NEUOFFENBARUNGPhantoms and possession (30 March 1847)
1. You have read, from all times in which writings have been written, strange cases of various kinds of possession in your present situation and sphere; but do you also know so thoroughly how this possession takes it's origin, and from where, and on what occasions? To discuss this theoretically would be an unnecessary work, because you have already received several teachings in this matter; but to present this matter memorably dramatically, will give much light to everyone who will read it. Let us therefore immediately let such a memorable event pass before our eyes.
2. Satan, who already counts a very large number of his evil followers, lets his accomplices at certain times step among the human race with the order to catch everything that can be caught, and to leave no means untried by which any soul could be captured for the court of the prince of all wickedness and lies, skin and hair. On such an order, the evil henchmen then go up to the upper world by all possible surreptitious means, and mask their intention as diligently as possible, so that no better spirit encountering them might have any suspicion against them. If they are questioned about the reason, they always give a respectable one, and implore the more powerful guardians to allow them up, so that they may gain more experience, find an opportunity to make up for many a former evil, to improve themselves, and thus gradually enter into the true light of life.
3. But since in the realm of spirits, whether good or evil, nothing must be respected as much as free will, as far as it is not up to too much mischief, they are also allowed up, but of course under constant secret supervision, so that they could not say at the time: we wanted to enter the path of improvement, but they did not allow it.
4. But since they are allowed and given frequent opportunities, which are mostly abused, they have nothing to object to afterwards, if they have to return in a worse condition than the previous one.
5. What do such evil henchmen do when they come up to the upper world? They really take all possible means to realize their secret plan for the court of Satan. Some of them, who may be descended from such people, who used to be rich and arrogant landowners, go to their hideous castles, which can still be found here and there, and haunt them, and want to draw people's attention to the fact that there is still some treasure buried and present in such a castle. If, as a result of such haunting, some stupid people have really been made aware of it, they soon begin to conjure up the haunting evil spirit under all kinds of magical signs, instruments and formulas, so that he may tell them where the treasure is buried and how and when to dig to get it.
6. If such an evil inhabitant of such an old castle then easily notices that he has attracted the stupid people by such loose hauntings, he also not infrequently grants the summoners, and shows them by all kinds of appearances, where such a treasure is buried, and the people then start to dig, and usually find nothing, by which, however, they usually do not become wisey, but continue their work with greater zeal. On such occasions it happens that such an infernal socius chooses a victim like a tiger cat, seizes it and in every possible way practices itself into the flesh, which happens most easily either by food or drink taken, especially if such treasure-seeking workers do not bless their food and drink beforehand in My name. When such an evil spirit has achieved it's purpose, then the haunting of such an old castle is usually over.
7. But if such a spooky spirit has penetrated into a man's flesh, it then lurks around the man's heart like a cat. He soon knows the weaknesses of the person and begins to breathe his evil inclinations, wishes and desires into it; If the human heart approvingly accepts them, this patron remains quite calm in the flesh, and merely makes a fine spectator, how such a man gradually begins to act so beautifully and diligently
according to these infernal inspirations.
8. When such a man has fulfilled the measure of the will of such an evil indwelling spirit, then this spirit usually causes a deadly disease in the flesh, and seeks as quickly as possible to snatch from the flesh the soul thus corrupted and fallen prey to it's efforts, in order to then lay it at the feet of it's lord and master as a good pinch.
9. But the matter does not go according to the plan of such a patron; for as soon as the soul leaves the flesh, it may be good or evil, it is nevertheless immediately received by the angels. The evil hunter, however, will be chastised in the most sensitive way, and quite motherly pushed back to his lord and master, where he will again be chastised very severely, and such a spirit, which has once behaved so unseemly, will not soon be sent back up to the hunting grounds again.
