Divination as a Diagnostic Tool

The nation of Israel was admonished by God just as they were about to enter the Promised Land:

When thou art come into the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee, thou shalt not learn to do after the abominations of those nations. There shall not be found among you any one that maketh his son or his daughter to pass through the fire, or that useth divination, or an observer of times, or an enchanter or a witch, or a charmer, or a consulter with familiar spirits, or a wizard, or a necromancer–for these nations, which thou shalt possess, hearkened unto observers of times, and unto diviners: but as for thee, the Lord thy God hath not suffered thee so to do. ²⁾ Deuteronomy 18:9–14.

Caution was also given in regard to false prophets and their proclamations:

They have seen vanity and lying divination, saying, The Lord saith: and the Lord hath not sent them:” “And mine hand shall be upon the prophets that see vanity, and that divine lies: they shall not be in the assembly of my people… ³⁾ Ezekiel 13:6–10.

In studying the history of divination, it soon becomes obvious that every civilization used various forms of divination in an attempt to obtain knowledge not obtainable by the usual means. It is of ancient origin. Reading of omens is recognized as a very early divining practice. A child born with an abnormality might well be looked upon as revealing something of the future. Reading the stars, and using the zodiac were common. Tarot cards, palm reading, crystal balls, and séances all contributed to the use of divination in daily life.

Dictionary definitions of divination are:

The act or practice of trying to foretell the future or explore the unknown by occult means. ⁴⁾ Webster’s New World Dictionary, 3rd College Edition, Published by Webster’s New World dictionaries A Division of Simon & Shuster, Inc., (1988).

A general term for various false systems for seeking supernatural aid, either for information regarding the future or for guidance in present affairs… ⁵⁾ Seventh-day Adventist Bible Dictionary, Review and Herald Publishing Association, Washington D.C., (1979).

And from the Catholic Encyclopedia.

Divination is a form of occultism wherein the person uses objects such as tea leaves, a crystal ball, tarot cards, Ouija board, or any superstitiously interpreted object as the means of attempting to gain or elicit knowledge or information that is beyond ordinary human intelligence. The attempts to contact the dead through a séance, for example, are spiritistic divinations that have been contested by para-psychological testing and proved false. Likewise astrology, witchcraft, zodiac readings or horoscopes are forms of divination. Although it is natural for human beings to attempt to ‘lift the curtain’ and see beyond the present, the tendency should be controlled lest it distract from the unfolded and true vision of God contained in His revelation to mankind. ⁶⁾ The Catholic Encyclopedia, Thomas Nelson Inc. Publishers, Nashville, NY, (1976), p. 168. (1979).

But Laban said to him, ‘If I have found favor in your eyes, please stay. I have learned by divination (some versions use the word “experience”) that the Lord has blessed me because of you.’ (Genesis 30:27).

The Bible records the use of divination, but it does not always say what method was used. Does the Bible promote the use of divination by these stories? Joseph had his cup placed in the sack of grain belonging to his brother Benjamin. He called it his “divining cup.” Joseph’s servant said to the brothers:

Isn’t this the cup my master drinks from and also uses for divination? This is a wicked thing you have done. (Genesis.: 44:5).

When his brothers were brought to Joseph, he said to them:

What is this you have done? Don’t you know that a man like me can find things out by divination? (Genesis. 44:15).

E.G.White, in Patriarchs and Prophets, page 229, states that Joseph never claimed the power of divination. Over 400 years later, God told the descendants of Joseph and his brothers that He was going to give them a land that others possessed because those people were practicing divination along with other acts of which God did not approve. Their degree of iniquity had come to its full. But Israel did not heed God’s command to abstain from divination for we read that the divining rod was in use in Hosea’s day.

My people ask counsel at their stocks, and their staff declareth unto them: for the spirit of whoredoms hath caused them to err, and they have gone a whoring from under their God. (Hosea 4:12).

