There are many types of exorcists just as there are many types of faith. Demons, spirits, entities, ghosts, and angelic beings make no distinction between an atheist, a Catholic or a pagan—they can set up shop if the conditions are right, and they can wreak havoc in someone’s life, building, or mind.

Different types of exorcists have different approaches, from prayers all through the spectrum to beatings; and some methods on those spectrums work and some do not. It all depends on the method, the beings, and the circumstances.

The most effective types of exorcists are ones that are either able to pass equally and freely between all faiths and none, and to work without dogma. The other extreme is an exorcist who is fully and deeply immersed in one specific religious faith. The only problem with the strict religious exorcist is that the ceremony usually only works if the host and possessor are of that same religious stream. Some religious exorcists do not agree at all with that, and such arrogance can and does put people’s lives in danger. (Ever found yourself chanting the exorcism of the Ritual Romanum at a non Christian host/demon? The only chance of success will be if it keels over from sheer boredom.)

 

What is an exorcist?

There are many branches, varieties, and lines of exorcists, and they all differ widely. This book approaches the details, information, and methodology of just one stream of this line of work.

An exorcist is a person who takes things out of hosts and puts them back where they belong. The host could be a person, place, a car, or a tractor—it doesn’t really matter. The being or beings that are taken out could be demons, parasites, ghosts, angels, faery beings, basically anything with consciousness and intelligence (which rules out British politicians…good to know you will never be possessed by a cabinet minister).

Such work can be anything from time consuming to outright dangerous so it is not a line of service that many people are drawn to (or if they are, they tend to run screaming pretty quickly). Because you are working with conditional beings that will try to tempt or bargain with you, an exorcist needs to be grounded, clean, clear, and not connected to anything. You cannot go home to a family of vulnerable children in this line of work—you have to be able to let go of everything.

An exorcist also needs to be able to take a great deal of pain, have stamina, patience, the ability to go into a non-emotional state and stay in it, be a hermit, a vegetarian, sexually balanced, have a very strong connection with Divinity, and be slightly mad with a love of adrenaline sports!

The outer needs are knowledge of ancient history, religions, geography, geology, archaeology of languages, herbs, medicines and substances, human biology and anatomy, ancient myths and legends, animal psychology, ritual and magic with all its attendant beings in all its different forms, tribal cultures, music, sacred architecture, and human psychology.

It also helps if an exorcist is bloody-minded, stubborn, has a strong sense of purpose, is committed to service, has a warped sense of humour, and is not easily shocked.

The last thing on the shopping list of what an exorcist needs is connection into a spiritual line. Working alone in the human world is one thing, but working alone in the spiritual realm is a totally different thing altogether and not something that I would recommend.

Connection to a spiritual line means literally that: a consecration into a sacred line of humans who have dedicated their lives to the work of Divine service. That can be a priest/esshood, an apostolic succession, or a genetic line of active mystics or priests. An exorcist needs to be able to draw upon the long and rich line of previous experience—the line of spiritual service and the line of fellow workers whom you can call upon if ever needed. Everything that has ever been learned by any one member of that line is accessible to all within that line. All apostles are one, all mystics are one—it is one of the deeper mysteries of the priesthoods regardless of where they are and what Deity guides them. The only downside is that, as an exorcist, you must not be tied only to that line. It must be a relationship where you have the freedom to work with any line/being that is needed.

The one major difference with this line of exorcism is that the being is given a chance to leave of its own accord and if it doesn’t, it is taken back to where it came from without aggression and the access point that it got out from is sealed up. Most exorcisms are driven by fear and control—the exorcist is often afraid and is depending on faith, and the being is commanded, insulted, and harangued. This just usually tends to piss it off if it is big and nasty. Such action works from a standing point of moral superiority (which is laughable in our species), and domination. That in itself creates a weakness for the exorcist and puts her in danger—here, stand on this very high pedestal and let’s see how long it takes you to be knocked off.

