Is the Paranormal normal.

I'm a normal guy, married with kids. Don't have any special interest in the paranormal but do enjoy reading the odd paranormal story/watch films etc.

Years ago, I did get into mediumship. Some things started happening and was told I had a lot of spirits around me.

I have always had an 'intuition' and had greater knowledge but assume is intelligence/common sense.

I went along with it though and went to a few meetings. Thought I could meet a girl through it. Oh, I did!

Started off in an amateur group but was quickly invited to a private group due to my ability. Most of the amateur group were really off on a tangent. Talking about aliens, seeing dead people, protecting people from demons etc.

The private group were still strange but a higher level. Concentrated on contacting spirit and no interest in crop circles or group chanting etc.

We practiced on each other and I quickly learned most people just agreed with anything that was said, rather than saying No, I don't know what you're talking about. Which is what I said, a lot. So they started getting frustrated with me.

They had a spiritualist shop selling crystals, dreamcatchers and other assorted gimmicks. I was asked to do a few readings and was offered payment, so agreed.

Done around 5 a night and was left extremely exhausted afterwards, They went ok, nothing special but I was getting paid so kept going. We started getting busier as word spread. Apparently I was really good. 99% of my readings were for women in the middle age range so it got predictable. But I got a lot of feedback.

Most were happy with the reading and advice I gave. The odd person did say they didn't understand what I was saying but would come back to say I had been right and had told them a future event. Some of it was really detailed and things I would never have been able to make up.

The one that shocked me though was sometimes I could see a person in my mind, never standing next to me or anything, and describe their features, what they were wearing etc. I could not 'hear' them talking, just thoughts would come to me. And, it was always someone elderly.

Several times I described what the person was wearing when they died and how they died. No way could I know this.

I made a lot of money out of it. I ended up doing private readings, group readings, travelling to peoples houses.

One that stands out, I walked in and immediately said this house is cold. Someone's missing from this house. Nothing else came to me and just talked about her life. At the end, she told me her husband committed suicide in the house. No contact was made and never 'seen' anyone.

Another, I was asked several times if i picked up any presence or spirits. I didn't. Wasn't one of my best readings and generally disappointing. They then told me the house had caught fire and 3 family members didn't survive.

Although I made a lot of money, there was times I didn't make anything. I didn't take any payment until the end of the reading and stated payment was voluntary. If they enjoyed it and benefitted from it, they could pay me. Sometimes I declined payment as I knew I didn't get anything and a few others said they didn't think it was worth it. Which is fine.

Eventually I lost interest. Work and life took over and didn't have the time/energy for it.

Now that i'm married I have discussed it with my wife, she is skeptical but I have pulled a few nuggets from nowhere that has convinced her.

Overall, I am still a normal guy. I still am not 100% convinced of anything and don't expect anyone to believe my experiences. I don't have any evidence.

Some points to consider:
I have never won the lottery.
I have lost money on the stock market
I enjoy gambling on sports/horses but have never made money. Anything I win, I lose again.
I have never seen a ghost
I have never seen a ufo or been abducted
The majority of people who say they are psychic, in my experience, have not proven their ability to me. A couple have given me some info that has been correct but nothing to make me say 'wow'

I have no idea where some of the information came from but it made people happy. And it gave them someone to talk to, which is mostly what they wanted. I think it has made me a better person.

originally posted by: Alien Abduct

originally posted by: visitedbythem
This Universe is low tech compared to us. We are Super Human Angel/Demon. We are far more powerful then we currently know;. Remember " Faith of a mustard seed, could move a mountain." I believe that to be literal

I believe this too. I long time ago when I figured out how to lucid dream, that was then the end of any nightmares. I retain complete domination and control over my dreams when I deem necessary. Other than that as long as my dreams are pleasant I remain natural.

What you have said above, us being super human is why they (any non physical entity) needs your permission to take any sort of control or action against you. They only can prey on those of us that do not know how to fight them. I can take on legions, or even their entire realm if I wanted to.

Understand though we are spirit before body. The body is not where our strength comes from but there are some entities that are jealous that we have the privilege of taking the form of flesh when they cannot.

