New Age:The Labyrinth or

Dromenon, Mandalas, and Veriditas,

the Labyrinth Project
BY EPHESIANS-511.NET on MAY 5, 2013 (0)
MAY 1/3, 2013

The Labyrinth or Dromenon,

Mandalas, and
Veriditas, the Labyrinth Project

The New Age labyrinth has overrun parish churches, religious houses
and retreat centres in the West. Now it has reared its head in India,
not surprisingly in the Archdiocese of Bombay* which has become
with the official approval of the Cardinal Archbishop Oswald Gracias
through the medium of the archdiocesan weekly, The Examiner the
launching pad for various alternative therapies, New Age
organizations, New Age meditations and psycho-spiritual techniques,
for example, acupuncture, Centering prayer, Earth-Centred Retreats,
the enneagram, homoeopathy, Kripa Foundation, magnet therapy,
Myers-Briggs Temperament Indicator [MBTI], Neuro Linguistic
Programming, vipassana, the World Community for Christian
Meditation [WCCM], yoga, Interplay, etc.
My research, as documented in dozens of articles and reports at my
web site, conclusively proves that the archdiocese of Bombay is the
leading promoter of New Age in the Catholic Church in India.

The archdiocese of Bombay is also the operational base of the two

leading lay feminist theologians, Virginia Saldanha and Astrid Lobo
Gajiwala, both of who are longtime senior executives in archdiocesan
bodies, and who promote the ordination of women as priests.
*See pages 55 to 59
1.
The labyrinth like the Enneagram is largely a Catholic New Age phenomenon
but it has already been adopted and adapted by Protestant churches in the West,
mostly those that are already tainted by New Age.

Labyrinth
Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Labyrinth
EXTRACT
There are plenty of illustrations and photographs at this page. -Michael
In Greek mythology, the Labyrinth (Greek labyrinthos, possibly the building complex at
Knossos) was an elaborate structure designed and built by the legendary artificer Daedalus for King Minos of
Crete at Knossos. Its function was to hold the Minotaur, a mythical creature that was half man and half bull
and was eventually killed by the Athenian hero Theseus. Daedalus had so cunningly made the Labyrinth that
he could barely escape it after he built it. Theseus was aided by Ariadne, who provided him with a skein of
thread, literally the clew, or clue, so he could find his way out again.
In colloquial English, labyrinth is generally synonymous with maze, but many contemporary scholars
observe a distinction between the two: maze refers to a complex branching (multicursal) puzzle with choices
of path and direction; while a single-path (unicursal) labyrinth has only a single, non-branching path, which
leads to the center. A labyrinth in this sense has an unambiguous route to the center and back and is not
designed to be difficult to navigate.
Although early Cretan coins occasionally exhibit multicursal patterns, the unicursal seven-course Classical
design became associated with the Labyrinth on coins as early as 430 BC, and became widely used to
represent the Labyrinth even though both logic and literary descriptions make it clear that the Minotaur
was trapped in a complex branching maze. Even as the designs became more elaborate, visual depictions of
the Labyrinth from Roman times until the Renaissance are almost invariably unicursal. Branching mazes
were reintroduced only when garden mazes became popular during the Renaissance.
Labyrinths appeared as designs on pottery or basketry, as body art, and in etchings on walls of caves or
churches. The Romans created many primarily decorative labyrinth designs on walls and floors in tile or
mosaic. Many labyrinths set in floors or on the ground are large enough that the path can be walked. They
have been used historically both in group ritual and for private meditation.
Plinys Natural History mentions four ancient labyrinths: the Cretan labyrinth, an Egyptian labyrinth, a
Lemnian labyrinth, and an Italian labyrinth.
Labyrinth is a word of pre-Greek (Minoan) origin absorbed by Classical Greek and is perhaps related to the
Lydian labrys (double-edged axe, a symbol of royal power, which fits with the theory that the labyrinth was
originally the royal Minoan palace on Crete and meant palace of the double-axe), with -inthos meaning
place (as in Corinth). A lot of these symbols were found in the Minoan palace and they usually
accompanied goddesses. It was probably the symbol of the arche (Mater-arche: matriarchy). This theory is

confirmed by the worship of Zeus Labraundos ( ) in Caria of Anatolia, where also existed a
sacred site named Labraunda. Zeus is depicted holding a double-edged axe. In classical Greece, the priests at
Delphi were called Labryades () the men of the double axe. The complex palace of Knossos in
Crete is usually implicated, though the actual dancing ground, depicted in frescoes at Knossos, has not been
found. Something was being shown to visitors as a labyrinth at Knossos in the 1st century AD
(Philostratos, De vita Apollonii Tyanei iv.34). A palace of similar complicated structure was discovered at
Beycesultan in Anatolia, on the headwaters of Meander river.
[]
The labyrinth is the referent in the familiar Greek patterns of the endlessly running meander, to give the
Greek key its common modern name. In the 3rd century BC, coins from Knossos were still struck with the
labyrinth symbol. The predominant labyrinth form during this period is the simple seven-circuit style known
as the classical labyrinth.
The term labyrinth came to be applied to any unicursal maze, whether of a particular circular shape
(illustration) or rendered as square. At the center, a decisive turn brought one out again. In Platos
dialogue Euthydemus, Socrates describes the labyrinthine line of a logical argument: Then it seemed like
falling into a labyrinth: we thought we were at the finish, but our way bent round and we found ourselves as
it were back at the beginning, and just as far from that which we were seeking at first. Thus the presentday notion of a labyrinth as a place where one can lose [his] way must be set aside. It is a confusing path,
hard to follow without a thread, but, provided [the traverser] is not devoured at the midpoint, it leads surely,
despite twists and turns, back to the beginning.
Cretan labyrinth
Knossos has been supposed since Classical times to be the site of the labyrinth. When the Bronze Age site at
Knossos was excavated by explorer Arthur Evans, he found various bull motifs, including an image of a man
leaping over the horns of a bull, as well as depictions of a labrys carved into the walls. On the strength of a
passage in the Iliad, it has been suggested that the palace was the site of a dancing-ground made for Ariadne
by the craftsman Daedalus, where young men and women, of the age of those sent to Crete as prey for the
Minotaur, would dance together. By extension, in popular legend the palace is associated with the myth of
the Minotaur.
In the 2000s, archaeologists explored other potential sites of the labyrinth. Oxford University geographer
Nicholas Howarth believes that Evanss hypothesis that the palace of Knossos is also the Labyrinth must be
treated skeptically. Howarth and his team conducted a search of an underground complex known as the
Skotino cave but concluded that it was formed naturally. Another contender is a series of underground
tunnels at Gortyn, accessed by a narrow crack but expanding into interlinking caverns. Unlike the Skotino
cave, these caverns have smooth walls and columns, and appear to have been at least partially man-made.
This site corresponds to an unusual labyrinth symbol on a 16th century map of Crete contained in a book of
maps in the library of Christ Church, Oxford. A map of the caves themselves was produced by the French in
1821. The site was also used by German soldiers to store ammunition during the Second World War.
Howarths investigation was shown on a documentary produced for the National Geographic Channel. []
Ancient labyrinths outside Europe
At about the same time as the appearance of the Greek labyrinth, a topologically identical pattern appeared
in Native American culture, the Tohono Oodham labyrinth which features Iitoi, the Man in the Maze. The

Tonoho Oodham pattern has two distinct differences from the Greek: it is radial in design, and the entrance
is at the top, where traditional Greek labyrinths have the entrance at the bottom (see below).
A prehistoric petroglyph on a riverbank in Goa shows the same pattern and has been dated to circa 2500 BC.
Other examples have been found among cave art in northern India and on a dolmen shrine in the Nilgiri
Mountains, but are difficult to date accurately. Early labyrinths in India all follow the Classical pattern; some
have been described as plans of forts or cities.
Labyrinths appear in Indian manuscripts and Tantric texts from the 17th century onward. They are often
called Chakravyuha in reference to an impregnable battle formation described in the ancient Mahabharata
epic. Lanka, the capital city of mythic Rvana, is described as a labyrinth in the 1910 translation of AlBerunis India (c.1030CE) p. 306 (with a diagram on the following page).
[]
Medieval labyrinths and turf mazes
When the early humanist Benzo dAlessandria visited Verona before 1310, he noted the Laberinthum which
is now called the Arena; perhaps he was seeing the cubiculi beneath the arenas missing floor.
The full flowering of the medieval labyrinth came about from the twelfth through fourteenth centuries with
the grand pavement labyrinths of the gothic cathedrals, notably Chartres, Reims and Amiens in northern
France. These labyrinths may have originated as symbolic allusion to the Holy City; and some modern
thinkers have theorized that prayers and devotions may have accompanied the perambulation of their
intricate paths1. Although some books (in particular guidebooks) suggest that the mazes on cathedral floors
served as substitutes for pilgrimage paths, the earliest attested use of the phrase chemin de Jerusalem
(path to Jerusalem) dates to the late 18th century when it was used to describe mazes at Reims and SaintOmer. The accompanying ritual, supposedly involving pilgrims following the maze on their knees while
praying, may have been practiced at Chartres during the 17th century. However, no contemporary evidence
supports the idea that labyrinths had such a purpose for early Christians. The cathedral labyrinths are
thought to be the inspiration for the many turf mazes in the UK, such as survive at Wing, Hilton, Alkborough,
and Saffron Walden.
Over the same general period, some 500 or more non-ecclesiastical labyrinths were constructed in
Scandinavia. These labyrinths, generally in coastal areas, are marked out with stones, most often in the
simple 7- or 11-course classical forms. They often have names which translate as Troy Town. They are
thought to have been constructed by fishing communities: trapping malevolent trolls or winds in the
labyrinths coils might ensure a safe fishing expedition. There are also stone labyrinths on the Isles of Scilly,
although none is known to date from before the nineteenth century.
There are examples of labyrinths in many disparate cultures. The symbol has appeared in various forms and
media (petroglyphs, classic-form, medieval-form, pavement, turf, and basketry) at some time throughout
most parts of the world, from Native North and South America to Australia, Java, India, and Nepal.
Modern labyrinths
In recent years, there has been a resurgence of interest in the labyrinth symbol, which has inspired a revival
in labyrinth building.
Countless video games depict mazes and labyrinths.
On bobsled, luge, and skeleton tracks, a labyrinth is where there are three to four curves in succession
without a straight line in between any of the turns.

In modern imagery, the labyrinth of Daedalus is often represented by a multicursal maze, in which one may
become lost.
The Argentine writer Jorge Luis Borges was entranced with the idea of the labyrinth, and used it extensively
in his short stories (such as The House of Asterion in The Aleph). His use of it has inspired other authors
works []
Cultural meanings
Prehistoric labyrinths are believed to have served as traps for malevolent spirits or as defined paths for ritual
dances. In medieval times, the labyrinth symbolized a hard path to God with a clearly defined center (God)
and one entrance (birth). In their cross-cultural study of signs and symbols, Patterns that Connect, Carl
Schuster and Edmund Carpenter present various forms of the labyrinth and suggest various possible
meanings, including not only a sacred path to the home of a sacred ancestor, but also, perhaps, a
representation of the ancestor him/herself: many [New World] Indians who make the labyrinth regard it
as a sacred symbol, a beneficial ancestor, a deity. In this they may be preserving its original meaning: the
ultimate ancestor here evoked by two continuous lines joining its twelve primary joints.
Labyrinths can be thought of as symbolic forms of pilgrimage; people can walk the path, ascending toward
salvation or enlightenment. Many people could not afford to travel to holy sites and lands, so labyrinths and
prayer substituted for such travel. Later, the religious significance of labyrinths faded, and they served
primarily for entertainment, though recently their spiritual aspect has seen a resurgence.
Many newly made labyrinths exist today, in churches and parks. Labyrinths are used by modern mystics to
help achieve a contemplative state. Walking among the turnings, one loses track of direction and of the
outside world, and thus quiets the mind. The Labyrinth Society provides a locator for modern labyrinths all
over the world.
Christian use
Labyrinths, often of the Chartres design, began to appear on church walls and floors around 1000 C.E., and
there are even examples from churches in the Roman Empire.
The purpose of the labyrinths is not clear, though there are surviving descriptions of French clerics
performing a ritual Easter dance along the path on Easter Sunday. Some books (guidebooks in particular)
suggest that mazes on cathedral floors originated in the medieval period as alternatives to pilgrimage to the
Holy Land, but the earliest attested use of the phrase chemin de Jerusalem (path to Jerusalem) dates to the
late 18th century when it was used to describe mazes at Reims and Saint-Omer. The accompanying ritual,
depicted in Romantic illustrations as involving pilgrims following the maze on their knees while praying, may
have been practiced at Chartres during the 17th century. []
Notes
1. Labyrinth. Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company. 1913.
The information in the following pages [till page xx] is as far as possible in
chronological order.
3.

Ancient Satanism/Paganism being mainstreamed in todays

churches
http://www.cuttingedge.org/News/n1189.cfm
EXTRACT

[From a Protestant source; included for academic reasons]

The ancient labyrinth or spiral is now being touted as a means of healing and meditation in
churches throughout the United States. This event is another indication America has turned
Pagan, which it must do if her people are to be ready for Antichrist. The New World Order is
coming! Are you ready? Once you understand what this New World Order really is, and how it is
being gradually implemented, you will be able to see it progressing in your daily news!!
Learn how to protect yourself, your loved ones!
Stand by for insights so startling you will never look at the news the same way again.
NEWS BRIEF: Rediscovering The Labyrinth: Unlike mazes, these ancient circular pathways
guide walkers to their spiritual, healing or creative center, by David Crumm, Knight Ridder
Newspapers, in The Providence Journal, Saturday, July 11, 1998, page D5. The mysterious
labyrinth is merely 11 interlocking circles laid out on the ground with the outline of a sixpetaled flower at its heart. But a growing number of men and women who have stepped inside
the ancient pattern say that they have found relaxation, reassurance, and even healing within
its winding paths. All of these things are a part of our spiritual health, says the Rev. Murray
Blackadar, Pastor of the Church of Our Savior in West Bloomfield, Mich., where members have
just built a 60-foot-wide labyrinth of stone and grass. In exploring the labyrinth, we are
rediscovering what people in other centuries understood about mental, physical, and spiritual
wholeness, Blackadar says.

Blackadar, standing nearby, adds, One thing I like about using the labyrinth is that its not
just another spiritual flavor of the month that someone has thought up. Theres a real history
behind this in Christianity and were tapping into that history in a serious way The
widespread rediscovery of labyrinths is too recent to be reflected in most reference books.
This is a Christian tradition, but it is found in many other religions as well, says the Rev.
Lauren Artress of Grace Episcopal Cathedral in San Francisco and the worlds leading promoter
of labyrinths.
At this point, I paused in reading this article because I had certainly never, ever seen a circular
labyrinth in any Christian literature, nor any in Jewish literature, nor in the Bible. But, before we
get into the kind of Christianity to which the Reverend Blackadar is referring, let us look at
the labyrinth in question here. Within this article, Rev. Artress gives her URL for anyone who
wants to see what a labyrinth looks like and to get more information about starting a labyrinth
in his or her community. This URL address is www.gracecom.org/veriditas/ Let us now look at
her picture of her labyrinth.
http://www.gracecom.org/veriditas/geninfo/grace.shtml

As you can see, this labyrinth is a stylized series of coiled circles. Let us return to this
newspaper article for more information that will further enlighten us about this labyrinth.

While the intricate circular pathways may seem puzzling at first, labyrinth devotees are quick
to point out that this pattern is not a maze. Mazes are puzzles designed to confuse people with
wrong turns and dead ends. In contrast, labyrinths twist and turn in surprising ways, but there
is only one pathway and it always leads walkers into the centerand back out again. (Ibid) In
other words, this pattern is one of circles within circles.
When I read this description of the labyrinth in this article, I was reminded of another circle
similarly composed of circles within circles. Where was it that I had seen another series of
circles within circles? Within minutes, I remembered. I took my satanic book of symbols, Magic
Symbols, and turned to their circles within circles. Look at what I found on page 123.
This design was discovered on the Norman front in the parish church at Lewannick, Cornwall.
Notice the design is essentially the same as the design of the labyrinth shown on the web site
of Veriditas, above. The only major difference between the two circles within circles is that this
one is not interrupted at all with the stylistic designs, as is the Veriditas. This design is very
occultic, of course, which is why it was displayed in the Magic Symbols book in the first place.
But, the degree to which it is occultic will shock you. Now, let us look at the original labyrinth
design, after which all others have been adopted.
4.

Now, we can clearly see that the labyrinth design was adopted from the coiled serpent! Notice
the head of the serpent in the very middle of the coil, with its tongue protruding. We should not
be surprised at this proof of Paganism in this modern labyrinth, because the New Age

Movement is simply a revival of the old Satanic Babylonian and Egyptian Mysteries religions,
which common elements of Buddhism and Hinduism thrown in for good measure.
To dispel any ideas that the similarities of the labyrinth to the coiled serpent is accidental, let
us examine the supposed effects of these two symbols upon the adherent who places great
faith in it. First, let us examine the newspaper article to see the effect upon the people who
religiously walked the labyrinth.

I couldnt tell you much about the theology behind this or the meaning of all the circles,
Atwell says, but I know that, for me, walking the labyrinth is like taking a journey through my
life. In the 15 or 20 minutes it takes Atwell to reach the flower-shaped center and prepare for
his journey back out of the labyrinth into the ordinary world, he has passed through a virtual
photo album of the most beloved scenes in his life.

The beauty of the labyrinth is that it can address so many needs, says Rev. Artress. It can be
a prayer tool in a church; it can reduce stress in a hotel setting; it can heal; it can inspire an
artist.

The potential for reducing stress and soothing anxiety makes the labyrinth ideal for a medical
center, says Dr. Katherine Roth, a family practitioner who has studied ways to integrate
nutrition, exercise, stress reduction and meditation into healing.

For two years, Roth has led the effort to build a large garden and labyrinth outside Sparrow
Hospital in Lansing, Mich. Theres a difference between curing and healing, Roth says. Curing
is something that we do to deal with a disease process or a symptom you may have. But
healing is an innate process within each of us that allows us to bring back a balance in our
lives.

Researchers at several major medical schools, including Harvard and Duke, have
demonstrated in clinical tests that some forms of meditation can reduce blood pressure, slow
metabolism, and even ease chronic pain. No one has clinically tested the labyrinth, Roth says,
but it is possible that the quiet sense of relaxation many people report while walking the
winding paths may produce similar results.
Now, let us examine the many benefits said to incur to people who place faith in the coiled
serpent symbol, here called a spiral, in this satanic book, Magic Symbols.

The spiral is a magical symbol intended to depict the mystical journey to the centre, where
illumination, wisdom, or insight will be found. The drawing of the spiral has the caption, All
things lead to the One.
At this point, I cannot help but stop to quote another segment of this current newspaper article,
because it so clearly parallels the occult insight quoted above, that all religions lead to the One.
Labyrinths of different shapes and sizes have been used for thousands of years in Europe, the
Middle East, and Africa, long before Christianity. Interlocking circles are ancient symbols of
unity and harmony in many faiths, including Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism, and American
Indian traditions. (Ibid. p. D5)
How convenient! We are currently in the time of world history where the many religions in the
world are uniting into one religion, which will be the prophesied religion of Antichrist. In
sparking the popularity of the labyrinths, Satan is moving Americans of many different religions
into the worship of the One.

How many different religions were mentioned in this article?

-Unitarian Universalist Church We should not really be too surprised about this revelation,
since the Unitarian Universalist Churches have been actively promoting worship of Buddha and
of The Christ [Antichrist], even to the point of supporting Benjamin Creme in his efforts to be
the John the Baptist forerunner to Antichrist.
-Church of Our Savior in Oakland County, Illinois
-Grace Episcopal Cathedral in San Francisco
-Chartres Roman Catholic Cathedral in France
5.
We encourage you to go to the Veriditas web site, www.gracecom.org/veriditas/ so you can
study all the places in this country which are currently using labyrinths in their worship and
healing.
Now, we come back full circle to the mysterious statement at the beginning of this article that
the labyrinth dated back to Christian roots. The Christian roots turn out to be none other than
Roman Catholic Christianity! Of course, we have spent considerable time and effort to
demonstrate that Roman Catholicism is simply Counterfeit Christianity. In reality, Catholicism is
nothing more than ancient Paganism dressed up in Christian clothes. This example is nothing
more than another sorry example of Paganism that has been brought into the Catholic Church.
In this instance, this serpent labyrinth was rediscovered by Artress embedded in the floor of the
Roman Catholic Chartres Cathedral in France. This 11-foot circle labyrinth was laid in
approximately 1200 A.D. Even though the people of Chartres had no idea what the worship of
the labyrinth meant, even though they had no idea they had a coiled serpent symbol lying in
the floor of their church, this incident clearly shows the inherent, original Paganism in the
Roman Catholic Tradition.
The worship of the coiled serpent in this practice of using the labyrinth in which to meditate
and commune with the centre of your being clearly shows that Paganism has become
Mainstream in America today. The picture that accompanied this article shows four women
dressed in typical American clothing walking the path of the coiled serpent.
From: Ed Hird+ <[email protected]> To: prabhu <[email protected]>
Sent: Sunday, July 02, 2006 8:58 PM Subject: RE: FROM INDIA
I am an Anglican priest in the Anglican Coalition in Canada http://www.acicanada.ca.
You may also enjoy the following articles that I have written on New Age influences in the church:
Taekwondo & the Martial Arts: Mere Exercise or Trojan Horse??;
Dr Jean Houston & the Labyrinth Fad* *See below
Blessings, Ed Hird+
Ed Hird is Past National Chairman of Anglican [Charismatic] Renewal Ministries of
Canada, Rector, St. Simons Anglican Church, Vancouver, and is internationally
known for his articles exposing the error of
enneagrams, the labyrinth, etc. After his report on
the Myers-Briggs Temperament Indicator [MBTI],
Anglican Renewal Ministries decided, in November 1997 after much prayer and

reflection to no longer use the MBTI in the Clergy and Lay Leadership Training
Institutes. For his articles, see our respective articles.

Dr Jean Houston & the Labyrinth Fad an article for the May 2000 AFR
Canada magazine
http://www3.telus.net/st_simons/arm08.htm
An ex-new-ager who attends our congregation participated a year ago in the Labyrinth. Upon
walking to the centre of the circle (1), she immediately sensed a dark spiritual vortex sucking
her down.
Fortunately, being a Spirit-filled Christian, she later renounced her involvement in the Labyrinth
and through prayer was cut free from the bondage that she was sensing.
Being westerners, we often fail to realize that seemingly harmless physical techniques can
have significant questionable spiritual impact on our lives. (2)
One of the patterns with the dozens of new-age fads sweeping North America and the West
Coast in particular is that they all pop up out of the blue but claim to have rediscovered an
ancient secret technique that we all need. Many of them, including the fast-growing Labyrinth
fad (3), even reconstruct a plausible but misleading Christian history used to persuade wellmeaning Christians. The Labyrinth, as currently practiced, has very little to do with
the Chartres Cathedral (4), and very much to do with Dr. Jean Houstons impact on
the new-age-friendly Grace Cathedral in San Francisco. Dr. Jean Houston is listed on
the Internet as one of the 10 top New Age speakers in North America (5). The inside cover of
Jean Houstons 1997 book A Passion for the Possible describes herself as considered by many
to be one of the worlds greatest teachers Of concern to renewal-oriented Christians is that
Houston teaches her students on the Mystery School how to speak in occult glossolalia. She
encourages her participants to begin describing your impressions in glossolalia and even to
write a poem in glossolalia. (6) This counterfeit phenomenon, of course, does not discredit
the genuine Christian gift of tongues/glossolalia that is available after renouncing the occult,
receiving Jesus as Lord, and
asking for the filling of the Holy Spirit.
As past president of the Association for Humanistic Psychology, Jean makes use of her
doctorate in Philosophy of Religion'(7) to gain access to areas where most new-agers and
occultists cant go. For example, as noted widely in media a few years ago (8), she became a
consultant to Hillary Clinton, helping her to channel the spirit of Eleanor Roosevelt.
6.
The Labyrinth, also called the Dromenon (9), is the official symbol of Dr. Jean Houstons
new-age Mystery School which one pays $3,775 to be initiated into over a series of 9

weekends.(10) Over 5,000 people so far have attended the Mystery School over the past 15
years. Houston describes her Mystery School students as the dancers of the Dromenon.
(11) In Houstons 1996 book The Mythic Life, she credits H.F. Heards novel Dromenon with its
psychophysical state of ecstasy and spiritual awakening as the inspiration to adopting the
image of the Dromenon/Labyrinth as the symbol of her work. (12) Canon Lauren
Artress from Grace Cathedral (13) brought the Labyrinth back to her Cathedral after
experiencing the Labyrinth at Jean Houstons Mystery School.(14)
Jean Houston wrote in her 1982 book The Possible Human about the growth of Dromenon
(Labyrinth) communities. (15)
As acknowledged in Labyrinth websites, the Labyrinth is a mandala* (16), which is
actually a Hindu occult(17) meditation process (18) brought to the Western world by
the grandfather of the New Age, Dr. Carl Jung. (19) The Labyrinth has since spread to
over 200 cities, and is making a measurable impact in Canada. Artress claims that over a
million people have walked the labyrinth at Grace Cathedral alone (20) Even the infamous
Starhawk, the self-declared practicing witch and colleague of Matthew Fox**, is walking the
labyrinth nowadays (21).
*See page 50 **Excommunicated New Age Dominican priest
One of the stated purposes of the Labyrinth is to connect us to the mother goddess, of which
the labyrinth is a symbol. In her 1995 book Walking A Sacred Path: Rediscovering the
Labyrinth as a Spiritual Tool, Canon Artress states that The labyrinth is a large, complex spiral
circle which is an ancient symbol for the divine mother, the God within, the goddess, the holy in
all creation. (22) Artress says that You walk to the center of the labyrinth and there at the
center, you meet the Divine. (23) Jean Houston claims that As we encounter the archetypal
world within us, a partnership is formed whereby we grow as do the gods and goddesses within
us. (24) To Jean Houston, it seems that all of life is made up of polytheistic labyrinths. In her
1992 book The Hero & the Goddess, she recommended: Now, taking a favorite god or goddess
by the hand, a Greek one this time, explore the labyrinthian winding of your left hemisphere
Take the deity by the hand and begin to explore the labyrinth winding of your right hemisphere,
the place of intuition. (25) My prayer, as Jean Houstons new-age Labyrinth fad impacts the
Church, is that we may be wise as serpents and harmless as doves.
The Rev. Ed Hird+

Rector, St. Simons Anglican Church, North Vancouver, BC, Missioner, Anglican Renewal
Ministries of Canada
http://www3.telus.net/st_simons/
NOTES
(1) One Grace Cathedral Labyrinth advocate said that Labyrinths predate Christianity by over
a millennium. The most famous labyrinth from ancient times was the Cretan one, the supposed
lair of the mythological Minotaur, which Theseus slew with the aid of Ariadne and her spool of
thread rituals Peter Corbett, Pathfinders: Walking medieval labyrinths in a modern
world, www.gracecathedral.org/enrichment/features/fea_19981120_txt.shtml, p. 2
It was at the centre of the Labyrinth that the Minotaur did his devouring of unsuspecting
humans.

(2) An example of this might be how many people innocently get hooked into hatha yoga
through the guise of a community centre yoga course. Because hatha yoga appears to
westerners to be merely physical in nature, we fail to see the religious syncretism that we are
involving ourselves in. Nothing from a Hindu perspective is merely physical, because for
Hinduism, the physical is merely an illusion. So-called physical yoga exercises are designed to
open the psychic door to the Hindu deities. Community-Centre Yoga is in reality the marijuana
entry-level drug of the occult/new age world.
(3) Lee Penn, Fall 1999 issue of the Journal of the Spiritual Counterfeits Project http://www.scpinc.org

http://fatima.freehosting.net/Articles/Art7.htm
(4) The Chartres labyrinth dates from sometime between 1194 and 1220. These dates are
determined by the great fire of 1194, which destroyed most of the cathedral and the city of Chartres.
By 1220 the section of the nave housing the labyrinth had been rebuilt by Bishop Fulbert. Lee
Penn [email protected] done careful research showing that the Labyrinth-based relationship
between Chartres Cathedral to Grace Cathedral, San Francisco is a clear example of the tail
wagging the dog, of life imitating art. Grace Cathedral have been giving strong leadership in
Chartres reintroduction of the Labyrinth, even to the point of making Chartres Dean Legaux an
honorary Grace Cathedral Canon.
(5) Voices of a New Age Video (1999), Penny Price Productions, E! Online Fact Sheet, Ten
different New Age luminaries voice their view about the possibilities of the human spirit for
healing the body, the mind, and the
earth. http://www.eonline.com/Facts/Movies/0,60,53125,00.html
(6) Jean Houston, GodSeed: the Journey of Christ, Quest Books, The Theosophical Publishing
House, Wheaton, USA, 1992, p. 50, p.
51. http://www.jeanhouston.org/store/books/godseed.html
(7) www.skepdic.com/houston.html, 1998 Robert Todd Carroll
(8) Bob Woodward in The Choice; The Providence Journal Bulletin, Tuesday, 6/25/96, P. A3
(9) www.jeanhouston.org drom-e-non. n. Ancient Gk: a ritual pattern of dynamic expression,
a therapeutic dance rhythm in which participants experience second birth into a higher order of
consciousness and community
(10) www.jeanhouston.org/programs/ms.physical2000/6mstime.html

(11) Jean Houston, The Possible Human, Torcher: Houghton, Mifflin Company, 1982, p. ix
(12) Jean Houston, The Mythic Life, Harper San Francisco, 1996, p. 186.
(13) www.cathedral.org/cathedral/nca/spiritualperspectives/sacred.html (National Episcopal
Cathedral Website) Keynote speaker, the Reverend Dr. Lauren Artress, Canon for Special
Ministries at San Franciscos Grace Cathedral, first encountered a labyrinth in a workshop at
psychologist Jean Houstons Mystery School.
7.
(14) Kristen Fairchild, A Passion for the Possible: An Interview with Jean Houston, The Spire,
Textures 11/04/97
http://www.gracecathedral.org/enrichment, p. 4, Jean Houston, Ph.D. is the best-selling author

of many booksShe has been mentor and teacher of Dr. Lauren Artress, Founder of Veriditas,
at Grace Cathedral.
(15) Jean Houston, The Possible Human, 1982, p. 51
(16) True meditation occurs when the physical brain has been pacified, kept busy with a
mantra or a mandala, so the spiritual mind is then free to wander on its own, and discover new
truths. The walking back and forth seems very pendulous, states Squires. Its a very slow
frequency, a very long wavelength from one turn to the next. You slowly walk along and slowly
walk back, then slowly walk on again. Its hard to have your mind in a fretful kind of pace when
youre doing such a slow, pendulous, rhythmic walking like that. Peter Corbett, Pathfinders:
Walking medieval labyrinths in a modern
world, http://www.gracecathedral.org/enrichment/features/fea_19981120_txt.shtml
(17) Occult, according to the Concise Oxford Dictionary, means kept secret, esotericfrom the
Latin culere: hide It is not a synonym for Satanism.
(18) the labyrinth, a sacred tool that has been used as a mandala in many spiritual
traditions for thousands of years Spiritual Perspectives Program 1996 Sacred Circles
Conference http://www.cathedral.org/cathedral/nca/spiritual-perspectives/sacred.html
(19) www.3.telus.net/st_simons/arm03.htm. Jung was also a strong promoter of the occultic
mandala, a circular picture with a sun or star usually at the centre. Sun worship, as personified
in the mandala, is perhaps the key to fully understanding Jung.(ft.103) Jung taught that the
mandala [Sanskrit for circle] was the simplest model of a concept of wholeness, and one
which spontaneously arises in the mind as a representation of the struggle and reconciliation of
opposites.'(ft. 104)
(20) www.gracecathedral.org/enrichment

(21) www.sfgate.com Starhawk, as a Wiccan/Witch leader of two covens, celebrated New Year
2,000 by walking the Labyrinth on her San Francisco area Ranch.
(22) Lauren Artress, Walking a Sacred Path: Rediscovering the Labyrinth as a Sacred Tool,
Riverhead Books/G. P. Putnams Sons, 1995; sentence quoted by Pamela Sullivan, Book Review,
Pacific Church News, June/July 1995, p. 8
(23) Lauren Artress, Q and A with Lauren, Veriditas, Vol. 1, no. 2, Summer 1996, p. 18
(24) www.skepdic.com/houston.html

(25) Jean Houston, The Hero & the Goddess, Aquarian/Thorsons (Harper Collins Publisher), 1992,
p. 134
Labyrinth: Upon Walking to the Centre of the circle (1), she
immediately sensed a dark spiritual vortex sucking her down
http://www.cephas-library.com/na/new_age_labyrinth.html
[Protestant source]
Copyright 2001 by the author of Christianity Today, Inc. /Leadership journal
The Occult has truly gone mainstream
A-maze-ing Prayer The labyrinth offers ancient meditation for todays hurried souls. Coming in
from the brilliant San Diego sunshine, my wife and I entered a darkened hall lit only by candles

and a dimmed chandelier. The room was silent. As our eyes adjusted, we saw several people
kneeled in prayer. The setting, spirit, and solemn stillness of the hall told us that we had found
something meditative there, something spiritual.
Todays evangelicals are accustomed to well-choreographed worship services with every
minute carefully filled with music, video, and preaching. Postmodern generations are hungering
for something more-an unhurried, mystery-filled, meditative experience that doesnt have to fit
into a preplanned time schedule.
The prayer labyrinth offers a feast to fill that hunger.
Meeting God in the middle
The labyrinth is a maze-like path similar to those designed into the floors of European
cathedrals during the Middle Ages. Christians of that time would walk the labyrinth to aid their
contemplative prayer and reflection. The labyrinths fell into disuse, and most were eventually
forgotten or destroyed.
At the National Pastors Conference in San Diego, however, we found the labyrinth was back
and given an update. The path was formed by black lines on a 35-foot square piece of canvas
laid on the floor. We each were given a CD player with headphones to guide our journey
through the 11 stations on the path. As we began the inward journey-toward the center of the
canvas-a gentle female voice with a British accent read a portion of John 1. She told us not to
rush through the labyrinth, but to slow down, breathe deeply, and fully focus on God.
At the first stop, we looked at a television screen covered with complex, moving electronic
wave forms. We were instructed to pray about and eliminate the noise within that interferes
with Gods voice. At another station we dropped small stones into water, each stone
representing a worry we were giving over to God. Later we drew on paper symbols of our hurts,
prayed about each of them, and put them in a trash can.
After thirty minutes we found ourselves at the labyrinths center, where, seated on cushions,
we were offered the elements of Communion. The narrator read more Scripture and reminded
us how near Jesus Christ is to us. There was a Bible if we desired to linger, reading and praying.
The journey outward focused on how we can be used by God in other peoples lives. At one
station we made impressions of our hands and feet in a box of sand, reminding us that we
leave impressions on the people we touch.
My wife and I spent an hour in the labyrinth and found ourselves calmed and refreshed, our
perspective uniquely restored.
8.
We made our own prayer path
After the convention we knew we couldnt keep this experience to ourselves.
A few months later we featured a labyrinth as part of Gracelands annual art event at Santa
Cruz Bible Church. Graceland artists recreated the labyrinth with a kit we purchased (The
Prayer Path, Group Publishing), transforming one of the churchs multipurpose rooms into a
medieval prayer sanctuary. The team hung art on the walls, draped fabric, and lit candles all
around the room to create a visual sense of sacred space. Over two nights we saw more than
100 people go through the labyrinth. It was a joy to see so many people on their knees
communing with God through the experiential prayer elements.

Meditative prayer like that we experienced in the labyrinth resonates with hearts of emerging
generations. If we had the room, we would set up a permanent labyrinth to promote deeper
prayer. Until then, however, Graceland will continue to incorporate experiential prayer and
encourage our people to stop, quiet themselves, and pray.
Dan Kimball pastors Graceland, the ministry and worship services for the emerging culture at
Santa Cruz Bible Church in Santa Cruz, California.

