Demon or Malevolent Spirit?
Welcome back to Weird Wednesday, where we like to explore the dark and disturbing passageways and alleyways, those abandoned buildings and covered bridges, the ruins of the churches, the fallen forts, and every place in between.
Today, we look at demons and malevolent spirits. I am putting them in one post because quite often, it can be hard to tell the difference between the two entities. They are, at their core, very different, although neither should be messed with or provoked, as books, movies and legends have been telling us for years.
One of the biggest differences is that a spirit of any kind is an entity that had a physical body at some point. It was human and passed on. Evil spirits or malevolent spirits are angry spirits that are vengeful and wish to hurt the humans that are still here. Their sole intent is to cause pain, suffering and harm of some kind, any kind that it can. They usually make you feel as if you are being constantly watched, or are suddenly full of dread, despair, or anxiety.
While you do not want to provoke any spirit, taunting or provoking an angry one will only make it more active and angrier towards you. If you feel as if you are truly being targeted by an angry spirit, then a house blessing can often resolve the issue. A medium or a priest can come to your home and perform a cleansing ritual. If you are not religious and would prefer to go another route, many Native American people can guide you through a simple cleansing ritual using a smudging wand made of sage and saying a few ritual chants or prayers. A shaman or medicine man from any tribal culture can often help, or even a Wiccan priestess. They all know a version of a cleansing ritual, and they all work. It does not usually matter which method you use.
A demon was never human. They are of Hell, of the world beyond this one, and are master manipulators. They prey on those that are weak, those that are sick, naïve, or gullible. People of little faith, or little hope, leave themselves open to control or manipulation. Often, children and the elderly are good targets, and those with mental illnesses that already struggle to comprehend what is real and what is not. A demon only has one task, one purpose, and that is to destroy you. They will kill you or possess you. Many demonic possessions end in the death of the victim.
Sadly, many of the signs of demonic possession mimic many symptoms of mental illness and can often be confused about that, rather than possession. This mistake can greatly reduce the chances that the victim will recover from or survive the possession at all. Some of those signs are listed at the links mentioned below:
*Sudden prophesying-Psychosis or psychotic breaks-personality changes-Irritable personal changes such as sudden hygiene changes-Delusions-Paranoia-Blackouts- OCD behaviors. (www.breakblackmagic.com)
*Other sites also list disturbances in vision- changes in voice pitch-sudden ability to speak in a new language-new or stronger urges to drink or do drugs-hypersexual activity or urges- need to harm oneself by cutting or hitting. (www.superparanormal.com)
It can take time to recognize the signs of a true possession, but once you have, then you will need to call in a spiritual healer. Most often a priest, typically Catholic priests, are called in as they are the most well-known practitioners to perform this service. However, getting a Catholic sanctioned exorcism will take some time and proof must be given to the Vatican. There is a process for doing this and you will need to start with your local Catholic Diocese Bishop. He can direct you from there.
Alternatively, again, tribal shaman are just as practiced in this ritual as well as trained spiritual healers. If you have a person seriously in demonic danger, please do your research and follow verified and proven resources to put you in touch with real people that can help. There are plenty of people just looking for easy money. Start with a church, or a known practicing healer or shaman. If they can’t help, they can usually send you to someone that can.
True cases of demonic possession are very rare but should be taken very seriously. Interestingly enough, the Catholic church updated its rite of exorcism in Jan. 1999, for the first time since 1614. In 2018, more than 250 priests attended the Vatican’s week-long course on “Entitled Exorcism and the Prayer of Liberation”. (www.bbc.com) The demand for exorcism has been on the rise over the last twenty years and continues to rise. Cases in Italy in 2018 showed than 500k pending exorcism requests, with thousands more all over the globe. (www.thetablet.co.uk)
Whether you believe or not, whether the victim is a believer or not, if you suspect they are being haunted by an evil spirit or possessed by a demon, there is help out there. There are trained professionals that you can contact to help guide you through it. Some of you may not believe in any of this and that’s fine. This post is meant to educate, inform, and enlighten those that may have in interest in it.
You can read more about this topic at the links provided below. As always, if you go hunting for the paranormal, remember the rules. Respect the property, respect the owners, respect the spirits.
LEARN MORE:
Number of exorcisms in Italy triples (thetablet.co.uk)
Exorcism: Vatican course opens doors to 250 priests - BBC News
Exorcisms On the Rise (catholiceducation.org)
These are 15 Symptoms and Signs of Demonic Possession (superparanormal.com)
Signs and Stages of a Demonic Possession - Exemplore
The Top 10 Major Signs of Demonic Possession (breakblackmagic.com)
Do You Know the Difference Between an Evil Spirit and a Demon (moleopedia.com)
*Originally posted on the House of Stitched Blog. 2022.
Opmerkingen