Lmao. You believe that evil non physical entities pray on all humanity, but you have the power to not only defend yourself, you’re ultra instinct shaggy able to destroy their realm with but a flick of your mighty power... and yet you choose to leave the world in suffering from these unseen evils you could casually do away with? Perhaps your ego is good and stroked it’s gone flaccid? Thanks for the lols, I needed that.

originally posted by: Rob808

originally posted by: Alien Abduct

originally posted by: visitedbythem
This Universe is low tech compared to us. We are Super Human Angel/Demon. We are far more powerful then we currently know;. Remember " Faith of a mustard seed, could move a mountain." I believe that to be literal

I believe this too. I long time ago when I figured out how to lucid dream, that was then the end of any nightmares. I retain complete domination and control over my dreams when I deem necessary. Other than that as long as my dreams are pleasant I remain natural.

What you have said above, us being super human is why they (any non physical entity) needs your permission to take any sort of control or action against you. They only can prey on those of us that do not know how to fight them. I can take on legions, or even their entire realm if I wanted to.

Understand though we are spirit before body. The body is not where our strength comes from but there are some entities that are jealous that we have the privilege of taking the form of flesh when they cannot.

Lmao. You believe that evil non physical entities pray on all humanity, but you have the power to not only defend yourself, you’re ultra instinct shaggy able to destroy their realm with but a flick of your mighty power... and yet you choose to leave the world in suffering from these unseen evils you could casually do away with? Perhaps your ego is good and stroked it’s gone flaccid? Thanks for the lols, I needed that.

You can read, right? It appears you failed to read the first paragraph in that post. SMFH

If you look at history with all the tales of crazy supernatural things that have reported and been written about about since the very beginning of humanity, the "paranormal" is indeed normal. Every Sabbath / Sunday literally millions of people go to meetings where they express their belief in some wild-ass stories told in some old book, passed down by word of mouth for generations. Depending on which book, there are stories are about supermen, mystical visions, strange happenings, and more, all of which are presented as the real, honest true-true. Seriously weird #.

But it's not weird at all. It's common, but unexplained and misunderstood due to simple ignorance. It continues to this day. In the old days, a lot of people didn't think there were such things as meteorites. They'd see a shooting star and make up some mythology about it, but it wasn't until relatively recently that everybody agreed that they actually are something real. Could be the same thing with ESP / Psi or any number of things. We just don't have the scientific paradigms in place or the proper equipment to make good measurements.

Not that science can explain everything. Most of the time science just offers an internally consistent way of looking at certain things that allows you to make decent predictions. It also is mostly about naming things and how they relate to other things with different names. But it's not all that good about explaining exactly why these things interact the way they do. Okay, gravity. But why? Why is it the way it is? Don't know.

Dreams? They apparently exist because people describe them, but in reality all the evidence is 100% anecdotal. Dreams are a clear example of the paranormal being normal.

The reality we inhabit has three fundamental aspects: Physical, Psychic and Spiritual. At this stage of early evolution the Spiritual has little influence. However, the Psychic has always been active, actively investigated, and deliberately used by those so gifted.

Many scientific studies have proved its reality: Jessica Utts' report An Assessment of the Evidence for Psychic Functioning is an easy place to start. During the 1850s through 1930s many leading scientists were so convinced, and pursued research into related phenomena. However, the enforced adoption of strict scientific materialism after the Hitler War put an end to that.

So No, the Paranormal is not "normal" because we've had more than a century of enforced denial: investigate Sheldrake's and Josephson's outrage at their treatment by TED for an example. But in a "normal" healthy society Yes: the paranormal would simply be another field of scientific investigation.

The Fascination of the Occult

Weird, mysterious, spooky​—these are words many people use to describe the occult. The term literally means “hidden,” “covered over,” “concealed.” Webster’s Third New International Dictionary defines occult: “Something mysterious or supernatural.”

So occultism includes experiences and happenings that cannot be explained in the normal way. Paranormal, defined as “beyond the range of scientifically known or recognizable phenomena,” is another term frequently used when discussing the occult.