Labyrinths
http://www.cephas-library.com/na/new_age_labyrinth.html
Fall 2001, Vol. 23, No. 4, Page 38, Christianity Today, Inc. /Leadership journal
Labyrinth meditation is a fairly recent phenomena [sic]. The foremost proponents of it are Jean
Houston and Grace Episcopal Cathedral in Los Angeles. In Chartres Cathedral in France there is
an elaborate 40 foot diameter labyrinth of tile imbedded in the floor of the nave. The theory is
that by walking the labyrinth one partakes of a spiritual journey of self examination and
enlightenment. As with all rituals, this only has the meaning to which the participant ascribes
to it.
Send a New Age Postcard with a Labyrinth on it!
Dr Jean Houston & the Labyrinth Fad -an article for the May 2000 AFR Canada
magazine http://www3.telus.net/st_simons/arm08.htm [ditto as in the article on pages 6-8]
The Labyrinth Building made up of intricate, mazelike chambers or passages so designed that a
person entering one would find it difficult to find a way out. Among the many labyrinths in the
ancient world, perhaps the most celebrated was a funeral temple built by Amenemhet III in
Egypt, near Lake Moeris, which contained 3000 chambers. Equally famous was the labyrinth on
Crete, which may have existed only in myth. Its conception was possibly derived from the
elaborate floor plan of the palace at Knossos. In Greek mythology, the Cretan labyrinth was
constructed by the Athenian craftsman Daedalus as a prison for the Minotaur, a part-bull, partman monster. Other ancient labyrinths were on the island of Lemnos (Lemnian) and at Clusium
(now Chiusi), Italy. The term labyrinth is also applied to mazelike patterns on the floors of some
medieval churches, intended perhaps to symbolize the tortuous journey of Christian pilgrims
toward salvation. Garden mazes walled by clipped hedges are also called labyrinths, as, for
example, that at Hampton Court, London, planted in the 17th century and still existent.
Another British turf maze deserving note is the one at Alkborough in Lincolnshire.

Beware! The New Age Movement Is More than Self-Indulgent Silliness

http://www.newoxfordreview.org/article.jsp?did=0700-penn
EXTRACT
By Lee Penn, New Oxford Review, July-August 2000
See
NEW AGE-LEE PENN
http://ephesians-511.net/docs/NEW_AGE-LEE_PENN.doc
In recent years the New Age movement has come out of the closet in the Church and in the
world. The New Age movement is made up of those who follow a potpourri of beliefs and
practices that fall outside the boundaries of traditional Christianity. Its manifestations are
protean. Some Catholic nuns walk on labyrinths to contact the Divine Feminine.

Increasing numbers of health insurance companies have heeded consumers demands to cover
offbeat treatments, ranging from Ayurvedic herbal medicine to therapeutic touch in
which a healers hands manipulate energy fields but never touch the patients body. Hillary
Clinton has contacted the spirit of Eleanor Roosevelt under the guidance of Jean Houston a
New York-based avatar who runs a Mystery School, and who inspired the current fad of
walking on labyrinths. Millions of Americans with more money than common sense are buying
into this trendy, feel-good style of spirituality; they have helped to keep Neale Donald
Walschs Conversations with God on the best-seller lists since 1997. These are the people who
proudly say, Im spiritual, but not religious.
[] Other New Age avatars view the possibility of human extinction with Earth-centered,
reptilian calm. Jean Houston, spiritual mentor of Lauren Artress (the Episcopal priestess who
runs the Labyrinth
Project at Grace Cathedral in San Francisco) announces the choice facing humanity: It could
be that the human race will end as a vast, failed experiment. And the planet will shake its
shoulders, let em slide off and the dolphins will inherit the earth.
Lee Penn, a health-care information systems consultant in San Francisco, is a member of Our
Lady of Fatima Byzantine Church, a parish of the Russian Catholic Church (one of 21 Byzantine
Catholic Churches in communion with the Holy See).
THE FULL TITLE OF THE ABOVE INCLUDES THE PHRASE TYRANNY IN THE NAME OF
TOLERANCE
The article is also accessible at: http://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/view.cfm?
recnum=3223

The New Age Movement in the Episcopal Church

http://fatima.freehosting.net/Articles/Art7.htm [Part of this is also to be found
at http://wquercus.com/faith/labyrinth.htm]
By Lee Penn
9.
Summary:
This story describes New Age activity within the Episcopal Church, emphasizing activity
within Bishop Swings diocese, the Diocese of California. It covers the Rev. James Parks
Morton and the Cathedral of St. John the Divine, the Rev. Matthew Fox*
and his Rave Masses, and the Rev. Lauren Artress and her Labyrinth
Project. *Excommunicated Dominican priest, now an Episcopalian priest
Update:
Since I wrote the following story, there has been additional news from the Labyrinth Project
(also known as Veriditas), based on the Fall 1999 issue of Source, their newsletter.
Canon Alan Jones, the Dean of Grace Cathedral (the San Francisco cathedral under Episcopal
Bishop Swing), will be installed as an honorary canon of Chartres Cathedral in France, on May
14, 2000. This is a reciprocal gesture since Francois Legaux, the Rector of Chartres Cathedral,
was installed on June 17, 1999 as an honorary Canon of Grace Cathedral. (pp. 1, 4, 14)

Some rich people and foundations are supporting the Labyrinth. For example, in Lansing,
Michigan, National City Bank donated $100,000 to set up a Labyrinth in a garden at a local
hospital, and a gift of $125,000 was received from a community member to name it. (p. 6)
For the first time in Labyrinth
Project literature, they mention the United Religions Initiative (URI). Of course,
the Labyrinth
Project is for the URI. The Labyrinth
Project is having a 24-hour retreat at Grace Cathedral from noon on December 31, 1999
through noon on January 1, 2000, as Grace Cathedrals contribution to the URI 72-hour
Interfaith Peace Building Project. (p. 7)
The article Thinking of Creating a Labyrinth contains the following: Objective: To keep the
sacred geometry design intact when building the labyrinth. To employ all the equations of
proportion and utilize all of the components that make up the labyrinth. To create sacred space
with the labyrinth being used as the centerpiece and container for peoples [sic] spiritual
exploration and renewal. (p. 8)

Types of labyrinths: The two most powerful and established labyrinths are the Seven
Circuit labyrinth, also called the Classical Labyrinth, and the Eleven Circuit Labyrinth from
Chartres Cathedral. Each has a long historical lineage and tradition. (p. 8) Sacred geometry:
Proportion, and using the geometry that has been handed down, is the key to keeping the
integrity of the design. Use all the components of the labyrinth. Do not make it a hybrid. (p.
9)
The Labyrinth Project again confirms its New Age origin. On pp. 16-17 of the newsletter,
there is a time-line with the significant events in the history of the project. The very first item
is: January, 1991: Lauren [Artress, the head of the Project] walks a labyrinth at a Jean
Houston seminar. (p. 16) [The story below describes the activities and affiliations of Jean
Houston.]
An article about a team of architects and consultants that designs new labyrinths says,
Because of some of the bio-energetic fields of some of the proposed products [to be used in
new labyrinths], it is even more important to discuss the placement, and remedies required, in
order to offset the bio-energetic fields of the materials. The principles of geomancy, Feng Shui,
and architectural design will be used to locate the initial labyrinth site. (p. 19)
The Labyrinth Project staff is doing a good job of proving that the labyrinth walk, as
they practice and teach it, is a New Age devotion, and not an authentic revival of a
medieval Christian practice.
Conditions of use:
This story is an extract from a book-length manuscript by me titled False Dawn, Real
Darkness: the Millennial Delusions of the United Religions and the New Age Movement.
You may re-distribute this story by hard copy or electronically, and you may abridge or quote
from this story IF you give credit to Lee Penn as the author, and IF you include in the body
or as a footnote the following statement:

Excerpted from The United Religions Initiative: Foundations for a World Religion (Part 2), to
be published in the fall of 1999 by the Journal of the Spiritual Counterfeits Project. You may

order the complete story from the Journal, or subscribe to the Journal, by calling (510) 5400300, or by writing to the Spiritual Counterfeits Project, Post Office Box 4308, Berkeley, CA
94704, or by visiting the SCP web site, http://www.scp-inc.org/.
James Parks Morton and the Cathedral of St. John the Divine
Other New Age supporters of the URI include the Very Rev. James Parks Morton, formerly the
Dean of the Episcopal Cathedral of St. John the Divine in New York City, and now President of
the Temple of Understanding. (570) While at St. John the Divine, Morton said, The language of
the Sacred Earth has got to become mainline. (571) Morton acted on this belief by holding a
St. Francis Day communion service in 1993 that invoked the gods Yemanja, Ra, Ausar, and
Obatala; the celebrant was Episcopal Bishop of New York Richard Grein. (572) (Yemanja is an
Afro-Brazilian goddess of the sea (573); Ra is the Egyptian sun god; (574) Ausar also known
as Osiris and the Green Man is the Egyptian god of life and death; (575) Obatala is the Voodoo
Father of Wisdom. (576)
Other Sunday masses at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine have
included Sufi and Lakota ceremonies.(577) It was from the pulpit of the Rev. Mortons
cathedral in 1979 that James Lovelock first publicly explained the Gaia theory that the
earth as a whole is a living, conscious organism.(578) Morton has worked to spread the Green
gospelnationwide; he co-founded the National Religious Partnership for the
Environment, a group that has reached over 53,000 congregations of every faith across
America with the ideas of sacred ecology and environmental responsibility. (579) He is also a
board member of the Earth Charter Project and of Global Green, USA (580) an affiliate
of Gorbachevs Green Cross International.
10.
The Episcopal Diocese of California
The attraction of New Age leaders to the URI should not be a surprise, given the influence of
the New Age movement in Bishop Swings own diocese. This influence has arisen without any
public hindrance from the Bishop of California. On the contrary Bishop Swing has fostered
these non-Christian tendencies in the Episcopal Church.
Bishop Swing has made Matthew Fox a priest in the Episcopal Church, and has given
consistent moral and financial support to Foxs efforts. The Veriditas Project, a New Age style
revival of the ancient devotional practice of walking in labyrinths, has arisen in the Bishops
own parish, Grace Cathedral. Bishop Swing chose to extend an invitation to new spiritual
movements to join the United Religions Initiative. All of this indicates that Bishop Swing either
does not understand the problems posed by the New Age movement for the souls of the
faithful (and for those outside the Church who are being led astray by this movement), or that
he considers the New Age movement to be a good thing.
This is not to say that the Episcopal Diocese of California and its parishes are entirely under
New Age influence. However, there ought to be no such presence in a Church professing the
Christian Faith. By analogy a lake needs to be contaminated by only a small amount of PCBs
or dioxin in order to be considered polluted and in need of a clean-up.
Matthew Fox

Bishop Swing accepted Matthew Fox, formerly a Catholic priest, into the Episcopal
priesthood in 1994. Since then, Bishop Swing has offered unswerving public support to Matthew
Fox, allowing Rave Masses to occur at Grace Cathedral (581) and lending $85,000 of
Diocesan funds to help Fox establish the University of Creation Spirituality. (582) This university
now has 260 Doctor of Ministry students. (583)
Each month, more than 1,200 people attend Foxs Techno Cosmic Mass, held in a former
ballroom in Oakland, California. (584) In an article for a monthly New Age newspaper,
Conscious Life, Elaine Cohen describes the services:

A team of about 35 people researchers, electricians, techies, carpenters, designers, scholars,

rappers, rabbis, disc jockeys and theologians of Christian, Buddhist and Muslim faith put forth
a joint effort to stage one Techno Cosmic Mass. Each Mass has a thematic focus such as Angels,
or the Celtic tradition or Reviving the Sacred Masculine. For the Return of the Divine Feminine
theme, over 700 goddess images from all cultures were projected on the walls.(585)
Matthew Fox described the Rave Mass that occurred at Grace Cathedral on Reformation
Sunday, October 29, 1994. There was a sun altar and a moon altar, used in a Mass where sin
was renamed:

It was like being in a forest, where every direction one turned there was beauty and something
interesting to behold. This included not only the singers, dancers, and rappers I have referred
to already, but also the projections on large video screens, on television sets, on a huge globe
suspended over the beautiful altars (one a sun altar, the second a crescent moon altar). On the
screens were hummingbirds hovering, galaxies spinning, flowers opening, humans marching,
protesting, embracing and polluting (sin was present and indeed renamed for us at the Mass).
Life was there in all its panoply of forces, good and not so good, human and more than
human.(586)
Perhaps its just as well that Fox did not name or describe the forces more than human
that attended this service.
Fox incorporates dance into his masses, the better to stimulate the chakras of
those who attend:

Dancing is [one of] the oldest forms of prayer, says Fox, which you see in the African, and
Native American traditions, the Jewish and Christian traditions as well. Dance gets people into
their lower chakras, the direct link with the life force. (587)
Fox is not the first to envision worship services that would get people into their lower
chakras. In his 1932 novel Brave New World, Aldous Huxley** had prophesied sensual,
high-tech liturgies that go even further than the Rave Mass.
**Aldous Huxley is listed at rank no. 5 among leading New Age figures in the 2003
Vatican document
As Huxleys Solidarity Service moved to its peak, a sensation of warmth radiated thrillingly
out from the solar plexus to every extremity of the bodies of those who listened; tears came
into their eyes; their hearts, their bowels seemed to move within them, as though with an
independent life.(588) (Huxleys service in Brave New World, however, climaxed in a manner
that does not occur in Foxs services.)

Fox has said that his theological agenda is to overturn Christian doctrine, as it has been
understood since the first ecumenical Council at Nicaea:

What is the rediscovery of the Cosmic Christ if not a deconstruction of the power Christology
that launched the Christian empire in the Nicean [sic] Council in the fourth century and an
effort to reconnect to the older, biblical tradition, of Christ as cosmic wisdom present in all
beings?(589)
Bishop Swing was present at Foxs 1994 rave liturgy, and loved it. He said that:

The Mass reminds him of an experience I had as a 9-year old boy in West Virginia, coming to
a sense of God through Nature. That gets so layered over by generations of study and
theology, but this Mass leads one back toward that great awe. Swing, who has been bobbing
to the techno-music, says its so nice to see the church with a new song and a new
language,(590) and added The whole business of having the Eucharist in the context of
Nature, and the planets, and the unfolding of life is a context that has to happen. This is
probably around the time of the genesis of liturgies like this, and Im sure that there will be
more and more. Its coming So we brought a lot of people in their twenties and thirties who
dont go to church, and they were struck by this. I love it. I think were on our way.(591)
Fox has influence within the Episcopal Church nationally, as well. One of his lecture circuit stops
was to give a keynote speech at the June 1997 National Conference of the Episcopal Recovery
Ministries at All Saints Parish in Pasadena, California. The speech moved from individual
recovery to recovery in and of the Church to recovery of the planet.(592) Fox is also a familiar
figure at New Age holistic conferences.
11.
Veriditas and the Labyrinth
Project
Grace Cathedral is also home to Veriditas, (593) led by Lauren Artress, an Episcopal priest and
an honorary Canon of the Cathedral. (594) Veriditas
is also known as the Labyrinth Project.
The two labyrinths at Grace Cathedral are copies of the labyrinth that has been at Chartres
Cathedral in France since the Middle Ages. During the Middle Ages, pilgrims to Chartres could
walk this labyrinth as the culminating point of their journey. Similar labyrinths also exist at a
few other medieval cathedrals in France and Germany. A story from the Grace Cathedral web
site reports:

Early Christians took a vow to visit the Holy City of Jerusalem at some point in their lives.
During the Middle Ages, as the Crusades made travel to Palestine unsafe, other means were
needed to honor that sacred commitment. Labyrinthswere adopted by the Roman Church to
offer the congregation a way of fulfilling their sacred vows. Christians made their pilgrimages to
the cathedral cities of Chartres, Rheims or Amiens, completing their physical and spiritual
journeys in the cathedral labyrinths. (595)
The Chartres labyrinth is normally covered with chairs; it is cleared of obstructions for special
events such as the Labyrinth
Project pilgrimages. (596)

Despite this link to a Christian tradition, the labyrinth walk as practiced and promoted
by Veriditas is New Age in origin and spirit. The same story from the Grace Cathedral web
site, written by a supporter of the Labyrinth
Project, shows the extensive non-Christian lineage of religious use of the labyrinth:

Labyrinths predate Christianity by over a millennium. The most famous labyrinth from ancient
times was the Cretan one, the supposed lair of the mythological Minotaur, which Theseus slew
with the aid of Ariadne and her spool of thread. Turf labyrinths still exist in England, Germany
and Scandinavia, and are thought to be linked with local feminine deities and fertility rituals.
(597)
Veriditas own literature about the meaning of the labyrinth is virtually free of specific
connections to Christian tradition or practice. For example:

What is a Labyrinth? The Labyrinth is an archetype, a divine imprint found in religious

traditions in various forms around the world. The labyrinth is a mandala* that meets our
longing for a change of heart; for a change of ways in how [sic] we live together on this
fragile island home; and for the energy, vision, and the courage to become agents of
transformation in an age when no less will suffice to meet the challenges of
survival.(598) *See page 50
Veriditas promotes walking through labyrinths as a transformative spiritual experience, a way
for all to find healing, self-knowledge and our soul assignments and to continue weaving the
Web of Creation.(599) According to Artress, the Labyrinth is also a perfect spiritual tool for
helping our global community to order chaos in ways that take us to the vibrant center of our
being. You walk to the center of the labyrinth and there at the center you meet the Divine.
(600)
Veriditas newsletters and advertisements consistently invoke an amorphous form of spirituality,
as if the Incarnation had never happened. For example, a November 1998 article at the Grace
Cathedral web site said, In 1992 the Reverend Lauren Artress brought the labyrinth to Grace
Cathedral in an effort to bring people back to their center and allow them to experience Spirit
for themselves.(601) The name, the Lordship, and the saving acts of Christ are rarely
mentioned by the Labyrinth
Project a radical difference from widely used Christian walking devotions such as the Stations
of the Cross. This is no accident; the mission of Veriditas is not to promote a specifically
Christian use of the labyrinth as a devotional tool. Instead, as Artress said in the
first Veriditas news letter:

Veriditas is an interfaith non-profit religious corporation. Its mission is to propagate the use
of labyrinths from all traditions around the world and to teach people its use as a spiritual
tool.(602)
Labyrinth Project literature demonstrates that the Project does not provide a
Christian context for this spiritual tool.(603) The Project calls upon God as God,
Living God, Living Light, the Divine, Divine Mother, Divine Life Force,
Source, and sacred feminine. Some of these names are firmly within the Christian
tradition, and others such as the Divine Mother and the sacred feminine are not.
The Projects literature assiduously avoids providing the specific Christian content that anyone

could get from the Lords Prayer, the Apostles Creed, the Rosary, or the Jesus Prayer. (604) In
the three Labyrinth Project newsletters published in 1998, there is no mention of the Trinity, the
Crucifixion, the Resurrection, the Empty Tomb, God the Father, or God as Lord and King. The
Holy Spirit is not named as the Third Person of the Trinity. The words and the concepts of
sin, divine judgment, heaven, hell, repentance, redemption, and salvation are likewise absent.
Stories in the Projects newsletters mentioned Jesus only three times over the course of a year.
Since 1995, Artress has promoted the labyrinth as a way to make a connection with the Divine
feminine, the God within, the goddess. A friendly reviewer of Artress Walking A Sacred
Path: Rediscovering the Labyrinth as a Spiritual Tool, a book published in 1995, quotes one of
Artress descriptions of the Labyrinth: The labyrinth is a large, complex spiral circle which is an
ancient symbol for the divine mother, the God within, the goddess, the holy in all
creation.(605) Artress led a labyrinth workshop, Sacred Circles: A Celebration of
Womens Spirituality, at the Episcopal National Cathedral in July of 1996; one of the
speakers was Jane Holmes Dixon, the Suffragan Bishop of the Diocese of Washington. (606) (In
recent years, Ms. Dixon has made several forced visits to conservative Episcopal parishes in
her diocese that do not recognize the legitimacy of ordaining women as priests or bishops.)
Regarding this workshop, Artress said, We are doing a wonderful womens conference called
Sacred Circles. It is based on the labyrinth and the sacred walk being connected to the Divine
feminine.(607)
12.
In July of 1999, the Labyrinth
Project advertised a Womens Dream Quest workshop called Dreaming the Abundance of the
Divine Mother. (Lauren Artress and Judith Tripp were the co-founders of the Womens Dream
Quest).(608) The announcement states, In the fullness of summers bloom, we experience
the generosity of the mother who nourishes her family, her projects, her planet, and herself. We
celebrate the abundance of the Divine Mother and open to receive her blessings.(609) Other
Womens Dream Quest workshops held at Grace Cathedral and advertised by the Labyrinth
Project have included Inviting the Tender Spring to Come, Dreaming the Midsummers Night
Dream, and Dreaming the Rich Darkness of Autumn, all held in 1998.(610)
Jean Houston: mother of the Labyrinth at Grace Cathedral
An on-line news story provided by Grace Cathedral states that Artress mentor and teacher
is Jean Houston, a leading figure in the Human Potential Movement and co-director
of the Foundation for Mind Research in Pomona, New York.(611) Artress first walked
the labyrinth in a workshop at psychologist Jean Houstons Mystery School (612) in 1991;
from that time onward, the idea to place the labyrinth in Grace Cathedral suddenly dominated
her life This initial experience nurtured her spirituality and sent her imagination sparking
with the idea of creating a universal walking ritual open to people from all traditions.(613)
Houston can thus add the Veriditas
Project to her long list of accomplishments on behalf of the New Age movement. Houston
claims wide influence, having worked to implement cultural growth and social transition in
more than 40 countries with international development agencies, and in Bangladesh and
Burma with UNICEF. She consults to CEOs and leads workshops at companies such as Kraft,

Xerox, General Electric, Beatrice Foods, and others.(614) Over the years, Houstons
collaborators and advisers have included a host of advocates for the post-1965 spiritual
upheaval in the US and Western Europe, including Stanislav Grof, Elaine Pagels, Joseph
Campbell, Margaret Mead, Alan Watts, Moshe Feldenkrais, and Edgar Mitchell.(615)
Houston, like Artress, promotes spirituality per se as a good thing. However, not all spirits are
good ones. Opening the door to the divine mother can open the door to worship of pagan
goddesses. Dr. Robert Masters, Houstons husband (616) and a co-founder of her Foundation
for Mind Research, (617) provides an example of this. He describes himself as one who has
devotedly followed the Way of the Goddess Sekhmet for more than thirty years.(618) The online bookstore at Jean Houstons web site sells two article reprints and one book that offers
honor to Goddess Sekhmet.(619) Part of Masters Invocation of Sekhmet calls upon this
Egyptian goddess: Thou art the Terror Before Which fiends tremble! Thou are Lust! Thou art
Life! Ever-Burning ONE!(620)
Veriditas is also offering labyrinth seed kits for $125, plus shipping costs. It appears to be a
Western way to invoke New Age energy, using equations of sacred geometry to build
a labyrinth with the intended balanced, energetic climate:

The Veriditas Seed Kit enables groups to make this powerful transformational tool available for
ritual and spiritual discovery. The Seed Kit is designed to assist groups in creating a portable
eleven circuit canvas labyrinth. It contains a series of booklets that give basic information on
the materials you will need to assemble, the steps to take in making the labyrinth and the
necessary equations of sacred geometry you will need to layout [sic] and make a labyrinth.
The kit is unique in that it follows the lost tradition of sacred geometry allowing you to make
the labyrinth with the intended balanced, energetic climate that is created regardless of
size.(621)
A labyrinth devotee describes the results of this spiritual practice for him:

It has opened my creativity and has aroused my personal senses for feelings and promoted
relationships with others. I have been drawn to the symmetry, brain re-mapping and energy
production possibilities. I have every hope that the labyrinth will do the same for others who
walk this ancient sacred path.(622)
This poor fellow does indeed write as if his brain has been re-mapped. As for energy
production can he give us any evidence of net gain in kilocalories or joules due to use of
the labyrinth?
Meanwhile, word of the labyrinth spreads worldwide; as Artress says, We have been on the
Peter Jennings ABC Evening News, on the front page of the New York Times and even been
taped for the Remembering the Spirit segment for Oprah!(623) Artress claims that over a
million people have walked the labyrinth at Grace Cathedral alone, with hundreds of other sites
springing up across the country.(624)
Some Catholics have been drawn into the Labyrinth, as well. Foremost among these
is Fr. Franois Legaux, Rector of Chartres Cathedral. He first visited the Labyrinth at
Grace Cathedral in May of 1997.(625) After this visit, Fr. Legaux wrote to Lauren
Artress that I returned to Chartres convinced that I need to open myself more to
this labyrinth way and to offer its use even more.(626) Since then, Fr. Legaux has

hosted several Labyrinth Project pilgrimages to his cathedral. (627) Fr. Legaux was
installed as an Honorary Canon of Grace Cathedral at a Festive Evensong Service
held on June 17, 1999; he also was one of the three presenters at the Moments in
Time labyrinth pilgrimage at Grace Cathedral on the weekend of June 18-20.(628)
In addition, Labyrinth workshops have occurred at these Catholic sites: the
Franciscan Renewal Center in Portland, Oregon (October, 1997(629) and November
1998)(630), the Serra Retreat Center in Malibu, California (October 1998 (631) and
February 1999)(632), the Bon Secours Retreat Center in Marriotsville, Maryland
(March/April 1998(633) and August, 1999)(634), and the Holy Spirit Retreat Center
in Encino, California (March 1996)(635). If the labyrinth walk at these sites is led as a
Christian meditation by Christian facilitators, this is not a problem. If, however,
the labyrinth walks at these Catholic facilities are led in the fashion suggested by the Labyrinth
Project, then these facilities are knowingly or not helping their guests connect to the Divine
feminine.(636)
13.
The predecessor to Veriditas was the Quest Program, founded in 1986 by Lauren Artress. (637)
In addition to introducing the labyrinth to Grace Cathedral, Quest sponsored other openly New
Age events. For example, Quest and the California Institute of Integral Studies co-sponsored
two celebrations of divine union in the spring of 1995: seminars on The Renaissance of
Christian Spirituality: Eros, Ecstasy, & Creation, and The Sacred Marriage: Alchemy at the
Edge of History.(638)
The teachers of these classes included Barbara Marx Hubbard and Rosemary Ruether, among
others. The ad appeared on the back cover of Creation Spirituality magazine, whose editor-inchief was Matthew Fox.
A common funding source for Episcopalian, New Age antics
Theres at least one common source of funding for these Episcopalian, New Age antics.
Laurance S. Rockefeller and his Fund for the Enhancement of the Human Spirit have funded
Matthew Fox, (639) the Quest Program, (640) Grace Cathedral, (641) and Barbara Marx
Hubbard. In one book, Marx Hubbard describes Rockefeller as her beloved patron, (642) and
in another, she says that Rockefellers intuition about the Christ of the 21st Century deeply
inspired me.(643) Rockefeller also assisted the Lindisfarne Association, thus supporting the
efforts of James Parks Morton, David Spangler, and other New Age luminaries.(644)
Footnotes
NOTE: Internet document citations are based on research done between September 1997 and
August 1999. Web citations are accurate as of the time the Web page was printed, but some
documents may have been moved to a different Web site since then, or they may have been
removed entirely from the Web.
570 Late 1997 letter from the Interfaith Center of New York and the Temple of Understanding,
signed by the Very Rev. James Parks Morton as President of the two groups
571 Alan AtKisson, The Green Cathedral: An Interview with the Rev. James Parks Morton, IN
CONTEXT # 24, Internet document, http://www.context.org/ICLIB/IC24/Morton.htm, p. 3

572 Terry Mattingly, Liturgical Dances With Wolves (1993): Ten Years As An Episcopalian: A
Progress Report; p. 2; he quotes the printed worship booklet for Liturgy and Sermon, Earth
Mass Missa Gaia, distributed on October 3, 1993, at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine
573 Yemanja, Internet document, http://www.wigmag.com/culture/stories-yemanja.html; its
name is also spelled Yemenja
574 Ra, Internet document, http://www.radiant.org/bubastis/deity/ra.html
575 Asar (Osiris), Internet document, http://www.radiant.org/bubastis/deity/asar.html, its
name is also spelled Ausar
576 Obatala, Internet document, http://cultural-expressions.com/ifa/orisha/obatala.htm
577 Trebbe Johnson, Genesis of a movement: Paul Gormans quest for a whole-earth religion,
e-Amicus, Spring 1997, Internet document, http://www.nrdc.org/eamicus/97spr/ge1.html, p. 3
578 Alan AtKisson, The Green Cathedral: An Interview with the Rev. James Parks Morton, IN
CONTEXT # 24, Internet document, http://www.context.org/ICLIB/IC24/Morton.htm, p. 3
579 Temple of Understanding bulletin, The First Annual Juliet Hollister Awards, December 16,
1996, United Nations, New York City
580 Interfaith Center of New York, Bio: The Very Reverend James Parks Morton, Internet
document, http://www.interfaithcenter.org/JPMBio.html, pp. 2, 3
581 Richard Scheinin and Matthew Fox, Reinventing Ritual: The Planetary Mass, Creation
Spirituality, Spring 1995, Vol. XI, no. 1, p. 29 (Press Release: Multimedia Mass A New Form of
Church for Postmodern Era)
582 ECUSA Diocese Helps Fund Creation Spirituality School, The Christian Challenge, May
1996, p. 18
583 Elaine Cohen, Matthew Fox: Techno Cosmic Mass Heralds New Spirituality, Conscious
Life, July 1999, p. 11
584 Elaine Cohen, Matthew Fox: Techno Cosmic Mass Heralds New Spirituality, Conscious
Life, July 1999, p. 11
585 Elaine Cohen, Matthew Fox: Techno Cosmic Mass Heralds New Spirituality, Conscious
Life, July 1999, p. 11
586 Richard Scheinin and Matthew Fox, Reinventing Ritual: The Planetary Mass, Creation
Spirituality, Spring 1995, Vol. XI, no. 1, p. 32 (Matthew Fox, Experiencing the First Planetary
Mass in America)
587 Elaine Cohen, Matthew Fox: Techno Cosmic Mass Heralds New Spirituality, Conscious
Life, July 1999, p. 11
588 Aldous Huxley, Brave New World, 1932, Harper Perennial (1989 ed.), ISBN 0-06-080983-3,
p. 83; see the description of the remainder of this liturgy on pp. 78-86 (chapter V, part 2)
589 Matthew Fox, Creation Spirituality: Here Come the Postmoderns, Creation Spirituality,
Autumn 1995, Vol. XI, no. 3, p. 5
590 Richard Scheinin and Matthew Fox, Reinventing Ritual: The Planetary Mass, Creation
Spirituality, Spring 1995, Vol. XI, no. 1, p. 28 (Richard Scheinin, Multimedia imagery Technoambiant [sic] music Its the Planetary Mass)
591 Richard Scheinin and Matthew Fox, Reinventing Ritual: The Planetary Mass, Creation
Spirituality, Spring 1995, Vol. XI, no. 1, p. 30 (Reactions)

592 William Sibley, From the Superior, Holy Cross (Newsletter of the Order of the Holy Cross),
Vol. XIX, No. 2, p. 2
593 Lauren Artress, The Birth of Veriditas, Veriditas, Winter 1996, Vol. 1, No. 1, p. 1;
according to Artress, this word spelled viriditas in classical Latin means springtime
594 Lauren Artress, The Birth of Veriditas, Veriditas, Winter 1996, Vol. 1, No. 1, p. 1
595 Peter Corbett, Pathfinders: Walking medieval labyrinths in a modern world, Internet
document, http://www.gracecathedral.org/enrichment/features/fea_19981120_txt.shtml, p. 2
14.
596 July 9, 1999 e-mail from Bryan Dunne, reporting on a recent BBC program about
the labyrinth; July 4, 1999 e-mail from Cathy Conwill, who visited Chartres in the fall of 1998
597 Peter Corbett, Pathfinders: Walking medieval labyrinths in a modern world, Internet
document, http://www.gracecathedral.org/enrichment/features/fea_19981120_txt.shtml, p. 2
598 Labyrinth
Project, What is a Labyrinth, Internet
document, http://www.gracecom.org/veriditas/press/whatlab.shtml, 1996
599 Lauren Artress, The Launching of the Labyrinth
Network: Restoring the Web of Creation, Veriditas, Vol. 1, no. 2, Summer 1996, p. 1
600 Lauren Artress, Q and A with Lauren, Veriditas, Vol. 1, no. 2, Summer 1996, p. 18
601 Peter Corbett, Pathfinders: Walking medieval labyrinths in a modern world, Internet
document, http://www.gracecathedral.org/enrichment/features/fea_19981120_txt.shtml, p. 1
602 Lauren Artress, The Birth of Veriditas, Veriditas, Winter 1996, Vol. 1, No. 1, p. 1
603 The analysis in this paragraph is based on a detailed review of these Labyrinth
Project publications: Source, no. 6, Spring 1998; Source, no. 7, Summer 1998; Source, no. 8,
Fall 1998, and Moments in Time, a Veriditas brochure issued in the spring of 1999
604 Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the Living God, have mercy on me, a sinner.
605 Lauren Artress, Walking a Sacred Path: Rediscovering the Labyrinth as a Sacred Tool,
Riverhead Books/G. P. Putnams Sons, 1995; sentence quoted by Pamela Sullivan, Book
Review, Pacific Church News, June/July 1995, p. 8
606 Advertisement, Veriditas, Vol. 1, no. 2, Summer 1996, p. 6; Spiritual Perspectives
Program: A Look at the 1996 Sacred Circles Conference, Internet
document, http://www.cathedral.org/cathedral/nca/spiritual-perspectives/sacred.html, p. 1
607 Lauren Artress, Q and A with Lauren, Veriditas, Vol. 1, no. 2, Summer 1996, p. 15
608 Veriditas, Dreaming the Abundance of the Divine Mother, advertisement in brochure
issued in the spring of 1999, p. 3
609 Veriditas, Dreaming the Abundance of the Divine Mother, advertisement in brochure
issued in the spring of 1999, p. 3
610 Advertisement for Womens Dream Quest, Source (newsletter of the Labyrinth
Project), no. 6, spring 1998, p. 4
611 Kristen Fairchild, A Passion for the Possible: An Interview with Jean Houston, The Spire,
Textures 11/04/97, Internet document, http://www.gracecathedral.org/enrichment, p. 4
612 Spiritual Perspectives Program: A Look at the 1996 Sacred Circles Conference, Internet
document, http://www.cathedral.org/cathedral/nca/spiritual-perspectives/sacred.html, p. 1

613 Lauren Artress, The Labyrinths of Grace, Grace Online, 07/01/97, the archives; Internet
document, http://www.gracecathedral.org/enrichment, p. 1
614 Jean Houston On-Line: CountryLivings Article, Internet
document, http://www.jeanhouston.org/articles/genius.jean.html, p. 3
615 Foundation for Mind Research, Internet
document, http://www.jeanhouston.org/foundation.html, pp. 1-2
616 Paula Span, Spirits Lifted, Not Summoned, Washington Post, June 25, 1996, p. C01;
Internet version obtained from http://washingtonpost.com
617 Foundation for Mind Research, Internet
document, http://www.jeanhouston.org/foundation.html, p. 1
618 Robert Masters, The Sekhmet Project, Internet
document, http://www.robertmasters.org/sekhmet/sekhmet.mail.html, p. 1
619 Jean Houston and Robert Masters Bookstore, Internet
document, http://www.jeanhouston.org/books/bookstore.html, p. 1
620 Robert Masters, The Sekhmet Project, Internet
document, http://www.robertmasters.org/sekhmet/sekhmet.mail.html, p. 3
621 Seed kit, Source (newsletter of the Labyrinth
Project), no. 6, spring 1998, p. 4
622 meet Stu, Source (newsletter of the Labyrinth
Project), no. 6, spring 1998, p. 7
623 Lauren Artress, Imagine , Source (newsletter of the Labyrinth
Project), no. 8, fall 1998, p. 12; for further information about Oprah Winfrey, see Ron Rhodes,
The Oprah Effect, SCP Journal, Vol. 22:4-23:1, 1999, ISSN 0883-13, pp. 26-37
624 Grace Cathedral, In the labyrinth, Artress says, the set path takes you to the center
; Internet document, http://www.gracecathedral.org/enrichment
625 Lauren Artress, An Honored Guest from Chartres Cathedral, Veriditas, Vol. II, no. 1, spring
1997, p. 1
626 Chanoine Francois Legaux, Letter to Veriditas, Source (newsletter of the Labyrinth
Project), Vol. II, no. 2, summer 1997, p. 2
627 Advertisement, Mary and the Birth of the Soul, Source (newsletter of the Labyrinth
Project), no. 6, spring 1998, p. 2 and Source, no. 8, fall 1998, p. 13; also, advertisement, Let
Us Walk With Mary, Source, no. 8, fall 1998, p. 2
628 Advertisement, Moments in Time, Veriditas, brochure issued in the spring of 1999, p. 1
629 Advertisement, Circles of Inspiration, Source (newsletter of the Labyrinth
Project), Vol. II, no. 2, summer 1997, p. 21
630 Advertisement, The Theatre of Enlightenment, Source (newsletter of the Labyrinth
Project), no. 6, spring 1998, p. 23
631 Advertisement, The Theater of Enlightenment, Source (newsletter of the Labyrinth
Project), no. 7, summer 1998, p. 2
632 Advertisement, The Theater of Enlightenment, Source (newsletter of the Labyrinth
Project), no. 8, fall 1998, p. 22

