Yes, this post is about exorcisms. I remember sitting in a systematic theology class in seminary and a classmate asked our professor about the nature of exorcisms. Maybe it was around Halloween and a classic horror movie had prompted the question. My professor laughed it off, saying, “Yeah, you’re not going to be asked to do those.”
What a beautiful prayer! Thank you for sharing that -- I might adapt that for a dear one who is moving shortly.
A logistical note: We recently moved into my parents' former house. Before we did, though, we replaced the carpeting. And before it was installed, we had family and a few friends over for a house blessing. Everyone was given a Sharpie and invited to write a blessing or prayer or quote on the subfloor. I love knowing that right now the chair I'm sitting on rests on a floor that is covered in blessings.
Yes! I took several photos. Once we get a bit more settled, I'm going to print them off and hang them on the wall. It will be fun to see loved-ones' handwriting in our space.
I've officiated at some house blessings when people felt something was "not right" in their new home. I co-officiated with an Episcopal priest who introduced himself as the Exorcist for the Diocese. He said he once did a blessing and when he reached the attached garage, the hair stood up on the back of his neck and then slowly settled. The couple told him afterwards that the previous owners had died by asphyxiation in their car in the garage. He said that every house blessing in ancient times was also an exorcism, and the priest would go room-to-room blessing and closing the door behind each cleansed room, chasing the spirits out the front door. Maybe those of us who have been in the field for a few years should put together that course of stuff clergy need to know!
Oh thank you for sharing this. I have heard from a few Episopal clergy how each Diocese has someone identified to do exorcisms. Us Presbyterians don't have it in our liturgical lexicon! I agree that a course in what seminary left out is needed! And wouldn't you know it all that Greek and Hebrew never really came up!
The tile of your post was likely one of the greatest hooks of all time! That said, I really appreciate the balance you bring to theology. Being a spiritual person myself, and not aligning with any one religion yet feeling strongly connected to my Divinity, I find your quality to be rare in mainstream theology. Also: Love your blessing. I do something similar, a house clearing, yet the terminology I use is a bit different. I feel all is energy, either Light (conscious, clear, healing, aware, aligned in Truth) or Dark (lacking that). So your fantastic prayer and blessing can be modified to be one of LIGHT if one is more comfortable with that word. Or Spirit, Source, whatever. It’s ALL the same to me!
Haha, glad you liked the title. I actually had a lot of people unsubscribe after this one, so I may have offended some folks! 🤷♀️
And yes, I tend to be rather "theologically flexible" which isn't for everyone, but glad it's a source of connection for us. I agree, I often change language to make it work for the person I am with. That's great that you do something similar for house clearings and hope you're able to adapt it for others.
I did appreciate that post- thank you! My husband actually told me a similar statistic yesterday, except it was more like ~50% of the US is religious (and 95% in India! -their religion also includes Gods Goddeses and astrology- so I would likely be religious there lol).
Anyhow, very nice to connect. I am enjoying your writings and look forward to more.
It's taken me a while to enjoy your post and I'm so glad I did. I believe that positive and negative energy is left behind, especially when emotions are high. Occasionally, I will take a Tibetan bell and ring it throughout the house, asking for any stale energy to leave through an open window. Now, I will say this beautiful blessing prayer along with the bell ringing. Thank you.
I think you are spot on about the energy and people may call that by all sorts of names. I love the image of you ringing the bell in your house! I may have to try that practice on myself.
You are such a gifted writer, story teller, chaplain, teacher, spiritual director and bless-er of spaces! I look so forward to your posts in my in-box.
This one is especially lovely, as I am sitting in an outdoor cafe in the Marais and enjoying a chocolate almond croissant! 🥐
And I love that you read it while eating my favorite type of croissant in France! I've been thinking about writing a post about how eating choclate can be a spiritual practice! 😆
that is great. I love your "room prayer," circle in-front of the space and pray. What a gift you offer to all doing this. Instead of praying for my house I used your prayer to pray for the inner rooms of family relations which feel so stressed out these days. Thank you.
Oh this would certainly be applicable to inner rooms of family relations, or even inner rooms of ourselves (ie. Internal Family Systems)! Hope it gave you some calm in the midst of turmoil.
PS: I actually woke up today thinking about those hospital rooms you write about where someone died and the medical team feels sometimes funny about it. I can understand that. In earlier generations there have been more traditions around that and I am sure a room where some one died was not immediately used for the next person. First people sat vigil with the body in the room, then it was probably left empty for a while, windows wide opened, incense burned, all sorts of rituals around death. So it is indeed an interesting question how the spirit of a room changes and what that would mean for the people using the room and how busy hospital processes might give some more credit to those processes. I know that in palliative care departments there is a tradition of a candle burning in-front of the room where a patient just died. It tells every one walking by that it happened and also gives the medical staff a way to part with that patient and honor the space for that day of departure. I think your prayer does something quite similar and thus is very needed indeed.