King Ahaziah of Israel sent messengers to Ekron, a city of the Philistines, to inquire of Baalzebub, the god of Ekron, as to whether or not the king of Israel, Ahaziah, would recover from his injuries of falling through the lattice. When Elijah was sent of God to intercept those servants of the King, he asked them this question:

…Is it because there is no God in Israel that you are going off to consult Baal-Zebub, the god of Ekron? (II Kings 1:3 NIV)

The servants returned to the King who then sent 50 soldiers to bring Elijah to him. When the soldiers came near Elijah God sent fire down from heaven and consumed the Captain and the 50 soldiers. The king sent another 50 and again fire consumed them. The Captain of the next 50 asked Elijah for mercy, where upon God told Elijah to go with him to the King with a message from God. Elijah told the King that he would not get up from his bed because he inquired of Baalzebub rather than inquiring of the God of Israel. (II Kings, chapter 1).

King Nebuchadnezzar, while traveling with his army came to a division in the road. He could proceed to Egypt, or he could travel toward Jerusalem. He did not know which way to go first, so he had an animal killed and “read the liver” as a method of divination.

For the King of Babylon stands at the parting of the road, at the fork of the two roads, to use divination: he shakes the arrows, he consults the images, he looks at the liver.(Ezekiel. 21:21 NKJ).

The use of various methods of divining has been presented including the rod, cup, arrows, and liver. There are scores of other methods. Divination by astrology to establish medical diagnosis has also been a common practice.

Is divining used in medical practice today? In the scientific method of medical care divining is not used. It is used, however, by some of the “alternative” and “holistic” practitioners. This fact is to be found in the writings of those alternative disciplines. Ankerberg and Weldon in their book, Can You Trust Your Doctor?, lists the names of several alternative healing disciplines that in their own literature state that some ractitioners may use divination: these disciplines are psychic healing, reflexology, herbal medicine, naturopathy, dowsing, iridology, color therapy, chiropractic, homeopathy, astrologic medicine, and therapeutic touch. The pendulum is the most common method of divination. ⁷⁾ Ankerberg, John; Weldon, John; Can You Trust Your Doctor?, Wolgemuth and Hyatt, Brentwood, TN, (1991), pp. 100–101.

PENDULUMS

The practice of divining using a rod, wand, or pendulum is ancient. No exact history is available to pin-point the start, but some drawings found in China show evidence of this practice as far back as 1400 B.C. In the Bible (Deuteronomy 18:9–14) which is dated around 1450 B.C., strong words of warning were given to the people of Israel concerning divining as they were about to enter Canaan. Divination was recorded in the Bible as having been used 500 years prior to the writing of Deuteronomy 18. This passage does not state the method of divining that was practiced. In the Bible, it is recorded that divining by a staff was practiced in Israel around 750 B.C. (Hosea 4:12).

Divining with a rod can be considered the same act as using a pendulum. When was it first used in medical diagnosis? We do not know, but early in history the rod became connected with health and healing as evidenced by the following examples. Greek mythology shows ties to serpent power and the use of a “rod” when Apollo handed over to Hermes (Mercury) a magic wand. Homer, in his Odyssey, tells how this rod could send men’s souls to Hades or return them; it had power to bring winds and storms. Another name for the rod was “caduceus” and was depicted as entwined with snakes. The rod was passed on to Aesculapius, the Greek god of healing, and has since become the symbol of medicine.

The pendulum is one of the most frequently used methods of divination. It may be used in psychology to assess personality disorders, to make diagnosis in medical conditions, to choose treatments or medicinals, to find oil in the ground, to locate different metals in the earth, and most frequent of all, to find water underground.

Around 1900, a Catholic Priest, Alexis Mermet, who was a dowser for underground water and metals, concluded that dowsing should be amenable in medical diagnosis for humans and animals as well. He wrote the book, How I Proceed in the Discovery of Near or Distant Water, Metals, Hidden Objects, and Illnesses. He makes the following Statement:

I invented the method of “pendular diagnosis.” ⁸⁾ Bird, Christofer; The Divining Hand; New Age Press, Black Mountain, NC, (1979) p. 289.

It is unlikely that Mermet was really the first to use the pendulum in medical diagnosis, but at least he thought so.

