Sacred Texts Index Previous Next
Internet Book of Shadows, (Various Authors), [1999], at sacred-texts.com
PSYCHIC SELF-DEFENSE by =Carlin=
One of the problems which faces the aspiring witch or magician is
an increased sensitivity to and awareness of the "unseen" forces of the
world. Usually this sensitivity is a delight, but occasionally it
becomes a nightmare -- in the most literal sense of the word. In
particular, this article deals with what spiritualists and shamans
would refer to as spirit obsession -- a cluster of "symptoms" that
differ from possession, but that still can destroy the integrity of the
victims <AND ALSO> gives some background information on obsession, and
then outlines a few "generic" techniques that will benefit those
subject to this form of "psychic harassment."
DEFINING OBSESSION
Obsession occurs in every nation and subculture,and as a result
every magical subculture has had it's own way of defining and dealing
with the phenomena involved. Modern medicine, with the exception of
Jungian and "New Age" psychiatry/psychology, tends to dismiss obsession
as either hysteria or budding schizophrenia. The major religions, for
the most part, now agree with this evaluation. Of course, the "New
Right" fundamentalists are likely to see a demon in every corner....
Either of these approaches tends to disempower the afflicted person by
destroying her/his trust in his own inner processes and making him
dependent on the "expert" who will control the attempt to cure him/her.
Spiritualists will warn you against psychic attack or unprotected
dealings with the Dead. Work <?> will tell you that the problem is
either openness to astral influences or rebellion within the psyche <OR
"ALL OF THE ABOVE">. There is more to being human than the conscious
mind, and unintegrated and unrecognized "complexes" within the psyche
will sometimes have separate agendas that can lead to "attack from
within" if those needs are continually ignored. My own tendency
<PERHAPS "BIAS" OR "APPROACH" IS A BETTER WORD> is philosophically
Jungian-to-agnostic,but practically Shamanic. I tend to view
such"entities" as psychological. However, the techniques I use are
more effective if the problem is "projected" outward and treated as if
it were the result of attack by a sentient being. Even if obsessions
are caused by "complexes", a truly well established complex takes on
enough "life" to be regarded as a "secondary personality" demanding of
respect. If someone is having to live with obsession, chances are that
the person is more interested in resolving the problem than debating
metaphysics. The methodology outlined below is designed to work,
whether you agree with the philosophy behind it or not. These
techniques are "homeopathic" in nature, contrived with the idea of
strengthening the victIm's "psychic immune system" to the point where
s/he no longer can be victimized. Without this increase in inner power,
the person can be temporarily freed from the obsession, but remains
vulnerable to "evil influence" in the future.
596
THE BEGINNINGS OF OBSESSION
Checking a person's personal history, one will usually find that
obsessions begin during periods where stress,negative emotions, or
injury have impaired that person's natural self-protective abilities.
Or where the person has been unprepared or confused and has
intentionally or unintentionally "dropped his/her guard" around someone
already disturbed. Or where the person has been abused and degraded
since early childhood and is consequently continually open to negative
influences<LAST THREE SENTENCES NEED TO BE "SMOOTHER">. In
psychological terminology, old "complexes" are cathected during periods
when the ego is foundered in depression, weakening the "auric shield"
that normally will protect against "outside influences," as well as the
physical body. This auric shield can also be "pierced" during "psychic
attacks," leaving a "hole" through which invading astral-organisms can
pass freely. In the same way, "evil spirits" are contagious. Emotional,
sexual, or magical intimacy with someone already obsessed can allow the
entity to pass over to oneself. And an extreme period of rage or
vengefulness can attract like to like, bringing one to the attention of
"vengeful creatures" in the "lower astral."