Beginning in the 1930’s, Dr. Joseph Banks Rhine pioneered studies of the mysteries of occultism and introduced the term “extrasensory perception” (ESP). He predicted that, “as the enlightenment of scientific research spreads to the dark corners wherein mystery still lurks,” occultism will pass away. “Just as the occult practices of astrology gave way to a science of astronomy, occult alchemy turned into scientific chemistry, magical cures were supplanted by sound medicine,” he said, “so in time will a more reliable foundation supplant the remaining occult systems.”

Yet, even after extensive studies of occultism, mysteries remain unsolved. And the fascination, rather than diminishing, is growing.

Reasons for Fascination

Take the case of Mrs. Rosemary Brown. As a child, she received little musical training. She was not particularly interested in music. Then, in adulthood she began to produce musical scores that she claimed were dictated to her by Beethoven, Brahms, and Schubert. Describing the investigation of her case, the The New Encyclopædia Britannica, 1977, Macropædia, reports:

“When these [musical scores] were shown to outstanding experts they agreed that had these scores been found in some derelict attic they would have been regarded as genuine; each was not simply reasonable pastiche but genuinely expressive of what was known of the composer’s emotion and personality. Apparently even highly trained musical experts could not easily (if at all) have produced work of this calibre; how a simple working-class woman with very little musical training could have done so is baffling, particularly as she was never taught composition.”

For many, such experiences are fascinating. How are they possible? The New Encyclopædia Britannica acknowledges: “The idea of the ghosts of these Germanic musicians queuing up to dictate their recent compositions to this woman in English is not appealing.” And yet the encyclopedia observes: “The facts are undisputed; no obvious explanation is forthcoming. As such, the story is typical of many others.”

Consider also the report from Flixborough, South Humberside, England. A massive explosion at a chemical plant took place at 4:53 p.m. on June 1, 1974. Nearly five hours earlier a young woman living some 25 miles (40 km) away told of seeing a newsflash on television, reporting the explosion as well as the death and injury of workers at the plant. Before 2:00 p.m. that day, she spoke about it to two other people who were visiting her. Then, in the evening the TV news reported the event, giving the time of the explosion as late afternoon. All the TV companies broadcasting in that area denied transmitting any such newsflash earlier.

Are you, along with so many others, fascinated by such experiences?

Then there is a “game” that may seem such an innocent pastime. It is played with what is called a Ouija board. While there are variations of the board, generally it is a rectangle 24 by 18 inches (61 by 46 cm) and a quarter of an inch (0.6 cm) thick. On it are the letters of the alphabet, a row of numbers from 1 to 9 and 0, the word “Yes,” and the word “No.” The most important part is the small, heart-shaped indicator that points to each letter to spell out a message.

Players put the board on their laps and lightly place their fingers on the heart-shaped indicator. Then they ask a question and wait for an answer. Does it really work? Those who say it does are legion. “Sometimes the answers are amazingly accurate,” wrote columnist George R. Plagenz. “The Ouija board has even been known to foretell events which later have taken place.”

The game fascinates millions. In fact, a few decades ago it was called “the most popular game in the U.S.​—more popular than Monopoly.”

Growing Popularity

“The occult, the supernatural and the paranormal are big business,” observes U.S.News & World Report*, “with people from all walks of life paying top dollar to consult with readers, seers and other self-proclaimed visionaries.” (*: from 1985, likewise, the numbers reported below are from 1985, no doubt they have increased significantly since then, as indicated by the increase in all sorts of media, movies, tv shows, documentaries, books and websites about the subject; from big blockbuster filmseries as the Marvel Universe series, in particular of course Dr. Strange, X-Men, almost the entire Horror genre, and lots of media in the Sci-Fi and Fantasy genres, to shows like "Ghost Adventure" and "Ghost Nation")

Among such visionaries are astrologers, psychics, spiritualists, and others of the some 600,000 occult practitioners in the United States, who charge fees of up to $300 for their advice. Millions of dollars are also spent on magazines, books, tapes, and movies that deal with occultism.

The situation is similar in Britain. Mail-order shops supplying books and objects used in occult practices are experiencing a business boom. One of Britain’s leading suppliers reportedly processes “hundreds of orders each week and has some 20,000 regular clients on his books.”