I love that you are now thinking about these hospital rooms in all your free time! And I appreciate your reflection around it. In healthcare we sometimes move on too quickly out of sheer volume rather than recognizing what happened. The spirit/energy/vibe, whatever one wants to call it, can be significant. We don't have candles burning (oxygen hazard) but we do have pictures we will sometimes post on the doors to alert the staff to what is going on. We've also started incorporating moments of "Pause" after a code for healthcare staff, which honors the life that was just lost. Maybe a topic of a future post!
thank you for letting me more in how it works at your place. May be they used battery candles in Munich, probably. There was in-front of each room a little table and when the candle was on you knew. But again, that was palliative care only. And it was one of the newest departments in the hospital build with a big donation I think :-) I guess the candle symbolized something like "Pause" as you write about. Blessings for your work, dear friend!
I loved this! Thank you for sharing such a wonderfully interesting story about Renee. I definitely want to share this lovely ending poem with my husband for us to use in our home.
I'm flabbergasted that your professor said this. It totally happens!!! Like a lot. I'm so glad you continue to create this space and honor what feels unknown and scary.
He was my least favorite professor. Not sure he ever worked in ministry outside of academia. Please tell me your seminary did a better job of preparing you for this request!
That tracks. I can't remember this ever coming up and it has definitely happened in ministry. Not yet in spiritual direction... but I'm sure that's coming. Gulp.
Listening without offering solutions as the solution itself is so tough. I like how you lean into what’s not being said to infer if you need to move to proposed solutions or not.
Thank you so much for another beautiful piece. I’ll be bookmarking the house blessing!
Oh your comment is perfectly timed - I'm in the midst of writing a post (maybe for next week?) about the temptation to fix people's problems! Even harder to refrain from when we are people pleasers!
Consider me hooked!! I very much look forward to reading.
I am sure you are a beacon of Light to all in your orbit- I feel like a moth being drawn deeper in towards the flame with each post of yours I read. Thank you so much for being present on this platform.
The house prayer is a gift. I will likely move in this year and have thought to hold a blessing with gathered friends and those in my new community. Thanks. I won’t worry about casting out..but do want to welcome in!
Oh blessings on your move and saying goodbye to your current home. I was just recording a podcast yesterday and the host used to be a real estate agent and was talking about how that can be a major unrecognized loss for people. I hope your new community embraces you and glad this prayer will be of use to you.
Oh perfect! I was actually thinking of your rose petal ritual as I wrote this up (was it roses or a different flower?) and you spread them on the walkway? I bet others commenting would love to learn from you about that practice if you want to give a summary!
It's roses--they're supposedly the most high vibe flower. SO, if you want to call high vibe people into your life, spread rose petals along the path to your front door. Pro tip: Costco has great roses.
Perhaps our physical space can hold on to unknown things, who are we to know? The family who owned our home before us had gone through a nasty divorce in this house so when we moved into our home 20 years ago I walked through each room recording a prayer before any of my family came in the house. I asked to be protected and safe. It has been a good house (not that there’s a bad house!)
Thank you Christine for sharing this excellent story, your wisdom and the beautiful prayer.
"Who are we to know?" - that's my approach to much of life! What a meaningful way to clense the space and set a new tone for your family. I was just talking to a realtor the other day and she said something similar - that some houses come with "bad juju" and she lights candles in each room. I'm glad your prayers worked and you've been protected and safe!
What a remarkable story Christine. And thank you for showing us your heart. Listening to the woman with the house troubles and customizing prayers for each room was such a beautiful act of love. I never had to do an exorcism but I was confronted by a man claiming to be Satan’s son and he was sent to stop me. Too long of a story but it ended well. Thanks again Christine.
Love both the wisdom and practicality of honoring and releasing the pain and grief of a space, thank you!
Thanks Mark. Sometimes us contemplatives can be practical - who knew?
What a beautiful prayer! Thank you for sharing that -- I might adapt that for a dear one who is moving shortly.
A logistical note: We recently moved into my parents' former house. Before we did, though, we replaced the carpeting. And before it was installed, we had family and a few friends over for a house blessing. Everyone was given a Sharpie and invited to write a blessing or prayer or quote on the subfloor. I love knowing that right now the chair I'm sitting on rests on a floor that is covered in blessings.
Oh what a beautiful ritual, I love it. Please tell me you have a picture of the sharpie scribbled blessing floor!?
Yes! I took several photos. Once we get a bit more settled, I'm going to print them off and hang them on the wall. It will be fun to see loved-ones' handwriting in our space.
Amazing! I think those pics need to be featured in an upcoming Sandwich Season post!
