Exorcism in the Philippines: The Demon Inside

The Demon Inside

Fr. Jocis Syquia is busy expelling demons.

http://www.philstar.com/men/2012/10/24/859889/demon-inside

The author of Exorcism, Encounters with the Paranormal and the Occult and Exorcist: A Spiritual Journey, a member of the Rome-based International Association of Exorcists and the director of the Archdiocese of Manila Office of Exorcism (yes, this is a real office), Fr. Jocis’s office receives at least three inquiries of suspected possession cases. A day.

In between sending demons to the foot of the cross and serving as a full-time formator at the San Carlos Seminary Major Seminary in Guadalupe, Fr. Jocis found time to sit down with me, expel all of my personal demos (although my humor writing may never be the same again) and share what makes someone susceptible to possession, why possessions are on the rise in the Philippines, and how wearing an anting-anting can make things inconceivably worse.

PHILIPPINE STAR: Fr. Jocis, how does one end up becoming an exorcist? Has it always been an interest of yours? Was it a calling? Or perhaps a mutant power? What brought you this ministry?

FATHER JOCIS SYQUIA: When I was younger, I was very interested in the occult and paranormal. But when I “opened” myself up by trying out all these “New Age” things like parapsychology, I got “harassed” — the demons started showing themselves to me, because I was still trying to live a Christian life. The demons didn’t want me to get close the Lord so I was experiencing a lot of oppression. When I was in the seminary, I didn’t read about these (occult) topics because I might be “attacked” again. When I was already a priest, I was assigned in Quiapo where  (then) Bishop Teodoro Buhain asked me to handle their many (possession) cases because I had obtained a degree in clinical psychology from UST. The Bishop believed that made me the best person to properly diagnose and discern these cases. The Bishop (and his successors) gave me the faculty for exorcism, so I studied more about it and was eventually sent to Rome for classes on exorcism. I study the occult now not so much out of interest, but more out of need. You see the needs of the people, and you have to answer by knowing the stand of the Church and how Christ would have handled (the possession).

What type of training to you have undergo to become an exorcist?

In canon law, there are certain requirements to be an exorcist. There are also spiritual attributes and stipulations: the person must be of mature age, he must live a life of piety, etc. When there are a lot of people asking for healing or deliverance for their house or for people, the Bishop of a diocese looks for a priest who has these qualities and gives them the “faculty.” The “faculty” doesn’t have to come all the way from the Vatican.

What do you mean when a priest is given the “faculty”?

When Bishop Buhain gave me the faculty, he shared with me his authority. So when I use the Roman ritual (one of the official ritual works of the Roman Rite of the Catholic Church that also contains the Rite of Exorcism), it is very powerful because… the entire church is behind that prayer.  If I was not an exorcist and I just said, “In the name of Jesus, get out,” it is not backed up by the power of the entire Church interceding for a particular case.

Can a non-Catholic attempt to perform the exorcism? For example, a Christian pastor? Or how about a faith healer?

Yes, Christian pastors can do deliverance prayers because they are baptized and they are praying in the name of Christ. But if an occult practitioner (like a faith healer) uses the name of Christ but in an occult manner, that’s different. Remember that in the Bible, Simon Magus also wanted the power to expel evil spirits in the name of Jesus. However, he didn’t want to expel spirits because he wanted a relationship with the Lord or to become the Lord’s instrument. He wanted to use it for his own personal agenda. Recall that the Bishops are the direct descendants of the Apostles, and they have the fullness and power that Christ has given to the Church. Thus, when there are really bad cases (of possession), it is (the exorcist) who is able to expel these demonic spirits.

What are these “evil spirits” that possess people? Are these the demons referred to in the Bible?

There are no other spirits in the spirit world that can possess people except evil spirits. God created two types of being, the angels and the humans. Only angels can possess humans because they are purely spiritual beings. They can easily knock out the consciousness of a person, come in and take over the material body. Good angels never possess people because they respect the free will and the bodily integrity of a person.  It is only evil spirits that can actually possess people. Because humans are lower than angels, the soul (of a deceased) cannot possess people because it is not part of our faith. God will not give the power (to a human soul) to come in and possess someone just like that.

Given your background both in clinical psychology and in exorcism, how are you able to distinguish between a person who merely requires counseling and/or medication or someone who is truly possessed?