A question was asked, why does a pendulum appear to react to a metallic substance or an underground water vein as well as to a simple act of thought—an action of the mind? In 1806, a bright young German scientist, Johann Wilhelm Ritter, took up this question. While experimenting with a variety of pendulums on various metals, he noticed that the pendulum would swing in a specific pattern for each type of object over which it was suspended. He demonstrated that the swinging or rotating of the pendulum, when held at the top versus the bottom of an object, would give different directions of motion in the pendulum. He did this on the human body and mapped out different anatomical areas showing how the pendulum would spin in one direction, but at other places it would reverse its direction of spinning. Because this reaction reminded him of magnetic characteristics he called this “polarity.”

Today, there are healers who teach that illness is a result of an organ’s or the body’s polarity becoming disturbed and out of balance. They also teach that in order to bring healing, it is useful to apply magnets about the body. There are “magnetic healers” who apply magnets to the body to balance the polarity. Then there are other healers who do not consider polarity, but apply magnets in various places for almost any symptom common to man. They may not have a philosophy as to how it works, but they say it works and that is good enough for them. The philosopher, Frederick Wilhelm Joseph von Schelling, explained it as follows:

There was a “force” in nature that could be revealed mechanically, chemically, electrically, magnetically, and also vitally. ⁹⁾ Ibid., p. 126.

He concluded that when a pendulum is used by a “sensitive” operator it was possible to detect the force described. He believed there was a polarity throughout the universe which was the source of all substance.

Ritter, a member of the Bavarian Academy of Sciences, in the early 1800’s summarized it this way:

What we have, then, are the celestial movements themselves here repeated in microcosm. Could it be that the whole organism of the universe is reflected in the human body? ¹⁰⁾ Ibid., p. 128.

The book continues: What Ritter had stumbled upon at the start of the nineteenth century was the fact that a pendulum or dowsing rod could be used to extract pure information from the universe about any subject no matter how abstract or nebulous. ¹¹⁾ Ibid., p. 129.

The dowsing instrument would respond to the questions or commands of the dowser as long as it could be answered by a “yes” or “no.”

Many people have had very little contact with dowsing, or pendulum exposure, and may only have heard of one or two styles. If their experience has been that they have witnessed or heard only of positive responses from this particular technique, they may be convinced that there is some physical explanation for its function. A knowledge of the various ways pendulums are used will undermine confidence in there being a true physical explanation for the information obtained by their use. In Appendix D, I have included material on water witching. If you read the information presented there you will better understand my above comment.

RADIONICS

Radionics, psychotronics, etc., involves the occult use of technology (various devices). It does not really deal in heretofore undiscovered areas of undetected energy, but rather is dependent on the psychic ability of the operator, referred to as radiesthesia. For example, radionics is divination (not always recognized or admitted), and the same as using a rod or pendulum. Radionics is divination aided by a mechanical apparatus–Abrams box, black box, or any one of the numerous machines used for such work.

Some years ago I had a family come to my office in great distress. They had secured the services of a “medical practitioner” who had sent a saliva specimen of their little girl to a lab that used a radionic machine. The family was told that the machine made the diagnosis of acute leukemia. They were shaken and frightened. They asked for my help in determining if this was so. The child had no symptoms that would have caused a physician to suspect such an illness. A blood count was ordered and done at a hospital laboratory. It was normal with no hint of leukemia. Their medical practitioner had given them the diagnosis of leukemia, because the machine had diagnosed leukemia. The family did not understand what clinical and lab findings go with leukemia and my assurance that the child did not have the disease was not enough to relieve their fears. I sent them to a pediatrician who had advanced training in leukemia. He agreed with me, but their doubts lingered. It took many months of normal life before they were free of the fear caused by this wrong diagnosis.

What concept of science did this medical practitioner have that caused him to believe the diagnosis made by the machine? This introduces a belief that is common in the non-scientific world of health and healing, that of vibrational medicine. The radionic machine is said to be able to detect vibrations or frequencies from the saliva. If any disharmony is in the salivary vibrations, the machine can analyze in such a manner as to detect and diagnose the abnormality. Where does the idea originate that saliva has vibrations, or frequencies? How does vibration from saliva relate to an individual and make it possible for a machine to make a diagnosis of leukemia?