633 Advertisement, The Theater of Enlightenment, Source (newsletter of the Labyrinth

Project), no. 6, spring 1998, p. 23
634 Source (newsletter of the Labyrinth
Project), no. 8, fall 1998, p. 22
15.
635 Laurens Travels 1996, Veriditas, Vol. 1, no. 1, Winter 1996, p. 6
636 Lauren Artress, Q and A with Lauren, Veriditas, Vol. 1, no. 2, Summer 1996, p. 15
637 Experience the Labyrinth, advertisement in The Learning Annex, October 1995, p. 25
638 Back cover ad, Creation Spirituality, Spring 1995, Vol. XI, no. 1
639 Matthew Fox, The Coming of the Cosmic Christ: The Healing of Mother Earth and the Birth
of a Global Renaissance, Harper San Francisco, 1988, ISBN 0-06-062915-0, p. xi
640 Veriditas promotional flyer, Veriditas invites you to the Theater of Enlightenment, 1998
641 Donor list, Grace Cathedral Magazine, Spring 1995, p. 9; covers donations made to the
Cathedral capital campaign as of March 1, 1995; Rockefeller donated at least $10,000,
according to this listing.
642 Barbara Marx Hubbard, Conscious Evolution: Awakening the Power of Our Social Potential,
New World Library, Novato, California, 1998, ISBN 1-57731-016-0, p. viii
643 Barbara Marx Hubbard, The Revelation: A Message of Hope for the New Millennium, Nataraj
Publishing, Novato, CA, 1995, ISBN 1-882591-21-6, p. 350
644 The Lindisfarne Association, History of the Association, Internet
document, http://redwood.pacweb.com/lindisfarne/history.html, p. 1
For more on the labyrinth by Lee Penn, see
1. New Age, Neo-Pagan, and Secular-Liberal Teaching in the Episcopal Church, USA
http://www.leepenn.org/TCC_Anglican_new_age_neopagan_feminist.doc
By Lee Penn, Commentary Report in The Christian Challenge, March 8, 2001
2. Strange diversities (Or, The Episcopal Church welcomes you)
http://www.leepenn.org/TCC_Anglican_new_age_neopagan_feminist.doc
By Lee Penn, Report in The Christian Challenge, August 1, 2003

Humbug!
By Fr. Benedict Groeschel, CFR
Source: Emmanuel magazine, Mumbai, July-August, 2003, courtesy: The Priest
Recently I visited a seminary building of a religious order that had been turned into a retreat
centre because of a lack of vocations. Often in the name of spirituality odd and even silly
elements of the popular movements centred on feeling more in touch are to be found.
Brochures often invite the spiritual seeker to something harmless like an autumn-leaf retreat
or to something way out like a massage retreat. My imagination fails me here. I was not
surprised, then, to find a Zen garden featured. This is an artistic arrangement of stones and
rocks, which apparently helps people to be- come more recollected. I had seen an ancient
impressive Zen garden in Kyoto, Japan, which without a doubt could create a soothing feeling
but not really a meditation. This American variation was seen more like a gimmick.
Just past the less-than-impressive Zen garden at the former seminary/ now retreat centre, I ran
into the labyrinth. A sign explained that this was a medieval device through which people

slowly walked in or- der to meditate. In fact, they really sought to become recollected or calm.
Meditation, at least Christian meditation, has always been de- fined as a consideration of life
from the perspective of the Gospels or the Christian tradition. Walking around while meditating
is a time-honoured Catholic tradition, ranging from pilgrimages to the Stations of the Cross.
There were no brochures in sight on the subject of pilgrimages, and I could not find the
stations. I hear also that some retreat centres perhaps regression centres might be a better
term are inviting people to use worry beads, a string of beads that one may use to count
some- what non-decrepit invocations of the primal energy of the universe, or what have you.
Hey, what happened to the Rosary of the Blessed Virgin Mary? It doesnt just recollect you but
it also gets you to meditate on the mysteries of our redemption.
But these were not all the surprises at the retreat center. The latest addition is the art of reiki.
This word, pro- posed by a Buddhist, Dr. Mikao Usui, means universal life force. In a book I dont
recommend, An Introduction to the Art of Reiki, the author, Ronni Johnson, tells us that Dr
Usui discovered a way to re-create the healing miracles performed by Christ and Buddha. He
received an epiphany that led him to understand the deeper meaning of ancient texts,
including the Bible and the books of other world religions.
Like anyone operating without the Christian faith, Usui denied that salvation comes from the
grace of Christ, the divine Son of God. Despite the evidence, he seems to have missed the
reality of original sin and the need for salvation. In his defence it must be said that most
modern theories of psychotherapy from Freud to Rogers do pretty much the same thing.
It is not my business if people want to get involved with reiki or examine the entrails of a dead
chicken by the light of a full moon, but these things should not be done under the auspices of
the Catholic Church. Zen gardens, which are harmless, and labyrinths, which are silly, can
lead to Gnosticism, an ancient heresy during the early Christian centuries, which held that
we are saved by some secret knowledge we have gained one way or another. This heresy
seems to go back to New Testament times. It has become a kind of anti-tradition to the Catholic
faith.
Perhaps the opening wedge of esoteric ersatz spirituality was a harmless thing called
the Enneagrams. This was a variation on standard psychological instruments for selfevaluation. The difference was that the Enneagrams lacked any credible psychological
validation.
16.
It followed on the Meyers-Briggs evaluation, which had a serious psychological background,
although it never quite became an accepted scientific instrument. People had fun and games
with the Enneagrams, which apparently was motivated by a not very well disguised narcissism.
Unfortunately, because the Enneagrams had some vague relationship with Muslim Sufi texts, it
became a kind of Gnostic cult in the English speaking world. Not only were there Enneagrams
retreats and Enneagrams spiritual direction but in one novitiate the Enneagrams chart was
in the chapel, with each section having its own vigil light. If it wasnt so absurd, it might be
seen as touching on a violation of the First Commandment.
The word were looking for is humbug. According to the Morris Dictionary of Words and Phrase
Origins (Harper

& Row, 1971), the word humbug, which probably goes back to the British underworld, became
popular with P.T. Barnum, the nineteenth century circus man, who once said, The American
people like to be humbugged.
Catholics should be less vulnerable to being humbugged. We have a splendid spiritual tradition,
which has grown up over the centuries, as innumerable devout souls some of them
recognized as world-class geniuses prayed and meditated on Scripture and the tradition of
the Catholic faith. For example, we have the Stations of the Cross, the Rosary, adoration of
Christs presence in the Eucharist, meditation on the Bible, and the incomprehensible mystery
that puts us in touch with the real life force of reality, the holy Sacrifice of the Mass.
Some clergy ought to realise that if you cant find a tabernacle in the chapel but instead you
get directed to the reiki room, somebody has been humbugged. With an appropriate nod
to P.T. Barnum, are we running a church or a circus?

The Labyrinth: A Walk to Life or A Walk to Death

http://www.crossroad.to/articles2/04/labyrinth-muse.htm
By Steve Muse [email protected], August, 2004, Eastern Regional
Watch, http://www.erwm.com/

Many participants at Gorbachevs

State of The World Forum*
in 1997 also walked the
Labyrinth at Grace Cathedral in San
Francisco. *http://www.crossroad.to/text/articles/tstotw1196.html
Is it a coincidence that within the last 20 years an ancient practice that had been abandoned
by the Church has once again been introduced within its very walls that is impacting
thousands? Why now is it being welcomed with open arms with such great enthusiasm by an
unsuspecting church populace? This is another of many deceptions that have risen up within
the body of Christ to bring delusion upon those who do not love the truth of Gods word. What
affect will this ancient practice have upon we the believers in Christ?
I am reminded of a sci-fi movie I had seen recently where the main characters discovered a
device that has been buried in a field for centuries and once it had been unearthed, the quest
to find its purpose began in earnest. Many experiments were done to determine what this
device was all about and once they thought that its purpose was known it was decided that one
or more of the group would take the risk and use the device hoping to unveil its secrets.
At first everything goes well, many new and wonderful things are revealed, opening up an
unending source of knowledge for its users. After coming to fully trust this device with many
using it to gain knowledge and enlightenment, strange things are beginning to occur around

those who were brave enough to have taken this journey themselves but then the obvious.
As with most movie plots such as this one, it is very predictable as to the eventual outcome.
What they had originally thought about this device, hoping that it was a good thing for all and
would enlighten the people who used it, the device was created for evil purposes, thus
capturing the users in a world of darkness and confusion, eventually leading to their
destruction.
Across the country and throughout the nations a practice is being revived within the church,
which has been dormant for centuries. In effect, an ancient tool has been unearthed or rediscovered and people have begun to experiment in the practice of walking the labyrinth. This
is a practice that seems to bring a sense of spiritual well being for those participating in it but
in reality it has trapped and is snaring many in darkness because of the labyrinths Occult
origins.
According to Peter Corbett, in his article Pathfinders, Walking Medieval Labyrinths in a Modern
World, labyrinths predate Christianity by over a millennium. The most famous labyrinth from
ancient times was the Cretan one, the supposed lair of the mythological Minotaur, which
Theseus slew with the aid of Ariadne and her spool of thread. Turf labyrinths still exist in
England, Germany and Scandinavia, and are thought to be linked with local feminine deities
and fertility rituals. The adoption of labyrinths into the Christian Church is not very well
documented, but they were used traditionally as a site of pilgrimage. Early Christians took a
vow to visit the Holy City of Jerusalem at some point in their lives.
17.
During the Middle Ages, as the Crusades made travel to Palestine unsafe, other means were
needed to honor that sacred commitment. Labyrinths were adopted by the Roman Church to
offer the congregation a way of fulfilling their sacred vows. Christians made their pilgrimages to
the cathedral cities of Chartres, Rheims or Amiens, completing their physical and spiritual
journeys in the cathedral labyrinths.
Even though the labyrinth is a Western concept, it shares some similarities with Asian monastic
and spiritual practices. The patterns of the labyrinth are similar in design and conception to
the mandalas of South Asian Buddhism, which are physical representations of the spiritual
realm designed to aid in meditation. Labyrinths blend their visual symbolism with the process
of walking, which is similar to the Japanese Zen practice of kinhin, literally walking
meditation, where all of the attention is focused on the process of each step, one foot in front
of the other, and the breath is controlled and regulated. Both of these techniques are used in
Buddhist meditation, which combines the elements of calming and insight into the single goal
of samadhi, or awareness.
It was recently, in the early 90s, when Jean Houston, one of the leading New Age teachers
(http://www.jeanhouston.org), introduced the Christian world again to the use of this practice
for seeking spiritual enlightenment through walking the labyrinth. Jean Houston has been able
to gain access within the church because of her doctorate in the Philosophy of Religion even
with her apparent New Age Occultic teachings.
In one of her seminars in January, 1991, Jean Houston introduced the experience to
the Reverend Lauren Artress. In 1992, the Reverend Lauren Artress brought the labyrinth to

Grace Cathedral in an effort to bring people back to their center and allow them to experience
Spirit for themselves. (http://www.gracecathedral.org/labyrinth/ and http://www.Veriditas.net)
Most of the practicing New Age occult world has known and still does, that the introduction of
the labyrinth prayer walk is a victory for their cause, bringing the unsuspecting Christians into
agreement with the overall plan of the Aquarian Age, where those participating in this practice
could be captured or ensnared into the ways of Satan. (The Labyrinth: The Occult Has Truly
Gone Mainstream can be found at http://www.cephaslibrary.com/na/new_age_labyrinth.html) [See pages 8, 9]
After researching the many websites on todays use of the labyrinth, most agree that the
labyrinth is a tool or device created to bring one into a higher spiritual realm through the use of
meditation whether your are a practicing Zen Buddhist, a Hindu, a Muslim, a New Age Occultist,
a Satanist, an atheist or even a Christian. My question now as it was at the beginning of this
article is what is this labyrinth all about and how will it affect the believer in Christ?
If someone were to hand you an Ouija Board telling you that it had been thoroughly redeemed
and that other Christians were successfully using this board to bring them to a greater
experience of God, would you also begin to entertain the thought of using this well known
Occult method to seek God? Would you then use this Occult device, knowing full well that this
is a tool or rather a gateway and portal to bring you into communication with higher spiritual
entities (demons and familiar spirits). The labyrinth is much the same as the Ouija Board in its
intent and purpose, to open one up to the influences of the demons of darkness, to supposedly
gain wisdom and knowledge of the mysteries of life. Then why even begin to experiment or
experience the sacred walk of the labyrinth?
In Deuteronomy 12:1-14 and again in Exodus 34:10-17, God commands us clearly not
to participate in anything that has ever been used in pagan ritual for worship or for
any other use, for that matter. The labyrinth has been from the very beginning a
demonic temple, a kundalini energy source, a tool of divination, a gateway and a
portal to communicating with other spirits and was incorporated into the Roman
Catholic experience at a time when there was little understanding of the Bible and
little or no discernment.

Throughout the ancient history of the labyrinth divination was used to find the proper location
based on many Occultic spiritual factors. Dowsers (those who use divining rods) and geomancers
(diviners) were used then (and are still used today) to locate the earth energy center point for many
of these labyrinths and then the cathedrals were constructed around the labyrinth. If one will study
the use of these spiritual gateways (the same function as the Ouija Board) throughout history, very
little emphasis was given to its use within the church. As the church gained a better understanding
of the word of God, the practice was discontinued. (Research in Geomancy, White Paper, 19901994, Jeremy Harte)
People are drawn to the labyrinth by the subtle seductions of the spirit world trying to convince us
that anyone can get to know God through some kind of spiritual experience. If this were the case
then we have all been duped as Christians. If I knew that I could have a God experience just by
walking the labyrinth then all that God did through the sacrifice that Jesus gave on the cross is

really unnecessary to bring us into relationship with the Father, I just have to have an experience
and all will be well.
Many believe that the labyrinth is the beginning of a spiritual journey opening up relationships
with the ancient masters who will in turn offer the knowledge and wisdom of the ages to all who
will take the first step or the initiation to enlightenment. Most Christians know or should know
that the ancient masters are really familiar spirits or seducing demons and the initiation is a
bonding with the powers of hell itself. Is this really a walk to life or a deception that will lure us
onto a path to death?
Carl Teichrib describes the initiation in his article Lucifer Rising: Occult Initiation, Within the
world of the New Age and the occult, initiation is the principle key used in advancing the
student of mysticism along the path of occult learning. Practically all esoteric societies employ
initiation. Freemasonry, Rosicrucian orders, hermetic societies, spin-off Masonic bodies such as
the Shriners, Eastern Star, and the Order of DeMolay, all use initiation as a means of bringing
candidates into their organization. Once inside the group, the society uses initiation as a way of
advancing members into higher degrees of illumination. Within each of these rites, mystical
concepts are passed down by means of symbol, myth, and legend woven throughout the
initiation experience. The candidate, for the most part, does not understand its significance or
meaning. Only as one climbs the ladder of ritual and esoteric work does the member
comprehend what the initiations really entail.
Mike Oppenheimer of Let Us Reason Ministries gives us additional insight from his article The
Initiation: For one to be part of the world servers in the New Age, they must first have an
initiation. This does not come necessarily from joining a specific group, but by ones own
spiritual experience. The common denominator for those who are enlightened is the experience
of light. It does not matter how one receives it. Whether it comes by meditation or a spirit
guide or from their astral traveling, as long as they have experienced it.
As we walk the labyrinth we are in some cases knowingly or as with most people we are
unknowingly entering into a covenant agreement with the demonic being initiated just by using
the labyrinth as one innocently uses an Ouija Board thinking they are just playing a game. We
become joined with the powers of darkness and we put ourselves at the mercy of the spirits
who will lead us to destruction.
In 2 Corinthians 6:14-18 and 7:1 we read: Do not be bound together with unbelievers; for what
partnership has righteousness and lawlessness, or what fellowship has light with darkness? Or
what harmony has Christ with Belial, or what has a believer in common with an unbeliever? Or
what agreement has the temple of God with idols?

For we are the temple of the living God; just as God said, I WILL DWELL IN THEM AND WALK
AMONG THEM; AND I WILL BE THEIR GOD, AND THEY SHALL BE MY PEOPLE. Therefore, COME
OUT FROM THEIR MIDST AND BE SEPARATE, says the Lord. AND DO NOT TOUCH WHAT IS
UNCLEAN; and I will welcome you. And I will be a father to you, and you shall be sons and
daughters to Me, says the Lord Almighty. Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us
cleanse ourselves from all defilement of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.

We as Christians have become like moths attracted to the flame, continually seduced to ever
so slowly draw nearer and nearer until we finally are burned up in a flash. We are told in 1
Thessalonians 5:21 to prove all things or examine everything carefully and to hold onto
those things which are good. We are also told in 1 John 4 believe not every spirit, but test the
spirits to see whether they are from God.
Why would you even take the chance that you might be taking a walk leading to death?
**The Labyrinth Project at Grace Cathedral in San Francisco
http://www.crossroad.to/Quotes/spirituality/labyrinth.htm
These two messages were posted on a column inside the grand cathedral:
The Labyrinth Project at Grace Cathedral:

The Labyrinth is an archetype, a divine imprint, that served as the central symbol for pilgrimage throughout
the middle Ages. Christians made a commitment to travel to the Holy land once during their lifetimes.
When the Crusade swept across Europe and travel became expensive and dangerous, several pilgrimage
cathedrals were designated to be the pilgrims destination. Chartres Cathedral was a central place of
pilgrimage and housed one of the largest and most magnificent labyrinths in the Christian world.

For the pilgrim, walking the labyrinth was a ritual enactment of lifes journey and served as an entryway
into the spiritual life. The goal of pilgrimage was single: to reach the New Jerusalem, the place of clarity and
union at the center of the labyrinth, where the inward path re-directs itself outward into the world.

When we walk the labyrinth, the mysterious winding path becomes a metaphor for our spiritual journey. It
becomes a mirror reflecting the place where we stand in our lives. We invite you to walk it with an open
mind, and an open heart. By walking the labyrinth, you are rediscovering a long-forgotten Christian mystical
tradition.

The labyrinth is a mandala that meets our longing for a change of heart, for a change of ways in how we
live together on this fragile island home, and for the energy, the vision, and the courage to meet the
challenges of the 21st century.

The goal of the labyrinth project is to recover the act of Pilgrimage You are invited to join workshops
focused on Co-Creation work and Self-Knowledge.
See also the last part of Chapter 1 in a Twist of Faith: Our Father in Heaven or Our Mother the Earth?

Natalie Angelier, A Twisting Walk to Inner Peace on a Painted Purple Canvas, New York Times, August 29,
1992.

Stretched across the nave floor [of Grace Cathedral] like a tarpaulin hauled in from a football field, the 35foot-wide labyrinth is nothing more than a bright purple pattern painted on an expanse of bleached canvas, a
replica of a labyrinth built into the stone floor of the Chartres.

Its a ceremony that is at once ancient and New Age mysticism called walking the Labyrinth, explained
Rev. Lauren Artress.

At Grace, Rev. Lauren Artress, canon pastor of the Episcopal Cathedral, is trying to revive the ancient
tradition as a tool for encouraging introspection and spiritual transformation, whatever ones religion

The Labyrinth, says Ms Artress, is a profound archetype seen in most cultures throughout history. The
ancient Greeks had the labyrinth at Minos, whose serpentine corridors on the island of Crete led to the

Minotaur, a creature with the head of a bull, the body of a man, and a bottomless appetite for sacrificial
young men and maidens.

Hindus and Buddhist have the Mandala, a circular design symbolizing the universe and totality. For
medieval Christians, the Labyrinth became a manageable substitute for a pilgrimage to Jerusalem.

Going into the center, a walk is supposed to shed the solipsistic obsession of everyday life. At the center of
the labyrinth, a six-petal design [lotus?], the pilgrim looks for illumination. I call it clarity, Ms Artress says,
You get insight into yourself.

On the way out from the center, the walker should feel a sense of communion with the cosmos, God, or
some sort of higher, healing power. [One woman called her experience, a dance I do with my soul.]

A permanent stone labyrinth will be built into the cathedral garden. You have to get the mystical figure in
the center right, says [Rev. Artress]. Underneath the center is a 13-pointed star. When you lay that star
right, then all the paths are perfectly balanced.'
19.

New Age Traps

http://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/view.cfm?recnum=6667, http://www.newoxfordrev
iew.org/article.jsp?did=0205-feaster
EXTRACT
By Margaret Anne Feaster, 2005
In the past thirty years, a false and alien spirituality has swept through this country, infecting
millions of souls. It has contaminated television shows, high-grossing movies, best-selling
books, popular personnel-training programs, and some non-traditional medical practices. It has
destroyed the faith of many people. It has infiltrated Protestant Churches, and in Catholic
circles it is making its way into retreat centers, seminars, and parish programs.
It is based on the old heresy of pantheism, and borrows many of its ideas from Hinduism. It is
called New Age spirituality and it would have us look inside ourselves to find a Higher Self or
True Self, to discover our divinity or God-power. It is the belief that God is deep within each
one of us.
To connect with this God within, New Agers use mantras (repetitious words or phrases) or
yoga to empty the mind in order to reach altered states of consciousness or pure
consciousness, whereby to discover their own divinity. []
Where would a Catholic run into New Age ideas? []
Any member of the family might be introduced to New Age spirituality by watching the Oprah
Winfrey Show. She often hosts New Age speakers, such as Shirley MacLaine. For many weeks,
she had a three- to five-minute segment called Remembering Your Spirit. One segment
featured the popular New Ager Dr. Wayne Dyer. A prolific writer and author of 27 books,
including Your Erroneous Zones, Dr. Dyer teaches people how to tap into the universal energy
force, or their Higher Self. Another segment highlighted the Labyrinth Movement (walking a
maze to find the goddess within). []
A parishioner may encounter the New Age in several ways. His parish might be
teaching centering-prayer techniques that would help him to reach the center of his being,
to find the True Self, or God within by using the sacred word (or mantra) to empty the mind of
all thoughts. These techniques may resemble transcendental meditation, where the person

tries to reach the hidden depths of self. The major beliefs of the Centering Prayer
Movement have been identified by the Vatican document as linked to New Age.
The parishioner might be directed toward a Labyrinth to pray at the center of his being to
reach the goddess within. []

New Age Invasion Is This Spirituality Replacing Catholic Faith?

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/1399187/posts
EXTRACT
By
Robert Kumpel, San Diego News Notes ^
May 09, 2005
The First Commandment is
I am the Lord Thy God. Thou shalt not have strange gods before Me. But, according to one
local convert from the New Age, San Diego Catholics who aspire to know their God better are
sometimes presented with information on strange gods instead.
Moira Noonan, a resident of Encinitas, authored Ransomed From Darkness which tells the
story of her conversion from New Age spirituality to the Catholic faith. Noonan believes
most Catholics are being insidiously exposed to New Age ideas in the Church.
How long have you been a Catholic?
I finished RCIA about 10 years ago. Actually, I was baptized Catholic and attended Catholic
school as a little kid. New Agers are constantly searching, always looking for something new.
The first true I hate to say it enlightenment which dawned on me was that I didnt want
to be reincarnated. And I thought, How do I get off this wheel of reincarnation? I remembered
something from when I was a [Catholic] kid about eternal life. Yet I was constantly being
bombarded with reincarnation in the New Age. I just said, I dont want to come back. If there is
eternal life, or if any of those Sacred Heart nuns who taught me as a kid are in eternal life now,
wont you pray for me right now? It triggered something.
Reincarnation is one of the biggest demonic heresies in the world. When you consider how
much of the worlds population believes in reincarnation, its scary. All New Agers believe it.
And most of the people I knew in the New Age were fallen-away Catholics.
What do people mean when they say, Im not religious, but Im very spiritual??

Spiritual seems to be one of the trendy catch words coming out of the New Age movement,
because New Agers never say, Im of this faith or that faith. What they say is, Im
spiritual because the New Age movement came from the spiritualist movement. The
spiritualist movement was a big movement in America around the turn of the century, with
people like Madam Blavatsky. This all came from the time when people started believing in
Darwinism. We didnt need God anymore. Now people are saying that they are spiritual. We
dont need any religious truth or religious facts, because we can make up our own gods again.
Is their any link between homosexualitys ascendancy and the New Age movement?
I dont recall seeing homosexuals in the New Age movement, or at least I never met any. They
seem to prefer to stay in their own community. But apparently now the lesbian movement is
huge in the New Age. This is whats happened to some womens religious orders. Many of them
were feminists who turned to Wicca or white witchcraft. Its much more pervasive on the East

Coast and, thankfully, I was never a part of any of that. I agree with our Church [s position]
that it [homosexuality] is gravely disordered.
I used to go to confession at the Cathedral downtown. One time, when I walked in, I
saw a book on the Enneagram (a New Age personality type test) sitting on the
priests chair. Whats wrong with the Enneagram?
20.
First off, the Enneagram is being used in almost every Catholic spiritual direction and retreat
house in America. Its now the main tool for teaching people how to do spiritual direction. Its
origins are occult, not Christian. Now why is this different than using traditional Catholic
spiritual direction and counseling, such as St. Ignatius of Loyolas exercises to discern Gods
will? The Enneagram isnt about working with Gods will or understanding it, its all about
personality. Its a personality exercise, not spiritual, and its not based on Gods will. It relies on
the human spirit, rather than something divine.
So where is this New Age infiltration happening in the Church in San Diego?
I really dont want to mention these sisters by name, because some of them were very helpful
in my conversion a long time ago. I can tell you that they are in a beach community where they
operate a retreat house. They also use the Celestine Prophecy for spiritual direction.
The Celestine Prophecy was a popular New Age novel which, like the Da Vinci Code, was taken
as fact but in reality slanders the Catholic Church. It enjoyed a brief vogue in the 1990s. Its all
about developing psychic powers. I was a former New Ager and I sure didnt need these nuns
teaching me New Age stuff after leaving the New Age movement. After that experience, thank
goodness, a priest from out of state got me to go to Prince of Peace Abbey for spiritual
direction. And that is the only place I would recommend anyone in San Diego to go.
For some time now, the La Providencia retreat center in Alpine has been offering
Reiki. Its been said that Reiki is just a type of massage therapy. Is that correct?
I dont know anything about La Providencia, but I can tell you about Reiki. Reiki is psychic
healing. It is not reconcilable in any way, shape, or form with the Catholic Church, because it
uses spirit guides. Spirit guides are fallen angels not guardian angels but deceivers. Its not
Swedish massage. Its occult massage. In order to do Reiki, you have to follow a master. Its like
being consecrated to a guru or master. I can say that, because I was an advanced Reiki master
healer.
Some photos posted on the internet from Cardinal Mahonys latest religious
education congress, show people walking around through labyrinths.
Theyre using labyrinths in Christian churches and New Age churches. The big difference is that
in the New Age churches, they are doing it to a mantra.
Does the San Diego diocese contribute to this New Age contamination?
I can tell you that here in North County, there is a coastal parish where I just finished a basic
catechist course I really dont want to mention it by name that is so bad you cannot
believe it. This is where they are training people to be religious education teachers in parishes.
I was told by this instructor not to mention Mary, the rosary, statues, novenas or any of that
superstitious stuff. This is the director of religious education for that parish who teaches the
class. It was so unbelievably awful. And, just as in the New Age, he told us that no stories in the

Bible were literal events. He said that the Bible is, nothing but stories, not an accurate
account.

The Labyrinth Journey: Walking the Path to Fulfillment?

http://www.crossroad.to/articles2/05/teichrib/labyrinth.htm
By Carl Teichrib, www.forcingchange.org, September 2005 [All emphases are the authors]

Symbols are keyholes to doors in the walls of space, and through them man peers into
EternitySymbolism, then, is the divine language, and its figures are a celestial alphabet Manly P. Hall [1]
symbolical rites are the external expressions of mans inward desire to unite with Divinity.
-Roberta H. Lamerson, F.R.C. [2]
Whilst we cannot be exactly sure what the labyrinths were used for, they were clearly a
symbol of the Christian way, representing the path of the soul through life. -About
Labyrinths and Mazes [3]
I was struck by the simplicity of the above statement: that labyrinths are clearly a symbol of
the Christian way. An interesting position, especially given the fact that the authors of this
particular quote admit, we cannot be exactly sure what the labyrinths were used for
We live in a day and age where many new things are sweeping through the Christian church.
Some of these alternative directions are simply a reflection of changes in style and format.
However, in our exploration towards alternative forms of spiritual expression particularly as
we try to build relevancy in a post-modern culture it is imperative that doctrinal discernment
and discretionary principles come into play. This is especially true as society rapidly embraces a
plethora of alternative spiritual practices, beliefs, and paths. Sadly, we as Christians often
flounder in doing our homework, and in that vein we may inadvertently open our congregations
to highly questionable choices and spiritual experiences. Paradoxically, while the evangelical
Christian community talks about spiritual warfare and putting on the full amour of God,
many of these same churches can be found embracing that which they claim to counter. In
seeking relevancy, we have become dangerously experiential in nature, and old forms of
mysticism are becoming center-pieces in experiences of faith.
The labyrinth prayer-walk, which follows a single winding path to a central location, is a case in
point. Primarily jump-started by a UK-based Christian movement in alternative spiritual
expressions and by an influential San Francisco cathedral, denominations around the world are
embracing labyrinths as a viable part of the spiritual journey. But are labyrinths part of the
Christian encounter, as suggested by the third introductory quote above?
My first experience with a labyrinth happened years before the idea become faddish in
Christian circles. I was doing research work on occult philosophy at the Theosophical
headquarters in Wheaton, IL, and after spending a better part of the day reviewing esoteric
literature (Theosophy is a blend of mystical traditions, ancient mystery religions, and eastern
philosophies), I went for a walk across the grounds to clear my head. There, towards the back
of the property, was a labyrinth that had been set up as a place for spiritual release and
expression. 21.
As a Christian researcher and author on globalization, including the religious trends
accompanying our changing international situation, I wasnt surprised by the fact that a

labyrinth was set up at this intensely occult location. It made perfect sense.
Understand, Christians looking for ways to bring in new relevancy within church worship did not
rediscover the labyrinth as a spiritual tool. As we shall see, its been part of the esoteric world
for a very long time. Which is why, today, labyrinth walks and prayer journeys are being
promoted by Rosicrucian groups [4], at New Age festivals and celebrations [5], and throughout
the neo-pagan world. Not surprisingly, one of Americas largest witch, shaman, and neo-pagan
assemblies, the 2005 Pagan Spirit Gathering at Wisteria, OH, held a night-time Summer
Solstice Labyrinth ritual, which was described as a transformative, walking meditation through
an all night labyrinth formed by 1000 lighted candles [6].
Embarking on the Journey
Counter to the statement we cannot be exactly sure what the labyrinths were used for is a
wealth of literature, some easy to obtain, others that should be kept hidden on dusty shelves.
This material paints a fascinating picture on the uses and purposes of the labyrinth as a conduit
for the mystical. But before we venture down this path, its important that we journey into the
recesses of ancient mythological history.
The primary historical focal point for the lore of the labyrinth goes back to Cretan and Greek
tales of Queen Pasipha, her perverse sexual desire for a specific sacrificial bull, an abominable
act of bestiality, and the birth of a strange hybrid offspring the dreaded Minotaur, which lived
in a labyrinth built to cage him [7].
Each year, King Minos, the husband of Pasipha, demanded that seven boys and seven girls be
given as a sacrificial tribute to be devoured by the Minotaur. One year, a hero named Theseus
accompanied the children. Taking a ball of twine, he unravelled the string as he went through
the labyrinth, giving him a trail leading back out. Once inside the labyrinth, Theseus followed
the maze to its center, where he battled with the Minotaur and eventually beat the creature to
death.
The labyrinth containing this Minotaur was not the typical single-path labyrinth of today, but
rather a complex maze containing halls and chambers. However, esoteric philosophers have
long understood that the Minotaur maze directly corresponds to the ancient (and now modern)
spiritually-connected labyrinth walk; the long soul journey with its many twists and turns, the
ultimate arrival at the central convergence point, the struggle with the inner monster and the
final victory over the forces of darkness and ignorance (which can only happen when one is
illumined at the center), and the repeated journey back to wholeness and the light of day. This
esoteric significance of the Cretan story has never been lost on the initiates of the Mystery
Schools.
Dont forget, this Grecian/Cretan story was immersed in the pagan religious context of the day,
thats the metaphysical origin of the labyrinth as we can trace it. Hence the story of Pasipha,
with its labyrinth journey and inner battle, is of interest first and foremost to the world of occult
lore: for the simple reason that this is the intended context.
Following the Path
In following the path of knowledge concerning the spiritual uses of the labyrinth, one doesnt
have to go to the Pagan Spirit Gathering or delve deeply into occult literature (however, we will
examine esoteric writings in order to build upon this article). Plenty of information abounds in

various reference works. Take, for instance, The Penguin Dictionary of Symbols.
In discussing the labyrinth as a religious tool, The Penguin Dictionary associates the maze (read
labyrinth) with the Buddhist Mandala an aid in the spiritual initiatory journey. Consider the
various other metaphysical interpretations of the labyrinth [note: square bracketed comments
indicate an explanation provided by this author],

In the Kabbalistic tradition [Authors note: the Kabbala is a series of texts which make up the
school of Jewish mysticism] taken up by the alchemists, mazes filled a magical function which
was one of the secrets attributed to Solomon. This is why the mazes in cathedrals, those series
of concentric circles broken at given points on the circumference to provide a strange and
tangled pathway, came to be called Solomons Maze. Alchemists saw them as images of the
whole task involved in the Work, with its major difficulties; an image of the path they needed to
follow to reach the centre, arena for the two warring natures This explanation would run
parallel with that provided by one of the teachings of ascetic mysticism focusing upon
oneself, along the thousands of paths of feeling, emotion and ideas; overcoming all that stands
in the way of unalloyed intuition, and then returning to the light without becoming lost in the
byways. To enter and to emerge from the maze might be the symbol of death and resurrection.
The maze also takes one to the centre of ones self, to some hidden, inner shrine, occupied by
the most mysterious portion of the human personality. This conjures up the mens, the temple
of the Holy Spirit in the soul at a state of grace; or again, the depths of the unconscious. Both
can only be reached by consciousness after making many detours or by intense concentration,
when that ultimate intuition is attained and everything becomes plain through some kind of
enlightenment. Here in this crypt the lost oneness of being, scattered in a multiplicity of
desires, is rediscovered.
To reach the centre of the maze, like a stage in the process of initiation, is to be made a
member of the invisible lodge [Authors note: the high-calling of the Mystery Religions] which
the maze- makers always shroud in mystery or, better still, have always been left to be filled by
the finders own intuition [8]
Jack Tresidders Dictionary of Symbols explains, many labyrinths are unicursal, having no
traps but leading sinuously along a single path. These were often used in early temples as
initiation routes or more widely for religious dances that imitated the weaving paths of the sun
or planets. They reappeared in patterns on the floors of medieval Christian churches as roads
to Jerusalem paths symbolizing pilgrimage. [9]
Other reference works on symbols and a labyrinth is both a spiritual tool and a religious
symbol give similar definitions [as an example, see The Herder Dictionary of Symbols]. While
the meanings are varied, they do pulse with a similar theme, even when associated with the
early Roman Catholic cathedrals. And this theme is repeated and more deeply probed by
esoteric philosophers and New Agers; its the path of mysticism, esotericism, and occultism.
Reaching the Center
If the labyrinth is a path leading to one specific point, what does the wayfarer expect to find
when he or she arrives?
On the mystical journey to spiritual fulfillment, the middle-eye of the labyrinth becomes a place

of divine illumination. Even Kimberly Lowelle, the President of The Labyrinth Society a
network of labyrinth scholars and enthusiasts recognizes this basic function.

