Fr. Z's Blog

From a reader…

Father, what’s the deal with tarot cards.  I saw something about them being dangerous for the soul.  I don’t get why.  They’re just pieces of paper with art on them.  What’s the story here.

If you are “playing” with or using tarot cards or a ouija board …

STOP NOW.

From the Catechism of the Catholic Church:

2116 All forms of divination are to be rejected: recourse to Satan or demons, conjuring up the dead or other practices falsely supposed to “unveil” the future. Consulting horoscopes, astrology, palm reading, interpretation of omens and lots, the phenomena of clairvoyance, and recourse to mediums all conceal a desire for power over time, history, and, in the last analysis, other human beings, as well as a wish to conciliate hidden powers. They contradict the honor, respect, and loving fear that we owe to God alone.

Tarot cards and ouija boards, and other methods of divination, are extremely dangerous avenues by which demons are given, by you for using them, permission to attach themselves to you and places where you use them.    Different demons are “assigned” to each sort of thing, action.

Demons are extremely “legalistic”.  Once they perceive an invitation, explicit or through a sinful act, they will latch on and claim a right to be there until that bond is broken.

This is not to say that such demonic attachment must or will occur with each use of these foul objects.

Much depends on various contingencies, for example, the moral life of the user, the vocation of the user, the sacramental life of the user, the involvement and resultant layers of other activities that open doors (sins against the 6th and 9th Commandments, in particular), who introduced the person to it, what she did with it, how often, with how much attachment to it, their relatives involvement (people who pray for him or contribute to the disorder), etc.

There are so many contingencies that no two cases are exactly alike.

But I put it to you…. if you happened to know that a guy over there had Hemorrhagic Fever, like Ebola, would you invite him for a wrestling match?   If you happened to know that a particular door was wired with Semtex and a trigger, would you run over and open turn the doorknob?   If you saw a barrier fence with huge signs saying, “DANGER – LAND MINES”, would you choose that field for your daily jog?

Maybe you’ll be fine… the first time.   Maybe even the second.   If you keep doing it, the odds may not be in your favor.

It’s Russian Roulette… with your soul.

This ouija board, tarot card “game” thing is really dangerous.

Fortune telling, any manner of divination, trying to discern the future, trying to contact spirits… ALL. VERY. BAD. AND. DANGEROUS.

BE AWARE.  Even the stupid newspaper horoscope of the day rubbish can be dangerous if you put your trust in them.   An exorcist friend told me that one of his cases had FOUR demons because he had put his trust in a Magic 8 Ball.  Mostly these things are stupid jokes.  But if you really fall for them, put yourself into them, give yourself over to trust them, they because the sort of divination activity that invites demons.

Sound good you?

Demons lie.  They deceive people and then attach to oppress or even possess.   That’s not something that you want to happen.  Or at least it better not be.

It was through a true life use of a ouija board to contact a deceased aunt that a demon possessed the child that gave the inspiration for the (sensationalistic) movie The Exorcist.

Look at it is this way:

Anyone who, knowing them to be a) forbidden by the Church for use and b) spiritually perilous, uses them anyway commits a mortal sin.   Anyone who, knowing their qualities, uses them and involves someone else, commits yet another terrible abusive sin by involving another.  Anyone who, aware of the Church’s teaching, etc., who uses them and is open about it or tries to get others to use them commits the additional sin of scandal, by inducing others to commit sins.

If you have any of these things,

• break them,
• burn them,
• put the pieces or ashes into running water.

Then…

GO TO CONFESSION and confess their use.  Make a good Holy Communion.   If strange things manifest themselves in your life, stick to the sacraments and good devotions and find a priest who can bless you and perhaps, if there are enough indications, use a minor exorcism.

UPDATE:

Additional points about yoga and so forth have come up.   I’ve also consulted my tame exorcist, highly experienced.  He says, “Yoga is always incompatible with the Christianity.”

Here’s the book.

Yoga, Tai Chi and Reiki: A Guide for Christians

US HERE – UK HERE