I continued taking notes as Shannon finished her story. I wanted to know if Kacey had personally encountered any physical attacks—a hallmark of how severe the haunting had become. I asked her if she had any experiences with the entity touching her. I listed clawing, scratches, poking, shoving, and slapping as examples. Kacey nodded her head and hesitantly began reciting her memories.
“Last summer I was taking a nap with Holly while Shannon spent some time with her boyfriend. We were just sleeping on the couch together, all cuddled up. I remember waking up suddenly after I felt a distinct fist or hand punch through the bottom side of the cushion!”
“Oh my God!” Shannon blurted out. “I didn’t know you had the same thing happen to you! I have had a fist punch me from underneath my bed’s mattress!” There seemed to be a connection or trust building between Shannon and Kacey after they shared their similar stories. They had obviously never truly talked about the haunting together and never gave each other the chance to confide in one another.
“It’s terrifying,” Kacey stated while looking over at Shannon. “It only happened to me that one time … but I don’t think I could continue living here if it happened again.”
I reassured them both that I came to help Kacey and her family so they didn’t have to keep experiencing these things. It is just not healthy living in fear and stress all the time. I didn’t want Shannon’s child Holly to grow up in a home with such a dark entity and environment. She would start to have memories soon and I wanted those memories to be good ones.
I decided that we should proceed with the blessing after figuring out the religious views of both Kacey and Shannon.
“I do believe in God. I am not religious in that I don’t go to church, but I am a firm believer that there is a God. I know Shannon believes in God, but not so much lately.” Kacey nodded towards Shannon in hopes that she would explain her views to us as well.
“I believe in God, it’s just that … I don’t ever seem to get a response when I pray and there are just so many bad things going on that sometimes I feel like He isn’t listening.” Shannon was resigned. “Like when that paranormal group came over here, everything got really active and I kept praying for God to make it stop, but it only got worse!”
I interrupted Shannon briefly to clarify her statement about a previous paranormal group and the increase of activity—it was an important piece of information.
It completely slipped Kacey’s mind, but she went on to explain, “Yes. We had a paranormal group from outside the Lansing area come to do an investigation one evening. Does that cause a problem for the blessing today?”
I explained that it was not a problem at all, but I was curious to find out if they had captured any evidence, had personal experiences, or tried to bless the home. Sometimes paranormal groups will try to bless a home and it doesn’t work, so then the activity flares up—along the lines of what Shannon was suggesting.
Shannon explained that the paranormal group got some weird or “abnormal” EMF (electromagnetic field) readings off her bedroom mirror. “We moved the mirror and couldn’t find any electrical lines or a reason for why the mirror was giving a high reading.” Shannon partly smiled—proud of her recently learned knowledge on paranormal devices and practices. “There were about five of them, and they all started freaking out when their batteries died. They said that the spirit was draining the battery.”
Kacey stated that she had seen their own batteries and light bulbs go dead pretty quickly in the house, so she was not too surprised when the investigators said their batteries were dying. She lifted the television remote, suggesting that she had to replace batteries too frequently and it was a source of much frustration for her.
“But they did kind of do a blessing, I think?” Shannon acknowledged. “I remember they brought a Bible and were walking around the house reciting prayers and stuff after they did the investigation that night.”
I inquired if the blessing was performed the same evening after the investigation. Shannon nodded and I jotted down the details on my cluttered notepad. I always preferred to bless homes during the daytime, but I understood the group’s desire to remove the entity after dealing with it during the investigation.
I asked Shannon and Kacey to sit and pray out loud together when we began the blessing—asking God to come into their home and lives and to remove any evil or dark entities. I reminded them to try to focus as much as they could while we performed the ceremony and if anything happened to keep praying and ignore the activity. Kacey and Shannon nodded, realizing that the final moments of the haunting had finally arrived and perhaps they shared an uncertainty in regards to the long-term results. After having a blessing done previously, some clients begin to doubt the effectiveness of praying and the ceremonies. I began unpacking my blessing supplies, including a charcoal disc that had to be lit.
When I went into the kitchen I found a gas stove with the igniter burnt out. I’ve always had visions of blowing up the kitchen accidently with gas stoves, despite my love for them in my previous culinary classes. It seems like action movies frequently use the gas line in the kitchen to demolish the place. I had no desire to do such a thing. My irrational fears were quickly extinguished when Carl bustled into the kitchen and started up the gas flames. I was relieved.
Holding the charcoal disc over the flame, I got the abalone shell ready. I remember sensing the presence behind me as I was breaking up the white sage smudge stick into small pieces.
As we worked, Carl and I joked amongst ourselves. “Do you feel that?” I asked. “Uncle Ted is here …” I referred to the demon as if it were some obnoxious relative.
“Yep,” Carl replied. “Didn’t you know there was a family cookout today?” I always appreciated keeping calm and a sense of humor even when being intimidated by an evil entity.
“Well, I brought a special dish to pass for the cookout, my smoked white sage—Uncle Ted’s favorite!” I chuckled and then headed into the living room with Carl.
