The dynamics of exorcism and prayer
It is important to remember that all physical interactions between spiritual entities and earthly persons or objects requires a source of EARTHLY energy. It is also important to understand that only positive spiritual entities can deal directly with negative spiritual entities. In other words, it is not possible for a living person, no matter who they are, to coerce or affect the behavior of an evil spirit without the intervention of a good spirit powerful enough to do battle with it.
Therefore, in order to expel a demon or even a malignant human spirit from an earthly environment (or from the body of a possessed person), an exorcist must first summon one or more good spirits AND then provide the earthly spiritual energy necessary for the good spirit to compel the evil spirit to leave.
This same dynamic operates in ALL interactions of a living person and ANY spiritual entity. Any person wishing for an earthly intervention by God, an angel, a saint, their long dead great grandmother or even a demon or the devil must therefore provide the emotional/spiritual energy to allow that intervention.
The power of any prayer or ritual resides NOT in the words of that prayer or ritual, but in the intention, sincerity and the emotional power behind it. The sincerity of the prayer “aims” the request for help toward the spiritual entities that the living person wants to contact. The emotional intensity of the prayer or ritual provides the ammunition that the spiritual entity needs to actually enter the earthly sphere and fight the battle.
Thus, the power behind an exorcism ritual lies in the ability of the exorcist and his or her team to direct enough spiritual/emotional energy (ammunition) towards their spiritual allies to procure a decisive victory over the enemy.
The spiritual laws are universal. The same principles operate when a Satanic practitioner or a voodoo priest casts an evil spell or curse. The “magic words” of the curse mean little. The ability to summon and empower a demonic entity lies in the witch’s sincere intent.
There are two types of exorcism; major and minor.
Minor exorcisms
Minor exorcisms (called “supplicating” exorcisms in the Catholic Church) take the form of a blessing. According to the Catholic church, a minor exorcism can be carried out by virtually anyone, including lay persons not directly involved with the church. A minor exorcism can be done by any priest without the permission of his or her bishop. The most common church-sanctioned minor exorcism is the Christian rite of baptism which is meant to cleanse the soul of any “original” sin which might invite evil later in life. Another common form of minor exorcism is the Sacrament of Penance which is the method by which individual men and women may confess sins committed after baptism and have them absolved by a priest.
A third type of minor exorcism is a blessing intended to clear an infested house of ghosts or demons. The church has specialized prayers short of exorcism designed to rid a property of demonic presences. One in particular is the Exorcism Prayer of Pope Leo XIII, which includes a Prayer to Saint Michael, the Archangel. This and other prayers are often carried out by non-specialist clergy, who sprinkle holy water in each corner of every room in the house and recite ritualized prayers. Outside of the Catholic Church, minor exorcisms may be performed by shamans, white witches or knowledgeable psychics, who say prayers while burning sage (smudging) and pouring kosher salt in strategic locations around the house. These are referred to as binding rituals. While binding rituals can be executed by lay persons, it is imperative that whoever carries it out be both pious and very experienced in the rituals. Anyone with a cavalier attitude who attempts a binding ritual in a truly demon infested dwelling may find themselves attacked by the entity.
A fourth type of minor exorcism is called a deliverance. Deliverances are less formal forms of exorcism in which a group of people combine their prayers and spiritual mindset to rid a person or a place of infecting spirits. Sometimes an ordained minister leads the group, but this is not always the case as the major ingredient of the deliverance is group prayer. Deliverances are frequently successful, but mostly work to rid victims or places of human entities. In order to make the deliverance fully successful, the host (victim) generally continues to attend religious services or counseling to maintain a proper mindset to inoculate him or her from re-infection. Deliverances are rarely permanently successful against demonic infections, and because they are often carried out by persons with little knowledge of the entities they are trying to expel, they are often unsuccessful or in some cases, harmful.