The exorcist who operates in that way is taking the position that he/she is superior to the being in the host. Such arrogance is begging to be slapped down and will provide endless rounds of energy for the being to feed from. It is much more effective to simply understand that the being just doesn’t belong there. It is in a place that is not good for the host, so it must be removed and put somewhere where it is not likely to damage anyone.

 

What does an exorcist actually do?

The first step that an exorcist takes when called to a situation is to establish whether the affliction, if in a person, is mental illness or possession. The same attitude is taken when it is a place or object that is under scrutiny. ‘Could it be something else?’ is the first question that should be asked, and most of the time it is. This is where knowledge of the human body, the land, buildings, etc, comes into play, along with a liberal dose of common sense.

If the exorcist concludes that there is a possession, the next step is to ascertain what it is, where it has come from, and what drew it in. It is important to know these facts so that it is dealt with properly. Once she knows what it is, then she knows where it probably belongs and what it feeds from. It is also important to know what gave it access to the host in the first place to ensure that once it is out, it never gets back in again.

One thing to be aware of in this line of work, is that these beings are often highly intelligent and are not averse to cross dressing or pretending to be something else to prevent or interfere with their removal. You have to be able to approach these beings and assess them not from what they tell you, but from what they do and the very basic fact that they are in another being and they shouldn’t be.

 

The reality of exorcisms

The exorcisms that are dramatised in films tend to be very exaggerated, overblown, and involve lots of dramatic shouting in Aramaic, wall climbing and spitting of black smoke. The other extreme that is put into the public eye is that possessions are simply mental illness or psychological issues—sometimes they are, most times they are, but some times they are not and it is the ‘not’ times that exorcists need to work on.

One of the great failures in today’s exorcisms, besides the fact that many priests today don’t believe in demons and spirits, is that most exorcisms in the Christian church tend to consist of prayers. That is really not going to do a lot for anyone. The other favourite method is one that tends to come out of Africa, and that is to beat the host half to death to force the spirit out. It seems to me to be a bit of a waste of time to beat and starve someone to death to cast out a demon—the host would probably be better keeping the bloody thing and not getting murdered by fanatics.

The most sensible way to deal with a demon or a very intelligent and dangerous spirit, is to go and deal with it in its own world—passing into the inner worlds and dealing direct with the being on its own terms (with help) and using inner patterns along with outer techniques to put it back where it belongs. It has its own dangers for the exorcist, which is why the worker must be well prepared and experienced.

Some tribal shamanic cultures have a similar idea, using both inner and outer methods to banish spirits, and the Tibetan form of magic handles demons pretty adeptly using inner and outer methods. Unfortunately some Shamanic methods have been hijacked by the modern day ‘shamanistic therapy go-round’ and blend low level parasite removal with psychological therapies and counselling. There is always someone wanting to make money from other people’s misery.

If after reading this introduction you still want to be an exorcist then I suggest you find one that is already working and has been for a long while, is still in one piece (that is always a good sign that he knows what he is doing…) and ask to be apprenticed. If he wants to charge you money, walk away. If he falls about laughing and asks you if you are insured, you are probably on to a good bet.

The approach of this book is haphazard and contradictory, but every method of action described works well without leaving too much of a mess. It is all written from first-hand experience, and I have put in my mistakes (hence some contradictions…the rules might say one thing, but dang, if the other works, use it!) as well as my successes, as mistakes teach us so much. The haphazard quality of the book reflects the true working dynamic of operating behind the scenes in the inner worlds. Although the universe can seem harmonious, when you’re up to your neck in nasties and you pull out whatever tool works, it might look like a haphazard method of working from a reader’s point of view. But trust me, you won’t give a shit so long as it all works—the universe truly does work in mysterious ways. (The chaos magicians would love that one….)

If you are already working in the field, then I hope this book gives you some good ideas, but if you blow yourself up, I didn’t write this book and you can’t sue me because I don’t have any money!