The labyrinth is an archetype of transformation. Its transcendent nature knows no boundaries,

crossing time and cultures with ease. The labyrinth serves as a bridge from the mundane to the
divine [10]
The promotional website for the Breemie Labyrinth in the UK gives an almost identical
explanation, The labyrinth is an archetypal spiritual tool, found across many times and
cultures. While a maze is a left-brain, rational puzzle, the labyrinth involves the right side of the
brain, and helps us access our intuition, providing a portal to the Divine [11].
Kathy Doore, an author on sacred spaces, freely describes the spiritual implications of the
labyrinth,

Labyrinths are temples that enhance and balance and bring a sense of the sacred a place
where we can confirm our unity with the cosmos, awaken our vital force and elevate our
consciousness. These structures are space/time temples where we can behold realities that
oddly enough transcend space and time. The orientation, form and geometry of a labyrinth
have symbolic as well as spacial [sic] importance. It is a mirror for the divine

Moving through a Labyrinth changes ordinary ways of perception connecting the inner and
the outer, the right brain and the left brain, the involutional and the evolutional through a
series of paths that represent the realms of the Gods and Goddesses. These realms are
associated with planetary movement as a process that induces Union with the One. [12]
Divine illumination is the end-goal of esoteric philosophy; its the central arena of occultism.
Manly P. Hall, one of the 20th centurys greatest esoteric philosophers and an eminent Masonic
historian, tells us that the labyrinth was symbolic of mans search for truth [13]. Other occult
scholars tell us that the labyrinth symbolized to the people the difficulty of finding the Path to
God [14]. All of this points to the same thing the mystical realization of our own divinity.
As Hall states in one of his earlier books, Man is a god in the making, and as in the mystic
myths of Egypt, on the potters wheel he is being molded. When his light shines out to lift and
preserve all things, he receives the triple crown of godhood [15]. Rosicrucian authority
Christian Bernard explains this mystical goal as the building and unfolding of the inner Temple,

The Temple of the Universe, the Temple of the Earth and the Temple of Life are only one in the
Temple of Man. This is why the time has come to work towards rebuilding it, for the Messianic
Light must emanate from the Heavenly Jerusalem which vibrates within us. [16]
Laying it out very plainly, Annie Besant an early Theosophical leader simply said, Man is
not to be compelled; he is to be free. He is not a slave, but a God in the making [17].
Different Paths, Same Meanings
Part and parcel of labyrinth symbology is initiation, the mystical process of inner
transformation. Robert Macoys Dictionary of Freemasonry, like so much of the esoteric
literature, connects the meaning of the labyrinth with this concept. Defining the labyrinth,
Macoy wrote, In the ancient mysteries the passages through which the initiate made his
mystical pilgrimage [18].
As stated above, initiation is the process of inner transformation. To that end, esoteric societies
and occult orders employ initiation as a vital component to spiritual advancement. Indeed,

initiation is the pathway, the journey, to mystical completeness. This is the occult metaphor of
the labyrinth, a metaphor that is played out in a host of mystical similes. Consider the following
archetypes. Keep in mind, each example is replete with historical and religious connections to
the Mystery Religions, of which the labyrinth is but a part [19].
Freemasonry: when the Masonic candidate undergoes his initiation, he is led on an invisible
path from station to station throughout the Lodge room. Each point and part of this journey is
given an exoteric explanation that is, the real meanings are cloaked in allegory and
symbolism. After completing the journey around the Lodge, he is led to the center of the room
where he kneels before an altar. The Worshipful Master asks what the candidate most desires,
and the initiate responds with Light [20]. Know this, the light requested is not incandescent
light or some other physical light energy, but spiritual illumination [21].
Order of the Golden Dawn: Initiations rites such as the Ceremony of the Grade of
Philosophus have the candidate embark on a spiritual journey, following an invisible yet
tangible path throughout the Lodge room. This journey, like that of Freemasonry, is intended to
elevate the candidates level of transformative enlightenment [22].
Ancient and Mystical Order Rosae Crucis: In AMORCs Temple ritual, Second Portal, the
student partakes in an allegorical journey searching for light and knowledge. While engaged in
the ritual, the student follows a path to each point on the compass, and returns to a central
triangle. Again, like the two other illustrations above, this act is part of the mystical journey
towards light and cosmic unity [23].
Order of the Eastern Star: As a co-Masonic body, the OES engages in a series of ritualistic
initiations. Unlike Freemasonry, the OES ritual work is performed on a giant floor-rug
pentagram. This pentagram, with an altar placed in its center, is called a Labyrinth. Each of the
various initiation rites journeys on the path to greater understanding takes place in and
around this Labyrinth [24]. Beulah Malone, Past Grand Matron and Secretary of the OES
explains,

The winding in and out of the labyrinth symbolizes the human soul stumbling and struggling
through life; learning by mistakes and experiences that the way leading to the supreme life and
to God is not easy but is a way of testing ones power and strength.
By following the examples symbolized in the lives of the heroines of our Order [Authors note:
this is part of the OES Labyrinth journey], we may come into a full light of His Star and into
wisdom and understanding. The great magnet of our Star as it shines forth in the world is
missioned to bring Unity, the Truth of Fatherhood of God, and Brotherhood of Man. [25]
And herein lies the deeper spiritual meaning of the labyrinth-walk that has become so
fashionable today. Its the symbolic journey of illumination, completely spiritual in nature, and
dependent on our works the journey, or the testing [of] ones power and strength.
The path to the center of the labyrinth is as the invisible but tangible path leading to the
esoteric altar its an initiation into the mystical.
The Path of Completion: Returning from the Center
Hundreds of Christians have taken part in labyrinth prayer walks, and many churches across
North America and Europe are embracing this tool as a means to expand their spiritual

experience. The Rev. Jill Geoffrion, a certified labyrinth facilitator and author of such books
as Christian Prayer and Labyrinths and Praying the Labyrinth, writes,

We are currently in a period of historic labyrinth revival. Churches, retreat centers and
Christian camps are placing these prayer tools inside and outside. Christians all over the world
are installing labyrinths in their yards and gardens. Many are using the labyrinths as a ministry
tool, bringing portable versions to prisons, national denominational conferences and church
group meetings. It is conservatively estimated that there are over 5,000 labyrinths in the
United States alone. God is blessing the use of the labyrinth; many are being drawn closer to
Jesus, experiencing healing and gaining spiritual clarity as they pray on its path. [26]
I must admit her pronouncement sounds appealing. But this particular statement by Geoffrion
doesnt paint the whole picture.
On her labyrinth prayer website, Geoffrion offers suggested prayers for different labyrinth
events. In dedicating a new labyrinth, she suggests that those in attendance form a circle on
the pattern and extend the energy that is in our hearts and minds through their hands towards
the labyrinth. Following this exercise is a meditative time where each person physically lays
hands on the labyrinth and calls forth the image of a loved one walking this labyrinth and
receiving what is needed. After more imaging, she recommends this responsive prayer,

Community: We dedicate this labyrinth to spiritual awakening and reawakening.

One: With hearts extending in many directions, Let us praySacred Sustainer, Way to
wholeness, Creator of possibilities, Supporter of change, Forgiving Releaser, Freedom, Honesty,
Wisdom, Hope, Joywe thank You for the beautiful spiritual tool on which we are standing
[27]
Geoffrion suggests other reflective meditations for the labyrinth, including short prayers from
the ChristianTradition, Egyptian Tradition, Hindu Tradition, and Sufi Tradition [28].
For Christians holding to the exclusive message of Jesus Christ in John 14:6, I am the way and
the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me, a serious rift is now
encountered. Its the dilemma that exists between what Geoffrions first quote described verses
the religious pluralism that the labyrinth appears to propagate. And because of the nature and
metaphysical history of the labyrinth, this spiritual pluralism is inescapable. However,
this ever-widening religious inclusiveness which is the expression of the esoteric idea of
the Fatherhood of God shouldnt come as a surprise. After all, in the labyrinth experience
every path is relevant, every road is right, every religion is valid.
Granted, Geoffrion is but one spokesperson representing the Christian labyrinth prayer
encounter. Grace Cathedral, however, carries a little more clout. In fact, Grace, San Franciscos
prominent Episcopal Church, has been North Americas pathfinder congregation in the
labyrinth movement, hosting prayer walks on their two labyrinths for years. Moreover, Graces
outdoor labyrinth is open 24 hours, and the church now has an involved global networking
organization dedicated to advancing the labyrinth experience. Hence, Grace has been viewed
by many Christian labyrinth advocates as the driving influence for this new spiritual expression
in North America.
Theres no doubt that one reason for Grace Cathedrals success is their connection to Chartres
Cathedral in France. As an ancient medieval church, Chartres hosts an original pattern that is

todays recognized prototype for the Christian prayer walk. Grace meticulously copied Chartres,
has marketed it very well, and is now a major spokes-church for the Chartres experience.
Consider Graces website titled Walking the Labyrinth: Reflections from Chartres,

A profound meditation tool, a metaphor for the spiritual path, a feminist Christian icon, a
symbol of Mary or even all Christianity, even perhaps an almost cult-like centerpiece of a
movement the labyrinth is, most everyone can agree, a powerful inspiration. [29]
Grace is open about the deeper meanings of the labyrinth. On the front piece to their labyrinth
website, Grace states,

The Labyrinth is an archetype, a divine imprint, found in all religious traditions in

various forms around the world. By walking a replica of the Chartres labyrinth, laid in the floor
of Chartres Cathedral in France around 1220, we are rediscovering a long-forgotten mystical
tradition that is insisting to be reborn. [30]
And Grace also points out that the labyrinth is a shared esoteric tradition,

In Native American culture it is called the Medicine Wheel and Man in the Maze. The Celts
described it as the Never Ending Circle. It is also called the Kabala in mystical Judaism. One
feature they all share is that they have one path which winds in a circuitous way to the center.
[31]
The labyrinth exercise, Grace further explains, should be viewed in three parts,

Purgation (Releasing) ~ A releasing, a letting go of the details of your life. This is the act of
shedding thoughts and distractions. A time to open the heart and quiet the mind. 24.
Illumination (Receiving) ~ When you reach the center, stay there as long as you like. It is a
place of meditation and prayer. Receive what is there for you to receive.
Union (Returning) ~ As you leave, following the same path out of the center as you came in,
you enter the third stage, which is joining God, your Higher Power, or the healing forces at work
in the world. Each time you walk the labyrinth you become more empowered to find and do the
work you feel your soul reaching for. [32]
As an institution, Grace is no ordinary church. Not only has it been extremely influential in
propagating the labyrinth prayer walk, it has been a hotbed for global interfaith work.
In the 1990s William Swing was Bishop of Grace. During the 1995 United Nations 50th
Anniversary, Swing proclaimed that Grace would work towards the building of a global
interfaith network. After an intense amount of travel and lobbying, Swing succeeded in forming
the United Religions Initiative one of the worlds leading UN affiliated inter-religious
partnerships. Today, the URI is an active player in advancing global religious unity.
Why does this matter? Remember all the connections between various esoteric philosophies
with the labyrinth concept? A parallel runs between both themes; Unity. As a spiritual
interface, and as Grace Cathedral reminded us, the mystical labyrinth belongs to all
religions traditions.
Remember the Eastern Stars labyrinth? Unity, the Fatherhood of God, and the
Brotherhood of Man was the proclaimed magnetism of their Star. Likewise, this triplicate
ideology is Freemasonrys boast, a major claim that the Masonic candidate is to understand
via the paths of initiation.

Manly P. Hall, speaking of the Masonic interfaith ideal of the Fatherhood of God and the
Brotherhood of Man, penned these words,

The true Mason is not creed-bound. He realizes with the divine illumination of his lodge that as
a Mason his religion must be universal: Christ, Buddha or Mohammed, the name means little,
for he recognizes only the light and not the bearer. He worships at every shrine, bows before
every altar, whether in temple, mosque or cathedral, realizing with his truer understanding the
oneness of all spiritual truth. [33]
This is the starting point of the occult concept of the divine. It tells us that every path on the
journey is unique, yet each is true. In order for the mystic to move onward and upward, to
return from the center of the labyrinth, he must accept his inner divinity. As Hall says, the
way of salvation has been hidden within us [34].
Reiki Master Kate McManus, in her article Walking the Fire Labyrinth, tells of her friends
spiritual journey.

This year a friend mentioned an event that was to be held further out west a week after our
winter magic festival. She described it as a fire labyrinth ritual in which a stone labyrinth would
be lit at night to be walked with conscious intent and so mark the end of the year and begin a
new one, a shedding of the old and birthing of the divine child. [35]
Years ago Paul Clasper drew this religious inclusiveness into a completed package,

The new mingling of faiths will cause a fresh interpenetration of ideas and customs. Out of the
encounter some paring of outmoded encrustations will perhaps take place. The new intercourse
will fructify in more inclusive, universal faiths, perhaps even a new world faith as a basis for the
coming world civilization. [36]
What Have We Learned?
In an earlier quote by the Rev. Jill Geoffrion, she proclaimed that God is blessing the use of the
labyrinth; many are being drawn closer to Jesus, experiencing healing and gaining spiritual
clarity as they pray on its path.
On the surface this sounds great. But is God really blessing this new thing? Moreover, can
God bless something that has its origins in esoteric doctrine and ancient pagan mythologies?
Adding to its historical pagan significance is the fact that the labyrinth has never lost its occult
meaning. As mentioned earlier in the article, labyrinths are still being used, and will continue to
be used, as an instrument of pagan spirituality.
If God is going to bless labyrinth prayer journeys, how is He going to deal with Deuteronomy
12:1-14, 18:9-13 and Exodus 34:10-17? In each of these Scripture passages God explicitly tells
His people to refrain from anything used in pagan practices. Moreover, the entire book of
Jeremiah is a warning against involvement in alternative religious practices.
Furthermore, if God is going to bless labyrinth prayer journeys, how is He going to excuse the
interfaith aspect that is common throughout the movement? John 14:6 clearly states that the
only path to the Father is through Jesus Christ, and by no other way.
Yes, the majority of Christians would affirm that their prayer walk is completely focused on
Jesus Christ. That may be true, but it doesnt excuse the fact that the labyrinth is, by its
theological nature, an inter-religious and deeply mystical device. If God is going to bless the
labyrinth experience, how is He going to deal with 2 Corinthians 6:14-16?

Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in
common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness? What harmony is there between
Christ and Belial? What does a believer have in common with an unbeliever? What agreement
is there between the temple of God and idols?
Endnotes:

1. Manly P. Hall, Lectures on Ancient Philosophy (Philosophical Research Society, 1984), p.357.
Hall was one of the 20th centurys greatest and most celebrated esoteric philosophers, founder of
the Philosophical Research Society, eminent Freemason, and a respected lecturer on occult
doctrines and the Mystery Religions.
2. Roberta H. Lamerson, F.R.C. Initiation, Rosicrucian Digest, November, 1984, p.21.
3. Kevin and Ana Draper, Steve Collins, and Jonny Baker, About Labyrinths and Mazes, Prayer
Path Online Labyrinth, http://web.ukonline.co.uk/paradigm/discoverframe.html. Website promoting
labyrinths as an alternative Christian experience. 25.
4. The Toronto lodge of the AMORC Rosicrucian order is now hosting a labyrinth journey the first
Sunday of every other month (September, November, 2005; January, March, 2006). Location:
Rosicrucian Regional Cultural Centre, 835 Broadview Ave, Toronto, ON.
5. See the Pagan Spirit Gathering 2005 labyrinth ritual
at http://www.circlesanctuary.org/psg/rituals. Another example is the Breemie Labyrinth MidSummer Festival at http://www.sacredway.co.uk/Breemie%20main/mhaydenlabs.htm.
6. See the first link in footnote 5.
7. Joseph Campbell, Occidental Mythology: The Masks of God (Arkana, 1964/1991), p.20. See
also The Dictionary of World Myth (Facts on File, 1995), p.135. Other ancient labyrinth myths
and stories exist that are rooted in Egyptian and various other Mesopotamian locations.
8. Jean Chevalier and Alain Gheerbrant, The Penguin Dictionary of Symbols (Penguin Books,
1969/1996), pp.643-644.
9. Jack Tresidder, Dictionary of Symbols (Chronicle Books, 1997), pp.117-118.
10. The Labyrinth Society, http://www.labyrinthsociety.org.
11. See footnote 5.
12. Kathy Doore, Myth and History of Labyrinths, http://www.labyrinthina.com/path.htm.
13. Manly P. Hall, The Secret Teachings of All Ages (Philosophic Research Society, 1989.
14. C.W. Leadbeater, Ancient Mystic Rites (Quest Books, 1986), p.51.
15. Manly P. Hall, The Lost Keys of Freemasonry (Macoy, 1923/1951), p.92.
16. Christian Bernard, So Mote It Be! (AMORC, 1995), pp.87-88.
17. Annie Besant, Esoteric Christianity (Quest Books, 1901/1966), p.220.
18. Robert Macoy, A Dictionary of Freemasonry (Gramercy), p.215.
19. Historians and occult philosophers who assert this link between the Mystery Religions and
todays esoteric societies include Manly P. Hall, Foster Bailey, Albert Pike, C.W. Leadbeater,
Israel Regardie, Papus, A.E. Waite, Eliphas Levi, J.D. Buck, Albert Mackey, H.P. Blavatsky, Henry
C. Clausen, George H. Steinmetz, Joseph Fort Newton, and many others.
20. See Look to the East: A Ritual of the First Three Degrees of Masonry. See also Duncans
Masonic Ritual and Monitor and Albert Pikes Morals and Dogma.

21. See Pikes Morals and Dogma, p.252 and Foster Bailey, The Spirit of Masonry, p.108.
22. See Israel Regardies The Golden Dawn and What You Should Know About the Golden Dawn.
23. Rosicrucian Initiation, Temple Section, Second Portal, AMORC.
24. See Beulah H. Malone, Let There Be Light; See also Robert Macoy, Adoptive Rite Ritual;
Ritual of the Order of the Eastern Star, published by the authority of the General Grand Chapter
Order of the Eastern Star.
25. Beulah H. Malone, Let There Be Light, p.97.
26. The Rev. Jill Kimberly Hartwell Geoffrion, Christian Uses of
Labyrinths, http://jillkhg.com/christuses.html.
27. Geoffrion, Dedication of Deep Haven Labyrinth, http://jillkhg.com/labreded.html.
28. Geoffrion, Prayers from Varying Tradition to use at a
Labyrinth, http://jillkhg.com/prayers4labusedifreltrad.html. I give Geoffrion sarcasm credit; she
includes a short prayer from the American Secular Tradition whatever!
29. Grace Cathedral, Walking the
Labyrinth http://www.gracecathedral.org/enrichment/forum/for_19981122.shtml
30. Grace Cathedral labyrinth homepage http://www.gracecathedral.org/labyrinth
31. Ibid.
32. Ibid.
33. Manly P. Hall, The Lost Keys of Freemasonry (Macoy Publishing, 1923/1951), p.65.
34. Manly P. Hall, The Mystical Christ (Philosophical Research Society, 1951), p.248.
35. Kate McManus, Walking the Fire Labyrinth,
About, http://healing.about.com/od/labyrinthspiritual/a/firelabyrinth.htm.
36. Paul Clasper, Eastern Paths and the Christian Way (Orbis Books, 1980), p.108.

More weird liturgy? Our Lady rite author inspired by Labyrinth walk
http://www.leepenn.org/TCC_Anglican_new_age_neopagan_feminist.doc
By Lee Penn, Commentary Report in The Christian Challenge, June 2006
For those wondering what inspired the Episcopal Churchs newly-elected, female presiding
bishop to refer to Mother Jesus during the General Convention, the answer might be found
on the Office of Womens Ministries (OWM)page on the official national church website.
Indeed, this is not the first time that the OWM has gotten into liturgical mischief.
The phrase used by Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori appears in a Eucharist Using Female
Nouns and Pronouns on the OWMs section of the Episcopal Church (TEC)-sponsored
website. The rite is accompanied by Morning Prayers to the Lady and this does
not mean our Lords mother. Both services offer worship to Our Lady and to the
Holy Mother, and end with the salutation Blessed be a common statement of
farewell among Wiccans.
The author of the services, Sandra Thomas Fox, wrote them in 2001, five years after she had
a feminist epiphany during her first walk in a labyrinth a spiritual exercise that actually
has New Age roots at the National Cathedral. There, she became sensitized to the
misogyny in the liturgy.
The webpage that leads to the two feminist liturgies has an all-capitalized disclaimer for each:
NOT AN OFFICIAL LITURGY -FOR USE IN DISCUSSION. Nevertheless, the pages from which

each of the services can be downloaded invite readers to use them as well in gathering
communities of worship. Therefore, these services can be used anywhere.
26.
The feminist Eucharist invokes God thus: Blessed be the Lady who births, redeems and
sanctifies us.
The threefold Kyrie Eleison becomes this:
(Celebrant): Loving Lady, have mercy;
(People): Mother Jesus, have mercy;
(Celebrant) Loving Lady, have mercy

thereby giving Jesus both a sex change and children.

The prayers of the people addressed to Mother include the request that every member of
the Church may be your handmaiden thereby praying that all men in the church get a sex
change.
The prayer of confession is addressed to Most Merciful Lady.
The Great Thanksgiving begins, May the Holy Mother be with you, and continues: It is truly
right, Mother, to give you thanks; for you alone are the I AM, living and true, dwelling in light
inaccessible from before time and forever, and adds: Blessed is she who comes in the name
of Love.
With the prayer Mother, you loved the world so much that you sent your only Son to be our
Savior. Incarnate by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, the consecration prayer claims
that Jesus has two mommies and no Father.
Immediately after the consecration of the bread and the wine, the celebrant says, Mother, we
now celebrate this memorial of your redemption. (A Freudian slip, perhaps?)
Oddly enough, the Lords Prayer is unchanged so this is the only spot in the service which
addresses God as Father.
The Mass ends when the celebrant tells the congregation, Let us go forth empowered by the
Love of our Lady, and the congregation replies, Blessed be.
THE FEMINIST MORNING PRAYER service is similar in spirit. After the confession of sin (again
addressed to the Most Merciful Lady), the celebrant says, Nurturing Mother, have mercy on
us; forgive us all our sins. Through your beautiful Son, Jesus Christ, strengthen us in all
goodness, and by the power of the Holy Spirit sustain our eternal life.
Before the psalms, the celebrant says, The mercy of our Lady is everlasting: come let us
adore her. After the Psalm readings, the celebrant sings a new age Gloria Non Patri: Glory to
the Mother, and to her Son, and to the Holy Spirit: as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be
forever.
In this service, too, the Lords Prayer was unmolested but the celebrant precedes it with May
our Holy Lady be with youLet us pray the words of her beautiful Son, Jesus Christ.
The prayers of the people include Keep your example of Motherhood ever before us; Let us
see in all our children a sacred trust from you an invocation that seems out of place here,
since the Womens Ministries site lists the pro-abortion Religious Coalition for Reproductive
Choice among social justice groups.

The General Thanksgiving at the end of the service starts, Most merciful Mother, we your
handmaidens give you thanks for your great love for us and for all you have made. The
service ends when the celebrant says, Let us give thanks to our Lady; the congregation
replies, Blessed be.
As earlier noted, this all began with Ms. Foxs first experience with walking the labyrinth at the
1996 Sacred Circles conference at Washington National Cathedral. That day, during a guided
meditation led by Dr. Sarah Fahy, I had met the wise woman who had told me, Women are
beautiful. You are beautiful,' Fox wrote. Immediately after Iwalked one of the labyrinths set
up in the nave. To my surprise, as I entered the path I dissolved into tears. Questions welled up
inside of me. Why had no one ever told me I was beautiful? Why did I need to be told that
women were beautiful? I sobbed my way into the center, where I sat until I was once again
composed. As I began my walk out, the Eucharist was being celebrated at the high altar. I
decided I would silently say these comforting, familiar words as I walked But on this day, to
my horror, these words I loved turned to dust and ashes in my mouth. All I could hear was He,
Him, Lord, Son, Father I had heard the misogyny in the liturgy, and there was no going
back.
Fox continued, I realized that I did not see my mother, my two daughters, or myself as made
in the image of God. When I looked at the liturgy I discovered there are 195 male nouns and
pronouns in Rite I and 145 in Rite II. In both cases, there is one reference to a woman the
Virgin Mary in the Creed. If our liturgy is our story, the telling of the life, death and resurrection
of Jesus Christ, where are the voices of the women that Jesus loved, respected, and held dear?
Where is an understanding of the holiness of being a daughter, wife, or mother? Wondering
what it would be like to have a service to the Divine Feminine, I used Rite II, Prayer D [from the
1979 Prayer Book] as a starting point and wrote such a Eucharist in 2001.

If one feels that reading this service is blasphemous, I can only say that writing it felt even
more so. Yet I felt called to continue, for what else would allow us to see the narrowness of our
current liturgy?My hope is that this Eucharist will begin a dialogue about the ways in which
language affects the quality of our worship, our feelings towards God, and our sense of being
created in Gods image.
As earlier indicated, this was not the first foray into the bizarre for TECs Office of Womens
Ministries. In 2004, there was an outcry over two other offerings on OWMs section of the
official church website: A Womens Eucharist: A Celebration of
the Divine Feminine and a Liturgy for Divorce. The Womens Eucharist made no mention of
Christ, or of his Body and Blood, but gave thanks to Mother God for things like menstrual
blood and breasts.
It emerged that the Womens Eucharist had been on a Druid website since 1998. Whats more,
it had been penned by Glispa, who turned out to be part of a husband/wife Episcopal clergy
couple who up until a short time earlier had also been involved with and promoting modern-day
Druidism, including nude mating rituals and invocation of the Horned God. Once exposed,
Pennsylvania clergy Glyn Ruppe-Melnyck and her husband, W. William Melnyck, repented of
their Druidry; Mr. Melnyk lost his parochial job over the issue but Mrs. Melnyk kept hers.

The two offending services, which were removed from the OWM website in the 2004
controversy, were part of OWMs Womens Liturgy Project to collect worship resources written
by women for women an initiative that, given the latest from the OWM, is evidently ongoing.
Sources included:
Sandra Thomas Fox, Reflection on the Holy Eucharist, Womens
Ministries, http://www.ecusa.anglican.org/41685_60499_ENG_HTM.htm;
Womens Ministries, Liturgies Using Feminine
Images, http://www.ecusa.anglican.org/41685_60497_ENG_HTM.htm, a page that links to texts
for the two liturgies;
Womens Ministries, http://www.ecusa.anglican.org/41685_31001_ENG_HTM.htm, a blurb for
the Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice.
This article is also on the Net at: http://www.challengeonline.org/modules/news/article.php?
storyid=130 and
http://www.challengeonline.org/pdf/45-3.pdf

The Labyrinth: A walk by faith Concerns about the Christian use

of labyrinths
http://www.christiananswersforthenewage.org/Articles_Labyrinth.html
By Marcia Montenegro*, August 2006 *A Protestant crusader against New Age; see NEW
AGE-MARCIA MONTENEGRO
http://ephesians-511.net/docs/NEW_AGE-MARCIA_MONTENEGRO.doc.
First published in Midwest Christian Outreach Journal, Fall, 2006. This online version has been
slightly altered for this site.
For we walk by faith, not by sight. 2 Corinthians 5:7
A labyrinth is a flat circle or square consisting of a path that winds round to the center. In
Greek mythology the Labyrinth was the name for the maze-like enclosure for the half-man, halfbull Minotaur (Jean Chevalier, Alain Gheerbrant, A Dictionary of Symbols; trans. John BuchananBrown [Paris: Robert Laffont S. A., Jupiter, 1982; NY: Penguin Putnam, 1996], 642). The history
of the labyrinth is murky; there are Christian uses of it as early as 324 AD found in a basilica in
North Africa (Jeff Saward, Labyrinths in Ireland, http://www.labyrinthos.net/ireland.htm).
However, the purpose of these early labyrinths is unclear, and it appears they were chiefly
decorative or symbolic. Smaller labyrinth designs have been found carved on rocks or stones,
and these are thought to have been symbolic, possibly for luck or protection (Saward, The
First Labyrinths, http://www.labyrinthos.net/firstlabs.htm; Abegael Saward, The Rocky Valley
Labyrinths, http://www.labyrinthos.net/rockyvalley.htm). This is why the labyrinths in
cathedrals came to be called Solomons Maze. To the alchemists, entering and emerging from
the maze possibly signified death and resurrection through their secretive magical practices
(Chevalier, 643).
The better-known larger labyrinth is the 13th century labyrinth in the Cathedral at Chartres,
which originated in the Middle Ages, and served as a substitute for going on pilgrimage to
Jerusalem when the Crusades prevented this journey (Chevalier, 642). After the Crusades, the
labyrinth remained largely unused until the 1990s. So where does this recent trend of
labyrinths come from, and why are people walking them?

Coming full Circle: The Return of the Labyrinth

Lauren Artress, Canon for Special Ministries at Grace Cathedral*
in San Francisco, is widely credited with initiating the labyrinth movement in the United States
in the 1990s. After visiting the 13th-century labyrinth at Chartres Cathedral in France, she
brought the idea back to her church, Grace Cathedral in San Francisco, and in 1996
founded Veriditas, a nonprofit organization dedicated to introducing people to labyrinths
(See www.veriditas.net). *An Episcopal church
In an interview, Artress openly admits influence on her thinking from Neopagan journalist
Margot Adler (author of Drawing Down the Moon) and New Ager Jean Houston (she worked with
Houston in the latters Mystery School in 1985). She worked with the Chartres Cathedral in
formulating a program, Let Us Walk With Mary, designed to aid participants to open to the
Sacred Feminine (Interview with Reverend Laura
Artress, http://www.collectivewisdominitiative.org/files_people/Artress_Lauren.htm).
Artress states: My work is focused on evolving human consciousness through large group
spiritual activity . . . The backbone is the integration of psyche and spirit through walking the
path in ones own natural rhythm. The winding labyrinth path then becomes a metaphor for
the individual journey and the collectives process (From Interview).
The description on the Grace Cathedral website illustrates the concept of the labyrinth that is
promoted today: The Labyrinth is an archetype, a divine imprint, found in all religious
traditions in various forms around the world. By walking a replica of the Chartres labyrinth, laid
in the floor of Chartres Cathedral in France around 1220, we are rediscovering a long-forgotten
mystical tradition that is insisting to be reborn (www.veriditas.net).
Artress also reveals her incorporation of Jungian theories when she says, The work of symbolic
fields has a Jungian base, since I am working with archetypes, symbol, shadow and encounters
with collective unconscious. Transpersonal theory and methods of change is also woven into
my lectures and the designing of each event (From Interview). She is also the author
of Walking a Sacred Path: Rediscovering the Labyrinth as a Spiritual Tool.
In the 1990s, the labyrinth has come to be used as a spiritual and psychological tool, and has
been promoted as a way to approach God, to feel close to God, and even to journey into the
self. It is used by both Christians and non-Christians alike, especially those into New Age
beliefs.
What Are Some of the Concerns Regarding the Labyrinth?
The concerns fall into three categories:
28.
The labyrinth has no biblical prototype or pattern as a way to approach God.
The labyrinth as used today is often advocated as a way to have a spiritual experience with
God. However, we are to walk by faith, not by sight (2 Corinthians 5.7), and not by seeking
experiences.
God is not obligated to provide spiritual experiences simply because we initiate or expect them.
We are reconciled with God through faith in Christ, and through our daily walk in Bible reading,
prayer, and worship, our relationship with Him grows.
Concern One

The labyrinth has no biblical prototype or pattern as a way to approach God.

The labyrinth is based on mans design. Since it is marketed principally as a spiritual tool, we
should ask, What is a spiritual tool and is such a thing biblical? The labyrinth is usually
promoted as a way to feel spiritual or become close to God, but the Bible does not teach the
use of man-originated tools for such purposes. In the Hebrew scriptures, any physical structure
that was used in a spiritual manner, such as the design of the Tabernacle in the wilderness
(Exodus 35-40) or the Temple and its fixtures built by Solomon (2 Chronicles 3-7), was based on
instructions given directly by God, who gave specific directives on how to build and furnish it.
These edifices originated with God, were built to signify His presence among the Israelites, and
used to worship and glorify God (Exodus 40: 34-38; 2 Chronicles 7.1-3, 12), not to evoke
experiences for mans satisfaction. Water baptism and communion, both participatory physical
events for the Christian, were initiated and commanded by the Lord, not as vehicles to satisfy
the participant, but to represent the sacrifice and redemption of Christ.
The biblical pattern for approaching God in the New Testament is through belief in Christ as
the Savior who atoned for sins, and bodily rose the third day. We have access to God through
Christ (Ephesians 2: 6-7, 17-18; Hebrews 10:19-22).
The labyrinth is publicized as a spiritual tool, not just for Christians, but also for anyone who is
seeking a spiritual experience, or even just as a tool for self-reflection.
The labyrinth gives many the misleading impression that one can be close to God without
Christ.
Concern Two
The Labyrinth is advocated as a way to be close to God; however, we are to walk by faith, not
by sight, and not by seeking experiences.
We are told, Without faith, it is impossible to please God (Hebrews 11.6) and faith is
defined as the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen (Hebrews
11.1). Hoped for here does not mean wishing for or hoping for something in the sense of only
perhaps getting it. Biblical hope is knowing Gods words and promises will be fulfilled. We do
not need to feel close to God to know He is with us; we are not instructed to walk by sight or
feelings, but by faith.
Seeking to evoke an experience can often bring one on. This may create an appetite for more
experiences because people can feel good doing it. Then it induces not only a desire for more
experiences, but also a sense that one must experience or feel something in order to believe
that one is genuinely in relationship with God.
Seeking an experience is self-oriented, not God-oriented. Since we can pray and think about
God anywhere, walking a labyrinth automatically sets up an expectation that something special
should happen. And disappointment results if there is no feeling or experience.
Experiences and feelings can be deceptive. Even if walking a labyrinth gives a powerful
experience, it does not mean it is from God, or that the person actually is closer to God.
Experiences and feelings are not the measure of truth. It can lead a non-Christian into believing
they have encountered God when they havent. In fact, there is nothing about walking a
labyrinth that prevents one from having a counterfeit spiritual experience, even for a Christian.
Feeling close to God is not the way to gauge our relationship with Him. Rather, our

relationship with God is reflected in the fruits of that relationship (Galatians 3.22-23) and other
behaviors. Not all spiritual experiences are from God. Labyrinths have been used at youth
group rallies and retreats, thus possibly leading teens to believe that feelings and experiences
indicate contact with God.
Seeking experiences feeds the sensual self, not the spiritual self. We should take note of the
fact that one of the charges against false teachers is their appeal to sensuality (2 Peter 2:18).
Since Satan can present things in the guise of spirituality and goodness (2 Corinthians 11:1315), we need to watch appeals that claim spirituality but cater to bodily or emotional feelings.
There is nothing wrong with wanting to feel Gods presence, but that should flow from a
Christians daily walk with the Lord, reading His word, prayer, and worship. It should be initiated
by God, not us.
Concern Three
God is not obligated to provide an experience or feeling at our command or demand.
The labyrinth raises an expectation and assumes that we should have a spiritual experience
as a result of walking the labyrinth. Pagan religions use rituals, incantations, and techniques to
evoke their gods. Christianity is the opposite: God has reached down to us and given us the
means for reaching Him faith in Jesus Christ. It is God who laid out the pattern for
communication and relationship with Him; we do not generate the pattern.
Our desire for intimacy with God is sufficiently met through faith in Christ and our relationship
with Christ is the biblical blueprint for our interaction with God. Intimacy with God grows over
time, and is not an instant drive-in take-out experience we obtain through a technique.
The Black Hole
Because of practices invading both the culture and the church that promote experience over
doctrine and feeling over faith, Christians might get the idea that they are missing out on
something and need deeper experiences with God. Although we have a Savior who died for
us and we have the scriptures, which are profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for
training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good
work (2 Timothy 3.16, 17), it is being suggested or implied that that this is not enough. 29.
Could it be that Christians are not immersing themselves in the study and learning of Gods
word, and therefore are trying to fill that void with ways to have spiritual experiences? We
should remember the power of Gods word, and that it is our spiritual nourishment. For the
word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as
the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and
intentions of the heart (Hebrews 4:12).
Successful marketing techniques induce in consumers the yearning for something they may not
really need, and then offer a product to fulfill that desire. Similarly, promoting the thought that
we must have experiences to feel close to God creates an impatience and dissatisfaction with
the challenge of walking by faith, and implies that we are not getting truly deep or intimate
experiences with God. But experiences are fleeting; they come and go. They are a black hole
that is never filled, leading to repeated attempts trying to fill the hole. Offering the labyrinth as
a spiritual tool can create such a black hole, because each experience is never enough there
must always be more.