“Five years ago,” reports London’s Guardian of March 6, 1985, “there were thought to be some 60,000 witches in Britain: today the number is estimated by some witches to have grown to 80,000.”

Indeed, the Western world is experiencing what The World Book Encyclopedia* calls “a widespread revival of occultism.” (*: again, 1985-1986)

Though the occult fascinates many, what does scrutiny of it reveal? Are there dangers involved? If so, what are they?

The Mystery Behind the Occult

A little more than 500 years ago people accused of witchcraft became the target of the Inquisition. A papal proclamation of 1484 gave inquisitors official backing for their witch-hunt. This led to the publication of the book Malleus Maleficarium (The Hammer of Witches), which classified witchcraft as worse than heresy. As a result, thousands were put to death.

In modern times a dramatically different attitude developed toward happenings that modern science has been unable to explain. This change in attitude has been traced back to 1848 when two girls, Margaret and Kate Fox, in New York State, U.S.A., heard mysterious knockings in their little cottage. Thinking that it might be an effort at contact by the spirit world, they asked for a code so as to allow intelligible communication. Communication was established and messages followed.

News of the experiences spread far afield, and with it interest in the paranormal flourished. One result was that spiritualism became organized into a religion, attracting many who yearned for some contact with their dead loved ones.

Scientific Study of the Paranormal

Another result of these paranormal experiences was the founding of societies for their scientific study. The study of the paranormal is known as parapsychology or as psychical research.

For a long time, mainstream science spurned this research. But, then, in 1882, the Society for Psychical Research was founded in London. Its express purpose was “to examine without prejudice or prepossession and in a scientific spirit those faculties of man, real or supposed, which appear to be inexplicable on any generally recognized hypothesis.”

The image of psychical research has improved in recent times as scientists of high reputation have pursued investigations of the paranormal. Interestingly, on May 18, 1985, Edinburgh University announced the appointment of an American psychologist, Dr. Robert Morris, as Professor of Parapsychology. The Sunday Telegraph dubbed him professor of the unknown. Although the idea of giving such prominence to parapsychology drew criticism, New Scientist noted:

“It is not as if parapsychology is a new subject in British universities. The Society for Psychical Research (SPR), Britain’s leading body in the field, celebrated its centenary a couple of years ago, and has always had strong academic associations. The first president of SPR was Henry Sidgwick, professor of moral philosophy at the University of Cambridge. Since then 28 of the 50 or so presidents have been university professors, and two of them Nobel prizewinners. Eight of the 44 British universities are currently carrying out parapsychological research.”

Of course, parapsychology is still not formally recognized by the great institutions of science as having equal status with the physical sciences. Many, in fact, claim that there is no such thing as a paranormal experience.

Is It Just Trickery?

It is true, some experiences claiming to be products of occult power are nothing but trickery. An example involved a clergyman’s four young daughters and their maidservant. One girl was sent out of the room. The rest stayed in the company of the experimenters. An object, such as a playing card, was chosen. The girl was then invited to return to the room and by thought transference identify the chosen object. The correct description was usually given. Some years later, however, when tested by members of the Society for Psychical Research, two of the girls admitted cheating by using sight and sound clues.

More recently, magician James Randi set up a stratagem to show that even experienced investigators can be deceived. He arranged for two young magicians to get jobs with Dr. Peter Phillips, director of physics at Washington University, who was conducting experiments in the psychic field. “I continue to believe that Mike Edwards [one of the young magicians] bent a key in my hand without ever touching it,” wrote Phillips. But he was apparently deceived, as he later acknowledged. The magicians claim that their extraordinary feats were all done by sleight of hand, not by paranormal power.

Clearly, there have been examples of deception. Yet, Arthur J. Ellison, in his presidential address to the Society for Psychical Research in 1982, maintained that there is “excellent evidence for experiences which do not fit current scientific models representing our normal experiences of this universe.” What is the mystery behind these experiences?

Is It Power of the Mind?

Some believe that the mind has hidden powers that can be summoned to perform extraordinary deeds. But does the mind have power to shake tables, move a pointer on a Ouija board, bend metal objects, or emit a force to accomplish other such things?

