Michael Cremo - Human Devolution - A Vedic Alternative To Darwin's Theory

On the night of May 11, the demon addressed the master of the novices in loud impolite language. The demon, upon being interrogated, identified himself as “the devil of the inferno” and declared that he had been ordained by God “to ceasely torment that novice” (Gauld and Cornell 1979, p. 163). On May 13, two brothers of the order, bearing sacred relics, posted themselves at the door to Carlo’s room, to prevent the demon from entering. Nevertheless, that night Carlo woke to find sitting near his bed a fiery-faced figure dressed in black. The demon shouted, “Now I will make you know who I am” (Gauld and Cornell 1979, p. 163). Carlo took a sacred image and pushed it into the demon’s face. In response, the demon burst into activity, scaring away the two brothers. The master and some novices came to the door of the room. Carlos tried to come out, but the demon grabbed him by his cassock and pulled him back. Recitation of the names of Jesus and Mary caused the demon to loosen his grip, and Carlos released himself. But upon his cassock was the print of a hand. The mark could not be removed. Demonic figures impressed in the wall of the room also could not be erased, and therefore the plaster was removed.

The boy was taken to the home of an uncle, Domenico Galisio. On May 22, Carlo was taken to Sorrento to see the remains of Saint Anthony, and there again the demon started to cause trouble. Carlo was then taken back to the monastery in Naples, where demonic phenomena resumed with increased ferocity. At times, the buildings shook as if being hit by earthquakes. Once Carlo and some monks were in a room, and part of the ceiling crashed down on them. No one was injured. The master of the novices commanded the demon to restore the ceiling, and to their amazement those present saw all the pieces of wood and plaster rise up and reassemble themselves. Still the disturbances continued. Cardinal Ursini performed an exorcism, but it failed to stop the activities of the demon. Carlo was sent from place to place, but the phenomena followed wherever he went. At another monastery in Capri, a Father Pietro wanted to perform an exorcism, but could not do it because he had left in Naples a book containing the proper procedures. When he began to pray, the demon appeared and threw the book at his feet. The demon said, “To my great confusion, I am obliged by that accursed name of that lad to bring you this book” (Gauld and Cornell 1979, p. 165).

On January 12, 1697, Carlo returned to his home. Sometimes when Carlo was away from the house, attending church services, the demon appeared in the shape of Carlo and beat Carlo’s brother and tormented his mother. Shortly thereafter things quieted down for a couple of months. On March 30, Carlo therefore returned to the monastery, but immediately the phenomena began again. At that point the leaders of the monastery decided that Carlo should give up all plans for becoming a monk. After that, the demon never returned.

Gauld and Cornell (1979, p. 158) explain: “The case was recorded by one of the brothers . . . who seems to have kept notes of the occurrences, and his account survives (or survived) in two identical contemporary manuscripts, entitled Caso successo in napoli nell’anno 1696 a 4 maggio nella casa dei P.P. Gerolomini (Case which happened in Naples, in the year 1696 on the 4th of May in the house of the Hieronymite Fathers). One of these manuscripts was obtained by a well-known Italian writer on psychic subjects, Francesco Zingaropoli, and was published by him with introduction and notes in a small and extremely rare book Gesta di uno ‘spirito’ nel monastero dei P.P. Gerolomini in napoli (Naples, 1904).” Laurence G. Thompson of the University of Southern California,

in his book Chinese Religion: an introduction, includes an account of an exorcism by a Taoist priest. The exorcism was witnessed by Peter Goullart, who recorded it in a book published in 1961.

Goullart and his traveling companions arrived at a Taoist temple in China. In a courtyard in front of the temple, they saw a young man, twenty-five years old, who had been possessed by a demon of a kind the Taoists call kuei. The emaciated young man, who had a wild look in his eyes, was lying on a straw mat placed on an iron bedstead. A Taoist priest and two assistants were standing nearby, with ritual paraphernalia on a small portable altar. Four strong men stood guard around the possessed young man. After repeating mantras from a book of incantations, the priest approached the possessed man. Goullart said, “His eyes were filled with malice as he watched the priest’s measured advance with a sly cunning and hatred. Suddenly he gave a bestial whoop and jumped up in his bed, the four attendants rushing to hold him.” The priest said to the kuei who had possessed the man, “Come out! Come out! I command you to come out.” From the mouth of the young man came the words “No! No! You cannot drive us out . . . Our power is greater than yours!” These words and more were spoken rapidly “in a strange, shrill voice, which sounded mechanical, inhuman—as if pronounced by a parrot” (Nicola 1974, p. 102).

The priest repeated his commands, while the four strong men held the violently struggling young man down on the iron bed. He howled like an animal, showing his teeth like fangs. Suddenly, he broke out of the arms of the men holding him and threw himself at the priest’s throat. The four men dragged him back down on the bed and tied him to it with ropes. Then the young man’s body began to swell. Goullart stated, “On and on the dreadful process continued until he became a grotesque balloon of a man. . . . Convulsions shook the monstrous, swollen body. . . . It seemed that all the apertures of the body were opened by the unseen powers hiding in it and streams of malodorous excreta and effluvia flowed on to the ground in incredible profusion. . . . For an hour this continued” (Nicola 1974, p. 103). After this ordeal, the man resumed his normal size.

The priest then took a ritual sword, and standing over the possessed man, commanded the demons: “Leave him! Leave him, in the name of the Supreme Power who never meant you to steal this man’s body!” (Nicola

1974, p. 103) Now the possessed man’s body became rigid and heavy, causing the bed to bend beneath his weight. The four guards could not lift him. Only when three other men joined them from the onlookers gathered around could they move him. Then the possessed man suddenly became light. The guards placed him on a wooden bed. The Taoist priest again began to recite mantras from his book of incantations. Then he sprinkled the possessed man with holy water and came up to him with the sword. This time his efforts were successful. He cried out to the demons, “I have won! Get out! Get out!”(Nicola 1974, p. 103) The possessed man went into convulsions, foaming at the mouth and clawing his body with his fingernails until it became covered with blood. From his foaming lips came the words, “Damn you! Damn you! We are going but you shall pay for it with your life!” Goullart stated, “There was a terrible struggle on the bed, the poor man twisting and rolling like a mortally-wounded snake and his colour changing all the time. Suddenly he fell flat on his back and was still. His eyes opened. His gaze was normal, and he saw his parents who now came forward to reclaim their son” (Nicola 1974, p.104).

Marian apparitions

Earlier in this chapter, we considered postmortem apparitions of ordinary people as evidence for the existence of disembodied human beings. We then considered demonic possession as evidence for the existence of superhuman beings, albeit of the malevolent type. We shall now consider evidence for the existence of benevolent superhuman beings, beginning with Marian apparitions, apparitions of the Virgin Mary.