There is a popularly used statement, “What you don’t know can never hurt you.” However, as I prepared to write this article, the words “My people perish for lack of knowledge” continued to echo in my mind. Hosea 4:6. I thanked Holy Spirit for revealing these spiritual things to me concerning the matters I will share.
I participated in an event in Jamaica this year. I believe that the Lord wanted me to find myself again because I had taken on the identity of wife and mother, leaving ME behind. When I say that the “opportunity” stretched me, I mean it truly challenged me. I remembered the old me before those roles and who I was initially in those roles, and I remembered some of the prophecies spoken over my life, my dreams, and my visions. I started the “opportunity” with low confidence, and it showed. By the end of the event, both I and others could clearly see my growth. But there were two instances where my spiritual antennae went up, and they were related to matters of the heart. What seemed like harmless, freeing activities turned out to be harmful and opportunities for entrapment.
THE BURNING
The exercises were led by a life coach. She acted like a loving mother figure, nurturing us to a healthy mindset and removing the blockages from our lives so we could overcome trauma. The first activity required all participants to write down our fears, hurts, etc. We then went outside to a bin that was provided. The life coach told us to drop our paper into the bin, as they would all be burnt as a symbolic act of letting it go…release! A lot of crying occurred at this point, and we hugged and comforted each other.
Two questions emerged in my mind about the burning: was it appropriate for a child of God to participate in this act? And what were the spiritual implications? But I reasoned internally: the life coach seemed to be a Christian by the way she spoke about her faith. Therefore, I figured that she wouldn’t let us do anything wrong. However, I began wondering about her source. Where did she learn to be a life coach, and by whom was she taught?
When we returned inside to eat, the room was so cold I was compelled to dine outside. By the time I finished, the other participants were well on their way to completing the next exercise. In hindsight, I wish I had missed it. But in true God-style, what the devil meant for evil, God always turns around for His good.
THE BURYING
So, the second exercise was to write on paper a note of affirmation to our future selves, declaring whom we will be and what attributes we will possess. The life coach provided everything else we needed: the snake plants, the small flowerpots, and the topsoil. We put the folded note at the bottom of the flowerpot, and atop that were the plant and topsoil. Again, I wondered about this exercise of placing your dreams at the bottom of the pot.
By the end of that session, I was sure of one thing. The life coach’s source wasn’t Jesus the Christ of Nazareth. The affirmations all had to do with ME! ME! ME! I honestly did not say some of them. They looked suspect and New Age. And the breathing exercises seemed yoga-like. I was like, “Yikes, what did I get myself into?” I really should have stayed home.
Fast forward months after the event: Many things had transpired that were not in accordance with the will of God. I had basically stopped praying my usual declarations, but when I started seeking the Lord with my whole heart again and began uttering my declarations once more, Holy Spirit kept showing me the plant from the “opportunity”. I had placed it on my kitchen counter, but He kept saying, “Research it.” Then I would commit to so doing, only to promptly forget.
The promptings increased.
INTERPRETATIONS
I finally stopped in the midst of doing something else to investigate it, and what I found was shocking. One article called the second activity “dream planting” and referred to it as a ritual. It said, “Dream planting is an ancient matriarchal tradition.” After the first few lines, I was literally petrified to continue reading.
In what had I participated?!
Dream planting stems from an ancient African sacred ritual of burying a baby’s umbilical cord in the ground, which is symbolic of the child being connected to its ancestors and to Mother Earth.
The practice of planting our dreams with the tree, the article said, is because we have been conditioned to care more about others than ourselves. It continued to say that it was “As if our ‘umbilical cord’ had been dug out and discarded…we have disconnected from ourselves, our purpose, our heart’s dreams and desires.”
The article further likened dream planting (in the physical) to what in yoga is called Sankalpa (a type of spiritual planting).
Being a researcher of over 15 years, I have read many things, but this one was personal, and I felt trepidation as I continued reading. The author stated that Sankalpa was “A powerful tool for self-transformation; it’s self-directed and affords a deeper knowledge about yourself and a commitment to yourself.”
Mercy!
I started to wonder if that was why I had felt that ME! ME! ME! in the second exercise. Could yoga practices be a part of her source?
As I barely started to write this article, Holy Spirit kept prompting me to research the first exercise. The practice was referred to as “the burning of a heart written on paper in a bin.” When I researched it further, the results I did not want to see appeared.
The practice was said to be a “personal, spiritual act of releasing emotions and seeking closure after trauma…” Those words sounded like New Age words, so I added “…in yoga practice” to my search. One article called it a fire ceremony. The author explained, “In the context of yoga and mindfulness practices, the fire ceremony…can tap into the elemental power of fire to facilitate a deeper level of release and personal growth.” It also stated that this practice is performed by various cultures around the world.
CLOSING PORTALS
I have already repented and asked the Lord for forgiveness. They were portals I had unknowingly opened and maintained in my house, which gave the enemy legal rights in my life. Those exercises were aimed at the heart.
The Word of God admonishes us that “Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.” (Proverbs 4:23) We need to be vigilant (1 Peter 5:8), be watchful, and test every spirit (1 John 4:1) because the devil poses as an angel of light (2 Corinthians 11:14). We need to have constant communion with our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, so Holy Spirit, who is the Spirit of Truth, can guide us into all truth (John 16:13).
There is only One who should have access to our hearts, and that is Jesus the Christ, the Son of the Living God. We must “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.” (Proverbs 3:5-6)
The life coach probably does not understand spiritual matters of this magnitude, and that’s why we must study the Word and trust the Lord completely to reveal to us what we need to know.
Christ is the True Light (John 1:9).
Bride of Christ, do not be deceived by these New Age practices. They look good, but examine the source, because not everything that looks good is Godly. What you don’t know can hurt you, so let Holy Spirit guide you into all truth.