SYMPTOMS OF OBSESSION
Among the most common symptoms of obsession is a brooding fixation
upon some negative thought or act. The obsessed person being unable to
"turn off" the voice that urges her/him on to self-destructive or
vindictive acts. The idea that one is the Messiah or the rightful ruler
of the universe, or too low to continue to live may repeatedly intrude
upon consciousness. To consider much addictive behavior to be the
result of obsession by "earth-bound spirits" or elementals<???>. No
longer having physical bodies, the "astral low-lifes" push susceptible
living humans into overindulging in whatever the discarnate entity
still craves. In other cases, the symptoms take other forms. Sleep
can be disrupted by repeated nightmares or night terrors. The
individual may awaken with no memory of the contents of the dream, but
over time will develop insomnia or a fear of sleep. Especially in
children,the shadows of night can resolve themselves into terrifying
images, and there can be an overwhelming sense of being constantly
watched. Visual "hallucinations" may force themselves onto the
physical plane or may manifest themselves solely upon the "mind's eye."
At times the obsession can be relatively benign. Budding magicians can
"pick up hitchhikers" during their initial workings, and these
"creatures" may well content themselves with acting as Guardians of its
cases the "entities" will only "act out"when the magician re-enters
trance or attempts to work on the astral levels<PATCH IT UP>. People
who work with divinatory techniques without proper training and
grounding are especially vulnerable, with the Ouija board being the
worst offender. This is one reason that the traditional religions,
which do not want the general populace trained in magical
techniques,urge people away from divinatory practices. Obsessions that
strike those not trained to magick are usually not so courteous. In
the more entrenched cases,physical symptoms other than insomnia can
manifest. Especially when one is very tired or ill, the obsession
attempt can escalate and begin to unbalance the homeostatic mechanisms
of the body. Constipation,sinusitis and migraine headaches are the
more usual manifestations, along with extreme pallor, edema, and mental
confusion and memory loss. Poltergeist activity is also sometimes
reported.The obsessing entity can also color the impressions of others.
597
One can suddenly find oneself being accused of unsavory attitudes or
persistently misunderstood. At the same time, truly unsavory
characters will be attracted to the new image and will begin to pop up
out of the woodwork.
THE MAGICAL APPROACH
There are many things that one can do if one suspects that
obsession has occurred. One can treat it as a demon and turn to
spiritual authority for help. One can treat it as mental illness and
turn to psychiatric explanations. One can ignore it as much as
possible, or begin to avoid the activities that call it forth. One can
also "raise one's energies" using self-help techniques such as those
outlined in following paragraphs.Any one of the above reactions
cripples one as a magician, however. From a ceremonial viewpoint, one
must pass the "Guardian on the Threshold" before one can pass on to the
next level of development.From a Jungian standpoint, one must develop
rapport with and "reintegrate" the rejected portion; from a Shamanic
standpoint, one must "turn" the entity and either dismiss it or convert
it into a spirit helper<?>.
THE INNER DIALOGUE
Step one, using the magical approach, is to become acquainted with
the "entity" and engage it in dialogue.In some instances the entity
will turn out to be malevolent, in other's only "immature" or confused
and angry at being ignored. Before engaging in this activity, one is
advised to ground and center, and to shield in whatever manner one's
tradition suggests. One is also advised to begin/continue in whatever
other spiritually protective exercises one has faith in.If there is
someone available to work with the afflicted person, have that helper
prepare a list of non-leading(Not "are you a demon?," but "what are
you?") questions. Then drop into light trance and Then let the other
person ask the questions while the victim answers with the first thing
that pops into his/her head. In effect, s/he will be voluntarily
"channelling" for the entity's unconscious and perhaps "denied"
(officially) circumstances.If there is no other person, then the victim
must do whatever form of divination or trance work he/she have
developed to contact his/her subconscious. Those with vivid
imaginations can simply find a quiet moment and ask "are you there?,"
personifying the "entity" in the same way that children create
imaginary friends. Afterwards, no matter what the technique used, the
obsessed person is to be certain that his/her aura is closed and that
s/he is grounded and centered. AFTER "CONTACT" At this point s/he may
have failed to make contact.In which case there is nothing to him/her
to do but repeat the exercise until either it works or s/he is sure it
isn't going to work. If real contact does not occur, then s/he might
attempt to simply banish "it". It is possible that the entity will not
answer directly, but will begin to up<INCREASE> its activity level or
bring a string of unusual circumstances into the obsessed person's
life.
