textfiles/occult/exorcis1.txt

    The following is Part One of an excerpt entitled
  "A Brief Handbook of Exorcism".
    It is taken from Malachi Martin's 1976 classic work on
  the subject of possession and exorcism called,
  "Hostage To The Devil".
    Among other things, the 477 p. book also contains an
  in depth analysis on the recent possessions of 5
  "ordinary" Americans.
    For further information on the subject, the reader is
  invited to consult the book. It is published by Perrenial
  Library of New York.

    Note: Italicized words are represented through
          use of 'single' quotation marks.



         "A Brief Handbook of Exorcism" - (1)
         ____________________________________


             The recent vast publicity about Exorcism has
         highlighted the plight of the possessed as a fresh
         genre of horror film. The essence of evil is lost
         in the cinematographic effects. And the exorcist,
         who risks more than anyone else in an exorcism,
         flits across the screen as necessary but, in the
         end, not so interesting as the sound effects.

             The truth is that all three - the possessed,
         the possessing spirit, and the exorcist - bear a
         close relation to the reality of life and to its
         meaning as all of us experience it each and every day.

             Possession is not a process of magic. Spirit
         is real; in fact, spirit is the basis of all reality
         reality. "Reality" would not only be boring without
         spirit; it would have no meaning whatsoever. No horror
         film can begin to capture the horror of such a vision:
         a world without spirit.

             Evil Spirit is personal, and it is intelligent. It
         is preternatural, in the sense that it is not 'of' this
         material world, but it is 'in' this material world. And
         Evil Spirit as well as good advances along the lines of
         our daily lives. In very normal ways spirit uses and
         influences our daily thoughts, actions, and customs and,
         indeed, all the strands that make up the fabric of life
         in whatever time or place. Contemporary life is no
         exception.

             To compare spirit with the elements of our lives and
         material world, which it can and sometimes does manipulate
         for its own ends, is a fatal mistake, but one that is
         very often made. Eerie sounds can be produced by spirit
         -but spirit is not the eerie sound. Objects can be made
         to fly across the room, but telekinesis is no more spirit
         than the material object that was made to move. One man
         whose story is told in this book made the mistake of
         thinking otherwise, and he nearly paid with his life when
         he had to confront the error he had made.

             The exorcist is the centerpiece of every exorcism.
         On him depends everything. He has nothing personal to gain.
         But in each exorcism he risks literally everything that he
         values. Every exorcist must engage in a one-to-one
         confrontation, personal and bitter, with pure evil. Once
         engaged, the exorcism cannot be called off. There will and
         must always be a victor and a vanquished. And no matter
         what the outcome, the contact is in part fatal for the
         exorcist. He must consent to a dreadful and irreparable
         pillage of his deepest self. Something dies in him. Some
         part of his humanness will wither from such close contact
         with the opposite of all humanness - the essence of evil;
         and it is rarely if ever revitalized. No return will be
         made to him for his loss.

             This is the minimum price an exorcist pays. If he
         loses in the fight with Evil Spirit, he has an added
         penalty. He may or may not ever again perform the rite of
         Exorcism, but he must finally confront and vanquish the
         evil spirit that repulsed him.


             The investigation that may lead to Exorcism usually
         begins because a man or woman -occasionally a child -is
         brought to the notice of Church authorities by family or
         friends. Only rarely does a possessed person come forward
         spontaneously.

             The stories that are told on these occasions are
         dramatic and painful: strange physical ailments in the
         possessed; marked mental derangement; obvious repugnance
         to all signs, symbols, mention, and sight of religious
         objects, places, people, ceremonies.

             Often, the family or friends report, the presence of
         the person in question is marked by so-called psychical
         phenomena: objects fly around the room; wallpaper peels
         off the walls; furniture cracks; crockery breaks; there
         are strange rumblings, hissess, and other noises with no
         apparent source. Often the temperature in the room where
         the possessed happens to be will drop dramatically. Even
         more often an acrid and distinctive stench accompanies
         the person.

             Violent physical transformations seem sometimes to
         make the lives of the possessed a kind of hell on earth.
         Their normal processes of secretion and elimination are
         saturated with inexplicable wrackings and exaggeration.
         Their consciousness seems completely colored by the
         violent sepia of revulsion. Reflexes sometimes become
         sporadic or abnormal, sometimes disappear for a time.
         Breathing can cease for extended periods. Heartbeats are
         hard to detect. The face is strangely distorted,
         sometimes also abnormally tight and smooth without the
         slightest line or furrow.

