Fighting Malevolent Spirits: A Demonologist's Darkest Encounters (7 page)

I parked the car, ready to finally confront this entity once and for all. Carl gathered my belongings and we walked up the front steps. The doorbell made a symphonic performance and I smiled at Carl. We had seen very impoverished families
and those that were extremely wealthy, all of which were experiencing a severe haunting. The paranormal connects us
all and completely disregards social class. It can happen to anyone.

Jackie seemed relieved by our presence and ushered us into the kitchen. I told her that she had a beautiful home.

“Oh, well, thank you,” she said. “I wish it felt like home.” Jackie seemed more annoyed than fearful of the entity, which I found to be very helpful. I want clients to be in control of their homes, to not fear the entity, and to have the ambition to reclaim their personal space when the time comes.

We asked if Bob was also home and if Jackie could have him join us. Carl explained that we needed everyone to be present during the cleansing and to discuss matters together as a group before we began the process.

Jackie seemed less than formal with Bob, as if she were calling in her obnoxious sibling. After watching Bob and Jackie interact I could tell that their marriage was strained and they seemed to be agitated by each other’s presence. They loved each other but were content with their own separate lives. Jackie would repeatedly cut Bob off from speaking and their communication process was imbalanced. I tried to encourage Bob to continue with his thoughts and reminded them that they would have to take turns sharing their stories. It was important to get Bob’s side of the story and to listen to his perspective as well.

Bob was a man of luxury. He thoroughly enjoyed his cigars and going down to the clubhouse to play cards with other gentlemen his age. After a while of sitting and talking with Jackie and Bob, he became concerned with the timeline of our visit. “How much longer will this take, do you think?” Bob asked as Jackie swatted at him from across the table.

“However long it takes, Bob!” She rebutted.

Bob explained that he was a devout Catholic and greatly believed in God. Jackie wasn’t religious but shared the same faith in our Creator. I only ask that clients believe in a higher being in order for the blessings to be successful. They must ask this divine presence to come into their lives and help them remove any evil in their homes. If they don’t believe in a higher power, I can never guarantee that the cleansing will work.

We continued our conversation and I asked them to share any mutual experiences in the house. The two of them recalled a time in which, finally, they together experienced something paranormal in the house. Bob had been getting dressed one morning when he smelled a terrible sulfuric odor. Sniffing around the room, he was finally led into the master bathroom and began searching for the culprit of the stench. To his surprise, Bob opened the shower door to discover an entire mess of black tarlike substance spread throughout the shower. “Again we called a plumber, but they provided us with no explanation.”

Bob and Jackie had a very difficult time cleaning up the black slop and my dorky scientific Bill Nye side hoped that they had kept a sample of the substance, but to no avail.
How did entities manifest such a substance out of thin air? What was it composed of?

Bob began to experience more personal incidents with the entity. In his second-floor bath, he witnessed a small fly turn into a large horsefly; it then harassed him. Bob was a very logical, left-brained, sensible man. Claiming that a small fly morphed into a giant horsefly and then assaulted him was something his conscience had a hard time accepting. Bob would share his strange experiences with Jackie, only to later withdraw the statements as if they had never happened or he had second-guessed himself. Many demonic cases include instances in which clients experience insects appearing out of nowhere in swarms, or clients are attacked, or infestations of various kinds begin (mice, flies, hornets, and so on).

More strange incidents occurred and the animals in the house seemed to become affected as well. Jackie was fond of taking in stray cats from the shelter, letting them seek refuge in their home. The cat food and toys were boundless and all felines were content, except for one. A few months before our appointment, Sasha the cat had suddenly become very ill, hiding under the bed for days, never wanting to leave the room. Soon the other cats became nervous and would often behave as if they were observing some unseen presence floating about the room and on the ceiling. Jackie would watch the cats as their eyes flickered with movement—unsure if she wanted to look and witness whatever they were watching.

