In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Amulets are objects to which are attributed the power to expel negative energies
and thus ward off "bad luck". Talismans on the other hand, are objects to which
a magical power is attributed to attract positive energies and thus bring good luck.
All of these things are superstitions at best; and in other cases they could be hexed
objects that would cause us serious problems.
Many people who seek higher powers and want to
succeed in life with all the illusion of their years seek the easy path to success through
these objects, easy to buy in specialized stores, putting their trust and security more in these
objects than in God and in His divine providence.
Sometimes they learn to perform certain magical
rituals with which they also try to control and harness the hidden forces for themselves.
For this reason the Church tells us with its 2,000-year-old wisdom:
The business of amulets and talismans moves many millions.
All kinds of objects are sold by mail or in specialized stores. Many of them represent macabre
things with skulls, satanic images or monsters, which can be on T-shirts, keychains, ashtrays,
necklaces, rings.
There are many magicians that talk about rechargeable amulets and
talismans from time to time in order to increase the number of unaware customers.
The New Age especially promotes the use of crystals and gems, which according to
them are capable of curing diseases and filling people with positive energies.
There are also people and even children whose mothers had taken them to magicians or shamans
and made them wear some stones or things around their necks that seemed unimportant
and instead of curing them, had made them worse. Why?
Because if we step into the territory of our enemy the devil, we will fall into
the clutches of his power, and then getting out of it will be more difficult and more costly.
Let's look at a specific case.
Megan became interested in esotericism when she was young,
when she became passionate about Japanese cartoons. She says:
I was fascinated by oriental culture and so I began to read New Age magazines that seemed
to satisfy my curiosity.
New Age and Japanese cartoon stories deal with themes such as magic
and reincarnation. I soon became interested in the subject of crystals, that according to the
culture of the New Age, have a special energy. I was very impressed with the idea that these
powers could change my life. I was bad in my studies and my best friend had betrayed me.
I started going to an esoteric store which sold some special stones. One of these had
been loaned to me as a powerful amulet capable of warding off all negative energy. They recommended
that I always carry it with me and never leave it alone. From that moment, it seemed that everything
was going better and I was really happy and believed that the magic stone gave me luck.
One day during an excursion, I lost my amulet. At night when I returned home, I realized that
I lost it and I began to cry. At first I was desperate. I felt lost without my magic stone.
I began to think that my life was going to go wrong and they were going to punish me
for having lost the amulet. I was terrified. I imagined some kind of demon punishing me.
I was afraid that all the negative energy would come back into my life. I felt suddenly weak.
I had lost my precious ally, the magic stone that gave me the strength to live.
Little by little, I was remaking myself. My religion teacher helped me out of that
esoteric trap. She told me that I had to find the true strength in Jesus and that I could not allow
myself to be conditioned by a New Age amulet. From that moment on, I felt happier and more alive.
I returned home with a heart full of joy and without any fear of negative forces.
Now I think I was foolish and I don't understand how I could fall
into such a trap; but when one is alone, one clings to anything, even a stone.
Wicca is a neo-pagan cult, mixing paganism with magic and superstition.
It is not itself a religion, as it does not have precise structures. It is an esoteric
stream of thought that one can adhere to without any particular commitment.
It is presented as a
kind of good witchcraft. It has an exaggerated veneration of nature and its natural forces to
the point of divinizing and worshiping it. Wiccan followers believe in reincarnation and practice
a series of magical rites, from love songs to enrichment and money-attracting ceremonies.
They have as a fundamental principle of their doctrine: "Do what you want, but without doing harm."
With this they promote all kinds of disengagement, especially in sexuality.
They strongly encourage the use of natural amulets and talismans and have the Book of
Shadows as their fundamental book, with all kinds of magical rites that anyone can practice to
attract positive energies. This doctrine has been widely spread due to certain films or magazines.
They present it as an alternative religion where women are fascinated with the possibility
of becoming good witches and thus having the power to solve the problems of daily life.
They invoke rare divinities and lock themselves in their room,
making magical ceremonies with candles, incense and natural plants.
But the danger is in believing
that there is good white magic or sorcery, invoking any divinity or spirit.
In addition, for many people with problems it is an easy path to want to solve all their problems with magic,
instead of facing them with effort, work and sacrifice.
It is easier to want to make a woman or man fall in love with witchcraft than
with sympathy and sweetness;
and the same goes for passing exams or to cure diseases.
In a word, to believe in Wicca is to enter a magical world without personal commitments,
where anything goes and everything is wanted as soon as possible.
By magic we can understand all kinds of rites which are intended to channel the hidden forces
to achieve our desires.
Some magicians perform magical rituals so one is lucky in their business,
or to have a job, or to cure diseases or to get a beloved partner.
When they do black magic to do harm, with the help of the devil, they are called witches.
Many people wear amulets and talismans.
And, when they have problems, they try to solve them
through magicians instead of resolving, working, doing effort themselves and trusting in God.
It is the culture of the easy things, as if everything was achieved with money and
with superior powers and not with our effort and the help of God.
Certainly, magic is a good business for many magicians and fortune-tellers
who do a lot of advertising in the yellow pages, on radio, television, and the Internet.
The bad thing about magicians is that they work directly with the devil and they become
witches or black magicians, because they do black magic. But, in all cases, they have a malevolent
ability to create a dependency in clients to ruthlessly rip off every last penny from them.
Every time the client visits them, they have something new to give or tell them.
They will never tell you that everything is fixed and that you no longer need to go to their office.
Sometimes they give candles or incense, love powder, magic herbs or sewn sachets that should
not be opened, or various kinds of talismans or amulets to attract luck or protect from
negative forces. They will never tell you to go to church to pray to solve your problems
or to pray your Holy Rosary, but come back every so often to recharge the talismans or for new consultations.
There are people who are so dependent on the magician that they are unable to make decisions
without consulting them,
being slaves of their opinions to take a trip, marry such a person or
run a business.
The famous Italian exorcist Raul Salvucci said that he knew a great businessman who
always traveled in the company of a magician,
who worked full time for him in order to advise him on everything.
The same happens with some politicians or great people of sports or in music.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.