New Age Cults and Religions

by Texe Marrs

  Chapter 77: SETH

  Psychologist Jane Roberts first met the spirit Seth when she began experimenting with a Ouija board. The date was December 8, 1963. Roberts had decided to do a book on extrasensory perception (ESP). She decided to obtain a Ouija board so she could sort of “do it yourself’ and see if the spirits of the beyond could really be communicated with.

  On a snowy winter evening she and her husband, Rob, began to move the pointer around on the Ouija board. “Do you have a message for us?” Rob asked. “Consciousness is like a flower with many petals,” replied the pointer. Fascinated by the seeming ability of the Ouija’s pointer to provide answers, Rob and Jane quickly asked, “By what name do you prefer to be called?” The answer: “To God, all names are his names.”

  From that occultic beginning, Jane Roberts went on to conduct over 500 sessions with Seth. Eventually, the spirit Seth literally would take over her body and control her physical responses during the sessions.

  When Jane Roberts first published her books, beginning with Seth Speaks and including The Seth Material, they were an overnight sensation among those interested in mediumistic activities, the supernatural, paranormal behavior, and the New Age movement. Jane Roberts continued to write more books, including The Education of Oversoul Seven; The Nature of Personal Reality; Psychic Politics; The Unknown Reality: A Seth Book; The God of Jane; and Seth: Dreams and Projection of Consciousness.

  Soon, those who had read the Seth books began to meet at local homes around the United States and overseas, devouring Seth’s works much as a Bible study group in a conservative protestant church would the Bible. What Seth taught them was vintage New Age material. For example, the channel spirit entity told psychic/medium Jane Roberts:

  It is natural to be bisexual.

  Evil and destruction do not exist.

  We create our own reality.

  There is no authority superior to the guidance of a person’s inner self.

  Seth’s teachings also include admonitions that meditation and contact with spirit beings are very important to one’s spiritual development. Moreover, Seth taught that it was natural to be gay, whether homosexual or lesbian. And he suggested that New Age doctrines and philosophies were on target. Finally, he affirmed the New Age belief in reincarnation, claiming that he himself had lived many lives. For example, Seth claims to have lived in the body of a Mr. Frank Withers, who died in Elmira, New York in 1942.

  Today, advocates of Seth continue to meet in local homes, but a number of formal centers have also been established in the United States. Psychic Jane Roberts is now deceased. Still, the teachings she gave the world through Seth continue their dynamism.

  Seth Conferences

  In Austin, Texas, each year Seth disciples from around the globe meet annually to fellowship and study Seth’s teachings in depth. In 1988 the seminars during this annual convention included the channeling of “Abraham,” by Esther Hicks, a spirit channeler, and seminars entitled “The Nature and Value of Dreams;” “God Concept;” and “Getting What You Want.” Perhaps the most interesting seminar, however, was one conducted by a Mr. Toni Kosydar, a former high school coach from Reno, Nevada. Kosydar, believe it or not, taught the conferees how to speak in tongues. Indeed, he taught them how to sing in tongues. Here is how a conference brochure described the course, What is Sumari, and How Did it Come About?, to be taught by Toni Kosydar:

  Toni will speak on how Jane Roberts came to sing in Sumari and what the experience meant to her—and could mean to us. Jane: “I heard a babel of voices in strange languages. I didn’t know what I was supposed to do with them, but I knew that something was expected of me. Suddenly I chanted the words in a loud, ringing voice: ‘Sumari, Ispania, Wena nefarie, Dena dena nefarie, Lona Lona Lona Sumari.’ Then, in whisper, someone else said in my voice, ‘I am Sumari. You are Sumari. It is your family name. Throughout the ages you have been Sumari. I am acquainting you with your heritage.’ At the same time a delicious warmth filled my body. It came like a glow, from inside, radiating outward.”

  The brochure went on to explain that this is what was called “speaking in tongues.” It explained that: “The Sumari language is not a language in the ordinary sense. Its importance lies in its sounds, not in its written patterns. The sounds do things. The meaning is apart from the power of the sounds.”

