Dealing with the Paranormal: Infestations
We’ve covered hauntings (residual impressions) and apparitions (curious/mischeivous spirits). Now it’s time to move on to the dangerous presence. And this is an area most people tend to get into trouble with.
If you’ve experienced dangerous paranormal activity that’s been investigated and determined to NOT be caused by poltergeist activity (see my post on Poltergeist, which is typically a parapsychological phenomenon and not spiritual activity), then you may be experiencing an Infestation - that is, a malicious spirit (it can be human, but in 8 out of 10 cases, it’s a non-human entity). The common misconception is to label all such Infestations as “demonic” and to invoke the power of the Christian Church as the means of ridding the place of said spirit. However, this typically only works in less than half of all Infestations.
There is a commonly held misconception that all things malicious must be demonic, and that all things demonic must answer to the power of Christianity. I’ve encountered several cases in my career as a parapsychologist that turn this theory soundly on its ear.
First off, there ARE malicious human spirits. And, like all human beings, these spirits have free will. They can choose to acknowledge a standard Catholic blessing. They can choose to vacate on a typical Catholic exorcism. Or they can choose to ignore both and continue on as they always have. In the cases of malicious human spirits, an attempt to reason with them might work (though it’s been my experience they’re not interested in communication), but it often takes less “traditional” methods to deal with them. Each situation involving a malicious human spirit is different, so it’s best to do as much research on the person and on the location as possible. Typically, in these cases, the solution to getting rid of the spirit is buried in the history of either the place or the person, or both.
Secondly, there are non-human malicious spirits which do NOT answer to the power of the Church. They will show no reaction to the invocation of the name of Jesus Christ (in fact, some will laugh at this), or to the administration of holy blessing or Christian exorcism. Why, you ask? Because there are as many of these entities (commonly referred to as demons) in this world as there are religions, and the demons of one religion may not recognize the holy relics, etc of another. If you believe the entity to be of a demonic nature, you should consult with a qualified and non-religiously centered demonologist to thoroughly research the particular entity. A Chinese demon, for example, must be dealt with very differently than an African demon. Each culture and religion has its own way of dealing with the demons inherent to it, and there are way too many to get into here.
Another kind of malicious spirit that few people seldom think of when suffering an Infestation, is the disposessed Nature Spirit. Unlike either of the two listed about, these spirits are only causing trouble because they have been wronged. Exorcism will not work. Reasoning will not work. Often, their home has been destroyed in the building or clearing of land (like when you tear down that gnarly old oak tree in the back yard to build your new garage) without their choice and with no suitable alternative home presented to them. Many people scoff at this one, and try to disregard it, but that can be dangerous. Typically, Nature spirits who are angry because of a change you’ve made (or the fact that your new house sits right on the site of their own home), are more destructive to property than to people. Can’t understand why your roof always leaks, even though it’s been replaced several times? Could be you’ve angered a local Nature spirit. Constantly doing home repairs on a brand new house? Again, you’ve probably built right on their territory. However, if their anger stews too long, these spirits can become dangerous to people, as well. Dealing with them is simple. You have to ask for their forgiveness (and be sincere… they can tell the difference), and offer a form of appeasement. Tore up that old tree? Plant a new one in a place aesthetically pleasing to you, and offer it to the spirit as its new home. Depending on the type of spirit, you may have to do a little research to figure out why it’s angry. Consulting with an expert on Nature spirits can help with this process. (If this problem describes what you’re dealing with, feel free to e-mail me at esther mitchell @ cox.net - remove spaces - and I’ll go into more detail on what you might be able to do in your specific case).
The most important thing to remember in any of the above cases is that provoking an angry or malicious spirit will only inspire more violence. In the case of the malicious entity, they thrive on and feed off of fear, anger, and agression. Showing these only strengthens them. However, unless you are qualified, please do NOT attempt to get rid of a malicious entity on your own. If they’re attached to an object, do not burn or physically destroy the object, as this only makes the problem worse. And don’t be afraid to seek help. There are lots of reputable organizations specialized in sorting out these problems. They’ll listen, so don’t be afraid to speak.
