I read a book on spirit rescue some time ago that I was VERY disappointed in, as it was extremely biased in its viewpoint, coming across as very Christian and very anti-Wicca/witchcraft/pagan. I posted about my disappointment in this book on the Spirit Rescuers web group, on Ning at that time, and subsequently also on Social Go, and received a reply advising me to try reading "Spirit Release" by Sue Allen.Well, life kept coming along, so I wasn't able to get around to reading it for some time, but I recently got a copy from the TS Bookshop.
Wow.
As my partner - jokingly - said "Hey - now there are two sane people in the world" (meaning, there are two people talking about the sorts of things I do - I'm not the only "crazy" prophet).
I'm still reading the book, and have yet to be sure about whether she is anti-pagan or OK with Wicca, witchcraft and paganism (witchcraft has been mentioned as a possible source of psychic attack, but I consider there can be benefits from combining paganism with spirit rescue - see here), but so much of the rest is the sort of stuff I have been taught, and have used for so long, it is almost scarily :)
There is content about links (which she calls cords), good and "bad" earthbound entities (I call the "bad" ones "uncooperatives", and she calls them "Dark Force Entities"), that situations can occur for a whole range of reasons (and she has a good attitude towards karma). The only concern is whether she is going to be anti-witchcraft/pagan/Wicca ...
Anyway, the book details are:
"Spirit Release", by Sue Allen, pub. o-books, 2007, ISBN 978-1-846940-33-0.
One of the books cited as a reference by Ms Allen is William Baldwin's "Spirit Releasement Therapy: A Technique Manual" (pub. Headline Books, USA, 1991, 2nd Ed. 1992). This cropped up as a reference in another (on line) article I read (and included in this post) with a slightly different citation:
Baldwin, W.J. (1991) "Spirit Releasement Therapy: A Technique Manual". (2nd ed.). Falls Church, VA: The Human Potential Foundation Press.
Update No. 1
Well, sadly, I have to report that Ms Allen is misinformed and somewhat biased in what she writen concerning earth-based religions such as Wicca, witchcraft and other forms of paganism (see here and here).
Her commentary on witchcraft (in her chapter on psychic attack) is SOLELY about the dangers of using spells to control others (e.g. love spells). Now, while I agree with her on that point, it would have been good if she could have at least acknowledged that there are other aspects to witchcraft and other Earth based religions - after all, she managed to mention that Voodoo "is a religion just as Chritianity and Buddhism are religions".
So, Ms Allen, are earth based religions.
At least she continues "as with any other practice using energy and intention, Voodou can be used either positively or negatively".
On a more positive note, the description of clearing links ("cutting cords") is good, although I combine the separate stages described of "cut, then heal at both ends" into one step, by sending light, love and healing from one end of the link out to dissolve the cord totally. (A danger I have heard of elsewhere is of a cut cord latching onto another person/energy; that cannot happen when the whole cord is dissolved throughout it's length.) Ms Allen's description of the effects that cords can cause when attached to particulat chakras is also particularly good.
The chapter on "Intentional Psychic Attack", apart from the problem with earth based religions, is also turning out to be excellent, with topics covered so far including thought forms, past life thought forms, thought forms used in psychic attack, body parts and products, objects, and entities. The coverage of clearing past life energies could benefit from consideration of karmic aspects along the lines that I was taught back in the 80s and have been working with ever since (see here and here), but that is one topic I don't expect a lot of people to know about.
OK, back to the book, and I'll post more as I wend my way through it.
Update No. 2
I have, sadly, found more coments that are anti-witchcraft, and yet the author very clearly has a very strong connection to the Earth and earth energies - even using a blending of earth and "spiritual/heavenly" energies in some chakra meditations that I also use (which is nice validation for me of the guidance I've received). In fact, Ms Allen writes of possessing/obsessing entities (she calls the latter "attachments") that will block the Crown chakra and "below the feet".
I rather suspect that this is simply a case of the author not having had much contact with genuine pagan religions, including witchcraft. She is quite inclusive of same sex attraction - even giving, as an example of the symptoms of obsession/attachment, one gay friend of hers who suddenly found himself having sexual throughts about a woman: she told him to get round there straight away, and found a heterosexual attachment :) Quite a relieving breath of fresh air, after reading the sort of idiotic tripe in other books claiming that a "cure" was possible for homosexuality or being trans (which, of course, has the offensive and WRONG imlication that a "cure" is needed at all!). It is also evident that she hasn't come across Katrina Raphael's chakra system, which talks about the "Earth Star" chakra, which is the reason that entitites may place a block a block "below the feet" (see my previous post here).