  During the conference, Toni Kosydar demonstrated how a person could create and then interpret the Sumari songs that involve speaking in tongues. In addition, he also taught the group how they could all sing in tongues and dance at the same time in a form of holy dancing.

  The Seth World Conference in Austin is only one of a number of activities conducted by Seth around the nation. Through the Seth Centers, one can purchase audio tapes by Roberts and also the Seth video, which demonstrates Seth speaking through Jane Roberts. The Seth Centers provide consultations, perform past life regressions so that people can learn what kind of lives they lived in previous incarnations, and distribute metaphysical material. The use of dreams and their interpretations is also important in the Seth material.

  Chapter 78: SHARE INTERNATIONAL

  “Lord Maitreya, the Christ is back,” says Benjamin Creme, co-leader of Share International, and he is going to put an end to the inequality of economic distribution in the world. That is the message of Share International, a magazine published by the foundation of the same name which has administrative offices in London and Los Angeles. The directors of Share International are Peter Liefhebber, a Dutch journalist who Share International says is “concerned with the creation of a new world economic order,” and Benjamin Creme, a British artist and occult author. Their contention is that a spirit entity named Lord Maitreya has manifested himself on earth, in the physical flesh, and now lives in a Pakistani community in a suburb of London, England. Soon the Christ will reveal himself and inspire all of humanity with the will to end mass hunger and abolish threat of war. To accomplish this, the rich must share with the poor and the world’s resources must be redistributed equally to all. Share International is basically a subsidiary or an adjunct to the Tara Center, a cultic group which we will study later in this book.

  Chapter 79: THE SILVA METHOD

  It used to be called “Silva Mind Control,” but the term “mind control” had many negative connotations and so Jose Silva, the Laredo, Texas, hypnotist who founded The Silva Method, astutely decided to change the name a few years ago. Silva, who claims that he is still a believer in the Roman Catholic Church in which he was raised, nevertheless advocates a number of occultic practices and teachings to those who undertake the Silva Method. Admittedly this is a popular course. It was estimated some five years ago that about six million people in more than 70 countries had taken the 48 hour-long course. Hundreds of thousands of these individuals were so pleased that they went on to take advanced courses in the Silva Method.

  The Silva Method promises to put the person into contact with a spirit guide who can stay with the individual and become a life-long companion. So for those who wish to conjure up through visualization and occult meditation a demonic spirit from the deep and befriend that spirit for an eternity, Silva is just the thing. Silva proposes that by use of the visualization and meditation process it recommends, it can teach the individual to develop capability at the delta level of mind consciousness. At this level, so the claim goes, the person becomes cosmically conscious and is capable of “Christ awareness.”

  Silva has also endorsed a faddish but very unscientific left brain, right brain theory of pop-psychology. The notion is that the right brain is the creative, intuitive, spiritual and emotional side of a person’s personality while the left side is more mathematical, logical, commonsense, and rational. Silva and other New Age theorists propose that an individual’s right brain, his or her spiritual side, can be developed, resulting in spiritual growth. Again, I wish to emphasize that the United States Government, through the National Research Council of the National Academy of Sciences, thoroughly resea
rched all the claims of the right brain, left brain theorists and found them severely wanting. Indeed, although man certainly does physically have left and right brain hemispheres, there is no evidence whatsoever to indicate that one side or the other has the different functions—for example, rational, logical, inquisitive, spiritual, creative, etc.—as proposed by quack-psychology. Nevertheless, because the theory has caught on in the public imagination, Silva and other groups continue to use it and benefit.

  You can contact Marilyn Monroe...or Thomas Jefferson!

  The Silva Method entices recruits into paying and attending their courses by promising to develop ESP, clairvoyant powers. Some who have graduated from the course have claimed that they were able to visualize such famous personages as Shakespeare, King Henry VIII, Marilyn Monroe, Elvis Presley, George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and John Wayne, among others. Some individuals have even said that they were able to engage in “sex relationships” with the departed spirits. One Silva graduate related that during his visualizing of a certain well-known author who had passed away some years before, a spirit who had been the critic of that author in real life suddenly came on the scene and the two spirits began to fiercely debate the author’s works.