We have to return to the basic pagan belief that every existing thing has a common origin from a non-describable energy (vitalism) that is present throughout the universe. This energy is said to be manifest in every living substance (some authors, writing on this subject, include inanimate substances), and that there is an aura of radiating energy that emanates and surrounds those substances. This radiating energy is believed to have a specific vibrational or electromagnetic frequency. If the particular frequency is off normal, it indicates an imbalance of energy. Electronic machines have been made that are supposed to detect the vibrational imbalance, ascertain the reason for the imbalance, and make a diagnosis. It is simply another form of divination. It is not true science. Vibrational Medicine is simply a synonym for Energy Medicine.

A commonly used radionic machine is the EVA machine—Electro Acupuncture according to Voll (Reinhold Voll). Voll was a German physician engaged in acupuncture, starting in the 1950’s). EVA technique is a form of radionics, with the concept of measuring by use of an electronic machine, hypothesized electric impulses from specific acupuncture points which, in turn, are said to have originated from an organ having “meridian connections” to that specific point. The machine is supposed to reveal low, normal, or high electronic vibrations from the organ. Low amplitude electronic vibration reveals a weak organ; a high signal reveals “inflammation.”

Then, if you find an organ that has a low energy, for example, you insert a medicine contained in a vial into that electrical circuit which also consists of the patient and the machine. If the medicine vibrates at the same frequency as the weak signal being tested, synchronizes, harmonizes, literally, electronically, with the low signal from the weak organ, the amplitude or strength of the signal will get higher as the two frequencies will superimpose and add together. Then you know that what is in the vial is the right medicine for that organ, for that patient. The person doing the testing must be highly sensitive, that is, have high occult powers.

The American Cancer Society, exposing non-scientific alternative medical treatments, lists the following synonyms regarding terms used by proponents of various alternative treatment methods: Electromagnetism, Bioelectricity, Magnetic Field Therapy, Bioelectromagnetics, Bioenergy Therapy, BioResonance Tumor Therapy, Energy Medicine, Black Boxes, Electronic Devices; Electrical Devices, Zapping Machine, Rife Machine, Cell com System.

These terms refer to names given by alternative healers to the energy they say comes from the body, which machines are said to be able to detect, diagnose, and use to treat for different medical disorders. It is claimed by radionic practitioners that when electromagnetic frequencies, or energy fields, proclaimed to be within the body are unbalanced, disease and illness occur. The belief is that these imbalances disrupt the body’s chemical makeup. By applying electromagnetic energy from outside the body, either by the hands of a healer or by electronic devices, practitioners claim they can correct the electrical imbalances in the body.

There are a variety of radionic machines for sale on the internet. You may find a practitioner that uses one but most physicians will not do so. What are these machines, how do they work? Why doesn’t most medical doctor use them? Let me present my answer.

The machines are simply “galvanometers” that measure the electrical resistance of a person’s skin. The machine will usually have two electrodes, one the patient will hold, or, someway be attached to the patient. The other electrode in the form of a pointed wand—probe, will be held by the operator of the machine and apply to “acupuncture points” on the body. The machine has a dial with a needle or has a screen that shows some type of graph which will move in response to flow of electricity through the machine. The machine sends a current through an electrode held by the patient, the other electrode—probe, held on the skin by the operator, receives the electricity flowing through the body and carries it back into the machine which has a gauge. The needle on the gauge moves according to the strength of electrical flow which is determined by 1) amplitude of electricity generated by the machine, 2) the quality of contact on the skin of the two electrodes. If the probe is pushed hard making better skin contact the electrical flow increases, if a poor contact on the skin is made then less electrical flow. That’s it! Nothing more!

