Giovanni Ziberna: "Our Lady's intercession is fundamental in the fight against the devil".Father Andrés Esteban López Ruiz is an exorcist of the Archdiocese of Mexico. He is part of the International Association of Exorcists and, in addition to being a member of the Spanish-speaking secretariat of this association, he is in charge of the ongoing formation of other priests. exorcists.
In this interview with Omnes, he explains in detail the origins of the New Age, the deceptions to which it leads and the reasons for hope that Catholics can have in the face of the expansion of this spiritual movement which, says Father Andrés, "has also affected Christian communities".
How would you define the New Age?
- It is, in principle, a spiritual movement that emerged in the 1970s, which has a common system of beliefs and practices, but which admits a large number of variations in each place, in each person, in each time and in each group.
It can be placed in the field of a certain "esoteric religiosity", but more appropriately, according to its own self-understanding, as an "esoteric spirituality". It is not a "movement" in full terms because it is a non-unified, decentralized, diffuse and informal cultural phenomenon.
Some refer to the New Age as an "environment" in the social sense, as a certain cultural environment that implies some conditions of beliefs, practices and customs that influence the lives of different people, mainly in the spiritual, religious and moral aspects.
What are your main beliefs?
- The New Age belief system is a complex, non-unified system that has different sources and expressions. These are some of its main beliefs:
The New Age is a syncretic spirituality that combines elements of various religions and spiritual traditions with an emphasis on subjective experience in terms of enlightenment and divinization. In this sense it can be seen as a type of neo-gnosticism, where Christ, Buddha, Confucius and other enlightened masters have the same relevance.
On the other hand, the New Age involves a foundational and operative spiritualistic element; communication with spirit guides and ascended masters, sometimes in the guise of angels or beings of light, is believed in and frequently invoked.
The New Age has as its central point the belief that everything is composed of energy and that one can interact with it, God being the cosmic energy that constitutes the world. It is therefore a pantheistic spirituality. The spirit guides are mediators of wisdom and energy in this cosmic system that is always presented as holistic.
The New Age is esoteric, seeking occult knowledge and enlightenment through ascetic and initiatory practices of enlightenment in which guides, masters, gurus, etc. are always involved. The connection with cosmic cycles and revelation through the stars or other cosmic aspects is sought. The energetic interaction with the cosmos in terms of manipulation through rites and elements is the basis of its magical component.
The New Age has, then, a strong component of magic practice, seeking healing and wellness through occult practices such as energy manipulations, but also seeking access to occult knowledge through ritual practices.
Finally, although the New Age is eclectic and integrates elements of various religions, it understands itself as an overcoming of Christianity, which has been incorporating from its origins diverse religious elements, mainly from Buddhism, Hinduism and, later, from some indigenous and shamanic religions. In this sense, it is common to find ideas such as "karma" or reincarnation within their beliefs. This element of overcoming Christianity was expressed as the axiom of the end of the Age of Pisces, which represented Christianity, and the beginning of the Age of Aquarius, which would represent a new spiritual awakening of humanity.
How did the new Era come about?
- The New Age has its roots in the esoteric and eclectic spirituality of the 19th and early 20th centuries. Authors such as Emanuel Swedenborg, Franz Mesmer and Allan Kardec influenced the New Age spiritual perspective.
Helena Blavatsky, founder of the Theosophical Society, is considered one of the main ideologists of the New Age. Her work "The Secret Doctrine" (1888) establishes a cosmic unity between the stars, the universe, the human soul and nature. In addition, she laid the foundations for an eclectic and syncretic Gnosticism where diverse religious expressions are incorporated, which she called theosophy.
Blavatsky also promoted the practice of yoga, meditation and the invocation of spirit guides. In fact, much of her work was inspired and written through the mediation of spirit guides. Although we recognize Kardec as the father of modern Spiritism, Blavatsky was the great promoter of a new spirituality integrating magical, ancestral and mystical elements in the West, as well as one of the main promoters of bringing the ascetic practices of Buddhism to Europe.
