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New Age To Catholic

Why I left the New Age and occult and returned to my Catholic faith

God Opens a Door (Video)

August 31, 2023


I made a short video today talking about my recent experience when listening to "Women and Grace" and how I felt God opened a door for me in regard to my testimony. 

You can read the full blog post on my experience here: All God's Doors.

If you're reading this post via the newsletter and the video player isn't displaying, please visit my YouTube channel at the following link: https://youtu.be/yYQG5DHsHjk?si=BgJChM5ZjLXYoi_p to watch. 
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  • The name of the author I mention in the video is John Martignoni. His book Blue Collar Apologetics: How to Explain and Defend Catholic Teaching Using Common Sense, Simple Logic, and the Bible  (affiliate link) is available on Amazon 
  • Please note: This post includes affiliate links. This means that if you purchase something through on of my links, I'll earn a small percentage from the sale - at no cost to you.
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First Step to a Better Relationship with Our Guardian Angel (Podcast EP 20)

August 24, 2023


This is my 20th podcast episode overall and my second podcast in a row on the topic of angels. And I'll be honest; I have very mixed feelings about podcasting on God's holy angels. 

I want to talk about what I'm learning about the angels. I'd like to try to counteract some of the misinformation out there on the topic. And I would like to make up for having contributed to that during my time in the New Age.

But I'm finding it difficult. Writing a blog post isn't too bad but podcasting is challenging. But I'm going to keep at and see how it goes. For now.

Anyway this is my most recent episode. It's based on insight I had when reading about angels in the Bible.

About This Episode

What can we do to build a better relationship with our Guardian Angel? What is one key thing we can do in order to benefit from his guidance?

In this episode of the podcast I talk about the first of Fr. Matthew Hinck's 12 steps to building a better friendship with our guardian angel. 

The Scripture reference for this episode is drawn from Luke 1 & 2 which talks about St. Gabriel's annunciation to the Blessed Mother and Gabriel's earlier visit to Zacharias to announce the birth of St. John the Baptist.

The teaching reference for the episode is Fr. Matthew Hinck's retreat conference The Guardian Angels and Our Spiritual Life which is available as an MP3 download from OpusAngelorum.org.

For more on this topic please see: Grace or the Lack of It and 12 Ways to Deepen Our Friendship with the Angels

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Happy Birthday Blog!

August 22, 2023


About Today 

I started my first blog on my birthday and so I did that with this blog too. With the old metaphysical blog doing that was arbitrary. With this one, it is not.

That is because today, August 22nd, 2022, isn't just my birthday or the blog's. It's the feast of the Queenship of Mary.  The Queenship of Mary falls on the octave (8th day) after the Assumption and celebrates the coronation of Mary Queen of Heaven. 

Which makes today a good day to write about about Mary. And reminds me that it's been a while since I did. 

I have been writing and podcasting about angels a lot lately. This is because I'm in spiritual formation with the Opus Angelorum and I'm learning and I like to share. I also love my guardian angel and am happy to be a candidate for consecration to him through the OA. 

But I've consecrated myself to the Immaculate Heart of Mary, too, and I love everything about the Blessed Mother. I love her example and learning about the different Marian apparitions, and saying the Rosary. And I love invoking her many beautiful names.

Our Lady of Mercy. Our Lady of Fatima. Our Lady of Perpetual Help. Queen of Heaven. Mystic Rose. And, of course, Queen of Angels. 

About the Blog

This blog isn't explicitly dedicated to Mary. But it is my outreach to others who may have left the Faith and gotten involved, however peripherally, in the New Age. And so I like the idea that today on Mary's feast day, I'm officially giving it a new name. 

The new name is New Age to Catholic (just like the podcast) and there is a new custom domain  (NewAgeToCatholic.com) that goes with the change. I will be posting all the podcast epsiodes and related content here at NewAgeToCatholic.com. 

There is also a new facebook page at facebook.com/NewAgeToCatholic.

