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RITO DEGLI ESORCISMI
The Rite of Exorcism
By Paula Catherine Valencia
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Exorcism, 30" x 30" Lino Cut Prints, Signed and Numbered
Satan exists. The Vatican’s
Congregation of Divine Worship has released a new “Rite of Exorcism,”
De Exorcismus et Supplicationibus Quibusdam (“Concerning Exorcisms
and Certain Supplications”,) approved by Pope John Paul II on October
1, 1998. Ten years in the making, this 90-page document was released
only in Latin, and is the first of its kind since the Roman Ritual promulgated
by Pope Leo XIII, in 1614. In the document, the Church states that the
influence of the demonic can become apparent in people, places, or things,
and that the Church "has prayed, and continues to pray, that men
will be freed from the snares of the Devil."
The
“New Rite” attempts to bring the Church up to date with modern
science and is required to be followed verbatim and with ultimate discretion.
The Church cautions that exorcists, who must be appointed by a diocesan
bishop, must not mistake psychological disturbances with diabolic possession,
and expresses strict rules against performing group healing rituals.
Essay
Introducing
Exorcism: De Exorcismus et Supplicationibus
Quibusdam
The Art of Daniel Martin Diaz
By John David Long-García, M.A.
Individuals
in contemporary society are more likely to believe in extraterrestrial
life forms than they are to believe in ghosts. What are ghosts? What
are spirits? Illusions, aren’t they?
Some time ago, though, ghosts were real. People use to believe in spirits
and the supernatural. But with the advent of science and psychology,
away went the ghosts and the spirits, and we discovered we had been
fooling ourselves all along.
But were we? Was it all an illusion? How does contemporary society come
to take spirits seriously again? Another question is: If demons were
real, would they want people to believe they existed? How does one exorcise
a demon without believing in it?
Daniel Martin Diaz recognizes this lack of belief in the supernatural.
He utilizes a medium from a time that believed in things that cannot
be seen. His subject is exorcism, and his method and means are block
cuts reminiscent of 16th century Europe. In the so-called primitive
religious traditions, a belief in the supernatural explained phenomena
that was beyond human comprehension. Think of the god of wind or the
sun gods of times past. The advancement of science makes such phenomena
as the wind and the rising of the sun understandable, and consequently,
beliefs in supernatural forces that cause nature no longer exist.
The same can be said of exorcism and demons. Science, particularly psychology,
might explain what used to be understood as demonic possession, as a
psychological disorder. Demons no longer exist; only neuroses remain.
Exorcism in the Catholic Church
Among the groups that still believe in the supernatural, the Catholic
Church is perhaps the most well known. In stories or movies about exorcism,
one will find a Catholic priest as the protagonist who duels the demons.
The Catholic Church believes exorcism is:
When the Church asks publicly and authoritatively in the name of Jesus
Christ that a person or object be protected against the power of the
Evil One and withdrawn from his dominion. The Church believes Jesus
Christ entrusted this endowment of power during his life to his Church.
It should also be noted that the discussion of exorcism takes place
under the subject of the sacramentals, which prepare a human being to
receive grace and dispose the human being to cooperate with it. What
is important here is that the Church does not believe that the power
to exorcise demons comes from the exorcist himself, but instead from
God. It should also be noted that the Church acknowledges the validity
of the modern sciences. That is, the Church believes in both psychological
disorders and in possessions, but believes these are different things.
Jonathan
LeVine Gallery - New York
Exorcism is directed at the expulsion of demons or the liberation from
demonic possession through the spiritual authority, which Jesus entrusted
to his Church. Illness, especially psychological illness, is a very
different matter; treating this is the concern of medical science. Therefore,
before an exorcism is performed, it is important to ascertain that one
is dealing with the presence of the Evil One, and not an illness.
This brief discussion of exorcism is a marked contrast with a society
that may believe human beings to be the greatest power in the universe.
We are masters of our own destiny. The counter argument is that we are
not the most powerful or intelligent creatures in the universe. There
are stronger powers that we are often unaware of that influence our
lives. We are spiritual creatures with spiritual energies and are in
relationship with things that we cannot see.
Diaz’s art is an exploration of this second possibility, the possibility
of a spiritual reality. Do the signs, symbols, and art of times past
hold a wisdom that resonates with the present human condition?
Exorcism: De Exorcismus et Supplicationibus Quibusdam
What strikes the viewer about Exorcism: De Exorcismus et Supplicationibus
Quibusdam is that the art is from a different time. The language used,
Latin, is no longer in use and provides the work the element of historicality.
This element is implied without the words being understood. In one sense,
the Latin directs the viewers’ attention more to the non-word graphics.
The Latin also places the work in a time that believed in the supernatural.
We can also note that in the tree carvings, the text progressed from
the right of the picture (carving I), to surround the picture (carving
II), to the left of the picture (carving III). The text itself is taken
from the rite of exorcism, so perhaps the relative movement of the text
signals the prominence of exorcism in the carving. Assuming a left to
right reading, the first carving with the writing to the right of the
graphic, foreshadows the coming exorcism in the future. The second graphic
surrounded by the text signals that the exorcism is presently taking
place. Finally, in the last carving, the exorcism has already happened.
It’s as though the woman in the carvings passes through the rite
of exorcism itself. The text itself is a call for a higher power to
intervene and assist a lesser creature, the human being, with a powerful
demon.