The labyrinth itself is merely a design. Merely walking a labyrinth is not the issue; the problem
lies in attempting to evoke a spiritual experience or believing that walking a labyrinth or
some other method might bring one closer to God.
Seeking to conjure up experiences can become a substitute for the authentic deep relationship
with God that flows from studying His word, and from the day-to-day dependence on Christ
through faith, not feeling. Faith does not rely on feelings for the true peace or satisfaction we
have in Christ, because true peace is not based on feeling, but rather on knowing the historical
Christ who died and bodily resurrected this is how we know the true peace and the constancy
that is Christ Himself.

When the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on the earth? Luke 18.8
Pervasiveness of New Age among Nuns May Loom As Scandal on Scale
Rivaling Abuse Crisis among Male Counterparts
http://www.spiritdaily.com/newagefolo1.htm, http://www.spiritdaily.org/Prophecyseers/Prophecy-seers/Spiritual-War-Angels/Wise_dont_go/newagefolo.htm
EXTRACT
By Michael H. Brown, November 15, 2006 *A Catholic crusader against New Age;
see NEW AGE-MICHAEL H BROWN
http://ephesians-511.net/docs/NEW_AGE-MICHAEL_H_BROWN.doc
The infiltration of New Age practices into convents and retreat houses operated by Catholic
nuns appears to have reached the level of an epidemic,
with so many reports that
at times it appears difficult to find one that doesnt allow such spirituality, at least to some
degree. Such may be hyperbole but what is not hyperbole is that esoteric spirituality has
spread in alarming measure through what is left of female American religious in a way
that recalls the startling prevalence of sexual abuse among male religious counterparts. Thats
not to say that most religious have gone occult. And it is certainly not to cast aspersions. The
majority of nuns are in their seventies or eighties beyond active involvement in activities
such as operating a retreat center. Moreover, those who are linked to these practices often
appear to be good, well-meaning women who have simply followed the spirit of our time.
But the question is what that spirit is and the trend contravening Vatican teaching is as
widespread as it is troublesome. One thing is clear: the call of Vatican Two for women to
distinguish themselves spiritually has been answered in virtually every part of North America in
a totally unexpected way: establishment of mysterious, Eastern-style meditation.
When we ran an article on this several weeks ago, we were deluged by instances many
dozens in which Eastern contemplation, labyrinths, reiki, or other exotic non-Catholic
methods of spiritual development were present at Catholic retreat centers almost surely
unknown to the Vatican.
The examples seem daunting, and because of their serious nature, we are going to let this
report proceed at length.
One example: the Portiuncula Center for Prayer, modeled after St. Francis and run by
Franciscan Sisters of the Sacred Heart. Located less than an hour southwest of downtown

Chicago, this Catholic center offers therapeutic massage, reiki, reflexology, holistic facials, and
Zen Shiatsu (which taps into the energy points around the body).
It
also has a labyrinth which it describes as an ancient circular diagram consisting of a
single concentric circular path with no possibility of going astray. The path winds
throughout and becomes a mirror for where we are in our lives; it touches our
sorrows and releases our joys
Labyrinths are a meditation, relaxation, and spiritual tool that invite a person to
walk towards the center with a problem, prayer, or idea
Two other remarkably widespread practices
are reiki, which taps into the energy around us, and the enneagram a controversial way
of categorizing personalities. The energy of reiki
is the ki of Eastern religions, which tends too rapidly toward psychic energies and earth
spirits. The symbol of the enneagram was promoted by a famed occultist name Gurdjieff and
bears certain resemblances to the way personality types are discerned through a zodiac
(though in this case the discernment comes by way of self evaluation).
At another Franciscan center in Scottsdale, Arizona, is not only the enneagram but aqua
yoga. Many Catholic convents, retreat houses, and parishes are embracing this technique of
meditation and relaxation often as a mere physical tool but nonetheless in contradiction to a
Vatican document on the New Age, Jesus Christ the Bearer of the Water of Life, that prohibits
it
Dominican sisters in Houston offer tai chi (also involving ki energy) along with
the labyrinth using the occult
yin-yang symbol in their literature. Benedictine Sisters of Mount Scholastica in Atchinson,
Kansas, meanwhile, have named their retreat area the Sophia Center after the feminine form
of God.

Sophia is the name often given to the feminine image of God as portrayed in the wisdom
books of the Bible, said a nun there, Sister Linda Herndon, in response to a query from us.
30.
In Cleveland, a former mother house at a Catholic high school has been converted into a
retreat center called Rivers Edge, offering yoga, qigong, reiki, and other esoteric wellness
programs (while ironically, across the way, is the monastery of the Poor Clares a shining light
in the darkness).

My brothers dear wife is in the last stages of ovarian cancer and near death, writes Ruth
Stamps of Blue Ridge, Georgia. She is not Catholic, but a devout Evangelical Christian. At one
point, she considered going to Rivers Edge for their cancer support group, but found this
places agenda too weird and New Age! The Cleveland area seems to be eaten up with this
stuff, but it does not apparently reflect on the Cleveland Diocese itself. Enter the center.

I left a job as a fifth grade teacher at a parochial school after three years because I
could no longer tolerate or ignore the watering-down of the faith, wrote another
woman named Coreen Herrick. My most recent experience with New Age happened this
summer at the St. Edmunds retreat center near Mystic, Connecticut. The nun invited retreat

members to join her after dinner in the touching of hands massage. Of course, it was cloaked
in therapeutic terms. But I knew better. This same nun also (even though this was a silent
retreat) engaged us in a pagan spirit blessing
before the meal.
There are sisters who are reiki masters. You can find them in the Midwest. Or in Kentucky.
There are monks. Encountering Divine Goodness in Earth and Cosmos: New Ways of Being in
the World, says an advertisement for a retreat at Loyola House in Guelph, Ontario.
In Ringwood, New Jersey where it is once more Franciscan nuns the chapel of the Blessed
Sacrament is a lonely place (with Host exposed), but presumably not so the lessons in reiki in
the same complex. In many cases, questionable spiritual practices are part of the solemnity of
Lent.
Nor is it confined to North America.
Another sad example comes from the UK, notes a viewer named Ken Simpson. At the shrine
of St Jude, Faversham, Kent, the Carmelite priest in his sermon asked people to put feet flat on
ground, to feel the earth, lay hands open, not to hold on to anything, then to breathe out the
badness from inside, and then to breathe in Gods goodness.
Is that really bad? How far do we go with this? Can we overstate the case? Might not some of it
be okay just oddly expressed? In some cases, perhaps. But in others, the psychic is clearly
predominant.
There is dream exploration. There is guided imagery. There are non-Christian healing rituals.
Once again time and again there are the enneagram and labyrinth. Or Yoga.
The concern: yoga is from Eastern pagan religions and like reiki can tend toward a deeper
involvement in mysterious energies. In some cases, mantras (a word used over and over) are
employed and such mantras can be the name of Hindu or other gods. The Beatles brought a
focus on yoga when they studied it with Maharishi Mahesh Yogi in the 1960s. Before that, it was
popularized by deep occultists known as Theosophists.
In some cases, centers that hold seminars in
reiki and enneagram are receiving funds through diocesan appeals [A large number of
examples of Catholic New Age centers in convents, retreat houses, parishes, are given]
Ask those at the College of St. Catherine in St. Paul, Minnesota, or the Holy Spirit Center in
Encino, California.

Out of all of the New Age stuff, the labyrinth is the most pervasive, notes another viewer. It
seems to pop up everywhere we were at St. Annes shrine in Sturbridge [Massachusetts]
looking around thought the place very beautiful and appeared holy until we noticed
the new meditation labyrinth had been created on the grounds. I think people read about these
fads and are duped and they get no direction from priests and pastors.
In Santa Fe, a practicing shaman is involved in church fund-raising.
In Brooklyn, New York, according to another correspondent, a parish called St. Ephrem has
advertised reiki in its weekly newsletter and because of this I encouraged my wife to stop
attending and to go to another Catholic church. Im not sure if they still offer this, says a
resident named Gerard Mastrapasqua. The cases go far beyond even those we reported
previously*. *Not accessible

No doubt, good people get wrapped up in this. Also no doubt: we should be careful not to
condemn. When we are on the other side of the veil, there will be surprises. But we are called
to obedience
and especially to stay away from anything that leads to strange, universal spirits or that see
God as a cosmic energy.
Examples? The Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondolet have status at the U.N. Check them out.
Daring to try new symbols? There is the Sisters of St. Martha of Prince Edward Island.
A labyrinth can be found at another beautiful retreat center (in Malibu, alongside grottos
devoted to the Blessed Mother). If youre in Wisconsin and want the enneagram, this is your
spot. One group of Dominican nuns in Grand Rapids calls itself Sacred Earth and Space
Plowshares.
Maya Abdominal massage or a drum-making workshops or Chinese Essence Qi Gong or Feng
Shui for the Soul? Go to the Sisters of Mercy in New Jersey.
Beginners in yoga can find Catholic resources in Arlington, Virginia. (The priests and nuns
there seem like good folks, but the labyrinth seems like a bad idea, notes a viewer). Integrated
energy healing, reiki, angel healing? Go here.

In every woman there is a queen, speak to the queen and she will answer! says another
Catholic group (Called a Circle of Wisdom ). This is what we really think it is.
Holistic Health?
Go here; you can develop your spiritual muscles and learn yoga by visiting these
nuns. Celebrate the arrival of winter and our turning toward the light during this season of
peace, love and joy. Bring bells, drums, rattles to join in the songs and holiday), they
say; massages and labyrinth
here; for Danville, Pennsylvania, you can get a labyrinth retreat
here; an especially beautiful labyrinth is available at Marie de la Roche Province in Allison
Park, Pennsylvania. Reflexology? Our Lady of Grace Retreat Center on Long Island has what you
want; get in the Zen Spirit/Christian Spirit here; head to Northport for reiki. And so on. While
we have to rely on field reports and thus cant verify each one those we were able to
check out have proven to have what was reported. 31.
These are confusing times and while the Vatican document seemed aimed at society at large [a
pastoral document to warn the faithful, it said], the New Age, it now is clear, had already
infiltrated deeply into the Church itself to a degree much beyond that raised as a concern in
the early Nineties. Such is the perplexity of our times that a Cardinal has said he
was fascinated by a Hindu
experience*. *http://www.catholic.org/international/international_story.php?id=22099
We are certainly to be open
and ecumenical full of love, at every turn, finding common ground at the same time that
we must guard against paganism.

In St. Peter Hospital in Albany New York, they have a pamphlet for yoga and other connected
exercises, with the picture of the Hindu elephant god Ganesh [in an] advertisement on the first
page, in the lobby of the hospital, a medical doctor informs us. It is one of many Christian
hospitals with a New Age slant.

In Austin, Texas, the Seton Family of Hospitals run by the Daughters of Charity of St. Vincent de
Paul has a center called Seton Cove that like so many others offers touch massage, a
labyrinth walk, and chair massage
a seeming far cry from the prim conservative nature of St. Elizabeth Seton, its patron. It
doesnt even help if a hospital is named St. Marys.
Some of the links to the occult
are direct and startling. Noted a writer from the Winnipeg, Canada, of a meeting that was
focused on writing for the parish bulletin: Somehow the conversation turned to ecumenism,
and the stewardship coordinator mentioned an article in our local newspaper about the study
of
Wicca and how it is parallel to Catholicism. Of course I immediately disagreed, but she
proceeded to defend the study as being in tune with mother earth. I just sat there with my
mouth open! Our priest said nothing!
Wicca is the formal name for witchcraft. Each year I have purchased a planning calendar from
the Sisters of St. Joseph of LaGrange Ministry of the Arts. Some major feast days and saints
days are noted, writes Barbara Garfield of Ryegate, Montana. However, as I paid closer
attention to the entries this year, I see there are Buddhist, Hindu, Muslim, and other feasts
listed. That did not bother me as I have tried to become familiar with other religions and their
practices. What does bother me are the entries for Samhain (Wicca) for October 31
and Samhain (Celtic) for November 1 (as well as All Saints).
In Seaford, New York, writes another worried viewer, was a visiting woman evangelist who
would come out in a costume that looked just like a priest and pretty much ran the whole
retreat while he sat on the side.

Each night they did a ritual. The first night we all lit candles. We were told to bathe ourselves
in the light. No mention of Jesus being the Light. Then they had us march around until we
ended up in a big circle around the perimeter of the Church. It looked like a witches coven.
Circling it like Joshua circled Jericho or something else?
Meanwhile, St. Johns University in New York offers its downtown campus for advanced reiki
courses. The list seems endless.
The Daughters of Wisdom, sponsors of Wisdom House Retreat and Conference Center in
Litchfield, Connecticut, originated in Poitiers, France in 1703. Founded by Saint Louis de
Montfort and Blessed Marie Louise Trichet, the aim of the congregation is to seek Divine
Wisdom.
Now such wisdom at a retreat center that has turned into an interfaith one includes
the labyrinth.
We are sorry to prolong this. But the extent of such practices is almost certainly unknown by
the Vatican.

I am beginning to become so disenchanted with my parish, St. Matthias in Somerset, New

Jersey, that I have chosen so far to split my Sunday giving between my parish and another
church 45 minutes away in Newark, noted one more distressed website viewer. I have always
had concerns about the permanent reiki
section in the Sunday bulletin, but when I also saw that brochures were also prominently

displayed at the exits right next to those for spiritual direction (both ministries provided by the
reiki master), I felt really sick. Last year I worked up the nerve to ask a deacon, who directed
me to the Pastor. I went to him and he told me it was completely harmless: Trust me, Ive
had reiki
therapy and I would tell you if it were harmful. He told me not to pay attention to those
conservatives.'
And indeed, we do not want to go overboard with this. Our greatest calling is love for one
another in circumstances that are often strenuous. But the occult can have long-term
ramifications.
Tai chi is offered at St. Joseph Dwelling Place in Ludlow, Vermont tapping once again into
that chi or Ki. Is that always bad, especially when associated with martial arts? It is a
question. In Ontario, the same. I also went to a Capuchin Retreat House in Mt. Washington
Michigan. They have since started massage therapy and who knows what else, writes
another viewer.
The Daughters of Charity in Emmitsburg, Maryland, reportedly have a labyrinth on their
property. I just read the article today on the new age and Catholic retreat houses. I have
discovered such practices in the Immaculate Heart of Mary Visitation Spirituality Center here in
Monroe, Michigan, reported yet one more viewer.

I wrote to you a little over a year age on a group of these nuns in Baltimore, reported
another, part of the mail barrage we received. I ran a retreat house, and one of the groups
turned out to practice Zen Buddhism, after telling me they werent Buddhist. They had a statue
of Buddha, incense, gong, candles, flowers. This is idolatry.
Does this not matter to the bishops?
Our Lady of Prompt Succor Church in Alexandria, Louisiana; what is going on there?

How glad I am to see a place to report rampant New Age practices in Catholic retreat centers,
writes yet one more viewer. Here are a couple of places I wish to report. The first is the Jesuit
Spirituality Center in Grand Coteau, Louisiana. Click on the link,
http://www.home.centurytel.net/spiritualitycenter/html/2006.html scroll down, and you will find
retreats on the labyrinth, Zen, Christian yoga (whatever that is!), Meyers/Briggs personality
inventory,
reiki, and special retreat for gays and lesbians.
32.

My mother was New Age almost before the New Age got here, and ended up worshiping
Satan, notes a viewer, who like many preferred anonymity. My twin sister is New Age (deeply)
and seemingly cant be talked or prayed out of it My sister is a medium and channels spirits
who sound so wise, profound, and compassionate that their writings fooled an abbot of a
monastery into approval. (Her vocabulary, when she is channeling, is far above her own
vocabulary.) I know that lately Ive been hearing hints from her that she likes the idea of
androgyne, a combining of male and female in one person to make them complete. To me
that commits an error so severe that the person has crossed over into Satanism.

It seems to me that the devil made huge inroads into Catholicism by distorting the Vatican II
teaching that Catholics should respect whatever of truth lies in other religions, frets an e-

mailer named Trudi Lawrence. Monks, nuns, and probably priests mistakenly and unguardedly
went looking for truths there that they thought Catholicism didnt have.
Maybe all they had to do was look deeper.

Labyrinth
http://charismatic-heresy.blogspot.in/2006/11/labyrinth_15.html
[This is from a Protestant anti-charismatic source]
November 19, 2006

As a floor design, the labyrinth is just a pattern; like dots, checks, stripes or paisley

In medieval Europe, labyrinths were used as substitutes for the real pilgrimage to the Holy
Land and authentic Christian prayers and devotions were part of the imitation journey to
Jerusalem. Labyrinths are not inherently bad, except for the fact they generally go with new
age practices. Then again previous centuries had their own fads, some of which were not the
best, so the existence of labyrinths in the past is not a sign they are actually useful to grow in
holiness. Certainly no saint comes to mind advocating the labyrinth.

The current revival of the labyrinth is a spiritual device and NOT grounded in
Christian piety at all. Labyrinths for spiritual exercises are alien to Catholic
teaching and Catholic spirituality. But that is exactly what the good Mercy Sisters
advocate at Our Lady of the Pines retreat center. FIRST: Your journey from the edge of
the labyrinth until you reach the center is shedding, a releasing, a letting go of the
details of your life. SECOND: Illumination is when you reach the center. Stay there as
long as you like. It is a place of meditation and prayer. Receive what is there for you
to receive. [What that might be?] THIRD: As you leave, following the same path out
of the center you came in upon, you enter the third stage Union which is joining
God. Oh, is that all it takes? What we have here is yet another feminist-inspired
occult ritual.

The building and dedication of labyrinths continues. I feel the beginnings of a tanic
possession, a kind of Pranic dissonance, an imbalance between Yang & Yin. I think I will have
to have that spell of Tea Chi before I see to some ritual honoring. Then I can emanate some
profound philosophical truth, the luminaries are still waiting for the God in me. I must do

something about that Feng Shui; quick, I have to hold onto a crystal or something!
New Age Makes Huge Inroad into Retreat Centers Operated by
Catholic Nuns
www.spiritdaily.com/newageinfiltration.htm, http://www.spiritdaily.net/newageinfiltration.htm
By Michael H. Brown, November 30, 2006
[Resources: Prayer of the Warrior. See too, Vatican Document: Jesus Christ the Bearer of the
Water of Life]
Towards the end of John Paul IIs pontificate, the Vatican issued a document about the New Age
that was reviewed, one can assume, by Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger, now Pope Benedict XVI,
even though his congregation was not redactor of the actual paper, which could be described
as both a report and an instruction.
It would do well for the U.S. bishops to revisit that document (Jesus Christ the Bearer of the
Water of Life) and make certain that parishes, convents, seminaries, and retreat houses across
North America understand and more importantly heed Romes definition of what is meant by

the new age a refined form of occultism that looks upon God as more an energy and
impersonal, psychic force in classic pagan perspective and is expressly prohibited by Rome. For
despite that prohibition, which was clearly stated in the 2003 instruction, many are those who
report New Age or Eastern-style practices that have been allowed and even promoted in church
halls, convents, during seminars, and occasionally from the pulpit. Its an insidious infiltration
that thus far has not received nearly the attention it warrants [see bottom] putting, as it
does, those who are exposed to it into potential touch with the dark side, which comes as an
angel of light.
I invite you to send such cases here, if they are occurring in your parish. In just the past week,
we have linked to articles about nuns in northeast Philadelphia who instruct in massage,
energy, kinesiology, and therapeutic touch (which some say is akin to psychic healing). At
any rate, they are described as nuns at the Center for Human Integration. They also use
reiki, an ancient form of therapeutic touch that taps into occult ki or chi forces.

There is a remarkable variety of approaches for promoting holistic health, some derived from
ancient cultural traditions, whether religious or esoteric, says the Vatican document.
Advertising connected with the New Age covers a wide range of practices as acupuncture,
biofeedback, chiropractic, kinesiology, homeopathy, iridology, massage, and various kinds of
bodywork (such as orgonomy, Feldenkrais, reflexology, rolfing, polarity massage, therapeutic
touch, etc), meditation, and visualization The source of healing is said to be within ourselves,
something we reach when we are in touch with our inner or cosmic energy.
There it is in black and white the Vatican definition of New Age and yet confusion (a mark
of the enemy) reigns. There are nuns into drumming circle prayer. There are sisters who are
reiki masters. On church grounds, there are haunted mazes*. *labyrinths
I dont pretend to know definitively all that is wrong or right but I know we are to follow the
Vatican and that evil masquerades itself.
34.

What are Catholics doing involved in something that is expressly cited in negative fashion in
Vatican documents?
This weekend will provide for a deepening of the experiences of meditation, prayer, journaling,
yoga and reiki. There will be ample time for practicing techniques, quiet reflection and sharing.
Donation: $75 (includes $25 non-refundable deposit). St. Joseph Center, Mount Saint Joseph,
Wheeling, says an announcement from West Virginia.

Above are illustrations from the West Virginia Institute for Spirituality
(for further info, it says, e-mail Sr. Carole Riley, Ph.D.). Prepare the Way of the Lord
Saturday, December 9 (10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.), says another ad. Participants will discover
ways of praying with their bodies using creative movement as the sacred scriptures are

explored in the season of Advent. (Wear comfortable clothing). Presenter: Sr. Molly Maloney,
OSF, M.A., LMT. Offering: $35 (lunch included)
Whats going on in West Virginia? Whats going on in dozens of other dioceses? Should St.
Joseph really be uttered in the same breath as Buddha, or tai chi?
There are Catholic centers that offer an ancient, sacred tradition called the labyrinth
(seven cycles and seven turns representing the seven stages of life). Some argue that it is okay
and that there is even a labyrinth at a French cathedral at Chartres. There is the enneagram,
which claims to determine types of personalities.
In Pennsylvania are the Sisters of the Humility of Mary who offer yoga and even holistic
health care for animals.
Im not competent to judge the esoteric nature of all such practices (no one is against feeding a
dog well), but again it seems to contravene the Vatican. The important thing to note, said the
document, is that God is reduced in certain New Age practices so as furthering the
advancement of the individual.
New Age appeals to people imbued with the values of modern culture. Freedom, authenticity,
self-reliance, and the like are all held to be sacred. The Vatican definition has been ignored,
and it appears to be nothing less than a full-blown crisis with the question of how Catholics
can so openly ignore authority.

From this place we respond to the needs of families, youth, the elderly, homeless, prisoners,
and immigrants in sites that include Ohio, Pennsylvania, District of Columbia, Florida, Kentucky,
New Jersey, Michigan, Nebraska, Texas, Virginia, Washington, and West Virginia, says the
website in West Virginia. Internationally, we serve in Haiti and have served in Africa,
Bangladesh, Chile, El Salvador, Mexico, and Vietnam.
Reiki, drumming circles, medicine dolls: it involves nuns across the Western Hemisphere.
Canada. The U.S.
Writes one concerned reader, It didnt take me long, but I found convent after convent, parish
after parish, Catholic retreat center after retreat center, engaged in reiki and more. Is the
Vatican aware? Aware that so many Roman Catholics are Pagan Catholics? Strikes me as a
good question.

From religious to laity, Problems occur when the devil bedims our
perceptions
http://www.spiritdaily.net/bedim.htm
By Michael H. Brown, undated
We see that theres an e-mail being circulated by a nun, Sandra M. Schneiders, at the Jesuit
School of Theology in Berkeley, in which the influential sister describes an announced apostolic
visitation by the Vatican (of convents and other female religious institutions in the U.S.) as
intimidating, aggressive, and dishonest implying that investigators sent by Rome
should be handled cordially but with non-violent resistance. She is concerned that they are
looking for trouble. And who could blame Rome? The ranks of female religious has dwindled
radically and the Vatican seeks to know why.

What Sister Schneiders fears is obvious: for decades now, too many nuns have strayed far from
mainstream Catholicism, shedding their habits and embracing not just liberal politics but also
the New Age.
We have reported time and again how convents and retreat centers are filled to overflowing
with reiki practices, Eastern mantras, hypnotism, therapeutic massage, Hindu gods,
the labyrinth, and enneagram. One example: a couple of years ago a conference of nuns in
Louisville, Kentucky, was called Earth Spirit Rising and featured a famous witch from
California named Starhawk. It was supported by female religious centers from around the
region.
This recalls a passage from a message at the Church-approved apparition of LaSalette, France
in which the Blessed Mother fretted (allegedly, in a part of the message that was controversial)
that many convents are no longer houses of God but the grazing grounds of Asmodeas [an
occult spirit] and his like.
Reflect on that. It was in 1846. Perhaps more to the point was another line from the prophecy
(given to a girl named Melanie) stating that the chiefs, the leaders of the people of God, have
neglected prayer and penance, and the devil has bedimmed their intelligence.
35.
When evil comes, it comes as a cloud, a fog, it comes as a darkness. Havent you ever had
times when you simply couldnt keep something in your memory that you seemed tripped up
every time you tried to think of something? Does it not afflict us clergy and laity alike?
Bedimmed. It means tunnel vision. It means a narrow mind. It blinds us to evil to the
influence of things like the New Age. All of us are susceptible.
We are bedimmed by lust. Were bedimmed by greed. We are bedimmed by prejudice. Were
bedimmed by hate. We are bedimmed by pride which all but totally blocks out the sunlight.
We are bedimmed by not forgiving.
How many realize than two-thirds of the Gospel has something to do with forgiveness?
Take all the unforgiveness out of your heart this Lent and turn it to ashes.
Analyze your blind spots in prayer and ask the Holy Spirit to reveal why those blind spots exist.
Pray for the blind spots in our religious and clergy. Blind spots. Myopia. We certainly have
enough words for it. We can be bedimmed through music, through entertainment anything
that preoccupies the mind (removing it from the spiritual) or introducing the actual power of
darkness (as so much music, especially the rap and heavy-metal variety, do).
We also are bedimmed when we are neutral when we stand for nothing. We are bedimmed
when we are overly intellectual.
A remedy is taming the flesh. This Lent, pray for religious and focus on your own vision, on your
bad habits. Focus on the ways your body directs you (as opposed to your directing your body).
Pray for our priests and nuns, who like us have blind spots and who like us often find
themselves off course bedimmed, afraid of the truth of the light.
Take those bad habits and burn them turn them into ash, as there are also ashes at the
beginning of Lent.

As for our nuns: unbedim yourselves, dear sisters, and return to the other kind of habits
the solemn, prayerful clothing that opens us to the spirit the right Spirit and was
improperly disposed after Vatican II, which never intended for that.

Catholics and the New Age -A Closer Look at the Vatican Document:
Jesus Christ, the Bearer of the Water of Life A Christian Reflection on
the New Age
http://www.speroforum.com/a/7236/Catholics-and-the-New-Age
http://www.speroforum.com/site/article.asp?id=7236
http://www.thedefender.org/A%20Christian%20Reflection%20on%20the%20New%20Age.html
http://www.catholicmediacoalition.org/catholics_new_age.htm
By Susan Beckworth
December 29, 2006 EXTRACT
Susan Beckworth is a Catholic New Age expert. She writes about the involvement of Catholic
hierarchs in the New Age movement at the Defender website.
See
NEW AGE-SUSAN BECKWORTH
http://ephesians-511.net/docs/NEW_AGE-SUSAN_BECKWORTH.doc
As a traditional Catholic, an important question I have often asked myself is why do some
Catholics turn away from their faith and turn to New Age spirituality?
I have concluded that the answer can be found in one word PRIDE. The pride comes from the
desire to be like God; the same temptation that took place with Adam and Eve in the Garden of
Eden. The temptation that says: You are equal to God. You are the Creator. These are some of
the promises of the New Age Movement. []
The Centering Prayer Movement has become popular through Retreat centers, RCIA programs
and even some Seminaries. The Vatican document has linked centering prayer as New Age. It
states Christian prayer is not an exercise in self contemplation, stillness and self emptying, but
a dialogue of love, one which implies a flight from self to God. A Christians method of getting
closer to God is not based on any technique (JCBWL 2.2.3, 3.4).
Also found in retreat centers is the worship of Mother Earth and nature called Wicca. The
document warns against this popular technique found among many feminist enclaves (JCBWL
7.2).
Some retreat centers offer Thomas Merton workshops. The Bearer names Thomas Merton and
Carl Jung
as writers who had the most influence on New Agers. (JCBWL 9.2 notes)
Some New Age practices are also introduced through some parish programs which might direct
one to a Labyrinth to pray to the goddess within, or to an Enneagram workshop which Jesus
Christ, the Bearer of the Water of Life identifies as stemming from Gnosticism (JCBWL1.4).
Some may argue that the use of a labyrinth is a good thing because it has been
around for centuries. While its true that the labyrinth dates back to earlier years, I
have never found any indication it was ever used for anything other than a
decorative object. Today, the labyrinth is always used as a New Age tool. People who
use it are not interested in salvation through Jesus Christ, but rather to continue

living on earth through reincarnation. Reincarnation, as stated in the document, is

New Age. (JCBWL 7.2) []
Click the link below to read the full text: Jesus Christ, Bearer of the Water of Life A Christian
Reflection on the New Age.
http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/pontifical_councils/interelg/documents/rc_pc_interelg_doc_2
0030203_new-age_en.html

Christian yoga: Innocent activity or dancing with the devil?

http://www.theconservativevoice.com/article/22748.html#
EXTRACT
By Tracy Gano, February 12, 2007
Churches are flirting with mysticism through contemplative prayer, walking the labyrinth, and
various other techniques that are being promoted to reach God. All of these activities have
their origin in a false religion.
We see churches today resorting to the worlds ways to draw people into their churches. When
confronted about much of the unbiblical teaching, they resort to the numbers speak for
themselves excuse. If numbers are an indicator of truth then Hitler would have fit right into
the modern day seeker sensitive churches. We would have to say that Islam is a religion to be
emulated because their numbers of converts are to numerous to count. We know though that
the above examples are as far from Biblical truth as one can get, yet so many today are
throwing out sound doctrine to have their itching ears tickled, and their worldly appetites fed.
At what cost though?

Who cares what God says, I gotta be me!

http://www.opinioneditorials.com/freedomwriters/mwest_20070505.html, http://www.renewame
rica.com/columns/mwest/070504
EXTRACT
By Marsha West, May 4/5, 2007
See
NEW AGE-MARSHA WEST
http://ephesians-511.net/docs/NEW_AGE-MARSHA_WEST.doc
First published in 2006, Going Against God Just for Fun; this version has been modified with
additional information
Many professed Christians are ignoring Gods directive to Hate what is evil; cling to what is
good (Romans 12:9). Hating evil means youve got to deal with it! When the Apostle Paul
came face to face with a Jewish sorcerer by the name of Elymas, he called him a child of the
devil and an enemy of everything that is right. Paul accused him of perverting the right ways
of the Lord. (Acts 13: 10) Through the Holy Spirit, Paul caused Elymas to go blind! He not only
put out the sorcerers eyes, he put him out of a job as well. When it came to confronting evil,
Paul never backed down, never hesitated, wavered or vacillated. When going after evildoers,
Paul had all the subtlety of a sledgehammer.
Essentially mysticism is all about the quest for hidden wisdom or deeper truth. And of
course deeper truths can only be uncovered by the knowers.
Far too many Christians are unaware that the Lord quite literally detests all forms of occultism.

There are no exceptions. Even astrology is banned for believers. Doesnt matter if its just for
fun. One cannot be a Baptist on Sunday and a Spiritist the rest of the week.
Which brings me to two blogs I recently stumbled on. Both bloggers say theyre Christians.
They also share their Zodiac signs with visitors to their site. One studies Christian apologetics;
the other is a youth pastor. Gullible young people visit this pastors site and learn that hes a
Gemini. Fortunately he doesnt include discernment as one of his spiritual gifts. If these men
have read Leviticus 19:26, Deuteronomy 18:9-12, Exodus 22:18 and other such passages, they
dont take what God says seriously. Apparently they do take the time to read their astrological
forecast.
When confronted with an evil practice, believers, especially Church leaders, have got to lace up
their trusty running shoes and high tail it out of there, pronto! Flee from horoscopes (astrology),
numerology, sances, tarot cards, tealeaves, palm reading, crystal balls, talking boards, omens
or signs; do not get involved in wizardry, witchcraft, the study of Kabbalah, nature religion
(Wicca), the practice of yoga (its purpose is purely spiritual), Transcendental
Meditation, labyrinths basically, stay away from pagan customs and practices. If you are
currently involved in any of these things, you must bring it to an end today! Dabbling in sorcery
is sin, so repenting of it is of paramount importance. And never return to it, even if its just for
fun.
Bear in mind that the demonic powers operating in the realm of the occult are very real. These
spirits are stronger and more dangerous than people seem to realize.
The following article, written by a religious sister, shows the labyrinth employed at
a Catholic retreat centre in association with other New Age techniques. It is a proNew Age write-up.

Spiritual Perspectives: Healing of Mind, Body and Spirit

http://www.gallupindependent.com/2007/august/081107sp_hlngmbs.html
By Sister Mary Matthias Ward, August 2007
Elizabeth Hardin-Burrola, Special to The Independent,
[email protected].
For this time I choose to write on Healing of Mind, Body, and Spirit. I choose to do it because in
our society, among both Protestants and Catholics, there are such misunderstandings. I choose
to write this article because as I write this, we, the people of the Diocese of Gallup, need
healing. With the accident of Bishop Donald Pelotte, SSS, we are in crisis and we need an inner
healing. Bishop Pelotte needs both a physical and an inner healing.
When there are areas of the unknown, we readily jump to labeling things as New Age as
being of Satan and criticizing without asking for an explanation. Here at Sacred Heart Retreat
Center in Gallup, we have a Reiki Retreat. We have a labyrinth, yoga, and Centering
Prayer.
All of these from time to time have been labeled as New Age, and we have received our
share of criticism.
Our centers mission statement declares that we strive for wholeness and holiness. Is there
anyone among us that doesnt need an inner healing? How many of us pray daily for the
healing of others as well as ourselves?

It does seem that attitude toward health, spirituality, our way of life and our place in society
has changed dramatically. People search for answers to daily problems. During these times of
chaos, we humans suffer from physical and psychological stress. The environment struggles for
survival as well. We have no power to control these developments, but we can face them. We
need to own our healing gifts (Gods power within us) and look at what blocks Gods power and
what diverts Gods power. As we walk our journey carrying our crosses, we can experience God
and find inner healing.
For myself, Im able to find an inner peace by walking among nature, by walking the grounds of
Sacred Heart Retreat Center, and from seeing and appreciating Gods artwork from every
direction. I am able to balance my life by taking the time to communicate with my God, in
prayer, in meditation, in spiritual reading, and in contemplative living.
As unique as each of us is, so is our finding inner healing. On Wednesday evenings we offer
Centering Prayer. For some this contemplative prayer is what they need to sustain them. For
others there is a Thursday night prayer group that finds praying together, reflecting together,
sharing faith together is what is needed to sustain them.
St. Paul says that healing is one of the spiritual gifts (1 Corinthians 12: 28). Jesus says: I tell
you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even
greater things than these, because I go to the Father (John 14:12). So, why do we fear
healing? Why do we fear the laying on of hands?
Here at the retreat center on the last weekend of August, we will offer a retreat entitled
Journeying with our Angels through Reiki. This retreat will highlight how our angel guides us
on our journey to healing, balance, and harmony. What an experience of inner healing!
Reiki provides a marvelous way to make use of Gods power. The Reiki Master will call upon
God, Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit and the angels especially Michael, Raphael and Gabriel to
work through the person and to heal the person.
Yes, I know Ive been accused of bringing Satan into the Diocese of Gallup. Satan tempts
people to do evil. Satan does not heal. Reiki is not a religion. Reiki is not a cult. Reiki can be a
religious experience which brings one closer to God. Reiki is in alignment with the teachings of
the Bible. I dare to say, not all of us will be attracted to Reiki. That is all right. But, let us not
down persons who are attracted to the process of healing. We dont all communicate the
same way with our God. But, hopefully, we all do communicate with God.
During this chaotic time in our diocese, within our world, lets try to be open to how each
person chooses to communicate with their God, how each person seeks to sustain inner
healing, an inner peace. St. Paul says Be transformed by the renewing of your minds
(Romans 12:2). I pray this for myself and for each of you as you may read this.
Sister Mary Matthias Ward, Ursuline Sister of Maple Mount, KY, is the director of Sacred Retreat
Center in Gallup. She can be contacted by mailing her at P.O. Box 1338, Gallup, N.M. 87305 or
calling her at (505) 722-6755 or (505) 870-5679.
This column is written by area residents, representing different faith communities, who share
their ideas about bringing a spiritual perspective into our daily lives and community issues.

