So you hang a guy in your own backyard, he proceeds to possess your family, and now you 're trying to exorcise him with the very mandrake spawned from his own dripping semen?
Er, isn’t wormwood what goes into absinthe? Yeah, I’d not want to absorb henbane into my system myself, either.
I don’t know from exorcism, but it’s a popular ingredient in love potions.
Absinthe makes the heart grow fonder
Is there a better way?
Yep, and also vermouth. Real distilled absinthe isn’t any more hallucinogenic than any other hard liquor in quantity. It was the cheap stuff with copper shavings added for color that may have made for some interesting long term health effects. Well, that and the rather questionable beginning mental state of those who were into the absinthe scene back in the day. There was/is a rather Reefer Madness like campaign against absinthe, with no good medical data to back it up. It had to do with a wine shortage and the undesirables (artists, prostitutes, etc.) preferring cheap absinthe to expensive wine. It’s been made legal again in nearly every country, with the exception of the US. It’s not illegal to posses or consume here, but it’s illegal to make or to sell for the intent of human consumption. But you can buy it from another country, or from an American selling a sealed bottle for “collection purposes.” wikipedia’s got a pretty balanced, well-cited article about the whole thing.
I haven’t drunk absinthe, only because I’ve never found any, but I make and use wormwood tincture. Great stuff for indigestion. And I’m sane as salamanders! 
Is that necessarily a recommendation?
I think there is a magical potion for that.
My difficulty with your well-intentioned advice is knowing who is an expert.
We have no physical or medical evidence that anyone has ever been possessed.
We have a religious belief that demons can take people over and be driven out.
What training do priests get?
Which spiritual gurus have experience?
Here is another exorcism:
An exorcism required the use of extreme physical pain in order to force the demons to leave AB. The girl testified that the adults slapped, punched and kicked her repeatedly. One pushed a kitchen knife into her chest until it drew blood. She told police, “It’s because my auntie says I have witchcraft. She dances and laughs when she hits me.” AB was beaten with belt buckles and a high-heeled shoe. She was only fed tea and bread. The adults seemed particularly concerned that the girl would practice her evil powers at nighttime. So they woke her up twice and rubbed chili-peppers into her eyes. They forced her into a large plastic bag, allegedly to “throw her away for good” by drowning her in a nearby river. But they changed their mind at the last moment.
http://www.religioustolerance.org/chr_exor5.htm
Here are some of the ‘symptoms’ of ‘possession’:
uncontrolled swearing, extreme physical strength; unexpectedly high IQ; intense negative reaction when Jesus’ name is spoken; multiple personalities; extreme fear in the presence of Christians; violent behavior; life-threatening behavior; exhibiting paranormal abilities, severe depression;
And some of the ‘causes’ of ‘possession’:
extreme cases of sexual immorality; rebelliousness; blasphemy; taking tests for ESP or other paranormal abilities; involvement in astrology; going to fortune tellers; either owning or using “occultic” charms, talismans, written material, music,
http://www.religioustolerance.org/chr_exor3.htm
As a atheist with a high IQ who has run a successful test right here on the Dope for ‘remote viewing’, am I ‘possessed’?
Finally beware of your computer :eek: :
Demons can possess anything with a brain, including a chicken, a human being, or a computer.
“Any PC built after 1985 has the storage capacity to house an evil spirit.”
“…most of the youths involved in school shootings like the tragedy at Columbine were computer buffs…I have no doubt that computer demons exerted an influence on them.”
an estimated “…one in 10 computers in America now houses some type of evil spirit.”
“Technicians can replace the hard drive and reinstall the software, getting rid of the wicked spirit permanently.”
I’m getting half of these just from Autolycus’s posts.
:rolleyes:
The Straight Dope (R)
Fighting Ignorance Until 1573
(We’re all done. Nothing to see here. Move along now.)
From religioustolerance.org, via Glee:
“Any PC built after 1985 has the storage capacity to house an evil spirit.”
Insert obligatory Microsoft Windows joke here.
Bill Gates was right. We should have stopped at 640K.
Do we have a problem? Should we take this to the Pit? I really dont see what I’ve done that has warranted such venom from you, so perhaps you would care to explain?
I don’t read it as a personal attack as much as that your posts seem to take the OP seriously instead of as the most despicable anti-rational travesty of ill-considered nonsense it is.
Over-react much?
<mod>
The reason this is still here is the question asked in the OP:
But it’s veered way into MPSIMS territory. Skippy Twee, it’s all yours.
Moved.
</mod>
Thanks again for the answers about githrife.
After reading Stephen King’s “The Mangler” I am having second thoughts about proceeding with the exorcism, as misdiagnosis and application of an improper remedy seem to have backfired in that case. Although sometimes I think Stephen King makes things up.
As this thread seems to have unintentionally provoked choler, I suggest a soothing herb (Carbenia benedictus, the Blessed Thistle), which according to Culpeper:
helps swimming and giddiness in the head, or the disease called vertigo, because Aries is in the house of Mars. It is an excellent remedy against the yellow jaundice and other infirmities of the gall, because Mars governs choler. It strengthens the attractive faculty in man, and clarifies the blood, because the one is ruled by Mars. The continually drinking the decoction of it, helps red faces, tetters, ring-worms, because Mars causeth them. It helps the plague, sores, boils, and itch, the bitings of mad dogs and venomous beasts, all which infirmities are under Mars; thus you see what it doth by sympathy.
It may be available on Ebay.
I swear by that stuff whenever I get the tetters.
Quite probably. But when did that successful test occur?
The test was successful. The remote viewing was not. It was three years ago.