exorcizing
Casting out spirits
Exorcizing is driving out evil spirits or demons through ritual, prayer, or command.
The practice appears across religions and cultures, typically performed by priests or spiritual authorities: The priest spent hours exorcizing the possessed woman.
Figuratively, to exorcize something is to rid yourself of it completely: She wrote the memoir to exorcize her childhood traumas.
Remove dirt or sin
- purgeEliminate unwanted elements
- purifyRemove unwanted substances
- sanctifyMake officially holy
- cast outForcibly remove or expel
drive out · expel · banish · dispel · rid · remove · clear · release
Rescue from bondage
- salvationDeliverance from harm
- redemptionRecovery or moral restoration
- absolutionFormal clearing of guilt
- sanctificationMaking someone or something sacred
holiness · faith · grace · divine intervention · piety · devotion · sacredness · blessing
Face squarely, address directly
- overcomePrevail against difficulty
- releaseTo let go
- let goCease holding something
- healRestore to wellness
resolve · trauma · past · guilt · fear · demons · baggage · ghosts
Spoken magical formula
- priestOne who performs sacraments
- holy waterSacramental liquid for blessings
- crucifixCross with Christ figure
- prayerAddress to deity
invocation · blessing · anointing · conjuration · liturgy · sacrament · vestments · altar
Malevolent supernatural being
- devilEvil supernatural entity
- possessionState of owning
- evil spiritMalevolent supernatural being
- SatanJudeo-Christian arch-enemy of God
Beelzebub · poltergeist · apparition · specter · phantom · haunted · paranormal · supernatural
cleanse
Remove dirt or sin
cast out · drive out · expel · banish · dispel · rid · remove · clear · release · liberate
deliverance
Rescue from bondage
- salvationDeliverance from harm
- redemptionRecovery or moral restoration
- absolutionFormal clearing of guilt
sanctification · holiness · faith · grace · divine intervention · piety · devotion · sacredness · blessing · liberation
confront
Face squarely, address directly
heal · resolve · trauma · past · guilt · fear · demons · baggage · ghosts · haunting
incantation
Spoken magical formula
- priestOne who performs sacraments
- holy waterSacramental liquid for blessings
- crucifixCross with Christ figure
prayer · invocation · blessing · anointing · conjuration · liturgy · sacrament · vestments · altar · censer
demon
Malevolent supernatural being
- devilEvil supernatural entity
- possessionState of owning
- evil spiritMalevolent supernatural being
Satan · Beelzebub · poltergeist · apparition · specter · phantom · haunted · paranormal · supernatural · malevolent
exorcizingsummoning
Calling forth deliberately
invoking · conjuring · channeling · calling forth · evoking
exorcizingpossessing
Having as property
cursing · defiling · corrupting · hexing · bewitching
exorcizingpossessing
Having as property
inhabiting · infesting · indwelling · entering · occupying
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