It was hard to believe. I felt instantly compelled to comment on the change. "Joan! You look amazing! What happened to you?" She smiled proudly and said, "After our last session I went home and began getting ready for bed. As I went into the bathroom and looked into the mirror, I realized that... I love myself. I had never experienced this feeling before. I have always felt dissatisfied and self critical, but all of a sudden that was gone. It was as if I could see myself clearly in the mirror for the first time in my life and the person I saw was beautiful."

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She was right. It wasn't just the hairstyle and makeup but she was radiating an inner beauty now, a beauty that had been somehow previously concealed. As she sat in front of me recounting this miraculous story, she held in her hands a picture frame, it's plain black back facing me. Out of curiosity, I asked her what she had there. She replied, "I was so thankful for what you have done for me, I wanted to do something for you." She carefully turned the frame in my direction revealing a beautifully matted artist's rendition of a lighthouse in a raging storm with what looked like the hands of God majestically appearing from the mist on either side of the structure. Below the picture were the words:

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To those of us on both sides of the veil who have been lost and wandering in the darkness, you are the lighthouse, strong and steady leading us back to safe harbor.

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I was very touched that she had gone to so much effort to thank me and I really was in awe of this special gift. Joan wasn't the first person to express thanks for the personal transformation they had seen as a result of my efforts, but no one had ever given me anything so touching... so profound. It caused me to again wonder how I ended up here doing a spiritual work that seemed so effective in helping others overcome personal problems and weaknesses. You see I come from a business background. I'm not a licensed counselor. I'm not a psychologist. I'm not a pastor or priest. I have had no special training and yet I continued to wonder why I had come to be, in a sense, "the lighthouse" that was leading many back to safe harbor.

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How had I stumbled upon the main cause of emotional and behavioral problems? Who was I after all? While I knew I wasn't the first to discover this, it was clear that this knowledge had been gradually lost over time. One thing was for sure, I didn't know anyone else that was doing what I did. There was definitely something unique about my experience.

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As I deeply studied the beautiful keepsake, Joan told me that while she felt a desire to create the picture for me, she knew that there was much more to it. She really sensed that she was being spiritually prompted toward this wonderful gesture. She felt that something angelic wished to express great gratitude and encouragement. A warmth fell upon me and a smile uncontrollably grew upon my face as she shared this belief. While truly happy and satisfied at her words, they didn't come as a surprise. One concept that continued to surface throughout my experiences, was that of the existence and assistance of angelic beings. Time and time again the presence of loved ones who had passed and returned to guide and support their children, friends and posterity, continued to resurface.

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Later that evening as I continued to admire Joan's thoughtful gift and its stunning presentation, I realized something. If the lighthouse was a representation of myself, and the arms of God represented His protection, His love, and the angelic assistance that He sends; what of the angry storm raging about? Certainly it represented the troubles that we face in life; the worries, fears, frustrations and the personal problems with which we all cope. But I had learned that it carried deeper symbolism, one that was more organized, one that was more sinister.

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In my previous book, The Happiness Principle I tell the story of how I came to do the spiritual work that I do today. By way of a series of remarkable supernatural events I was encouraged to begin giving spiritual blessings to others. As I answered this call, over time I discovered that those whom I blessed often found the most relief from behavioral and emotional problems as a result of the process. Of equal interest were the experiences that some reported during the blessings. Some claimed they saw angels. Others told stories of deceased loved ones visiting them and sharing messages of love and guidance. While others had amazing visuals and visions that carried with them great hope and comfort. Finally, on multiple occasions some reported that they saw or even conversed with Jesus. Most described it as one of the most hopeful and peace inspiring experiences of their lives.

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And yet all of these blessings had not been peaceful, angelic experiences. As I once again refocused my attention upon those raging waters, my mind drifted to two specific blessings that I had given in the past. Blessings that I didn't understand at the time. Blessings that would begin to open the understanding of my mind, concerning the real cause of emotional and behavioral problems and all of the destruction that stems from them in our world. While the great majority of my blessings are peaceful and hope-filled, there were a handful that didn't fit that mold.

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On one of these occasions I was blessing a man that had been wrestling with excessive, sometimes uncontrollable anger. Quite often during these blessings the person being blessed will slip into a very relaxed state much like a light sleep. I believe this helps them become more peaceful and open to the positive changes that the process is attempting to establish. This man had obviously slipped into this twilight state, and the blessing progressed without a hitch.

