For centuries the Church told Christians that the only thing that mattered was faith. When they asked questions they were told that it was a mystery, that they only had to believe and they would be saved; it was not necessary to understand. Those who refused to accept this were persecuted.
But it is not true that belief is enough. Religion is not only a question of faith. All true religion is founded on knowledge, and it is because the Church did not give the faithful the knowledge they needed to nourish their intellect as weft as their soul and spirit that, in the long run, they either lost their faith because they had the impression that they were being asked to believe something that was absurd, or they went elsewhere for their spiritual nourishment.
Although the Church was wrong to oppose the Initiatic tradition, the present situation is not necessarily an improvement. There is considerable danger in making the occult sciences and all the different spiritualities of the world accessible to anyone and everyone.
Many people are simply looking for money, power, glory or pleasure, and they launch into an exploration of occultism as though it were a supermarket in which they could pick up all kinds of fantastic bargains, some of which (drugs, black magic, unbridled sex) are very dangerous.
There is no lack of either appetite or covetousness in human beings; what is lacking is the intelligence, patience and perseverance they need to obtain what they covet. They are always trying to achieve their ends faster and with less effort, and today the occult sciences offer them the means to do so.
You must never try to use occult practices in order to fulfil your personal ambitions. Occultism is not true spiritual science.
A truly spiritual person will never try to use his knowledge or his psychic powers for his personal enrichment. His only ideal is to become perfect and to work in the light so as to become a benefactor of mankind
OMA