My grandmother was a very spiritual person, and she definitely believed in evil spirits. When I left home at 14 to go to boarding school, I'll admit I forgot some of the lessons she passed on to me, mainly because in those ivory towers, I was shielded from many of the harsh realities of life. But after a decade of living in my beautiful Utopia, I was sent back off into the real world, armed with an incredible amount of knowledge and my pen as my sword to go fight in the legal arena. Admittedly, in the beginning I enjoyed the brawls, and many of my colleagues probably remember the victory dance that I'd engage in after a blood bath where I'd annihilated my enemy. Those were the days... NOT my glory days, but rather the days when the dark side almost got the best of me.
Giving the gift of life to another brought on a new set of responsibilities, and changed my view about the world. I began to re-think the values I wished to instill upon this newborn warrior-- and I do mean to use the word warrior because the last 15 years I have seen a very sinister side of humanity, which has convinced me that my grandmother, who lived to the ripe old age of 97, indeed had it right-- there are evil spirits in this world. And yet, she managed to cast them out of her life, so I know it can be done, and here is how:
1- Cast out the demons within you. It turns out facing our own demons is far scarier than any outside threats I'd ever encountered. Working through painful issues from the past is never easy, but the only way out of the rabbit hole is by going through it. When you come out on the other end, you will be amazed at your strength-- and the inner peace that you find you will guard dearly.
2- Show gratitude every day. You don't have to necessarily pray the way my grandmother did every day, but you should develop some sort of daily ritual where you give thanks for things we often take for granted like food, shelter, family, friends, and life itself. If you adopt this minimalist attitude, soon everything extra will seem like a bonus.
3- Words of Affirmation. Make sure you affirm yourself every morning as you start your day-- no one else may do this for you, but you won't even crave external validation if you can do this for yourself. Pick 3 short phrases that will trigger happy thoughts in you. Mine are usually these: I am safe; I am smart; I am loved. This becomes like a shield so that no matter what happens during the day, I know that I am physcially safe, capable, and not alone.
4- Find a Secret Weapon. No, I'm not talking about concealing a loaded gun or anything like that-- I mean find something symbolic that will give you strength in a time of need. For example, depending on what I am facing, I may wear a heart necklace that was given to me on my wedding day, or a guardian angel that my dad gave me, or a cross bracelet that my brother gave me-- this way they are with me when facing any challenge. Loved ones are our greatest source of strength, and their gifts often serve as wonderful reminders of that power.
5- Trust Your Inner Voice. When your gut tells you to avoid something, listen to your instincts. Nature has hard-wired us to avoid danger, and when the universe is sending you all sorts of signals that something is wrong, don't ignore those signs. This skill is especially key with what I call shape-changers-- the type that initially present as decent human beings, and then morph over time into something entirely different.
I used to think my grandmother was reading the Bible a little too literally, but now I've come to appreciate her viewpoint a bit more. We are all surrounded by people that have not managed to conquer their own demons, and if left unchecked, their spirits will become corrupt. These negative forces can become like a dark cloud that blocks the sunlight in your own life. Do not let them invade your space, but rather cast these spirits out-- understand that you cannot tame them, however, you can control who gains access to your world. You are your own gatekeeper, so grant access wisely, and allow yourself to bask in the beauty of the sun.
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