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Again, prior to each blessing, I run my hand over the countenance, searching for spots or inconsistencies that are in need of help. Sometimes if I find an area within the countenance that presents great resistance, I will hold my hand above the area during the blessing rather than making contact with the person.

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When I reached a spot over this man’s left arm, I felt an enormous inconsistency, so I stopped there and began the blessing. Almost immediately, I felt what I can only describe as the emotion of “objection” flow into my body. It felt like something, unrelated to this man, was protesting against this work and the spiritual light that it was providing. Next, I felt an energy run up my arm that inspired intense fear within me almost immediately. I quickly pulled my hand away and took a couple of steps back.

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I kept my distance for a minute or so, trying to process what I had just experienced. Eventually, I mustered enough courage to begin focusing on the area anew, as I did threatening fear hit me again. This time I stood my ground, attempting to gain greater insight into what I had just encountered. As I did, an extraordinary thing happened. His arm moved very slowly, about eight or nine inches to the left from where it had been resting on his stomach. In fact, his arm had the same characteristic movement as if someone had gently picked it up at the wrist, and slowly and methodically moved it away.

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At first I thought it was a coincidence, but when I repositioned my hand over the arm, it moved back to his stomach. I chased the arm and the spot of interest for a few minutes, as it seemed to continue to attempt to evade the focus of my blessing. That is until, without warning his arm flew up off his body, violently striking my hand and knocking it away.

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The man had his eyes closed and his head turned away to the right. It seemed that something independent of this person had just attempted to stop the blessing through intimidation, evasion, and even violence. When I ended the blessing and questioned this man, he had no recollection of his arm moving, or of striking me. While I found this whole event unusual, I tried not to jump to too many hasty conclusions.

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Shortly thereafter, I was blessing a woman who was suffering from severe depression and alcoholism. It was her third visit and we were about ten minutes into the session. I was midway down her body, facing her, with my hand over her right hip. She had clearly gone into the relaxed state and both of her hands rested upon her midsection.

 

To my surprise, very slowly her right hand, in the shape of a fist, began to rise into the air just above her sternum, and then her right index finger gradually extended straight upward. Finally, her finger steadily began to waggle back and forth, as if to say, “Uh. Uh. Uh. I’m warning you. You had better knock it off or else.”

 

As I considered these concerning anomalies within my blessings, my mind drifted to another time in my life... a much earlier time. I remember sitting in church as a child and learning of spiritual beings that had never possessed physical bodies of their own. I was told that these spirits, for a variety of reasons, had been sent to interfere with the lives of living humans, and to stop them from spiritually progressing and finding joy.

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I also remember being taught these concepts not as allegory or fable but as fact. I recall that while I was at church I accepted it as fact, but the rest of the week, I didn’t give it much thought. I also realized that, having been influenced by this more “enlightened” technological age, I had drifted more and more to a position of doubt when it came to such preternatural beliefs, at least on a subconscious level.

I began to consider the possibility that the above mentioned experiences might just be as a result of such evil spirits. After all, in these particular instances, something appeared to be attempting to stop my blessings through intimidation and threats of violence. If this was the case, then there was something about the blessings that threatened them and their presence. From this point it was basic math in figuring out that their presence must be contributing to the emotional and behavioral issues from which those that I blessed suffered.

 

Once I had identified this likely spiritual motivator in the cause and effect of these issues, I decided to add to my blessings a new tool in the quest to overcome them.

 

I began using a clinical approach, inducing progressive relaxation, after which I would ask questions designed to explore for the existence of these menacing spirits. Eventually this approach came to be known as the "ESAT Process". When I began using this technique, I had some interesting experiences early on but one particular session stands out.

 

One day a very nice lady named Linda came into my office asking if I could help her with a number of issues, the most predominant of which was overwhelming fear and worry. Linda was in her late sixties and was a wonderful woman, who was seemingly loved by all. I had given her blessings and her issues had improved but her core feelings of fear still remained, so I decided to try the ESAT process in the hope that it would reveal a deeper issue. As I proceeded with the ESAT induction and as Linda seemingly moved into a more peaceful and relaxed state, I began asking questions in an attempt to discover the real source of her fears. As I did, words began to fall from her lips, words that seemed not to be her own. As a result, we discovered a spiritual influence with Linda that claimed responsibility for her greatest fears. Rather than write this part of the experience in more complicated story form, I have included a portion of the transcript from her session:

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RANDY: Why are you here?

 

SPIRIT: To make life miserable.

 

RANDY: Have you ever been alive in your own human body?

