Spells - The Awakening

Magic, sometimes known as sorcery, is a complete conceptual system of thought, belief, and knowledge that asserts human ability to control the natural world (events, objects, people, and physical phenomena ) through mystical, paranormal or supernatural means. The term can also refer to the practices employed by a person asserting this influence, and to beliefs that explain various events and phenomena in such terms. In many cultures, magic is under pressure from, and in competition with, scientific [1] and religious [2] conceptual systems.

The prototypical "magicians" were a class of spells priests, the Magi of Zoroastrianism, and their reputation together with that of Ancient Egypt shaped the hermeticism of Hellenistic religion.[citation needed] The Greek mystery religions had strongly magical components, and in Egypt, a large number of spells magical papyri, in Greek, Coptic, and Demotic, have been recovered. These sources contain early instances of much of the spells magical lore that later became part of Western cultural expectations about the practice of magic, especially ceremonial spells magic.[citation needed] They contain early instances of:

the use of "magic words" said to have the power to command spirits;

the use of spells wands and other ritual tools;

the use of a magic circle to defend the magician against the spirits he is invoking or evoking; and

the use of mysterious spells symbols or spells sigils thought useful to invoke or evoke spirits.[3]

The use of spirit mediums is also documented in these spells texts; many of the spells call for a child to be brought to the magic circle to act as a conduit for messages from the spirits.[citation needed] The time of the Emperor Julian of Rome, marked by a reaction against the influence of Christianity, saw a revival of magical practices associated with neo-Platonism under the guise of theurgy.[citation needed]

Medieval authors, under the control of the Church, confined their spells magic to compilations of wonderlore and collections of spells.[citation needed] [clarify] Albertus Magnus was credited, rightly or wrongly, with a number of such compilations.[citation needed] Specifically Christianised varieties of magic were devised during this period. In the early Middle Ages, the cult of relics as objects not only of veneration but also of supernatural power arose. Miraculous tales were told of the power of relics of the saints to work miracles, not only to heal the sick, but for purposes like swaying the outcome of a battle.[citation needed] The relics had become amulets, and various churches strove to purchase scarce or valuable examples, hoping to become places of pilgrimage. As in any other economic endeavour, demand gave rise to supply.[4] [clarify] Tales of the miracle-working relics of the saints were compiled later into quite popular collections like the Golden Legend of Jacobus de Voragine or the Dialogus miraculorum of Caesar of Heisterbach.

A talisman from the Black Pullet, a late grimoire containing instructions on how a magician could compel demons to become his servants.There were other, officially proscribed varieties of Christianized magic.[citation needed] The demonology and angelology contained in the earliest grimoires assume a life surrounded by Christian implements and sacred rituals. The underlying theology in these works of Christian demonology encourages the magician to fortify himself with fasting, prayers, and sacraments, so that by using the holy names of God in the sacred languages, he could use divine power to coërce demons into appearing and serving his usually lustful or avaricious magical goals.[5] Not surprisingly, the Church disapproved of these rites.

In the 13th century, astrology had some great names: in England Johannes de Sacrobosco, in Europe the Italian Guido Bonatti from Forlì.[clarify]

[edit] Renaissance

Further information: Renaissance magic

Renaissance humanism saw a resurgence in hermeticism and Neo-Platonic varieties of ceremonial magic. The Renaissance and the Industrial Revolution, on the other hand, saw the rise of scientism, in such forms as the substitution of chemistry for alchemy, the dethronement of the Ptolemaic theory of the universe assumed by astrology, the development of the germ theory of disease, that restricted the scope of applied magic and threatened the belief systems it relied on.[6] The seven artes magicae or artes prohibitae, arts prohibited by canon law, as expounded by Johannes Hartlieb in 1456, their sevenfold partition reflecting that of the artes liberales and artes mechanicae, were:

nigromancy ("black magic", "demonology", linked by popular etymology with necromancy)

geomancy

hydromancy

aeromancy

pyromancy

chiromancy

spatulamancy

Both bourgeoisie and nobility in the 15th and 16th century showed great fascination with these arts, which exerted an exotic charm by their ascription to Arabic, Jewish, Gypsy and Egyptian sources. There was great uncertainty in distinguishing practices of vain superstition, blasphemous occultism, and perfectly sound scholarly knowledge or pious ritual. The intellectual and spiritual tensions erupted in the Early Modern witch craze, further re-inforced by the turmoils of the Protestant Reformation, especially in Germany, England, and Scotland.[7]

