Raised & Redeemed

Backpacking across the country to "find himself," panhandling in Las Vegas, and hitchhiking to Burning Man, Landon Scates never expected he would have found Christ instead. But on the long desert road home, everything changed. In this episode, Landon shares his full testimony from his early departure from God, through dark and disorienting years on the road, to an unexpected encounter wi...

Before I knew Christ, I read birth charts, taught yoga, and believed my Sun, Moon, and Rising sign were the key to my identity and destiny. In this episode of the Occult to Orthodoxy series, I'm sharing my honest journey from astrology to Orthodox Christianity — the history of astrology, what the Bible and Church Fathers say about it, and why the Magi following a star actually points us AWAY f...

Have you ever visited a psychic medium or watched psychics on TV and wondered how they know the things they know? In Part 15 of the Occult to Orthodoxy Series, we're pulling back the curtain on psychic mediums and spirit communication: what they are, what they claim to do, where these practices came from, and what is actually happening in those sessions from an Orthodox Christian perspective....

It was the desire to heal my inner childhood trauma that first hooked me into the occult and New Age spirituality. What I didn't know then: the adult self that's supposed to do the reparenting is also broken, and we cannot be our own saviors. In this episode, I break down what inner child work actually is, where it came from (Jung, Bradshaw, IFS, and more), how the New Age spiritualized it into so...

What are the spiritual dangers of shadow work? Isn't it just a therapeutic technique of healing your inner traumas? Or is is something darker, like embracing your inner demons? In this episode of the Occult to Orthodoxy Series, I break down: — What shadow work actually is and where it came from — Why Carl Jung's framework is fundamentally incompatible with Orthodox Christian anthropology — What Or...

What is the twin flame and soulmate deception? In this episode of the Occult to Orthodoxy series, we are exposing the dark reality behind the New Age concepts of Twin Flames and Soulmates. While the world tells you that searching for your "other half" is the path to spiritual ascension, Orthodox Christianity warns that this pursuit often leads to idolatry, trauma bonding, and the destruc...

What is an Orthodox Christian view on past lives? In this episode, we discuss: 💡 The ancient origins of reincarnation (India, Greece, and beyond) 💡 How these beliefs made their way into modern New Age spirituality 💡 My personal testimony of believing I was a witch and temple prostitute in past lives 💡 The Orthodox concept of prelest (spiritual delusion) and how demons distort identity 💡 Why r...

What is the difference between the occult third eye and Orthodox Christian nous? In this episode of the Occult to Orthodoxy Series, we explore the darker truth behind third eye awakening, pineal gland activation, and New Age spirituality—contrasting it with the authentic teaching of the Orthodox Christian Church on the nous, the true “eye of the soul.” Drawing from personal experience in the occul...

What is the difference between secular, New Age, and Orthodox Christian meditation? Each method claims it will provide us with peace, clarity, and presence, but can each one fully deliver? New Age meditation tell us to empty our minds to find peace. But Scripture doesn't say that. In fact, the Bible and the Orthodox Tradition teach us to KEEP GUARD OF OUR MINDS so that evil things don't en...

Can Orthodox Christians do yoga? While yoga is often the spiritual gateway into the new age and Hinduism, most Christian content about it is either surface-level or sensational. In Episode 8 of the Occult to Orthodoxy Series, we examine yoga from what it actually is at its root, to what the poses depict, to how it was deliberately repackaged for the Western world, to spiritually neutral alternativ...

Is chakra healing dangerous? What does the Orthodox Church teach about Reiki, kundalini yoga, sound healing, and breathwork ceremonies—and why do these practices feel so real? In this episode of the Occult to Orthodoxy Series, we go deep on the chakra system, the spiritual framework that underlies almost every energy healing practice in the New Age world, and an Orthodox Christian understanding of...

Millions of people believe repeating numbers like 111, 222, 444, 777, and 11:11 are messages from angels or the universe. But is this actually how God communicates? In this episode of Raised & Redeemed, we break down the truth about numerology and angel numbers from the perspective of Orthodox Christianity, Scripture, and the teachings of the Church Fathers. If you’re leaving the New Age, ques...

Tarot cards, oracle cards, and even “angel cards” are often presented as harmless tools for guidance, self-reflection, or connecting with the spiritual realm. But what does Orthodox Christianity actually teach about them? In this episode of Raised & Redeemed, Michaela Nikolaenko shares her personal experience using tarot and oracle cards during her years in the New Age—and explains why the Ort...

