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History and description of exorcism #2
The following is Part Two of an excerpt entitled
"A Brief Handbook of Exorcism".
It is taken from Malachi Martin's 1976 classic work on
the subject of possession and exorcism called,
"Hostage To The Devil".
Among other things, the 477 p. book also contains an
in depth analysis on the recent possessions of 5
"ordinary" Americans.
For further information on the subject, the reader is
invited to consult the book. It is published by Perrenial
Library of New York.
Note: Italicized words are represented through
use of'single' quotation marks.
"A Brief Handbook of Exorcism" - (2)
____________________________________
There is no lexicon of Exorcism; and there is no
guidebook or set of rules, no Baedeker of Evil Spirit
to follow. The Church provides an official text for
Exorcism, but this is merely a framework. It can be
read out loud in 20 minutes. It merely provides a
precise formula of words together with certain prayers
and ritual actions, so that the exorcist has a preset
structure in which to address the evil spirit. In
fact, the conduct of an exorcism is left very much up
to the exorcist.
Nevertheless, any practiced exorcist I have spoken
with agrees that there is a general progress through
recognizable stages in an exorcism, however long it
may last.
One of the most experienced exorcists I have known
and who was in fact the mentor of the exorcist in the
first case related in this book, gave names to the
various general stages of an exorcism. These names
reflect the general meaning or effect or intent of what
is happening, but not the specific means used by the
evil spirit or by the exorcist. Conor, as I call him,
spoke of 'Presence', 'Pretense', 'Breakpoint', 'Voice',
'Clash', and 'Expulsion'. The events and stages these
names signify occur in nine out of ten exorcisms.
From the moment the exorcist enters the room, a
peculiar feeling seems to hang in the very air. From
that moment in any genuine exorcism and onward through
its duration, everyone in the room is aware of some
alien 'Presence'. This indubitable sign of possession
is as unexplainable and unmistakable as it is
inescapable. All the signs of possession, however
blatant or grotesque, however subtle or debatable,
seem both to pale before and to be marshaled in the
face of this 'Presence'.
There is no sure physical trace of the 'Presence',
but everyone feels it. You have to experience it to
know it; you cannot locate it spatially - beside or
above or within the possessed, or over in the corner
or under the bed or hovering in midair.
In one sen
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