#NewAgeReligion

The darkness will not overwhelm the Light

By Sara | December 22, 2024 | Comments 2 comments

For I am the Lord your God who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you. (Isaiah 41: 13)

“The darkness will not overwhelm You, but sometimes it can overwhelm us. Give Sara your strength and perfect peace. Send your angels to surround her and help her escape to the place where you want to plant her feet.” – Pastor Gerry, St. Paul’s Cathedral, London, England.

The first time I was approached by a recruiter on LinkedIn and invited to apply for my current position, I knew this company wasn’t one I could support. I initially turned the recruiter down as I had no desire to proceed.

And yet here I am.

I sometimes wonder how any of this happened. How could I have accepted a position in a place that seemed counter to my beliefs? Was I fooled, misguided, led astray, beguiled, or just foolish?

After being approached by the recruiter again, I wondered if God wanted me there to bring His Light into the darkness. “Maybe I’m supposed to be in this role for a specific reason or purpose,” I told my husband, David.

And so I applied – and prayed. If this isn’t what I should do, Lord, shut the door. Instead of shutting it, He blew the door right off the hinges.

From my first interview, I testified about my faith. “I am a Christian,” I told my boss when she asked me to talk about my spiritual journey. “My faith is everything to me. It’s who I am.” I rejoiced at that testimony, knowing that no matter what happened, I had been unashamed to stand for Christ.

I testified again to my boss before signing the agreement to work for my employer. “There are lines I can’t cross,” I explained. “I cannot offer any praise, honor, or adoration to any deity other than to God the Father, His Son Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit. To do so would be blasphemy to me.”

“I understand,” came the response. “I completely respect that.”

And yet she doesn’t. Every day, I’m unhappy – with the job, the lifestyle, and the culture. Every day since I started, this job has been wrong for me – on multiple levels.

After drawing that first line, my boss introduced me to a former missionary, Mark, who told me how he’d met the billionaire funding this enterprise – along with his wife, the CEO. He said that he liked and admired them. He is also fully funded by them, as well.

“Their wealth burdens them,” Mark explained. “They feel compelled to ‘do good’ with it. If I had to comment on their beliefs, I’d say they are misguided. I could also say that they are not moving in the direction that I prefer. Still, I have no qualms about their sincerity.”

Mark’s description might be the worst depiction of lost souls I’ve ever heard. “Not moving in the direction that I prefer”? Just wow.

I’ve long suspected that Mark’s heart is not as burdened at the idolatry and spiritualism in all this as I am since he told me he’s known, worked with, and bound his organization to these philanthropists for financial reasons for years. Knowing and working with them is one thing. It’s quite another to attend their annual 2-week retreat and participate in their energy transference sessions, which Mark has done. That’s something I could never do.

Mark’s wife, he admitted, believes the organization is a cult. She is not happy with his involvement. I think he’s compromised his faith due to his shared business involvement with them since they are his corporation’s only financial backer.

What I know is that this company’s culture is entirely pagan. In addition to partnering with so-called Christian mystics who believe in reincarnation and clairvoyant healers who believe in energy transference, placing giant stones on the land and crystals throughout their offices to supposedly “transfer and receive energy,” practicing meditation sessions that involve bringing one’s “Divine Self” into one’s body, and asking “permission” from the woods before entering it, they also house a spiritual “school of consciousness” on a European property that trains future spiritualists to facilitate their practices.

The executive director of this school notes in her biography that she is the daughter of a “full-trance medium” while wholly acknowledging that one needs “protection” during their practices. In her own words, “Old world teachers and occultists are reborn in this setting.” The more I learn, the more I know I need to get away from all of this.

While researching this school, I discovered a recorded meditation that validated everything I believed about their ungodly mindset. What I saw and heard shocked me with its mockery of God’s divinity.

In one video, the spiritual “guide” – the school’s founder – leads listeners to “Follow the beam of Light that is anchored in your heart up into the greater source above you. Know that you are in a body of matter, and you are also a source of Light.”

“Here, in the center of the earth, you’ll find the ‘I am,'” explained the guide. “Bring the ‘I am’ up from the earth, through your inner beam of Light, and out into the heavens.”