             When such a case is brought to their attention, the
         first and central problem that must always be addressed
         by the Church authorities is: Is the person really
         possessed?

             Henri Geslaud, a French priest and exorcist who works
         today in Paris, stated in 1974 that, out of 3,000
         consultations since 1968, "there have been only four
         cases of what I believe to be demonic possession." T.K.
         Osterreich, on the other hand, states that "possession
         has been an extremely common phenomena, cases of which
         abound in the history of religion." The truth is that
         official or scholarly census of possession cases has
         never been made.

            Certainly, many who claim to be possessed or whom
         others so describe are merely the victims of some mental
         or physical disease. In reading records from times when
         medical and psychological science did not exist or were
         quite undeveloped, it is clear that grave mistakes were
         made. A victim of disseminated sclerosis, for example,
         was taken to be possessed because of his spastic jerkings
         and slidings and the shocking agony in spinal column and
         joints. Until quite recently, the victim of Tourette's
         syndrome was the perfect target for the accusation of
         "Possessed!" : torrents of profanities and obscenities,
         grunts, barks, curses, yelps, snorts, sniffs, tics, foot
         stomping, facial contortions all appear suddenly and just
         as suddenly cease in the subject. Nowadays, Tourette's
         syndrome responds to drug treatment, and it seems to be
         a neurological disease involving a chemical abnormality
         in the brain. Many people suffering from illnesses and
         diseases well known to us today such as paranoia,
         Huntington's chorea, dyslexia, Parkinson's disease, or
         even mere skin diseases (psoriasis, herpes I, for
         instance), were treated as people "possessed" or at least
         as "touched" by the Devil.

             Nowadays, competent Church authorities always insist
         on thorough examinations of the person brought to them
         for Exorcism, an examination conducted by qualified
         medical doctors and psychiatrists.

             When a case of possession is reported by a priest to
         the diocesan authorities, the exorcist of the diocese is
         brought in. If there is no diocesan exorcist, a man is
         appointed or brought from outside the diocese.

             Sometimes the priest reporting the exorcism will have
         had some preliminary medical and psychiatric tests run
         beforehand in order to allay the cautious skepticism he
         is likely to meet at the chancery when he introduces his
         problem. When the official exorcist enters the case, he
         will usually have his own very thorough examinations run
         by experts he knows and whose judgment he is sure he
         can trust.

             In earlier times, one priest was usually assigned
         the function of exorcist in each diocese of the Church.
         In modern times, this practice has fallen into abeyance
         in some dioceses, mainly because the incidence of reported
         possession has decreased over the last hundred years. But
         in most major dioceses, there is still one priest entrusted
         with this function -even though he may rarely or never use
         it. In some dioceses, there is a private arrangement
         between the bishop and one of his priests whom he knows
         and trusts.

             There is no official public appointment of exorcists.
         In some dioceses, "the bishop knows little about it and
         wants to know less" -as in one of the cases recorded in
         this book. But however he comes to his position, the
         exorcist must have official Church sanction, for he is
         acting in an official capacity, and any power he has over
         Evil Spirit can only come from those officials who belong
         to the substance of Jesus' Church, whether they be in the
         Roman Catholic, the Eastern Orthodox, or the Protestant
         Communions. Sometimes a diocesan priest will take on an
         exorcism himself without asking his bishop, but all such
         cases known to me have failed.

             It is recognized both in the pre-exorcism examinations
         and during the actual exorcism that there is usually no
         one physical or psychical aberration or abnormality in
         the possessed person that we cannot explain by a known or
         possible physical cause. And, apart from normal medical
         and psychological tests, there are other possible sources
         for diagnosis. However rickety and tentative the findings
         of parapsychology, for example, one can possibly seek in
         its theories of telepathy and telekinesis an explanation
         of some of the signs of possession. Suggestion and
         suggestibility, as modern psychotherapists speak of them,
         can account for many more.

             Still, with the diagnoses and opinions of doctors and
         psychologists in hand, it is often discovered there are
         wide margins of fluctuation. Competent psychiatrists will
         differ violently among themselves; and in psychology and
         medecine, ignorance of causes is often obscured by
         technical names and jargon that are nothing more than
         descriptive terms.

             Nevertheless, the combined medical and psychological
         reports are carefully evaluated and usually weigh heavily
         in the final judgment to proceed or not with an exorcism.
         If according to those reports there is a definite disease
         or illness which adequately accounts for the behaviour
         and symptoms of the subject, Exorcism is usually ruled
         out, or at least delayed to allow a course of medical or
         psychiatric treatment.

             But finally, reports in hand, all evidence in, Church
         authorities judge the situation from another, special
         point of view, formed by their own professional outlook.