In an article entitled “The Secret Behind the Ouija Board Mystique,” magician Henry Gordon wrote: “Well, there is an unseen force, but there’s nothing paranormal about it.

“In psychology it’s called automatism,” Gordon says. “Automatism is a motor behavior, or muscular reaction, to an unconscious thought . . . This psychological process is responsible for many other so-called psychic phenomena.”

This is what is commonly claimed. There are, for example, masters of the martial arts who can exert what they call ki power. “Learn to flow your ‘ki’ or mind by concentrating on the One-Point [lower abdomen] and stretch your arm out,” instructs Black Belt, a martial arts magazine. “Pretend the water or power is flowing out from the one point through your arm and finger.”

“As long as one continues to train his ‘Ki,’” Black Belt says, “his students will never surpass him. The founder of Aikido [one of the martial arts], Master Morihei Uyeshiba, is over eighty years old, but as yet, no one can face him. He is capable of throwing twenty strong men simultaneously. He has become stronger and stronger as he grows older. . . . One must accept ‘Ki’ as an addition to your five senses.”

But is the human mind really the source of such extraordinary power? Does it enable persons to perform exploits that cannot be scientifically explained?

Well, consider a case of poltergeist-type activity in Enfield, London, England, investigated for the Society for Psychical Research. Regarding this type of activity, Brian Inglis, author of several books on the paranormal, explains: “The mysterious bangings, movements of furniture and breakages often go on for weeks; and this enables investigators to convert the premises, up to a point, into a laboratory using a variety of sophisticated recorders.”

In the Enfield case, the person was quite willing to be investigated. However, according to the two researchers, the apparent subject was totally uncooperative. “It took what appeared to be malicious pleasure in frustrating the efforts of observers,” wrote Inglis. “Tape recorders, for example, were subjected to interference and damage, sometimes of a kind the manufacturers had never previously encountered.”

Such experiences strongly indicate that power beyond the human mind is involved. If such power emanated from a person’s mind, why would it want to frustrate the investigative efforts of observers and put their recording equipment out of action, especially since the person was quite willing to be investigated?

Admittedly, the human mind is a marvelous creation about which there is much to be learned. Yet, it cannot emanate power to strike, lift, or move objects, nor does the human mind of itself have the ability to know about things without the aid of the ordinary sensory channels.

Thus, according to scientific research, the phenomenon of ESP in its various forms does exist, although it is not clear how it works. To scientists, the mystery remains.

Is there, then, a solution to the mystery?

Solving the Mystery

That powers beyond what are normal have enabled people to perform extraordinary deeds is well established. Brian Inglis notes: “Paranormal phenomena are now closer to formal recognition than they have been since medieval times​—when they were considered to be as natural, even if not so predictable, as any other of nature’s forces.”

What is the source of these extraordinary powers? Well, for thousands of years, most of the human family has believed that the souls of the dead live on in the spirit world. And it is commonly believed that these souls or spirits of the dead are responsible for paranormal phenomena. But are they?

Are the Dead Responsible?

If the dead are unconscious​—really dead—​then it would be impossible for them to be the mysterious forces behind the occult. Well, then, what is the condition of the dead?

Describing the creation of man, the Scriptures say: “Man became a living soul.” (Genesis 2:7, King James Version) Note that there is not the slightest hint here that man was given a soul as one of the components of his being. Rather, the soul clearly is the man himself. So, what happens when man dies?

Of Jesus Christ, the Bible prophesied: “He hath poured out his soul unto death.” (Isaiah 53:12, KJ) And of humankind generally, the Scriptures say: “The soul that sinneth, it shall die.” (Ezekiel 18:4, 20, KJ) All human souls die because they have all inherited sin from the first man, Adam, who became a sinner by disobeying God. And the Bible says: “The wages of sin is death.” (Romans 5:12; 6:23, KJ) So at death, the soul, the sense-possessing person, dies.

Is it possible, therefore, for the dead to communicate with the living? The Bible says: “[Man] breathes his last breath, he returns to the dust; and in that same hour all his thinking ends.” The Bible also says: “It is not the dead who praise the LORD, not those who go down into silence; but we, the living, bless the LORD.”​—Psalm 146:4; 115:17, The New English Bible.

