Dybbuk Possession

I came across several interesting stories recently while reading about Jewish mysticism and rituals. I decided to look further and discovered references to the 'Dybbuk'. To my surprise, much of what is described in Judaism and the Kabbalah in relation to spirits and possession correlates directly and more precise to the spirit rescue work that I have recently undertaken. I would like to share some of this with you...

A dybbuk (pronounced "dih-buk") is the term for a wandering soul that attaches itself to a living person and controls that person's behavior to accomplish a task. The word "dybbuk" is the Hebrew word for "cleaving" or "clinging," and having a dybbuk is not always a bad thing for the human host...though, in most instances this is not the case.

In the Roman Catholic view, a person can succumb to a demon or devil that takes over their body, and the only cure is an exorcism to drive the demon out. In the Jewish faith there is no belief in demonic possession though there can be a possession of a living person by the soul of one who has left the body, but not the world. This soul is seeking a body to possess in order to take care of unfinished business.

In the Old Testament of the Bible, a bad spirit is described as attaching itself to King Saul, the first chieftain of the ancient tribes of Israel. Later, the prophet Elijah is possessed by the spirit of a dead man in an attempt to persuade the prophet into maneuvering the King into a war.

According to ancient Hebrew tradition, demons are beings not much different than humans but were created in the twilight of creation after the humans and right before the end of creation. They are neither of our world, nor of the other world, but a part of both.

The concept of the transmigration of souls developed and found serious followers during the Dark Ages, and by the 12th century it became an established part of the Kabbalah. The 16th century schools of mysticism embraced it. When Hasidism developed, the belief took final hold.

The first form is the Gilgul, which is the Hebrew word for 'rolling,' but means, in this context, the transmigration of the soul. Generally, it is represented as a natural sequence in the life of the soul and simply enters the body at birth, just as the infant is about to leave the mother's body, and prepares to live whatever normal life span has been allotted to it.

The second form of transmigration is the Dybbuk, a disembodied spirit possessing a living body that belongs to another soul. The earliest description was that they may be nonhuman demons...later it was assumed they were the spirits of persons who have died. The dybbuk may be the soul of a sinner, who wishes to escape the just punishment given to it by the 'angels of the grave' who seek to beat them, or to avoid another form of soul punishment...which is wandering the earth. A dybbuk may seek revenge for some evil that was done to it while it lived. The dybbuk may be lost and enter a body simply in order to find a rabbi who would be able send it on it's way. The living host may or may not know that a dybbuk is occupying their body. There may be torment towards the host but this depends on the intent of the possessing soul.

The third form is the Ibbur. The Hebrew translation of the word means 'impregnation.' Ibbur is the most positive form of possession, and probably the most complicated. It happens when a righteous soul decides to occupy a living person's body for a time, and joins, or spiritually 'impregnates' the existing soul. Ibbur is always temporary, and the living person may or may not know that it has taken place. Many times the living person has given consent for the Ibbur since it is always benevolent. The departed soul seeks to complete an important task, to fulfill a promise, or to perform a Mitzva (a religious duty) that can only be accomplished in the flesh.

If the dybbuk is able to encounter a rabbi while possessing a living host, then an exorcism ritual can be performed. The Jewish exorcism ritual is performed by a rabbi who has mastered practical Kabbalah. The point of the exorcism is to heal the person being possessed and the spirit doing the possessing. This is a stark contrast to the Roman Catholic exorcism that is intended to drive away the offending spirit or demon. The intent is to heal the soul that's possessing and heal the person. The ceremony is done on behalf of both.

In some cases, there is a positive aspect to a dybbuk. On occassion a spirit will seek out a person in a time of need to help. This second type of possession is called 'sod ha'ibbur,' which is Hebrew for 'mystery impregnation.' This is a good possession simply because this is a spirit guide. The spirit of someone who has struggled and overcome what you have struggled with and can't overcome will be lent to you from the spirit world to possess and stimulate you, and help you overcome misfortune and what it has been able to in its lifetime. When it's tasks are done and you've managed to achieve what you need in your life, it leaves you.