A galvanometer is the same electrical tool as the “volt-meter” most men have in their toolboxes. I took my volt-meter, turned it on so it emitted a low amplitude electric current and then grasped an electrode in each hand. No swing of the needle. Then I moistened the fingers holding the electrodes and the needle moved, I squeezed harder and the needle moved further. I took one probe and touched a spot on my body and no motion of the needle, I moistened the skin and now the needle moved and the harder I pushed the probe the greater the swing of the needle in the dial. An acupuncture point is considered by its proponents to connect to and reveal the status of energy balance of an organ, endocrine gland, immune system, or some other body response such as allergy etc. The results of the test really depend upon the operator, not some hypothetical energy balance. This type of testing is often promoted as being able to detect any and every type of disease, even before it manifests in the body. Machine testing is also proclaimed to be able to detect vitamin and mineral deficiencies or excesses, to check substances for response, to select appropriate homeopathic medicinal remedies, and even to treat. Real science! NO! This is fraud or divination or both!

Let’s look at some names applied to these radionic instruments: electroacupunctue according to Voll (EAV); electrodermal screening (EDS); bioelectric functions diagnosis (BFD); bioresonance therapy (BRT); bioenergy regulatory technique (BER); biocybernetic medicine (BM); computerized electrodermal screening (CEDS), electrodermal testing (EDT); limbic stress assessment (LSA); meridian energy analysis (MEA), or point testing. Additional names one may encounter are Dermatron, Vegatest, Accupath 1000, Asyra, Avatar, BICOM, BioTron, Biomeridian, Computron, Dermatron, DiagnoMetre, Eclosion, e-Lybra 8, ELAST, Interro, Interactive Query System (IQS0), I-Tronic, Kindling, LISTEN System, Mora, Matrix Physiques System, Meridian energy Analysis Device (MEAD), MSAS, Oberon, Omega, Acubase, Omega Vision, Orion System Phazx, Prognos, Prophyle, Punctos III, Syncrometer, Vantage, Victor- Vitalpunkt diagnose, Vitel 618 and ZYTO, Zapping Machine, Royal Rife Machine, Cell Com System. ¹²⁾ http://www.mora-akademie.org/mora-mglichkeiten.tml?&L=1 (try mora machine)

What are the claims about the machines’ capabilities? Let us look at an advertisement connected with the Mora Machine.

The Mora technique can be likened to being a health detective. In the hands of the right practitioner it delivers a fascinating in-depth investigation of what exactly is going on in your body on every level at that precise moment. It tests the body for imbalances as well as intolerances of foods and other allergens such as animal fur or dust, for example. It can be used to identify specific nutritional deficiencies and to find the correct homeopathic remedy.

The technique is, in fact, a form of painless electro-acupuncture; painless because there are no needles involved! Originally created for use by holistic skin therapists who continue to use it to treat disorders such as eczema, psoriasis and acne, it is now widely used to detect most disorders that manifest themselves physically, no matter what the cause.

The Mora machine itself picks up electromagnetic waves from the body and then manipulates those that have gone out of kilter by increasing or decreasing their amplitude before sending them back to the body to effect a cure. Where the detective work comes into force is in finding which nutritional or mineral deficiencies are responsible and which ones and what doses or cocktail mix of them will correct them… ¹³⁾ http://www.experiencefestival.com/alternat_health_dictionary-v (now off line)

Bio-Resonance Frequency Therapy is vibrational technique of recording a person’s voice, and submitting it to machine analysis. It is claimed to check for nutritional imbalances, stress, and illness. The acoustical vocal recording is claimed to provide information so that specific frequencies can be ascertained and returned, which are said to resonate and support the body. With this technique it is not necessary to make a diagnosis, as the frequencies imparted back to the body go to the core of the energy imbalance problem.

Practitioners claim that these above mentioned methods can treat ulcers, headaches, burns, chronic pain, nerve disorders, spinal cord injuries, diabetes, gum infections, asthma, bronchitis, arthritis, cerebral palsy, heart disease, and cancer. There is no scientific evidence to support any of the claims made for these devices.