Since the dead cannot praise God because their ‘thinking has ended,’ they certainly cannot communicate with the living nor be responsible for any paranormal phenomena. Then who are responsible?

The Mystery Solved

Humans are not the highest form of life. The Bible reveals that long before God created man and woman, he created a multitude of spirit sons, invisible angels. (Job 38:4, 7) Later, one of these began to oppose God, even slandering him, thus becoming Satan (opposer) and the Devil (slanderer). In time, other spirit creatures joined Satan the Devil in his rebellion, forming an organization of rebellious angels, or demons. Are these demons the ones responsible for the paranormal phenomena of occultism?

Yes, they are! In pre-Flood days these spirit “sons of the true God” were able to materialize fleshly bodies and live on earth. (Genesis 6:1, 2; Jude 6) But since returning to the spirit realm, their contacts with humans have been limited to causing the paranormal phenomena that have been so common throughout the history of mankind.

The demons have particularly communicated with living relatives and friends of the dead, causing these persons to believe the lie that the dead are still living somewhere in the spirit world. To impersonate the dead is no problem for the demons, since they can closely observe people while they are alive. Thus, the intimate details of a person’s life, including sound of voice and manner of expression, can then be accurately impersonated.

But, you may ask, what about the loyal angels? Perhaps they communicate with humans today. It is true that God used angels to communicate with humans in earlier times. Today, however, we have the completed Bible as God’s direct and adequate communication to us humans. (2 Timothy 3:16, 17) In it Jehovah God specifically forbids humans to attempt communication with the spirits.

Through his prophet Isaiah, God says: “But people will tell you to ask for messages from fortunetellers and mediums, who chirp and mutter. They will say, ‘After all, people should ask for messages from the spirits and consult the dead on behalf of the living.’ You are to answer them, ‘Listen to what the LORD is teaching you! Don’t listen to mediums​—what they tell you will do you no good.’”​—Isaiah 8:19, 20, Today’s English Version.

No wonder that God gave detailed instructions to the nation of Israel on avoiding occult practices. On entering the Promised Land, he warned them not to get involved with the Canaanites’ “detestable customs.” (Leviticus 18:3, 30) Details of these customs or practices are listed in Deuteronomy 18:10, 11. They include employing divination, practicing magic, looking for omens, sorcery, binding with spells, consulting professional foretellers of events, and inquiring of the dead.

Beware of the Occult!

At first glance, those “detestable customs” might seem harmless enough. But danger lurks there. How so? Because those practices can lead to entanglement with the demons. The Canaanites’ depravity and their obsession with sex and violence served as evidence of this.

Today there is a similar danger in pursuing an interest in the paranormal. It could well be the bait leading to ensnarement by demonic forces. You do not have to look far to find reports of sex and violence associated with the occult practices of our day. It is, therefore, in your best interest to heed the warning.

God’s command to Israel of old highlights a still more important reason to shun the occult. “For everybody doing these things is something detestable to Jehovah.” (Deuteronomy 18:12) The inspired Christian Bible writers agree with this fundamental truth. The apostle Paul lists the “practice of spiritism” as one of the “works of the [fallen] flesh.” (Galatians 5:19, 20) And the apostle John penned God’s warning that the portion for “those practicing spiritism . . . will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulphur. This means the second death.”​—Revelation 21:8. (this is not hell as taught by many Churches in Christendom by the way, see the video "What the h*ll is HELL anyway? Are you going there?" for details)

Some people may believe that there could not be dangerous consequences from playing with anything that looks as innocent as the Ouija board. Yet, a group of bus drivers in England who played with one during rest periods found that their attitude toward one another began changing. Some became unusually aggressive. This attitude even affected their driving. They reported feeling a strong urge to drive their vehicles into the oncoming traffic for no reason at all.

Then there is the young woman who experimented with a Ouija board and developed an obsession with the past. She believed she was in love with a man who had died 300 years earlier. She kept trying to make contact with him. Her mania finally led her to commit suicide by laying down on a railway track. Police investigating the case found diaries indicating she wanted to die so as to join her beloved.