DISCUSSION ON THE LABYRINTH IN THE MOTHEROFGOD2 LIST

From:
[email protected]
To:
[email protected]<mailto:MotherofGod2%40yahoogroups.com>
Cc:
[email protected]
Sent: Saturday, September 22, 2007 3:26 PM Subject: [YahooMOG2] a question.
Dear Desmond and Deacon Wally,
Hi, I am at Olives home and we have been attending the noon Mass at the Oratory, Center for
Spirituality, which is the home of about ten priests who are in the Order that was started by
St. Philip Neri. It is in Rock Hill, South Carolina. On the grounds of the Oratory is a huge
labyrinth. Olive wants to show it to me, and I keep declining because I really do not feel
comfortable with it.
She just asked me what I have against it, and I told her that I would need to write the MOG2 list
for an objective answer. I told her that I avoid the labyrinth, not because of subjective feelings,
but because I believe there is an objective reason to avoid it. Sigh, of course I cannot tell her
what the objective reason is. My conscience sends out warning bells, but I dont have the
knowledge to explain it. I am sure that Kathleen Obara would know.
I sure would appreciate knowing why we ought to be avoiding the circular labyrinth walk so I
can give the objective answer that I know people have a right to ask. Thanks so much. Joan H.
From: Kathleen Obara [email protected]
To: [email protected]
Sent: Monday, September 24, 2007 9:51 AM Subject: Re: [YahooMOG2] a question.
As with so many things that are being done/taught in prayer houses in North America, walking
the labyrinth is nothing new ~ just another resurrection of an occult practice that more often
than not, innocent people are told is a means to receiving spiritual enlightenment.
Their original use for Catholics ~ as the labyrinth in Chartres ~ was meant as a form of
pilgrimage for those who could not go to the Holy Land, and so were used as a substitute. That
is not the case today with those who walk the sacred walk of the labyrinth as a means of
spiritual meditation. The two have very little to do with each other in their practice.
Walking the labyrinth is not a Christian practice, but rather just another means of opening
oneself up to darkness, all the while believing that one is going to receive secret knowledge
and wisdom. People today are very much seduced by the thought that they will have a
spiritual experience ~ which is extremely dangerous considering all the methods being
offered and the desire of a person to go looking for a spiritual experience. It is precisely this
desire that has led many astray, as the devil will gladly give someone a spiritual experience
when they go looking for one ~ only it will not be the Holy Spirit that they will be encountering.
Unlike those who walked the labyrinth of Chartres, people today are looking for a spiritual
experience through the means of the labyrinth.
Check out Dr. Jean Houston and Grace Cathedral in San Francisco. She is a new-ager
extraordinaire ~ and the labyrinth is the symbol for Ms. Houstons Mystery School.

I know how hard it is when a situation arises such as yours with your friend.but please do not
let your fear of hurting her feelings keep you from speaking the truth in love to her. She needs
to know why you will not walk the labyrinth. The Holy Spirit was indeed stopping you ~ and
even if your friend should feel offended in any way, that is the price we all must pay to avoid
the pitfalls of the New Age movement. I know you will do the right thing ~ and you will do it
with love.
From: Dez Birch [email protected]
To:
[email protected]
Sent: Mon, 24 Sep 2007
Dear Kathleen,
That has been my experience also. I havent been everywhere they have labyrinths. But
everywhere so far that Ive seen that they have them in allegedly Catholic venues
they are associated with Reiki and other popular New Age practices.

THE LABYRINTH, PAGAN SPIRITUALITY

http://br.dir.groups.yahoo.com/group/fundamentalismo_biblico/message/2119
Updated December 27, 2007 (first published September 27, 2004) (David Cloud, Fundamental
Baptist Information Service, P.O. Box 610368, Port Huron, MI 48061, 866-295-4143. [A
Protestant source Michael]
On October 13, 2007, Eastern Mennonite University in Harrisburg, Virginia, dedicated its new
labyrinth. It was the fulfillment of a 15-year dream by Wendy Miller, professor of spiritual
formation (Following the Path of Prayer, Mennonite Weekly Review, Oct. 24, 2007).
This is only the latest example of how the Pagan-Catholic labyrinth is gaining in popularity
among evangelicals.
The June 1, 2004, issue of The Mennonite featured an article on labyrinths. Marlene Kropf, who
teaches at the Associated Mennonite Biblical Seminary in Elkhart, Indiana, promotes labyrinths.
Bethany Mennonite Church, Bridgewater Corners, Vermont, has a labyrinth in its lawn. The
churchs female pastor uses it as a personal prayer discipline. Michele Hershberger, chair of
the Bible department at Hesston College uses labyrinths.
Simpson University in Redding, California, has a labyrinth. This school is associated with the
Christian and Missionary Alliance.
Even some Southern Baptist churches are building labyrinths. The Weatherly Heights Baptist
Church in Huntsville, Alabama, built a permanent labyrinth of stones on its grounds in 2004.
The labyrinth is a circular pattern with a path that winds its way to the center and which is used
as a tool for prayer and meditation. Used by pagan religions for thousands of years, the
labyrinth was borrowed from paganism and Christianized by the Roman Catholic Church as
part of its desperate search for spirituality apart from the Bible.
Native Americans called it the Medicine Wheel; Celts called it the Never Ending Circle; it is
called the Kabala in mystical Judaism (http://www.gracecathedral.org/labyrinth).
The most famous labyrinth was built into the floor of the Roman Catholic Chartres Cathedral in
France in the 13th century. It has been duplicated at the Riverside Church in New York City and
Grace Cathedral (Episcopal) in San Francisco, both hotbeds of theological liberalism and New

Age philosophy.
The three stages of the labyrinth walk testify to its paganism. The following description of the
stages is from the Grace Cathedral web site: Purgation (a time to open the heart and quiet the
mind), Illumination (a place of meditation and prayer), Union (joining god, your Higher
Power, or the healing forces at work in the world).
Lauren Artress, a canon at Grace Cathedral, founded Veriditas, The World-Wide Labyrinth
Project, with the goal to facilitate the transformation of the Human Spirit. Observe that
Human Spirit is capitalized, testifying to the New Age view that man finds divinity within
himself. Artress says that she discovered the labyrinth in 1991 through Jean Houstons Mystery
School Network, a psychic New Age organization. This quote by Houston leaves no doubt as to
her philosophy: As we encounter the archetypal world within us, a partnership is formed
whereby we grow as do the gods and goddesses
within us (http://skepdic.com/houston.html). Exercises at her Mystery School Network include
psychophysical work, psychospiritual exploration, creative arts, energy resonance, movement
and dance, altered states of consciousness, ritual and ceremony, high drama, high play and
mutual empowerment (http://www.jeanhouston.org ).
Artress says: My passion for the labyrinth has never let up! I think this is because I get so
much from it. I also can teach everything I want to teach through the labyrinth: meditation,
finding our soul assignments, unleashing our creativity, spiritual practice, psycho-spiritual
healing; you name it! . It [the labyrinth] has the exact cosmic rhythms embedded within it. I
sense that this design was created by great masters of Spirit, who knew the pathway to
integrating mind, body and spirit (Interview with Arts and Healing Network, September 2003).
There is nothing like a labyrinth in the New Testament Scriptures.
When Jesus taught His disciples how to pray in Matthew 6, He did not even hint at a labyrinthtype prayer. Rather His instructions were very straightforward and simple: []
God forbids His people to adopt things from the devils program and to associate with pagan
things such as labyrinths.
And what concord hath Christ with Belial? Or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel?
And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? For ye are the temple of the living God;
as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall
be my people. Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and
touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you (2 Cor. 6:15-17).
Prof. Josias Macedo Barana Jr., http://faebter.spaces.msn.com/
The following article contains only a single reference to the labyrinth. However, it is
included here to bring out the close association between labyrinths and what the
February 2003 Vatican Document on the New Age defines as Deep Ecology. A
report on New Age Deep Ecology has been long overdue from this ministry and I am
now constrained to work on bringing it out seeing that the movement is active in the
local Church with blessings from powerful organisations and bishops.
We are but a step away from radical environmentalism and ecofeminism of the
magnitude that we have seen [in this present compilation, for example pages 26-28]
presently exists in the womens religious orders in the United States. Earth Centred

Healing
Retreats and labyrinth retreats are now being propagated in the Indian Church. The
whole eco-spirituality business being promoted in the Indian Church is unavoidably
and undeniably New Age.
On Aril 22, 2013, I wrote to the Cardinal-Archbishop of Bombay and the Archbishop
of Goa regardingFr. Paul Vaz and his Enneagram and Earth Centred
Healing Retreats, and I await their responses. See
FR PAUL VAZ-ENNEAGRAM WORKSHOPS AND EARTH CENTRED HEALING RETREATS
http://ephesians-511.net/docs/FR_PAUL_VAZENNEAGRAM_WORKSHOPS_AND_EARTH_CENTRED_HEALING_RETREATS.doc

Our Pantheistic Sisters

By Anne Barbeau Gardiner, February 2008
Anne Barbeau Gardiner, a Contributing Editor of the NOR, is Professor Emerita of English at
John Jay College of the City University of New York. She has published on Dryden, Milton, and
Swift, as well as on Catholics of the 17th century.
Green Sisters: A Spiritual Ecology, by Sarah McFarland Taylor, Harvard University Press,
363 pages, $29.95,
Sarah McFarland Taylor, an Episcopalian and historian of womens religious history,
started her research on the Catholic green sisters in 1994. She spent two summers at Genesis
Farm in New Jersey, then visited more than a dozen similar centers, attended four conferences
of the Sisters of Earth, conducted over a hundred interviews, and examined their
newsletters, poetry, artwork, cookbooks, correspondence, prayers, and rituals. She sent a draft
of her book to some leading green sisters for their approval and documented her findings in 60
pages of endnotes.
Throughout the book, Taylor is in total sympathy with the green sisters, whom she regards as
some of the best-educated women in America. She says their network includes sisters from
these religious orders: Sisters of St. Joseph, of Loreto, of Charity, of Notre Dame, and
of the Humility of Mary, as well as some Franciscan and Dominican Sisters, Servants
of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, and Medical Mission Sisters. In 1995 there were a
dozen earth ministries; in 2006 there were at least 50, which Taylor lists in an appendix.
Green sisters complain that right-wing Catholic critics among them Michael S. Rose of the
NEW OXFORD REVIEW have unjustly charged them with pantheism, but on the basis of this
book, the charge seems justified. Pope Pius IX defined the error of pantheism thus: No
supreme, all wise, and all provident divine Godhead exists, distinct from this world of things,
and all things are God and they have the same substance of God (Syllabus of Errors,
Denzinger, #1701). As Taylor reveals, this is the green sisters core principle, that God and the
cosmos are fused.
At the Sisters of Earth conference in 2002, the 150 participants chanted, with regard to the
earth, All is holy, so holy. All is sacred, so sacred. All is one. Then, at the 2003 assembly of the
Leadership Conference of Women Religious (LCWR), with 76,000 members in the U.S., 900
sisters chanted, with regard to the earth, Sacred is the call, awesome indeed the entrustment.
Tending the Holy, Tending the Holy. The LCWR invitation featured an image of the planet with

the caption: Tending the Holy. In her presidential address, Sr. Mary Ann Zollmann declared,
we women religious are living out of and growing more deeply into an ecofeminism that is a
communion of companionship, responsibility, and accountability to the whole web of life.
Thomas Berry, Spiritual Guide

Thomas Berry, a 90-year-old Passionist priest and disciple of Teilhard de Chardin*, is

indispensable for understanding the green sisters, writes Taylor. He is the prophet who played a
pivotal role in creating this movement. Taylor notes that Fr. Berry, unlike Matthew Fox**, has
not been disciplined by the Church and can administer the Sacraments. He proposes as the Great
Work for our age to midwife humanity into an Ecozoic era, where our species and the earth will
be mutually beneficial. Green sisters have taken up this sacred mission, which they see as larger
than the Church or Christianity itself. The natural world, Fr. Berry teaches, is Gods primary
revelation, from which every other revelation derives. This was also the teaching of the pantheist
philosopher Spinoza. Fr. Berry wants the Bible put on the shelf for at least twenty years so people
can read the primary scripture of the world about us. Following this guide, green sisters work to
create a shift of consciousness from human-centeredness to a biocentric norm. That is to say, they
have exchanged a primary preoccupation with humans for a primary concern with the total
Earth. For green sisters, as for Fr. Berry, the world is a community of subjects all divinely
related to one another.
*Jesuit paleontologist and worlds leading New Ager
**excommunicated
Dominican priest, New Ager and
promoter of Creation-Centred Spirituality
Fr. Berry considers the biblical creation story meaningless because it fails to give humanity a
sense of communion with a universe that is alive, sacred, intelligent, and still being
created. (To regard matter as alive and thinking, of course, is the foundation of pantheism.)
Since Western science cannot convey the sacredness of the cosmic evolutionary process
either, Fr. Berry proposes a New Story to give us a sense of the cosmic communion of all
things.
Greening Their Vows

Green sisters have reinterpreted their vows in light of Fr. Berrys new evolutionary cosmological
consciousness. Sr. Gail Worcelo, who studied under Fr. Berry and took her final vows in his
presence in 1991, declares that when he gave her the ring of final profession, she felt wedded to a
passionate love affair with the Divine as revealed in the universe story. This is not quite the same
as becoming the bride of Christ.

As for the vow of chastity, Sr. Elaine Prevallet says it means a moral commitment to ease
ecosystem stresses caused by a burgeoning human population. Other green sisters likewise
speak of this vow as a lifetime commitment not to give birth and as a gift that sisters have
given the earth community throughout the history of religious orders. Tellingly, at the 1998
Sisters of Earth conference, Stephanie Mills was the keynote speaker: she is notorious for

harping on the connection between unchecked human population growth and ecological
crisis and, though not a sister, for having vowed herself to a nonprocreative life.
Green sisters do not accept a dichotomy between temporal creation and eternal Creator. They
see their vows in relation to a divine creation. Sr. Cathy Mueller sees them as natural choices
that enhance Earth, and Sr. Mary Southard, as choices made in the context of an evolutionary
universe. Sr. Janet Fraser remarks that since the earth and the cosmos are the Body of God,
her vows make the natural world primary; and Sr. Barbara ODonnell believes they make
Earths story our story. Thus, their vows do not refer to the Kingdom, which is not of this
world.
When Taylor asks about the spiritual dimension of these vows, Sr. Maureen Wild replies that
for them there is no dichotomy between matter and spirit. (In Pius IXs definition of
pantheism, we find this very phrase: that God is one and the same as the world, and
therefore, also, spirit is one and the same with matter.) With this principle, is it any wonder
that some green sisters are certified in massage therapy and various forms of bodywork to
help nurture the bodies and spirits of the sisters? In one of their centers, there is a hot tub
with a view of Texas hill country, in which we all soaked our muscles and restored our bodies
after a days work. Taylor comments, This hot tub, which clearly soothes the flesh instead of
mortifying it, is a far cry from sisters wearing hair shirts and doing daily penance.
Praying to the Cosmic Mother

Green sisters protest that they have not departed from Catholic Tradition, but are caretakers of its
deepest essence as it has evolved over time. Not so. At the Green Mountain Monastery in
Vermont, Sr. Gail Worcelo prays to Mary as Holy Matrix who reveals the sacredness in all
matter and holds the universe in her womb, instead of the child Jesus. This is depicted in the image
Mary of the Cosmos, inspired by Fr. Berry. The sisters pray to Mary as Matter impregnated with
Spirit a far cry from Catholic Tradition!
Just how dangerous it is to invoke a false goddess became clear at the 2002 Sisters of Earth
conference, where Charlene Spretnak, a radical feminist, gave the keynote talk on Mary as
Premodern and Postmodern Cosmology. Spretnak was in the middle of her paper when a woman in
the audience began to moan and shriek and fight off something invisible. Then she grew quiet and
started talking in a voice much larger than her size, declaring, I am Mary. I am pleased. I am
very pleased. You all are my daughters. You understand. You are in the presence of Grace. Taylor
was frightened and unsettled, sadness filled the room, yet no one suspected that this might be a
sign that they were opening a door to the abyss and attracting the demonic.
For where is Jesus Christ in their worship? In the Liturgy of the Cosmos, Sr. Worcelo explains,
there is a fusion of the story of Jesus, the story of the earth, and the story of the cosmos into one
vast intertwined evolutionary epic. Here Jesus is embodied in cosmos and thus never separate
from it, and He suffers another Passion in the wasting of the planet. What an absurdity! Jesus
Christ cannot be fused with His creation: He has ascended into Heaven and cannot be embodied in the
material cosmos so as to be inseparable from it. Such a gross error in a Christian puts ones salvation at risk.
Greening the Eucharist

Green sisters not only grow food as priestly practice, but cook it as a daily Eucharistic ritual to
affirm the human body as an extension of earths body. Ordinary food, they claim, is a blessed

sacrament uniting them to the more-than-human world and nourishing them by the
Divine directly. One sister declares, We are the earth nourishing itself.
With few exceptions the sisters are vegetarians. Why? Let Sr. Jeannine Gramick explain: I no
longer believe in the old cosmology I had been taught the hierarchical pyramid of creation in
which human animals, near the top of the pyramid, are assigned more worth than non-human
animals and other beings toward the bottom. After studying with the Trappist monk Colman
McCarthy, she became a vegetarian because she stopped seeing non-humans as inferior to
humans. Taylor notes that such biocentrism, common among the green sisters, is identified
with deep ecology. What Taylor does not point out is that deep ecology is a neo-pagan movement.
No one can reasonably deny that we should be good stewards of the natural world, but biocentrism
and deep ecology are wrong to put human beings on a par with other animals and as inferior to the
ecosystem. This view is a pillar of population control and so part of the Culture of Death.
Green sisters eat organic food because they think it still has the divine life-force in it. Sr. Wild
explains that the important thing is the spirit of the food we eat: I go for quality of Spirit in my
food. Eating dinner for her is a daily eucharist with the body of the earth and sun. Similarly,
Sr. Miriam MacGillis remarks, If we truly saw the Divine in a potato, we would not commit the
sacrilege of turning it into Pringles. Since they consider it already blessed and a manifestation
of the Divine, green sisters do not bless their food. Hard to believe, but some actually ask the
food to bless them.
They regard cooking as a source of resistance and even power. Since the Church will not let them
celebrate Mass, Taylor says, they bring the essence of that ritual into a daily mindful practice
available to all. Sr. MacGillis explains that Transubstantiation is a very sacred word referring to
Jesus Christ speaking over the bread in which the outer form didnt change but the bread itself
transformed on the inner plane where God was present. This has been going on all along. This is not
an act confined to specially designated human beings. In short, Sr. MacGillis sees the Catholic
mystery of the Eucharist as nothing special: the same thing has been happening all along with
ordinary food. She once had a mystical experience in which she recognized eucharist in a bowl of
organic vegetarian chili: It was gospel and eucharist in a sacrament so simple, so holy, my heart
brimmed with gratitude. Despite all their protests to the contrary, the green sisters are
surely departing from Catholic Tradition in their view of the Real Presence.
Taylor observes that the green sisters retain many traditional words of Catholicism vows,
Mary, Transubstantiation, Gospel but they mean radically different things to these sisters.
Greening the Stations of the Cross

Doubtless the most egregious departure from Catholic Tradition is the Earth Meditation Trail at
Genesis Farm, which has been imitated across the land. The Trail is made of stations to evoke, in
Taylors words, the Catholic paraliturgical activity of walking the stations of the cross.' It is a
series of prayer stations that depicts not Christs Passion, but the earths Passion.
The pilgrim who walks the Trail first comes upon a womb opening called the Station of
Life/Death/Transformation. The guidebook instructs her (apparently only women go there) to
pass through it, touch some stones, beat a drum, and repeat three times: Behold I come. My name
is _____. Accept me here. Accept me now. Further on, she is told to pick up a prayer stone that

will hold the spirit of her life journey and to listen to that stone just as the stone will listen to
and absorb the prayers, thoughts, and questions she will have on the Trail. Then she arrives at the
Council of All Beings, a circle of stones and trees where she assumes the role of a non-human
creature to discuss what is wrong on earth. She then walks along the Path of the Great Elders, a
line of old maple trees, and comes to the Place of At-One-Ment, where a stone seat faces a scarred
cherry tree that survived being surrounded with barbed wire. Here she is told to reflect on human
sins against the natural world and ask forgiveness from this community.
Taylor remarks that the At-One-Ment station evokes the Catholic Sacrament of Confession.
Perhaps, but forgiveness here is purely imaginary. There are many more stations until the Trail
loops back to the womb opening, now approached from the other side, and the guidebook
instructs the pilgrim to reflect on her last moments of life in this body. This body? Is this a
reference to reincarnation?
Taylor notes that the Trail is labyrinthine (perhaps a better word would be serpentine) and that both
indoor and outdoor labyrinths are now wildly popular among green sisters, Catholic religious
sisters and brothers in general, and the Catholic and Protestant laity. Have they forgotten that the
original labyrinth was a deathtrap with the bestial Minotaur at its center? At Genesis Farm, the
labyrinth is designed to bring the pilgrim into deeper union with the earth as Divine, for, as the
guidebook says, When the interconnectedness of all things is felt, then it is clear that the Earth is
the source of our survival. To believe that the earth is the source of our survival is indeed a
deathtrap.
Taylor thinks the Trail is effective precisely because it uses the Catholic stations format and
works from within the system. When components of a tradition are deployed, she says, new
rituals quickly become traditional. Indeed, in the last decade, Earth Meditation Trails have
become popular. Sr. Theresa Jackson, who installed one at the Monastery of St. Gertrude in Idaho,
explains that The Passion of the Earth is designed to be a spiritual exercise that enables people to
see the earth and the cosmos not only as Gods creation, but as the most basic expression of Gods
very self. Note well, the earth and the cosmos, not Jesus Christ, are the most basic expression of
Gods very self. If this isnt pantheism, what is? Yes, God is omnipresent, but He is also
transcendent and is never to be identified with matter. Again, this is an error that comes from not
distinguishing the temporal from the eternal, and matter from spirit.
Another abuse of the Stations of the Cross is the Cosmic Walk, a meditation sequence on what Fr.
Berry calls the universe story. In Winslow, Maine, green sisters have 25 stations in a pine grove
where people can walk the story of the universe and come to know that story in their own
bodies. The Cosmic Walk is also popular in a portable version created by Sr. MacGillis. This
involves a long rope placed in a spiral, with 30 index cards representing the stages of evolution.
Standing at the place of the first Flaring Forth, the pilgrim is to reflect that she too is 15 billion
years old, and at the end of the Walk, she is to declare, Today I know the story of myself. Thus,
the pilgrims of the Cosmic Walk become the story participating in its own telling, and
experience their being as the cosmos made flesh.' More, they learn that there is no finite created
world, only an ever-expanding universe constantly changing, and of which humanity is inseparably
a part.
Well, for a person to become the cosmos made flesh is to sink far below the level of common

humanity, far below the great gift of being made in the image of God. Besides, for a Christian to
become the cosmos made flesh is to lose the even loftier status accorded by our Baptism of being
made a son or a daughter of God through Jesus Christ. In fact, to become an inseparable part of
the temporal universe is to give up hope of eternal life. It is to embrace the temporal as if it were the
eternal, the penultimate as if it were the ultimate reality.
In 1993, Taylor notes, Pope John Paul II issued a condemnation of nature worship by feminist
Catholic groups in America, highlighting tensions in the relationship of faith to nature. The Pope
warned the U.S. bishops during their July 1993 ad limina visit: Sometimes forms of nature
worship and the celebration of myths and symbols take the place of the worship of the God revealed
in Jesus Christ. But he took no disciplinary action. Taylor believes that a major punitive action at
this point from the bishops would only unify the green sisters. It is doubtful they would ask to be
released from their vows, she says; they would more likely ignore the bishops or team up with other
nuns to appeal the decision. While they do not openly show disrespect toward the institutional
Church, she adds, they are not pushovers, for they are intensely networked and thus have a
great resistance to outside interference. They compare themselves to the rhizome, vegetation that
cannot be easily eradicated because it is diffuse and horizontal rather than central and vertical.
Green sisters are propagating their errors as fast and as far as they can by books, lectures,
retreats, icons, and workshops. One can only wonder: Where are our shepherds?
New Age teachings lead away from Christ Priest cautions against
yoga, homeopathy
http://www.wcr.ab.ca/news/2008/0218/newage021808.shtml
By Deborah Gyapong, Week of February 18, 2008
Canadian Catholic News, Ottawa; Western Catholic Reporter, Canadas Largest Religious
Weekly
[The Mission of the Western Catholic Reporter is To serve our readers by helping them deepen
their faith through accurate information and reflective commentary on events and issues of
concern to the church.]
Father Dan Dubroy expects a negative reaction when he speaks about New Age teachings,
even when he
addresses Catholic audiences. Thats because New Age teachings and practices have infiltrated
many parishes and Catholic retreat centres, he told an Ottawa Theology on Tap Feb. 5. He did
not realize the extent himself until he read a document on the Vatican website entitled Jesus
Christ the Bearer of the Water of Life: a Christian reflection on the New
Age[http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/pontifical_councils/interelg/documents/rc_pc_interelg_
doc_20030203_new-age_en.html]
New Age teachings are not about Jesus, he said. They involve techniques that lead to inner
knowledge that God is inside me. If God is inside me, then I must be God, he said.
Some of the practices he described as New Age are: Enneagrams, Yoga, mantras, Zen
Buddhism, reflexology, homeopathy, astrology, and Jungian psychology.

Its hard to find people in the Church who are totally faithful, he said, blaming what Pope John
Paul II called cafeteria Catholicism, where people take what they want, building their own
faith, with a little of this and that.

Though New Age teachings and practices can produce wonderful warm feelings, they involve
no accountability and no having to die to self. He called them a narcissistic endeavour.
Though many cathedrals in Europe have labyrinths, he attributed that to the powerful
presence of Gnosticism that has competed with Christian doctrine. New Age teachings are the
new Gnosticism, he said.

If people dont worship Christ they are going to find something else to worship, he said.
Instead of going within, we need to go beyond ourselves and live fully in Him, he said. It has
to be Jesus. We can only have a personal relationship with someone who is a person. Jesus is a
human being and He is also God. He is also a place where we have access to God. Were
raising a generation of New Age kids, he said.
Father Dan Dubroy advised against any techniques that give one control, even when it comes
to centering [prayer].
He said mantras, even if they are Christian words, are about controlling the process and differ
from prayers that beg the Lord to come into my centre.

Enter the labyrinth

http://www.letusreason.org/Nam30.htm
[This is Protestant -Michael]
Mike Oppenheimer, Let Us Reason Ministries, Undated, probably 2009
Walking the labyrinth has become a popular spiritual exercise across the country and around
the world. I first read of it in Leadership Magazine, a Christian publication and became a bit
concerned, since looking into it further Im definitely concerned.
Labyrinths are said to been used for over 3000-3500 years (depending who you ask), accurate
dating has been difficult. We are told by those who promote their use that Labyrinths are
ancient and have been a part of the sacred landscape through human history. Those who use
the labyrinth describe them as a pattern with power and a purpose. They are called divine
imprints, that symbolize an archetype of wholeness. The Labyrinth is said to encourage
healing, clarity, and peacefulness. There are claims of profound experiences as they affect the
people who use them by connecting them with the deepest part of themselves. Labyrinths can
often have a particular specialty in healing, improving ones health or alleviating symptoms of
certain diseases.
From the Catholic Encyclopedia Labyrinth is a complicated arrangement of paths and
passages; or a place, usually subterraneous, full of windings, corridors, rooms, etc., so
intricately arranged as to render the getting out of it a very difficult matter.
The Romans adopted the symbols as a floor pattern. In modern times the labyrinth can be
traced to Catholic cathedrals of the Middle Ages. In the European cathedrals they were used
traditionally as a site of pilgrimage. A promoter and authority on the modern Labyrinth, Rev.
Artress, states in her research there were actually 22 Labyrinths in the 80 Gothic cathedrals
that went up during the Middle Ages throughout Europe. Some of them were pilgrimage
cathedrals. Chartres was one of the major pilgrimage cathedrals. Early Christians took a vow to
visit the Holy City of Jerusalem at some point in their lives. During the middle ages the
Crusades made travel to Palestine unsafe, so they used other means to honor their
commitment. Labyrinths were used as a substitute pilgrimage experience for the holy

land. Adopted by the Roman Catholic Church Labyrinths were offered to the congregation as a
way of fulfilling their vow to visit the holy land and nicknamed the it, New Jerusalem.
Christians using it as a symbol instead made their pilgrimages to the cathedral cities of
Chartres, Rheims or Amiens. Geometrical designs were composed from various pieces of
coloured marbles set in the floors of the European Cathedrals. In Chartres Cathedral in France
there is an intricate 40 foot diameter labyrinth of tile imbedded in the floor of the central area
of the church. With an emphasis on rationalism in the 16th and 17th centuries, however,
labyrinths fell out of favor and were looked upon as childs play or distractions. As a result,
many were torn out of the cathedrals. Chartres survived, but for a time was covered with
chairs so that it could not be walked on. Indeed, until recently, the cathedral was better known
for its stained-glass windows than for the labyrinth on its floor.
(Scripps Howard News Service)
http://www.reporternews.com/1999/religion/lab0918.html
However its use is not just found in middle age cathedrals, we find that the origin of labyrinths
is from pre-Christian days. This is what we need to pay attention to, what they were used for
before the Roman Catholic Church adopted it for their contemplation and pilgrimage substitute
to the Holy land.
Labyrinths predate Christianity by over 1,000 years according to an article posted on the Web
site of Grace Cathedral in San Francisco Pathfinders: Walking Medieval Labyrinths in a Modern
World. And the purpose of this article is to make Christians aware that Labyrinths
are not in any shape or form a Christian practice.
Because they are ancient, various interpretations of the labyrinths of today may not agree with
the same concept of the labyrinths in ancient times. We can assume they did not mean the
same to all the cultures and religions that built them, since there are various different concepts
of life and religion within these cultures.
Yet many feel there is a common origin of the Labyrinth because they are found in many
countries and the major religious traditions in the world: India, France, Egypt, Scandinavia,
Crete, Sumeria, America, the British Isles, and Italy.
There is evidence of the existence of labyrinths that can be traced back as far as 3500 years.
The labyrinth as a symbol has been found in Europe and around the Mediterranean. Many
labyrinth carvings are found on boulders, tombs, religious buildings (in cathedral pavements).
Many clay tablets, mosaics, manuscripts, stone patterns, hedges, patterns woven into baskets
and fabrics and pottery fragments throughout Europe seem to bear the same motif. They are
also found carved in rock from the mountains in Arizona to caves in Spain. A labyrinth-inscribed
clay tablet from Pylos, Greece, could possibly be one of the earliest examples (approx. 3200
years old). Some equate the Mayan pyramids and Celtic, and Stonehenge as magical geometric
forms that define sacred space. Prehistoric labyrinths have also been found carved on rock
faces at Pontevedra, Spain and at Val Camonica in northern Italy, these latter ones are
attributed to the late Bronze Age. The Rocky Valley labyrinths in Cornwall, England, are
supposed to be from the Bronze Age. The labyrinth is found etched into the sands of the Nazca
Plain in Peru, in use among the Caduveo people of Brazil and scratched on boulders and rock
faces in Northern Mexico, New Mexico and Arizona.

Because the labyrinths have been built by various cultures around the earth some claim they
represent a universal pattern in human consciousness. Native Americans had them, and
continue to be used in the sacred ceremonies of the Hopi. The Hopi Indians called the labyrinth
the symbol for mother earth and equated it with the Kiva (called it Tapuat, or Mother-child.)
The labyrinth as an architectural term derives its name from the famous ancient or mythical
labyrinths of Crete and Egypt. The most famous Labyrinth from ancient times was the Cretan
one, associated with the legend of the Minotaur, the monster half-man half-bull which dwelt in
the heart of a labyrinth on the island of Crete. It was at the centre of the Labyrinth that the
Minotaur devoured unsuspecting humans. Theseus was able to get to the centre of the
Labyrinth, slay the Minotaur with the aid of Ariadne and her spool of thread, and found his way
out again by following the thread he had trailed behind him on the way in. Some say this story
has caused confusion because clearly the Minotaurs lair was a maze that you could get lost in,
whereas a Labyrinth has only one twisting path that weaves its way to the centre and back out
again. There is only one entrance and exit, no dead ends, and no crossing of paths with a
choice of which way to turn.
Turf labyrinths still exist in England, Germany and Scandinavia; these are thought to be linked
with local feminine deities and fertility rituals.

The labyrinth has its origins in ancient pagan rituals, most famously at Knossos in ancient
Crete, where one was located in the basement of a palace where the mythic man-eating
Minotaur was said to roam. According to ancient lore, the hero Theseus journeyed through the
labyrinth to slay the evil Minotaur. Theseus doubled-headed ax was called a labrys, from
which the word labyrinth was derived. Ceremonies re-enacting this myth as a ritual labyrinth
walk are still performed today. Other labyrinths have been tied to fertility rites and goddess
worship (M. Tooley, September 2000). Modern disciples of the labyrinth propose that ancient
Christians used the labyrinth as a means of spiritual meditation. Scholars insist there is
absolutely no evidence of labyrinth walking by Christians (M. Tooley, September 2000, Maze
Craze. www.touchstonemag.com).
So if these were practiced by other religions and cultures that are of a non Christian origin,
what kind of value would they have to offer a Christian who is supposed to have all that he
needs in Jesus Christ according to the Scripture?
We find the use of this design is put to smaller patterns that are a non-walk though spiritual
practice. The patterns of the labyrinth are similar in design and conception to the mandalas of
South Asian Buddhism, that are supposed to be physical representations of the spiritual realm
designed to aid in meditation. Mandala means circle: it is a circular design, which is used to
focus in on and bring one into a meditative state. We are told that true meditation occurs when
the physical brain has been calmed or neutralized, a mantra or a mandala is used to bring
calmness so the mind is then freed and can then discover new truths it normally was not open
to find.
Labyrinths have become so popular that there is a Labyrinth Society, based in Connecticut
which is a national network of labyrinth users. We are told there are an estimated 1,000
labyrinths created across America, Grace Cathedral Labyrinth Project, the St. Louis Labyrinth
Project, St. Charles Episcopal Church Labyrinth, the Labyrinth Project of Alabama.