I couldn’t listen any further – research or no research. What I’d heard was blasphemy against God, the one and only “I am” – as repeatedly referenced throughout scripture. The below references offer only a few examples of this:

“I am El-Shaddai — ‘God Almighty.'” (Genesis 17:1)
“I Am Who I Am. Say this to the people of Israel: I Am has sent me to you.” (Exodus 3:14)
And God said to Moses, “I am Yahweh — ‘the Lord.'” (Exodus 6:2)
“Be still and know that I am God! I will be honored by every nation. I will be honored throughout the world.” (Psalm 46:10)
Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand. (Isaiah 41:10
“I am the Lord; that is my name! I will not give my glory to anyone else, nor share my praise with carved idols.” (Isaiah 42:8)
I, yes I, am the Lord, and there is no other Savior. (Isaiah 43:11)
“From eternity to eternity I am God. No one can snatch anyone out of my hand. No one can undo what I have done.” (Isaiah 43:13)
This is what the Lord says— your Redeemer and Creator: “I am the Lord, who made all things.” (Isaiah 44:24)
“Remember the things I have done in the past. For I alone am God! I am God, and there is none like me.” (Isaiah 46:9)
“I, yes I, am the one who comforts you. So why are you afraid of mere humans, who wither like the grass and disappear?” (Isaiah 51:12)
“For I am the Lord! If I say it, it will happen.” (Ezekiel 12:25)
“I am the Lord, and I do not change.” (Malachi 3:6)
Jesus answered, “I am. And in the future, you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of God, the Powerful One, and coming on clouds in the sky.” (Mark 14:62)
“I am the light of the world. The person who follows me will never live in darkness but will have the light that gives life.” (John 8:12)
Jesus answered, “I tell you the truth, before Abraham was even born, I am!” (John 8:58)
Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me will have life even if they die. (John 11:25)
Jesus answered, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. The only way to the Father is through me.” (John 14:6)
“Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me.” (John 14:11)
The Lord God says, “I am the Alpha and the Omega. I am the One who is and was and is coming. I am the Almighty.” (Revelation 1:8)

And yet, the people I work with believe they can find the “I am” in themselves, the earth below them, and the heavens. Such a thing can never be. There is only one “I am.” He is the God of all creation. You can’t find God by visualizing yourself bringing Him into your body – which is what these pagan teachings suggest. Only through accepting Jesus Christ as one’s Lord and Savior can anyone experience the true “I am.”

In hindsight, Mark was correct when he said, “You are jumping right into the deep end. You’re like Jonah entering Nineveh.”

Ironically, Mark’s timing was nearly spot-on, too. Only a few months into my job, I traveled to the U.K. for work while my daily Bible reading led me to travel into the biblical Nineveh. Mark’s words reflected in my mind while I was there.

I’d dreaded the trip from the first time I learned about it. I knew it would be a mental and spiritual journey, and I was right. I hadn’t been under such work duress since I traveled to France while working as the assistant to a university president eight years ago.

With only a few hours of sleep on the overnight flight to London, I was expected to remain sunny, bright, and constantly social as we met with our U.K. counterparts for an afternoon ice skating activity that quickly became the living embodiment of my social awkwardness. The drinking began as everyone (but me) gushed over how much they loved the company. It started early, at 3:30 pm, with much imbibing of mulled wine and cocktails over the next several hours.

*London’s ice skating rink at Somerset House – surrounded by the King’s College campus.*

This practice continued in earnest at the “winter party” the following evening – a party we had traveled across the ocean to attend. Apart from the cocktails, the steady stream of refilled wine glasses before, during, and after dinner rendered everyone (but me and perhaps one or two others) completely inebriated – as was evidenced by a video later circulated in our company’s group text.

Fortunately, I strategically extracted myself from this dinner when the laughter and boisterous behavior turned into exuberant dancing. Seeing my boss move to the restroom and another team member to the cloakroom, I grabbed my coat, mouthing “thank you” to our hostess and waving goodbye while walking as fast as I could out of the exit.

Later that evening, I dared to open the gift bags we’d been presented earlier. Amidst the bottle of champagne and notepad I received, there was a book of the Spiritual Poems of Rumi. With curiosity, I skimmed the book to determine if it was as unfettered as I presumed it would be.

It was.

Muhammad Balkhi Rumi was an Afghani mystic who lived between 1207-1244. During his lifetime, he served as an Islamic scholar and teacher, writing 65,000 verses – many of which were quatrains.