Once the blessing began I always presented a “game face” attitude and although I was assertive and stern with spirits and entities during a blessing, I was always warm and friendly with the family to comfort them. I think many clients expect a dramatic and theatrical event to unfold during a blessing, similar to an exorcism out of a blockbuster feature. However, my cleansings are quite relaxing and healing for the families.
Instead of the house bursting into demonic flames while I splash the rooms with holy water, the house slowly begins to calm as the white sage smoke gently lulls everyone into a calmer state. It’s similar to group meditation or yoga in the morning—with a side of uncertainty—but almost everyone feels at peace.
I heard Shannon and Kacey quietly reciting prayers in the living room and I encouraged them to be as loud as they wanted and to command the demon out with conviction and authority. This was their home, not the demon’s, and it no longer had any right to be there. The women needed to finally feel in control and to sense that they, too, had a significant role in casting out the entity. I am not some special, holy person. I am just a normal being who wants to help others finally escape the abuse and oppression caused by a demon.
“Are you sure?” Kacey asked with an uncertain tone.
“Yes. Feel free to be as loud as you want. The demon needs to hear you, and to realize that you are not going to be bullied anymore. You are taking your life back and you are reclaiming your home. This is when your anger and frustration with the haunting can be proactive and help motivate you.”
Kacey began to holler into the spaces throughout her home. “In the name of God … you need to leave now, demon! This is my home! Not yours! This is my family! Not yours! And this is my life! Get out now!”
I was a bit surprised with how much confidence and gusto Kacey performed. It’s fun and touching to see some people finally let loose and to climb out from underneath the thumb and oppression of
evil. It’s like a revelation for them, and I can see the light coming back into their hearts and minds. I can defend myself … I can help make this entity leave, they suddenly realize. It is truly liberating.
Even though both women were shouting their prayers and commands, little Holly laid calmly in her mother’s lap dosing off to sleep. She was protected. As Kacey and Shannon continued their effort in the battle, Carl and I headed down into the basement to confront the entity head-on.
Although most basements are cooler than the main floor level, I could feel a severe and dramatic drop in temperature as we descended the stairs. The atmosphere had become damp and clammy. The cold clung to the hairs on my arms and I felt weighed down by the heaviness in the air. It reminded me of a time when I fell into extremely cold water and my lungs had a hard time opening for air. I wanted to breathe but it was staggered and I struggled for oxygen.
“Wow …” I muttered to Carl. Carl was silent and I assumed he was experiencing the same intense sensations as I was. I sometimes pictured a demon crouching in the corner of the room, beckoning me with a crooked finger “come closer …”
Demons seem to enjoy luring me into their “domain.” Demons always seem to have an animalistic quality about them. There is nothing human about them and, aside from their intelligence, they are as foreign as a wild animal pretending to be a human. Although they appear to have “emotions and thoughts” they could care less for human life and obtain all the foulest characteristics you could imagine: jealousy, rage, hatred, gluttony, sexual perversion, violence … the list could go on. The majority of people would never harm an animal and would be nauseated at the thought of taking an innocent puppy’s life. Not a demon. They simply do not have any remorse, guilt, or sorrow. It is like an empty, vacant sociopath that would stare you in the eyes and tell you that it enjoyed disemboweling your favorite pet.
I have a healthy hatred for demons. But I also, ironically, feel sorry for them because they live such a pointless, miserable existence and are so far from the light of God that the darkness must be all-consuming and dreadful.
When I reached the bottom of the stairs in the basement, we decided to remove the blankets and sheets that were blocking the door’s window into the garage room. As the fabric fell to the floor in a pile I saw into the dark and seemingly empty room. However, it was far from empty. I felt the distinct sensation of having stared the entity directly in the eyes, although no visible evidence was there. It felt like I had made eye contact with the serial killer I was about to go to trial against in court. It was literally a face-off.
Carl distracted me as he began anointing the walls in the corner by Holly’s playroom with olive oil and his blessed cloth.
I headed towards Carl. As I moved away from the garage room I saw a dark shadow dart past the door. The demon was making a break for it and was trying to find refuge in another area.
“In the name of God, any dark, evil, and unclean spirits must leave this home at once! You have no right to be here. May the light of God shine down upon you and scatter you from this home! By the power of God I command you to leave!” I wafted the heavy plumes of smoke into every corner and felt the smoke sterilizing the darkness and negativity. It almost had a sanitizing effect. “You may not scare or harm this family. You are not allowed to bully them or to subdue them with fear. This is a house of God and you cannot exist amongst the light of God. Where God is present, you shall perish! Leave now!”
As I continued my efforts in the basement, Shannon broke away from her prayers upstairs and kept saying, “Oh God!” I called up to her and asked if she was okay.
“I just keep seeing that screaming face in my mind’s eye. It is the same face I saw on my bedroom’s ceiling!” Shannon was close to tears.