In Triginta Uno Dies, the book of graphite drawings summoned during
a 31-day meditation, Diaz brings traditional elements of religious artwork
into the present. Conversely, in Exorcism, it is Diaz who travels into
the past, and takes his audience with him.
Image I
The first image is of a young woman, who is the protagonist and will
appear in all three carvings, melding in the dark arts. Here the audience
travels with this young woman as she experiments with black magic and
is possessed by a demon, has the demon exorcised, and finally, reflects
and finds peace after being liberated.
At first, it seems the creatures are approaching the woman from behind
to attack her. One can extrapolate that the creatures are in fact of
a supernatural character after noticing the stars above them. This will
also signal a demonic presence in the second carving.
The belief in things less material, and therefore more spiritual, can
be traced back to Platonic cosmology. This cosmology influences the
neo-platonic understanding of the universe; matter being the heaviest
and furthest from the divine. Stars, then, were far from material and
were instead “heavenly bodies.”
Spiritual energy is also present in the winged creatures in this depiction.
In angelic mythology, angels are winged and less material, and therefore
closer to God. The cherubim are closer to God than other angels and
are depicted as having only a head and no body — less matter.
Toward the center of the piece we find fire. Fire is one of the traditional
four elements (the other three being earth, air, and water). What is
significant about fire in this first work isn’t only that fire
is less material than earth, but also that fire transforms matter into
“spirit.” When fire burns a substance, part of it goes up
into the heavens, while the rest of it is left on earth. The “spirit”
of the matter is released through the fire.
In some sense, the opposite of fire is water. Both of these elements
have an interesting quality of giving life and death. The warmth of
fire can be compared to the warmth in living things. Yet fire can also
be destructive. Which properties of fire are being brought out in this
first carving? Life or death?
Death is present in this first carving, in the skull the woman is holding.
Also of note is the demonic possession, which is taking place, demonstrated
by the reflection of a creature in the mirror the woman holds.
Only one cross is present in this first drawing, and that is on the
forehead of the woman. What might this mean? Is she a Christian? If
she is, then she has been baptized, and an exorcism of sorts has already
been pronounced over her. However, being baptized does not make one
immune to possession.
Image II
As we mentioned in the last section, we notice here the presence of
stars signaling the presence of the supernatural. Immediately above
our subjects head flies a dragon of sorts, presumably another manifestation
of the possession.
The demon, which possessed the woman, is leaving her through her mouth,
being received by an angelic, Christ-like figure, crowned and haloed.
The portrayal makes it seem as though the angelic figure is welcoming
the demon, extending his hand to it. In some ways it seems as though
the demon is also being freed.
The skull is still present in this carving, though the woman no longer
grasps it, perhaps signifying the liberation from the demon and the
liberation from death.
There are two additional human beings in this carving, one who is the
exorcist and the other who seems to be a religious woman dressed in
her habit. The hairstyle of the exorcist, presumably a friar, is another
historical element. On the religious woman’s forehead one sees
“MM,” possibly in reference to Mary Magdalene or Mother Mary.
On both of their shoulders we find a cross, a symbol that is more predominant
in this carving, both in the depiction itself and in the text.
In the text we find the number 13, a symbol that Diaz’s utilizes
frequently for the diverse meaning ascribed to that number. Because
it is found here, one notices its absence in the first carving.
The implication of the hourglass may be more the passage of time. The
hourglass may be telling the viewer that during the exorcism, there
is a cleansing that is taking place. Purification often is understood
as happening through suffering.
Also of note in the second carving is the possessed woman’s face.
Different from her expressionless face in the first and third carving,
this face expresses illness. Examining all human faces in the carvings,
one discovers that this particular face is unique in being expressive.
The others are sullen, leaving the viewer to project what the character
is feeling.
Image III
In the final carving, one recognizes the woman by the cross on her forehead,
again alone, now writing something into a book. She seems older in this
depiction, now wearing something more on her head. She is sitting, rather
than standing, and this gives the feeling of more tranquility. We find
“13” again in the words she is writing.
In this carving for the first time we find words within the frame of
the graphic. Above the woman’s head we read “Sanctus Deus
Mors,” (Holy God Death), which may have many meanings. Perhaps
this signals us to the death of the first carving that she is reflecting
about in her writing. We also find “Pax,” (Peace) in the sky.
Above “Pax” there is a radiant, sun-like cross, which replaces
the stars that signaled evil spirits in the other two depictions. Opposite
the radiant cross, we find a dove with an olive branch; a sign of life
that can be traced back to the Noah’s Arc story.
Life can also be seen in the plant with a human head and the mysterious
“13” on its forehead. This plant signals death and then rebirth;
what the woman experienced through the three carvings. She sits now
in peace, with the knowledge of evil testified to by the all-seeing
eye on her chair. The triangles we find on the chair have implications
of the Holy Trinity.
The woman is surrounded by more Christian symbols in this third carving.
We have mentioned the cross and the dove, but the church building in
the background is also of note.
Another tree appears in this depiction, which we can contrast with the
tree in the first carving. The tree in the first carving can now be
recognized as the tree of death. The tree in this final carving is the
tree of life. The implication, together with the church, is that a religious
life can be life giving and full of peace. Human beings alone cannot
fight the powers that exist in the universe, but instead human beings
must rely on the intervention of powers greater than themselves.
 13 13
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