Some people reach high pinnacles of achievement and they may fall into deep depression. This can be explained as the loss of that spirit. There's a sense of loss, and it's misinterpreted as depression. If the person eventually realizes that, they can be thankful that they had a spirit guide to help them. They need to continue to lift up their own spirit for the remainder of their life.

The concept of dybbuk recognizes that our physical world and the spiritual world can intertwine for both positive and negative reasons. If those intersecting reasons are negative, there is a healing process to mend the collision so both the possessor and the possessed can move on.

NOTE: There have also been times when a dybbuk can haunt or infest an inanimate object, for example the Dibbuk Box, a supposed haunted wine box that has brought terror and regret to several owners over the years...Lon

Sources:
www.ghostvillage.com
www.metro.co.uk
www.britannica.com
www.myjewishlearning.com
www.mythencyclopedia.com
learnkabbalah.com

Roman Catholic Exorcism Rite Workshop Detailed

baltimoresun - The rite, those few priests who have performed it say, can unfold as a quiet prayer session or a show of violence.

The afflicted person may curse the cleric, speak in a voice not his or her own, even assume facial features that one priest described as "reptilian."

But in the great majority of cases in which a Catholic seeks an exorcism, church officials say, what the person really needs is help of a less dramatic nature: a doctor, a therapist or simple pastoral counseling.

With some parishes seeing an increase in claims of demonic possession in the United States, the Roman Catholic Church is training its clergy in how to respond to requests for the ancient rite. More than 100 bishops and priests attended a November workshop on the subject in Baltimore.

Bishop Thomas J. Paprocki, who organized the two-day, closed-door event at the Baltimore Marriott Waterfront, says pastors need help discerning the difference between those who need an exorcist and those who only believe they do.

The goal, he says, was to help the clergy counsel people who believe they are possessed by a demon by referring them to a physician, a therapist, or — in very rare cases, he stresses — an exorcist.

"We have only a small number of priests who have any training in this area in the United States," said Paprocki, who heads the Diocese of Springfield, Ill. "Every diocese should really have its own resources."

While no one is keeping statistics, he says anecdotal reports suggest that the phenomenon of people claiming to be possessed "seems to have increased in the last five years or so."

Clergy and theologians offer several possible explanations: the growth of the Charismatic Renewal Movement, with its traditions of mysticism and ecstatic worship; renewed interest in the occult, abetted by the Internet; the influence of television shows about the paranormal and the many cinematic descendants of "The Exorcist," the 1973 film that spiked modern interest in the subject.

The burgeoning number of Catholic immigrants from Latin America and Africa, where belief in demonic possession is common, also has been suggested by some theologians as a possible factor.

At least one opinion survey suggests that substantial numbers of Americans believe in the possibility of demonic possession. A 2001 Gallup poll found 1,012 people split in their belief in demonic possession; 41 percent believed and 41 percent did not.

Paprocki estimated that about 30 of the 195 Catholic dioceses in the United States have appointed exorcists. The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops does not keep statistics, a spokeswoman said, as dioceses keep their exorcists' identities confidential.

The Archdiocese of Baltimore has not appointed an exorcist, spokesman Sean Caine said. He said he could find no record of the rite ever having been performed here.

"We have four priests in the Archdiocese who have experience, and who can investigate cases of paranormal complaints or suspected demonic activity," Caine wrote in an e-mail. Of the "very few" recent cases they have investigated, he said, "none required an exorcism."

The Baltimore event was the first Paprocki knows of to be sanctioned by the bishops' conference, and the number of attendees suggests to him that interest in demonic possession is strong. Paprocki, who chairs the conference's Committee on Canonical Affairs and Church Governance, said he was "pleasantly surprised" when more than 50 priests and more than 60 bishops turned out.

While exorcism has attracted both popular interest and official attention in the decades since the reforms of the Second Vatican Council in the 1960s, some Catholic theologians despair of the very subject as an anachronism that focuses on the devil rather than Jesus.