The podcast is still called New Age To Catholic. You can find it on most popular podcast apps and at its new URL at NewAgeToCatholic.org (I had to give the podcast a dot org after reassigning the dot com here)

So that's all the birthday news. Happy feast of the Queenship or Mary and happy birthday blog and happy birthday to me.

And a special, heartfelt thanks to everyone who has stuck with me on this crazy journey. I can't wait to see what the next year will bring!


Taken two years ago on Assumption Sunday  in my home town.

Mary concieved without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee!

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Cemeteries, Demons & EVPs

August 3, 2023


There was a time when I was fascinated with cemeteries.  When I was involved in paranormal investigation and mediumship, in fact, they were my favorite place for recording EVPs and taking spirit photos.  

So it's not surprising really that while other people's Memorial Day trips to the cemetery were all about remembering their loved ones, my focus was on talking to spirits.

A Paranormal Memorial Day


There was one Memorial Day in particular when I visited the cemetery where my family was buried.  I had the best of intentions.  I'd even brought begonias to plant.  

But before those begonias were even in the ground, I'd began to think about spirits.

I didn't have the recorder I liked to use for paranormal investigation with me so I decided to take a picture and look for orbs. But when I pulled out my fully charged phone, it abruptly shut down. 

I'd fried my old phone, trying to take the spirit photo, a year or two earlier..  This current phone was the replacement. So I was annoyed that I'd even taken it out of the car.  Annoyed but not afraid.  Because it was my belief then that nothing on "the other side" could possibly hurt me.

I tried to restart my phone with no luck at all.  So I decided to leave and check it phone again a few miles away from the cemetery. 

Driving away, I felt the a presence with me in the car.  It wasn't a peaceful presence.  Instead it felt jangly and hyper.  I had the sense that there were multiple spirits present.  There was a giddy kind of energy that I found disturbing.

But, because of my occult belief system, I pushed my sense of unease aside, and decided to having a conversation.  I told the spirits about what I was up to, asked for advice and waited for a response.

A few moments later, my phone turned back on.  I plugged in the auxiliary cable and started to listen to the audio book I'd played on my way to the cemetery but all I heard was static.  In between the bursts of interference I heard the word 'path.'  Thinking of my question, I decided to take that word as a go.

Because everything, when it came to spirit communication, was always a go. 

Back to the Cemetery 

The first rule: in persons who are going from mortal sin to mortal sin, the enemy is ordinarily accustomed to propose apparent pleasures to them, leading them to imagine sensual delights and pleasures in order to hold them more and make them grow in their vices and sins.  - The Rules of St. Ignatius


Since my phone was now working, I turned the car around and went back to the cemetery to try to capture some orbs.  A part of me was hoping to receive more information from the spirits as well.

By the time I got back to the cemetery the spirits were no longer talking.  So I took a few photos and left.  On the way home, my audio book played clearly through the stereo speakers.  My phone continued to function.

I don't even remember now, what kind of advice I asked for that day.  But whatever it was I'm quite sure I took it heart.  

It never occurred to me then that the spirits who spoke to me might not have my best interests at heart.  Even though the so-called guidance I received over and over during my years in the occult only served to lead me from sin to sin.  

Just as St. Ignatius said.

May God protect us all!  



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For more on the topic, please visit my Paranormal Investigation page.
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My name is Barbara Graver. I returned to Catholicism in early 2020 after becoming deeply involved in the New Age and occult. While in the occult I was a popular metaphysical blogger and professional card reader, relying heavily on spirits who were not what I believed them to be. I now blog and podcast on my experience. To get my media in a weekly digest please sign up for my email list below!
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      About the Holy Angels Podcast Episode Spiritual beings have been a very real force in my life. This includes my time in the New Age ...
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      I made a short video today talking about my recent experience when listening to "Women and Grace" a...
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    • ▼  2023 (23)
      • ►  September (1)
      • ▼  August (4)
        • God Opens a Door (Video)
        • First Step to a Better Relationship with Our Guar...
        • Happy Birthday Blog!
        • Cemeteries, Demons & EVPs
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