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Barbara Graver

Barbara Graver

Paranormal Fiction | Spiritual Warfare | Our Catholic Faith

Of Angels and Demons

September 11, 2022

My Experience with Light and Dark  

It’s not a coincidence that the title of this post is a lot like the title of my nonfiction ebook in progress.  

I’ve toggled between light and dark enough, over the course of my life, for it to be a theme for me.  And angels and demons are part of that theme.  

Largely because I believe that I’ve had experience with both.  

I believe, for example, that I’ve felt the influence of my guardian angel on several occasions.  And I’m quite sure that I dealt with the demonic directly, and repeatedly, during my time in the occult.

I have tried (on multiple occasions) to write the story of my experience of spiritual light and darkness.  But I’ve failed to finish that book.

So I decided to put a condensed version up here on the blog.  That may well be the end of that particular story.  But my interest in light and dark persists.  

An Study in Contrast

I’ve been studying spiritual light and spiritual darkness ever since I came back to the faith.  My reference, right now, is Catholic exorcist, Fr. Chad Ripperger’s excellent book Dominion (affiliate link).

In Dominion, Fr. Ripperger breaks down the the teachings of “angel saint” (and flat-out genius) Thomas Aquinas on the topic of angels and demons.  And Ripperger does so in a way that sacrifices nothing.

Or that’s my sense of it anyway.  I can’t really know for sure because I find the writings of St. Thomas difficult.  Dominion on the other hand is perfectly readable.  Though this does NOT mean the book is a breeze (or at least it isn’t for me).

For me, reading Dominion is a little like reading a textbook and, as with many textbooks, the only way I can really be sure I’m not missing anything is by taking notes as I go.  This way of working through a book is slow going, however, and my wrist has been hurting lately  – so I had set Dominion aside.

Then an interesting thing happened. 

Talking About Angels

This week, I received a Facebook message from someone I had done a bit of Internet radio with when I was still in the New Age and occult.   In the message I found a series of questions about my current beliefs. One in particular stood out.

“Do you still work with the angels?”  

So I responded as best I could – basing much of what I said on what I’d learned from Fr. Ripperger’s book.

I should get back to that book, I thought, and maybe I would have.  Or maybe not.

Then, as luck or providence would have it, I finished writing out my response and went out for a walk.  I was only a few blocks from the house when I noticed a book lying on the pavement in front of me.  It was a Chicken Soup for the Soul book.  

I’m not really a huge a fan of the series but the title did catch my attention.  

“Believe in Angels.”

I already do, I thought, though probably not in the way this particular book suggests.  

Later that day I shared a picture of the Chicken Soup angel book with the person who’d sent the questions.  She  told me that she felt I was meant to read it.  But it’s my practice, as of late, to stick with books that are true to the faith.

So I went back to Dominion, sore wrist and all, and began to take notes.

in: Demonology, Occultism, Spiritual Warfare # angels demons

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The Seven Sorrows Rosary is a wonderful Lenten dev The Seven Sorrows Rosary is a wonderful Lenten devotion!

The Seven Sorrows which Pierced Our Lady’s Heart.

1. The Prophecy of Saint Simeon. (Luke 2:34–35)

2. The escape and Flight into Egypt. (Matthew 2:13)

3. The Loss of the Child Jesus in the Temple of Jerusalem (Luke 2:43–45)

4. The Meeting of Mary and Jesus on the Via Dolorosa.

5. The Crucifixion of Jesus on Mount Calvary. (John 19:25)

6. The Piercing of the Side of Jesus, and His Descent from the Cross. (Matthew 27:57–59)

7. The Burial of Jesus by Joseph of Arimathea. (John 19:40–42)

Not only do we get to unite our sufferings and sorrows to Our Lady of Sorrows, we are also promised 7 Graces:

According to St Bridget of Sweden (1303-1373), there are Seven Graces of this devotion.

1. I will grant peace to their families.

2. I will be enlightened about the Divine mysteries.

3. I will console them in their pains, and I will accompany them in their work.

4. I will give them as much as they ask for as long as it does not oppose the adorable will of my Divine Son or the sanctification of their souls.

5. I will defend them in their spiritual battles with the infernal enemy, and I will protect them at every instant of their lives.

6. I will visibly help them at the moment of their death, they will see the face of their Mother.

7. I have obtained this Grace from my Divine Son, that those who propagate this devotion to my tears and dolors, will be taken directly from this earthly life to eternal happiness since all their sins will be forgiven and my Son and I will be their eternal consolation and joy.

#lent #Lent2023 #catholiclife #LentenJourney #catholicfaith  #lentenseason
I wasn't able to attend last week but am looking f I wasn't able to attend last week but am looking forward to doing the Stations of the Cross with the rest of the congregation this Friday!
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