Thomas Groome, a theologian at Boston College, called the Baltimore session "a very peculiar event."

"The reality of evil in the modern world is patently obvious," he said, but recourse to supernatural explanations seems a "throwback" — and a convenient scapegoat.

He cited comments by Pope Benedict XVI blaming demonic causes for the emergence of the clergy sex abuse scandal in Europe.

"If you say pedophile priests and abuse are the work of the devil," Groome said, "you take responsibility off of the perpetrators and those who protected them."

The Rev. Harvey Egan, also a B.C. theologian, said that while exorcism can be considered "part and parcel" of Christian faith, he worried about "all these people saying 'the devil, the devil,' when they should be saying 'Christ, God.' "

The Baltimore gathering was divided into three parts. The first explored the scriptural background on demonic possession. The New Testament includes several accounts of Jesus Christ casting out demons.

The second part, which Paprocki said took up most of the time, was devoted to the work of screening people who ask for an exorcism. Paprocki and others describe this as the sort of interview a counselor might conduct, exploring all possible natural causes for the person's experience: are they drinking or taking drugs? What is their family history? Have they been sexually abused?

"The exorcist has to be the ultimate skeptic," said the Rev. Gary Thomas, the exorcist for the Diocese of San Jose, Calif., who attended the Baltimore event. "My role is to really discern … what is this about? I'm not there to dispute their experience, but to get at the root cause."

The four key symptoms of demonic possession have remained consistent for centuries. Along with a violent reaction to holy symbols or prayer, the afflicted person would show capabilities that defy explanation: superhuman strength, speaking or understanding a language previously unknown to the person, or knowledge of other information that he or she cannot possibly have.

Thomas, who pastors a church in Saratoga, Calif., said he has seen people rolling their eyes, hissing and spitting, and even assuming what he called a "reptilian look" in the cast of their facial features. His experience as a student and practitioner of exorcism is the subject of "The Rite," a book by the journalist Matt Baglio and the basis for a film scheduled to be released this month.

Thomas and others emphasize the extreme rarity of real cases of demonic possession. Of the 100 people he has counseled since he completed training in Rome five years ago, he said he performed a full exorcism for only five.

The rite itself — the subject of the third part of the Baltimore gathering — consists of a sequence of prayers, including the Lord's Prayer, the Litany of the Saints, other selections from scripture and prayers written specifically for exorcism.

The rite, which was revised in 1999 for the first time since 1614, takes from 45 minutes to an hour to complete. It is usually repeated, in a process that can unfold over months and even years, not unlike treatment with a therapist.

Exorcism depends on an understanding of the devil as not merely a symbol of evil but as a real being, capable of acting in the world. Several recent popes, including Pope Benedict and his predecessor, Pope John Paul II, have taken steps to stress that understanding.

"Evil is not merely a lack of something, but an effective agent, a living spiritual being, perverted and perverting. A terrible reality," Pope Paul VI told a general audience in 1972.

Pope John Paul II, who is reported to have performed three exorcisms, said in 1987: "The battle against the devil … is still being fought today, because the devil is still alive and active in the world."

And shortly after he took office in 2005, Pope Benedict publicly praised a gathering of exorcists, referring to their work as an "important ministry."

Pope Benedict was head of the Vatican's Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith in 2004 when it asked bishops throughout the world to appoint exorcists in their dioceses. It's not clear how seriously the request was taken.

But for all the high-level attention, the Rev. Thomas Reese said, exorcism is "certainly not at the core of who we are as Christians, even though it is mentioned in the Bible."

"I'm very agnostic in approaching any of this stuff," said Reese, a theologian at Georgetown University. "I've never seen a possession. I hope I never do."

While the supernatural is a part of Christianity, Reese said, he prefers the emphasis on good works in this world. He cites the Gospel of Matthew: "For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink. …"

Reese said pastors should not forget the crucial focus on guiding and mentoring their flocks.

In the final analysis, he said, "you're not going to be asked how many exorcisms you did."