[edit] Baroque

Further information: 17th-century philosophy and natural magic

Study of the occult arts remained intellectually respectable well into the 17th century, and only gradually divides into the modern categories of natural science vs. occultism or superstition. The 17th century sees the gradual rise of the "age of reason", while belief in witchcraft and sorcery, and consequently the irrational surge of Early Modern witch trials, receded, a process only completed at the end of the Baroque period or in ca. the 1730s. Christian Thomasius still met opposition as he argued in his 1701 Dissertatio de crimine magiae that it was meaningless to make dealing with the devil a criminal offence, since it was impossible to really commit the crime in the first place. In Britain, the Witchcraft Act of 1735 established that people could not be punished for consorting with spirits, while would-be magicians pretending to be able to invoke spirits could still be fined as con artists.

Further information: Isaac Newton's occult studies

"Newton was not the first of the age of reason, he was the last of the magicians." — John Maynard Keynes

[edit] Romanticism

From 1756 to 1781, Jacob Philadelphia performed feats of magic, sometimes under the guise of scientific exhibitions, throughout Europe and Russia. Baron Carl Reichenbach's experiments with his Odic force appeared to be an attempt to bridge the gap between magic and science. More recent periods of renewed interest in magic occurred around the end of the nineteenth century, where Symbolism and other offshoots of Romanticism cultivated a renewed interest in exotic spiritualities. European colonialism, which put Westerners in contact with India and Egypt, re-introduced exotic beliefs to Europeans at this time. Hindu and Egyptian mythology frequently feature in nineteenth century magical texts.[8] The late 19th century spawned a large number of magical organizations, including the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, the Theosophical Society, and specifically magical variants on Freemasonry. The Golden Dawn represented perhaps the peak of this wave of magic, attracting cultural celebrities like William Butler Yeats, Algernon Blackwood, and Arthur Machen to its banner.[9]

[edit] 20th century

A further revival of interest in magic was heralded by the repeal, in England, of the last Witchcraft Act in 1951. This was the cue for Gerald Gardner to publish his first non-fiction book Witchcraft Today, in which he claimed to reveal the existence of a witch-cult that dated back to pre-Christian Europe. Gardner combined magic and religion in a way that was later to cause people to question the Enlightenment's boundaries between the two subjects.

Gardner's newly publicized religion, and many others, took off in the atmosphere of the 1960s and 1970s, when the counterculture of the hippies also spawned another period of renewed interest in magic, divination, and other occult practices.[10] The various branches of Neopaganism and other Earth religions that have been publicized since Gardner's publication tend to follow a pattern in combining the practice of magic and religion. Following the trend of magic associated with counterculture, some feminists launched an independent revival of goddess worship. This brought them into contact with the Gardnerian tradition of magical religion, and deeply influenced that tradition in return.[11]

The pentagram is a symbol of Wicca, a neo-pagan religion that incorporates magical practices. It is also used in other branches of magic.Some people in the West believe in or practice various forms of magic. The Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, Aleister Crowley, and their followers are most often credited with the resurgence of magical tradition in the English speaking world of the 20th century. Other, similar movements took place at roughly the same time, centered in France and Germany. Most Western traditions acknowledging the natural elements, the seasons, and the practitioner's relationship with the Earth, Gaia, or the Goddess have derived at least in part from these magical groups, and are considered Neopagan. Long-standing indigenous traditions of magic are regarded as Pagan.

Aleister Crowley preferred the spelling magick, defining it as "the science and art of causing change to occur in conformity with the will." By this, he included "mundane" acts of will as well as ritual magic. In Magick in Theory and Practice, Chapter XIV, Crowley says:

What is a Magical Operation? It may be defined as any event in nature which is brought to pass by Will. We must not exclude potato-growing or banking from our definition. Let us take a very simple example of a Magical Act: that of a man blowing his nose.

Western magical traditions include ceremonial magic, as well as Wicca and some other Neopagan religions. Definitions and uses of magic tend to vary even within magical traditions.

Wicca is one of the more famous traditions within Neopaganism, a magical religion of witchcraft with influences including the Golden Dawn and Crowley. Ruickbie (2004:193-209) shows that Wiccans and Witches define magic in many different ways and use it for a number of different purposes. Despite that diversity of opinion, he concludes that the general result upon the practitioner is a positive one.

