A couple of years ago, I was looking at taking a weekend break and visit my brother who lived in the New Forest.

Lyndhurst.  A quaint English village with ponies, deer, tea rooms, antiques shop and a Ferrari dealership!

I love the New Forest, in 2008 I had the chance to work for the New Forest NHS trust fixing computers in hospitals and clinics in places like Ashurst, Lyndhurst, Tatchbury Mount, Beauliu, and Lymington.   This jobs was a dream for me, as I have spent times hiking and camping there, and this job let me do some brief walking around during.

I was talking about trying to book a youth hostel in the New Forest, and found a listing for just one, in a village called Burley.   My mum overheard me and told me not to got there, it has a reputation for having a history in witchcraft.

So I thought my mum was joking until I looked it up on Google Streetmap view.  Who would know a sleepy English village would be based around the occult?

http://www.new-forest-national-park.com/burley.html

Witchcraft, occult and spiritual warfare is not just something of curiosity horror films and goth meet up parties, its very real.   Certain places I have visited you can sense it.  I’ve seen a friend delivered from an evil spirit, (who immediately accepted Christ and threw out loads of New Age stuff she previously had)  I’ve seen grown men had nervous breakdowns whilst working in the Holy Land and need to get a family member to escort them home on a plane.   I’ve seen things move around the room at 3am in my friend’s flat in a town in the Galilee, which I realised in the morning what it was later.  Actually thinking about it historically and biblically, Jesus dealt with casting out demons all the time in and around the Galilee area.

I’d still like to visit the New Forest, but not Burley. 🙂  I’m really glad I heard my mum’s advice now!

Finally I’ve used this passage lots of times regarding the occult, new age and spiritual warfare but it deserves a mention again.

Ephesians 6:12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.