*A sample page from The Spiritual Poems of Rumi that was provided to me as a gift from my employer.*

Some of these poems are Rumi’s exposition on the meaninglessness of life. Others speak of death and his belief that the afterlife is nothing more than a return to the collective universe, as is evidenced in his poem, Again my soul:

the day my soul
begins the journey
to the skies
is the day
my body is scattered
all over the earth
but if you write
“rise” in the ground
with your finger
I’ll jump out of the earth
and my body
again will come to life

With these crazy thoughts – seemingly embraced by my company – swirling in my head, I began our next day’s venture.

Saturday was our last day in the U.K. Our team had planned to partake in a tour of London together via a city Hop On Hop Off bus. Only 3 of the 13 people invited to participate joined me in seeing the city after the prior night’s festivities.

*A double-decker tour bus waits outside St. Paul’s Cathedral in London.*

About 45 minutes into the tour, the bus stopped at St. Paul’s Cathedral, and I knew I needed to get off. It was here that I parted with my group to experience this beautiful church. After two days of associating with New Agers, I was more than ready to be in a place where I felt comfortable – God’s house.

*St. Paul’s Cathedral exterior, London, England.*

Upon entering the cathedral, I discovered I’d have to pay an entrance fee of 25 British Pounds to tour the sanctuary. Since I wanted to pray more than anything, I moved to the free chapel to the left of the main sanctuary. After beseeching my Heavenly Father to show me how to escape my job, a female chaplain entered the space, asking everyone what brought us to their church.

*The free chapel inside London’s St. Paul’s Cathedral, where I prayed during my trip.*

When she came to me, I didn’t need to say much for her to sense the pain in my heart. She quickly moved into the pew beside me and invited me to talk. I poured out my heart to her.

*Chaplain Gerry and I share a smile after she prayed with me in St. Paul’s Cathedral.*

“Spiritual warfare is a powerful thing,” the chaplain began. “We need to continually ask God to give us strength even while we’re praying for His protection and guidance.”

The chaplain, whose name I learned was Gerry, asked if she could pray for me. To my impassioned affirmation, she did so.

*Exterior front and side of St. Paul’s Cathedral, London, England.*

“Guide Sara’s feet,” Gerry beseeched, “and show her where to plant them.” While Gerry petitioned God for my protection, she said something I’d never considered. “The darkness will never overwhelm You, [Lord], but it can overwhelm us.”

What a beautiful reminder, I thought. I felt such strength, comfort, and relief from those words. My Savior is in control of everything. I am reminded of that fact every day.

She could only smile when I told Gerry I’d been prayed over by a street preacher the night before and by chaplains at Samaritan’s Purse in Asheville, NC. I also explained how David and I met, which led her to ask, “What does your husband think about all this?”

*Me and the London street preachers that prayed with me during my visit.*

“He told me to quit,” I replied. “As did the Samaritan’s Purse chaplain. I trust God, but it’s hard to think of quitting without another job waiting for me. I’ve never done that before.”

“God will show you what to do,” she ended.

I left the chapel with extreme gratitude, knowing that my Heavenly Father would continue to guide me.

The afternoon’s challenges continued as my tour bus never returned to pick up many of us who had hopped off to see Buckingham Palace. Darkness soon descended during the hour and a half we stood waiting in the cold. I knew then that I’d never return to the hotel in time for our group’s evening activities.

After calling my boss and admitting the same, I began walking, seeking shelter from the frigid air. In addition to my distress at the bus never coming and the icy cold that had permeated my bones, I was flustered by the thought that my boss would perceive this as another failure.

Throughout the journey, I sensed her frustration with me. I wasn’t participating. I didn’t have all the peripheral transportation items on her calendar that she wanted (a fact she texted to me while we were seated directly opposite one another during our first afternoon’s lunch).

And then there’s the fact that I couldn’t fake enthusiasm for a trip I didn’t want to be on while everyone else was excited to be there. In short, I felt angst at not performing well and realized I could never be myself at this job.

On the last morning of our trip, I woke up with a new commitment to trust God wholeheartedly. I knew I could no longer say, “I trust God, but…”. I know I need to leave this role. It’s time for me to evidence trust with every ounce of my being – including believing that God will sustain me if I leave my job without another one already in place.

“I do trust you, God,” I prayed that morning, tears streaming down my face. “I’m going to take that trust a step further and give this job to you. I will give my 2-week notice this week.”

As validation of the rightness of this decision, I discovered that my boss had circulated a plan for our group to meet in January to hold a “team practice day.” Translation? She wants to facilitate an all-day activity with an “alignment meditation” as they do in the U.K.

