http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/cas ... ar-BBcm7BD

Pope Francis recently expressed his approval of a group of exorcists meeting at the Vatican this week. While exorcisms, in which demonic spirits are driven out of a supposedly possessed person, may seem a dark practice relevant only on TV screens, they have long been recognized by the Catholic Church and several religions.

This week, more than 300 members of the International Association of Exorcists are attending the convention, which is focused on the impact of the occult and Satanism on people today, The Catholic Sun reported.

The IAE was founded in 1990 byFather Gabriele Amorth, exorcist for the diocese of Rome, and was formally recognized by the Vatican this past June. [Spooky! The Top 10 Unexplained Phenomena]

Priests who pursue the ministry of exorcism "manifest the Church's love and acceptance of those who suffer because of the devil's works," Pope Francis wrote in a message to the association's president, Father Francesco Bamonte, Breitbart reported this week. The Holy See's approval of the International Association of Exorcists was "cause for joy not only for the association, but for the whole Church," Bamonte said.

The belief that demons exist and can possess people features in many religions, including Christianity. Exorcisms date back to the time of Jesus, who according to the Bible, "cast out demons."

Exorcism is "a highly unusual ministry for a situation in the human condition, which is quite rare, but it's growing in frequency," said Father Dwight Longenecker, a parish priest at Our Lady the Rosary in Greenville, South Carolina, who is not an exorcist, but supports the practice.

"Exorcism is a little bit like brain surgery in the spiritual realm," Longenecker told Live Science. Real exorcisms aren't quite as dramatic as Hollywood films such as "The Exorcist" would have you believe, but such movies do portray a version of events that actually happen, he said.

Signs that a person may be possessed, though never proven by science, include a great aversion to anything to do with the church, such as holy water or crucifixes; preternatural strength or knowledge; alien voices; and levitation or other paranormal phenomena, Longenecker said. Nevertheless, "we always look for natural explanations first," such as mental illness or addiction problems, he said.

Modern exorcists are normally experienced in both psychology and spiritual matters, and the job requires specialized training, said Longenecker, who writes a blog about the Catholic faith, called "Standing on My Head."

Exorcisms have been known to be harmful in some cases, perhaps due to the involvement of untrained exorcists, as news reports have attested. In 2011, a Virginia man was convicted in the death of his 2-year-old daughter for beating her to death in an attempt to rid her of demons, according to news reports.

The practice of eradicating demons is not unique to the Catholic Church, but it does have a long history with Christianity.

"It's really at the heart of the Church's mission, and it goes back to Jesus himself," said Dan Lord, a writer and director of religious education at the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in Charleston, South Carolina.

Lord told Live Science he is glad to see the International Association of Exorcists making progress, but this isn't the first time the Church has recognized the group's efforts.

"They had the support of Pope St. John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI, too, so the approval of the [IAE's] statutes is just the latest step in what has been a fairly steady process," Lord said.

Still, Lord said today's exorcists often feel "undervalued," or suppressed by Catholic priests and bishops who "have jumped on the same materialistic, rationalistic bandwagon as so many others in society," he said.

They are undervalued. Not to mention the risk their life evertime they are called upon. And lets not forget if the cross the wrong spirit it may appear resolved but the exorcist may suffer life threatening accidents in the future. As some spirits have friends that can retaliate. Sometimes the demon doesn't even have to kill you but cut off that which means a lot to you like how some government will cut off trades with other nations.

Just hope they learn to point their guns at the right targets this time.

Having been part of three exorcisms and the subject of a fourth, none of them catholic, I don't feel that exorcisms are as dangerous as you make them out to be, or as hollywood makes them out to be, Samsara, though I do agree that every precaution should be taken.

One of the primary things that is most ignored in the movies is that an exorcism is done to prove to the subject that they have the right to their own body and soul - and the power to say NO, in fact the RESPONSIBILITY to do so. The whole reason someone ends up possessed in the first place is because they said YES, for whatever reason.

As a natural channel, I was used to cage a being when my father's conjuring of that being went wrong and I was the nearest vessel. I was two. I didn't know how to say no, and didn't know I could - I said yes because I was told to say yes by a responsible adult, so I said yes, and became a cage - a possessed cage. I remained subject to that entity's influence for the next 19 years of my life. It was... a bit of a disaster.

The only way to relieve me was to help me say NO, GET OUT, it's MY body, MY life, MY CHOICE. I had to break the cage. The entity wanted to be free, too, so that helped, but ultimately, even when an entity doesn't WANT to leave, the soul that is possessed must do the evicting. An exorcist is supporting staff, there to chant the magic words to convince both the entity and the vessel that one has the power and the other does not, so that the victim ceases to live in that role, turns the tables, and takes back their power and kicks the offending entity to the curb by saying NO MORE.

Of course, they also do have to have the strength to say No, themselves, and leave the entity with no place to run but home.

When I do exorcisms, or teach others how to do them, I use herbs as my backup for that purpose - herbs of binding and herbs of banishing and exorcism - these specific herbs (and there are many) prevent these types of entities from being able to latch on to a new victim. When you burn them or scatter them or use them in whatever way is typical for them, you ensure that the people participating in the exorcism will be safe - because the entity will be evicted, but once evicted, will have no new place to seat itself except into herbs of binding, which can then be disposed of.

Using herbs that exorcise, and then herbs that bind and that banish, help... but the first step has always got to be from within the person who is possessed. If they don't stop saying Yes, if they don't take back their power and their Will, and start saying No, this is their body and their life and the entity has no right to it anymore - catholic, shamanic, chaotic, western, eastern, vodou, whatever your flavor of ritual preference for exorcism - it will do no good at all. You will fail, because the victim will fail, and the entity will win.

