s intermediate
instruments of the driving back of the Astral Intelligences to their
own plane of life, which reason, however, is not in place or keeping
in this work intended for general public reading.

The maniacs were restored to their normal condition, and the
traditions say that the Master instructed them regarding the evil
courses which they had been pursuing, and bade them desist from their
nefarious practices which had wrought such evil consequences upon
them.

The church and its preachers, with but few exceptions, have seen fit
to ignore the frequent Biblical allusions to "devils," "demons," etc.;
their position being practically that the writers of the events of
Jesus' ministry (whom they otherwise consider to have been "inspired")
must have been superstitious, credulous people believing in "the
absurd demonology of their times." They ignore the fact that Jesus
Himself repeatedly spoke to these intelligences, bidding them depart
from the people whom they had been obsessing. Does the church wish to
hold that the Master was also an ignorant, credulous peasant, sharing
popular superstitions? It would seem so. We must except the Catholic
Church from this criticism, for its authorities have recognized the
true state of affairs and have warned its followers against indulging
in the dark practices of Necromancy or Invocation of Astral
Intelligences.

Occult science informs its students of the various planes of life,
each of which contains its inhabitants. It teaches that on the Astral
Plane there are disembodied entities which should not be transplanted
to our plane. And it warns all against the dark practices, so common
in ancient times and in the Middle Ages, of invoking and evoking these
undesirable denizens of that plane. It is to be regretted that some of
the modern Psychic Researchers ignore these plain warnings, for some
of them are laying themselves open to grave consequences by reason of
their wilful folly. We urge upon our readers to refrain from this
dabbling in the phenomena of the Astral Plane. Some writer has well
compared "Psychism" to a great machine, in the cog-wheels of which
persons may become entangled only to be afterward drawn into the
machine itself. Keep away from the wheels!

This "miracle" of Jesus aroused great excitement, and it was urged
against Him that He was going about the country driving devils into
people's flocks and herds, causing their destruction. The priests
fomented the