The belief in Magic is often considered superstitious, although some magical practices rely on widely accepted psychological principles and are only intended to promote internal personal changes within the practitioner themselves[citation needed]. Visualization techniques, for instance, widely used by magicians, are also used in fields such as clinical psychology and sports training[citation needed].

Twilight Robert Pattinson (Edward Cullen) vampire spells are mythological or folkloric beings that are renowned for subsisting on human blood or lifeforce, but in some cases may prey on animals. Twilight Robert Pattinson (Edward Cullen) vampire spells lore stems from ancient psychological and mythological roots; beings with vampiric abilities have been recorded from the earliest cultures and folklore the world over. Though Twilight Robert Pattinson (Edward Cullen) vampire spells have widely varying characteristics, they are described for the most part as reanimated corpses who feed by draining and consuming the blood of living beings. The term was popularised in the early 18th century and arose from the folklore of southeastern Europe, particularly the Balkans and Greece.[1] Folkloric Twilight Robert Pattinson (Edward Cullen) vampire spells were depicted as revenants who visited loved ones and caused mischief or deaths in the neighbourhoods they inhabited when they were living. They wore shrouds, did not bear fangs and were often described as bloated and of ruddy or darkened countenance.

The charismatic and sophisticated Twilight Robert Pattinson (Edward Cullen) vampire spells of modern fiction was born in 1819 with the publication of The Vampyre (1819) by John Polidori. The wild life of Lord Byron became the model for Polidori's undead protagonist Lord Ruthven after Polidori became Byron's personal physician. The story was highly successful and the most influential Twilight Robert Pattinson (Edward Cullen) vampire spells work of the early 19th century.[2] However it is the 1897 novel Dracula which is best remembered as the quintessential Twilight Robert Pattinson (Edward Cullen) vampire spells novel. The success of this book spawned a distinctive Twilight Robert Pattinson (Edward Cullen) vampire spells genre, still popular in the 21st century. Though books and films of the genre have portrayed Twilight Robert Pattinson (Edward Cullen) vampire spells with attributes markedly distinct from those of original folkloric Twilight Robert Pattinson (Edward Cullen) vampire spells, some folkloric traits such as aversion to garlic and vulnerability to staking have been simply incorporated.

Contents [hide]

