ACTS 16:
¹⁶ And it came to pass, as we went to prayer, a certain damsel possessed with a spirit of divination met us, which brought her masters much gain by soothsaying:¹⁷ The same followed Paul and us, and cried, saying, These men are the servants of the most high God, which shew unto us the way of salvation.¹⁸ And this did she many days. But Paul, being grieved, turned and said to the spirit, I command thee in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her. And he came out the same hour….

The scriptures go on to tell us that once this spirit was cast out of her that she lost her “power” to predict the future and tell tell fortunes.
But let’s look a little closer at the translation of the spirit referenced here. Verse 16 says that that it is the spirit of divination. Divination is a practice used in many cultures and traditions including the Hebraic tradition, Divination is not a spirit. It is only when we go into the Latin word used that we are able to gain insight on what is really being conveyed here. The Greek word is Puthone or Python and is actually referred to as the Greek God Python.

In Greek mythology, Python was the serpent, sometimes represented as a dragon, living at the center of the earth, believed by the ancient Greeks to be at Delphi.
This is considered in Biblical terms to be a familiar spirit. The Hebrew translation and definition of Familiar spirit brings us to two notable concepts. The first is Genies or Djinns which are spirits that are trapped within jars or magical lamps that can be caught and used to gain insight about the future or grant wishes.  The second part of the word Familiar Spirit is the same meaning  for the Greek word Ventriloquist, which is what the ancient Greeks called themselves who channeled the spirit of Pythone. Oftentimes the ventrilliquest oracles of Delphi would get themselves intoxicated with gasses that were extruding from the caves in Delphi. It was found that ethane, methane, and ethylene were in the water near the Oracle. The euphoric effects of ethylene, which had been used as anesthesia in the last century allowed them to channel deeper parts of their psyche and enter hypnotic states.

Puthōn
poo’-thone
Ventriloquist
Word Origin and History for ventriloquist
n.
1650s, from ventriloquy Ventriloquists in ancient Greece were Pythones, a reference to the Delphic Oracle.

In the scriptures we are forbidden to consult with familiar spirits. These are lower level entities or gods that oftentimes masquerade as benevolent beings, but are mischievous and use trickery to deceive. Oftentimes they are dishonest and lead their subject into possession.
The Bible describes spiritual strongholds as when referring two demonic possession. These strongholds are simply thought-forms and ideas contrary to the will of God for your life. Also known as ungodly beliefs. This is also an entryway for demonic possession. Agreeing with the terms and ideas that are not for your highest good gives legal contract for these entities to take residence within your auric field. That’s why Jesus says you shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free. These ungodly beliefs set way for preconceived notions and we begin to see things not as though they are but as we are. This also comes up in PTSD and people who have had relationship trauma or trust issues. Because of past experiences they may not trust a member from the opposite sex again. These beliefs can hinder our relationships moving forward and distort our view and why they are in our lives. We must test the spirits to see their intention and find out their agenda.
Now this is not the case with angelic contact or receiving messages from the Holy Spirit. We are shown throughout scriptures that angels and other beings were sent by Yahweh to bring messages to men on earth. So this is not to negate spirit contact as a whole but simply to understand which spirits we are entertaining.
Channeling
After exhaustive research I have found that what we see going on within many of the channeling circles is not true spirit channeling at all. Many have tapped into the deeper parts of their own psyche and use channeling as a scapegoat to say how they really feel but fear the repercussions and ridicule of their peers. This form of channeling places the blame on whatever “spirit” or “character” is said to be delivering the message. Many of these people have felt a particular way for some time but have been too afraid to voice their own opinion. They receive a boost of confidence when they let the character speak.
In ventriloquism we see mostly shy and nerdy people receive a huge boost in courage and find the ability to say things that they would never say to a person as “themselves” even know inwardly the would love to. While channeling the individuals voice may change so that they take on the persona of another character. Their movements and facial expressions change as well.

The Mask

When people put on a mask “something happens”. Zorro, V for Vendetta and Batman who is seemingly Bruce Wayne transforms his persona with the mask and cape. In the movie The Mask Jim Carrey plays the role of a character named Stanley Ipkiss who is this shy nerdy guy who transforms into an over confident, sex driven macho male type when he puts the mask on.