VIBRATIONAL MEDICINE

I suggest that the reader do an Internet search for the term “vibrational medicine,” and read some of the 900,000 web sites available under this heading. The heading on one entry I found is as follows: “VIBRATIONAL MEDICINE, ENERGY MEDICINE, AND VIBRATIONAL RESONANCE.” As I looked through more than 300 web sites, I soon realized that the term, “vibrational medicine,” is used in referring to any or all of the subjects I present in this book. The following definitions are from the Alternative Health Dictionary:

vibrational medicine (energetic medicine, energetics medicine, energy medicine, subtle-energy medicine, vibrational healing, vibrational therapies): “Healing philosophy” whose main “tenet” is that humans are “dynamic energy systems” (“body/mind/ spirit” complexes) and reflect “evolutionary patterns” of “soul growth.” Its postulates include the following. (a) Health and illness originate in subtle energy systems, (b) These systems coordinate the “life-force” and the “physical body.” (c) Emotions, spirituality, and nutritional and environmental factors affect the “subtle energy systems.” Vibrational medicine embraces acupuncture, aromatherapy, Bach flower therapy, chakra rebalanc- ing, channeling, color breathing, color therapy, crystal healing, absent healing, Electroacupuncture According to Voll (EAV), etheric touch, flower essence therapy, homeopathy, Kirlian photography, laserpuncture, the laying on of hands, meridian therapy, mesmerism, moxibustion, orthomolecular medicine, Past-life Regression, Polarity Therapy, psychic healing, psychic surgery, radionics, the Simonton method, sonopuncture, Toning, Transcendental Meditation, and Therapeutic Touch. The expressions “energy healing,” “energy work,” and “energetic healing work” appear synonymous with “vibrational medicine.” ¹⁴⁾ Wilson, Weldon, Occult Shock and Psychic Forces, Master Books, San Diego, CA, (1980), p. 198.

These vibrations, frequencies, and auras that all objects are said to possess are not demonstrable by science despite the using of extremely sensitive instrumentation. This concept is found only in the writings of theosophy (pagan theology), occult writings, believers in vitalism, energy medicine, and New Age writings. True science is often quoted, with an attempt to blend it into the vital force concept so that it looks like true science, but the connection is just not there. Yes, sometimes the machine or pendulum makes a correct diagnosis, but mostly it is incorrect. If it is not true science, how can it be correct any time? How does divination give correct answers at any time or with any method? A power does direct divination—the power of demons or fallen angels. Because a machine gives a correct diagnosis at times does not prove it works by the laws of science. Because a method of treatment may seem to bring healing does not prove the method is following God’s laws of physics.

It is worth noting the conclusions of the Theosophical Research Center in its publication, The Mystery of Healing, page 63:

It is now admitted by those who use the various types of diagnostic machines associated with radiesthesia that for successful work it is necessary to have present a human operator of a special type (i.e., one with occult abilities). It is also well known that some operators are more proficient than others, while in the case of certain people, the machine will not work at all. ¹⁵⁾ White, E.G.; Evangelism, Pacific Press Pub. Assn., Mountain View, CA (1887), p. 607.

In psychometry, an object that a person has handled such as a glass, book, or anything else, can be taken and dowsed (using pendulum or radionic machine) to answer questions or to determine the proclaimed energy imbalance in the person, thus giving answers as to how to treat for illness. A doll may be used to represent a person and the pendulum held over it to identify the location of illness.

OUIJA BOARD

The forms of divination used for medical reasons presented in the preceding pages are performed on, or for, someone. They are not designed to be used by one’s self. The Ouija board allows a person to divine for himself. If there are questions concerning health relating to diagnosis or treatment, these questions can be asked so as to receive a “yes” or “no” answer. The Ouija board can spell out words and give numbers.

The Ouija board is flat with the words yes to one side (left or right) and no to the other. The letters of the alphabet are also on the face of the board, along with numbers zero through nine. There is a small heart-shaped board on which to place one’s hands. When questions are asked of the Ouija board, the small heart-shaped board will slide on the surface of the Ouija board and point with its tip to “yes” or “no,” or to various letters and/or numbers so as to spell out words or numbers, thereby answering the question asked of the board.

The Ouija board is frequently used in parties or at other gatherings of people. This is a method of divination that began in Europe in the late 1700’s or early 1800’s. Baron von Reichenbach, a student of Mesmer, is credited by Garrison in History of Medicine, p. 369, with initiating it. However, almost all techniques have an ancient history of use.