I previously determined that I’d never participate in one of these activities. After researching my work’s “Team Practice” page, I learned that the ideals espoused in these sessions are entirely humanistic and blasphemous. One of the alignment practices repeats the search for “The Light That I AM” that I discussed earlier in this post.

*Meditative alignment practices detailed on my work’s Team Practice Page.*

I’ve already found the “I AM.” He is GOD – my Heavenly Father, the Author and Finisher of everything. The Creator of all humanity is not someone I’m going to locate through the “magnetism of the earth and the current of light from the higher dimensions” that my work’s website details, nor can I breathe Him into myself of my own accord or find that the I AM is really me, myself, and I – as they seem to believe.

Instead, all I have to do is “Be still and know that I am God!” as Psalm 46:10 tells me. I have felt the presence of the Almighty I AM my entire life while my teammates are still searching for Him.

I cannot support cultural practices that are so far from God. I will no longer give any implied consent to their mindset and mission. I can now leave my job, knowing I’ve gone to Nineveh. I testified to thirteen people while I was there. I told anyone who would listen about how God brought David and I together, my surrender to my Heavenly Father, and my peace in knowing where I will go when God calls me home. All but one of these people walked away while I was talking.

I have done my part. While I didn’t cry out in the streets as Jonah did, I now know I can leave, fulfilling my promise to stand for my faith in every possible way. It’s not up to us to save anyone. Only our Creator can do so. He just told us to obey whatever He tells us to do.

Now is the time for me to trust that my Heavenly Father will lead me forward and that He will “place my feet where He wants them next,” as Chaplain Gerry said. That means I need to trust with my whole life – even without a safety net. While that thought frightens me beyond belief, it also fills me with peace.

God is in control. I may never know the reason and purpose of why I was placed in this role – but that doesn’t matter. God does. I’ve done what He asked and lived out my faith in a pagan culture. I will now leave Him to move me as He chooses.

The darkness will never overwhelm the Light – and I pray it will never overwhelm me again. If it does, I will always remember this journey.

For I am the Lord your God who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you. (Isaiah 41:13)

I surrender my fear, understanding, and control to you, Lord Jesus. I know you will help me. I surrender all.

The conscience clause

By Sara | November 28, 2024

You adulterous people, don’t you know that friendship with the world means enmity against God? Therefore, anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God. (James 4:4)

In today’s world, we are consistently asked to be tolerant of the beliefs of others. Unfortunately, tolerance seldom extends to those who have strong Christian beliefs. Instead, we are often told that Christianity is bigoted, intolerant, unloving, and discriminatory. Worse yet, Christians are consistently pushed to co-exist with other faiths. Even Pope Francis recently told a group of students that “all religions are a path to God.” I couldn’t disagree more.

Jesus said, ‘I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.'” (John 14:6) I don’t know about you, but I will always heed Christ’s words before following anyone else’s guidance – even the Pope’s.

Jesus further instructed us to “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate, and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.” (Matthew 7:13-14)

In my last post, I expressed my thoughts regarding how challenging it is for me to be pushed into New Age practices, including guided meditation, yoga, and spiritual banter, including talk of energy transference and “listening to the land.” If my faith was not so strong, perhaps I could go along with and participate in any of these activities or discussions without it meaning anything to me. It is, therefore, I can’t. Of additional consideration is the all-consuming, participatory expectation of this environment.

Throughout my career, I’ve grown accustomed to corporate offerings residing on a different level than the one in which my faith exists. Social activism, DEI initiatives, CRT training, and all things Pride and LGBTQ+ have become the norm in every environment I’ve ever worked in. These ideals regularly exist as part of the secular culture in today’s world. The one big difference between my former workplaces and where I am now is that no one ever made such activities and thoughts a mandatory part of my work.

This company is different. I’ve come to understand that embracing the spirituality of my new employment is the “mission” – which is not something I can ever do. In fact, my boss just told me to invite every on-site employee to a somatic yoga session she’s hosting while our CEO is in town. She balked when I suggested making some of our maintenance team members optional. “If you make them optional, they won’t come,” she told me. “I want everyone there. You’re the only exception since you won’t be in town.” It couldn’t be any plainer than that.

Fortunately, my Christian ideals will not allow me to fake acceptance of this culture. Instead, it has become oppressive to me. I use the word “fortunate” to describe my position, as there is a comfort in knowing that my faith is mightier than my workplace survival instincts.