So even if you think you are not unduly fascinated by the occult, beware! Heed the Scriptural advice: “Keep your senses, be watchful.” Remember who is behind the occult. “Your adversary, the Devil, walks about like a roaring lion, seeking to devour someone.” (1 Peter 5:8) Do not let that “someone” be you! Remember...
He is a liar! (part 2 of 2; playlist)

That the Devil and his demons really do exist, and that they can indeed influence a person’s life, is illustrated in the following comment.

The Demons Controlled Me

I was a spirit medium, a sorcerer, a male witch. I employed divination. I looked for omens. I bound others with spells. I practiced black magic and voodoo. Most of the spiritistic practices condemned in the Bible at Deuteronomy 18:10-12, I engaged in.

The apostle Paul’s traveling companion Luke wrote: “A certain servant girl with a spirit, a demon of divination, met us. She used to furnish her masters with much gain by practicing the art of prediction.” (Acts 16:16) As was the case with that girl, a demon also provided me knowledge of things that could not be known by ordinary means.

For example, before my grandmother died, I knew that her death was imminent. And when a relative would become pregnant, I knew about it before others did. These were not simply hunches that proved true; my knowledge about such things was almost always correct. When I would wish for a fellow student, teacher, or relative to become sick, invariably they would.

Once I became upset with my grandmother and wanted her to be hurt. I called to the demons, asking specifically that she should cut herself​—that afternoon she cut herself with a knife.

Practicing voodoo, I used articles of clothing and made an image of my brother. I wanted to keep him from bothering me. Afterward, whenever he came within ten feet (3 m) of me, he got shooting pains in his chest and had difficulty breathing. So he learned to keep away from me.

Later, an acquaintance scoffed at my ability to summon the demons. I knew he dealt in drugs. So I told him he would be arrested and then be released. The demons did just what I requested. Within two months the man was arrested. Afterward the charges were dropped, and he was released. The man never questioned my abilities again.

Becoming Involved in Occultism

My family was steeped in the religious ritual and paganism of the Ozark Mountains in the United States, where people were users of love potions, and the like. I was born after my parents moved to San Francisco. They really didn’t want children; it interfered with their freewheeling life-style. So I was neglected, shown no affection, battered emotionally. I became a loner, a hater of people.

At an early age I was drawn to the occult. I would watch all the movies and TV programs featuring it. And by the time I was about six, I was a regular user of the Ouija board. I was open to and, in fact, eager for communication with the spirit realm. I knew that demons existed and I felt very comfortable talking with them. And they favored me with special powers and knowledge.

I began reading all the books on occultism that I could get my hands on, obtaining them from public libraries and, in particular, bookstores. One store, operated by a spirit medium, catered especially to those who practiced witchcraft, or black magic. From reading old books on occultism, I learned the names of demons who were contacted in past ages by people who practiced spiritism.

Then, in my communications with the demons, I began using these names when I spoke with them. And it seemed that whenever I dealt with a particular demon, that one’s personality and the way he worked differed from that of another demon I would call upon. I thus came to know scores of demons by name.

From my reading about occultism, I knew that the demons were angels who had lost God’s favor and were not the spirits, or souls, of people who had died. I had sympathy for these angels, and I particularly felt sorry for Satan. I became a worshiper of Satan, yet, contradictory as it was, I would at the same time pray to God. And when my prayers would be answered, I believed God had answered them. Satan had me thoroughly deceived.​—2 Corinthians 11:14.

Although providing me special powers, the demons did not help me to be a good person. On the contrary, they twisted my thinking to hate rather than love. In time, I became a fornicator, thief, drunkard, drug abuser, and homosexual.

In January 1974 my grandmother died. This distressed me very much, since she was the only person I had loved. When I was a child she read to me from the Bible and spoke about the resurrection. Now I wanted to learn more about the resurrection. From childhood on I had wanted to live forever, and the demons had promised that I would. But it wasn’t clear how this would be accomplished.

An Important Encounter

Shortly after my grandmother’s funeral, I happened to mention to a girl named Gwen, whom I worked with, that the end of the world was coming but that no one believed it. Gwen said she believed it and expressed surprise that I knew. I had learned about this from the demons, but Gwen showed me these things from the Bible.