             They believe that there is an invisible power, a
         spirit of evil; that this spirit can for obscure reasons
         take possession of a human being; that the evil spirit
         can and must be expelled - exorcised - from the person
         possessed; and that this exorcism can be done only in the
         name and by the authority and power of Jesus of Nazareth.
         The testing from the Church's viewpoint is as rigorous in
         its search as any medical or psychological examination.

             In the records of Christian Exorcism from as far back
         as the lifetime of Jesus himself, a peculiar revulsion to
         symbols and truths of religion is always and without
         exception a mark of the possessed person. In the
         verification of a case of possession by Church
         authorities, this "symptom" of revulsion is triangulated
         with other physical phenomena frequently associated with
         possession -the inexplicable stench; freezing temperature
         ; telepathic power about purely religious and moral
         matters; a peculiarly unlined or completely smooth or
         stretched skin, or unusual distortion of the face, or
         other physical and behavioural transformations;
         "possessed gravity" (the possessed person becomes
         physically immovable, or those around the possessed are
         weighted down with a suffocating pressure); levitation
         (the possessed rises and floats off the ground, chair,
         or bed; there is no physically traceable support);
         violent smashing of furniture, constant opening and
         slamming of doors, tearing of fabric in the vicinity of
         the possessed, without a hand laid on them; and so on.

             When this triangulation is made of the varied
         symptoms that may occur in any given case, and medical
         and psychiatric diagnoses are inadequate to cover the
         full situation, the decision will usually be to proceed
         and try Exorcism.


             There has never been, to my knowledge, an official
         listing of exorcist together with their biographies and
         characteristics, so we cannot satisfy our modern
         craving for a profile of, say, "the typical exorcist."
         We can, however, give a fairly clear definition of the
         type of man who is entrusted with the exorcism of a
         possessed person. Usually he is engaged in the active
         ministry of parishes. Rarely is he a scholarly type
         engaged in teaching or research. Rarely is he a recently
         ordained priest. If there is any median age for
         exorcists, it is probably between the ages of fifty and
         sixty-five . Sound and robust physical health is not a
         characteristic of exorcists, nor is proven intellectual
         brilliance, postgraduate degrees, even in psychology or
         philosophy, or a very sophisticated personal culture.
         In this writer's experience, the 15 exorcists he has
         known have been singularly lacking in anything like a
         vivid imagination or a rich humanistic training. All
         have been sensitive men of solid rather than dazzling
         minds. Though, of course, there are many exceptions,
         the usual reasons for a priest's being chosen are his
         qualities of moral judgment, personal behaviour, and
         religious beliefs -qualities that are not sophisticated
         or laboriously acquired, but that somehow seem always
         to have been an easy and natural part of such a man.
         Speaking religiously, these are qualities associated
         with special grace.

             There is no official training for an exorcist.
         Before a priest undertakes Exorcism, it has been found
         advisable - but not always possible or practical - for
         him to assist at exorcisms conducted by an older and
         already experienced priest.

             Once possession has been verified to the
         satisfaction of the exorcist, he makes the rest of
         the decisions and takes care of all the necessary
         preparations. In some dioceses, it is he who chooses
         the assistant priest. The choice of the lay assistants
         and of the time and place of the exorcism is left
         to him.

             The place of the exorcism is usually the home of
         the possessed person, for generally it is only
         relatives or closest friends who will give care and
         love in the dreadful circumstances associated with
         possession. The actual room chosen is most often one
         that has had some special significance for the
         possessed person, not infrequently his or her own
         bedroom or den. In this connection, one aspect of
         possession and of spirit makes itself apparent: the
         close connection between 'spirit' and 'physical
         location'. The puzzle of spirit and place makes itself
         felt in many ways and runs throughout virtually every
         exorcism. There is a theological explanation for it.
         But that there is some connection between spirit and
         place must be dealt with as a fact.

             Once chosen, the room where the exorcism will be
         done is cleared as far as possible of anything that
         can be moved. During the exorcism, one form of
         violence may and most often does cause any object,
         light or heavy, to move about, rock back and forth,
         skitter or fly across the room, make much noise,
         strike the priest or the possessed or the assistants.
         It is not rare for people to emerge from an exorcism
         with serious physical wounds. Carpets, rugs, pictures,
         curtains, tables, chairs, boxes, trunks, bedclothes,
         bureaus, chandeliers, all are removed.

