A thoughtful friend wrote:

I read your article with interest.

However I didn’t see any mention of Daniel who certainly was a Magician.

Not a Magician in the new age pagan Wicca sense, but a Theurgist.

The word Occult means hidden, it is not a word that means black magic .

Many young people disillusioned by main stream Christianity and oppressed by deterministic materialism, often turn to other things to escape.

I often ponder the occult significance of the Harry Potter books, they are about human frailty, the interplay between good and evil, the temptation of black magic, and its dangers.

It is a type of spiritual journey that ultimately we all take.

There is the danger of people being seduced by the dark side, but The Light of The Christ shines within all of us

We have to learn to recognize it

The story of the Prodigal son.

And in closing may I refer you to The Gospel of St Mark, 9 .38-41

Regards,

[name withheld]