Memoirs of an Exorcist [Hardcover]

David Devereux (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 2007

Level-headed and highly knowledgeable, David Devereux is cofounder of a company specializing in situations that range from cleansing houses and businesses of malign paranormal influences to curse-protection and exorcism. In this compelling and fascinating book, he recalls his extraordinary experiences in the deadpan, matter-of-fact tone of the unphased professional that he is, approaching the most hair-raising of situations with calm, authority, and logic—often accompanied by a cigarette and a whiskey. He tells of work done quietly and discreetly in locations ranging from ordinary suburban homes and provincial offices to the boardrooms of multinational corporations and the mansions of household names; and explains the difference between psychic activity, hauntings by the dead, and other entities. Stories include that of a long-standing client who was the target of magical attacks on a regular basis, and how David dissuaded the attackers; how he successfully cornered a malevolent ghost and pushed him across to the other side; and how he witnessed violent and terrifying poltergeist activity. From the basic principles of exorcism to tales of haunted workplaces and bars—and including a glossary of terms—this is a must for fans of real-life ghost stories.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Writer and professional exorcist David Devereaux was co-founder Athanor Consulting, which specialises in situations that range from cleansing houses/businesses of malign paranormal influences to curse protection and exorcism. This is his first book.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 232 pages
• Publisher: Andre Deutsch (October 1, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0233001824
• ISBN-13: 978-0233001821
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.4 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.5 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,611,858 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Memoirs Of An Exorcist, July 16, 2006

By 

Frances Lynn "Author, Crushed and Frantic" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Memoirs of an Exorcist (Hardcover)

Memoirs Of An Exorcist reads like the day of a life of an exorcist; not surprising, as it's first time author, David Devereux started studying magic when he was a teenager and has been a professional exorcist for twenty years.

He writes in such a humorous and down to earth way about his first hand experiences of exorcising homes, pubs and offices that he comes across as totally convincing.

'Exorcism is an extremely specialised task that calls for a great deal of training, a very particular skill set, a confidence in one's abilities that borders on arrogance and a team of people who work well together under pressure. It's really not something to try if you have any choice in the matter.'

The most interesting thing about Memoirs is how Devereux describes his extraordinary job of an Exorcist as perfectly normal. He candidly describes the hair-raising jobs which Athanor Consulting, a 'ghost busting' company, which he co-founded are hired to do. His clients aren't esoteric weirdoes but are professional people who need their homes cleansed or pubs and businesses cleaned of malign paranormal influences.

Scientists, sceptics and disbelievers in magic of any kind will probably dismiss David's autobiographical account of an exorcist as pure fantasy. But, it doesn't matter if the reader is a cynic or a fervent believe in psychic entities of the malevolent kind. Memoirs Of An Exorcist is a highly entertaining book, whatever way you wish to view it.

David Devereux makes a living from exorcism and in his book, never escapes into fantasy. The matter of fact way he recalls his out of this world experiences is normal to him. To him and his grateful clients, his job is necessary and normal, rather like the role of a plumber. And I should know.

Devereux came to do some 'Spot Cleaning' (chapter seven) in my office when weird things suddenly started to happen to my electronics one Christmas. I'm pretty cynical, and didn't truly believe in stuff like curses or exorcism before he came round to cleanse my room. But, I quickly changed my mind after his extraordinary session, which I can only describe as 'magical'.

'Once a tulpa' (the word comes from Tibetan and means thought-forms), 'has been identified as the cause of a problem, the task is to catch or corner it, and then eliminate it. Since these are artificially created entities, there is nowhere to which they can be returned and so they must be destroyed. This process generally involves draining them of energy to a point where they can no longer hold themselves together and then hitting them with a concentrated blast of energy to effectively blow them apart.'

A fascinating read, especially if the reader like David, believes that 'the universe in which we live is wild and mad and scary,' and know that exorcism is the only solution for 'strange noises in the night and things that move by themselves.'

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Disappointing!, April 11, 2010

By 

Tam Mossman (Undisclosed) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Memoirs of an Exorcist (Hardcover)

The author has wide first-hand experience of driving out unwanted spirits of many types (demons, ghosts, tulpas, elementals). To his credit, he has borrowed from many metaphysical traditions--including Tibetan and shamanism, thus avoiding the circular, insular "the Church tells me so" logic of dyed-in-the-Blood-of-the-Lamb Catholic exorcists. But to my dismay, he provides precious few nuts and bolts of how the unseen world operates.
The best chapter is a "High Noon" exorcism/face-off with a demon unwisely summoned by a newbie at necromancy. Alas, the final chapter--a seemingly non-stop exorcism of a rural pub--reads too much like the zap-by-zap transcript of a video game . . . or like a early draft of "Ghostbusters," minus the humor and deft characterization.
We get the message again and again--"Kids, don't try this at home." But we kids could use less dry Brit humor and generalizations, and more specifics of what happens and how. Any good author can explain the underlying PRINCIPLES of nuclear fission without inspiring the kids to try smashing atoms in the back yard.