Recap

Exorcisms & Possession

Demonologist and former NYC cop, Ralph Sarchie, the co-author of Beware the Night, shared stories of possessions and exorcisms. He said got involved in "the work" after reading the book Satan's Harvest, and then began assisting in Catholic exorcisms.

"They don't call them unclean spirits for nothing," said Sarchie, who described the typically possessed person as exhibiting extremely vulgar language and behavior. In one case though, that he found particularly frightening, Sarchie said an eight year old girl showed no signs of aggression, but rather spoke in fluent Latin. A Long Island housewife didn't speak at all, but rather made deep guttural sounds, he added.

Sarchie said that the exorcisms he assists in, are often performed at a church, and the person having the ritual performed on them, is usually restrained, sometimes even straight-jacketed. People can sometimes become possessed by curses, particularly by family members, if they are fueled by intense hatred, he noted. According to the late Father Malachi Martin, whom Sarchie befriended, demonic spirits inhabit a "middle plateau," that is somewhere between our plane of existence and the realm of God.

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Possession Circa 1725

While tonight's guest Ralph Sarchie has assisted in modern day exorcisms, the notion of possession dates back to ancient times. "During the Middle Ages and right down to the eighteenth century people were often regarded as sorcerers when in reality they were merely possessed by one or more demons," writes Emile Grillot De Givry in the Picture Museum of Sorcery, Magic & Alchemy (first published in 1922). De Givry's scholarly treatise of the occult, which was informed by his devout Catholicism was considered controversial in its day and featured 376 illustrations. Here are four, made in 1725 by Abraham Palingh, which depict various scenarios of possession.

--L.L.