I don’t think in terms of gray regarding faith and spirituality – nor does the Word of God. The Ten Commandments are unflinching rules given to humanity by our Creator. They are not suggestions.

Ephesians 6:16 tells us to “take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.” I’ve been under significant spiritual attack since accepting this job. The devil has been shooting arrows at me since I first considered this role. While I initially believed God wanted me to walk through this door, I now think it was the devil who opened it. He knows he can’t steal my salvation, but he has tampered with my joy. I’m in a great time of testing to stay patient and focused on my Savior – despite the demonic attacks that are plaguing me.

Tolerance is one of the deadliest arrows in Satan’s arsenal. He uses it to water down the Gospel and confuse those not entrenched in His word. After all, what could sound more aspirational than tolerance? Isn’t it something we should all seek? Won’t tolerance bring more souls to Christ?

I’m afraid not. You see, God’s Word is incontrovertible. It’s also hard, at times, and we don’t always understand it.

But that’s okay. God is God. His power, dominion, and sovereignty are irrefutable. We shouldn’t want Him to be more acceptable to us. Instead, we should continually strive to do all we can to honor and revere His authority over us and all creation.

God is omnipotent, omnipresent, and omniscient. That thought gives me comfort. I want assurance in knowing that my Heavenly Father controls everything. I’ll say it again: God is in control of everything. That means that since He created us, He also knows what’s best for us and loves us with everlasting love. Nothing could ever be more significant or formidable than that.

I honor, respect, and serve my Creator. He loved me before I was born. How can I not give every portion of my existence back to Him – including how I spend my days working on this earth?

I want my life to be pleasing to my Savior. God hates sin – with a passion. He told us that we should do the same. Here are just a few passages regarding this reality:

You must not live according to the customs of the nations I am going to drive out before you. Because they did all these things, I abhorred them. (Leviticus 20:23)
For you are not a God who is pleased with wickedness; with you, evil people are not welcome. (Psalm 5:4)
I abhor the assembly of evildoers and refuse to sit with the wicked. (Psalm 26:5)
Let those who love the Lord hate evil, for He guards the lives of His faithful ones and delivers them from the hand of the wicked. (Psalm 97:10)
I will not look with approval on anything that is vile. I hate what faithless people do; I will have no part in it. (Psalm 101:3)
If we claim to have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth. (1 John 1:6)
Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them. (Ephesians 5:11)

That last verse has become one of my life verses. I’ve always been careful about who I associate with.1 Corinthians15:33 says, “Do not be deceived: ‘Bad company ruins good morals.'” Shouldn’t this standard also apply to those I spend my workday with? Should the work I support be any different than the company I choose to spend my time after work with? I don’t believe so. Not if I can help it.

A week ago Sunday, our director of energetic net offerings shared photos of a place he frequently visits in the mountains called Amadell. The location is about an hour away from our organization’s land. Following his photo-send, the director shared two pages in a book called The Spiritual Reawakening of the Great Smoky Mountains by Page Bryant. In his message, my team member called the location a “place for deep rejuvenation and meditation,” claiming that “the energetic clarity of that place is world-class.”

*The Great Smoky Mountains* *as seen from the trails of Amadell, NC.*

He also offered to take our team on a “pilgrimage” to Amadell, remarking that “this sacred site is not to be missed.”

Bryant, Page. *The Spiritual Reawakening of the Great Smoky Mountains.* Mystic Mountain Center, 1994. P. 93.

Following the photos were two pages taken from this book – one of this director’s new “favorites.” Ironically, these passages provide a more accurate portrayal of how my coworkers think and talk than anything I could ever describe on my own.

Per Bryant, “When I viewed Shining Rock Mountain clairvoyantly, I ‘saw’ that the peak has an indwelling spirit force unlike any I have ever seen. This great Mountain Deva appears to have a sheer, transparent form with great white wings and a pale complexion. Its crystal-like eyes radiate pure light like prisms. I felt a powerful and ancient energy being emitted by this Deva, a sound that is similar to a shrill, high-pitched whistle.

“I also sensed a ‘presence’ at Cold Mountain. It was a Being who appeared wrapped in a silvery cocoon-like aura that glimmers in the light of the sun and moon. I also sensed the mountain sending out an audible vibration that sounded like the howling of wind and I felt very strongly that the wind spirits frequently center themselves around the area. Both Shining Rock Mountain and Cold Mountain are wonderful places for recharging yourself on every level: physically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually. Crystal from Shining Rock (and the area surrounding it) would serve as a wonderful energy-giving sacred object when worn on the person, or when carried in a medicine bag, or held in the hand during ceremony. Physically, it would charge the body when one is experiencing low vitality. However, should you decide to take a small piece, remember to ask permission from the mountain first and leave an appropriate offering in its place.” (p. 94)[1]

Bryant, Page. *The Spiritual Reawakening of the Great Smoky Mountains.* Mystic Mountain Center, 1994. P. 94.

Before I go further, let me point out all the pagan references in the above passages.

The author speaks of viewing the mountain “clairvoyantly “– meaning he was having an out-of-body experience at the time, or one in which he viewed things beyond his normal sensory perception.
When Bryant refers to Cold Mountain as a “Deva,” he does not mean a prima donna or someone who thinks highly of themself. Per Symbolsage, “Devas are celestial beings that appear in Hinduism, Buddhism, and Zoroastrianism. They are described as “complex beings, with varied powers and roles.”
The crystal structure of Shining Rock Mountain is considered a “sacred object” by Bryant, with special powers that can be captured, if allowed by the mountain itself and retained by whoever is fortunate to obtain a piece of it.

All of this sounds eerily similar to my boss’s new belief we should also “ask permission before crossing the threshold” of the woods that fill our company’s land. While this New Age speech is something I’m becoming more accustomed to hearing, it never ceases to amaze me at its absurdity. Who am I asking permission from? The trees? The land? The spirits they believe exist in the space? Whatever they perceive, it’s all God – even if they can’t acknowledge His presence.

Last Wednesday, my boss emailed me and our general manager affirming her desire for our team to visit Amadell as part of the new monthly, all-day “practice” sessions she wants to begin – mirroring what our U.K. team does. I couldn’t even respond.

Today, I am covering all this with prayer – even as I’m actively working to escape from this environment.

In the meantime, if necessary, I will stand firm in my faith and enact a conscience clause over these directives. Like Jack Phillips, the Colorado baker who refused to bake a wedding cake for a same-sex couple years ago, or Kim Davis, the county clerk who denied marriage licenses for the same purpose, or Dr. Eithan Haim, the Texas whistleblower who is being sued for reporting that the Texas Children’s Hospital was still performing gender surgeries on minors despite his state’s new law prohibiting the same, I, too, can’t go against my conscience to do something at work that violates my faith. While my ordeal may not be as dramatic as theirs, my predicament is no less burdensome.

For now, I’m praying for a miracle: a true divine intervention, an act of God. I serve an all-powerful Creator who knows the trouble that fills my soul at every new workplace revelation. Every day, I learn more about the beliefs, ideals, and intentions of our Center. Trust me. It’s not good. There is much more to say, but it must wait until next time.

Proverbs 28:5 reminds us, “Evildoers do not understand what is right, but those who seek the Lord understand it fully.” What my team members are doing may seem perfectly normal to them. To me, it can never be.

For you, my readers and friends, this may not seem like much of a dilemma, but for me and my conscience, it is. The bottom line is that this work feels as abhorrent to me as if I was working for a palm reader or a pimp. I can no more align myself with that type of environment than I can with this one.

I will leave you with these verses that summarize my stand. “Do not let my heart incline to any evil, to busy myself with wicked deeds in company with men who work iniquity and let me not eat of their delicacies! Let a righteous man strike me—it is a kindness; let him rebuke me—it is oil for my head; let my head not refuse it. Yet my prayer is continually against their evil deeds.” (Psalm 141:4-5)

[1] Bryant, Page. The Spiritual Reawakening of the Great Smoky Mountains. Mystic Mountain Center, 1994.

The lost world of new age religion

By Sara | November 18, 2024

Gather together and come; assemble, you fugitives from the nations. Ignorant are those who carry about idols of wood, who pray to gods that cannot save. (Isaiah 45:20)

Over the past two weeks, I’ve lived, worked, and traveled the mountains of western North Carolina to support twelve visitors, eight staff, seven group dinners, eight lunches, an offsite team event, daily house cleanings, constant dishwashing, vacuuming, shopping, grocery and lunch pick-ups accounting to hundreds of miles on the road (not including an 8-hour round-trip drive to the site from VA Beach) – all detailed in a twelve-page, ever-changing itinerary. In week one, I worked 96 hours. In week two, I put in 58. To say I’m exhausted – mentally, physically, and spiritually – is an understatement.