The foremost promoters of it are Jean

Houston http://www.JeanHouston.org/ and http://www.gracecom.org/veriditas/index.shtml Grac
e Episcopal Cathedral. Dr. Jean Houston is the past president of the Association for Humanistic
Psychology and is one of the premiere New Age promoters and speakers in North America. Jean
Houston called The Starseed Transmissions, channeled by Raphael through Ken Carey
perhaps the finest example of channeled knowledge I ever encountered. She states The
very best way and perhaps for the present the only way [of contact with these entitles] is
within the context of an altered state of consciousness (Robert Masters and Jean Houston).
One cannot underestimate the connection between her influence on Artress and her bringing
the Labyrinth to Grace Cathedral who is open to New Age concepts.
One of the major initiators in reviving the labyrinth in our time is Rev. Lauren Artress. After
meeting Jean Houston Rev. Artress brought the form back to the Grace Cathedral of San
Francisco, CA in 1992. Over one million people have walked this labyrinth to date. People from
all different backgrounds and religions are using it. Jews, Buddhists and even Christians use the
institutes labyrinth. If one visits Grace Cathedrals web site you find it being inclusive, they
offer every conceivable item, from New Age holistic to interfaith to the Koran. They are church
that is not holding the Christian distinctive at all.
A labyrinth is unicursal this means there is one open, unobstructed path the walker follows
into the center and back out again. A labyrinth has only one path leading to the center and
back out again with no dead-ends. There are three basic designs being usedthe seven circuit,
eleven circuit, and twelve circuit; the seven circuit is the most common design found today. It is
described as you roam back and forth, turning 180 degrees each time you enter a different
circuit. As you change your direction your awareness changes from right brain to left brain.
They are right brain activity enhancers. So the claim is that the labyrinth can induce different
states of consciousness. Others say it also helps balance the chakras, spiritual energy centers
described in Hinduism. One would think from statements like these its about as close to God as
one can get. Lauren Artress writes The path that guides us deeply into the psychological and
spiritual center is the same path that takes us back out again into the manifest physical world
in this way it is interpreted as a tool for personal, psychological and spiritual transformation.
Archetypes that help us group the experience of unity and wholeness. The labyrinth is an
archetype of wholeness that helps us rediscover the depths of our souls.
They are found in many sizes and shapes, and made from just about any natural material. They
are built in a permanent fashion from stones, cut into turf, formed by mounds of earth, or
imbedded designs in the floor of buildings.
Pictures of Labyrinths- http://www.gracecathedral.org/labyrinth/interactions/labyrinth.shtml

Pictures of people walking the labyrinth- http://www.sacredsteps.com/walks.html

We are told that the labyrinth is a tool useful to people of all religions or no religion. Each
persons walk can be interpreted differently each time to the same individual. From some of the
quotes I have read one can assume life is one big labyrinth. This experiential walk is
spiritualized to have meaning. We are not human beings on a spiritual path, but spiritual
beings on a human path (Labyrinth, Walking a Sacred Path Reverend Lauren Artress).
Labyrinths are being used for reflection, meditation, prayer with various interpretations of what
these mean. Some see it as a metaphor of the path of life, a journeying to God. Some ask
forgiveness on the way in and empowerment on the way out. The participant can ascribe their
own spiritual meaning to this ritual walk; the theory is that by walking the labyrinth one
partakes of a spiritual journey of self -examination and enlightenment. What happens to
everyone may not all be the same, but many claim to receive a spiritual transformation.
R. White writes, Walking the labyrinth supposedly promotes spiritual awakening and deeper
inner knowledge. Followers testify to arousal of feelings (good and bad), renewed creativity,
brain re-mapping and energy production. Labyrinths have taken their place next to sacred
circle dances and sweet-grass ceremonies taught as rediscovered ancient practices to enhance
spiritual growth (White, R. Aug. 15, 2000. Walking the Labyrinth: New Age Fad or Traditional
Technique?
http://www.christianweek.org).
What are Labyrinths used for; the explanations come from those using it. The Rev. Sarah
Bentley of New Life Institute, a center for counseling, education and spiritual growth related to
the Austin-area United Methodist churches, said she introduces labyrinths to people as a form
of meditation. They are training the participant in a walking meditation.
Meditation is the process of quieting the mind, various methods can be used to bring a
consciousness change so that you still your mind, you become uncontrolled conscious.
Meditation is a spiritual practice of many eastern religions. We are told that by clearing a space
within the mind, and allowing yourself to experience whatever emotions or thoughts surface
during your walk you come out with a labyrinth experience. Your questions can be answered.
People while they walk ask questions such as when, what or where about their life and find it is
answered. Many others testify when you get to the center you find Self, answers, illumination,
God, Goddess, just about anything. As they walk, meditate and pray healing can occur. Here is
an example: When word got round the close-knit labyrinth community, two body-workers,
proficient in reiki, the art of healing touch-immediately came to help. I was in a lot of pain,
because I really landed hard. she says But I actually experienced the pain moving right out
my body. It was a phenomenal experience (Quote from Theater of Enlightenment By Colleen
OConnor)
Stories of angels or spirits are common as well. Renee Gibbons, a long time labyrinth walker,
relates the story of her first experience on the labyrinth: When I got to the center of the
labyrinth, I got a really strong message that said send an angel to your sister Fiona. My sister
Fiona had not spoken to me for four or five years at that time. After sending a gift to her sister,
she waited. Although a miraculous new relationship did not develop, she says, I saw that a lot
of my resentments dropped when I did that.

New Agers and those mystically inclined are especially attracted to this kind of subjective
experience. One said to ask your deity of choice, or your higher self to walk with you. Some go
as far as to say that self realization can occur, where you discover the divine that is within us
all, bridging the separation of us from our own truth, from the Creator. In every culture there
are ideas that promise spirituality to the seeker sometimes couched as finding the god or
goddess within. Artress describes the labyrinth as a large, complex spiral circle that is an
ancient symbol for the divine mother, the God within, the goddess, the holy in all creation.
(Artress, L., 1995, Walking A Sacred Path: Rediscovering the Labyrinth as a Spiritual Tool)
Many have various ways to explain the Labyrinth. Artress may not be pouring her own
interpretation into this as we find the Labyrinth was used in ancient pagan cultures. In Dr.
Lauren Artress book about the labyrinth, Walking a Sacred Path, she states, The web of
creation has been thrown out of balance. So they see it as a pathway to gain connection with
the Earth Mother, uniting with all her creatures and absorbing the energies that help bring
balance. Despite these New Age concepts being used, it may not be so far from the truth of
how it was originally used.

The labyrinth awaits our discovery, for it will guide us through the troubles of our lives to the
grand, mysterious patterns that shape the web of Creation. It will lead us toward the Source
and eventually guide us home (Lauren Artress, Author of Walking a Sacred Path).

The space and the experience of walking it become powerful and help one feel a greater
sense of Oneness. It is a tool for people of all beliefs to come together for a common spiritual
experience. From the new age outlook: We are told these are sacred places. There is power
incorporated in the design. The Labyrinth is truly a tool for transformation, a crucible for
change, a blueprint for the sacred meeting of the psyche and the soul, a field of light, a cosmic
dance, it is a center for empowering ritual. (Lauren Artress)
It becomes apparent that although this is taking place inside some churches, it really is a nonChristian practice. Many new Agers claim they are not into religion, but practice spirituality.
With these types of descriptions, one may wonder what does this have to do with Christianity?
The answer is, Nothing.
They attribute huge responsibility to the creation of man. Perhaps the labyrinth will continue
to be the great bridge between people crossing the abyss that we create with our own
prejudices and fears. And perhaps one day the labyrinth will bring us all back to the place of
our original innocence. (http://www.gracecathedral.org/labyrinth/articles/visions/index.shtml)
In Biblical terms original innocence would mean prior to Adam and Eves sin. With all these
wonderful statements one would think they found some secret way to solve almost all of
mankinds problems.

For many, the labyrinth has become a Grail, meaning that it meets people where they are and
gives them what they need for spiritual transformation. My passion for this work has always
been to birth the creativity in all people (Lauren
Artress http://www.veriditas.net/circle/index.htm)
Prior to the year 2000, Artress goal was to have 1,500 labyrinths established in time for the
new millennium and is hoping to have people walking simultaneously on them at the millennial

turn with the intention of bringing peace and healing to the

planet. http://www.reporternews.com/1999/religion/lab0918.html
If we are to believe all these claims of healing and transformation maybe we could get
terrorists to walk through it, this may bring them an attitude adjustment. If everyone could
walk a Labyrinth New Agers would no longer have to visualize world peace. Unfortunately we
cannot just walk for peace to take place.
Artress states in the Zions Herald interview And then it gets called New Age. I look at the
definition of New Age with great interest because they couldnt be further wrong. Its just their
ignorance. If youre going to say anything, better say Middle Age. The labyrinth was put in
Chartres Cathedral in 1201!
Unfortunately she seems to equate new age with something modern and not ancient, as we
have already seen, the labyrinth is ancient and used by other religions besides being adopted
into some churches in the middle ages.
Most trace the modern resurgence of labyrinths to Lauren Artress. If she is the authority on it,
and brought it to the church, then we should listen carefully to what she is saying to see if it is
a true spiritual practice.
Lauren was aware of labyrinths as a child. In her visit to Chartres in1991 she talked to Jean
Huston and worked with her and went through a labyrinth. Then she went home and said,
Wow, something important happened there. I remember walking around the room yelling,
What is it? And then the idea came through put the labyrinth in the cathedral. (Zions
Herald interview with Lauren Artress). In 1996 Artress created Veriditas, a non-profit
dedicated to introducing people to the healing, meditative powers of the labyrinth.
Artress says that You walk to the center of the labyrinth and there at the center, you meet the
Divine. (Lauren Artress, Q and A with Lauren, Veriditas, Vol. 1, no. 2, Summer 1996, p. 18)
She explains that: The labyrinth is a large, complex spiral circle which is an ancient symbol for
the Divine Mother, the God within, the Goddess, the Holy in all of creation, she wrote. For
many of us the feminine aspect of the Divine has been painfully absent from our lives, our
spirituality, and our Western culture. (Rev. Lauren Artress)
The Bible has nothing to say about a feminine aspect to the divine mother, a Goddess, so this
shows this cannot be related to Christianity but paganism.
She describes her discovery of the labyrinth as one of the most astonishing events of my life.
For her, the labyrinth is a spiritual tool meant to awaken us to the deep rhythm that unites us
to ourselves and to the Light that calls from within. Veriditas promotes walking through the
labyrinth as a way of discovery, to find healing, self-knowledge and continuing to weave the
Universal Web of Creation. An important fact to know is that geomancy and other occult arts
are often incorporated in the building of labyrinths. Charles Gilchrist a labyrinth promoter
states it has a direct connection to Sacred Geometry, a powerful potential as an oracle. And
there are other oracle systems that are related to Sacred Geometry, Astrology, Numerology, I
Ching, Rune Stones, and the Tarot.
Veriditas is the non-profit organization that has grown up around the labyrinths at Grace
Cathedral. They are dedicated to teaching people the history, use and potential of this spiritual
tool. Veriditas Project founder Lauren Artress promotes the labyrinth as a way to connect with

the divine feminine, the god within. (Penn, September 1999 The New Age movement in the
Episcopal Church)
In Leadership Magazine a Christian publication it was written Graceland artists recreated the
Labyrinth with a kit we purchased [the Prayer Path Group Publishing, $79.99] (reference in
Leadership Magazine p.38, 2002). Dan Kimball who wrote the article further writes It was joy
to see so many people on their knees communing with God through the experiential prayer
elements. In this article the author mentions how they found themselves at the center of the
Labyrinth where they sat on cushions and were given communion elements as the narrator
read scripture telling them how near Jesus is. How unfortunate that they thought that by doing
this it made the experience a Christian one.(Dan Kimball pastors Graceland, a postmodern
worship service at Santa Cruz Bible church in Santa Cruz California)
The Reverend Alan Jones, Dean of Grace Cathedral states, The Grace Cathedral Labyrinth
Project is committed to addressing the spiritual hunger of our times. Lauren Artress still travels
with the original canvas labyrinth she designed in 1991 to workshops and conferences around
the globe to share the message of this ancient tool of healing and transformation. Lauren
Artress and the others at Veriditas are hoping it will become a more common aspect of society
in the 21st century, through the use of spiritual tools like the Labyrinth. Body, nature, and a
sense of place-the Theater of Enlightenment is rich with these three elements, which experts
say are essential to global transformation in the 21st century. (Quote from Theater of
Enlightenment, by Colleen OConnor)
Clearly this is a New Age observance with practices for global transformation which has a long
history of being the goal for the New Age movement.
http://www.religionnews.com/press02/0321_1.html March 11, 2002, The World-Wide Labyrinth
Project featured three people.
Chartres, France In 1999 The Reverend Canon Lauren Artress established Let Us Walk With
Mary, a unique and enlightening program for pilgrims seeking spiritual growth.
China Galland Long-time student of Buddhism and Christianity, teacher, and author of The
Bond Between Women: A Journey to Fierce Compassion, Tara and the Black Madonna, and
Women in the Wilderness
The Very Rev. Alan Jones Dean of Grace Cathedral, San Francisco and author of The Souls
Journey: Exploring the Three Passages of Spiritual Life with Dante as a Guide, Exploring
Spiritual Direction, and Passion for Pilgrimage.
Chartres Cathedral is the only cathedral built fully for Mary. When The Rev. Lauren Artress
reopened the labyrinth at Chartres Cathedral, she emphasized that it would be in the name of
Mary. Promoting the Divine feminine, as found in Walking a Sacred Path.
Dr. Artress states, The labyrinth provides a sacred space where the inner and outer world can
commune, where the thinking mind and the imaginative heart flow together a space to
listen to our inner voice of wisdom. She goes on to speak of the experience of walking the
labyrinth in the following manner: Walking the labyrinth is a spiritual discipline that invites us
to trust the path, to surrender to the many turns our lives take, and to walk through the
confusion, the fear, the anger, the grief that we cannot avoid experiencing as we live our

earthly lives. The labyrinth is a place where we can open ourselves to the Holy Spirit. We can
ask for guidance and pray for ourselves and our loved ones.
Certainly one is able to do this without a Labyrinth, the early church did not depend on this
vehicle to help them with their spirituality. Jesus already instructed us how to be open to his
leading and his answers so why do we need to use this other religious device? Religious
syncretism is probably the most dangerous we can involve ourselves in because we can put a
label on something and call it something it essentially is not. These are two different religious,
spiritual systems. Starhawk, a practicing witch and head of a coven, celebrated New Year 2000
by walking the Labyrinth on her San Francisco area Ranch.
Psychotherapist Dr Lauren Artress says, To walk a sacred path is to discover our inner sacred
space: that core of feeling that is waiting to have life breathed back into it through symbols,
archetypal forms like the labyrinth, rituals, stories, and myths. This has nothing to do with
practicing Christianity and everything to do with other spiritual practices that Bible tells us not
to participate in.
In the article Mystical paths for contemplation 5/18/2002 Artress recently talked about the
popularity of this practice as she prepared to conduct workshops and tours of labyrinths in
Europe.
FaithLinks: What kind of Christian is typically attracted to labyrinth spirituality?
Artress: The labyrinth attracts people from all walks of life. Many Christians come to it when
they are in a dry period spiritually and feel like their daily prayer life is not working for them.
They may also come on the eve of surgery, bad news about a sick friend, or the loss of a job.
The labyrinth is a path of prayer for everyone. To those who feel they dont know how to pray, I
simply say write a letter to God. It is especially attractive to the seekers who long for a
personal relationship with the Divine. These folks have done their homework by studying other
traditions as well. http://www.faithlinks.org/viewarticle.asp?ID=346
I have got a better idea, read Gods letters to you, all 66* of them found in the Bible for your
spiritual renewal. *73!
What does the God of the Bible have to say?
Can one seek or come to know God by a Labyrinth walk? It may be the latest fashion in
spirituality touted as a spiritual tool of meditation and prayer but is it for a Christian? We are
told in Colossians 2: 8: See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty
deceit, according to human tradition, according to the basic principles of the world, and not
according to Christ. Some are trying to justify this as a Christian tradition. In fact it couldnt
be, not just because it is not found in the Bible, but because it goes against everything the
Bible and Christianity teaches for one to practice true spirituality. Walking through the
Labyrinth is not a rediscovery of a lost form of Christian spirituality but pagan spirituality.
Though it may be reformed and repackaged to our modern times, we can be assured it has
nothing to do with Jesus who gave man the true spiritual way of life.
I dont think one can Christianize this practice, nor justify its use. Especially with what we have
already discovered how it is being used. Is it pleasing to God that we walk labyrinths when He
has told us not to take up pagan practices? Divine feminine, earth energies have nothing to do
with Jesus Christ and the truth He has delivered.

There are already a number of Christians who are practicing the various types of contemplative
prayer promoted by Richard Foster, Thomas Merton, Thomas Keating, and others. A good
portion is being promoted through the Catholic contemplative prayer movement. Many of these
same people are open to or already doing labyrinth walks as a meditative practice.
Walking mediation and stopping to quiet one self is not promoting prayer. Not all that is
claimed to be spiritual, is good or from God. We are told as Christians to test the Spirits. Do we
now need experiential prayer elements? Did Jesus look for a Labyrinth to teach people to pray?
What happened to going into our rooms to pray quietly (Matthew 6:6)?
Inclusiveness is the goal of the New Age movement, and they have their light bearers
influencing churches that are not discerning by the Word of God. With an open-minded
approach, certain Christian churchs can certainly embrace foreign religious practices to their
own ruin.
Artress does not withhold her rejection of the straight and narrow way found within Christianity.
She explains the labyrinth is more forgiving and leads its followers forward in a flawless path.
Gods word states you cannot walk the wide road and claim to follow Christ who says HIS way is
the narrow road and has nothing to do with a Labyrinth. In Matthew 7:13 Jesus tells us the only
way to practice a spiritual life is to enter into life through the narrow gate because the wide
and easy road leads to destruction. This does not mean entering a labyrinth to walk its path.
In 2 Timothy 3: 16 we are told: All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching, for
reproof, for correction and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete,
thoroughly equipped for every good work. It is Gods Word that we are trained to know and
follow for a true spiritual transformation. It is objective, we are not to seek subjective
experiences using other religious methods. The New age teaches experience for selftransformation and discovering the god within is not from the same source. The very reason
people end up using labyrinths and other such methods to find their spirituality is because they
are not holding and promoting the word of God which is all one needs to be complete,
thoroughly equipped for every good work. Though it is currently fashionable for Christians to
participate in walking Labyrinths along with other religions, it is a clear sign the Word of God is
not being upheld but is being replaced with subjective feelings, through New Age spirituality.
Despite testimonials from those who do not know the word of God, it is essentially using a
pagan religious practice.
This cannot have any spiritual benefit for a Christian, but one can possibly have a relaxing time
as they enjoy the walk, but then, getting away into the outdoors into a new environment with
the least amount of concentration will relieve you of your stress as well.
There is no basis for those who practice Biblical Christianity to embrace the labyrinth as an
acceptable tool for meditation and prayer? It is inherently New Age, let them have it.

Should you walk the labyrinth?

http://womenofgrace.com/newage/?p=34#more-34
By Susan Brinkmann, January 28, 2010
See NEW AGE-SUSAN BRINKMANN
http://ephesians-511.net/docs/NEW_AGE-SUSAN_BRINKMANN.doc

SA writes: I was told that the Catholic Church does not approve of the use of labyrinths for
prayer. Yet I see so many priests and nuns engaged in and teaching this type of practice. When
I tell other Catholics this is not a Catholic practice, but New Age, they say it is nobodys
business how they choose to pray. I have found confusing data regarding this matter. Would
you please enlighten me?
The modern labyrinth movement is a troubling New Age trend that is introducing
people to a non-Christian belief system that has no place in a Catholic setting.
For those who dont know, a labyrinth is a circular maze with eleven concentric circles and a
single path which makes 28 loops seven in each of the four quadrants of the circle. People
walk the path as a spiritual device to meditate, relax, or find their soul assignments as New
Agers like to say.
The origin of the labyrinth comes from King Minos of Greek mythology who created the first
maze as a prison for a wayward minotaur. It has been used ever since as a religious symbol and
spiritual tool by a variety of pagan cultures such as the Mayans, Celts, and Native Americans.
The first Christian labyrinth appeared in a fourth-century Basilica in Orleansville, Algeria,
which contained the words Sancta Eclesia, indicating its use for religious purposes. The most
famous example can be found at the Cathedral of Chartres in France, which was constructed in
the thirteenth century and allegedly used by Christians as a substitute for going on pilgrimage
to Jerusalem during the Crusades.
However, the labyrinths in use today are not even remotely associated with these Christian
labyrinths. Todays version was popularized by an Episcopalian canon and New Age
devotee named Lauren Artress who describes walking a labyrinth as a way to find healing,
self-knowledge and our soul assignments and to continue weaving the Web of Creation.
In her writings about the labyrinth, Artress reveals her feminist disdain for the God
of the Bible. Instead, she refers to the Source, the Sacred, and the God
within, which she claims has been destroyed through centuries of patriarchal
domination, through fears of creativity and of the traits associated with the
feminine. Artress says she prefers this Source to the transcendent God out there who
keeps track of whether we follow the rules. She also says that Jesus as the Christ is too often
not helpful because he is closely tied to the patriarchy. Instead, she calls people to the more
inclusive Father and Mother God and The Greening Power of God, the Holy Spirit in all Her
mystery, who is found in the power of The Divine within.
Artress openly admits that neopagan journalist and Wiccan priestess, Margot Adler
(author of Drawing Down the Moon) and New Ager Jean Houston, one of the founders
of the Human Potential Movement, influenced her modern labyrinth movement. Such
a firm New Age foundation certainly explains why the emphasis for labyrinth walkers
is always upon the self rather than on God.
Knowing the belief system of the creator of the modern labyrinth movement hardly makes this
so-called meditation tool very appealing to Christians. But this doesnt stop retreat centers in
need of the Christian market from presenting the labyrinth in ways that will appeal to them.

For instance, some try to Christianize it by using terms associated with the Christian mystical
tradition although the meanings are radically different (something that is never explained to
the walker!).
For instance, the three stages of a typical labyrinth walk are referred to as the purgation,
illumination and unitive stages, all of which have meaning in the Catholic mystical tradition.
But purgation doesnt mean turning away from sin and embracing the gospel as it does in
Christianity; it means letting go of the details of your life. Illumination means to receive what
is there for you to receive rather than the Catholic concept of illumination which is a new
closeness to God after a deeper conversion. The unitive stage in labyrinth language is when
one is joining God, your Higher Power, or the healing forces at work in the world not
achieving transforming union with God as is taught in the Catholic tradition.
Other retreat centers simply present their labyrinths to the faithful in terms so nebulous no one
can figure out what it is, such as this snippet from a retreat centers website: When you stand
at the threshold of the labyrinth, you stand at the threshold of your own consciousness, ready
to step from the exterior to your own interior space, that interior space being represented by
the labyrinth.
Labyrinths are also used in a variety of pagan rituals, many of which can do serious harm to the
soul. For example, after publishing an article about the labyrinth in our diocesan newspaper, I
got a phone call from a woman whose son had begun to run with a crowd of young men who
were all wearing a strange symbol on a chain around their necks. Ever since he began running
with this crowd, he stopped going to church and no longer believed in God. It was not until she
opened the paper and saw the picture that we ran along with the article that she recognized
the symbol her son was wearing a labyrinth!
The labyrinth might be the hip thing to do at retreat centers these days, but one
hardly needs to rely on such a devious device to find God, meditate, or make sense
out of life.
There is much more to be said about the labyrinth which is why we have published a booklet
about it in our Learn to Discern: Is it Christian or New Age series.

Ragas and labyrinths at a Bible study

http://womenofgrace.com/newage/?cat=46&paged=3
By Susan Brinkmann, March 16, 2010
ST asks: I have been attending a wonderful bible study at a University, led by a priest. There
was piano music with instrumental Hindu ragas played prior to the bible study. I was shocked
and prayed silently for protection and didnt fully realize what was going on at the time. Also,
the students will be walking a labyrinth for one week during Lent in the same building as Mass
and bible study.
A priest told me that I could continue to attend these bible studies and Mass at the University,
as long as I did not engage in these activities, and if the music is played, to walk out of the
room. I learn a great deal from the bible study; however I do not want to do anything that
would put my soul in danger. So, I am asking you for your opinion. What do you think?
I am in complete agreement with the priest who advised you. Attending the bible study is fine,
but participating in a labyrinth and Hindu ragas is definitely out-of-line.

For those who may not be aware, the modern version of the labyrinth is a New Age tool often
used for wacky purposes such as finding our soul assignments and to continue weaving the
Web of Creation. Even when used as a prayer device, it is often presented as a way to
experience God or achieve spiritual states that render an encounter with God into something
that must be felt in order to be authentic. If theres one thing the mature Christian knows it is
to never rely on their feelings when it comes to judging their closeness to God!
(See http://womenofgrace.com/newage/?p=34)
As for Hindu ragas, a raga is a melodic scale of five or more musical notes upon
which most classical Hindu melodies are made. This sounds innocent enough until
you understand that Hindu music is considered a means of moral or spiritual
connection rather than just entertainment.
49.
Ragas are commonly affiliated with certain ethical and emotional properties and
some are also associated with magical powers. For instance, one Hindu writer
suggests that a raga associated with darkness, if sung during mid-day, has the
power to bring darkness upon the earth. For the Christian, this belief is the
equivalent of belief in magic or sorcery, which is the deliberate use of occult powers.
The bottom line is that none of these activities belong in a Christian bible study and you should
consider writing a letter of complaint to the Universitys administration about their
incorporation of non-Christian and New Age practices into a Christian study. You have every
right, as a Christian, to cry foul, especially if the University neglected to mention in the
advertisement for this study that it includes ragas and labyrinths. Commonly held rules of fair
disclosure say they should be informing potential students what is in the class, especially if it
contains material that is non-Christian and/or controversial (such as the labyrinth). Even if your
letter gets no response or ends up in a wastebasket, you have still made the organization
aware that their actions have offended someone. Maybe more people would think twice about
disrespecting Christians if we spoke our mind more often!
Our Learn to Discern: Is it Christian or New Age series contains a booklet on the labyrinth which
is perfect for evangelizing our neighbors, co-workers and University professors!

On Mandalas, Labyrinths, and other prayer gimmicks

http://womenofgrace.com/newage/?p=984#more-984
By Susan Brinkmann, May 24, 2011
MG asks: I was wondering if someone could give me information on Mandala meditation and
Labyrinth walking. My church is planning a retreat for high-schoolers and these two things are
included in the retreat.

The Mandala and Labyrinth are both favorites of New Agers and because of this, the
school really should provide parents with some idea about how these will be used in the
retreat.
Mandalas, which come from a Sanskrit word meaning circle, are used in Hindu, Buddhist and
Tibetan prayer. It is considered in these cultures to be a symbol of the universe and is usually a
circle enclosing a square with a deity on each of the four compass points. The mandala is
mainly for focusing attention and as an aid to meditation and trance induction.
Aside from its uses in Eastern religions, New Agers have their own unique uses for the
mandala. New Age author Lauren
DSilva at http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art26726.asp refers to them as cosmic maps
that connect us to our place in the universe. She cites an alternative definition of the mandala
which says the word is derived from the root word Manda, which means essence, energy or
spirit, and by adding the suffix -la to any Sanskrit word, it becomes the container or vessel for
it; thus revealing the Mandala as a container for essence, energy or spirit.
New Agers believe mandala making is a form of active meditation that allows a
person to still the left side of the brain and allow more intuitive energy to be felt.
Like the labyrinth, mandalas are popping up all over Catholic retreat houses. Instead of
teaching authentic Catholic prayer, they are relying on this and other prayer gimmicks (such as
the labyrinth, yoga, centering prayer, etc.) to attract customers.
Because the word means circle, Christine Valters Paintner claimed it was a universal symbol
of which the communion Host and rosary are supposedly elemental expressions, (Im not
kidding) see http://www.patheos.com/Resources/Additional-Resources/Mandalas.html.
Its a shame your high school is teaching an eastern form of meditation when our own tradition
is so rich! This is especially true because eastern meditation (and its New Age spawns) is not
about prayer its a mental exercise designed to raise ones level of consciousness. Trying to
combine this style of meditation with the Christian concept of prayer rarely works because the
goal of our meditation is, ultimately, personal communion with God.
You can read more about the labyrinth at http://womenofgrace.com/newage/?p=34.
There is much more to be said about the labyrinth which is why we have published a booklet
about it in our Learn to Discern: Is it Christian or New Age series.
For use of the labyrinth in Catholic religious houses, also see

1. Anam Cara
http://womenofgrace.com/newage/?p=70#more-70
By Susan Brinkmann, March 17, 2010
2. Adrian Dominican Sisters
http://womenofgrace.com/newage/?cat=6&paged=5
By Susan Brinkmann, June 16, 2010
50.

Click on the image to enter the Women of Grace online store [below:
LABYRINTH].

Learn to Discern: Is It Christian or New Age?

Labyrinth by Susan Brinkmann Far from the medieval labyrinths used by Christians as a
meditation device, the modern labyrinth movement is a thoroughly New Age gimmick
designed to help one discover self-knowledge and their soul assignments.
Because these labyrinths are found in many Catholic retreat houses today, its
important to learn the difference between a New Age and a Christian labyrinth. This
little booklet gives you all the facts in clear and concise language. (40 pages)

Exorcists disagree on major topics of discernment, from mystics to

occult novels
http://www.spiritdaily.org/exorcists.htm
By Michael H. Brown, January 2012
The realm of evil is so difficult to discern. Even exorcists disagree (sometimes profoundly). We
have seen the case just recently where one major exorcist, indeed a famous one, from Rome,
issued warnings about occult characters like Harry Potter (as, in a way, did the Pope, before he
was Pope), while another not famous but highly-educated younger exorcist has stated that
theres no problem with the novels.
Ditto for other forms of mysticism. There was a loud case in Italy last year when two exorcists
publicly disagreed on a major apparition (one intensely criticizing those who did not believe in
it even saying they were sinning in their disbelief, allowing a great manifestation from
Heaven to be wasted while the other called it the work of evil spirits).
Similar disagreement has long hovered over the writings of a mystic, Maria Valtorta, whose
works were once on the Vaticans Index of Forbidden Books (Liborum Prohibitorum); some say
they are still a problem, while others state that they are okay to read. (After Vatican II, the
index was abolished; but does that mean books once so listed are now acceptable,
spiritually? For your own judgment!).

There are arguments over many issues and times when we all have to make sure we are not
focusing on the devil too much and other times when we have to make sure we are not noticing
evil far too infrequently. As a spirit of extremes, the devil prefers we dont believe in him at all
(he is the prince of darkness), but, failing that, hopes to draw us to the opposite end of the
spectrum (obsession with him). Meanwhile, are demons and unclean spirits the same
thing? Or can unclean spirits also be spirits of the deceased?
This is another conundrum in the realm of deliverance. Notice evil, yes, but never fear life so
much that you forget to live.
In the arena of the public (see: the media and Hollywood), where many think the devil is a
myth, and where musicians, artists, and assorted other celebrities thus use evil motifs (such
as skull tattoos or occult symbols on albums), another set of queries is brought up: when is this
because they are only goofing around (being cool) and when are they under the influence of
dark spirits?
Take the new, rising web browser, Firefox, which is now second only to Googles Chrome and
Microsofts Explorer and is owned by a company called Mozilla. It has been pointed out to us
that when you open the Firefox browser and type about: Mozilla (without the quotation
marks) in the address bar, a very strange screen displays and in a splash of red are the words:
Mammon slept. And the beast reborn spread over the earth and its numbers grew legion. And
they proclaimed the times and sacrificed crops unto the fire, with the cunning of foxes. And
they built a new world in their own image as promised by the sacred words, and spoke of the
beast with their children. Mammon awoke, and lo! It was naught but as followers (the Book of
Mozilla, 11:9, tenth edition).
Amateurish? Yes. Sophomoric (as so many things in our new technological landscape are)? Yes.
A bit creepy. But evil? Or a harmless prank? (From what we can garner, its basically a play on
the rise and fall of Mozillas predecessor, the browser Netscape, which first started up on 12/10
in 1994; another of the pop-ups is from The Book of Mozilla, 12:10.)
And so, do we want to take a little gag seriously?
The wrong atmospherics, nonetheless. At Denver airport are a bunch of symbols that seem like
some a New Age conspiracy while others wander the huge airport and see them as simply part
of a larger and awkward attempt at modern art; indeed, it can seem innocuous.
51.
Now, here is another thin line: between presenting material we need to know and granting
glory to the devil (to use a clich). We often are at a loss at how much to use as illustrations
of evil (not wanting an evil touch to be transmitted, which is why, in many cases, besides
concern over racy ads, or caustic viewpoints, we often summarize articles and offer a link to
the full story only as an option). It is a constant challenge: exposing darkness without
energizing it.
Unfortunately, it grows only too well when we ignore it (it is, after all, a metaphysical fungus).
In our church?
One e-mailer informs us of a motherhouse in Nova Scotia, Canada, that has an ad saying, Life
is a Journey so its important to set some time aside and Surround yourself with only people
who are going to lift you higher. Oprah Winfrey. RelaxLet GoReleaseand En-Lighten UP!

with Debbie Berry of Indigo Healing Connections & Sound Therapist, Nancy Hilton This weekend
workshops will offer a variety of experiential processes awakening the Mind, Body and Spirit
Connection; such as Shamanic Journey work, meet your Animal Totems/Guides, Sound
Healing/Toning, Meditation, Connecting to the Angels, the Ancient Art of Crystal Singing and
you wont want to miss En-lighten UP! Social on Saturday Night. Join us for a weekend of EnLightenment, Fun & Laughter! When: March 2nd 4th, 2012. Where: Bethany Centre,
Antigonish, NS Cost: Single Room & Meals $275.00 Shared Room (2 Twin beds) & Meals
$245.00 each 2 people Time: Friday 7PM Sunday 3PM Pre-Registration is required and must
be paid in advance by February 18th, 2012.
Okay, lighten up: but the New Age? (Debbie is a Reiki master.)
We have reported before on the many convents and retreat houses run by nuns who are into
therapeutic massage, the labyrinth, color therapy, hypnosis, Reiki, and sundry other dubious
endeavors. A Vatican commission investigating religious sisters in the United States recently
concluded its inquiry. Although there are concerns in religious life that warrant support and
attention, the enduring reality is one of fidelity, joy, and hope, Apostolic Visitator Mother Mary
Clare Millea said in a January release announcing the submission of her findings to the Vaticans
Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life.
Maybe those concerns are about the New Age. If not, wed be confused (as to why not). Thus
far, no such mention
[http://www.ncregister.com/daily-news/wrapping-up-the-visitation-of-women-religious/].
Discernment is in the eyes of the beholder. (We do submit to Rome this
article[http://www.spiritdaily.net/newageinfiltration.htm] or this
[http://www.spiritdaily.com/newagefolo1.htm]
from the archives of Spirit Daily.) Even the most well-intentioned (and the sisters in Canada are
no doubt well-intentioned) can be deceived.
Would the Virgin Mary manifest an image as claimed this week in a gay bar-restaurant?
Some might say the Blessed Mother would go anywhere. Some would say that the very nature
of the place a bar would negate it as an imagining (or work of deception). (The place is
called yes Hamburger Marys.)
Meanwhile, while we anticipate major future events (underscore major), doesnt the whole
2012 thing have a New Age ring to it?
A princess in Japan recently said that at the end of this year the earth will pierce into a fifth
dimension that will cause three days of darkness. That perked up the ears of Catholics who
(since the end of the 18th century, when it germinated, among French nuns) believe we will
one day face three days of such dark. There was also darkness as a plague in the time of
Moses. The problem: this princess gets her information by speaking with UFOs.
Caution. Discernment.
First and foremost: let us cleanse our innermost souls.
Thats where discernment must begin.

From witches to vampires, former occultists plead for Church to

address spiritual dangers
http://www.spiritdaily.net/dancingwithdevil.htm

By Michael H. Brown, November, 2012

There is a deep, deep crevice of the occult, and we might as well admit it.
In our society and particularly among our young is a rising tide that goes beyond previous
decades, stretching now to the extreme of even vampirism.
Why is this not addressed?
Its an unpleasant topic.
Yet, address it we must.
If nothing else, it is a major prayer need: For many, many are those who were raised Catholic,
received the sacraments, went to catechism classes, and perhaps even Catholic school, yet
never heard a word of warning about psychics, necromancers, spiritualists, fortunetellers,
mediums, clairvoyants, New Agers, or the like.

It may come as a surprise to some to learn that many occultists have a Christian background,
writes a former one, Vince McCann, in Dancing with the Devil, a collection of such accounts.
We need to be mindful that past hurts and doctrinal misunderstandings may be preventing
occult followers from knowing what Christianity really is.
Lets be straight:
theres no excuse for entering something such as witchcraft but it happens in a society
where witches and vampires and ghost-hunters and mediums are so prominently featured on
television, at the same time that there are so few warnings from the pulpit. The young look to
feel a spiritual reality, and if they dont feel it in a church, they search elsewhere.
More than catechesis, what our Church needs is plain talk.
52.
There are even times when the clergy promote such things as the labyrinth or yoga. Just this
week, an archbishop in India
endorsed a book*
by a priest who extols the virtues of yogic meditation**.
*http://www.asianews.it/news-en/Indian-priest:-Yoga-is-good,-even-for-Christianity-26318.html
**CARDINAL OSWALD GRACIAS ENDORSES YOGA FOR CATHOLICS
http://ephesians511.net/docs/CARDINAL_OSWALD_GRACIAS_ENDORSES_YOGA_FOR_CATHOLICS.doc
PAPAL CANDIDATE OSWALD CARDINAL GRACIAS ENDORSES YOGA
http://ephesians511.net/docs/PAPAL_CANDIDATE_OSWALD_CARDINAL_GRACIAS_ENDORSES_YOGA.doc
We dont like to go too far with such matters, but yoga truly is in need of further discernment.
Notes a former medium, Laura Maxwell, in the book: Within yoga even the trained yogis admit
the basics of the first stage in yoga are designed to attain mystical union with the Universal
Spirit. Yogis admit that the main aim for practicing yoga is not merely to relax or enjoy gentle
exercise but to gain occult powers. (Print this and send it to your church if there is yoga or the
enneagram going on.)

The greatest problem, however, is in society itself which is now awash with the
preternatural. Astrology. Wizards.
Brian Reed was a vampire. Howd that happen? The more vampire stuff I read, the more
vampire-like I became, but probably not in the way youre thinking, he contributes. Hollywood
loves to glamorize the covert seduction associated with the traditional vampire. The idea of an
innocent victim becoming eternally damned along with him seems to appeal to a lot of people.
However, what comes across the silver screen is cartoon-like compared to the real thing. There
are no Transylvanian accents or black capes, no covens of us living in New Orleans, and thank
goodness no one sparkles in the sunlight. The only similarity with Hollywoods depiction is that
a vampire wants to blend into society and not be noticed. I actually looked more like a
condescending preppie. The first day I drank blood is etched in my memory as the day things in
my wretched existence began to go horribly wrong.
This makes us look especially close and hard at Catholic commentators who defend occult
novels like Harry Potter. Harmless?
Since the series, there has been a surge in witchcraft.
These poor kids even end up seeing demonic apparitions.
Or falling into insanity.

