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Exorcism

An exorcism is an act of religious ceremony which expels a spirit which may have taken up residence in a house or human being. The ceremony normally consists of a priest or clergyman, who is often specially trained, and who will say prayers and repeat loud exhortations, often burning candles and sprinkling holy water whilst incense is burnt. This ritual is a modern version of the old Christian rite of excommunication, which was known as the rite of 'Bell, Book, and Candle', where sinners were eliminated from further entering the faith by a priest who would ring a small bell and slam the Holly Bible shut, often after reading the Malediction, and extinguish the burning candles.

Modern mediums also claim to be able to perform such an act, normally without the trappings, by psychically contacting the spirit which may be causing the trouble and convincing it to move on the next spiritual plane of existence. Many mediums believe that ghosts are spirits who have not come to terms with their passing, which may often have been untimely and tragic, or that in some way they are being held back from progression on a spiritual level by someone or more often than not, something in this world.

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