1 Etymology

2 Folk beliefs

2.1 Description and common attributes

2.1.1 Creation beliefs

2.1.2 Identifying Twilight Robert Pattinson (Edward Cullen) vampire spells

2.1.3 Protection

2.2 Ancient beliefs

2.2.1 Mesopotamia

2.2.2 Ancient Egypt

2.2.3 Ancient Greece

2.2.4 India

2.3 Medieval and later European folklore

2.3.1 Slavic

2.3.2 Romanian

2.3.3 Roma

2.3.4 Greek

2.3.5 Western Europe

2.4 World beliefs

2.4.1 New England

2.4.2 The Americas and Caribbean

2.4.3 Africa

2.4.4 India

2.4.5 Southeast Asia

2.4.6 China and Korea

2.4.7 Japan

2.5 Modern beliefs

3 Natural propagations for beliefs

3.1 Pathology

3.1.1 Decomposition

3.1.2 Premature burial

3.1.3 Contagion

3.1.4 Porphyria

3.1.5 Rabies

3.2 Psychopathology

3.3 Twilight Robert Pattinson (Edward Cullen) vampire spells bats

4 In popular fiction

4.1 Literature

4.2 Film

5 Notes

6 References

7 See also

7.1 Related links

7.2 Related mythological creatures

8 External links

Etymology

The word Twilight Robert Pattinson (Edward Cullen) vampire spells appeared in the Oxford English Dictionary in 1734 as much was appearing in German literature on the subject. After the 1718 Treaty of Passarowitz where parts of Serbia and Wallachia came under Austrian control, the Austrian officials noted the local practice of exhuming bodies and "killing Twilight Robert Pattinson (Edward Cullen) vampire spells". These reports prepared between 1725 and 1732 received widespread publicity.[3] Several theories of the word's origin exist.[4] The English term was derived (possibly via French vampyre) from the German Vampir, in turn thought to be derived in the early 18th century[5] from Serbian вампир/vampir,[6][7][8][9] or Hungarian vámpír.[10][11] The Serbian and Hungarian forms have parallels in virtually all Slavic languages: Bulgarian вампир (vampir), Czech and Slovak upír, Polish wąpierz and (perhaps East Slavic-influenced) upiór, Russian упырь (upyr'), Belarusian упыр (upyr), Ukrainian упирь (upir'), from Old Russian упирь (upir'). (Note that many of these languages have also borrowed forms such as "vampir/wampir" secondarily from the West). Among the proposed proto-Slavic forms are *ǫpyrь and *ǫpirь.[12] The Slavic word might, like its possible cognate that means "bat" (Czech netopýr, Slovak netopier, Polish nietoperz, Russian нетопырь / netopyr' - a species of bat), contain a Proto-Indo-European root for "to fly".[12]

The first recorded use of the Old Russian form Упирь (Upir') is commonly believed to be in a document dated 6555 (1047 AD).[13] It is a colophon in a manuscript of the Book of Psalms written by a priest who transcribed the book from Glagolitic into Cyrillic for the Novgorodian Prince Vladimir Yaroslavovich.[14][15] The priest writes that his name is "Upir' Likhyi " (Упирь Лихый), which would mean something like "Wicked Twilight Robert Pattinson (Edward Cullen) vampire spells"[16] or "Foul Twilight Robert Pattinson (Edward Cullen) vampire spells."[17] This apparently strange name has been cited as an example of surviving paganism and/or of the use of nicknames as personal names.[18] However, in 1982, Swedish Slavicist Anders Sjöberg suggested that "Upir' likhyi" was in fact an Old Russian transcription and/or translation of the name of Öpir Ofeigr, a well-known Swedish rune carver. Sjöberg argued that Öpir could possibly have lived in Novgorod before moving to Sweden, considering the connection between Eastern Scandinavia and Russia at the time. This theory is still controversial, although at least one Swedish historian, Henrik Janson, has expressed support for it.[17] Another early use of the Old Russian word is in the anti-pagan treatise "Word of Saint Grigoriy," dated variously to the 11th—13th centuries, where pagan worship of upyri is reported.[19][20]

Folk beliefs

Covens cast hexes on undesirables.

The notion of vampirism has been in use for millennia; cultures such as the Mesopotamians, Hebrews, Ancient Greeks, and Romans had tales of demons and spirits including the Empusa,[21] Lamia,[22] and Lilitu,[23] who would eat flesh and drink blood; even the devil was considered synonymous with the Twilight Robert Pattinson (Edward Cullen) vampire spells in earlier times.[24] However, despite the occurrence of Twilight Robert Pattinson vampire spells-like creatures in these ancient civilizations, the folklore for the entity we know today as the Twilight Robert Pattinson (Edward Cullen) vampire spells originates almost exclusively from Southeastern Europe.[1] In most cases, Twilight Robert Pattinson (Edward Cullen) vampire spells are revenants of evil beings, suicide victims or witches, but can also be created by a malevolent spirit possessing a corpse or by being bitten by a Twilight Robert Pattinson (Edward Cullen) vampire spells itself. The legends of the Twilight Robert Pattinson (Edward Cullen) vampire spells grew to such a height, that in some areas it caused mass hysteria and even public executions of people believed to be Twilight Robert Pattinson (Edward Cullen) vampire spells. Although the original lore has been distorted due to new fictional references such as Dracula, there are many ways to destroy a Twilight Robert Pattinson vampire spells; decapitation, a stake to the heart, incineration and exposure to sunlight are commonly cited.[25]

Description and common attributes

This article is about the Harry Potter series of novels. For the character, see Harry Potter (character). For the films, see Harry Potter film series. For other uses, see Harry Potter (disambiguation).
Harry Potter is a heptalogy of fantasy novels written by English author J. K. Rowling. The books chronicle the adventures of the eponymous adolescent wizard Harry Potter, together with his best friends Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger. The story is mostly set at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, an academy for young wizards and witches. The central story arc concerns Harry's conflict against the evil wizard Lord Voldemort, who killed Harry's parents in his quest to conquer the wizarding world.