I discussed with her the possibility that the entity was using her cat’s energy or feeding off of them. Unfortunately, animal companions are easy prey for the demonic and it’s important to protect them. I had seen cases before in which the family pets slowly began dying off without viable reasons from the veterinarian, or under strange circumstances. I didn’t want the same thing to happen to Jackie’s cats, as she loved them dearly.

Prior to our visit, Jackie had tried taking matters into her own hands. She said, “I started spraying every room, nook, and cranny in the house with vanilla spray, which did seem to calm IT down last spring, but as you know, it came back even stronger. The vanilla idea was a suggestion of someone from a paranormal internet site I had contacted at that time. Who knows if it’s just a placebo or if it actually does anything.”

I’ve never read about vanilla being effective, but I applauded Jackie’s efforts and willingness to try almost anything. Her eagerness to fight would save her home from the unwelcomed intruder.

After sitting and talking with Bob and Jackie for quite some time, Carl and I asked if we could begin with a tour of the house to identify the particularly “active” rooms. Bob retreated down into his basement office area and began puffing on a cigar. Although I can usually sense the additional tension and heaviness of the active rooms, I ask the client to identify them for me so I can spend additional time trying to clear out the negative energy in those locations. Depending on the entity, these rooms tend to feel unbalanced, electric, and disorienting—almost as if there were an energy shift present. It’s quite an unusual sensation, although not an enlightening one. Most people feel uncomfortable in these areas, sometimes succumbing to nausea, headaches, and body pains.

I would be lying if I said it was a piece of cake to remain in those rooms while I cleansed them. I also request that the clients distinguish these areas because on occasion the entity will be moving and shifting around the house so that their presence can’t be sensed during the “walk through” therefore making it harder to sense the active rooms.

The demonic are tricky in that they will avoid providing any evidence of their existence, at all costs. If proof is given that there is a demonic entity in a house, then the client usually is able to receive help—something that is loathed by the entity.

This is the reason I dislike the fact that many churches and exorcists require solid and undeniable proof of an evil presence before they consider offering assistance. Personal experiences are often ignored. It is almost impossible to document the demonic!

Jackie asked if we were going to perform a miniature investigation before the cleansing. I told her I prefer not to conduct formal investigations for demonic cases. I like to hit the demonic head-on. I don’t want to give the entity time to observe and analyze me, allowing for it to drain my energy or attach itself, trying to detect any weaknesses so it can gain an advantage. I show up. I cast it out with the power of Spirit.

I understand the quest for outstanding evidence that paranormal investigators constantly search for, but demonic cases are not to be played with. If I had my druthers, all paranormal investigators wouldn’t dabble with severe cases, and they especially would not investigate them. The priority as an investigator is to help the family, not to run a science experiment. By inspecting such cases, the investigators not only put themselves at risk but also the family and all those involved. It is better to nip it in the bud as early as possible and get straight to detaching the entity, much like a tick.

As we took the tour of Jackie’s home, the cats scattered about the house like birds flocking to the trees and telephone wires in anticipation of a storm rolling in. I’m sure the cats could sense the contest that would shortly begin.

When we walked into the master bathroom, I became extremely dizzy and sick. Perhaps I was biased because I had already heard of Jackie’s experiences there. The entire master bedroom seemed dark and dreary, as if an air vacuum gripped the space. Finding it difficult to breathe, I walked around the room and began opening the blinds, allowing sunlight to flow into the room. As always, natural sunlight works wonders. The air seemed more readily available and I gathered my intuitive impressions. I confirmed my suspicions: this was not a poltergeist. The energy in the room was malevolent and felt identical to other demonic cases. I told Jackie that we were ready to get started.

As we headed back towards the kitchen Jackie pointed out the long marble hallway where she had been assaulted by the demon. Underneath the beautiful exterior of the decorations, the fine Persian rugs, and the marble floor, there was a sinister darkness lurking. I stepped on to the marble and a fog clouded my head as a daydream began unfolding. In my mind’s eye I saw Jackie’s attack—it matched her description of the event.