I later found out that psychiatric wards are filled with people who sought power through the
occult and ended up weak, hopeless, and broken, says Griffin. Even though occultists put up
a front and claim to be fearless, most are frightened, broken, and lonely inside.

Occultists, vampire fanatics, witches, etcetera are all searching for power to keep from being
destroyed by this cruel world.
Its our duty to show that Power to them.

Experience the Labyrinth (Insert New Age Music Here)

http://www.challies.com/articles/experience-the-labyrinth-insert-new-age-music-here [This is
Protestant -Michael]
By Tim Challies
When I hear the word labyrinth I immediately think of that awful movie from the 80s starring
David Bowie. If you grew up in the 80s Im sure you remember it the one that launched that
career of Jennifer Connelly and brought so much pleasure to so many young girls (it seems the
girls liked the movie more than the boys).
Of course, and unfortunately, labyrinth also has a religious connotation, as it describes an
ancient but recurring technique of supposedly experiencing God. Many ancient cathedrals had
labyrinths built into their floors and going through this labyrinth while meditating on the proper
things at the proper time was supposed to bring great spiritual enlightenment. And since these
bad habits of the past seem to continue to haunt the church of the present, the labyrinth is
finding new life. I wish I could say it was held to only the lunatic fringe, but it is gaining
popularity even in evangelical circles.
A version of the labyrinth is currently being sold by Group Publishing. Other versions are
available. To catch a glimpse of what the labyrinth offers, you can check out Youth for
Christs site and take a few minutes to go through their exceptionally-poorly designed Flash
labyrinth. They recommend you take off your shoes (I suppose the labyrinth must be holy

ground) and allow yourself 40 minutes. While you go through you will be serenaded with new
age music and slow, deliberate narrative. Dont be fooled by the Bible quotes in the first station
you wont hear much more Scripture on your journey. Instead you will hear things like:
You are out in space
Floating, weightless, calm and secure
Seeing things clearer than ever before
Watching the earth
Listening to its uninterrupted stream of noise
From the silence of infinite space
From here there are no visible countries
Its not like a map or a globe
There are no lines for territories
No colours to mark out countries, historical separations, human definitions
Just rock, sea, forest and desert
Evolving, eroding, reforming, colliding
Life, death, birth, turning
Movements and currents
Massive and caught up in the energy of creation
You are looking for signs of ownership but none are visible
You are looking for clues of permanence
But all is slowly changing
To who does this all belong?
Who has the right to claim its power, plunder its resources?
You are out in space
Breathless and patient
Awe-struck and motionless in front of this big, blue, bright ball
This great glittering, god-filled gift
This unbounded blessing you can only call
Home
In the palm of your hand you hold a small seed
This seed contains all the information needed to reproduce its own kind
You plant the seed in some soil
As you do so, feel the moist earthiness of the soil
Think of the darkness the seed experiences before it can spring to life
on the brink of creation there is darkness
As you plant the seed you are participating in one of the greatest mysteries of the cosmos
you are co-creating with God. Together you give birth to life.
As the seed grows and flowers it is a symbol of your love and care of nature, creation, of the planet,
of home.

Profound, isnt it? Through that experience I was able to plant a seed and participate in one of
the greatest mysteries of the cosmos creating heresies with God. Together we gave birth to
utter, complete, unadulterated nonsense. And I guess I am supposed to feel better for it.
If you are uncomfortable listening to the ongoing music and narrative, you can go to this
site and read the narrative free from any new age droning in the background. It is shocking. It
bears a much closer resemblance to the religions of the East than the teachings of the Bible.
Listen to this: Mary was also given a challenge. She was asked to carry The Word, the pulse of
the cosmos within her. She literally carried God into the world. Mary said yes and changed the
course of history took a gamble on the divine, flouted the odds. Strangely, I dont remember
Mary being given a choice. Did God offer her a deal and ask that she ponder it for a while? No,
He told her that she would be found with child and that was that. Sure she submitted to Gods
will and showed a great display of faith, but her yes did nothing to change the course of
history! Is Jesus the pulse of the cosmos? What is this nonsense?
The labyrinth is described as a place of meditative prayer and contemplative prayer two
concepts that have been largely absent from Protestantism until recent days when the teaching
of Catholic mystics like Nouwen and Manning have found wide acceptance by evangelicals.
Today such concepts, which might involve chanting a single word for 20 minutes or deliberately
turning off ones mind, are considering effective ways of deepening ones walk with Christ or
at least appealing to those who have no use for the church.
It is tragic, isnt it? When did the Bible stop being enough? Why are believers turning away from
the Word, and turning instead towards mysticism and attempts to know and experience God
apart from His complete revelation of Himself. And when did we lose sight of the preaching of
the gospel as they way to reach the lost? Throughout history people have rejected God and
rejected our best efforts to convince them to accept Him. Changing our methods to more
closely mimic the worlds will do nothing to change the fact that the number of those who hate
God will always outnumber those who love Him.
Avoid the labyrinth and any other method that might seek to convince you that you can
know and experience God apart from His Word. Immerse yourself in the Word and God will
speak to you with clarity, conviction and power!
COMMENT:
I have a friend whose favorite movie is The Labyrinth. She goes witnessing every Friday, and
has zeal to get people saved. She grew up in the New Age movement, but rejected it and
became a Christian about 8 years ago. Yet, she stills holds on to many aspects of it, such as the
Labyrinth movie, and faeries/fairies. But, she doesnt listen to Enya music because its too
New Age. She would like to think of herself as an expert on the heresy of the New Age
movement and its contrasts to Christianity, but she cant even see how wrong some of the
things she herself holds on to are. She thinks the movie is beautiful, but when I saw it I
thought it was completely disgusting. She even has a Labyrinth movie poster, and the
soundtrack cassette tape. Basically, she contradicts herself with every other sentence
she says. Ugh. -Kristy
54.

The labyrinth promoted in a liberal Catholic site* that endorses New Age and dissent
against Rome:
Book Review The Labyrinth Experience
http://www.cathnews.com/article.aspx?aeid=13872
May 20, 2009
Whats the difference between a maze and a labyrinth?
Sister of St Joseph Lorraine N. Villemaire has a pithy response: A maze is a puzzle to be solved;
a labyrinth is a path to be walked. She has published The Labyrinth Experience, a resource to
help educators introduce students to labyrinths. It provides information about the history of
labyrinths, themes and designs and instructions on how to walk a labyrinth.
Villemaire said her 132-page soft-cover book explains how a labyrinth can be used to increase
interest in all academic subjects. Connecting labyrinths with academic subjects fosters growth
in students self esteem, respect, positive thinking and relaxation, she said: Music, art,
language, history, problem solving and other subjects can be tied into labyrinths.

Cori Urban Full review at The Republican

LINK
www.labyrinthexperience.com
*See CHURCH RESOURCES CATHNEWS-AN ANTICATHOLIC NEWS SITE
http://ephesians-511.net/docs/CHURCH_RESOURCES_CATHNEWSAN_ANTICATHOLIC_NEWS_SITE.doc.

THE LABYRINTH IN THE INDIAN CHURCH

The labyrinths association with Interplay* in this article in Indias leading New
Age magazine, Life Positive:
*See the detailed Interplay report FR PRASHANT OLALEKAR-INTERPLAY AND LIFE
POSITIVE
http://ephesians-511.net/docs/FR_PRASHANT_OLALEKAR-INTERPLAY_AND_LIFE_POSITIVE.doc]
Write Therapy Unheard voices, untold stories
http://www.lifepositive.com/Mind/Write_Therapy/Unheard_voices_untold_stories82009.asp
By Nandini Murali, August 2009 EXTRACT
A writers workshop that knitted together yoga, meditation, and interplay had a
transformative impact on the participants.
A report

I invite you all to tell your tale that youve been longing to tell a longing deeper than words to discover
your personal story is part of Her story an integral part of the Cosmic story Were part of the new story
intoned Sr Margaret Gonsalves, feminist theologian, and founder of ANNNI (Alliance of Nari Nar
Nisarg Ishwar) Woman Man-Nature God, a spiritual movement to foster the feminine, and
transform systems that have traditionally suppressed it.

Invocation of the Divine before the start of a day

The unusual welcome was followed by an invocation to Sophia, Goddess of Wisdom*. A fitting beginning
to the Women Writers workshop organised by ANNNI from May 4 7, 2009, at Pasayadan Holistic
Spirituality Centre, Vasai, 70 km from Mumbai. I was among the workshop participants. Interestingly,
the workshop was inclusive in its approach to gender and was also open to men who were in touch with
the feminine in themselves. Fr Prashanth Olalekar, PhD; Director, Pasayadan Holistic Spirituality
Centre, and Sharukh Vazifdar**, mechanical engineer by training and presently a correspondent at Life
Positive participated. The thematic workshop on Telling and writing our stories was facilitated by
Katherine Keefer, US based artist, sculptor, and writer. The workshop, with a focus on autobiographical
writing, provided a safe space for women writers to recall, process, and record their personal life
experiences as a tool for personal and spiritual growth.[]
We began each day with morning yoga, and movement
meditation ***led by Maggie Gonsalves and Prashant Olalekar. The yoga, which included yoga
facial, was a great way to start the day. The stimulation of the pressure points on the face and
neck rejuvenated us
and set the ideas flowing (as we were to discover later!) The Movement
Meditation
that consisted of the sublime Touching the Earth meditation
and the Labyrinth Walk****, a sacred inward journey, enabled me to get inside myself, and
access my inner recesses. As I walked step by step across the labyrinth****, purposefully and mindfully, the
concerns I chose to focus on seemed to evaporate and dissipate during the return journey.
55.
Spiritual essence
The writing sessions were interspersed with Interplay, a body based improvisational arts practice that
weaves together movement, song, and storytelling. These activities infused the process of writing with
a spiritual essence. Indeed it was no mere coincidence that all the writers were also deeply engaged as
seekers in a spiritual quest. It also enabled me to experience the reality that writing is not just a mental
process but rooted in bodily experience and wisdom; an integration of the human trinity of body,
mind, and spirit.
Participants also explored seed ideas to generate potential themes for stories. These encapsulated core
issues. Some of the seeds that germinated during the workshop centred on themes as varied as

forgiveness, spirituality, nature, food, death, fear, patriarchy, feminism, illness, infertility, and voices.
We then chose one seed to sow, water, and nurture with our creativity
and imagination.

The detailed Interplay [which is indisputably New Age] report was first
published inDECEMBER 2010 and updated in NOVEMBER 2011 and
again in MAY 2012.
Two years prior to the release of the Interplay report, I had written
this letter:
TO
MOST REV. THOMAS DABRE, BISHOP OF VASAI, WHO WAS ALSO
CHAIRMAN OF THE DOCTRINAL COMMISSION OF THE CATHOLIC
BISHOPS CONFERENCE OF INDIA:
From:
prabhu
To:
[email protected]
Sent: Saturday, November 22, 2008 2:03 PM
Subject: NEW AGE PROGRAMMES BY FATHER PRASHANT OLALEKAR SJ. IN VASAI
Dear Bishop Thomas,
I received two letters which I reproduce below. This priest is conducting spirituality and
meditation courses at the Pasayadaan Holistic Spirituality Centre* in your diocese of
Vasai**.
It seems like Fr. Olalekars mentor initiated him into this program through contact with the
dead, the spirit of a dead woman. This is necromancy and spiritualism if I understand
correctly, and so what good can the course offer anyone, especially Catholics? *See pages 6,
10 and 18 of my Interplay report **Dabre is now Bishop of Poona
Also, I do not know if it is an advertising or Google issue, but whatever link I clicked on in the
many of this article prepared by this Marita, I was connected to hard occult and New Age stuff
like Quantum Touch, Silva Mind Control, Chakra Energy Healing, etc.
May I request you to please immediately investigate this priest and his centre and stop him
before he causes grave and irreparable spiritual damage to your flock? Kindly acknowledge
receipt.
In Jesus Name, Michael Prabhu

Bishop Thomas Dabre did not respond to my letter, but here is a letter
written by the Bishop to Fr. Prashant Olalekar SJ just a month later.
The InterPlay priest is on the Bishops mailing list!!!!!
From:
Bishop Thomas Dabre
To:
[email protected]; Sent: Tuesday, December 23, 2008 1:53 PM
Subject: Christmas Greetings

This is to wish you a happy Christmas and a fruitful New Year. Jesus is Gods greatest gift to all
mankind. He is the Way, the Truth and the Life for all of us. In him God became a human being
like us and for us. He teaches us to love human life and protect it. But the persecution of
Christians in Orissa and other places in India and recent Mumbai terrorist attacks show that
human beings are destroying human life. Therefore we need to be all the more promoters of
life.
I wish you all the joy and peace and light and truth of Christ. May you enjoy every day of the
New Year 2009.
In union with Jesus Christ and His Blessed Mother, Mary.
Bishop Thomas Dabre
Bishop of Vasai

MY SEPTEMBER 2011 LETTER TO THE BISHOPS OF BOMBAY, VASAI AND

POONA, COPIED TO INTERPLAY PROMOTERS AND THEIR ASSOCIATES
From:
prabhu
To:
Archbishops
House ; [email protected] ; [email protected] ; [email protected] ; Ferdina
nd Fonseca ; Percival
Fernandez ; [email protected] ; [email protected] ; [email protected] ; bishopdabr
[email protected] ; [email protected]
Cc:
[email protected] ; [email protected] ; [email protected] ; [email protected]
o.in ; [email protected] ; [email protected] ; [email protected] ; mgonsal@gmail.
com ; [email protected] ; [email protected] ; [email protected] ; [email protected]
om ; Fr
Cedric ; [email protected] ; [email protected] ; [email protected] ; cont
[email protected] ; [email protected] ; [email protected]
Sent: Friday, September 23, 2011 10:10 AM
Subject: INTERPLAY FR. PRASHANT OLALEKAR, JAIME AND LIGIA DA FONSECA
Dear Most Reverend Archbishop and Bishops of the Bombay archdiocese,
I understand that Interplay introduced in your archdiocese by Jesuit Fr. Prashant
Olalekar is to be conducted at the parish of the Sacred Heart Church in Santa Cruz by
the Marriage Encounter* couple Deacon Jaime and his wife Ligia da Fonseca as per
the church notices of last Sunday:
25th Sunday of the Year
18th September 2011
56.
5. The Parish Council members, Steering Committee and the Heads of the
Associations are reminded of the Interplay session (a holistic spiritual practice to
unlock your Body Wisdom on 25th September from 5:30 to 8:30 pm in the School
Hall. Deacon Jaime and Ligia will be conducting this session.

Interplay sessions are conducted already on a regular basis at the Retreat House [Jivan Vikas
Sadan], Bandra.
Please click on the link given below to access the December 2010 document written by me on
the New Age affiliations of Interplay.
FR PRASHANT OLALEKAR INTERPLAY AND LIFE POSITIVE
http://ephesians-511.net/docs/FR_PRASHANT_OLALEKAR_INTERPLAY_AND_LIFE_POSITIVE.doc. [4
2 pages]
That report is to be updated to include information showing Interplays association with
the Enneagram [which is both New Age and occult] and with Dharma Bharathi
[Mulanthuruthy], a New Age ashram headed by an ex-nun in Kerala.
I also understand that some lay Catholics have already approached particular priests and
bishops with appeals to stop Interplay, but to no avail.
Now, after you read my report, I trust that you will do the needful to intervene and
stop Interplay from being promoted by Catholics in Catholic institutions.
Obediently,
Michael Prabhu
Catholic apologist
www.ephesians-511.net
Under copy to the Retreat House, Fr Prashant Olalekar, the Fonsecas, and others
associated with Interplay.
*From:
prabhu
To:
[email protected] ; [email protected] ; [email protected] ; agnelorg@gmail
.com ; [email protected] ; [email protected] ; [email protected] ; punedioc@vs
nl.com ; Percival Fernandez ; Archbishops House
Cc:
[email protected] ; [email protected] ; [email protected] ; [email protected]
o.in ; [email protected] ; [email protected] ; [email protected] ; mgonsal@gmail.
com ; [email protected] ; [email protected] ; [email protected] ; [email protected]
om ; [email protected] ; [email protected] ; [email protected] ; contact
[email protected] ; [email protected] ; [email protected] ; Fr Cedric
Sent: Wednesday, September 28, 2011 12:39 PM
Subject:
Fw: INTERPLAY FR. PRASHANT OLALEKAR, JAIME AND LIGIA DA FONSECA//APOLOGY AND CORRECTION
OF ERROR

I apologize to all addressees of my email of September 23 for stating that Jaime and Ligia da
Fonseca are a Marriage Encounter [ME] team couple. That was an error on my part.
While they did do their ME weekend in Goa, I am informed that they were [or still are],
however, active in Couples for Christ.
Michael Prabhu

NO RESPONSE WAS RECEIVED FROM THE CHURCH HIERARCHY TO

BOTH ABOVE LETTERS. HOWEVER, THERE WERE AUTOMATED
RESPONSES FROM THE EMAIL ID OF FR. OLALEKAR
From: Prashant Olalekar <[email protected]> To: <[email protected]>
Sent: Friday, September 23, 2011 10:20 AM
Subject: Re: INTERPLAY FR. PRASHANT OLALEKAR, JAIME AND LIGIA DA FONSECA
Please note my new email ID is <[email protected]> Please delete this old ID. Thanks.
Blessings of Peace, Prashant
From: Prashant Olalekar <[email protected]> To: <[email protected]>
Sent: Wednesday September 28, 2011 1:08 PM
Subject: Re: Fw: Re: INTERPLAY FR. PRASHANT OLALEKAR, JAIME AND LIGIA DA FONSECA
[As above]

MY MAY 2012 LETTER REGARDING INTERPLAY TO THE CARDINAL AND

A BISHOP OF BOMBAY
From:
prabhu
To:
[email protected] ; Archbishops House ; [email protected]
Cc:
St.Pius College ; [email protected]
Sent: Monday, May 07, 2012 7:07 AM
Subject: FR. PRASHANT OLALEKAR USES INTERPLAY DURING HIS HOMILY
KIND ATTENTION
HIS EMINENCE OSWALD CARDINAL GRACIAS, ARCHBISHOP OF BOMBAY
MOST REV. AGNELO RUFINO GRACIAS, AUXILIARY BISHOP OF BOMBAY
Dear Cardinal Oswald and Bishop Agnelo,
I received the following email which is self-explanatory.
From:
Name withheld
To:
prabhu
Sent: Friday, March 09, 2012 9:27 PM Subject: Re: Mail
Dear Michael,
Fr Prashant Olalekar was invited to our parish, St Anthonys Church Malwani, Malad

, Mumbai on

Vocation Sunday [January 22nd?] to say the 9:15 am mass.

In his sermon he spoke about how he joined the priesthood. Mainly about how his father did not approve of
him to join but he eventually did. He then followed it up with how he went for a home rehabilitating
prostitutes. There was this one girl and he asked her what she was holding in her hand (a doll) and she said
this is Bhagwan. And he said that the doll is you. He then spoke about how at Interplay he made people break
the ice in their life.
The vocation prayer was a song for which he made the congregation stretch out their hands and sing, I am
the hands, I am the feet. I cant remember the rest, but it had nowhere close to any form of prayer. It did not

even mention God. He just followed his song by the final blessing, and that is how we ask the Lord to get
vocations in our church.
I am obliged to bring it to your attention because Interplay, which is fostered by your
archdiocese, is New Age.
The evidence is available at
FR PRASHANT OLALEKAR-INTERPLAY AND LIFE POSITIVE
http://ephesians-511.net/docs/FR_PRASHANT_OLALEKAR_INTERPLAY_AND_LIFE_POSITIVE.doc
for your necessary action please.
Yours obediently,
Michael Prabhu

CARDINAL OSWALD GRACIAS RESPONSE:

From:
Archbishop Bombay
To:
prabhu
Sent: Friday, May 25, 2012 2:43 PM
Subject: Re: FR. PRASHANT OLALEKAR USES INTERPLAY DURING HIS HOMILY
Email to Mr Michael Prabhu ([email protected])
May 23, 2012
Dear Mr Prabhu,
I have your email of May 7, 201 re: Fr Olalekar. I have sent it to the Parish Priest for a
clarification.
With kind regards and best wishes,
Yours sincerely in Christ,

Oswald Cardinal Gracias

Archbishop of Bombay
Archdiocese of Bombay, 21 Nathalal Parekh Marg, Mumbai 400 001, +91-02222021093/1193/1293, Fax +91-022-22853872, Archdiocese website: http://archbom.org
MY COMMENTS
The Cardinal did not respond to the information that Interplay the propagation of
which is supported by his archdiocese is New Age. Now, we must wait and see if
he will communicate to us the response of his parish priest. [Update, May 01, 2013:
He did not!]

MY SECOND LETTER OF MAY 2012 TO THE CARDINAL ARCHBISHOP OF

BOMBAY
From:
prabhu
To:
[email protected] ; [email protected]
Sent: Sunday, May 27, 2012 10:21 PM
Subject: Re: FR. PRASHANT OLALEKAR
Your Eminence Oswald Cardinal Gracias,

While I thank you for your response, may I point out to you that there were three parts to my communication
to you. They are:
1. That Interplay is New Age;
2. That the Archdiocese of Bombay is helping promote it;
3. That Fr. Prashant Olalekar, the main proponent of Interplay misused the Vocation Sunday homily to
advertise it.
Your response concerns only the third point of my letter to you. I hope that I will be informed about the
parish priests reply to you.
My letter of May 7 is not the only one that I wrote you concerning Interplay/Fr. Prashant Olalekar.
I had written to you on September 23, 2011 [excerpt from page 44 of my Interplay report] about Interplay
being conducted at Sacred Heart Parish, Mumbai:
MY LETTER TO THE BISHOPS OF BOMBAY, VASAI AND POONA, COPIED
TO INTERPLAY PROMOTERS
From:
prabhu
To:
Archbishops
House; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; []
Sent: Friday, September 23, 2011 10:10 AM
Subject: INTERPLAY FR. PRASHANT OLALEKAR, JAIME AND LIGIA DA FONSECA []
Yours obediently,
Michael Prabhu

NO RESPONSE WAS RECEIVED FROM THE CARDINAL

INTERPLAY made its foray into the Bombay-Vasai belt in 2007 as per the records in
my INTERPLAYreport and as indicated in the Life Positive story, the Touching the
Earth meditation
and the
Labyrinth Walk were already alive and well as early as then, the location being
the Pasayadaan Holistic Spirituality Centre at Vasai where Fr Prashant Olalekar, SJ was
the
Director
and the then Bishop, Thomas Dabre, was the Chairman, Doctrinal Commission, Catholic
Bishops Conference of India.
While Fr. Paul Vaz SJs Earth-Centered Retreat ads first appeared in the Bombay
archdiocesan weeklyThe Examiner in January 2007, see FR PAUL VAZ-ENNEAGRAM
WORKSHOPS AND EARTH CENTRED HEALING RETREATS http://ephesians511.net/docs/FR_PAUL_VAZENNEAGRAM_WORKSHOPS_AND_EARTH_CENTRED_HEALING_RETREATS.doc, they were a
logical succession to the Touching the Earth meditation
and the
Labyrinth Walk which were already sanctioned by the bishops.

In connection with the New Age retreats of Fr. Paul Vaz, I had written to the Cardinal
Archbishop of Bombay and the Archbishop of Goa on April 22, but there has been no
response till the time of filing this report.
58.
The first independent labyrinth notification at least the one that I came across
in The Examiner in recent years was in the issue of May 7, 2011 captioned Retreat
for Christian Meditators in the Local News column.
35 meditators from various Christian Meditation groups in Mumbai met for a Lenten Meditation Weekend
Retreat conducted by Br. Kevin Ward CFC and Christopher Mendonca at Salvation school, Dadar on
April 16-17. []
The programme started with an introduction to Silence and stilling the senses. The stage was set with
insights into the very nature of God, dispelling the myth of a judgemental God doling out
reward and punishment. []
The ancient religious symbol of the labyrinth was used to depict the pilgrimage of life and
growth. The Labyrinth (not to be confused with the Maze) leads us unerringly, but in a roundabout manner (three steps forward, two steps backward) to the centre. The programme
included a virtual Way of the Cross in Triads
Christopher Mendonca is a leader, along with yoga proponent Fr. Joe Pereira of Kripa
Foundation, Mumbai, of the out-and-out New Age World Community for Christian
Meditation [WCCM], see FR JOE PEREIRA-KRIPA FOUNDATION-WORLD COMMUNITY
FOR CHRISTIAN MEDITATION
http://ephesians-511.net/docs/FR_JOE_PEREIRA-KRIPA_FOUNDATIONWORLD_COMMUNITY_FOR_CHRISTIAN_MEDITATION.doc
It seems that anything goes but a sacramental, Christocentric spirituality, and the
bishops condone the propagation of this New Age ridiculousness! The Christian
Meditators Retreat appears, from the write-up, to be a syncretistic blend of
Catholic rituals and New Age, which basically is what much of New Age is about.
Christopher Mendonca is a regular contributor of Scripture reflections as well
as WCCM propaganda inThe Examiner.
In The Examiner issue of June 2, 2012, we read that the Salesians religious order,
already heavily intoNew Age psycho-spiritual techniques and pseudo-counseling,
see THE SALESIANS, OSWALD CARDINAL GRACIAS AND NEW AGE PSYCHOLOGIST
CARL ROGERS
http://ephesians511.net/docs/THE_SALESIANS_OSWALD_CARDINAL_GRACIAS_AND_NEW_AGE_PSYCHOLOGIST_C
ARL_ROGERS.docand
SANGAM INTEGRAL FORMATION AND SPIRITUALITY CENTRE, GOA-NEW AGE
PSYCHOLOGY, ETC.
http://ephesians511.net/docs/SANGAM_INTEGRAL_FORMATION_AND_SPIRITUALITY_CENTRE_GOANEW_AGE_PSYCHOLOGY_ETC.doc, inaugurate a Labyrinth Prayer Garden:

A new Labyrinth Prayer Garden at Don Bosco Provincial House, Matunga, was blessed on May 29, 2012,
by Fr. Michael Fernandes, Provincial of the Mumbai Province in the presence of the entire Salesian
community. Fr. Ian Doulton, Rector of the community, officially inaugurated the Prayer Garden and
welcomed one and all to use this eco-friendly setting to get closer to ones self, others, and God. []
The Labyrinth Prayer Garden will be open to people of all faiths and age groups. [] At any given
moment, the garden can accommodate about thirty pilgrims.
Fr. Fernandes, Provincial, thanked all those responsible for setting up this Prayer Garden and hoped that
many more communities in the Province would create such Prayer Gardens to enable our young people to
become more prayerful, serene and reflective.
What a devious way of diverting people away from the Most Blessed Sacrament
where the Lord of all creation, adored and worshiped by countless saints, awaits, to
focusing on His creation. What an ingenious way of negating or diluting the powerful
aids to prayer that the Church has developed and made easily available to the
faithful over two millennia. This is one more of those inter-faith adventures; hence
missing are Jesus Christ, the Real Presence, His Mother, the Stations of the Cross,
the Rosary and other Catholic realities which would offend the sensibilities of people
of other faiths.
The Examiner issues of December 15, 2012, January 5, 2013, and January 12,
2013 under News Local Forthcoming Events announce the availability of the Don
Bosco Youth Services, Matunga, Labyrinth Prayer Garden giving the name of Fr.
Glenford Lowe as the priest to be contacted for those who would like to get in
touch with Self, Others, World and God. Since The Examiner is an archdiocesan
weekly for Catholics, it means that the invitations are addressed to Catholics,
offering them an alternative spirituality to the traditional Catholic devotions that
they have been groomed in, a spirituality that is loaded with New Age.

I WROTE TWO LETTERS TO THE ARCHBISHOP OF BOMBAY CONCERNING

THE LABYRINTH
1. From:
Michael Prabhu
To:
[email protected]
Cc:
Archbishops House ; Archbishop Bombay
Sent: Friday, May 03, 2013 7:26 AM
Subject: NEW AGE: LABYRINTH PRAYER GARDEN AT DON BOSCO PROVINCIAL HOUSE,
MATUNGA, MUMBAI
HIS EMINENCE OSWALD CARDINAL GRACIAS
ARCHBISHOP OF BOMBAY
Dear Cardinal Oswald Gracias,
A Labyrinth Prayer Garden has been inaugurated in your archdiocese at the Don Bosco
Provincial House, Matunga, Mumbai.
It is being used by Catholics.

59.
The labyrinth is New Age.
Your archdiocesan weekly, The Examiner issues of June 2, 2012, December 15,
2012, January 5, 2013and January 12, 2013 carried information about the labyrinth.
I trust that you will ensure that the Salesians close this Labyrinth Prayer Garden so that
Catholics are safeguarded from error and spiritual harm.
Yours obediently,
Michael Prabhu
Catholic apologist, Chennai
[email protected]; http://www.ephesians-511.net
2. From:
Michael Prabhu
To:
[email protected]
Cc:
Archbishop Bombay
Sent: Friday, May 03, 2013 5:44 PM
Subject: NEW AGE: ASSOCIATION BETWEEN THE LABYRINTH AND FR. PRASHANT OLALEKARS
INTERPLAY
HIS EMINENCE OSWALD CARDINAL GRACIAS
ARCHBISHOP OF BOMBAY
Dear Cardinal Oswald Gracias,
This morning, I sent you an email regarding the opening of a Labyrinth Prayer
Garden in your archdiocese by theSalesians at the Don Bosco Provincial House, Matunga,
and the regular advertising of it in the Local News column of your archdiocesan weekly, The
Examiner. I trust that you have read the email and arranged to ensure that the Labyrinth
Prayer Garden is closed.
Concerning Interplay, I had written to you on September 23, 2011, alerting you about the
propagation of Interplay
in parishes of your archdiocese, and in that email I had given the link to
FR PRASHANT OLALEKAR-INTERPLAY AND LIFE POSITIVE
http://ephesians-511.net/docs/FR_PRASHANT_OLALEKAR_INTERPLAY_AND_LIFE_POSITIVE.doc,
the report on Interplay at my website, but I did not hear from you.
Once again, on May 07, 2012, I had written to you about developments regarding Interplay in a
parish, to which letter you had replied to me that you were seeking clarification from the parish
priest. I did not hear from you after that. I immediately wrote back to you that you had only
responded to one point in my letter, glossing over two others, and reminding you of my earlier
email of September 23, 2011. However, I did not hear from you in return.
Now I would like to elaborate on my email letter of this morning. Indias leading New Age
magazine LIFE POSITIVE wrote a story on Interplay. In that story, they associated Fr. Prashant
Olalekar, SJ and Interplay with aLabyrinth Walk conducted at his Centre in Vasai. The

details are available on pages 21 through 23 of my referred Interplay report. Interplay, like the
labyrinth, is New Age.
Like the labyrinth, Interplay continues to be propagated through The Examiner.
I trust that you will do the needful to stem the spread of New Age in your archdiocese, and
its ever-increasing promotion in The Examiner. About this last statement of mine, I will send
you a separate report as soon as it is ready.
Yours obediently,
Michael Prabhu
Catholic apologist, Chennai
[email protected]; http://www.ephesians-511.net

MY MOST RECENT LETTERS TO THE FORMER AND PRESENT BISHOPS

OF VASAI
SINCE THE
PASAYADAAN HOLISTIC SPIRITUALITY CENTRE WHOSE DIRECTOR IS FR. PRASHANT
OLALEKAR SJ IS LOCATED IN THE DIOCESE OF VASAI,
I HAD WRITTEN TO
BISHOP THOMAS DABRE OF VASAI, THE THEN
CHAIRMAN OF THE DOCTRINAL COMMISSION OF THE C.B.C.I., IN 2008, BUT HE DID
NOT REPLY, SEE PAGE 56.
ACCORDING TO TIMES OF INDIA JOURNALIST JOEANNA REBELLO, SEE Let your inner
child have a free run November 24, 2008 ON PAGE 11 OF MY INTERPLAY REPORT, FR.
PRASHANT OLALEKAR SJ HAS APPARENTLY CONDUCTED INTERPLAY AT the clergy
house of Vasai [THE BISHOPS HOUSE IN VASAI?]
ON PAGE 13 OF THE SAME REPORT, AN INTERPLAY PROTAGONIST, GARY FIELD,
REPORTS THATBISHOP DABRE CONDUCTED INTERPLAY ALONG WITH HIM, AFTER
WHICH HE CONDUCTED FOUR MORE WORKSHOPS IN VASAI DIOCESE WITH THE
BLESSING OF THE BISHOP.
BISHOP DABRE OF VASAI WAS ALSO INCLUDED IN MY SEPTEMBER 2011 LETTER TO
THE BISHOPS OF BOMBAY, VASAI AND POONA, COPIED TO INTERPLAY PROMOTERS
AND THEIR ASSOCIATES, AGAIN SEE PAGE 56. I DID NOT RECEIVE A RESPONSE FROM
HIM TO EITHER OF MY LETTERS. I NOW WROTE AGAIN:
From:
Michael Prabhu
To:
[email protected] ; [email protected]
Sent: Friday, May 03, 2013 9:24 PM
Subject: NEW AGE: ASSOCIATION BETWEEN THE LABYRINTH AND FR. PRASHANT OLALEKARS
INTERPLAY
MOST REV. THOMAS DABRE
BISHOP OF POONA {FORMER BISHOP OF VASAI}
Dear Bishop Thomas,
60.

Concerning Fr. Prashant Olalekars Interplay, I had written to you in 2008, letter
reproduced below.
In 2011, I had emailed you another related letter, once again reproduced below.
I have not been favoured with a reply to both when you were the Bishop of Vasai.
Now, a Labyrinth Prayer Garden has been opened by the Salesians at the Don Bosco
Provincial House, Matunga, Mumbai.
Indias leading New Age magazine LIFE POSITIVE wrote a story on Interplay. In that story,
they associated Fr. Prashant Olalekar, SJ and Interplay with a Labyrinth Walk conducted
at his Pasayadaan Holistic Spirituality Centre in Vasai. Interplay and the labyrinth are
decidedly New Age.
My December 2010 report on Interplay [the title and link are provided to you in my September
2011 letter reproduced below] records that you participated in the first Interplay workshop
conducted by one Gary Field and provided him with the opportunity to conduct a total of five
such workshops for Catholic participants in Vasai.
I trust that you will acknowledge this letter and also arrange to ensure that Interplay and the
labyrinth are not allowed to affect the traditional spirituality of Catholics by blending it with
New Age practices.
Thanking you, Yours obediently,
Michael Prabhu
Catholic apologist, Chennai
[email protected]; http://www.ephesians-511.net
From:
Michael Prabhu
To:
[email protected] ; [email protected]
Sent: Friday, May 03, 2013 9:54 PM
Subject: NEW AGE: ASSOCIATION BETWEEN THE NEW AGE LABYRINTH AND FR. PRASHANT
OLALEKARS INTERPLAY
MOST REV. FELIX ANTHONY MACHADO
ARCHBISHOP OF VASAI
Dear Archbishop Felix,
This email concerns Vasai diocese-based Pasayadaan Holistic Spirituality Centre and Fr.
Prashant Olalekars Interplay.
I am reproducing below my 2008 letter to Bishop Thomas Dabre, then of Vasai, in this
connection.
Also, Indias leading New Age magazine LIFE POSITIVE wrote a story on Interplay. In that
story, they associatedFr. Prashant Olalekar, SJ and Interplay with a Labyrinth
Walk conducted at his Pasayadaan Holistic Spirituality Centre in Vasai.
Now, a Labyrinth Prayer Garden has been opened by the Salesians at the Don Bosco
Provincial House, Matunga, Mumbai.
Interplay and the labyrinth are decidedly New Age.

My December 2010 report on Interplay [the title and link are available in my September 2011
letter to the then Bishops of Vasai and Poona, and the Bishops of Bombay, reproduced below]
records that Interplay workshops were conducted by one Gary Field for Catholic participants in
Vasai under the auspices of Bishop Thomas Dabre.
I trust that you will acknowledge this letter and also arrange to ensure that Interplay and the
labyrinth are not allowed to affect the traditional spirituality of Catholics by blending it with
New Age practices.
Thanking you, Yours obediently,
Michael Prabhu
Catholic apologist, Chennai
[email protected]; http://www.ephesians-511.net