10. The soul, however, is put into such a state by the angels together with the indwelling spirit, in which it gradually recognizes how it's worldly performance has been. If it wants to convert, it will go higher and higher, but if it is stubborn, it will certainly go lower and lower until it reaches the most severe punishments; if these still do not bring about a return, it will be free to make a trial journey into hell according to it's own will. If it likes it there, it will stay with her love; If it does not like it, it may return again, which usually rarely happens, because hell is too stuffed with the most deceptive, all-promising, but nothing-realizing lures. For there are countless deceptive arts, which are calculated to bring such a soul closer and closer to the actual essence of Satan, so that it becomes a congruent part of him; But this can never happen, since every soul already contains it's own spirit and cannot get rid of it, which spirit is the opposite of the satanic spirit.
11. If such a soul wants to approach Satan, then such a spirit appears in itself as judge, avenger and punisher, and torments the soul as an unquenchable fire from within, by which torment the soul is removed from Satan again as far as possible, where it then passes over again to a kind of improvement. If it wants to follow this improvement, it also becomes easier and easier for it, the more it approaches the purity of it's spirit dwelling in it.
12. And if this improvement always progresses, it can also reach bliss when it becomes like it's spirit; for this is the difference between bliss and damnation. In bliss, the soul passes completely into the spirit, and the spirit is then the actual being; in damnation, however, the soul wants to cast out the spirit and accept another, namely that of Satan. In this case it becomes the most dissimilar to the spirit, therefore the spirit in it is the completely opposite polarity. As such, he then exerts that counterforce which continually repels Satan with the utmost force; the closer a soul comes to the essence of Satan, the more violent is the reaction of the spirit in it against the Satanic spirit. This reaction, however, is the most painful sensation for the soul, and hence the suffering and torment of hell, just as this same reaction manifests itself as the unquenchable fire in appearance. And this is also the worm in the soul, which does not die, and whose fire does not go out; and it is then one and the same fire, which gives birth to the highest bliss in the angel, and to the highest unhappiness in the devil.
13. From this memorable account you can already get a pretty good idea of the nature of hell and of Satan's ways of acting; but that is not the only way by which Satan tries to capture some soul for himself through his henchmen, who mostly consist of such wicked souls.
14. If such souls, as temporary satanic henchmen, are of a somewhat better kind, they are not prevented from often taking possession of the flesh of innocent people, even the flesh of children. However, with such people the soul is protected in the most careful way, and the heart is kept safe from whispers.
15. If such a somewhat less vicious temporary emigrant from hell wishes to do well, he may be granted the grace and mercy that such an innocent man continually enjoys; but if he behaves improperly and does all kinds of mischief with the flesh he possesses, he is either soon expelled or otherwise put to rest in it.
16. Sometimes several spirits can take possession of one flesh, but they must first voluntarily indicate that they are only seeking their healing in it, and it is then granted to them as they wish, and that because such spirits do not follow the advice of the angels to rather turn to the Lord right away, but usually stubbornly insist, claim and prove that they can only reach the Lord through this way; and so they are allowed to do as they wish, because the angels teach everything in an empirical way.
17. It does not usually happen this way, although sometimes it does, therefore also such admission, which is allowed, however, only once, at the most and very rarely for a second time; then another way comes, namely the way of the judgment, the punishment, the chastisements and the torments. The proud soul endures a lot, but when it becomes a little too strong, it turns back again, at least for a while.
18. But the main evil of the soul, which actually comes from the whispering of Satan, is that when it feels a little better, it reproaches itself, not repenting, but that it has let itself be intimidated by the torment and driven back; if it had endured the torment, it would have become one with the power of Satan, and the glory of the Lord would have ended. Through such delusion, it usually returns to even greater wickedness, and there are indeed those in the lowest hell who do not give up this delusion in the face of a continuous, ever-increasing torment and chastisement, and in a way find in it a triumph to defy the Lord even in the greatest torment. But that does not matter; a time will come when they will be driven to comply. But their stubbornness is so great that not even the full measure of the fire of wrath can bring them to repentance, these will also have to put up with it one day, to make the journey of eternal perdition known to you with their center with the removal of their spirit, which really will not be a great harm; because I can raise much better children for Abraham even from stones.
19. But you must not be too frightened at all about being possessed; for almost every man has such guests in himself, i.e. in his flesh. Why and how this happens, we will see in the next chapter.