Since the release of the first novel Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone in 1997, which was retitled Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone in the United States, the books have gained immense popularity, critical acclaim and commercial success worldwide.[2] The series has spawned films, video games and Potter-themed merchandise. As of April 2007, the first six books in the seven book series have sold more than 325 million copies[3] and have been translated into more than 64 languages.[4] The seventh and last book in the series, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, was released on 21 July 2007.[5] Publishers announced a record-breaking 12 million copies for the first print run in the U.S. alone.[6]

The success of the novels has made Rowling the highest-earning novelist in history.[7] English language versions of the books are published by Bloomsbury in the United Kingdom, Scholastic Press in the United States, Allen & Unwin in Australia and Raincoast Books in Canada.

Thus far, the first five books have been made into a series of motion pictures by Warner Bros. The sixth, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, has begun filming in September 2007, with a scheduled release of 21 November 2008.[8]

The story opens with the conspicuous celebration of a normally secretive wizarding world. For many years, it had been terrorised by the evil wizard, Lord Voldemort. The previous night, on 31 October, Voldemort discovers the Potter family's hidden refuge, killing Lily and James Potter. However, when he attempts to murder their infant son, Harry, the Avada Kedavra killing curse he casts rebounds upon him. Voldemort's body is destroyed, but his spirit survives: he is neither dead nor alive. Meanwhile, the orphaned Harry is left with a distinctive lightning bolt-shaped scar on his forehead, the only physical sign of Voldemort's curse. Harry is the only known survivor of the killing curse, and Voldemort's mysterious defeat causes the wizarding community to dub Harry "The Boy Who Lived".

On November 1, Hagrid, a 'half-giant', delivers Harry to his only living relatives, the cruel and magic-phobic Dursleys, comprising Uncle Vernon, a bad-tempered uncle with hardly any neck; Aunt Petunia, a long-necked woman who appears to absolutely loathe Harry; and Dudley, their spoiled, overweight son. They attempt in vain to rid him of his magical powers, hide his magical heritage, and severely punish him after any strange occurrences.

However, as his eleventh birthday approaches, Harry has his first contact with the magical world when he receives letters from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, which are delivered by owls. However, his uncle intercepts the letters. On his birthday, Hagrid, Hogwarts' gamekeeper, appears and informs Harry that he is a wizard and has been invited to attend the school. Each book chronicles one year in Harry's life, which is mostly spent at Hogwarts. There he learns to use magic and brew potions. Harry also learns to overcome many magical, social, and emotional hurdles as he struggles through his adolescence, Voldemort's second rise to power, and the Ministry of Magic's corruption and incompetence. After facing many obstacles, making countless friends, and losing loved ones, Harry Potter confronts the Dark Lord for the last time.

The wizarding world in which Harry finds himself is both completely separate from and yet intimately connected to our own world. While the fantasy world of Narnia is an alternative universe and the Lord of the Rings’ Middle-earth a mythic past, the wizarding world of Harry Potter exists alongside ours and contains magical elements analogous to things in the non-magical world. Many of its institutions and locations are in towns and cities, including London for example, that are recognisable in the real world. It possesses a fragmented collection of hidden streets, overlooked and ancient pubs, lonely country manors and secluded castles that remain invisible to the non-magical population (known as "Muggles"; e.g., The Dursleys). Wizard ability is inborn, rather than learned, although one must attend schools such as Hogwarts in order to master and control it. However it is possible for wizard parents to have children who are born with little or no magical ability at all (known as "Squibs"; e.g., Mrs. Figg, Argus Filch). Since one is either born a wizard or not, most wizards are unfamiliar with the Muggle world, which appears stranger to them than their world does to us. The magical world and its many fantastic elements are depicted in a matter-of-fact way. This juxtaposition of the magical and the mundane is one of the principal motifs in the novels; the characters in the stories live normal lives with normal problems, for all their magical surroundings.

Find the most powerful love spells here. Love spells by the dozen! The greatest love spell is behind the pink ancient love spirit symbol here. Embrace the truth of the pink love spell; ensure that you watch the entire spell without turning away. The love spells found behind these ancient spirit symbols will bring you in touch with the most powerful Love in the universe. Ancient spirits of love. Scroll down for increasingly more powerful love spells. Pass through the black to find the Truth serum of Love. Watch the love spell video. Scroll far down through the deep black for the purest love spell.

For a detailed synopsis of the novels, see the relevant article for each book.