What does the life of a priest's wife actually look like? What made Destinie want to become an Orthodox Christian? In this special episode, I sit down with Khouria Destinie Winn, wife of Fr. David Winn, mother of four, and creator of Ascetic Life of Motherhood, to talk about her journey of becoming Orthodox, homeschooling, marriage, biblical femininity, veiling, Lent, and what it truly means t...

In this part 4 of the Occult to Orthodoxy series, I break down crystals, evil eye charms, dream catchers, and sage, all items used in the occult for spiritual protection, from an Orthodox Christian perspective. We answer questions like: • Do crystals actually have power? • Should Orthodox Christians own evil eye charms? • Why does burning sage sometimes “feel” like it works? • Are these things dem...

In Part 3 of this series on New Age vs Orthodox Christianity, we're breaking down the spiritual worldview behind manifestation, law of attraction, and even the prosperity gospel, vs true Christian prayer. We'll be working through: • What manifestation actually teaches at its core • How the Law of Attraction and “co-creating with the universe” mirror ancient occult practices • The subtle di...

In part 2 of this series, I break down what the New Age gets wrong about God, and who God actually is according to Orthodox Christianity. We will look closer at these questions: Q. Is God the Universe? Q. Is God just an energy or higher frequency? Q. Are we divine? Q. Do all paths really lead to the same destination? After years immersed in the New Age and occult, I eventually realized that what I...

In this first episode of a brand-new series, I share how I fell into the occult through New Age spirituality—and how Christ ultimately pulled me out of it. What began as “self-healing,” manifestation, yoga, feminism, and spiritual empowerment slowly became bondage. I believed I was awakening, aligning, and reclaiming my power… but the deeper I went into the occult and New Age world, the darker and...

How would fasting heal the world? ER doctor and Orthodox Christian, Dr. Pete Patitsas links fasting as the cure to every problem we see in the world from disease to addiction, to even the out-of-the-norm ER accidents. Drawing from emergency medicine, Orthodox tradition, and the Athos way of eating, we discuss how fasting impacts hormones, trauma, addiction, and our relationship with God. This conv...

In today’s episode of the Raised & Redeemed Podcast, I’m joined by author and former New Ager Abigail Myatt, who shares her powerful journey from New Age to Christ. Abigail recently finished writing her memoir, I Manifested My Worst Nightmare, where she exposes how New Age spirituality promises healing and empowerment but ultimately leads to bondage, exploitation, and spiritual deception. This...

What is the process of becoming Saints? In this powerful and deeply pastoral conversation, Orthodox priest Fr. Photios Dumont shares what he has witnessed over 35 years of ministry: modern miracles, living holy people, and the ongoing healing work of God through His Saints. This episode is especially for inquirers and new converts to Orthodox Christianity who want to understand: ✨ What a Saint tr...

In this conversation, Archpriest Seraphim Holland (of St. Nicholas Orthodox Church and the OrthodoxNet YouTube channel) joins us to answer the big questions about angels—what the Church actually teaches, how angels are organized, what guardian angels do, how angels interact with us in spiritual warfare, and much more. 💫 Topics covered What is an angel according to Scripture and the Holy Fathers T...

In this conversation, Fr. Ivan Shandra joins Michaela Nikolaenko to unpack one of the most important questions in the Christian life: how do we know what’s truly from God, and what isn’t? Coming from a background in the occult and New Age spirituality, Michaela has witnessed firsthand how easily people mistake emotional or mystical experiences for the Holy Spirit. Even within Christianity, especia...

In this episode, I, an Orthodox Christian, react to Michael Knowles’ debate on Halloween titled “Knowles MANSPLAINS To 3 Women Why Christians Should Celebrate Halloween” featuring Protestant Angela Scafidi, Catholic Mary Morgan, and fitness influencer Natalya Toryanski, and offer what was missing from the table: an Orthodox Christian perspective. Wrapping up with Fr. Moses McPherson’s video, “The...

Today, Kara Mosher shares her journey from the occult to Orthodox Christianity and exposes psychedelic deception. Before encountering Christ, psychedelics were her god, yet never healed her or brought her peace. While she thought they were leading her to truth in the spirit realm, they were only leading her further into darkness and occult training. In this episode of the Raised & Redeemed pod...