The Encyclopedia Of Demons And Demonology

80 Exorcism of Emily Rose, The
A vision of a stately man in black magical robes appeared
and responded to the secret Golden Dawn salutes
given him by Frater Sub Spe. The magician merged with
the body of Frater Sub Spe, taking possession of it and
giving instructions via words and impressions.
Frater Sub Spe was told to do the following: turn down
the gas, burn incense, trace an invoking Pentagram of
Fire toward the east, trace the sigil of Leo in the center
of the pentagram, vibrate the Name of Power “Adni ha
Aretz,” return the coal to the fire, and face East and make
the Qabalistic Cross, a ritual gesture, and trace an invoking
Pentagram of Earth.
Frater Sub Spe did as instructed, and at the end of the
ritual, he ordered the possessing spirit to appear before
him:
As I did so a vague blot, like a scrap of London fog,
materialized before me. At the same time I sensed my
guide, standing close to my right hand, raising his
hand in the attitude of the 1=10 sign [a grade of the
Golden Dawn]. I felt him (my guide) mentally order
me to command the appearance of the obsessing entity,
using the Names JHVH, ADNI, AGLA, AHIH. I did so
and the mist thickened and formed a kind of nucleus.
My guide then instructed me, “Use the Name of the
Lord Jesus.” I did so, commanding in that name a
fuller manifestation. I saw, at first dimly, as “in a glass
darkly,” and then with complete clarity, a most foul
shape, between a bloated big-bellied toad and a malicious
ape. My guide spoke to me in an audible voice,
saying “Now smite it with all your force, using the
Name of the Lord Jesus.” I did so gathering all the
force I possessed into, as it were, a glowing ball of
electric fire and then projecting it like a lightning flash
upon the foul image before me.
There was a slight feeling of shock, a foul smell,
a momentary dimness, and then the thing was gone;
simultaneously my Guide disappeared. The effect of
this experience upon me was to create a great tension
of nerves and a disposition to start at almost anything.
Afterwards, when going upstairs, I saw floating balls of
fire; this may have been hallucination.
Both my wife and myself rapidly recovered our full
health. Afterwards, a message came to me that “the
unclean spirit is gone out, but it remains to purge away
his traces from the house of life.”
The great English occultist and ritual magician William
S. Gray composed an exorcism ritual for banishing
evil within the self, based on the Tree of Life in the KAB-
BALAH. The ritual does not instantly eliminate evil but
reduces the influence of evil in daily life, thus benefiting
an individual’s overall spiritual path and enlightenment.
FURTHER READING:
Davies, T. Witton. Magic, Divination and Demonology among
the Hebrews and Their Neighbors. First published 1898.
Ebon, Martin. The Devil’s Bride, Exorcism: Past and Present.
New York: Harper & Row, 1974.
Eliade, Mircea. Shamanism. Princeton, N.J.: Princeton University
Press, 1964.
Fortea, Fr. Jose Antonio. Interview with an Exorcist: An Insider’s
Look at the Devil, Diabolic Possession, and the Path to
Deliverance. West Chester, Pa.: Ascension Press, 2006.
Guiley, Rosemary Ellen. The Encyclopedia of Magic and
Alchemy. New York: Facts On File, 2006.
Ibn Taymeeyah’s Essay on the Jinn (Demons.) Abridged, annotated,
and translated by Dr. Abu Ameenah Bilal Philips.
New Delhi: Islamic Book Service, 2002.
MacNutt, Francis. Deliverance from Evil Spirits: A Practical
Manual. Grand Rapids, Mich.: Chosen Books, 1995.
Martin, Malachi. Hostage to the Devil. New York: Harper &
Row, 1987.
Oesterreich, T. K. Possession: Demonical and Other among
Primitive Races, in Antiquity, the Middle Ages and Modern
Times. New Hyde Park, N.Y.: University Books, 1966.
Wickland, Carl. Thirty Years among the Dead. North Hollywood,
Calif.: Newcastle, 1974. First published 1924.
Wilkinson, Tracy. The Vatican’s Exorcists: Driving Out the Devil
in the 21st Century. New York: Warner Books, 2007.
Exorcism of Emily Rose, The
See MICHEL, ANNELIESE.
exorcist A person who expels DEMONs. Most exorcists
are priests, clergy, or adepts; some laypersons call themselves
exorcists. Exorcists use specific prayers and rituals
to cause demons to leave people and/or places, either
of their own volition or by force.
Beliefs about the ability of spirits to interfere in human
life and cause problems, including disease and misfortune,
are widespread. JESUS was noted for his ability
to exorcise demons. Specially trained persons who cast
out demons are found universally since ancient times. According
to some beliefs, persons are born with the special
ability to battle demons. REGINALD SCOT wrote in the 16th
century that a person born with Mars in the ninth house
has the power to expel demons from the possessed.
In the Catholic Church, any priest can be an exorcist.
While it is desirable that an exorcist lead the most virtuous
life possible, even priests who live in mortal sin can
function as exorcists, albeit probably not as effectively as
their more virtuous counterparts. Since attitudes toward
demonic interferences vary, not all dioceses have official
exorcists; sometimes, they are concentrated in archdioceses.
Priests who perform many exorcisms are likely at
some point to be subjected to criticism and ridicule from
their peers.
MALACHI MARTIN described the ideal exorcist in Hostage
to the Devil (1976):
Usually he is engaged in the active ministry of parishes.
Rarely is he a scholarly type engaged in teaching or
research. Rarely is he a recently ordained priest. If there
is any median age for exorcists, it is probably between
the ages of fifty and sixty-five. Sound and robust physical
health is not a characteristic of exorcists, nor is proven
intellectual brilliance, postgraduate degrees, even in psy-