Alice Bailey, a disciple of Blavatsky and Besant, is considered the "mother of the New Age". Her work "A Treatise on the Seven Rays" (1936-1951) establishes the basic principles of the New Age, including cosmic unity, energetic communication between body and soul, and the possibility of manipulating divine energy for healing and enlightenment. There is, for her, a communication or connection between the body and soul of man and the physical universe, through the 7 rays that are universal divine forces associated with the human body and different energetic zones called "chakras".
The expression New Age is attributed to Alice Bailey, who used it in some of her works, such as "Discipleship in the New Age." (1944-1955), and who in 1937 founded an association called the "Lucis Trust" in order to prepare humanity for radical change through the great invocation of light. Indeed, previously Blavastky, Besant and then Bailey had expressed a fundamental role of Lucifer in their cosmic understanding, as an angel of light who sacrificed himself to become enlightenment for souls in their spiritual awakening.
Their Christological perspective, on the contrary, is that of "Maitreya" according to which he is the highest being of cosmic energy who has manifested himself in the form of Christ and also of Buddha, and who will come again to continue manifesting himself. In this sense, taking the Gnostic perspective, they consider that Lucifer is the mediator of spiritual wisdom and Christ his manifestation in the flesh.
Is the New Age compatible with Christianity?
- New Age beliefs are incompatible with the Christian faith founded on the divine Revelation that recognizes God as the only Creator and Lord of the Universe, His Son Jesus Christ as the only mediator of salvation and the Holy Spirit as the giver of life. Syncretism, pantheism and belief in energy are opposed to the truths of faith that we profess, as well as the esoteric and magical practices mentioned are opposed to the virtue of religion.
In this way, people who begin to move in the New Age environment experience a change of mentality that gradually makes them lose the Catholic faith and become involved in a series of practices that end up leading them to serious sins against the first commandment such as spiritism, idolatry, magic, witchcraft, etc.
Do you believe that New Age magical practices open the door to the devil?
- These practices constitute objectively grave sins that injure the believer's relationship with God. Therefore, they signify by themselves always regrettable facts in the order of grace, faith and charity. Moreover, they imply a darkening of conscience and the acquisition of a magical mentality with grave psychic and moral repercussions. As to whether, in addition to these damages, a spiritual problem can be caused in which the devil could exercise an extraordinary action on the person, such as vexation, obsession or possession, it is possible to answer in a general sense as follows:
The main cause of the extraordinary action of the devil is the sin against the first commandment, specifically, the practice of occultism in its different forms. Therefore, the magical practice of the New Age, such as energetic healings, invocations of spirits or angels, magical rituals, spells, divination, among others, can be an occasional cause for a person to be subjected to a particular domain of the devil in which he suffers an extraordinary action on his part.
In any case, in general, it is necessary to evaluate the practice itself, the degree of involvement of the person, the frequency and time of the practice in order to be able to respond more accurately in each case. Normally, the risk for those who are already operators of these occult techniques is not the same as for those who have participated occasionally.
It must be said that one of the main problems we face in this field because of the New Age is precisely the fact that the cultural influx of the New Age has come to normalize esoteric practices.
Has there been an increase in possession cases due to New Age trends?
- New Age beliefs and practices are a widespread phenomenon that unfortunately has also affected Christian communities. In this sense, the number of people who suffer different affectations, in different degrees because of their participation in these environments, has increased more and more. Mainly we have numerous testimonies of people who, having been intensely immersed in these practices, have suffered in various ways from some kind of extraordinary action of the devil, including possession.
What role does the exorcist play in the face of the dangers of the New Age?
- The exorcist priest has a specific ministry to attend to people who think they may be suffering from the extraordinary action of the devil. His first task is to welcome these requests with charity in order to accompany the faithful spiritually through discernment, prayer and the teaching of the faith.
When he verifies with moral certainty the extraordinary action of the demon, he must assist the vexed faithful by celebrating the Major Exorcism for as long as necessary. In this sense, the exorcist priest plays primarily a role of discernment and care for the faithful who have already suffered these unfortunate consequences in order to assist them in their liberation.
