Scripture repeatedly condemns occult practices as abominations that open doors to demonic power. The Israelites were commanded not to suffer a witch to live Exodus 22:18, and Saul died specifically because he consulted the witch of Endor (1 Chronicles 10:13). These practices are not harmless folklore; they are direct invitations to demonic spirits.

Divination

Divination is the attempt to gain hidden knowledge by supernatural means apart from God. It includes:

• Astrology — Reading the stars for guidance Isaiah 47:13
• Tarot cards and fortune-telling — Attempting to predict the future
• Palm reading and numerology — Seeking personal destiny in created things
• Divining rods and water-witching — Using physical objects to detect hidden things

God condemned all these practices through Moses:

Deuteronomy 18:10-12 — "There shall not be found among you any one that maketh his son or his daughter to pass through the fire, or that useth divination, or an observer of times, or an enchanter, or a witch, or a charmer, or a consulter with familiar spirits, or a wizard, or a necromancer. For all that do these things are an abomination unto the LORD."

Witchcraft

Witchcraft is not merely Halloween costumes and fairy tales. Biblical witchcraft involves the deliberate invocation of demonic spirits to accomplish specific purposes: cursing enemies, compelling love, inflicting disease, or gaining power. It is an organized system of demon worship.

The witch of Endor did not produce Samuel by magic; she summoned a demonic spirit that impersonated Samuel (1 Samuel 28). This is the nature of necromancy: demons impersonate the dead to deceive the living.

The Black Art (Necromancy)

Necromancy — communication with the dead — is strictly forbidden. The dead do not roam the earth as spirits; they are in Sheol or with the Lord. Any "communication" with the dead is communication with a demon. This includes:

• Séances and Ouija boards
• Channeling and mediumship
• Spirit guides and ascended masters
• Ancestor worship that seeks direct guidance from deceased relatives

Occult Involvement and Demonic Access

Occult participation creates a legal ground for demons to operate in a person's life. Many who have been involved in astrology, witchcraft, or other occult practices find that demonic influence persists long after the practices have stopped. This is because demons claim a legal right to remain until that right is specifically renounced and broken in the name of Jesus.

2 Corinthians 6:17 — "Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you."

Deliverance often requires the believer to repent of occult involvement, renounce every practice by name, and command any associated spirits to leave in the authority of Christ.