On the other hand, the description of succubus and incubus is standard heterosexual fare: There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, Than are dreamt of in your philosophy. (Shakespeare's Hamlet, Act 1, Scene 5).
Aside from that, however, the book is still excellent, and I have learned a couple of things (e.g., that blocks of Crown and Earth Star chakras can be used). A few other random comments:
- I have not come across extraterrestials as obsessing entities, and note that extraterrestials can actualy also be guides (one of my parallels' last life was on another planet, and that part of my soul is now acting as a guide for me [specialising in working with extraterrestial civilisations]; with regard to physical extraterrestials, see my previous post here for some information of the good and bad civilisations which exist);
- Power Animals are mentioned, which is good as it acknowledges shamanism (incidentally, my partner is currently reading a book on rescue which talks about animals becoming earthbound: I haven't come across that myself as far as I can recall, but will watch for it: it would certainly be possible in some of the horrible cases of death through abuse of animals, just as torture and other assaults on humans can lead to them being earthbound by their pain);
- there is good coverage of demons, including the need for the spirit rescuer to be confident and well grounded & protected to reduce vulnerability to attack themselves, although I would comment that there isn't always a contract between "lesser" demons and their masters: sometimes it is just straight out domination or intimidation (see also my posts here, here and here);
- elementals are acknowledged, with their release being "to a place that is appropriate", which is correct because, as the author writes, they are part of their own section of reality, and the Summerlands aren't necessarily a correct part of their reality;
- there is good discussion on how to differentiate between the various types of entity/influence (this could usefully be summarised into a flow chart - I did something similar when I did what was effectively a Quality Assurance/Quality Control manual for a past circle of mine [see here for an example based around communication] on techniques for cooperatives and non-cooperatives [which I will try to scan and add in the next few days], but that could usefully be generalised);
- fragments are talked about, both in the context of soul retrievals and what is, in my words, effectively soul retrieval for earthbound entities (and other attachments) being released;
- (spirit) guides are not always wise, just either wiser than the person being guided, or being helped by people wiser - and their not always in spirit either :) (see the diagram in my post here);
- the section on Vampires could do with a description of the "Black Veil" Code of Ethics, but then again, very few people seem to know of that (see my previous here, which mentions this);
- there is a good chapter on how and why spirits attach themselves to people, although I've found that very drunk or drug affected people have an aura that is blown so wide open that obsessing spirits can leave;
- the chapter on performing rescue is good (although I have just skimmed it at this stage, and will read it properly later), including the need for rescuers to make their own assessment, and the fact that people could genuinely have a mental illness, and using fingers to communicate, which is a little like a Touch For Health (kinesiology) technique that I use;
- there is a good analogy that "closing" or "shutting down a chakra is more a case of desensitising it, which makes sense as the chakras are how our higher frequency bodies sustain us in this physical realm;
- I disagree that salt should not be used to cleanse crystals on the basis that it can cause harm to a crystal - so can sunlight, for that matter: all techniques just basically require suitable care (see my workshop notes - without the figures - here);
- the technique of "visualisation" can also be adapted to use sound or scent;
- I use a "light test" (included in my previous post here) to check some matters such as whether guides are geneuinely "good guys" or "bad guys", and whether what I'm feeling is mine, or the influence of an antity/attack/etc;
- Horus is mentioned in a healing context, which is appropriate, but I generally find Yinepu (usually referred to by the Greek name "Anubis") the best Egyptian deity to work with for rescue;
- the book does come across as having a Christian bias to me, with the sections on Ascended Masters and Archangels: that perception is largely my problem, though, as such concepts are part of Jewish faith, Theosophy, New Age, etc, etc, etc. Still, I am feeling that there may be a need for a pagan-friendly book on spirit rescue (maybe "The WItches Guides to Spirit Rescue: a Manual" :) ), where I wont have the nails scratched down the blackboard response I get when there is lots of waffle about Angels (may their God bless their cotton angelic socks :) ).
I will probably not post any more on this book, but I am starting to think seriously about the pagan book on rescue I mentioned ...
Love, light, hugs and blessings
Gnwmythr 
This post's photo is of one of our cats.
Tags: earthbound, grounding, protection, rescue, about me, ET/UFO/UAP, astral, attitudes, awareness, death, mediumship, not letting go, parallels, pagan, past lives, perceptions, sexuality, Shakespeare, shamanism, soul parts, spiritualism, spirituality, transgender/transsexual/bigender, UFOs, unconscious, Vampires, wisdom,
First published: Tuesday 10th August, 2010
Last edited: Tuesday 17th August, 2010 (added Update No. 1)