  Although the Silva Method would no doubt deny its occultic basis, nevertheless, there is little attempt by its teachers to cover up the fact that the Silva Method employs techniques and ideas closely related to hypnosis, yoga, and Transcendental Meditation. What they do not admit is that there is grave danger to those who summon up demonic spirits from the depths of their own imaginations. In her bestselling book, The Beautiful Side of Evil, Christian author Johanna Michaelson told of her experiences with the Silva Method. The teacher and guide whom she visualized was “Jesus,” but it turned out that this was a false Jesus, another Jesus (see 2 Cor. 11:4, and Gal. 1). Eventually, the Jesus who had at first seemed so loving, soothing, and kind revealed his true self. To her horror, Johanna discovered that the “Jesus” she had been visualizing and worshipping was a demonic spirit who attempted to frighten her into submission by changing into the form of a vicious werewolf! Only by turning away from everything she had learned in Silva and turning to the real Jesus was Johanna Michaelson able to overcome this astonishingly evil presence.

  Chapter 80: SIRIUS COMMUNITY

  The star known as Sirius is visible in the skies over America only during the winter months. The Sirius star was honored by many ancient religions. It was considered sacred to the Egyptians who worshipped the goddess Isis. Likewise, the ancient Hindus and especially the Dogon tribe of Africa venerated Sirius. Throughout the centuries Sirius has been recognized by most occultists and esoteric teachers as the location where Lucifer and his hierarchy dwell. In Christian terminology, Sirius is simply a secretive codeword for “hell.”

  The New Age community called Sirius is named after the star. However, the leaders of the Sirius Community say that their star is “the source of love and wisdom for the planet.” There is no reference to Lucifer or Satan in this group’s literature. Sirius Community was begun in 1978 on 86 acres of land by former members of the Findhorn Community in Scotland. Today there is only a small group of New Agers at Sirius, but there are many associate members across the country and the world. The community practices group meditation and believes in atunement to nature and in the interconnectedness of all things. Recently, an issue of the Sirius Journal, the newsletter of the Sirius Community, pictured a man dressed as the pied piper leading children through the woods during May Day festivities in the community. How appropriate for a community which claims to be a “center of light and positive vision and service to the world” but in reality is yet another vehicle being used by the Adversary today.

  Chapter 81: SOCIETY OF CRYSTAL SKULLS, INTERNATIONAL

  Are crystal skulls “now coming forth to assist in creating Planetary Peace and to announce a Golden Age?” Do crystal skulls contain “the untold secrets of the Universe and life itself?” Are crystal skulls “the most powerful tools that exist for expanding the mind?” These are the astonishing assertions of the Society of Crystal Skulls, International (SCSI), an organization founded in New York and California in the 1940s by Frank R. “Nick” Nocerino.

  A number of crystal skulls have been discovered around the world by archaeologists and anthropologists. They believe that the pagans carved these crystal skulls to facilitate worship of the spirit world and to placate demonic forces. Today, those in the New Age and the occultic and esoteric societies do not always fully agree with the scientific community on the origins of these skulls. Some maintain that the skulls were brought here by UFO aliens. Others have proposed even more bizarre origins for the crystal skulls that have been found.

  Frank Nocerino has studied metaphysical matters for over 40 years and has lectured extensively on crystal skulls. He and his group maintain that the skulls may include images of UFOs and that inside the skulls one can find holographic pictures. They also suggest that the skulls may actually be “ancient computers” and that if they can be reactivated, the skulls can “help usher in the manifestation of the Aquarian Age.” Many in the New Age also believe that the crystal skulls have esoteric healing powers and can be used as a medium to contact and communicate with spirits.

