Exorcism needed by a friend near me

I've now been given contact details re getting in touch with Church of England/Church in Wales people re this and passed details onto my friend. So fingers crossed that the whole family - and yep...it is the WHOLE family (not one individual person as some people mistakenly assume) that have encountered the "visitors" in their home. One of the daughters wasnt very happy at being physically shoved by the visiting female ghost the other day for instance (though my friend thinks it wasn't meant maliciously - but was more of a case of the ghost wanted to shut the walk-in larder door and was ignoring the fact the daughter was trying to walk through it at the time).

A responsible priest who has learned basic philosophy may, I suppose, administer exorcism for its placebo effect.

Caleo

A responsible priest who has learned basic philosophy may, I suppose, administer exorcism for its placebo effect.

Not in the Catholic Church.

Time will tell re how my friends contact with the local Anglican vicar works out - though I feel pretty hopeful.

If that fails - then there's a Spiritualist church - which looks pretty active to me and I'd guess they might have "avenues to explore" available.

Marydoll. which part of my claim do you not endorse?

Ooo this is all a bit too Stephen King for me.

I think it's best to not disturb ghosts and hope they stay quiet.

Personally, cariadagain, I wouldn’t go near a spiritualist church for this sort of thing. So many frauds and charlatans have been exposed.

When I die, I really don't want to be hanging around. I wonder why these souls can't or won't cross over. It all seems a bit sad. I hope your friends can help them to find peace.

Whitewavemark2

Physics can provide indisputable evidence that there is not and never has been spirits of any sort.

Everything else is I’m afraid poppycock.

Indeed, there have been huge sums of money offered for anyone who can prove that they do - funny how no-one has ever been able to do so.

I always think that the people who don't believe in an afterlife are in for an almighty shock when they finally shuttle off. Having said that, I completely respect views that are to the contrary. The only certain thing is that we will all find out for sure one day.

Nuttynanna2

When I die, I really don't want to be hanging around. I wonder why these souls can't or won't cross over. It all seems a bit sad. I hope your friends can help them to find peace.

Me neither - I'm not planning on "hanging around" either when I die. I'll be off like a shot - heading for "better realms" and heaving a huge sigh of relief to be free from living on Earth. My mind will be set more on reuniting with old friends that went before/getting out the virtual champagne (and thinking "Thank goodness I'm not concerned this drink might give me acid reflux or the need for a nap") and celebrating being free at last....Much more a case of "I've had the Life Review...reunited with friends...now I'm going to have a big party and then start exploring Heaven/ Way-hey....thank goodness".

The thought has crossed my mind a couple of times of "Maybe I should hang around long enough to see if I could help deal with bad people that have hurt me and ensure a bit or retributive justice - and then move on ...". But, basically, I think "Karma will deal with them - and I don't have to.....so move on to a better place".

Caleo

Witzend, your anecdote about a school that arranged an exorcism is rather evidence that religious schools should be abolished.

It's one thing for a cleric to administer an exorcism on behalf of an elderly lady with a fixed idea, but quite another thing to countenance an exorcism for children who are still capable of learning.

That’s your opinion.
All I can say is that it put my brother off ever messing with an ouija board again.

A sister (chemistry student at a Scottish university) and a couple of friends also once ‘played’ with an ouija board in their student flat. Again, they didn’t think anything had happened - until pieces of furniture started moving about, inc. a wardrobe in my sister’s bedroom at night. Now coming up to 80, she was petrified and is another who would never mess with an ouija board again.

I have never experienced any such thing myself, but I know perfectly sane, rational people who have, and I know the incidents were not down to their ‘imagination’, not would they ever have made such things up.

Absolutely Cariad. My thoughts exactly.

It goes without saying that if you never experience anything paranormal, you are going to think all this is a lot of poppycock.

I used to think likewise. I am ashamed to say that a few others including myself were even mocking a lady when she related her paranormal experience on Facebook and then strange things happened to me too.

If it were me brought up in Christian beliefs, I will be turning on ‘Songs of Praise’ on BBC I player in the kitchen. It seemed to me the activities mentioned are those of a poltergeist rather than a ghost.

I only know one case of exorcism. My former colleague worked part time as a school caretaker. The school was haunted by a ghost of a young girl, a former student who was murdered in the nearby woodlands many, many years ago.

My colleague told me she saw the ghost. She was alone working in the school; it was getting dark (dusk) and she saw the young girl in the school compound a few feet from the window.

One of the teachers worked late one evening, also saw the ghost. She was so shaken up by the experience that she put in a formal complaint to the school.

So, the school invited a priest and there was around six other people including representatives of the school present during the cleansing ritual. After that, there was no more trouble at the school.

Not long after that, my colleague was talking to her colleague who lives in the caretaker house near the school. Her colleague told her that the priest has managed to banish the ghost of the young girl from the school but unfortunately, the ghost is now residing in her house.

