Ronald Edwin Hunkeler, also known as Roland Doe and Robbie Mannheim, died last year at age 85. In 1949, at age 14, he was subjected to an exorcism that became the basis of the novel The Exorcist. Following this crisis, the boy and man apparently lived a normal, unremarkable life.
The Guardian article is relatively credulous. Except for the excerpts from Father Bowdern’s diary, it presented nothing new to me. The pertinent Wikipedia articles, in contrast, present skepticism as to almost every detail.
Apparently, Hunkeler never told anyone his side of the story.
I know nothing about possession except from what I’ve read. More common than possession by a “demon,” appear to be cases of “attachment” by the spirit of a person who was formerly an incarnate human being. In no case do either of these things occur involuntarily; there has always been, at some point, an invitation by the host to let the discarnate involve itself in her or his life.
Whether there actually are “demons” “out there” hasn’t been something I’ve thought about in years. There appear to exist creatures in the spiritual world that may be called “angels,” who never incarnate; they’re not so built as to be able to incarnate. Just like human beings, they run the gamut from infinitely good to infinitely evil; and I’m not playing when I use the word “inifinitely.”
Just as there are incarnate human beings like Russel B. D. Larsen (pictured) —
— there are these other creatures of the same ilk also. An “attachment” by the discarnate spirit of a human being can be as bad as anything else.
As to whether or not one will ever run into such a being — and, likewise, why I’ve not thought about any of this stuff in many years — Jesus’ words are significant, “Seek and you will find.” An encounter is more likely if one seeks it out. Be forewarned as to what one is seeking: if one seeks trouble, one will find it.
Just as significant is the question of one’s own values, motives and orientation; how one lives one’s life. One is at all times surrounded by beings that resonate to those values. If one chooses, instead of goodwill towards others, to entertain malice; one will surround oneself with like-minded spirits. It’s like going into a bad neighborhood: if you go into a bad neighborhood, bad things are likely to happen.
One can avoid all that merely by seeking virtue.
I have zero confidence in talk of “deliverance” and “spiritual warfare.”
About mediumship
My curiosity got piqued by ads on FaceBook, beginning in late December, for a new web site devoted to the works of the late Al Miner and the persona he purportedly channeled, Lama Sing. The voice recordings of Miner speaking as himself, and also speaking as Lama Sing, are persuasive that bona fide mediumship happened here. That does not mean that this work includes anything I need to learn.
Mediumship is a matter of voluntary, temporary possession — by a cooperative entity.
Thousands of Americans purport to do it. I’m not about to try right now, to discern the real ones from the fakes and the psychotics.
Heck, who knows? I might could do it myself. I was tempted to try.
Should I try it?
Should I, at this stage in my life, study purportedly channeled material?
In all psi phenomena, motivation is everything, and mere curiosity is not good enough. I have my own mission in life, my own skills and wisdom and karma, and no calling to set that aside merely so someone else can speak through me.
At the risk of sounding arrogant, at this stage in my life, I believe I know everything I need to know in order to fulfill my mission. My work is to apply what I know. Which is, you know, work.
Related: It’s not complicated.
In all these cases, the paramount question is, exactly who is speaking? On the one hand, Edgar Cayce said that countless entities surround the earth plane seeking to have a say in its affairs, without regard for their own shortcomings. On the other hand, no one becomes wiser, more knowledgeable, more honest or more loving by the mere fact of being dead.
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