Oftentimes, it’s not a clear-cut case of 100 percent psychological or 100 percent demonic. It can be both psychological illness and demonic possession. So we conduct proper interviews where we ask, was there anything occult, is the person very “sensitive,” did he play the spirit of the glass, etc.  We also conduct diagnostic tests. For example, when interviewing someone and I think there is an evil spirit there, I will command him with my mind, “In the name of Jesus Christ, be quiet!” And then he will suddenly be quiet. This is to test if the problem is merely psychological or more than that.

Wait, you said “with your mind”?

Yes, just with my mind. That’s how I test and I know that if I’m speaking with something beyond this person: there is another entity there who can read my mind who is not this person. When we test children whom we think are possessed, we put holy water in their milk without their knowledge. If they vomit out the milk or he can distinguish that the milk has holy water (then that is an indication). There are also more spiritual tests. When the (person who is suspected of being possessed) is brought (to the office of exorcism) for an interview, I can ask him, “In the name of Jesus, manifest yourself!” (If the person is possessed), then he will just lose himself completely. There are people who are deep into the occult and when you put holy water or exorcised salt around the room, they cannot enter.

You talk about “oppression” by an evil spirit. So does that mean that there are different levels of “possession”?

Possession is the highest level of extraordinary demonic attack while the lesser forms are oppression and obsession. It can start with an obsession — we have cases wherein a person does “spirit of the glass” and suddenly he does it very regularly to the point that he no longer needs any materials to already hear “voices in his head” from (the spirit of the glass).  When he tries to get rid of these voices or to stop communicating with these spirits, then it becomes oppression. Oppression happens when he gets bangungot at night or is he is attacked during the day, i.e. he experiences bodily pain, or he feels very depressed. If the person does not go to church right away for help, then after some time the spirit/s will have enough power to possess the person. Or if the person runs to occult practitioners (psychics, faith healers) for help, then more spirits come into the picture and the person becomes possessed.

Does the person who is being exorcised have to be of the Catholic faith? Could he also be Christian, Muslim or other faiths? Or even an agnostic or atheist?

This question was discussed in the Vatican. Remember that in the early church, exorcisms were always conducted outside of the church and directed towards the pagans who were possessed by the evil spirits to prevent these pagans from being evangelized. Up to today, we accept cases of people from other Christian sects or other religions or even atheists and we pray over them. But what is important is that we tell that that we are going to heal them in the name of Jesus Christ. And when they experience the healing, they start to ask more about Christ. Who is this Jesus who has power over the spirits? Then that is where the evangelization starts. We accept everyone, although it is (admittedly more) difficult when the (possessed person) is not Catholic because he has no devotion to Mama Mary, and we cannot use the sacramentals and the sacraments of the Church. So the main defenses and weapons that the Church has against these evil spirits cannot be used.

Are the cases of exorcism in our country on the rise because we are a country with a large Catholic population who know about exorcism?

In the United States, where Catholics comprise only 20 percent of the population, there are a lot of possession cases and exorcisms being performed. In the Philippines, we have so many (possession) cases. Why is that? Before, exorcisms were only directed outside the Church as pagans who were about to be baptized usually got possessed. This was because the evil spirit that they worshipped and offered sacrifices to was reacting to the evangelization. In the early Church, before a person was even baptized in the Cathecumenate (when one is in the state of receiving instruction from a catechist in the principals of the Catholic faith with a view to baptism), they had to be exorcised every week so that any spiritual contamination would be cut off. So why are exorcisms being directed against Catholics themselves nowadays? Because paganism has not been purified out of our faith.

You mean many Filipino Catholics practice pagan rituals?

Paganism in the sense that we still have a lot of occult and superstitious practices. Superstition is actually a remnant of paganism. For example, many Catholics still wear “anting-antings” or magpapadugo sila (a blood sacrifice usually involving livestock) when building a house, or they go to fortune tellers, manghuhulas, albularyos, espiritistas or mangkukulams or other types of occult practitioners. Many Catholics experience this form of extraordinary demonic attack because we are not actually purified.  And as we are coming into the “New Age,” there are a lot of people entering into witchcraft, Satanism and other forms of occult practices to gain some form of power and direction in their lives.

Father Jocis, can you sleep beside me tonight? I don’t think my Green Lantern power ring will provide me with much protection anymore.