Nuttynanna2

I always think that the people who don't believe in an afterlife are in for an almighty shock when they finally shuttle off. Having said that, I completely respect views that are to the contrary. The only certain thing is that we will all find out for sure one day.

Agree with you on that one. I just shrug and think "Oh well they'll find out".

I wish I'd been told sooner that my atheist/humanist father had one of those odd experiences on the operating table and my mother wasn't majoring Big Time in never letting my father and I get that far into a conversation between us.

I could have asked him about this in a different family - with no "shushing" mother. But I did find out by a roundabout route that there he was having a heart bypass operation and then found himself hovering at the ceiling of the operating theatre outside his body watching them. That's exactly what he would do too with his temperament. His logical mind would be there thinking "Oh - this is unexpected. Okays - I'll study it - since it is happening and I'll also check to make sure they're doing it properly".

He would too - he'd got an enquiring logical mind and was what I call a "Renaissance Man" - ie he was very intelligent and capable and believed he could learn about/do anything if he put his mind to it. So he would just regard it as a "learning opportunity" and study it - which is exactly what he did. So he didn't believe in Heaven etc - but he will soon have thought "Oh well - there is one. Right - now I'm going to explore it....".

Having livid in a home many years ago that was haunted, and witnessed many going ons and our animals did too we left pretty sharpish luckily we rented for a 6 months period only but moved out as soon as tenancy was up. Until you actually witness things with your own eyes and hear things you should never criticise. We started having things happen after two months of living there.

I consider myself to be an intelligent, sane individual, but have had too many unexplained experiences to not believe in the paranormal. I would never discount anyone else's encounters or question their mental health.

Caleo

Marydoll. which part of my claim do you not endorse?

As I have previously said, a Catholic priest, who can perform exorcisms, has been trained in Rome (they are a very rare breed) must have permission from his Bishop and can only perform an exorcism after a thorough investigation has been carried out.
It has little to do with having the right philosphy.

Many priests do not wish this responsibility. I know because
I have having spoken to clergy about this. It can have a detrimental effect on the mental and emotional wellbeing of the priest, who has carried out the exorcism.

I hope this clarifies, my statement..

Ive heard Reverend Richard Coles (now retired) talk about doing exorcisms on podcasts and mention in interviews in quite a matter-of-fact way, which is strangely comforting.

www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p045tr4h

Witzend, the idea that a minds or soul can exist separate from a brain is a bizarre idea for most modern people. Consequently, the whole question of an alleged haunting in a school needs to be investigated from every point of view, and objectively by experts such as police detectives. Not just that of one man who happens to be a priest.

Are you sure your young relative was not simply teasing you?

I think a noticeable number of us either have experimented - or know people that have experimented with ouija boards. It's not something I've ever done or would do personally.

However, I do recall a group of people I was friendly with back at school who had done so - and were not planning on a repeat performance (as they found it scary). Not something I would recommend doing myself - and I'm not that curious I'd ever go in for that myself (just-in-case). I would be concerned what I might "stir up" and would steer people away from trying anything like that.

Thanks for reply Marydoll. I have heard that indeed the RC church is extremely strict about investigating allegations of paranormal events.

The RC church same as most other denominations does hold the belief in life after death in a supernatural way of being. This belief is only possible if one also believes minds or souls are separable from bodies.

Cariad Again, I and three adult friends experimented with ouija. It worked . The glass moved and pointed to intelligible letters. I also was apprised , after the event, that the man who suggested the ouija session , an anthropologist , was doing his own experiment as to whether or not his modern-educated and independent-minded friends would comply with his authority as a university professor.

Not everyone was as gullible as I , the other participants suspected the professor of moving the glass.

BTW 'Ghost'is one of my favourite films. 'Whistle and I'll Come to You' is a super great scary story iMO the best ever.

You know you're in West Wales when.....and it was one of those times today. That being I've had a tradesperson in today and we'd swopped some accounts before he left. One of them was me telling him how that measuring jug of mine mysteriously moved from its normal place in my kitchen in my last house and I was determinedly going to that place for it every time I wanted it - until it turned up again. I was determined I was going to force it to come back to me. A few months later and there it was again - and I'd not mentioned that episode to anyone. So there hadn't been a person there thinking "She's getting annoyed/being determined - I'd better sneak it back to her".

Tradesperson that has just gone told me he and his wife had had something valuable in a box and they knew exactly where it was in their house. Then it "vanished" and neither of them had moved it. Cue for they hunted high and low in their house for it and no sign. A few months later - it equally mysteriously reappeared and they heaved a huge sigh of relief. He also told me about how he'd had ghostly visitors in his house and so had his mother in hers - she wasn't bothered about hers and just let them be.