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Of Light And Dark

Spiritual Warfare | Books & Media | My Catholic Faith

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Feast of the Assumption Pictures

August 15, 2022


I was walking through my hometown on the feast of the Assumption when I happened upon this beautiful Mary shrine. I decided to take some pictures and didn’t notice the ray light until I shared them later online.

From this time last year.


Feast of the Assumption 2021.
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The Traditional Latin Mass + My Testimony (Video & Podcast)

August 13, 2022


About This Episode

I finally did make it to the Traditional Latin Mass.  In this podcast and video I talk about how that went. I also talk about my written  testimony and where you can read it (for free). 

Podcast

Video

  • To read my testimony please see OfLightAndDark.com/p/my-story.html
  • To download my testimony as a free PDF please visit my author website here BarbaraGraver.com/new-age-to-catholic/
  • To learn more about the SSPX please check out SSPXpodcast.com
  • Watch the documentary on Archbishop Lefebvre here youtube.com/watch?v=Cf9oy7wDkms
  • To subscribe to my YouTube channel please visit YouTube.com/c/BarbaraGraver
  • And please don't forget to follow my podcast, New Age To Catholic, on most major podcast apps, if you don't already!

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This is My Testimony

August 8, 2022

Ransomed From Darkness  

I read Moira Noonan's account of her experience in the New Age in 2018. 

Back then it seemed like everyone who'd ever left the New Age and occult had done so in order to become a born-again Protestant. 

But Noonan had returned to the Catholic Church. Her book, Ransomed From Darkness (affiliate link), was a resource I referred to again and again. It helped me understand that I could come back to the Catholic faith I had left behind some twenty years earlier, if I chose to do so. And finally I did choose, with the help of God's providence.

So when I decided to write my testimony, I hoped that my story might play a part in someone else's return to Catholicism - the way Moira Noonan's had in mine.  

My Testimony

Unfortunately, the closer I got to finishing the book, I now called New Age To Catholic, the more reservations I had about publishing it.  Finally last month I realized why that was.

I'd set out to write a story about New Age and occult deception and where that deception had taken me.  And I'd ended up with a book that was mostly  about intelligent evil.

I'm not saying that story isn’t worth telling because maybe it is.

But it isn't my testimony.

My testimony isn't about demons or darkness or how far I fell. It's about God and God's providence and how I came back to the Catholic Church. 

So I decided to just tell that story - the God and Church story - in its shortest possible form and post it here on the blog. 

I will continue to talk about the dangers of the New Age and occult here, and in the podcast. But, for now at least, I am setting the full length account of my experience aside.

Which leaves me space to do other things - like work on my novel and do media and make things for my Etsy shop. And, for now, that's enough.

_______________________________

To read my online testimony please see My Story.

Please note, this post contains affiliate links.  This means that if you purchase through one of my links, I may earn a small commission at no cost to you.

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Assumption of Mary Novena

August 5, 2022


The Assumption of Mary Novena is started on August 7th and finishes on August 15th. The feast day of the Assumption of Mary, which is a holy day of obligation in the Catholic Church, is on August 15th.  

Novena Prayer*

Eternal Father, you graciously looked upon the humility of the Blessed Virgin Mary, and made her to be the Mother of the Word Incarnate, Jesus Christ our Lord. Grant we beseech you that we who honor her Assumption into the Kingdom of Heaven, may by her Motherly intercession also come to share in the inheritance of those whom you have redeemed by the precious Blood of your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

Most holy Immaculate Virgin and my Mother Mary, to thee who art the Mother of my Lord, the Queen of the world, the advocate, the hope, and the refuge of sinners, I have recourse today, I who am the most miserable of all. I render thee my most humble homage, O great Queen, and I thank thee for all the graces thou hast conferred on me until now. I love thee, O most amiable Lady; and for the love which I bear thee, I promise to serve thee always, and to do all in my power to make others love thee also. Dearest Mother bring before the throne of your beloved Son the prayers and intentions I ask during this novena.

(Here we mention our prayers. Pray for the intentions of our Holy Father the Pope, and for all the clergy. Pray also for the sick and dying, and for the suffering souls in purgatory)

I place in thee all my hopes; I confide my salvation to thy care. Accept me for thy servant, and receive me under thy mantle, O Mother of Mercy. And as thou art so powerful with God, deliver me from all temptations, or rather obtain for me the strength to triumph over them until death. Of thee I ask a perfect love for Jesus Christ. Through thee I hope to die a good death. O my Mother, by the love which thou bearest to God, I beseech thee to help me at all times, especially at the last moment of my life. Leave me not, I beseech thee, until I am safe in heaven, blessing thee, and singing thy mercies for all eternity. Amen.

The Memorare. 

Remember, O most gracious Virgin Mary, that never was it known that anyone who fled to thy protection, implored thy help, or sought thy intercession, was left unaided. Inspired with this confidence, I fly unto thee, O Virgin of Virgins, my Mother; to thee I come, before thee I stand, sinful and sorrowful; O Mother of the Word Incarnate, despise not my petitions, but in thy mercy hear and answer me. Amen

Assumption of Mary Prayer Card


Available in my Etsy shop at the following link:  Assumption of Mary Printable Prayer Card.
____________
*Novena from the Society of St. Pius X website.

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Of Angels and Demons

August 1, 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 the blog.  

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 in the middle of the sidewalk.  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 not in a new agey kind of way.  

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.



_______________________
If you want to know more about my time in the New Age and occult, please check out My Story.
Please also note, this post contains Amazon affiliate links.  If you buy a book through one of these links, I may earn a small commission at no cost to you.


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I decided to start this blog to talk about spiritual warfare, Catholicism and modern day occultism. I also blog on books and media - and will be sharing excerpts from my own writing in the very near future.
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        • The Traditional Latin Mass + My Testimony (Video &...
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