Click here for Part 2

Exorcism in the Philippines: Demons are everywhere

Demons are everywhere

Interview with Father Jose Francisco Syquia

http://www.philstar.com/men/2012/11/07/863911/demons-are-everywhere

Because Pinoys enjoy reading about ghost stories as much as they enjoy looking at car accidents, this is the second part of my interview with Father Jocis Syquia, the director of the Archdiocese of Manila Office of Exorcism and author of Exorcism, Encounters with the Paranormal and the Occult.

Father Jocis shares with us how to protect yourself from extra-demonic possession, the true nature of ghosts and how that friendly, neighborhood dwende might not be so friendly after all.

RJ LEDESMA: Father Jocis, please tell us what goes on during an exorcism. Is it just how Hollywood depicts it, with spinning heads and projectile vomiting? Just so I will know how much extra underwear I need to bring if I’m ever involved in one.

FATHER JOCIS SYQUIA: Remember that (an exorcism) is actually the power of God’s love destroying the demonic obstacles in a person’s life that block his relationship with God. Maybe when this person was younger, he was engaged in occult practices or made a pact with Satan that gave him certain “powers” that are not of God. What happens is that this person falls under the bondage of this evil spirit. So if he tries to live a good life, he will experience a lot of negative experience that seemingly come from nowhere. He will feel that his life is “cursed” because the evil spirits have attached (to him). These spirits not only block the relational dimension but also the temporal blessings of God. Exorcism is breaking down this barrier so that a person can experience the blessings and protection he should have as a child of God.

In the beginning (of an exorcism), there are a lot of prayers of supplication calling upon God and Bible readings to build up the faith of the person who is about to be exorcised. Once the person is ready, when there is a faith environment, the person knows that he is loved by God and the presence of God is tangible in that place, then we confront the evil spirit and draw it out of the person.

At this point, we command the spirit to manifest itself. Once it manifests itself and takes control of the body, then it can (experience all of the) senses, it can also experience the full sacramental rites. When you put holy water on the forehead of the (possessed) person, the evil spirit can feel the holy water. And since the holy water is sacred, it will burn him.

 Once we have drawn it out, we used to command it to tell us how it entered the person — whether it was a curse or the person made a pact with the devil. We get as much information as we can as to the cause so we can address it later on. Then we command the spirit to go in the name of Christ.  (The exorcism) can take a long time depending on the person’s faith, how deeply the person was involved in the occult, and how sincere the person is to get back into a relationship with God.

 People think that exorcism is (like) magic, but it’s not.  If a person has a deep relationship with God,   (it will not take long to exorcise him). When we tell a person who is under grave oppression by an evil spirit that we are going to pray over them and they pray along with us with all sincerity, then God will answer their prayers.

How long does an exorcism session last?

Before, it would take days. But nowadays it takes three hours at the most as we draw the spirit out and expel it. However, there are some cases that are brought to the (San Carlos) Seminary if the person cannot control him or herself. This usually means the spirit is not ready for a confrontation. In those cases, the exorcism lasts for about 15 minutes. But we know that (evil spirits) will return because the “doorways” that opened up to these spirits remain open. That is why when the person is back to their senses, I interview them: “What happened? How is your spiritual life? Were you contaminated with the occult? Is there unforgiveness in your heart?” Then I look at how the spirits entered, so that we may close those “doors” and use proper protection so that the spirits will never return.

 When you expel these evil spirits, where do they go?

Usually, we send these fallen angels to hell in the name of Christ. But these (evil spirits) can really fight hard, so we send them to the Lord Jesus so it will be up to Him where He will send them. So I pray, “In the name of Jesus Christ, I command you to go to the foot of the cross.” That means (for them) to go to the Lord Jesus and he will send you (where you belong). (This is just like in the Gospel) when (the evil spirits) pleaded to Jesus to send them to the pigs instead of back to hell. And then the (possessed) pigs killed themselves because they preferred human souls. When the pigs died, the (evil spirits) were let loose into the atmosphere to look for other souls.  That is why the people were scared and got rid of Jesus. Because the legion (of evil spirits) was in that one person, but now the legion was out there in the atmosphere. And if these people become vulnerable, the evil spirits could enter them as well.

Aren’t you worried that these evil spirits will follow you around after the exorcism or perhaps even take revenge on you?

Before I used to experience that they would take revenge on me and when I was protected, they would take revenge on my family. My father was always sent to the hospital after I performed an exorcism. When my family was being harassed and I experienced depression, sickness and freak accidents to the point that I could have died, I placed myself under Mama Mary’s protection. I went to the blessed sacrament at the chapel, I prostrated myself (before the altar) and I said “Mama Mary, I will not leave this chapel until you answer me that you will be my protectress.” Then, deep in my heart, I felt Mama Mary answering: “Yes, I will protect you!” After that, I no longer experienced harassment.