More challenging than the hours, though, is the struggle I’ve felt in realizing how deeply embedded my new org is in the lost world of New Age religion. While I was promised that my company is “non-denominational,” and even though they are incorporating themselves as an “educational network,” their spiritual components take center stage in everything they do.

Over the past six weeks, I’ve learned that they are:

Building a temple

Walking barefoot in the woods to commune with nature and experience “her” energy

Facilitating New Age practices – including sound baths, yoga, and guided meditation sessions

Talking about the communal “Divine” and bringing one’s “divine self” into and out of one’s body

Instituting pagan practices such as “requesting permission to cross the ‘threshold’ before entering the woods.”

Placing giant (6-8 ton) amethyst and obsidian stones around the 100-acre campus to “protect” the land and provide energy to the Center

Seeking to “create a new world” together (a direct quote by the CEO)

While I do my job well in supporting the administrative components of their events, activities, and meals that welcome and care for guests visiting their land, I cannot embrace their culture. I’m walking a thin line in performing my job even as I strive behind the scenes to return to my former role or find a new one elsewhere.

In a nutshell, the mission playing out in front of me is blasphemous. It hurts my spirit, and I can’t be a part of or support it. Apart from quitting outright, I now know that my time here is temporary, and I trust my Savior to show me where He wants me to go next. I can’t give up my mind, body, and spirit for this job – which is what I now see they want and need from me. Thank you for praying with me as I strive to move elsewhere.

In the meantime, I’ve glimpsed more of what’s happening behind the curtain than I ever could have imagined. I now see that this world’s lost and hurting souls will seek anything and everything to find peace, contentment, and love.

As one who has found the “peace that passes understanding,” it shocks me to see the absurdity of those who believe that their practices can ever provide the same. They can’t.

Even worse, I know that “There is a way that appears to be right, but in the end, it leads to death.” (Proverbs 13:12) What my new employer is promoting is not global love and understanding. It is, in fact, eternal damnation and separation from our Heavenly Father.

Don’t get me wrong: my boss and everyone who works at my new company have beautiful hearts and loving spirits and are completely sincere in their ideals. After all, you can be a “good person” and still be completely lost.

Before I accepted this role, I spoke to a former missionary, Mark, to better understand whether I could take such a position as a Christian. Mark told me he’s known the billionaire philanthrope for thirteen years. Mark’s current manufacturing work is now wholly supported by this same generosity. After learning that fact, I considered Mark’s sanction a sign from God that it was okay to move forward. I now wonder if his financial well-being may have prejudiced his endorsement.

While my eyes were open to the ideals of this org, I believed my boss’s assertion that I’d never have to participate in any of their events and could manage her schedule from afar. That all went out the window when she needed me to support their efforts on-site for the past two weeks. What I’ve seen and heard about now leads me to pray daily for everyone I work with.

Last weekend, my boss joined our CEO/founder and another senior leadership team member to visit Indiana for a guided weekend with the Researchers of Truth (ROT) leadership team. When I first heard this group’s name, I began investigating it. I discovered that this religion is commonly referred to as a form of Christian mysticism – something I’d never heard of before but now believe to be a misnomer. A genuine Christian can never believe in mysticism.

Per the ROT website, this group seeks to “free ourselves from illusions, to find our Real Self and express it, to remember who and what we are.” This ideology translates into an irreverent reinterpretation of Holy Scripture that blends the mystical, spiritual, and ethereal into a “Methodical Teaching System that will lead you to know more about Yourself, about Reality and about the Universal Intelligence we call ‘God.'”

This statement alone discounts everything Christianity stands for. Our Heavenly Father is not a “Universal Intelligence” called God. God the Father, Jesus Christ His Son, and the Holy Spirit are our triune God. Any other description is heresy.

When I first heard the group described as “followers of Daskalos,” I had no idea their founder believed in reincarnation. According to their website, Stylianos Atteshlis – also known as Daskalos, the Greek word for “teacher” – began their religion in 1919, at the age of 7 years of age. As the author of several books, Daskalos wrote about the life of Jesus, even quoting from the Gospels in his works. He also retold some of Christ’s parables in another of his books – further distorting Jesus’ ministry and blurring the lines between mysticism and truth.

