"Astrology by most accounts is the queen of the occult arts of divination that include Tarot, Kabbalah, and reading tea leaves. I [Joseph Szimhart] first seriously explored astrology in the late 1970s, getting my first professional reading of my horoscope from Alan Oken at his Voice of the Turtle gift shop in Santa Fe NM. I needed to know my rising sign, moon and sun signs to apply for entry into the Keeper of the Flame fraternity of a large Theosophy-based sect run then by Elizabeth Prophet. Astrologers seek precise information about birth time and place to better "read" your star chart or horoscope. After I defected from Prophet's cult in 1980, I learned how to cast a horoscope using an ephemeris, then got a good idea how to do a reading from professionAl astrologers I knew. One old astrologer told me she only had to glance at a person's chart to do a reading. "It is all intuitive," she said. After two years of research I found that astrology is horrible as a predictive tool and totally unreliable reference as to a person's character. Astrologers who know how to read a chart with its thousands of relational aspects can easily get most customers to agree with a reading. It comes down to an influence game. Astrology can effect national decisions. I point to how in 1948 the New Indian government had to consult an astrologer for the auspicious moment when to sign their declarations of independence from Great Britain. After Ronald Reagan was shot in 1981, his wife Nancy consulted a celebrity astrology to name dates and times when the president could safely travel, thus causing havoc and unnecessary delays among White House staff decisions. Time Magazine had a cover feature in 1988 about "Astrology in the White House." I mention that fundamentalist Christians have published books against astrology saying it is deceptive and is a tool of the devil. Skeptics have proven that astrology has no basis in reality, though it remains a popular psychological and cultural means for self reflection among young adults with a resurgence of interest since 2014. I warn that astrology can be easily overvalued and cause harm in relationships as well as decision- making."
"When Alvan Godwin suffered a psychotic episode linked to schizophrenia in November 2018, his parents took him to church for prayers. His mother was of the opinion that his illness was a 'spiritual attack' linked to evil spirits."My mum thought it was something spiritual from her side of the family. So they took me for prayers with the hope that I'd be cured of whatever was wrong," he told CNN."My aunt advised my dad that they should take me to camp for prayers against evil spirits. I remember I was laying down on the ground and people were all over me praying. I didn't want to react but the prayer wasn't working," Godwin said.He added that when they realized on the way back home from camp that the expected healing didn't happen, they brought in another pastor to pray for him at home.In parts of Nigeria, it is common to attribute mental illness to supernatural factors such as witchcraft or repercussion for sins against God, according to a report in the Integrative Journal of Global Health.As a result, people with perceived symptoms of disorders are believed to be possessed or in need of unorthodox healing from traditional healing centers, and at Christian and Islamic faith-based facilities.At the time Godwin was 18 and he recalls being overwhelmed with fear, hearing voices and crying in distress."I felt irritation all over my body. The sound of the fan in the room made me paranoid, I felt like it was rolling too fast and it would cut off and kill me. There were so many confusing voices talking to me in my head," he said.Godwin's family doctor eventually referred him to a specialist after hearing about his symptoms, "that's when we went to the psychiatric hospital," he said.In his case, he was later diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia and placed on drugs. "I was so relieved to know what was going on with me. My parents too were relieved knowing it was nothing spiritual," he said."
"Outspoken protester Harold "Heshy" Tischler was taken into custody Sunday evening in connection with an alleged assault during protests against new anti-coronavirus restrictions in an Orthodox Jewish area of Brooklyn, New York police say.Some members of the Orthodox Jewish community protested in the Borough Park neighborhood for multiple nights last week in response to the measures, which limit gatherings in houses of worship in areas identified as Covid-19 clusters.Jewish Insider reporter Jacob Kornbluh claimed on a verified Twitter account that during protests Wednesday night he was brutally assaulted after Tischler "recognized me and ordered the crowd to chase me down the street."Confirming Tischler's detention Sunday, a New York City Police Department spokesman said that charges of inciting a riot and unlawful imprisonment in connection with the incident surrounding Kornbluh are pending."The New York City Police Department Warrant Squad has taken Harold 'Heshy' Tischler into custody. He will be charged with inciting to riot and unlawful imprisonment in connection with an assault of a journalist that took place on October 7, 2020 in Brooklyn," the department said on Twitter."
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