598
It is more likely, however, the<Y> have begun a dialogue.
Sometimes "complexes"are immature parts of our own personalities that
will calm down and begin to behave themselves once "they" no longer
feel that they are being ignored.If the obsessing image is that of an
animal, or even an ugly humanoid being, then it may simply be time to
intensify one's spiritual quest and face down one's power animal or
dark side. Frequently, these allies will attempt to come to the aid of
someone undergoing psychic attack, and because of the general
atmosphere of fear,will be perceived as threats and turned away
themselves.Eventually, in either case the "entity" can either
be"reintegrated" into the personality, or "kept" as a spirit-helper by
those with shamanic leanings. If one is ALSO under psychic attack, the
ally will probably help in the defense once asked and properly
recognized.
"LOST SOULS" AND WORSE
On the other hand, "it" may claim to be a spirit or other entity
that requires help. If the request is not ridiculous <d>o consider
honoring it. The author has personally dealt with a "poltergeist" who
claimed to be a woman who had died of yellow fever over a century ago.
When questioned, the "spirit" was confused at first, then admitted that
she had died in delirium and had not realized that she was dead until
"awakened" out of her stupor by some young people using a Ouija board.
When asked what she wanted, the reply was "Pray for me." The
poltergeist activity ended as soon as prayers were begun, and the last
message received from the spirit was "Thank God, I'm free." Not being
able to make herself understood on the material plane by any other
means, the "spirit" had resorted to knocking physical objects around to
attract attention. If someone of "mediumistic" nature had been about,
she might have obsessed that person instead in her bid to gain
attention. The obsession would have become malevolent only if the
obsessed person repeatedly blocked her out or otherwise caused her to
<?>become cases of obsession in relatively "normal"persons will fall
into one of the first few categories.In rare cases, the obsessed may
have had his/her attempt at contact met with a voice screaming "DIE,
DIE, DIE." Or something similar and profane. This is where the
spiritual practices suggested in the following paragraphs will be of
greatest benefit, followed by professional help or even exorcism, if
necessary. (Even where an entity seems totally hostile, it is
sometimes possible to "turn" it through raising "light"as described
below.)
599
SELF-HELP WITH OBSESSION
Not everyone is a magician and not everyone wishes to open the
"can of worms" of the subconscious.The following activities are very
useful in "uprooting"spiritual obsession by increasing "light". In
cases of "mild" obsession only a few of these measures,or a simple
ritual of dismissal, will be sufficient to be rid of the problem.In
more entrenched cases, these techniques should be continued for the
healing period, accompanied by Inner Work, depth psychology, or other
techniques that promote self-understanding. Those suffering from
physical symptoms should also work to strengthen their immune system
and improve their diet and lifestyle. If possible, the severely
afflicted individual should have a counselor, teacher, or trusted
friend monitor his/her progress "just in case."
EXAMPLE TECHNIQUES FOR "RAISING THE LIGHT"
For a period of three months, the obsessed should "cleanse"
him/herself daily in whatever manner her/his spiritual tradition
decrees. Grounding and centering are excellent techniques, as is
renewing oneself through visualizing the aura as strong and untainted.