Gwen would always speak of Jehovah and said that he was the One who was going to bring an end to this system. I told her I hated the sound of that name, Jehovah, and asked her not to use it. She was hurt and said that if she could not use the name of the one she loved most, she’d rather not talk to me, because Jehovah is God’s name.

I was taken aback. So that night I went home, and taking the King James Version, the Bible of my deceased grandmother, I began paging through it, searching for the name Jehovah. I knew that if I found it in this Bible, Gwen was right, that Jehovah was God’s name. But I felt sure it would not be there. I was shocked when I came to Exodus 6:3, which reads: “I appeared unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, by the name of God Almighty, but by my name JEHOVAH was I not known to them.”

I realized in an instant that Jehovah was indeed God and that compared to him Satan was not powerful at all! Seeing the name I hated there in the Bible, as well as hearing about the hope of the resurrection, made me start studying with the Witnesses.

Breaking Free of Demon Control

Shortly afterward Gwen took me to a meeting of Jehovah’s Witnesses. The talk was about the wild beast mentioned in the Bible book of Revelation, the one with the number 666. I had learned quite a bit of twisted information about this from the demons, and now it really surprised me that these things were written in the Bible. I was interested, so the following week I began a regular Bible study with the Witnesses.

The demons, of course, didn’t want me to study. But I knew that what I was learning was the truth, and I was not going to give it up even though the demons tried to stop me. They would hit me while I was in bed. Once a blow to the head was so severe that it took hours for the pain to subside. I prayed to Jehovah for help, and after that he kept them out of my room.

However, the demons didn’t give up. From outside my bedroom, they would rattle the windows. They kept it up all night, so that I could only get a couple of hours of sleep. They were trying to wear me down. But I kept praying to Jehovah and going to all the meetings of the Witnesses, and Jehovah helped me.

True, the demons have great powers. They can even kill people, as they did Job’s ten children. (Job 1:18, 19) And I’m sure they wanted to kill me, since I had been their servant to whom they had granted special powers but who had abandoned them to serve their enemy, Jehovah God. So Jehovah’s ability to protect me is proof that we need not fear the demons.

In the summer of 1974 I attended the district convention of Jehovah’s Witnesses at the Oakland-Alameda County Stadium. There I decided that at the next such convention I would be baptized. So, in the same stadium, on July 18, 1975, I was baptized, and I married a fellow Witness that October.

Even after Mari and I were married, the demons harassed us, terrifying my wife on occasion. Mari was part of the congregation where I had begun attending meetings. She knew all about my background before our marriage. She even said she suspected that I was a male witch when I first began coming to the Kingdom Hall. I was really weird. I dressed completely in black and wouldn’t speak to anyone, just come to the meetings and sit there.

At one time we thought that we might not be freed from harassment by the demons until they and Satan were abyssed. (Revelation 20:1-3) Because of our drawing close to Jehovah in prayer and taking advantage of every spiritual provision that he makes through his organization, it has been years since the demons have harassed us as they did at first.

We are blessed to have three lovely daughters, and for the past four years, Mari has been serving in the ministry as a regular pioneer. We truly look forward to the time when Satan and his demons will be gone forever! In the meantime, even though no longer experiencing direct harassment from the demons, we never forget that we have a battle against them, even as the apostle Paul wrote: “We have a wrestling, not against blood and flesh, but . . . against the world rulers of this darkness, against the wicked spirit forces in the heavenly places.” (Ephesians 6:12)​—As told by Ralph Anderson.

Well, certainly the Judeo-Christian mindset has a vocabulary already in place for some of this stuff, although there is a very heavy moral overlay which may or may not be accurate. But if a person can look at a "demon" in the same way they look at something like a tiger, they can see that except for it not completely existing in our physical reality it has recognized behaviors and responses and can be dealt using the proper protocols. Is a tiger evil for wanting to eat people? Nope. Is a demon evil for wanting a physical body to inhabit? Not really. But you don't want to purposely antagonize or take your eyes off them. They can be dangerous, but they're not necessarily evil. You can say that they're just doing what "God" created them to do.