 Of course, I can still experience manual harassment. For example, the night before a big (possession) case, I will have an uneasy sleep as spirits try to appear in my dreams. When we sleep, we are very open to the spirit world. Or sometimes I will experience a nightmare or a very vivid dream of a demon trying to attack me, then the next day an unannounced (possession) case arrives (at the Seminary). So depending upon the gravity of the case, the more I can experience a negative reaction from the evil spirit. The spirit knows we are going to have an encounter, and he is going (to make a preemptive attack). The Lord allows these minor harassments to remind me to always be on my toes and not become complacent.

Are there people or situations that are more susceptible to extra-demonic possession than others?

Actually, most of our cases are children and women. For children, the right side of their brains are very active — since the rational side of their brain is not fully developed, they are very intuitive. Children are very open to the spirit world. Women are more right-brained, so they are more intuitive and (are inclined toward) psychic abilities: they can sense when something is wrong.

 (Those who are susceptible to extra-demonic possession are)  persons who are very psychic or sensitive to the spirit world or who are not psychic but develop these powers through the occult and opens the “third eye” as they call it in occult terms; secondly, if this person is not close to God, has no religious life whatsoever and especially is not close to Mama Mary; thirdly, the person has a lot of occult dealings (i.e. going to occult activities, playing with Ouija boards or tarot cards). If all three are present — your psychic ability is open to them, your occult dealings “call” upon them and make use of their “powers” and lastly you are not protected by God — after some time you can get possessed.

Is there a way that you can protect yourself from extra-demonic possession?

The St. Benedict’s Medal has been known in Church tradition to be very effective protection against curses. For example, gagayumahin ka or may barang na pinadala sa iyo. (Together with that), there is having a good relationship with God, having a good sacramental life, using the sacraments properly, knowing how to pray deliverance prayers, having a devotion to our guardian angels (which we have forgotten), and especially to Mama Mary and living a good Christian life.

Also using the sacrament of confession (is very important) because, according to Fr. Gabriel Amorth, the chief exorcist of the Vatican, “a good confession is more powerful than exorcism.” Confession is a sacrament, while exorcism is merely a sacramental.  We must know what is occult or pagan or superstitious and avoid these activities. Sometimes we mix these (occult) things up (with our Catholic beliefs) without our knowledge, like placing other (non-Catholic) images other than Jesus Christ on our altars or carrying around a “magic” bullet or anting-anting or an amulet to “protect” you from evil spirits.

 So these anting-antings provide you with no protection whatsoever?

Yes, because where does it get its power? The power of protection can only come from the kingdom of God or the kingdom of Satan. There is no middle (ground) or third form of kingdom from where you can gain spiritual power. If there is a “spiritual” power in an amulet or talisman or charms or anting-anting and it is against the teaching of the Church, then we know that the power comes from the other side. So, if I use an anting-anting, I’m protected from other evil spirits using the evil spirit that is in that anting-anting, because evil spirits hate one another. So the other evil spirits won’t bother you. However, let’s say a very powerful mangkukulam gets angry with you and he sends a more powerful (evil) spirit than your evil spirit; then your anting-anting is useless as his will break through and the curse will hit you.

But if you use the sacramental and the power of God, than even if the most powerful mangukukulam or fallen angels or even Satan himself is sent (your way), it will have no effect because it is God who protects you. As a Christian, remember that pagans used these (amulets or charms) because they did not yet have the power of God. Christ had not yet come to establish His kingdom.

But as Christians, we already have all that is necessary. (Jesus) teaches us all the tools needed to attain supernatural power: grace and also supernatural protection. You cannot combine (Catholic faith and the occult). For example, you go to church but you always visit a fortune-teller;  or if you are a pagan and practicing a pagan religion, there will be minimal reactions from the evil spirits because you are worshipping and pleasing them. But if you are Catholic and you are baptized and you try to merge both (Catholic faith and the occult), there will be a (negative) reaction.

So what are ghosts in the scheme of things? Are they really spirits of the dead? And should we be scared of them?

