Virtue Gone Wrong

There will always be charlatans in all forms of spiritual and religious practices.

Its up to us to navigate our way and to find balance.

I recently came across what in my view is a nasty projectile vomit from the well known author Doreen Virtue, who I feel should seriously consider changing her last name.

I remember her as an author and her angel cards from early times during my walk on the path of consciousness. They were never really my thing, something about them felt a bit too fluffy for me, but many of my friends liked them and what she offered in that regard. I recall times of being offered to pick a card, but not being into angels, I found they didn’t hold much resonance. I was more into otherworldly E.Ts, winged beings as I call them rather than biblical angel like beings, but each to their own, many people I knew seemed to like her stuff.

Last week I noticed out of the corner of my eye one of her posts on facebook as I was making a post on my own page. I guess the algorithm thought I might be into it. I saw it as an opportunity to see see what she was currently writing about and I was left absolutely gobsmacked! She was calling many alternative practices demonic and telling followers to repent and find the only salvation possible, in Jesus the saviour and God the father.

Let me be crystal clear here, I have no issue with anyones choice of spiritual path as long as it doesn’t bring harm. Its up to us to find our recipe of wellness that feels true to us as individuals. Her vicious judgement of practices like Reiki, Mindfulness, Astrology, Shamanism, Mediumship, Wicca to name a few, stopped me in my tracks. I disregarded the post as hateful and chose to block it.

However, as spirit does when I need to write about something, even as I recover from being slammed on all levels, I kept getting this gentle nudge from within to address this subject. The nudge Doreen would refer to as a ‘Demon’.

She did her masters in bible studies, for that she should at least know the correct term is ‘Daemon’ which doesn’t mean good or evil. It simply refers to a supernatural being, a spirit.

So I thought I would watch a few YouTubes of her sharing her viewpoint. If you know of my path of service you know that I have supported and counselled many people who have left cults, felt deeply unsafe spiritually and who have suffered from abuse in all forms. Hence I am and avid researcher of cults and religious practices of all kinds. I watched, rolled my eyes quite a few times to be honest, and took notes. She quoted the bible, and its text again and again, refered to anyone in the New Age who practices alternative modalities as blasphemous, evil, demonic, manipulative, under the control of Lucifer, and in desperate need of salvation and redemption. It was honestly a bit painful to endure too much of it. Not because it rang true or what she would call the demon in me bucked up, more because it was so deeply judgemental full of fear and very unkind and untrue.

Let me take a moment and go back a while, to the early days where I lived in a hippy coastal town which I still visit and love to this day. In this town there was a little Christian book shop owned by a husband and wife. It had single paged photocopied articles all over its front window and door blocking anyone from fully seeing inside. The articles all had the same theme. Much like Doreen Virtue’s born again viewpoint. Meditation will let the Devil in, Tarot and anything to do with crystals will weaken you and let Lucifer take hold of your soul, Reiki is the Devils work as is Yoga and on it went. The shop also had a large blackboard on the side for all to see, where they would write heavy biblical quotes that were devoid of compassion or kindness. Much more fire and brimstone kind of stuff. I found it quite disturbing that children would pass by this nasty narrative and read it.

One night my friend and I who lived close by, grabbed a few wet sponges a bucket and some chalk and headed down to the bookshop. We wiped off the condemnation which was referring to everyone as born sinners, went for a stroll to the beach to let it dry and on our return drew a huge heart and wrote inside ‘God Is Love’. Neither of us were religious or believers but we did practice kindness and were at that time volunteering and supporting homeless kids who suffered from abuse and mental health issues.

The next day we returned to see angry writing through and around what we wrote. The phrase I recall to this day, was ‘Ha! You think thats going to save you? You will burn in hell you sinners!’ The word sinner was littered all over it in red. Am sure Jesus who represented love and grace would have be impressed. Not. Previously to that event whilst researching the history of mental health, I walked in the front door of the book shop and as polite as I could asked their viewpoint of those with mental health issues like schizophrenia for instance. The wife replied in a very curt tone that those with mental health issues are the furthest away from god and needed to repent.

Which brings me back to Doreen and her virtuous rant on what she refers to as the demonic led New Age. There have been and are many charlatans throughout ALL spiritual pathways. The abuse that has been perpetuated in the name of god via all monotheist religions both sexual and psychological, is beyond heinous. I could write for hours on the Catholic Church, all Christian churches for that matter and the Royal Commission findings in Australia that would make your blood boil, the continued exposing of the abuse of so many innocent children in Ireland and throughout the world, indigenous children ripped from their parents to live on mission stations who were abused by priests, the priests who kept secrets between them, got moved because they didnt want the fall out, those who were finally jailed, those that hid behind Vatican walls, and the ones who died of old age before justice was brought. A well awarded and powerful movie called ‘Spotlight’ comes to mind. So Madam Virtue, getting on your high horse in that regard falls flat as far as I’m concerned.