Daskalos believed he descended to earth “as an already spiritually developed person about 3,500 years ago from another world.” In his teachings, this guru, who didn’t like to be referred to as such, detailed three reincarnations during the life of Christ: one as a young boy named “Jason” who he claimed the Apostle John brought to Jesus; a second iteration at the age of 10, studying in a temple to become a rabbi; with a final claim of incarnation in Christ’s lifetime at age 17 – when Atteshlis claims to have encountered Jesus carrying His cross to Golgotha. Altogether, Daskalos detailed 12 separate lives he experienced over centuries.

Although Atteshlis died in 1995 at age 83, the Researchers of Truth still feature him in the “Meet the Team” section of the ROT website – as if he is an actively participating board member.

In their founder’s account, Daskalos is described as one with a profound ability to heal “so-called ‘incurable’ diseases, such as deadly cancers.” Their description of him continues by saying, “[Atteshlis’s extraordinary skills empowered by Spirit also enabled the ‘permanently’ lame and disabled to walk freely again. Stylianos not only treated physical illnesses but also those whose hearts carried deep and persistent emotional wounds found relief under his loving care. Those who walked in mental darkness, negativity, and confusion were led out of the shadows and back into the light by him. Of course, Daskalos never claimed he healed anyone and stated, ‘no person ever healed another person. The Holy Spirit does any healing that takes place.'”

Assuredly, we, as Christians, know that to be true. The fact that this group attaches these supernatural healings to this mortal man further chronicles their cultic beliefs.

After returning from her Indiana weekend with the ROT team leaders – Daniel and Aki – my boss gushed over her elucidations in a mailing she copied me on, inviting these leaders to visit the Center soon. “I’m delighted that we will be traveling this path of collaboration and co-creation,” she wrote them – ending with, “I’m excited to build on this beautiful energy and momentum!”

In response, Daniel affirmed that he, too, is “very enthusiastic about the movement of our collaboration.” He further explained that he is “already getting inspirations about presentations at your amazing Center in North Carolina.”

While their visit dates have not yet been determined, my boss assured Daniel and Aki, “We will most certainly make it happen in divine timing.”

With God’s timing, I thought, I will no longer be present to be subjected to the same.

Later that same evening, our CEO posted a group photo taken with the ROT team. Some team members claimed the photo was positively “beaming with light.” Our CEO also shared a picture of the “adorable [ROT] temple, all hand-built by Daniel Joseph.” I saw the same as a foreshadowing of things yet to come on the Center’s land. Again, I hope never to see such a thing.

As further blasphemy, the ROT descriptions detail Daniel’s first encounter with Daskalos on Cypress. During that first meeting, he learned from Daskalos about the “spiritual pearl of the greatest value – Self Realization.”

Conversely, God’s Word tells us about Christ’s parable of the pearl of great price. “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking beautiful pearls, who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had and bought it.” (Matthew 13:45-46)

Equating self-realization to the undeserved gift of eternal life bestowed on humanity by Jesus Christ is further evidence of the demonic reinterpretation of God’s amazing grace. Such an ideal is horrifying to me.

In addition to Daniel, Akiko Toshimitsu (Aki) rounds out the current leadership team of the ROT. Per her bio, Aki describes her “current incarnation” as a “highly advanced spiritual healer…who serves as creator and presenter of meditations.” Her description further entails another blasphemous reference to biblical theology. Aki delights in being “a pure fountain of the Living Water of Truth [as she shares] the beauty of the teachings of Daskalos and the Researchers of Truth with the world.”

Lest anyone doubt, Christ Jesus is the only “Living Water” anyone can partake of. To proclaim anything else is sacrilegious.

“Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, ‘Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.’ By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive. Up to that time the Spirit had not been given, since Jesus had not yet been glorified.” (John 7: 37-39)

In my presence last week, one of our guests referred to her boss as someone who showed her “the way, truth, and the life.” I immediately recoiled at this statement, knowing full well that the only one who can ever do so is Jesus – my Lord and Savior.

Scripture tells us in John 14:6 that “Jesus answered, ‘I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.'”

And so, my sorrow over these lost souls continues. I can only dispute their distortions once I’m prepared to walk out the door. Until that day comes, I will remain as far apart from them as possible. Their lost souls hurt my heart. I cannot and will never partake in their practices.

If push comes to shove, I will end my journey on that note and walk away.

I pray that God reopens the door with my former employer – or elsewhere. While I remain where I am, I will continue to shine God’s light in this place of spiritual darkness. My greatest challenge is staying immune to the oppression these ideals and practices are attempting to impose upon me.

Thank you for your prayers.

Tag: #NewAgeReligion