One can draw pictures of oneself expelling all darkness or meditate on
the same image.Prayer is useful, as is catching oneself thinking the
old negative thoughts and declaring that one has "taken that out of the
Law" or "averted" the consequences. If the afflicted has friends who
engage in spiritual pursuits, send him/her mental support and positive
energy. The individual is also advised to spend time in sacred places
where evil is barred from entering, and to refrain from the company of
persons s/he knows are bad for her/him.If already attuned to ritual
work, the victim can"cleanse" his/her home or have it cleansed by
someone trusted. Those who have faith in Holy Water should sprinkle
and apply it liberally. Afterwards, if the obsessed is truly serious
about being rid of a persistent fixation, s/he can burn white candles
constantly while awake and at home. This will act as a symbol of
the"light" one wishes to draw into one's life. The most seriously
affected are advised to surround their beds with a protective circle
and never to sleep in a darkened room. Other religious/protective
symbols can be placed in sight and called upon, and protective incenses
such as sandalwood may be burned. The important thing is to keep one's
spiritual goal constantly in mind and the"entity<?> one's determination
to improve. This may seem like a great deal of effort, but the effect
will be to "open" the individual to positive influences, even if s/he
doesn't believe in "demons".The individual will be "raising his/her
energy" level to the point where something "dark" cannot even bear to
approach her/him, and keeping the energy "high"for a long enough period
that "it" will become "discouraged" and fade from sight.At the end of
the three months, the "entity" should either be weakened severely from
being "starved" or should be gone. If it is gone, then a ritually
adept person can do a rededication wherein the formerly obsessed is
declared sealed against recurrences. If the problem still exists, then
the cause may actually be mental illness brought on by a brain
imbalance or early trauma. In any case, entrenchment of that degree of
severity is beyond the scope of any self-help article to deal with. In
every case the author has seen or dealt with however, vast improvement
over the three month period<?>.
600
DIANISM IN A NUIT-SHELL
Recently, I got back in touch with my teacherafter nearly two
years and dropped a couple of bombshells on her: I had changed gender
identity and had come together with two other women to form a Dianic
coven. When the initial shock wore off, Rita sent me a complete run of
Protean Synthesis and a solicitation for this article.
Several yearsago I subscribed toseveral stereotypes regarding
"those peculiar Dianics". They were thealogically unbalanced, they
hated men, they denied that men had souls, they were all lesbians, they
couldn't spell (in the orthographic sense; no one has yet accused
Dianics of inability to work magick), etc. etc. When I came together
with my covensisters, I realized that these notions were at most
partially true and some cases were patently false.
Ibelieve there are onlythree valid generalizationsthat can be
made about Dianics: 1) We are all feminists. 2) We all look to the
Goddess(es) far more than to the God(s). 3) We are all eclectics.
Note well that there are plenty of non-Dianic feminist Witches,
non-Dianic eclectics, and non-Dianics who are primarily
Goddess-oriented. There are also doubtless a good many feminist,
Goddess-oriented eclectics who do not choose to call themselves
Dianic. In my own case I use the "If it quacks like a duck, it
probably is a duck" argument, as well as the fact that my HPS learned
the Craft as a Dianic and runs Dianic rituals.
Some of thestereotypical generalizations I can dismiss out of
hand. I don't know of a single Dianic who denies that men have souls.
Even Z Budapest doesn't believe that piece of tripe anymore! It is
true that Dianism is particularly attractive to separatists, and many
separatists actually hate men. Many Dianics are lesbians. Some
misspell words like "woman", women", "egalitarian", and "holistic" on
purpose. Not all fit these, however, and I think that Z Budapest in
her younger, or spiritual bomb-throwing, days represents an extreme and
a small minority. There are a number of males involved in Dianism, and
some of those are men [NB: I use the terms "man" and
"woman" to indicate gender identity, that is, how one's heart, mind,
and/or soul are configured. I use "male" and "female" to indicate
physical sex, that is, how one's plumbing is configured. I hope this
dispels confusion.].
Thealogical and magickalimbalance isnot soeasily dismissedand
needs to be addressed further, as that is the most valid objection that
thoughtful Witches have to Dianism. The apparent imbalance comes from
the Dianic emphasis on Goddess-worship, often to the complete exclusion
of God-worship. This upsets many Witches' sense of polarity balance.
The resolution of this apparent imbalance lies in the consideration of
other polarities than sexual and/or gender as the primary polarity.
There are indeed many other polarities to consider: true-false,
life-death, dark-light, rational-mystical, creation-destruction,
order-chaos, and good-evil, to name but a few.
