suggested training method was to walk blindfolded in the forest at night -- to walk boldly and let your big toes show you the way! Believe it or not I actually tried this, and have the bruises to prove it.

I have known many people to suffer incredibly negative fantasies, urges, pressures and compulsions, often from a very young age indeed. They fight against these all their lives, longing to be good and clean inside so they can live normal lives. But these pressures are sometimes insurmountable, impossible to throw off no matter what they do or how hard they try. By large, such people believe this darkness arises from within their own minds, which is Soul destroying to say the least.

When you consider cases where very young neg. influenced children have their childhoods ruined by obsessive adult sexual dreams and fantasies (where there has been no exposure to adult sexuality, pornography or violence) the case put by these spirits is again stretched way beyond breaking point. Where are the evil thoughts, the preexisting inclinations and weaknesses that are 'supposed' to be the primary bad spirit attractors? Where is the permission factor? The past life Karma explanation can be used to cover these situations, just. But this does not explain the sinisterly machiavellian processes that are all-too-often involved.

It is quite apparent to me, adding my own life experience to over a quarter-century of personal observations, involving dozens of families, that some bad spirits will spend months or even years breaking down children's natural defenses. They then psychologically condition them with psychic, telepathic and hypnotic means. To my way of thinking, this is nothing more than pitiless brainwashing, a sinister machiavellian campaign designed to break open and pollute innocent young minds.

If the past life Karma explanation were entirely accurate (as offered by the spirits above, and as per the popular New Age model) surely there would be preexisting conditions inside newborn babies that would eventually surface to enact any necessary Karma during the living of their young lives. This would surface naturally and, once realized as they grow into older children and young adults, they would then be Karma influenced from the inside to pursue whatever tasks or lessons their lives hold, for better or worse. And when these naturally Karma-induced conditions are realized and acted upon, this could understandably attract bad spirits with similar inclinations and tastes, and allow them to assimilate with and act conjointly with people; as per the popular model, and as per spirit statements given earlier.

But if the above were true, then why do negs need to attack babies and very young children at all? They cannot influence their thoughts and actions, especially at pre-language age (note the answer given above to Spirit Question #467). Why do negs expend so much time and effort breaking down children's natural defenses? Why do they then spend so much time conditioning and brainwashing children? And why do they deliberately create the negative psychological conditions that such children are supposed to have within them naturally, as preset by Karma? This makes no sense at all!

The popular New Age model states that everyone has spirit guides and/or spirit protectors attached to them, from birth to death. But if this were true, how can babies of pre-language age and very young children be attacked and tormented, even possessed? Where is their protection and guidance when they need it most? It could be said that such influences are designed to test them, to give them the opportunity to fight and overcome evil, and by so doing to grow into stronger and wiser people. But because babies and very young children are so weak and vulnerable this just cannot happen. There is no truth, logic or justice in any model that allows this to continue unchecked.

With the dozens of babies and young children I have helped, none has ever had the slightest chance of resisting neg. attacks and influences unaided. This is quite understandable if one has ever had the extreme misfortune to go mind-to-mind with a strong Neg, or a demon, as I have done on many occasions. Winning the mental battle directly is just not an option, not even for the strong and well-trained minds of high-level practicing occultists. The minds of strong Negs are way more powerful than human minds. Their level of consciousness is superior to ours, albeit darkly so. It is like trying to walk against a hurricane wind. There are ways to fight this, suitable only for adults, but there is absolutely nothing any child could ever do against such a mental onslaught.

The spirits quoted earlier clearly state that demons and such are insubstantial hallucinations, mock demons created by the imagination, with no real power unless one believes in them and thus provides it. This sounds reasonable, but they also state that non-believers are totally immune to such things. But if this were true, what belief is involved with neg. interference and attacks on babies of pre-language age, animals, and very young children from good homes with no lifestyle Neg attractors?

I think it is entirely possible that a level of the collective consciousness (the nightmare level) could create thought-form or eggregorical pseudo-demonic type beings. And also that such beings could become conscious and independent. But again, where are the Karma attractors and where are the spirit protectors and/or spirit guides these children are 'supposed' to have by default? And why are channeled spirits so maddeningly vague and evasive about such matters?

Why is it that if one stops childhood neg. invasions, children grow up with no serious neg. related problems; usually into decent Neg-free human beings? And why is it, if one exorcises persons who are riddled with unhealthy thoughts, compulsions, pressures and addictions, these all disappear and they rapidly become psychologically, physically and spiritually healthier?

If, as in the more workable and logical possibility I suggested earlier: that bad spirits may be related to the dark side of enforcing Karma (something the spirits above hotly deny (see Spirit Question #511), and that such bad spirits are drawn to attach to and influence people from birth, as instruments to enact and fulfill Karma, why has this never been stated by channeled spirits before? And why do the channeled spirits of today continue to refute this possibility? Either they do not know or they are hiding the truth. Many of these spirits have made multiple statements that totally contradicts the truth in many important areas. This is not just evasion, this is outright deception. If they did not know the truth or were not allowed to discuss these matters, they could simply state this and be done with it. Either would be more intellectually acceptable than the current level of apparent deception.

Again, the most glaring discrepancy with the popular model is that, by large, Bad spirits attack and corrupt humans during their most vulnerable, impressionable time -- during infancy and early childhood. If God-given Karma preset conditions were truly involved, bad spirits would not need to attack, penetrate and psychologically brainwash children while they are totally defenseless. Logically, they could simply float in and assimilate with them later, once such children reach the age where they begin realizing and acting upon Karma preset negative inclinations.

It has become very clear to me that bad spirits actually create the internal conditions in children, that the spirits above state are the attractive factors that allow bad-spirit/human assimilation to occur. All the evidence points to the truth being the total reverse of the popularly accepted model.

I know my views are controversial and I dislike contradicting the opinions and heartfelt beliefs of others, living or otherwise. But I can no longer remain silent. Every fiber of my being tells me something is very wrong here. This corruption of the innocent is ungodly evil in it's darkest form. How can anyone say it is God's will that these crimes against the innocent are natural and should be allowed to continue unchecked? There is no truth nor justice in this model. But we do not have to allow this to continue. Much can be done to stop it.

The Holy Bible:

If one reads the holy bible (and most other holy books for that matter, including The Tibetan Book of The Dead) many clear examples of hell, evil spirits, infernal demons and cases of possession and exorcism are found. Although I call them Negs (negative inorganic beings) I like to call a spade a spade and class anything that causes deliberate suffering as evil, be it human or spirit. If something looks like a demon, smells like a demon and acts like a demon, then to my way of thinking it probably is a demon.

• A Greek translation search on the roots of the word DEVIL in the Holy Bible shows it comes from two words: Dia and Bollos. Dia (deea) means the channel by or through which an act is carried out. Bollos means, among other things, to insert or put into. These two root words also contribute to the words Diablo and Diabolical.

An index quote from The Holy Bible (King James version) says it all:

• Demon: Translated as 'Devil' in authorized version of Holy Bible. In the New Testament, it denotes a spiritual being at enmity with God, having the power to afflict men with disease and spiritual pollution. The power of demons is thought to be limited. They recognized their true status before God (James. 2:19). They recognized Christ as the son of God and dreaded the approach of the final judgment (Matt 8:29). Beelzebub was their chief (Matt. 12:24-28). They appeared to be the angels of the devil, or of the dragon, destined for ultimate destruction (Matt. 25:41; Rev. 12:7, 9)

Following are two stories from many in The Holy Bible that show not only devils, possessions and exorcisms, but also of devils possessing animals (swine), driving them mad and forcing them to commit suicide. I do not offer this here as absolute proof, but when combined with other historical evidence, and my personal experience with possession and exorcism, it adds to an already strong case.

• Matthew, 8: (16) When the even was come, they brought unto him many that were possessed with devils: and he cast out the spirits with his word, and healed all that were sick.

• Matthew, 8: (28) And when he was come to the other side into the country of Ger'ge-senes, there met him two possessed with devils, coming out of the tombs, exceeding fierce, so that no man might pass by that way. (29) And, behold, they cried out, saying, "What have we to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of God? Art thou come hither to torment us before the time?" (30) And there was a good way off from them a herd of many swine feeding. (31) So the devils besought him, saying, "if thou cast us out, suffer us to go away into the herd of swine." (32) And he said unto them, "Go". And when they were come out, they went into the herd of swine: and behold, the whole herd of swine ran violently down a steep place into the sea, and perished in the waters. (33) And they that kept the swine fled, and went their ways into the city, and told every thing, and what was befallen to those possessed of the devils.

I do not question New Age spiritual doctrine lightly. I have serious questions that need serious answers; answers that have not been forthcoming. But these questions must eventually be answered, one way or the other. Please keep in mind that I do not dispute or deny the existence of good spirits, spirit masters, angels and deities. I have encountered way too many of these not to know they are real. However, I firmly believe all spirits should be judged in the same way as humans are judged: by their words and actions, their honesty, openness and integrity. As said in The Holy Bible, "Test the spirits" is sage advice indeed (First letthn, John 4:1).

Bibliography:

• "Seth Speaks: The Eternal Validity Of The Soul": channeled and written by Jane Roberts. Prentice-Hall. N.J. USA. 1972.

• Holy Bible: The large King James version with full concordance.

• The Spirits Book: Allen Kardek. Psychic Press, London (1898).

• The Mediums Book: Allen Kardek. Psychic Press, London (1898).