Jackie had been out running that morning, as she was accustomed to, and sat in her kitchen enjoying a refreshing glass of water. She placed the empty glass in the dishwasher and decided that she would head upstairs to get changed. Jackie left the kitchen and walked down the marble hall towards the stairs. As she was moving, an “energy force” lifted Jackie off her feet and slammed her face directly into the floor. She heard the crack of her teeth against the solid marble and blood began to pool around her head. Bob heard her screams and immediately called for an ambulance, unsure of what had just happened. “It tripped me, Bob!” Jackie sobbed uncontrollably. She felt violated and scared—leaving questions in her mind of what else “It” was capable of.

Clips of this attack blipped through my mind as if my
brain were a sonar radar picking up on psychic pinpoints. It was psychic confirmation for me that Jackie had really experienced such an attack.

Jackie had her top front teeth replaced and required stitches to repair some of the damage. She was not some elderly woman that just happened to fall and was quite frail; she was attacked. I stared at the marble, analyzing the room and the configuration of the flooring. I realized that it was unlikely for Jackie to trip between the hallway and kitchen because both of the floors were even and equal. There wasn’t some bulky transitional piece waiting to hurt someone. I shuffled my feet over the area to see if it was slippery or if I could manage to trip myself—it would have been quite a task.

Jackie noticed my efforts and muttered, “Yeah, that’s where it happened.”

“I can’t see how you just accidently tripped here,” I assured her. I probably sounded like Captain Obvious to Jackie, but I wanted to rule out any logical reasons for her accident.

Carl and I laid out my supplies on the kitchen table. I asked Jackie to open some of the windows in each area of the house, including the front and back door. Carl lit the stovetop and placed the charcoal disc over the flame. It began sputtering and sparking in its familiar fashion. With all the tension present, it sometimes felt like the house could combust in a similar manner.

“I want you and Bob to sit here and focus on willing the entity to leave this house. Envision that you are taking back your home and visualize the darkness leaving. Command it out in the name of God and keep yourselves focused,” I instructed Jackie as she went to gather Bob downstairs.

Bob soon emerged from his basement office ready to finally rid whatever was tormenting his wife. The haunting had primarily been one-sided and, although he had questioned the validity of Jackie’s stories on occasion, he knew she was genuinely disturbed by the haunting. He was happy to cooperate in any way to remove it.

Bob shuffled across the room and quickly settled into his chair at the table. It seemed as though he had his game face on, which I was sure he’d frequently used during his card games with the boys. His bushy eyebrows narrowed and I half-expected him to give the coordinates to sink the battleship. Jackie and Bob were on board and ready to go.

“
I cast out any darkness residing in this home in the name of God
…
”
I began my routine of praying while smudging the room. Much of my praying is impromptu, which might seem controversial to those who follow strict religious methods. As long as it’s in the name of God and I’m thorough in my requests and commands, it works. “
Lord, please remove any evil and negative entities in this house. Bring this family peace, prosperity, health, and happiness. In your name I pray
.” On occasion I’ll recite the Lord’s Prayer just to be detailed; it brings comfort to many.

As we ascended up the stairs towards the bedrooms, the house began making unusual sounds in every direction. It was as if the structure were weakening under pressure. The demonic always like to make things dramatic. As in any good action movie, darkness doesn’t give up without a fight. Suddenly, the abalone shell holding the charcoal grew increasingly hot, to the point where it was difficult to continue holding on to it. This was abnormal, but was something I had experienced before while cleansing another demonic case. If there is a way to distract me or prevent me from completing a cleansing, the demonic will try it (items go missing, phones
start ringing, neighbors come over, doors won’t open, and so
on).

I was insistent on proceeding with the cleansing. I held on to the abalone shell tightly as the sweat on my hand helped diffuse the heat. Carl began teetering on a chair while trying to lift the door to the attic space. I wafted the white sage smoke up into the attic with my ceremonial feather and began throwing salt into the space as well. I made sure to let the smoke carry itself up and into the ventilation system as Jackie stated that much of her experiences involved hearing the entity howling and screaming through the vents. The smoke poured into the ducts and I was pleased.