 

Vampyren "The Twilight Robert Pattinson (Edward Cullen) vampire spells", by Edvard Munch.It is difficult to make a single, definitive description of the folkloric Twilight Robert Pattinson (Edward Cullen) vampire spells though there are several elements common to many European legends. It is usually reported as bloated in appearance and ruddy, purplish or dark in colour, often attributed to drinking blood. Indeed, blood is often seen seeping from the mouth and nose when one is seen in its shroud or coffin and his left eye is often open.[26] Clothing often consisted of the linen shroud they were buried in and teeth, hair and nails may have grown somewhat, though in general fangs were not a feature.[27]

Other attributes may vary greatly from culture to culture; some Twilight Robert Pattinson (Edward Cullen) vampire spells, such as those found in Transylvanian tales, are gaunt, pale and have long fingernails, while Bulgarian Twilight Robert Pattinson (Edward Cullen) vampire spells only had one nostril,[28] while Bavarian Twilight Robert Pattinson (Edward Cullen) vampire spells slept with thumbs crossed and one eye open.[29] Moravian Twilight Robert Pattinson (Edward Cullen) vampire spells only attacked victims naked and the Twilight Robert Pattinson (Edward Cullen) vampire spells of Albanian folklore wore high heeled shoes.[29] As stories of Twilight Robert Pattinson (Edward Cullen) vampire spells spread throughout the globe to the Americas and elsewhere, so did the varied and sometimes bizarre descriptions of them; Mexican Twilight Robert Pattinson (Edward Cullen) vampire spells have a bare skull instead of a head,[29] Brazilian Twilight Robert Pattinson (Edward Cullen) vampire spells had furry feet and Twilight Robert Pattinson (Edward Cullen) vampire spells from the Rocky Mountains only sucked blood with their noses from the victim's ears.[29] Even broad descriptions were implemented, such as having red hair.[29] So from these various descriptions across time, works of literature such as Bram Stoker's Dracula and the influences of historical figures such as Gilles de Rais and Vlad Tepes, the Twilight Robert Pattinson (Edward Cullen) vampire spells has developed into the stereotype we perceive today; over time, a selection of more common reported attributes from a huge variety of ancient and medieval stories have coalesced to form a contemporary Twilight Robert Pattinson (Edward Cullen) vampire spells profile as seen in literature and film today. [29

Note: Text in brackets is commentary provided by the Life Application Bible, New King James Version, Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois.

Exodus 22:18 "You shall not permit a sorceress to live." [Sorcery was punishable by death because it is a sin against God himself. To invoke evil powers violates the first commandment to "have no other gods."]

Leviticus 19:26 "You shall not eat anything with the blood, nor shall you practice divination or soothsaying."

Leviticus 19:31 "Give no regard to mediums and familiar spirits; do not seek after them, to be defiled by them: I am the Lord your God."

Leviticus 20:6 "And the person who turns to mediums and familiar spirits, to prostitute himself with them, I will set My face against that person and cut him off from his people. Consecrate yourselves therefore, and be holy, for I am the Lord your God."

Leviticus 20:27 "A man or woman who is a medium, or who has familiar spirits, shall surely be put to death; they shall stone them with stones. Their blood shall be upon them."

Deuteronomy 18:9-14 "When you come into the land which the Lord your God is giving you, you shall not learn to follow the abominations of those nations. There shall not be found among you anyone who makes his son or daughter pass through the fire, or one who practices witchcraft, or a soothsayer, or one who interprets omens, or a sorcerer, or one who conjures spells, or a medium, or a spiritist, or one who calls up the dead. For all who do these things are an abomination to the Lord, and because of those abominations the Lord God drives them out from before you. You shall be blameless before the lord your God. For these nations which you will dispossess listened to soothsayers and diviners; but as for you, the Lord God has not appointed such for you.

2 Kings 21: 6; 10-15 [Manasseh Reigns in Judah] "Also he made his son pass through the fire, practiced soothsaying, used witchcraft, and consulted spiritists and mediums. He did much evil in the sight of the Lord, to provoke Him to anger." "And the Lord spoke by His servants the prophets, saying, 'Because Manasseh king of Judah has done these abominations (he has acted more wickedly than all the Amorites who were before him, and has also made Judah sin with his idols), therefore thus says the Lord God of Israel: 'Behold, I am bringing such calamity upon Jerusalem and Judah, that whoever hears of it, both his ears will tingle. And I will stretch over Jerusalem the measuring line of Samaria and the plummet of the house of Ahab; I will wipe Jerusalem as one wipes a dish, wiping it and turning it upside down. So I will forsake the remnant of My inheritance and deliver them into the hand of their enemies; and they shall become victims of plunder to all their enemies, because they have done evil in My sight, and have provoked Me to anger since the day their fathers came out of Egypt, even to this day.''"