Doreen is rampant on the subject of Lucifer and demons and when I hear her and feel into her psyche, I sense that something terrified her and she didn’t know how to cope with it and literally ran back to the church, God and the Bible for safety.

She was originally brought up a christian scientist but left it to explore other paths, got scared and returned to it. That part doesn’t concern me. What does concern me is how she condemns others choices with such vitriolic judgement. Sadly this turn around is in line with her being and advocate of the Trump movement to bring back controlled christian old school religion and crush any other form of connection as blasphemous.

We all need to feel safe in whatever we practice, its my credo for my path of service. However, my guess is she didn’t practice things safely. She called in and created a lot of shadow debris that she didn’t’ know how navigate, filter or cleanse.

She refers to Reiki as a spiritual deception masquerading as healing energy. In the mean time she sells herself as the new leader of born again faith with books talks, big christian promotions, tons of youtubes and the like. $$$

When I did Reiki 1 and 2 I learned it from a very humble elderly woman who only asked if I could donate whatever I though to a children hospital in India. She to me was a true christian who walked her talk. I have always liked Reiki, I feel it helps open us up to source and our own self healing abilities. It also teaches us the art of getting out of our own way and letting the life force flow. One sets a clear intention that it is done for the highest good. I have also taught practitioners how to keep themselves and the clients energy even safer in this regard. As empaths we have a tendency to merge a little too much, so extra care if your sensitive by nature I find is an asset for someone who is on the path of service.

One needs to set a clear intention and with good cleansing practices and tools to clear our field , we can keep ourself spiritually safe. Have I come across dark shadow beings myself? Absolutely! Were some really dark and creepy, Yes they were! Were you scared? Too right I was! Did you view them as Demons? No, I didnt. To me they were Daemons. They were often lost between realms and totally out of balance. There is often a symbolic subconscious relationship with the person they come to and a deep learning to come from that relationship and its release. For me it was actually about learning how to find compassion within myself, for myself and for them in order to release them and to help others to do the same.

I don’t think Doreen knew or knows quite how to do that. She got very frightened and is hiding under the umbrella of born again righteous faith.

I repeat, normally I would say hey, whatever works for you, but I have seen via her recent posts (more research done) that every day she is crapping on modalities and practitioners who are here to be of genuine service. That dear kin, I really don’t have any respect for.

She didn’t clean herself from debris. She didn’t have the tools. Nor did she take responsibility for her part in her own shadow imbalance.

All practices and modalities need to be safe and believe me I have met some dodgy charlatans in my time. Its not the practice so much as the unconscious desires of the person practicing that can bring a massive load of shadow debris with it. In saying that I have had clients who have been sexually abused by cult leaders, massage therapist, doctors, spiritual shamans and priests alike. I see no difference.

We need to be our own navigators with our own inner compass and do what we can to keep our energy contained, safe and have the tools to cleanse and realign. Not by trashing modalities but by being aware of what we choose for what reason, what our wounds pull us towards and how we integrate it all in order to grow.

She attacks witchcraft like in the burning times. The origins of witchcraft was not about manipulation of nature or people, thats the fear based biblical and Hollywood version. Witchcraft is not sorcery. Its about working in line with natures flow, knowing what one can source from it to be of help as any true Witch (Wise person) will tell you. A very learned High Witch once shared with me that there is no white or black witches its more about the individuals ego, their intention and how one uses the craft.

So sure the new age of alternative medicine has many charlatans but so do the American Evangelists who rip people off, manipulate them into brutal exorcisms, con them into believing the guy on the stage is gods messenger while seeing them fall about. I cannot tell you how far my mouth falls open when watching the evangelist channels in America and how much money they get minute by minute. Scammers are everywhere. In all parts of society.

If you believe or find deep connection with God, Jesus, Guan Yin, Allah, Buddha, Gia, ETs, or your an agnostic, an atheist (well you probably wont be reading this if you are, chuckle), embrace that, get what you need from it and the modalites and practices you choose that resonate with you. Just do it safely. Let others walk their own path and build up trust in your own guidance system.

If you want to learn how to practice safely, you might want to keep my services in mind as thats what I am focusing on next year with online workshops, some in person workshops and talks via invitation, both for everyday folks on the path and seperate ones for practitioners.

Doreen, luv, I feel sad for you. You are running scared, dictating and projecting to others your own fears. Thats not the work of Jesus. He taught unconditional love and acceptance. Whatever I myself have come up against, however dark, unconditional love has been the primary key to releasing it. Thats loving with strong and healthy boundaries, not walls, gargoyles and spikes.

Blessings Always

Odette

(c) O. Nightsky 2025