However, his role is not limited to this specific attention, but he can also give a balanced and considered testimony of the errors and dangers of the New Age in terms of prevention according to his own experience.
Do you think that many people who follow these practices are seeking the same thing as those who seek the Christian faith: a deeper connection with the divine?
- Although we are living a change of epoch, we can hardly define our times as times of atheism. The post-modern era is an era of post-truth, relativism, subjectivism and deep emotivism. However, there is, in general in the West, a search for spiritual elements that has not yet been extinguished in the societies of ancient Christianity. Thus, although it seems that we are entering a post-Christian era, vague, diffuse, eclectic religiosities without serious moral commitments seem to be increasing and captivating large numbers of people, especially the young.
In this sense, we can affirm that many people seek spiritual and profound answers in new ways of relating to the divine and are easily led to the New Age. We could say for these cases that the heart of the man thirsty for God looks for streams of water where to rest and although they do not find the living spring of God in the New Age, this search is a reason for hope.
However, most people who engage in occultism, although also in its New Age expressions, do so in search of a certain well-being that they think these practices can provide them.
Sometimes it is seeking healing or curing physical or psychological illnesses. At other times it is seeking economic benefits or social or amorous advantages. Or they may be seeking information or knowledge that will be useful in foreseeing the future or making decisions. In this sense, we see that the spread of occultism has always been linked to a certain selfishness that disassociates the person from the source of his well-being, which is God.
Moreover, in the New Age, it seems that a precisely opposite path is proposed, although seductive, people seek a spiritual empowerment that makes them dispense with a relationship with God, but rather assume a supposed divine potential with which they do not need God. In other words, the heart of man also hardens and seeks to satiate itself uselessly in its own self-absorption.
How can we differentiate between something that really opens a door to the action of the devil and a deception?
- It is difficult to differentiate between charlatans and true operators of the occult. However, it is not always necessary to make this distinction because both are harmful to people. It is reasonable to avoid these environments and these people in the sense of getting involved with them in their practices.
Even so, I think that a very concrete criterion is to recognize if in the practices involved there are true facts that cannot have a natural explanation, then we find ourselves with probably preternatural or demonic elements, in which possibly the extraordinary action of the demon can be suffered.
What should be the attitude of the Church towards the beliefs and people who practice the New Age?
- The attitude and response of the Church in the face of these beliefs should be first of all the joyful proclamation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the proclamation of the Word of God. This prophetic ministry accompanied by the teaching of the faith and adequate catechesis is the best way to enlighten the people in order to lead them to Christian life and also to warn them of the evils involved in turning away from God in occultism. This teaching must also be able to respond to the ever-changing problems of the times, therefore, it must also discern and illuminate the dangers of the New Age for the faithful.
On the other hand, in the face of the fascination for experiences of the occult and modern mysticism, we must be able to propose the living experience of the encounter with God through Jesus Christ in the Holy Spirit. Teaching the faithful the beautiful way of Christian prayer, the transforming power of the sacraments and the freedom contained in a life of love for God, fruitful in charity, will always be the best way to care for the hearts of the simple.
Moreover, the Church as a compassionate mother must have a merciful and welcoming attitude in order to be able to receive all those who for various reasons have turned away from the Christian life and fallen into the traps of occultism. This attitude requires a proven patience that knows how to explain calmly the various questions in which the conscience of the faithful has been darkened and to gradually accompany a metanoia to bring people back to the spirit of the Gospel.
With regard to people who live immersed in the New Age, convinced of the truth and efficacy of its practices, the Church must also exercise a ministry of intercession, praying for them and giving a beautiful testimony of the reasons for our hope, trusting in the grace that brings about conversion. The testimonies we have of conversions of great leaders in the New Age are also abundant and show us the need to pray always and unceasingly for one another, especially for those who are most lost, most confused and most enslaved by the deceptions of evil.