 

SPIRIT: No…. It would be nice.

 

RANDY: Why are you here, what’s your purpose?

 

SPIRIT: To trip people up.

 

RANDY: To trip Linda up?

 

SPIRIT: Yep.

 

RANDY: That’s the only reason you’re here?

 

SPIRIT: For now.

 

RANDY: How do you trip her up, in what way?

 

SPIRIT: I put thoughts in her mind.

 

RANDY: What kind of thoughts?

 

SPIRIT: Wicked thoughts!

 

RANDY: So all you do is trip her up, is that it?

 

SPIRIT: Yeah, and to make her worry and to make her afraid.

 

RANDY: To what end? What’s to be accomplished by tripping her up; by making her worry?

 

SPIRIT: She’ll come live with us.

 

RANDY: You’re trying to bring her down to where you are, is that correct?

 

SPIRIT: Yeah…

 

RANDY: Who sent you? Who do you work for?

 

SPIRIT: The big guy is… Satan.

 

RANDY: Satan?

 

SPIRIT: He’s got lots and lots under him, who I report to.

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As I considered this session and what I had just encountered, I realized that this spirit and the character traits that it portrayed seemed to fit the profile of the dark beings that I was taught about in my childhood. This spirit claimed to have never had a body or existed in the physical world like the living. The spirit strongly professed a desire to harm Linda and it claimed to have been sent by some kind of organized or controlling authority, and that it answered to more powerful spirits of its kind. It claimed that the leader of this group is someone we have all heard of, who goes by the name of Satan.

 

Additionally, it seemed to express envy concerning the fact that it did not have a human body like Linda. I also thought it chilling when it mused about the possibility of Linda coming to live with it and its kind, seemingly akin to wanting to drag her into some sort of hell.

 

It was interesting how the profile that was emerging of these dark spirits seemed to closely coincide with the things I had been taught on the subject as a child. I soon realized that my childhood experience was not unique. It turns out that in decades and centuries past, people were very aware of the reality of negative spiritual influence within their lives.

 

I discovered that our language is still peppered with the remnants of those eras. You may recognize some of these sayings as they are still in use today:

 

He’s not himself today.

Something’s gotten into him, or what’s gotten into him?

He’s beside himself.

He’s fighting his demons.

He’s full of the Devil.

He has a bad spirit about him.

 

These clichés or sayings seem to speak of a time when society was very keenly aware of, and actively fighting negative spiritual advances.

 

In fact, as I did a little more research I found that the definition of certain words has been completely changed over time. For instance, consider the word obsession and how it’s meaning has been altered over the past 200 years:

 

The following is the current definition of obsession from Merriam-Webster’s online dictionary:

 

a persistent disturbing preoccupation with an often unreasonable idea or feeling; broadly : compelling motivation

 

And here is the definition as it appeared in Webster’s 1828 edition:

 

The act of besieging; the first attack of Satan antecedent [prior] to possession.

 

And in Webster’s 1913 dictionary this entry is found:

 

The state of being besieged; -- used specifically of a person beset by a spirit from without.

 

As you can see, it seems negative spiritual influence was common knowledge and it appears that over time, there has been a slow methodical move to conceal the existence of such an influence. I found that the concept with which I was dealing was well known and widely understood years ago and they called it spirit obsession. In fact they believed that chronic obsessive and compulsive behaviors were a common sign that a person was being heavily influenced by negative spiritual forces, hence the term spirit obsession.

 

I learned that spirit obsession should not be confused with spirit possession, as possession is a much more extreme condition. Although after becoming a believer in this concept, I had to wonder if some of those in our society that are institutionalized as a result of severe mental illness might not be suffering from possession.

 

I decided to change the terminology within the structure of our work and rename this condition formerly known as spirit obsession. Since the word obsession had taken on a different meaning in these more modern and enlightened times, I thought it only appropriate to give this concept a new, more accurate label. Eventually we began calling the condition spirit oppression because we found that these spirits covertly exercise unjust and cruel authority and control over those that they oppress. They can literally weigh an individual down in body and mind.

 

At this point, one key principle was beginning to materialize. It seemed that gaining a greater understanding of these evil beings and how they operated in our lives was critical to not only indentifying their presence, but in overcoming it.

 

After the experience with Linda, more and more of these entities began to come forward during future sessions. In most of these cases the individuals didn't know one another, nor did they have any occasion to communicate. This was remarkable because time and time again, I continued to get the same general character information concerning these non-human spirits from a variety of people and their ESAT sessions.