One problem with the masculine-feminine polarity is that there is a
strong tendency to express all other polarities in terms of it. The
Chinese were particularly fond of this, and mapped everything they
liked into the yang side, and everything they disliked or feared into
the yin side, the patriarchal no-accounts!
601
One thingI have discovered isthat if you lookhard enough, you
can find goddesses to fit both ends of most polarities. Some even
occupy both ends simultaneously. Inanna, my matron goddess, is a good
case in point. She is the Sumerian goddess of love, war, wisdom (which
she won in a drinking bout!), adventure, the heavens, the earth, and
even of death (in the guise of her dark aspect, Ereshkigal). A very
busy lady indeed is Inanna. At this point it
becomes largely a matter of personal preference rather than of
polarity, whether one chooses a god or a goddess to occupy a particular
place in a ritual.
NoDianic I know ofdenies the existence ofthe God. Indeed, He
gets mentioned as the consort of the Goddess with some frequency in Z
Budapest's HOLY BOOK OF WOMEN'S MYSTERIES, which is close a thing as
there is to a Dianic version of the Gardnerian Book of Shadows. He is
there, and sometimes we will invoke Him, when it is appropriate. He
makes His own path, and we follow our own, and when they cross
naturally we honor Him and do not avoid Him. We also do not force the
paths to cross simply to lend an artificial balance to a ritual where
none is really needed.
Now that I have spilled agood deal of ink over what Dianismis
not, I should now say a few words about what it is: a movement of
feminist, eclectic, Goddess-oriented Witches.
Feminism: This covers avast multitudeof virtues andsins. Ido
not think the stereotypical radical lesbian separatist is as common as
is believed. Moderate to liberal feminism is probably far more common,
even among Dianics. Certainly my own coven contains no separatists!
There are too many nice men out there, even though surveys have shown
that 70% or more of all men are potential rapists. The nice ones are
found among those who are not in that repulsive majority; you just have
to look to find them. One of the places you might find such nice men
is in Dianic covens! Some are mixed groups, at least some of those of
the branch founded by Morgan McFarland. My
own is something of a mixed up group, I suppose. While we do not
currently have any men in the coven, two of the three of us were born
male and still have original-equipment plumbing. The Goddess and our
HPS accept us unreservedly as women.
Eclecticism: If there isone dictum of Z Budapest's thatbears
repeating to everyone in the Craft, and which gets followed by many, it
is "When in doubt, invent." Dianics tend toward creative ritual,
drawing from any and all possible sources. I have yet to see a Dianic
equivalent of the Gardnerian Book of Shadows, nor do I ever hope to see
one.
602
Goddess Orientation: I've discussed this at some length while
talking about polarity. There are some wags who have said that Dianics
are nothing but matriarchal monotheists. I tell you three times: The
Dianic Goddess is NOT Jehovah in drag! The Dianic Goddess is NOT
Jehovah in drag! The Dianic Goddess is NOT Jehovah in drag! A much
closer analogy would be that Dianics have taken the Classical pantheon
and reclaimed most of the roles. This, too, is oversimplifying, but it
is not nearly as wide of the mark as the usual
criticism. At some point I may write up a long exegesis on the Dianic
Goddess, but not here. My own personal involvement with Her comes from
a great feeling of comfort I do not find elsewhere. She feels right.
I have a great deal of difficulty accepting known rapists (most of the
Olympian males are this, especially Zeus, Hades, and Pan!) into my
personal pantheon. I also feel a personal vocation from the Mother; it
is rather incongruous to me to embrace a male deity wholeheartedly when
the Goddess comes to me and calls me Her daughter. This goes doubled,
redoubled, in pentacles, and vulnerable for lovers of women.
Ihope thislittlediscussion ofDianism-in-a-Nuitshell hasproved
enlightening to you. It is not a path for everyone, but it is a valid
path for some, and in considering it I hope that you can now ignore the
garbage that has been put forth in the past as "data" regarding it.
Inanna Seastar
Birdsnest Coven
603