  Frank Nocerino, head of this Society, is presented as an authority in what the Society terms “psychic and hypnotic sciences.” He has also made the news by assisting in the investigation of houses supposedly haunted by ghosts and poltergeists. The Society of Crystal Skulls, International is located in Pinole, California. The society distributes literature and especially the book Mysteries of the Crystal Skulls Revealed. The group also offers a video, in which Nick Nocerino introduces viewers to crystals, entitled Your Personal Journey in The Crystal Skulls.

  Chapter 82: SPIRITUALISM

  It is a bestselling book published by a major New York publisher. Its shocking title is The Dead Are Alive: They Can and Do Communicate With You. The book’s author is Harold Sherman, a psychic and spirit medium who also wrote a companion book, You Live After Death. Harold Sherman is only one of many who practice Spiritualism, but the unfortunate thing about Sherman’s book is that it is endorsed by a well-known Christian authority: Dr. Norman Vincent Peale. On the cover of Sherman’s book is this blurb by Peale: “A masterpiece! Could be the greatest of all of Sherman’s great books. I hope it will be widely read.”

  Norman Vincent Peale is not the only person to endorse spiritualism. Although the Bible expressly prohibits communication with the spirit world (for example see Deut. 18), in recent years more and more so-called “Christian” authorities are admitting their involvement in what is called necromancy, communication with demonic spirits.

  Bestselling books have been written advocating spiritualism. Perhaps the best-known author is Ruth Montgomery, a former journalist who supposedly conjured up the late Arthur Ford from the spirit world and later developed contact with a number of other spirits. In such books as The Walk-Ins and Strangers Among Us, Montgomery insisted that the spirit world is benign and is actively promoting the good of the living. Another who admits to contact with the spirit world is Bernie S. Siegel, M.D., who wrote the bestseller Love, Medicine, and Miracles. Dr. Siegel says that the name of his spirit guide is “George.”

  Although almost every New Age leader readily admits that his or her guidance comes directly from the spirit world, there has been for many years a spiritualist association of churches in the United States and abroad. The National Spiritualist Association of the U.S.A. was organized in Chicago in 1893 and has held annual conventions almost every year since. It is not, however, the only spiritualist association. Also there are many independent spiritualist congregations. In a recent issue of The Messenger, called “a magazine about, by, and for Spiritualists,” a number of churches were listed, including the First Psychic Spiritualist Church of Brightmore, Detroit, Michigan; the Church of Spiritual Love, Deerfield, Florida; Believers Circle, Bakersfield, California; and the Spiritual Chu
rch of Harmony, Peoria, Illinois.

  Spiritualists do not believe in a personal God, but instead affirm a belief in “Infinite Intelligence.” They believe that the individual spirit continues after death and that departed individuals can therefore be contacted and communicated with. They also insist that these contacts can be scientifically proven. They believe that the highest morality is contained in the Golden Rule and that individuals have no responsibility to obey a personal God but instead must obey “Nature’s physical and moral laws.” In essence, spiritualists believe that men are good, that there is no original sin, nor was there a fall from grace. They deny that man needs salvation through Jesus Christ, and they reject the biblical doctrine of eternal punishment in hell for unbelievers who reject the one true God.

  Spiritualist churches have worship services in which they invoke the spirits to give them spiritual understanding and show them the way to peace and happiness. They have readings also. One reading from the Spiritualist Manual declares: “How great the power of spirits! A host of invisible intelligences, exalted and wise, surround us everywhere.”

  In meetings, the church’s leader calls on the spirits to come forth to be received with joy and thanksgiving. It has also been reported that in a number of spiritualist churches, members of the congregation participate in what can only be described as “mind-sex” with spirits. This is done through a form of visualization, imagery, and fantasizing.

  Unfortunately, men and women who have recently lost loved ones and are in an understandably hurting state of mourning are often quite vulnerable to the promises of spiritualist charlatans. Such charlatans claim that departed loved ones can be contacted in the spirit world through the ceremonies, invocations, and rituals of the spiritualist churches. Many bereaved persons have been conned out of great sums of money by such flim-flams.