You've got me thinking, Christine! Thank you for the inspiration ♥️
Yes! Looking forward to reading it!
Hi Christine -- Thank you again for this post and the inspiration! I did use the prayer you shared to bless a new home, and today I am sharing the sharpie blessings that now live on our subfloor. I'll drop the link here: https://sandwichseason.substack.com/p/blessings-a-ritual-for-times-of-transition
I've officiated at some house blessings when people felt something was "not right" in their new home. I co-officiated with an Episcopal priest who introduced himself as the Exorcist for the Diocese. He said he once did a blessing and when he reached the attached garage, the hair stood up on the back of his neck and then slowly settled. The couple told him afterwards that the previous owners had died by asphyxiation in their car in the garage. He said that every house blessing in ancient times was also an exorcism, and the priest would go room-to-room blessing and closing the door behind each cleansed room, chasing the spirits out the front door. Maybe those of us who have been in the field for a few years should put together that course of stuff clergy need to know!
Oh thank you for sharing this. I have heard from a few Episopal clergy how each Diocese has someone identified to do exorcisms. Us Presbyterians don't have it in our liturgical lexicon! I agree that a course in what seminary left out is needed! And wouldn't you know it all that Greek and Hebrew never really came up!
The tile of your post was likely one of the greatest hooks of all time! That said, I really appreciate the balance you bring to theology. Being a spiritual person myself, and not aligning with any one religion yet feeling strongly connected to my Divinity, I find your quality to be rare in mainstream theology. Also: Love your blessing. I do something similar, a house clearing, yet the terminology I use is a bit different. I feel all is energy, either Light (conscious, clear, healing, aware, aligned in Truth) or Dark (lacking that). So your fantastic prayer and blessing can be modified to be one of LIGHT if one is more comfortable with that word. Or Spirit, Source, whatever. It’s ALL the same to me!
Haha, glad you liked the title. I actually had a lot of people unsubscribe after this one, so I may have offended some folks! 🤷♀️
And yes, I tend to be rather "theologically flexible" which isn't for everyone, but glad it's a source of connection for us. I agree, I often change language to make it work for the person I am with. That's great that you do something similar for house clearings and hope you're able to adapt it for others.
You might appreciate this post - https://journeyingalongside.substack.com/p/are-you-spiritual-andor-religious
I did appreciate that post- thank you! My husband actually told me a similar statistic yesterday, except it was more like ~50% of the US is religious (and 95% in India! -their religion also includes Gods Goddeses and astrology- so I would likely be religious there lol).
Anyhow, very nice to connect. I am enjoying your writings and look forward to more.
Oh I hadn't heard that about India, but not surprising.
It's taken me a while to enjoy your post and I'm so glad I did. I believe that positive and negative energy is left behind, especially when emotions are high. Occasionally, I will take a Tibetan bell and ring it throughout the house, asking for any stale energy to leave through an open window. Now, I will say this beautiful blessing prayer along with the bell ringing. Thank you.
I love the idea of the bell!
I think you are spot on about the energy and people may call that by all sorts of names. I love the image of you ringing the bell in your house! I may have to try that practice on myself.
You are such a gifted writer, story teller, chaplain, teacher, spiritual director and bless-er of spaces! I look so forward to your posts in my in-box.
This one is especially lovely, as I am sitting in an outdoor cafe in the Marais and enjoying a chocolate almond croissant! 🥐
Thank you Karla, I have learned from the best! 😊
And I love that you read it while eating my favorite type of croissant in France! I've been thinking about writing a post about how eating choclate can be a spiritual practice! 😆
that is great. I love your "room prayer," circle in-front of the space and pray. What a gift you offer to all doing this. Instead of praying for my house I used your prayer to pray for the inner rooms of family relations which feel so stressed out these days. Thank you.
Oh this would certainly be applicable to inner rooms of family relations, or even inner rooms of ourselves (ie. Internal Family Systems)! Hope it gave you some calm in the midst of turmoil.
I think I need to pray it every day three times 😇
PS: I actually woke up today thinking about those hospital rooms you write about where someone died and the medical team feels sometimes funny about it. I can understand that. In earlier generations there have been more traditions around that and I am sure a room where some one died was not immediately used for the next person. First people sat vigil with the body in the room, then it was probably left empty for a while, windows wide opened, incense burned, all sorts of rituals around death. So it is indeed an interesting question how the spirit of a room changes and what that would mean for the people using the room and how busy hospital processes might give some more credit to those processes. I know that in palliative care departments there is a tradition of a candle burning in-front of the room where a patient just died. It tells every one walking by that it happened and also gives the medical staff a way to part with that patient and honor the space for that day of departure. I think your prayer does something quite similar and thus is very needed indeed.
🙏🙏🙏 for all the rooms/family memebers!
