Urbain Grandier Burnt At The Stake
POSSESSION AND THE POSSESSED
There are those, such as Dr Susan Blackmore, that deny the existence of discarnate entities believing that the mind and the body are as one. Therefore, they argue, there can be no such thing as spirits and, per se, no such thing as possession. However, there are others, equally well qualified, such as Psychologist Dr Keith Hearne, who believe that the body is the host of the mind (or spirit) and that it is possible for discarnate entities to enter the physical being of an individual and become the dominant personality. When this happens it may be termed possession. But is possession fact or fantasy?
In ‘The Spirits Book’ Allan Kardec outlines his understanding of the possible influence discarnate entities may have upon individuals. In this book he writes: ‘Do spirits influence our thoughts and actions? Their influence upon (human beings) is greater than you suppose, for it is very often they who direct both’. In other words Kardec is stating that we may all, at times, be susceptible to the influence of discarnate spirits. Some people may even become possessed by a spirit or spirits.
Probably the most famous case of possession occurred in the year 1663 when the parish priest Urbain Grandier of Loudun in France was accused of bewitching nuns and causing them to be possessed by demons. This case involved young women, nuns, in a local convent who, according to accounts, ‘screamed blasphemies and threw themselves onto the floor writhing around whilst displaying their private parts’. The nuns claimed to be possessed and these claims were investigated by two church appointed exorcists Fr. Lactance and Fr. Tranquille. The inquisitors tortured Urbain Grandier and despite his continued protestations of innocence he was subsequently tried, found guilty and burned at the stake. The Mother Superior of the convent at Loudun, Soeur Jeanne des Agnes states in her autobiography that she herself enjoyed the sexual feelings caused within her by the demons. One theory re this case is that the nuns suffered from mass hysteria brought on by the presence of the promiscuous priest Grandier who had been intimate with a number of them. However, within one month of the execution of Grandier, Fr. Lactance, who had tortured him, became possessed himself and died insane. Some few years later his co-inquisitor Fr. Tranquille also suffered possession, fell writhing on to the floor uttering blasphemies and died. The above case was the subject of a film ‘The Devils’ which starred Oliver Reed as Urbain Grandier.
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The American psychic investigator Max Freedom Long believed that ‘possession’ resulted when discarnate spirits entered the body of a human being. Investigating the native magicians or Kahunas (keepers of the secret) in Hawaii, Long found that according to their religion (Huna) man has three ‘selves’ 1. The Low Self: the emotional and unconscious mind. 2. The Middle Self: our personal consciousness 3. The High Self: our superconscious mind that has the ability to see the future. They believed that after death the three selves separated and that it was the Middle Self that had the potential to become a ghost. Allan Kardec wrote in ‘The Spirits Book’: ‘People who die suddenly, or are unprepared for death by reason of wasted lives, are often unaware that they are dead, and become homeless wanderers on the earth, attracted by human beings of like mind sharing their lives and experiences’. Such wandering spirits, or ghosts, see this material world but being without a body are unable to interact with it. They may still harbour all the desires that they had whilst physically incarnate and seeking gratification find a host i.e. a body and enter into it taking over possession. Thus the host body becomes possessed.
Psychologist Dr Keith Hearne answers the question: What are we to make of cases of possession? In the real world, in real therapy, there is no doubt that clients sometimes actually do seem to have discarnate entities within them. They often simply manifest spontaneously. Therapists can’t ignore them, so there has to be a protocol for dealing with such situations. The entities that are usually encountered seem to be the spirits of human beings who, upon dying, for various reasons failed to go into the Light (universally reported by resuscitated persons and referred to in many ancient texts including the Tibetan Book of the Dead) and instead re-attached to a living person. They exist as spiritual parasites in a human host.
If spirit releasing therapy did not exist it would have to be invented – but of course such treatment has a very long history. In ancient times the notion of earthbound spirits causing psychological and physical problems in people was perfectly accepted. There are many references to the phenomenon in the Bible for example. About a quarter of the healing of Jesus involved releasing spirits.’
Trance Mediums allow themselves to become the temporary host of discarnate spirits that speak through them. One of the most famous trance mediums of all time was Mrs Leonore Piper whose spirit control Phinuit would regularly take possession of her body passing messages through her. The verifiable facts passed to the observers, such as Professor James Hyslop president of The American Society for Psychical Research, proved beyond reasonable doubt that this possession of Mrs Piper was a reality. But what happens when the possessed are unwilling hosts?
Psychologist Dr Keith Hearne explains the procedure for spirit releasing:
‘There are several stages in the modern therapeutic method for spirit attachment. After the spirit has identified itself, simple questions via the client will determine the circumstances surrounding the attachment. Usually it happened when the host person was vulnerable – physically or mentally. “When did you attach ?” will reveal the occasion – often to the host’s amazement. The therapist gets the entity to comprehend that it has violated the host’s space and unfairly influenced their life. Eventually, this logical approach undermines their rationale for staying. They are made to see that they are ‘stuck’ in their spiritual advancement and need to progress to the Light, where they can meet again with their peers and loved ones. Such realisations and the re-awakened instinct to go into the Light are enough to precipitate leaving.’
The truth of possession of human beings by discarnate spirits is a contentious issue. However there is a vast case history that seems to substantiate the belief that discarnate entities can take over possession of an unwilling host body and professionals such as Dr Keith Hearne testify to the reality of this phenomenon. You can contact Dr Hearne by telephoning his clinic: The European College 01784 479930 or by email: training@european-college.co.uk Or visit his web site: www.european-college.co.uk
The problem however is that on TV today there are so many fools pretending to be possessed and/or communicating with spirits that it has brought doubt to the minds of many. No wonder really, have a look at this:
And if you still doubt that faking it is a fact on TV then try a comedy show that is having a right laugh at the expense of spiritualism: