17. Methods Of Defence I-a

In writing for the general reader an account of the methods to be used in combating a psychic attack, I am reminded of those excellent manuals upon medicine and surgery which an enlightened Board of Trade insists shall be provided for the captains of ships, together with a cupboard full of remedies, harmless and otherwise. When an emergency arises, the worthy skipper reads through the chapter he believes to bear upon the case in hand and goes to work as best he may. On these occasions the personal factor is a large one. So it is in dealing with psychic trouble. Wide experience is needed for diagnosis, and specially trained faculties and specially developed powers are needed to cope with the conditions that may be found. This book is more in the nature of a manual of first aid than a treatise on treatment. We must also bear in mind that just as the potent drug is effectual in the hands of the expert but dangerous in the hands of the amateur, so do the more potent occult formula need special equipment for their use. Moreover, a formula that is used indiscriminately by the uninitiated is apt to lose its potency and become useless. The popular expletive which G. B. S. introduced into polite society in his play, Pygmalion, is the worn-out remnant of the once-powerful adjuration, “By Our Lady.” Moreover, no two cases are alike, and the clear-cut, typical case is a rarity and treasure. Common sense, natural aptitude and experience are the exorcist’s best equipment. Having made his diagnosis and being ready to proceed to the handling of the case, the exorcist has to achieve three things: he must repair his patient’s aura, clear the atmosphere of his environment, and break his contact with the forces that are causing the trouble. These three things are interdependent, and not one of them is first or last. It is next to impossible to get a damaged aura to heal if you do not clear the atmosphere; nor will the atmosphere remain clear for long if you cannot break the contacts. Theoretically, the ideal thing to do is to break the contacts as a start. But unfortunately, in actual practice, these often take a good deal of finding, and a good deal of handling after they have been found. Meanwhile, something has to be done to keep the patient going. The exorcist has got to clear himself a place in which to work. Or if the victim of the attack is defending himself single-handed, he has got to throw up some temporary defences while he digs himself in. The first thing to do when dealing with an occult attack is to make a temporary clearance of the atmosphere and so gain breathing-space in which to re-form the shattered ranks. This is more readily achieved by an organised ritual than by unaided will-power. Any act performed with intention becomes a rite. We can take a bath with no more in mind than physical cleanliness; in which case the bath will cleanse our bodies and no more. Or we can take a bath with a view to ritual cleanliness, in which case its efficacy will extend beyond the physical plane. We therefore perform certain physical actions not only as a means of clearing etheric conditions, but also as a means of definitely effecting astral ones through the imagination, a very potent weapon in all magical operations. Physical objects become impregnated with etheric emanations and retain them for considerable periods as a knife will retain a smell of onions and taint everything that is cut with it. These emanations, magnetism as they are called in the terminology of occult science, profoundly affect any sensitive person who is in contact with them. There is something in the old superstition that it is unlucky to place boots on a table. It is equally inadvisable to place outdoor garments on a bed.