Exorcism

There are numerous variations of exorcism. Different religions have different methods of removing so called "evil spirits" from persons. Some involve removing organs or body parts in Asia.

Once I tried to exorcise an evil spirit, but I accidentally sent off the native spirit instead, and then the evil spirit had free reign of the body, and he ran of naked, with a maniacal giggle.

That's nice.

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.

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Exorcism is a religious rite/ritual intended to cleanse a person or place of spiritual pollution. There are sanctified places and times, and anything that pollutes the purity of the sanctified can be cleansed, most often by water or fire. When a person is regarded as "in balance", and within the community protected by their deity, they are sanctified. Sometimes a person is born into that situation, and other times they become sanctified by a rite/ritual such as baptism. If a holy precinct is invaded and defiled by the breaking of taboos, it loses its sanctity until again cleansed ... exorcised. If a person who was previously thought "normal" suddenly changes their behavior and begins to violate the groups taboos, they may be thought of as possessed and defiled by an outside spirit.

First, the polluted must be cleansed. Fire and water are our great symbols of cleansing, so many (perhaps most), exorcisms involve at least the symbolic use of water and fire. Since the pollution is hype-rmundane, so the water and fire must rise above the ordinary by being "blessed" in some fashion. Buildings might be swept and washed down in every corner and cornice. Incense might be burnt, the clouds of perfumed smoke being symbolic of the divine fire. The cleansing rite/ritual may vary considerably from one religion to another, but can usually be recognized.

Once the "evil" has been cleansed, it must be replaced by a benevolent spirit. This comes as a result of supplication by the religious "healer". Return of the displaced "good" spirit sullied by the pollution, is necessary to restore the polluted to a state of harmony with the cosmos imagined by the community and its religious values. Prayers in song, chants, pictures, symbols, etc., are mechanisms used by the exorcist to re-establish "normalcy".

Finally, once the pollution has been cleansed and the status quo ante returned, there is a matter of sacrifice. That is to pay the price that the offended spirit/deity most loves. A gift that is dearly sought, and that is given freely and lovingly by those whose cost is the loss of their own prized "thing". Sacrificial offerings can be animals/birds, money, and humans in many cases. Today in the developed countries sacrifice has largely been made symbolically. The Euchrist, or dedication of one's life to the deity, for instance.

The person, or persons, performing religious rites/rituals to sacrifice, summon blessings, or cleans the defiled, are usually special people. They may be formally ordained by a recognized church, or regarded as people of power by their communities. The three steps outlined above are not only parts of most exorcisms, they are essential in sanctifying places, times of the year, people, and relationships.

BTW, why have you moved your query here from the Spirituality form?

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.