Word “Exorcism is derived from the Greek preposition ek with the verb horkizo which implies “I cause (someone) to swear”. Technically, exorcism is not the act of casting out the Devil or a demon, but places the Devil or demon on oath.Exorcism is conceived of as the rite of driving out the devil and his demons from possessed persons. There is a difference between spiritual and demonic possession, however both form of possessions sometimes show striking pattern of similarity but exorcism is carried out to free a person.
Exorcism
In general, Roman Catholic practices the rite of exorcism but some protestant denominations and other charismatic groups practice it as well. These groups call the practice as “deliverance ministry” where gifted people cast out devils and heal the infested persons with their touch and praying over them.
What is Possession?
When ghosts partially take control over your mind and intellect that results in impaired decision making ability and increased negative emotions is referred to as demonic possession. Demons bring about these detrimental changes in us by skillfully merging with our consciousness by taking full charge of all our actions. A ghost employing its black energy can alter or affect a person’s physical, mental, intellectual and spiritual functioning negatively. Ghosts cannot act upon your mind and body directly instead they accomplish their tasks by merging with the person’s consciousness in any form.
How to identify a possessed person
Demonic possession is an abstruse concept to understand where nothing is as real as it appears. There is no certain way to spot and explain the levels of possession as there are numerous ways and approaches to look at any type of possession.
Ways to identify a possessed person
1. The person may become abusive, threatening or violent for no clearly defined reason. These characteristics are apparently visible when the person attempts to kill innocent animals. 2. A possessed person’s taste changes all of sudden for the food that he used to relish earlier. At night when the mind is most vulnerable, possessed person suffer severe night terror and extreme nightmares on a consistent basis. He can start talking in unheard languages which they have never learnt. For instance, a person may set about speaking French which he has never learnt.
Ways to identify a possessed person
3. The individual may appear to be catatonic or spends considerable amount of time without blinking. 4. The person also starts telling about the past and future events that they should have no knowledge about. 5. A possessed person shows unusual body movements. Like he can twist his bodies in seemingly impossible ways. 6. Eyes of a possessed person also changes colors. Every so often, it turns to black, almost like a shark’s eyes.
Stages of possession
Possession befalls in several degrees. Simply viewing a spirit is not as same as a spirit controlling your mind, intellect and forcing you to act negatively without letting you have any control over your emotions mind and body. Let’s dig into the 3 different stages of possession;
Stage 1: Manifestation
Manifestation: Manifestation is the first stage when the possessed person makes contact with the spirit for the first time. The person gets more out of control if the manifestation happens spontaneously as compared to the manifestation which turns up as a consequence of evocation. However, at this stage invasion does not happen but leaves a psychological impression.
Stage 2: Infestation
Infestation: Infestation is when the person feels like he/she is under constant surveillance of negative energy. He feels like someone is around, hears knocks on doors, whispers and is haunted by alike paranormal activities.
Stage 3: Posession
Possession: Possession is the final stage when the entity gets access to the body and the target’s active free will gets stamped out by that negative spirit. This stage of possession is marked by rather more strange events like the possessed person can report blacking out as the entity has taken charge of their body. The final objective that an entity wants to achieve at this stage is to claim and take the soul. It torments possessed person to the point where the person either commits suicide or the body becomes so fragile that it dies.
Why certain people get possessed
1. If a person is engaged in spreading spirituality in society or performs spiritual rites and rituals, he naturally invites a demons wrath.
2. If a person knowingly or unknowingly angers a ghost: For instance if a person, though not deliberately, urinates or defecates at a pace where a ghost resides.
3. If a person causes unhappiness to a ghost, it will take revenge. Put differently, to settle give and take account a ghost invades a person’s body. 4. Every so often, a ghost wants to satiate its desires and cravings thorough affected individual.
How to deal with a possessed person
Possession is not a typical phenomenon and it’s important to distinguish if a person is suffering from some mental disorders or is really possessed. But once you know it for sure that a person is possessed and no medical intervention is really going to help. You need to develop compassion and endure a person’s bizarre as well as frustrating activities. He may make strange noises, abandon food or feed on insects, harm himself, and carry out alike activities.
How to deal with a possessed person
Sole intention of an unholy spirit inhabiting the body is to torment and weaken it and your unnecessary intervention to set the things right may harm you or further worsen the situation. A priest having unrivaled spiritual power and unshakable faith in god alone can get you out of this situation.
Who can perform exorcism?
In the Catholic Church, a priest or a bishop after having special permissions to perform exorcism can perform exorcism. Exorcism cannot be performed without having explicit and special permission of a local ordinary who is usually a bishop of the diocese. The practice of performing exorcism is not solely confined to western world or Roman Catholicism. Almost all major religions across the globe like Islam, Judaism, Buddhism and Islam count on the existence of demons and possession and they practice their own forms of exorcism.
For example, in Hinduism instead of prayers they use mantras to caste out demons. Likewise, the Islam has its own way to heal a person at spiritual and physical level. However, the approach of Buddhism to exorcism can baffle anybody; it is of the opinion that the demon instead of invading a body itself is getting adversely affected by being trapped in a human being.
Rituals and rites performed during exorcism
Minor exorcism can be carried through in sacraments and church’s rites, primarily by using the sign of cross and other sacred things such as holy water. Needless to say, without the blessings of the certain people, exorcism cannot be completed. However, major exorcism where a victim is tortured to death and tormented mercilessly needs to be endorsed . Once the demonic possession of a person is affirmed, the ancient rite of exorcism to cast aside demons out of the body can be performed but a possessed person must accede for exorcism to be performed on him.