“Shannon, you have to stay strong!” I yelled to her. “The demon is trying to put up a final fight and you have to be strong. Since it is most attached to you, it will try to intimidate you. Do not feel fear. You will only feed it further. I want you to imagine a bright, white light enveloping you and your entire body. It is the presence of God. Pray that God protects you and helps you through this.”
Shannon grew silent and I knew she was battling with the demon inside her mind. It’s hard to envision the light of God when being swallowed by darkness. I had finished my rounds with the white sage in the basement, but still needed to bless the garage room. I pulled open the heavy door, which required more effort than I expected. A wave of ice-cold air hit me and traveled through my core. As I entered the room, a stale and terrible smell permeated the air. The room felt heavier than when we examined it during the walkthrough. It seemed as though I were attempting to walk through a dense fog.
“Here we go.” Carl valiantly pressed forward and joined me in the room. “It smells terrible in here!”
I agreed and began blowing on to the white sage bundle, trying to encourage more smoke to rise. Amazingly, the smoke began to billow out of the shell and towards the floor, as if I were handling dry ice. Last I knew, heat and smoke were supposed to rise, not sink. “This is really strange. I have never seen that before.”
Carl looked to see what I was referring to and I saw his expression change to confusion as he watched the smoke fall towards the floor. “Just keep going and let’s clear out this room.”
Finally, I ignored the strange behavior of the smoke and headed into each corner. Even wafting the smoke with the feather wand felt heavier than normal. Then again, what was normal? During moments like this I nearly accepted any strange phenomena as normal and nothing to fret about—it was how I coped with the oddities I came across in the paranormal world. Sasquatch could have strolled into the room with an evening suit on and I probably would try to stay calm and continue on with the blessing. I had to stay focused.
Carl went through each area with the olive oil and his blessed cloth and finished the blessing in the room. It was a relief to feel the room lighten and to actually breathe comfortable air. I no longer felt like I was stuck in some meat locker, but rather, I was in a normal basement. Although I do not like entertaining investigations with demonic cases, I would have been fascinated to see if there were measurable changes in the temperature that correlated with our blessing.
We started our way up the stairs to the main floor and I could sense that the entity had not yet released its grasp on the home and family. “How is it down there?” Kacey asked.
I still had to finish blessing the whole main level of the house but it felt a lot better. I reassured her that I was seeing positive results and that the entity was weakening. I was amazed to see that Holly was still fast asleep in Shannon’s arms despite the unsettling experience Shannon had while we were in the basement. Sometimes I really do believe God or angelic spirits protect the children during a blessing.
After opening all the closets and doors, I made my way through the kitchen, the bathrooms, bedrooms, and finally into Shannon’s bedroom. Carl and I each chose separate corners to begin blessing when we heard a peculiar sound—a low, deep rumble. I glanced around to see what the disturbance was, only to find that Shannon’s dresser was vibrating.
Carl and I both stopped our movements to make sure the floorboards were not causing the commotion. The vibrating continued. I walked over to the dresser and began praying over it while my hand was placed on top. After a minute of time had passed, the rumbling subsided as if an engine were slowly coming to a halt. We resumed blessing the bedroom and prayed that there would not be any further distractions in hopes of finally finishing the ceremony.
As if on cue, I finished reciting the last of the prayers when I felt the darkness lift from the home. I felt as if the house breathed a sigh of relief and a black sheet was pulled off of the roof. Maybe the white sage was getting to my senses, but everything seemed brighter again and more vivid. The euphoria present in the home was overpowering and I felt as relaxed and smooth as room-temperature butter (real organic butter
, not margarine).
“Well, there you have it!” we laughed. God’s light and love poured in through the windows and doors of the home like a warm ocean wave washing over the family, healing their cuts and wounds.
Great Spirit’s power never ceases to amaze me. After experiencing such intense encounters with the dark, I will never deny that there is a God. I hope that you, too, will consider the unseen world and that there are never coincidences, and everything is meant to happen for a reason—for a lesson.
After holding a closing prayer and giving thanks with the family, I went about the usual routine of packing away my supplies and belongings. Now that I had finished my rounds with their demon, I had to return home to face my own demons … homework and writing a thesis.
The last time I spoke with Kacey, she said that her home had finally returned to normal and they were no longer experiencing paranormal encounters of any kind. I sent information and techniques for Kacey to use in order to protect herself while at work in the cemetery. Shannon’s attitude improved greatly and their disputes returned to a minimal level. Holly is now living in a safe and loving home and my mind and heart have been put to rest. I hope their lives continue to improve and that they are never plagued by darkness again.
[contents]
CHAPTER 6
TAYLOR, MICHIGAN CASE
—INCUBUS/SUCCUBUS
Not all hauntings are successfully removed. Sometimes it takes repeated attempts to cast out an entity. Other times the clients or the parties involved give up for various reasons. For whatever reason, the battle against the dark is lost and resolution is not found. This is one of those cases, and I still am haunted by the lack of closure.
Fighting Malevolent Spirits: A Demonologist's Darkest Encounters Page 11
