95 lines
4.2 KiB
Plaintext
95 lines
4.2 KiB
Plaintext
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The following is Part Two of an excerpt entitled
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"A Brief Handbook of Exorcism".
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It is taken from Malachi Martin's 1976 classic work on
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the subject of possession and exorcism called,
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"Hostage To The Devil".
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Among other things, the 477 p. book also contains an
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in depth analysis on the recent possessions of 5
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"ordinary" Americans.
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For further information on the subject, the reader is
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invited to consult the book. It is published by Perrenial
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Library of New York.
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Note: Italicized words are represented through
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use of'single' quotation marks.
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"A Brief Handbook of Exorcism" - (2)
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____________________________________
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There is no lexicon of Exorcism; and there is no
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guidebook or set of rules, no Baedeker of Evil Spirit
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to follow. The Church provides an official text for
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Exorcism, but this is merely a framework. It can be
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read out loud in 20 minutes. It merely provides a
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precise formula of words together with certain prayers
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and ritual actions, so that the exorcist has a preset
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structure in which to address the evil spirit. In
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fact, the conduct of an exorcism is left very much up
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to the exorcist.
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Nevertheless, any practiced exorcist I have spoken
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with agrees that there is a general progress through
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recognizable stages in an exorcism, however long it
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may last.
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One of the most experienced exorcists I have known
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and who was in fact the mentor of the exorcist in the
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first case related in this book, gave names to the
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various general stages of an exorcism. These names
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reflect the general meaning or effect or intent of what
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is happening, but not the specific means used by the
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evil spirit or by the exorcist. Conor, as I call him,
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spoke of 'Presence', 'Pretense', 'Breakpoint', 'Voice',
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'Clash', and 'Expulsion'. The events and stages these
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names signify occur in nine out of ten exorcisms.
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From the moment the exorcist enters the room, a
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peculiar feeling seems to hang in the very air. From
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that moment in any genuine exorcism and onward through
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its duration, everyone in the room is aware of some
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alien 'Presence'. This indubitable sign of possession
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is as unexplainable and unmistakable as it is
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inescapable. All the signs of possession, however
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blatant or grotesque, however subtle or debatable,
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seem both to pale before and to be marshaled in the
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face of this 'Presence'.
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There is no sure physical trace of the 'Presence',
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but everyone feels it. You have to experience it to
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know it; you cannot locate it spatially - beside or
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above or within the possessed, or over in the corner
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or under the bed or hovering in midair.
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In one sen
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Another file downloaded from: NIRVANAnet(tm)
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& the Temple of the Screaming Electron Jeff Hunter 510-935-5845
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The Salted Slug Strange 408-454-9368
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Burn This Flag Zardoz 408-363-9766
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realitycheck Poindexter Fortran 510-527-1662
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Lies Unlimited Mick Freen 415-583-4102
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Tomorrow's 0rder of Magnitude Finger_Man 415-961-9315
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My Dog Bit Jesus Suzanne D'Fault 510-658-8078
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New Dork Sublime Demented Pimiento 415-566-0126
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