According to Roman rituals, Basic procedures involved in exorcism include a consecrated priest invoking the name of God in the holy and auspicious presence of various saints and the Archangel Michael to expel demons. However, the concept of exorcism is not only confined to church, different religions count on demonic possession and have devised gobs of different ways to perform exorcism and this custom dates back to thousands of years.
Rituals and Rites performed during exorcism
Assyrian tablets bank upon using incantations and prayers to the gods to combat demonic infestation which causes diseases and mental trauma. Ancient Babylonian priests relied on performing rituals to destroy a clay or wax image of a demon to get rid of it. In Hindu religion, chief priest recites Vedic mantras to cast the devil out from the body of the possessed person. Worshiping of gods is also done to remove the malefic effects of evil spirit.
Examples of Successful Exorcism : 1. Robbie Mannheim
You must have watched the blood curdling horror movie “The Exorcist” which is based on the real life story of 13-year-old Robbie Mannheim. Robbie’s exorcism kicked off debate among scientific and religious communities and they arrived at the conclusion that medical science cannot extend a solution to a possessed person. He was so severely infested by the evil spirits that Reverend Luther Miles Schulze failed to relive him and recommended his case to Father Edward Hughes.
Example of Successful Exorcism: Robbie Mannheim
Father Edward performed failed exorcism and eventually got stabbed by Robbie. But with the grace of Almighty, Robbie was eventually freed from the demonic possession and led a normal life.
Example of Successful Exorcism : 2. Clara Germana Cele
Clara Germana Cele, a Catholic and member of the Marian hill mission confessed to Father Horner that she had made a pact with the Devil but her claim was outright rejected. But soon she started behaving oddly like ripping off clothes, growling and talking to imaginary friends using unknown languages. She used to be a calm and composed girl but suddenly became violent for no known reasons. Eventually father Horner performed exorcism and freed her from the clutches of demons.
Scientific basis of Exorcism
Exorcism has been bone of contention between scientific fraternity and religious leaders since ages. Church believes that a possessed person can only be relieved through exorcism. Put differently, religion counts on the power of god to cast evil out of the body of a possessed person and named this process “Exorcism”. Science mostly describes possession in terms of mental disorders like Schizophrenia, Psychosis or Epilepsy and suggest cure for them.
Scientific basis of Exorcism
Even the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders describe possession as psychiatric issue. For instance a person suffering from schizophrenia may claim that he is hearing voices of Satan. Likewise, epileptic seizures may be linked with stiffening of body. But bizarre activities and actions that a possessed person does cannot be explicated in terms of science. His physical endurance surges many times and he can lift up heavy objects without showing any signs of trouble. He becomes multilingual and speaks languages he never learnt which cannot be scientifically explained.
Scientific basis of Exorcism
Even the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders describe possession as psychiatric issue. For instance a person suffering from schizophrenia may claim that he is hearing voices of Satan. Likewise, epileptic seizures may be linked with stiffening of body. But bizarre activities and actions that a possessed person does cannot be explicated in terms of science. His physical endurance surges many times and he can lift up heavy objects without showing any signs of trouble. He becomes multilingual and speaks languages he never learnt which cannot be scientifically explained.
Ways to prevent demonic possession
1. It’s important to stay positive to succeed in any sphere of life and realm of metaphysics is not an exception. A positive attitude will attract positive and benign spirits to you. 2. Most negative emotions sometimes make our soul weaker and make it easy for negative energy to enter the body. Hence, keep your body, mind and spirit always in balance through meditation and other spiritual practices to stay away from negative emotions like anger, jealousy etc.
Ways to prevent demonic posession
3. If you relish the company of noble souls, your mind and heart will set about bristling with all the positive and powerful energies. On the contrary, while staying with negative people your positive energy will dwindle away to nothing in no time, consequently you become more vulnerable to possession.
Ways to prevent demonic posession
4. All types of adversities and calamities befall on the people having tenuous will. Even god respects our will and will not do anything to go against it. Devils possess a person by overpowering their will so it’s important to have total faith on your will that you can dispel all negative energies.
Ways to prevent demonic posession
5. Carry protective or sacred objects with you. If you are a Christian, you may carry with you some powerful religious objects that you believe in. For example, St. Benedict’s medal, which was specially charged or blessed by an authorized Benedictine Priest, can help protect you against demonic possession. If you believe in quartz crystals or amulets, have one specially blessed or charged by a competent person to protect you.
Mehandipur Balaji – A Well-known Temple for Exorcism
Balaji is the most revered God in India who is known for his benevolence, mopping up asperities and agonies, and providing boon to the devotees. But you will be amazed to know Mehandipur Balaji temple in Dausa District draws thousands of devotes on Tuesday and Saturday not only to get his blessings but to set themselves free from the clutches of evil spirits and demonic possessions.
Mehandipur Balaji – A Well-known Temple for Exorcism
In addition to regular devotes, thousands of people who are thought to be under the spell of black magic or said to be possessed by ghosts or malevolent spirits flock to the temple to do away with evil spirits from their body. These possessed people known as sankatwalas offer prayers and are miraculously freed from demonic possessions.
A complete awareness about exorcism is requisite
People are crossing swords since ages about exorcism and its efficacy. With the advent of technology, new cases of exorcism have been reported worldwide. Scores of cases which had been declared incurable and resembled to mental disorders like Schizophrenia, Psychosis, and paranoia had been successfully treated using exorcism. Since possession is not a typical phenomenon, we often confuse it with some medical ailments but all the bizarre activities that a possessed individual shows is inexplicable to science which reinforces our faith in the realm of spirits.
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