This method of divination, like crystals, seems to be a fast-track for contact with the spirits. Where there has been use of the board, it is not unusual to hear of strange physical phenomena occurring in the home or location of use. This may manifest by objects moving around the house, doors opening and closing with no one present, and many other physical manifestations. A person repeatedly using the Ouija board is subject to demon possession.

The answers coming from divination are accurate and true many times, but at other times they lie. The devil uses these answers to his advantage; an accurate answer may be given in order to gain our interest and confidence. We can be sure that in the long run, his, Satan’s, interest is in our destruction. The highest level and most deceptive divination is when man is led to believe he is communicating with the dead.

For the living know that they shall die, but the dead know not any thing…. (Ecclesiastes 9:5).

There is danger in consulting cultist physicians. …

Angels of God will preserve His people while they walk in the path of duty, but there is no assurance of such protection for those who deliberately venture upon Satan’s ground (see appendix H). An agent of the great deceiver will say and do anything to gain his object. It matters little whether he calls himself a ‘spiritualist,’ an ‘electric physician,’ or a ‘magnetic healer.’ ¹⁶⁾ Hitching, Francis, Earth Magic, Morrow, NY, (1977), p. 196.

Isaiah 8:19, 20 states it very plain:

And when they shall say unto you, seek unto them that have familiar spirits, and unto wizards (diviners) that peep, and that mutter: should not a people seek unto their God? for the living to the dead? To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them.

Satan’s systems of deception start very innocently, then when our interest is developed, we are led on to more involved practices. These in turn can lead to developing psychic powers and communication with spirit entities, animal entities, etc. Channeling allows for demonic possession of our minds and souls. The end result is loss of eternal life.

When so many different instruments and methods can be used to obtain answers to questions and to receive information that is requested, it becomes obvious that the instruments are only a ploy. The real reason is the connection between the mind of the one seeking information and the intelligence that gives the answers, namely Satan or his angels. This same situation is seen in the practice of the different martial arts derived from qi gong (manipulation of vital energy), or using a crystal to direct channeling of energy and spirits.

CONCLUSIONS ON DIVINATION

In the use of the pendulum, what can it do that scientific instruments cannot do? The pendulum can work from maps or dolls, and from long distances; it can find a vein of water or metal, making it possible to cover a considerable area in a rapid manner. It can diagnose and select the remedy. One can ask the pendulum questions and receive a “yes” or “no” answer. These are things scientific instrumentation cannot do.

It is interesting to note that the dowser’s ability may be blunted or turned off by his own doubts, or by the presence of someone who is a strong disbeliever.

The rod must be held with indifference, for if the mind is occupied by doubts, reasoning, or other operation that engages the animal spirits, it will divert their powers from being exerted in this process, in which their instrumentality is absolutely necessary: from whence it is that the rod constantly answers in the hands of peasants, women and children, who hold it simply without puzzling their minds with doubts and reasoning. What ever may be thought of this observation it is a very just one, and of great consequence in the practice of the rod. ¹⁷⁾ Hester, Ben, Dowsing an Expose of Hidden Occult Forces, Leaves of Autumn Books, Payson, AZ (1982), p. ix-x.

It is obvious that the power and intelligence involved is not operating under the rules of our physical laws which do not vary and do not depend upon a sensitive person to demonstrate or utilize them. Ben Hester, in his book, Dowsing, an Exposé of Hidden Occult Forces, shares with us his and his two friends’ eight-year foray into searching for answers to the power behind these practices. He started as an avid believer that the power in dowsing could be explained and was seated in the science of physics that is yet unknown. His friends held the opposite opinion. They joined their talents, energy, and time to pursue an exhaustive study and examination of the subject.

They examined a large volume of the writing and history of dowsing. What stood out was that those writers believing in the subject of dowsing tended to exclude negative remarks and this same trait of presenting only biased views seemed to prevail in books against the practice. There is a 500 year history of writings in many languages telling of dowsing accomplishments, but also books showing the failures of the practice. Throughout this period, the explanation for the power that often did perform some outstanding feat of delivering knowledge could never be arrived at, or agreed upon, even by the dowsers themselves. Hester makes the following comment:

I had a nearly closed mind in favor of dowsing as a not-yet-understood physical phenomenon. The discovery of contradictions in the information from field interviews and written material on dowsing was the beginning. Once my eyes were opened to the fact of the truly supernatural aspect of dowsing and the fact that it had never been satisfactorily explained in the five hundred years of written material–even to the community of dowsers–my own questioning began. ¹⁸⁾ Ibid., on back cover of book.