Some parapsychology theories about ghosts are that they are “psychic imprints” of a strong emotional event that keeps on replaying itself. But yes, there are really ghosts. Even in the Gospel, the Apostles were scared of the (resurrected) Jesus when they saw him. That’s why Jesus said “I’m not a ghost, you can feel me, I’m flesh and blood!” The Church teaching with regard to ghosts is that they can be souls of the dead whom the Lord can allow to appear to a loved one for prayers or for consolation. For example, your family can be together in the cemetery on Nov. 1 and playing pusoy dos. Then suddenly somebody will see an apparition or smell the perfume of the deceased to remind the family that this is a time for prayers. 

But we need to be careful because these (so-called) ghosts could be evil spirits that don’t appear as a demon. They can appear as an “angel of light” or as a “soul” so you will start to communicate with it, it will show itself to you and then eventually befriend you. We had a case (with a woman) where the “soul” (who came in contact with her) claimed that it was a Japanese soldier who asked if he could make friends with her, then later asked if he could “marry her,” and as the bondage grew deeper and deeper, the woman could even feel the spirit “physically,” and before she knew it, she was already possessed. When she wanted to get rid of this “soul,” she would suddenly hear voices and there were times when she would blank out and the “soul” took over. That is an evil spirit. A demon will never say that it is a demon or else no one will interact with them. 

In the first part of our interview, you said there were only two beings created by God: angels and humans. The evil spirits are the fallen angels.” So what category do all these elementals and tikbalangs and kapres and aswangs fall under?

Actually, this phenomenon is worldwide. They call them “fairies”: they appear like small little people like leprechauns, dwarves, elves, etc. What has been taught to us by the early Church fathers and what we have learned from the Bible and from Church tradition and from the magisterium is that these “fairies” or what we call “elementals” — engkanto in the vernacular  — is that these “fairies” are fallen angels.

 That’s why they use sacramentals to exorcise all these trees and mounds and rivers because that is precisely the teachings of the Church. They say that these “elementals” are beings with intelligence and free will and that they are here to take care of nature. Why would God create a being with intelligence and free will to take care of nature? They are above nature when nature is passing away? What is God’s plan for them? Are they saved by Christ or not?  What is the reason of their being and why they are with us on this earth? If you say that all the spirits around us are merely this third kind of being, engkanto, then where are the demons that the Church has always warned us about?

Are there literally millions of fallen angels out there?

Padre Pio (a recently canonized Catholic saint who was well-known for bearing the stigmata — bodily marks corresponding to the crucifixion wounds of Jesus) said that if you could see them these (fallen angels), they could blacken the sky. Recall that after the fall from heaven, the (fallen angels) where thrown to earth first and that’s why they are here. That is why Satan was at the garden of Eden. And when we sinned, we were also thrown to this place. That is why the (fallen angels) are all around us. So when Jesus came, he was exorcising thousands of people left and right. You cannot say those dwendes are benign beings as (Church teachings) only spoke about the good angels and the fallen angels. I always tell people I’ve never “met” a dwende that didn’t react negatively to holy water. An evil spirit can appear in any form. As St. Thomas tells us, these (fallen angels) can make direct use of the atmosphere in order to manifest themselves. They can use the heat of the place (that is why a specific area can feel cold) or they can use electrical energies (that is why the lights suddenly go out).

That’s it. I’m sleeping with all of the lights on tonight with my wife on one side and my yaya on the other side.

Exorcism in the Philippines: Psalm 91

1 Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High
    will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.[a]
2 I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress,
    my God, in whom I trust.”

3 Surely he will save you
    from the fowler’s snare
    and from the deadly pestilence.
4 He will cover you with his feathers,
    and under his wings you will find refuge;
    his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.
5 You will not fear the terror of night,
    nor the arrow that flies by day,
6 nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness,
    nor the plague that destroys at midday.
7 A thousand may fall at your side,
    ten thousand at your right hand,
    but it will not come near you.
8 You will only observe with your eyes
    and see the punishment of the wicked.

9 If you say, “The Lord is my refuge,”
    and you make the Most High your dwelling,
10 no harm will overtake you,
    no disaster will come near your tent.
11 For he will command his angels concerning you
    to guard you in all your ways;
12 they will lift you up in their hands,
    so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.
13 You will tread on the lion and the cobra;
    you will trample the great lion and the serpent.

14 “Because he[b] loves me,” says the Lord, “I will rescue him;
    I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name.
15 He will call on me, and I will answer him;
    I will be with him in trouble,
    I will deliver him and honor him.
16 With long life I will satisfy him
    and show him my salvation.”