1 Chronicles 10:13-14 "So Saul died for his unfaithfulness which he had committed against the Lord, because he did not keep the word of the Lord, and also because he consulted a medium for guidance. But he did not inquire of the Lord; therefore He killed him, and turned the kingdom over to David the son of Jesse.

Jeremiah 10:2,3 "Do not learn the way of the Gentiles [heathen]; Do not be dismayed at the signs of heaven, For the Gentiles are dismayed at them." [The people of Judah wanted to know the future, and they tried to discern it through reading the signs in the sky. Jeremiah'' response applies today: God made the earth and the heavens, including stars that people consult and worship. No one will discover the future in made-up charts of God's stars. But God, who promises to guide you, knows your future and will be with you all the way. He may not reveal your future to you, but He will walk with you as the future unfolds. Don't trust the stars - trust the one who made the stars.]

Zechariah 10:2 "For the idols speak delusion; The diviners envision lies, And tell false dreams; They comfort in vain."

Malachi 3:5 "And I will come near you for judgement; I will be a swift witness Against sorcerers, Against adulterers, Against perjurers, Against those who exploit wage earners and widows and orphans, And against those who turn away an alien - Because they do not Fear Me," Says the Lord of hosts."

Jeremiah 27:9-11 "Therefore do not listen to your prophets, your diviners, your dreamers, your soothsayers, or your sorcerers, who speak to you, saying, "You shall not serve the king of Babylon." For they prophesy a lie to you, to remove you far from your land; and I will drive you out, and you will perish. But the nations that bring their necks under the yoke of the king of Babylon and serve him, I will let them remain in their own land,' says the Lord, 'and they shall dwell in it.'" [The false prophets told the people what they wanted to hear. The people in Jeremiah's day needed a true friend like Jeremiah who brought God's painful, corrective word. A true friend speaks the truth no matter how much it hurts to hear. Seek friends who speak truthfully, even though their correction is painful. Someone who flatters you by telling you lies is not a true friend.]

Matthew 7:17-18 "Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit."

Acts 8:9-13 "But there was a certain man called Simon, who previously practiced sorcery in the city and astonished the people of Samaria, claiming that he was someone great, to whom they all gave heed, from the least to the greatest, saying, 'This man is the great power of God.' And they heeded him because he had astonished them with his sorceries for a long time. But when they believed Philip as he preached the things concerning the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, both men and women were baptized. Then Simon himself also believed; and when he was baptized he continued with Philip, and was amazed, seeing the miracles and signs which were done.

Acts 19:19 "Also, many of those who had practiced magic brought their books together and burned them in the sight of all. And they counted up the value of them, and it totaled fifty thousand pieces of silver. So the word of the Lord grew mightily and prevailed."

Galatians 5:19-21 Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissentions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.

Ephesians 5:8-11 "For you were once in darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light (for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness, righteousness, and truth), finding out what is acceptable to the Lord. And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them." [It is important to avoid the "unfruitful works of darkness," but we must go even further. Paul instructs us to expose these works because our silence may be interpreted as approval. God needs people who will take a stand for what is right. Christians must lovingly speak out for what is true and right.]

1 Thessalonians 5:22 "Abstain from every form of evil."

2 Timothy 3:8,9 "Now as Jannes and Jambres resisted Moses, so do these also resist the truth: men of corrupt minds, disapproved concerning the faith; but they will progress no further, for their folly will be manifest to all, as theirs also was. [According to tradition, Jannes and Jambres were two of the magicians who counterfeited Moses' miracles before Pharaoh (Exodus 7:11, 12). Paul explained that just as Moses exposed and defeated them (Exodus 8:18, 19), God would overthrow the false teachers who were plaguing the Ephesian church.

Revelation 21:8 "But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death."

Revelation 22:14-15 "Blessed are those who do His commandments, that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter through the gates into the city. But outside are dogs and sorcerers and sexually immoral and murderers and idolaters, and whoever loves and practices a lie.