You should also know - demons aren't the only things that can possess people. In fact, out of all the exorcisms I've ever been present at, only ONE of them was actually a demon. Mine was a fallen angel and not a demon, just fallen because she couldn't choose a side - she refused to fight against her brothers and sisters on either side, so she said. Her crime was loving too deeply her kin, so she Fell for refusing to fight any of them. Whether she told the truth or not, I don't know, but she wasn't a demon, that I know for sure, because I've met black arts demons and dark arts demons, and I know the taste of both... and she wasn't either. She was an angel, but she wasn't... wasn't a normal angel. She was a dark angel.

The other three exorcisms... one I can't talk about even in daylight... one was a skinwalker, which is black arts.. and one to this day I have no idea what it was, save that it was something black arts, but not a demon.

So don't assume that a priest can solve it with "Christ Compels Thee," because it's a demon... and don't assume that it's black arts, either.

Not all exorcisms are equal. The only thing for sure is that you must say Yes to become infected... and that you must say No to be freed... and that requires, most often, an exorcist, and words, power, and deeds, protection, and symbols. I use herbs and fire. Priests use water and crosses. Hollywood uses drama. It amounts to the same thing... but while an exorcism IS dangerous, it doesn't mean that it's dangerous in the way that Hollywood portrays it.

Seriously. Hollywood is for popcorn and giggling. There's no reason to swallow it whole cloth.

I will agree no two exorcism are equal. I know two exorcist personally. I've seen video not made for Hollywierd and I will say it is more frightening that what was described above.

Both suffered from massive car accidents after their work though one believed God saved them from nearly plowing face first into a freeway divider. The other went to get back surgery after an accident.

Two different cases. Two different parts of the country. Of course I like to gather the most exciting stories, I'm sure the rest are as you said, not anything like Hollywood.

In this book a psychologist writes about how the spirit possessing the person is the one that needs therapy. To come at the being hard like an improperly trained wanna be exorcist has gotten therapists killed.


http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0345460871

I forgot what this other book was called but it was written by a hypnotherapist about exorcism. It creeped me out to read in the review area that they were dead after it was written.

Dangerous I suppose is relative.

As to what I know, Exorcism is practiced by:

The Roman Catholic Church

All of the Orthodox Churches ( Wiccan Warrior Alex & Myself are both made exorcists of The Russian & Siberian Orthodox Churches)
.
The Menonites

Buddhist & Bonpo Practicioners of the Chod.(I am an initiated practitioner)

Of course, there are probably others.

Caiyros Arlen

I think that if you are truly convinced that you are fighting the devil and that in doing so, you will suffer, that you draw to yourself attacks - and that sometimes you can attack yourself with your own hysteria, or even ascribe random events after experiences with darkness as being attacks from that "evil," due to that hysteria.

Because I don't believe in evil in that dualistic manner, I don't suffer from such experiences. Or perhaps, not yet.

Because I don't believe or disbelieve, I'm open to experiences of all kinds, though... Of course, because I am a chaos practitioner, and a trickster, I'm also more likely to ascribe them a less dualistic framework of good or evil and simply allow that they merely happened. Like the Chinese proverb of the wild horses and the farmer's son - Good, Bad? I don't know. *shrugs*

I do agree that therapy for the entity is probably the last thing that should be occurring... the person who needs the therapy is the victim.

MagickFromtheMysts wrote:I think that if you are truly convinced that you are fighting the devil and that in doing so, you will suffer, that you draw to yourself attacks - and that sometimes you can attack yourself with your own hysteria, or even ascribe random events after experiences with darkness as being attacks from that "evil," due to that hysteria.

Because I don't believe in evil in that dualistic manner, I don't suffer from such experiences. Or perhaps, not yet.

Because I don't believe or disbelieve, I'm open to experiences of all kinds, though... Of course, because I am a chaos practitioner, and a trickster, I'm also more likely to ascribe them a less dualistic framework of good or evil and simply allow that they merely happened. Like the Chinese proverb of the wild horses and the farmer's son - Good, Bad? I don't know. *shrugs*

I do agree that therapy for the entity is probably the last thing that should be occurring... the person who needs the therapy is the victim.

Rather than talk of "The Devil", it would be more true to the way that exorcism works, that we look at our own karmas and realize through skillful meaans of a severe manor, these internal harms can be nullified. And words such as "Devil" and "Demons" are based in Mediaeval thinking and nomenclature, the exorcisms of St. Gregori Rasputin, saved a child's life. The exorcisms of Machig Labdronma
and her teacher, Padampa Sengya, healed some, and made full immunity from disease for others, and I would also say that The Xristos, exorcised unpleasant "existants" from peoples' bodies and lives, and that people "spending time" with 16th Gyalwa Karmapa, could make brilliant white light explode inside of one's mind, change their physical karmas instantly, and place a footprint into a cold, old, large rock, and eliminate suffering in an instant, that lasts, not for a day or a year, but 30 some odd years and going, And the "Pow-wows" of western Pennsylvania, removing hugh ammounts of undefined suffering from people, by their own rituals (I knew a Pow Wow, Bob Ritteau, - and he and they were/are very powerful) - all of this is Exorcism, which lives in a Wild, Large World of its own.

Its time to get out of the trap of Mediaeval Expression and Talk & Write withe Our Modern Language and Language Use.

Caiyros Arlen

SATOR
AREPO
OPERA
ROTAS

WITH LOVE

I believe that's what I said.