Exorcism

IVI,

Without knowing much more about your research topic it is quite impossible to direct you to a single source. Each of Man's religions, with a few exceptions, has a body of rituals intended to either invoke, or repel spiritual forces. Ritual and rite may involve music/song/chanting, dance, the production/destruction of art objects, and various medicines. Almost always these rites/rituals are a form of sympathetic magic, and their value is regarded by most moderns in Western Civilization as psychological. Discovering what the rites/rituals are, and the underlying religious conceptions on which they are based, is generally difficult. Being not of perceptual reality these practices are usually secret, and known only to the priest/shaman who uses them as an extension of their own spiritual powers.

You may find useful information in the many books on Cultural Anthropology, or Ethnology. Studies of various religions and religious practices are another possible source. In particular, you may want to look into Shintoism, Tantric and Korean Buddhism, and the Kabala. These may help, but the vast majority of such practices will still be found in those religions and cultures where almost unadulterated shamanism is still the norm. What we call Voodoo is, of course, a good example and even it is made up of several "sects" holding widely varied beliefs. The religious practices and beliefs of aboriginal peoples that are relatively unsullied by the incorporation of Western religions make up another very large body of rite/ritual devoted to "medicinal" purposes. Use of medicinal substances such as peyote, alcohol, mushrooms, marijuana, and coca to induce a state of medicinal power in the bruha/shaman/priest and/or the patient is quite common to many "exorcisms".

The use of sand paintings by Navajo and Pueblo Indian "medicine men" is another example. These are not the art objects sold widely these days in the Southwest, or on the internet, but large and very complex "mandala"-like ritual paintings created to build and concentrate power. These are seldom seen by outsiders, and are invariably destroyed when their purpose is completed.

Interesting thing to study, and there is a very large body of reasonably reliable information that a determined research might discover. To gain even a glimpse of the whole would take many years, and even then the student would only hold a shadow of what actually was believed by practitioners and parishioners on which the mere rite/ritual plays.

Not long ago (a couple of weeks at most), I heard that the Vatican has installed new courses to teach priests the way to proceed with Exorcism.
I don't know the first thing about it, and didn't bother checking more into this, but I'm sure that if you take a visit to the Vatican web site or just type Exorcism in some search engine, you'll get lots of new related news.

This is my own personal exorcism ritual:

1. Take the possessed individual to a small dark room.
2. Close the door and lock it.
3. Tell them that they must stay there until they snap out of it.

IF THAT FAILS

1. Take them out of the small room.
2. Take them to the toilet.
3. Flush their head several times.

IF THAT FAILS

1. Take them out of the toilet and outside to the garden shed.
2. Grab an axe handle (or something similar).
3. Beat the @#$% out of them.

IF THAT FAILS

1. Take them out of the garden shed.
2. Tie them to the back of the car.
3. Drive 10 miles.

IF THAT FAILS

Take them to the hospital.

Re: Exorcism


As Asherman so effectively put the billions of practises designed to ward spirits are so numerous as to make answering your question difficult.

You could research the practises of any culture and find their rituals on this topic.

Or you could just not bother and send whomsoever believes they are "possessed" to a psychiatric institution where they can get the mental help they so desperately need...

So Sorry
Thank you so much for your replies. I posted this topic here, and stupidly, lost my password and username. I just figured them out and was able to refind your replies. Your post looks great, but I'm right in the middle of finals week. I'll read it right after that, and I'll be talking to you again you don't mind.

Went to an exorcism tonight. It was fun .

I know this is shameless of me, but I thought you might be interested in my experience with an exorcist posted HERE