             Doors very often will bang open and shut
         uncontrollably; but because exorcisms can go on for
         days, doors cannot be nailed or locked with unusual
         security. On the other hand, the doorway must be
         covered; otherwise, as experience shows, the physical
         force let loose within the exorcism room will affect
         the immediate vicinity outside the door.

             Windows are closed securely; sometimes they may
         be boarded over in order to keep flying objects from
         crashing through them and to prevent more extreme
         accidents (possessed people sometimes attempt
         defenestration; physical forces sometimes propel the
         assistants or the exorcist toward the windows).

             A bed or couch is usually left in the room (or
         placed there if necessary), and that is where the
         possessed person is placed. A small table is needed.
         On it are placed a crucifix, with one candle on either
         side of it, holy water, and a prayer book. Sometimes
         there will also be a relic of a saint or a picture
         that is considered to be especially holy or
         significant for the possessed. In recent years in the
         United States, and increasingly abroad as well, a tape
         recorder is used. It is placed on the floor or in a
         drawer or sometimes, if it is not too cumbersome,
         around the neck of an assistant.

             The junior priest colleague of the exorcist is
         usually appointed by diocesan authorities. He is
         there for his own training as an exorcist. He will
         monitor the words and actions of the exorcist, warn
         him if he is making a mistake, help him if he weakens
         physically, and replace him if he dies, collapses,
         flees, is physically or emotionally battered beyond
         endurance - and all have happened during exorcisms.

             The other assistants are laymen. Very often a
         medical doctor will be among them because of the
         danger to all present of strain, shock, or injury.
         The number of lay assistants will depend on the
         exorcist's expectation of violence. Four is the usual
         number. Of course, in remote country areas or in very
         isolated Christian missions, and sometimes in big
         urban centers, there is no question of assistants.
         There simply is none available, or there is no time
         to acquire any. The exorcist must go it alone.

             An exorcist comes to know from experience what he
         can expect by way of violent behaviour; and for their
         own sakes, possessed people must usually be physically
         restrained during parts of the exorcism. The
         assistants therefore must be physically strong. In
         addition, there may be a straightjacket on hand,
         though leather straps or rope are more commonly used.

             It is up to the exorcist to make sure that his
         assistants are not consciously guilty of personal sins
         at the time of the exorcism, because they, too, can
         expect to be attacked by the evil spirit, even though
         not so directly or constantly as the exorcist himself.
         Any sin will be used as a weapon.

             The exorcist must be as certain as possible
         beforehand that his assistants will not be weakened
         or overcome by obscene behaviour or by language foul
         beyond their imagining; they cannot blanch at blood,
         excrement, urine; they must be able to take awful
         personal insults and be prepared to have their darkest
         secrets screeched in public in front of their
         companions. These are routine happenings during
         exorcisms.

             Assistants are given three cardinal rules: they
         are to obey the exorcist's commands immediately and
         without question, no matter how absurd or
         unsympathetic those commands may appear to them to
         be; they are not to take any initiative except on
         command; and they are never to speak to the possessed
         person, even by way of exclamation.

             Even with all the care in the world, there is no
         way an exorcist can completely prepare his assistants
         for what lies in store for them. Even though they are
         not subject to the direct and unremitting attack the
         priest will undergo, it is not uncommon for
         assistants to quit - or be carried out - in the
         middle of an exorcism. A practiced exorcist will even
         go so far as to make a few trial runs of an exorcism
         beforehand, on the old theory that forewarned is
         forearmed - at least to some degree.

             Timing in an exorcism is generally dictated by
         circumstances. There is usually a feeling of urgency
         to begin as soon as possible. Everyone involved
         should have an open schedule. Rarely is an exorcism
         shorter than some hours - more often than not ten
         or twelve hours. Sometimes it stretches for two or
         three days. On occasion it lasts even for weeks.

             Once begun, except on the rarest of occasions,
         there are no time outs, although one or other of the
         people present may leave the room for a few moments,
         to take some food, to rest very briefly, or go to the
         bathroom. (One strange exorcism where there was a
         time out is described in this book. The priest
         involved would have preferred one hundred times going
         straight through the exorcism rather than suffer the
         mad violence that caused the delay.)

             The only people in an exorcism who dress in a
         special way are the exorcist and his priest
         assistant. Each wears a long black cassock that
         covers him from neck to feet. Over it there is a
         waist-length white surplice. A narrow purple stole is
         worn around the neck and hangs loosely the length
         of the torso.

             Normally, the priest assistant and the lay
         assistants prepare the exorcism room according to the
         exorcist's instructions. They and the exorcee are
         ready in the room when the exorcist enters, last
         and alone.



         Note: Please see EXORCIST.2 for continuation...



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