The answers found by Hester and his friends to the question of what power is involved in dowsing were “found to be shocking. ¹⁹⁾ Ibid.

When all the theories were compared, all the opinions evaluated, and all the contradictions considered, the ancient biblical condemnation of divination began to make sense. In fact the biblical description of dowsing, the death penalty imposed for practicing it, and the exposing of its power source is the only reasonable consideration to be found. It is the only explanation avoided in all dowsing literature. ²⁰⁾King James Bible, Acts 19:19

The past 200 years have seen contention between dowsers and science. Those involved in divination want so much to be able to show that their work is scientific, yet the proof has been elusive. It is an accepted truth that dowsing organizations admit and write that they have no explanation for the feats that they perform. The dowser sees it as a power that has yet to be discovered but is in the physical world, or as some extra talent given to an individual as is music or other artistic ability.

The pagan and nature worshiper sees divination as an extension of his mind which has merely been expanded by a simple procedure. He believes that the intelligence of the universe rests within his mind and is only waiting to be released. The field of science that tests and observes for consistent results tends to see divination as trickery and chance, and to deny that a special power is involved.

There is a third explanation to be considered. As the Bible-believing Christian reads the Bible and he is told of the power of Satan and his angels. The Christian sees two conflicting powers, the devil and his angels, and Christ, the Divine Son of God, and His angels. The power of Satan does not always do evil; many times it will do good and marvelous acts to gain men’s loyalty. Eventually, man will suffer the consequences for choosing to follow and utilize the directions and power of Satan, but it may not be until the judgment day. By accepting his power, we, in essence, choose him as our lord.

I believe the power and intelligence acting in divination to be of Satan. This power has intelligence to be able to answer “yes” or “no” to any question in the universe. It does not matter one twit as to the instrument used in the divination in obtaining the knowledge desired and sought. It has to do with giving the “will” of the diviner to this power. When the divining instrument “bobs,” indicating one-foot distance in America, but a meter in Europe, and this measurement is actually set by the mind of the dowser, there can be no other answer. When dowsing can be done over an individual, or from a saliva sample, a hair, or an object the individual has handled, from a thousand miles distant, there can be no other answer.

The Bible tells of the response of the Ephesians when they were converted and considered their interest in witchcraft prior to conversion. They made a bold move:

…Many of them also which used curious arts brought their books and burned them before all men: and they counted the price of them and found it fifty thousand pieces of silver. ²¹⁾ White, E.G., Messages to Young People, Southern Publishing Assn., Nashville, TN, (1930), p. 275.

E.G. White shares the following comments on the acts of the Ephesians:

When the Ephesians were converted, they changed their habits and practices. Under the conviction of the Spirit of God, they acted with promptness, and laid bare all the mysteries of their witchcraft. They came and confessed, and showed their deeds, and their souls were filled with holy indignation because they had given such devotion to magic, and had so highly prized the books in which the rules of Satan’s devising had laid down the methods whereby they might practice witchcraft. They were determined to turn from the service of the evil one, and they brought their costly volumes and publicly burned them. Thus they made manifest their sincerity in turning to God… ²²⁾ White, E.G., Life Sketches From the Life of Paul, Review and Herald Publishing Association Hagerstown, MD, (1974), p. 138

Further comments were made by the same author in her book Messages to Young People:

Those treatises on divination contained rules and forms of communication with evil spirits. They were the regulations of the worship of Satan, ––directions for soliciting his help and obtaining information from him. By retaining these books, the disciples would have exposed themselves to temptation; by selling them they would have placed temptation in the way of others. They had renounced the kingdom of darkness, and they did not hesitate at any sacrifice to destroy its power. Thus the truth triumphed over men’s prejudices, their favorite pursuits, and their love of money.