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Haunted Flat Exorcised? We'll See...

A few weeks back, I posted an article that referenced a young mother's poltergeist fears. Today, a followup was published:

wigantoday - Paranormal investigators say they have successfully exorcised a haunted Wigan flat after a terrifying all-night vigil.

The Dead Connections team offered their services to Pemberton young mum Holly Taylor after reading in the Wigan Evening Post about how she has been plagued by ghostly goings-on at her new home in Woodford Street, Pemberton.

She and toddler daughter Willow were refusing to spend the night there, having endured inexplicable happenings such as:

Plates flying off the kitchen work surface;

Ornaments and other objects being moved or knocked over while they were out;

Footsteps and knockings;

The smoke detector sounding without reason;

Lights coming on.

Neighbours had suffered from unexplained noises too and the flats’ predecessor – Pemberton Police Station – also had a reputation for being haunted.

An officer who used to serve there told the Evening Post that the footsteps and bangings that staff used to here were put down to the ghost of a former inspector, who had hanged himself in a cell many years ago.

But the investigators say that they believe the ghost was that of a woman, who had died in a fire.

Dead Connections team members Emma and Adam Butler, Robyn Davies and John Strickland spent the night in the flat with a variety of technological instruments including an electromagnetic field meter (which at times almost went off the scale despite being nowhere near electrical appliances), and a voice recorder.

Emma said they had spent many nights in allegedly haunted buildings, but this one had proved one of the most frightening and eventful.

The team, who were joined by Holly, Willow and Holly’s boyfriend Jordan O’Neill, heard breathing and clicking noises and also a series of tappings by which they attempted to communicate.

The taps appeared to be coming from Willow’s bedroom which was empty (the youngster was sleeping in another room).

And as the questions they asked about who was there were answered, the meter would leap from green to red.

They also used what is known as a Frank’s Box, which picks up radio station white noise and occasional words.

And through these two forms of communications, Emma and her team concluded that they were talking to a woman who had died in a fire and needed help to “cross over” – although, perplexingly, the name Simon kept coming through too.

Photographs taken during the night also showed grey orbs, about the size of tennis balls, floating in the air which no one had seen at the time.

Emma said: “We always go into situations like this trying to explain things normally first, but really there was a heck of a lot happening that we could not account for.

“There were all kinds of noises. A cupboard in Willow’s bedroom, which doesn’t have a weak catch on it, popped open at one point and the smoke detector kept bleeping even though there was no fire and there were new batteries in it.

“At one point, there was a very loud bang which took us all by surprise and it was tempting to run away.

“There has also been something weird happening with memory lapses.

“Robyn and I went to look round the flat a few days before we spent the night there, and then went back home and apparently had a long conversation with Adam and John about a cat.

“But when the lads reminded us of it the next day, neither of us had any recollection of the conversation.

“We mentioned this to Holly and she said that it was always happening to her too.

“Twenty-minute passages would just vanish from her memory.”

At the end of the night, the team carried out an hour-long blessing ceremony, which involved the use of sage – a herb associated with exorcism – and calling on the spirit to leave the family and the flat and move to the other side.

And it seems to have done the trick.

Emma said: “Holly says nothing has happened since.

“Her daughter has just spent her first uninterrupted sleep in the flat, the smoke alarm doesn’t bleep any more and even the clock which stopped after it fell off the wall has started working again.”

Holly said: “All the noises have stopped. It’s amazing and I’m very grateful to them.”

NOTE: Honestly, if this was a true haunting I seriously doubt that the procedures used by the paranormal group in this article moved the spirit along. The use of sage or 'smudging' has been used since the ancient Babylonians in rituals for healing and releasing negative energy. These rituals, including religious incantations, has become a popular 'cure all' for all degrees of haunting and possession. It may very well calm a location for awhile but most likely has not solved the problem...namely, clearing or moving the entity along. You may want to read excerpts from 'Among the Spirits' for further insight...Lon



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"The latest news from beyond the mainstream"
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Take the first step towards genuine peace of mind
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