I love that you are now thinking about these hospital rooms in all your free time! And I appreciate your reflection around it. In healthcare we sometimes move on too quickly out of sheer volume rather than recognizing what happened. The spirit/energy/vibe, whatever one wants to call it, can be significant. We don't have candles burning (oxygen hazard) but we do have pictures we will sometimes post on the doors to alert the staff to what is going on. We've also started incorporating moments of "Pause" after a code for healthcare staff, which honors the life that was just lost. Maybe a topic of a future post!
thank you for letting me more in how it works at your place. May be they used battery candles in Munich, probably. There was in-front of each room a little table and when the candle was on you knew. But again, that was palliative care only. And it was one of the newest departments in the hospital build with a big donation I think :-) I guess the candle symbolized something like "Pause" as you write about. Blessings for your work, dear friend!
I loved this! Thank you for sharing such a wonderfully interesting story about Renee. I definitely want to share this lovely ending poem with my husband for us to use in our home.
The work is certainly interesting. I never know what each day will bring. Let me know how it goes if you use the poem!
“Title” - my t on my keyboard is sticking oday! lol.😝
I'm flabbergasted that your professor said this. It totally happens!!! Like a lot. I'm so glad you continue to create this space and honor what feels unknown and scary.
He was my least favorite professor. Not sure he ever worked in ministry outside of academia. Please tell me your seminary did a better job of preparing you for this request!
That tracks. I can't remember this ever coming up and it has definitely happened in ministry. Not yet in spiritual direction... but I'm sure that's coming. Gulp.
When it does come up for you in SD, I'm eager to hear about it!
Listening without offering solutions as the solution itself is so tough. I like how you lean into what’s not being said to infer if you need to move to proposed solutions or not.
Thank you so much for another beautiful piece. I’ll be bookmarking the house blessing!
Oh your comment is perfectly timed - I'm in the midst of writing a post (maybe for next week?) about the temptation to fix people's problems! Even harder to refrain from when we are people pleasers!
Consider me hooked!! I very much look forward to reading.
I am sure you are a beacon of Light to all in your orbit- I feel like a moth being drawn deeper in towards the flame with each post of yours I read. Thank you so much for being present on this platform.
We feel it & appreciate you!
Thank you for your kind words. I'm glad the posts are resonating and that we found our way to each other, as I have much to learn from you!
I really love the way you meet them where they are, offering God’s Love and comfort in all the ways that it can be found.
Thanks Amy - I know you do the same for all the people you care for as well!
The house prayer is a gift. I will likely move in this year and have thought to hold a blessing with gathered friends and those in my new community. Thanks. I won’t worry about casting out..but do want to welcome in!
Oh blessings on your move and saying goodbye to your current home. I was just recording a podcast yesterday and the host used to be a real estate agent and was talking about how that can be a major unrecognized loss for people. I hope your new community embraces you and glad this prayer will be of use to you.
This is so similar to what I’d recommend as a Feng Shui guide! Same same, just slightly different flavors
Oh perfect! I was actually thinking of your rose petal ritual as I wrote this up (was it roses or a different flower?) and you spread them on the walkway? I bet others commenting would love to learn from you about that practice if you want to give a summary!
It's roses--they're supposedly the most high vibe flower. SO, if you want to call high vibe people into your life, spread rose petals along the path to your front door. Pro tip: Costco has great roses.
Perhaps our physical space can hold on to unknown things, who are we to know? The family who owned our home before us had gone through a nasty divorce in this house so when we moved into our home 20 years ago I walked through each room recording a prayer before any of my family came in the house. I asked to be protected and safe. It has been a good house (not that there’s a bad house!)
Thank you Christine for sharing this excellent story, your wisdom and the beautiful prayer.
"Who are we to know?" - that's my approach to much of life! What a meaningful way to clense the space and set a new tone for your family. I was just talking to a realtor the other day and she said something similar - that some houses come with "bad juju" and she lights candles in each room. I'm glad your prayers worked and you've been protected and safe!
Thank you💕
Oops reciting, not recording!
What a remarkable story Christine. And thank you for showing us your heart. Listening to the woman with the house troubles and customizing prayers for each room was such a beautiful act of love. I never had to do an exorcism but I was confronted by a man claiming to be Satan’s son and he was sent to stop me. Too long of a story but it ended well. Thanks again Christine.
That sounds like a future post for you to write!
LoL...maybe...I'm thinking about perhaps doing a series on my adventures with the homeless.
Oh that sounds quite compelling, I'd be interested in reading those.
Haha...that's all the affirmation I need. I'll do it!
Yes! This is especially hilarious to me, as I'm in the midst of writing a post about refraining from telling people what they should do!
Literally laughing right now. You didn't tell me what to do, you motivated me to do something I need to do. Thank you, friend.