The Occult, part 2: Divination

part 1

Deuteronomy 18:10 There shall not be found among you any one...that useth divination, or an observer of times, or an enchanter, or a witch...

I purposely skipped the first forbidden practice in this passage (child sacrifice); I wanted to save it for last, partly to do more research and partly because of the disturbing nature of the subject. Many of the practices seem to be nearly the same or at least very much related (for instance a witch/wizard/sorcerer may use divination or enchantment or consult with familiar spirits), so I may end up including others in this and later discussions.

So what is divination? Wikipedia defines divination as “the attempt of ascertaining information by interpretation of omens or an alleged supernatural agency…”
A British website, Holistic Shop (an occult site), says,

“Divination is the art of making apparent information that is hidden or not immediately obvious. From the outside looking in, it can appear magical, mystical, and maybe even scary, because we may not understand where this information is coming from.”

So here we have the definition of occult ("information that is hidden"). We also have to wonder where is the information coming from? Of course the people who wrote this have their ideas (probably a pantheistic/panentheistic view that some force they call god is in everything, therefor everything is connected by this force, and all we have to do is learn to tap into it). I want to submit the explanation that the real source is evil, demonic spirits. As we go along, I'll try to include not only biblical reasons why I believe that but also logical ones.

Simply put, I'd say divination is the attempt to discover hidden knowledge (often about future events, sometimes about things or people in a distant location) by means of signs or omens (such as observing the flight pattern of birds or using tarot cards) or by using devices such as pendulums or divining rods (dowsing/water witching). Okay, that wasn't as simple as I thought it would be.

Here is an example of divination using a crab. This is a crab sorcerer in Cameroon who "tells the future by interpreting the changes in position of various objects as caused by a fresh-water crab..."

Common forms of divination

There are various techniques I have heard of over the years which, until recently, I did not realize were really forms of divination. One example is bobbing for apples. Apparently this was at one time related to Pomona, the Roman goddess of fruit trees, gardens, etc. who was also associated with fertility and whose symbol was the apple. It was said that the first person to grab an apple with their teeth would be the next to marry.

Dowsing is another example. I remember watching an old black and white western movie as a child in which an old man used a small forked tree branch to find water. He would walk around with the branch in both hands until the end began to bend downward, indicating there was water underground in that location. This has also been used with a metal rod to find water lines and has even been used in oil exploration. Of course some try to say that this is scientific, that somehow there is a magnetic attraction between the metal rod and the water. But what about in the case of the wooden branch? And why wouldn't that work over a pond even more powerfully than over water that is in the ground. Something has to apply the force to bend the stick or move the pendulum. I believe this is the work of a demon spirit. This scenario seems clear to me considering the fact that some dowsers can actually find oil by using a pendulum on a map of a distant location. Take a look at the International Society of Dowsers to understand that this is a supernatural, occult technique. They say that "dowsing has been used to find water for wells, mineral deposits, oil, buried treasure, archaeological artifacts - even missing people." The society's purpose: "In Uniting the International Community of Dowsers, Healers, Intuitives, Clairvoyants, thru Communication and Education, We Hope to Bring to Light, the Scientific, Educational, Health and Social Applications of Dowsing, Healing and Intuitive Technologies to the World Community." They also compare dowsing to remote viewing, another occult method:

"Some theorize there is a psychic connection established between the dowser and the sought object. We consider it more of a Subtle Energy connection among all things, living and inanimate, Another theory suggests, all things possess an energy force, a part of the "Living Field". The dowser, by concentrating on the hidden object's field or the energy signature of information , is somehow able to tune in to the energy field force or "vibration" of the object which, in turn, thru a trained subtle reaction or other means, causes the pendulum to swing in a decisive direction, or the dowsing rod or stick to swing."

The ouija board is another form of divination. It is not a simple child's game. Wikipedia defines ouija board as "any flat surface printed with letters, numbers, and other symbols, to which a planchette or movable indicator points, supposedly in answer to questions from people at a séance." Again people have proposed various scientific explanations for this phenomenon, but physics can't account for the retrieval of information in this manner. The movie, The Exorcist, is apparently based on a true case study (with some details changed for Hollywood's sake of course) in which a child became demon possessed by using a ouija board.

Another popular form of divination involves holding some type of pendulum or chain over the belly of a pregnant woman in order to determine the gender of the baby. Supposedly the pendulum moves one way for a boy and another for a girl. This was described to me by a friend who said he tried this on his wife before he was saved. He said the object he used (a necklace, I think) began to move in a circular motion. He recounted that it greatly disturbed him, and he quickly stopped the practice. I'd say that was a good call.

Another way used to divine is in observing the entrails of animals, usually after their being sacrificed to idols. This is mentioned in the Bible.

Ezekiel 21:21 For the king of Babylon stood at the parting of the way, at the head of the two ways, to use divination: he made his arrows bright, he consulted with images, he looked in the liver.

I have even heard that those groups who participate in human sacrifice observe the writhing of the victim on the ground as a means of divination. Also the phrase "he made his arrows bright" in Ezekiel 21:21 describes another method. According to Albert Barnes, this means rather that "he shook his arrow; [it was] a mode of divination much in practice with the Arabians. It was usual to place in some vessel three arrows, on one of which was written, “My God orders me;” on the other, “My God forbids me;” on the third was no inscription. These three arrows were shaken together until one came out; if it was the first, the thing was to be done; if the second, it was to be avoided; if the third, the arrows were again shaken together, until one of the arrows bearing a decided answer should come forth." This sounds very similar to our magic eight ball today...

If you are a born-again Christian, I would advise you not to be involved in any of these practices. However you should not let these things scare you "because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world." (1 John 4:4)

part 1