 

These oppressing spirits shared the same general characteristic profile in the following areas:

 

- They all claimed to have never lived as humans or had bodies.

 

- Most claimed to have been specifically sent to the individual that they were oppressing.

 

- As a result, they claim to be organized, to be part of a network of other dark spirits, and to answer to spirits more powerful than themselves.

 

- Most claimed to have a calling or assignment with the person which they were oppressing. This mission was given by those in authority above them, and was always of a destructive nature. (For instance, one of these spirits might be sent to specifically work negative emotions within the living host such as guilt, fear, worry, etc.)

 

As more of these spirits emerged, other key traits surfaced as well. They all seemed to have differing temperaments and personalities. Many are foul-mouthed and ill-tempered, while others possess a sharp and clever sense of humor. Some are sadistically indifferent and others seem like they are just going through the motions and in a sense “doing their time”. Whether they have always possessed these character traits, or have picked them up from their living hosts over millennia of moving from one person to another is unknown. These beings seem to have no conceptualization or appreciation of positive human emotions such as love, compassion, kindness and patience, to name a few.

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A Dark Calling

 

As I have interviewed hundreds of non-human spirits during ESAT sessions over the years, I have found that most, if not all, share four general overriding objectives. When asked why they are oppressing a person, they usually indicate that they are attempting to achieve one or more of the following goals:

 

1) To Stop the Person: Quite often these dark entities are aware that the person to which they have been assigned has a positive spiritual calling laid out ahead of them. When I ask them what they are trying to do, it’s not unusual to hear them respond, “To stop her from helping people”. Most will tell me that they are aware that the person has been sent to do something spiritually significant, which will help others; although they almost never know all of the specifics of their spiritual path. Hence they will try to block the living person from finding that path by many differing deceptive means.

 

2) To Destroy the Person: Most of these spirits will express the desire to eventually contribute to the demise or death of the individual. This is usually accompanied by expressions of extreme disrespect or even hatred.

 

3) To Destroy the Person's Family: A statement that I hear these spirits make again and again is, “I want to destroy this family”. The destruction of the family appears to be a paramount goal among dark spirits. Clearly a strong family unit is one of the greatest threats to these brokers of misery for many reasons. If the family unit is spiritually in-tune and cohesive, then it makes the job of the non-human much more difficult, if not near impossible. When the family is spiritually disconnected and divided, the members can be used as “weapons of mass destruction” against one another, so the family then becomes an invaluable tool in the work of darkness.

 

4) To Steal the Person's Spiritual Gifts: We have all been given gifts, some physical and some spiritual. Perhaps you have a smile and charisma that naturally draws people to you, or maybe you possess the power of persuasion. These are just a couple of examples of gifts that have been given freely by our Creator. They have been placed in our care to be used in a positive and responsible fashion, to help advance the well being of those around us. These negative spirits crave and covet these qualities because they are aware of their great power.

 

If over time they can motivate (again, for example) a charismatic or persuasive person to lead others off of their best life's path with these gifts, they will have successfully hijacked them. They will then be used over and over again to accomplish poisonous purposes against the living.

 

In addition to these general objectives, as mentioned earlier, they arrive carrying certain specific callings or assignments. Usually the more destructive the spirit’s calling or talent, the greater the position or authority the spirit has over his fellow non-humans and the living host. The following are just some of their many assignments and accompanying malicious talents:

 

Laziness

Distraction

Stress

Worry

Guilt

Selfishness

Jealousy

Envy

Greed

Addiction

Control of Others

Sexual (Destructive Motivations)

Fear

Anger

Rage

Abuse

Suicide

Murder

 

While all of these spirits have key callings, most can and do perform multiple duties when they oppress a living person. For example, one spirit may be working mainly in fear, while helping to occasionally promote a destructive emotion like guilt .

 

I was incredibly shocked when these spirits began to tell me how they had been trained in their ruinous duties, by negative spirits more knowledgeable and influential than themselves. Visions of some kind of “dark spirit university” filled my head, as they talked of being trained in the manipulation of energies, and how to operate within the human mental and emotional system. Often I have found non-human spirits that have no calling, but are just “observing” or being trained for future use.

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The Next Step: Emotional Oppression

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In the next section titled, "Emotional Oppression" we focus on one of the favorite approaches used by dark spirits against the living; the sadistic manipulation of destructive emotions to bind up and control their victims. Please click here to continue, or click on the link below to return to the "Spirit Oppression 101" index.

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