A number of years ago, I was in a little town, Darjeeling, on the northern boundary of India where it met Tibet. There were several visitors from various countries and the hotel management decided it would be appropriate to give a little entertainment in the Tibetan spirit. So they brought in about a half a dozen Tibetan dancers, with their masks and regalia, to entertain. Among them was a little boy, about eight years old, a very cute chubby little rascal that everyone liked immediately.
But when the time for the dance came, he put on one of the most grotesque mask you’d ever want to see. He really looked like a nightmare. Of course, everyone knew it was the little boy. But during the dance, he started moving over rapidly towards the audience and always getting ready to attack them. You should have seen the audience scatter. They all knew it was the little boy but with the mask, something happened. The evil spirits of ancient and primary fear moved in on those people. They actually subconsciously were terrified.
In the southwest United States, we have a series of ritualistic dances by the various Indian tribes, the Zuñis, Hopis, Navajos. These dances often included masked figures and everyone knows that these masked figures are members of the local community. One of the men with the mask, very carefully developed but rather crude mask, actually has two children in the audience. They all know that it’s father but when he dances toward them with the sacred column, they kneel instinctively as though he was a god. Something happens when the masks begin to take a part in religious rituals. Masks were used in Egypt, we know, in the temple mysteries. Even today, the various carvings and manuscripts of Egyptian origin show human beings with the masks of birds and animals. The Greeks used masks in their theater also. Nearly always a mask becomes a complete change of personality. If accompanied by adequate religious ritual, the mask becomes the secret of the development of a peculiar theological belief that there was a divine power in the mask. And when it was worn correctly and under ritual supervision, it brought a deity into contact with humanity. On the course of time, the mask, of course, has gradually faded but in many primitive countries, they still survive. – By Manly P. Hall 

Persona

People may choose to wear a social mask or “persona” to make themselves appear more socially desirable. This is used to impress members of the opposite sex or to make new friends. People can have multiple personas that they use in various situations; this can include work, being with friends, at home, etc. Depending on the person stronger personas can be created because they put a higher emphasis on social interactions. However Carl Jung warns about using personas too much fearing that one might lose their own individuality to their persona.

The Snapchat Filter

In the height of social media and many people  able to create platforms to speak their opinions we are seeing a growing number of people sharing their opinions yet hiding behind snapchat filters. These works along the same lines because the “Character or Persona” that they are Playing becomes the scapegoat. The character is the one who gets the blame because it’s not really them. The Snapchat mask give them a confidence to speak their mind without the fear of any consequence.

The Scapegoat

Scapegoat theory refers to the tendency to blame someone else for one’s own problems, a process that often results in feelings of prejudice toward the person or group that one is blaming. Scapegoating serves as an opportunity to explain failure or misdeeds, while maintaining one’s positive self-image. If a person who is poor or doesn’t get a job that he or she applies for can blame an unfair system or the people who did get the job that he or she wanted, the person may be using the others as a scapegoat and may end up hating them as a result.

Compartmentalizing

Compartmentalization is a subconscious psychological defense mechanism used to avoid cognitive dissonance, or the mental discomfort and anxiety caused by a person’s having conflicting values, cognitions, emotions, beliefs, etc. within themselves. Compartmentalization allows these conflicting ideas to co-exist by inhibiting direct or explicit acknowledgement and interaction between separate compartmentalized self states.

Tulpas

A tulpa is an entity created in the mind, acting independently of, and parallel to your own consciousness. They are able to think, and have their own free will, emotions, and memories. In short, a tulpa is like a sentient person living in your head, separate from you. You’ll create a tulpa by imagining a person in your head, and treating them as a person. The exact mechanism is unknown, but as you give a tulpa attention, and believe it can be a sentient person, it will grow into one, and act independently of you. At first, you will be narrating to your tulpa—speaking to it, and visualizing it in your mind—and with time, you’ll be able to communicate through various methods. Keep in mind that when a tulpa starts talking, it doesn’t mean that they are complete, or finished by any means. Creating a tulpa means committing to raising and living with another person, and this is a lifelong commitment—not one that ends when your tulpa starts speaking.

Daemons

Daemons are not the same as an evil spirit or demon.
Socrates claimed to have a daemon that frequently warned him—in the form of a “voice”—against mistakes but never told him what to do.

Everyone is born with supernatural abilities that become dormant is not cultivated and utilized from a young age. We are seeing an emergence in these abilities as people are awakening all across the globe about their reality and who they really are. Some people may use ESP (Extra Sensory Perception), empathy or their intuition to be able to pick up on things in or around an individual. This is something that everyone is capable of and is referenced within the Bible as the discernment of spirits. Many have experienced this since childhood and were just told that they have an overactive imagination. In many cases children are drugged to stop messages and feelings coming through from the aethers with the use of Ritalin. This is why we feel it is important to get the information out on this subject matter. With global awakening now in full swing many are now looking to harness their psychic abilities. This fits in with the subject matter because with each one of these God given abilities comes a scapegoat. With each one there is always someone or something to lay the blame on. For the psychic, it’s the crystal ball, for the tarot reader, it’s the cards. For the channeler and medium, it is the spirit. For those who practice spiritual giftings in the church, it’s God. There is always a way out, someone to lay the blame on just in case you are wrong or miss the mark. I am convinced that the knowledge and inspiration that comes through these channelings and readings could come to the practitioner without the use of the scapegoat. It is the power of the ritual that creates a safe space or divine essence to speak while many are already inspired.

You are the mask, embrace the inner voice. This is what Alan Watts calls the Real You. | TruthSeekah