#[how to train your owlette - AN ESSAY]

[grimowled]

"Dad: Do exorcisms actually work, or is that a silly ritual humans do that does absolutely nothing?" - Octavia @a-hell-of-a-time

"THE ANSWER LIES somewhere in between, as it oft does, my heart of darkness."

owl father explains in a smooth drawl, talons gently running through his owlette's messy mane of feathers.

"--for an exorcism to be effective, there are three elements at play; the caster, the ritual and, of course, matching power. let me elaborate."

he gestures with his free hand, effortlessly conjuring a vision of figures made of pretty constellations joined by glowing lines of different colours, representing a demon, a possessed victim and an exorcist locked in eternal battle for the victim's soul.

"firstly, the exorcist must be competent - which means they must be born with what they would call the gift and curse of being attuned to supernatural beings and magic, which some would call faith - and be extensively trained with practical experience; of course they are only 'allowed' to resort to divine magic, which is heavenly by nature, in order to fight and cast out its demonic counterpart - they can use religious artefacts such as icons, crosses, holy relics and holy water to invoke it; in some extremely rare occasions they can even summon and offer themselves as vessels to an angel, but I have never seen that with my own eyes. you can imagine there are not many of those, and a lot of incompetent, money-grabbing quacks."

(those are such fun to absolutely terrorise ! oh, he sometimes he misses those days !)

especially in modern times, when the scientific method has overtaken superstition, save for some pockets of humanity that still believe in the old ways.

"--however it is not as simple as reciting a few lines in latin; the caster must firstly fully understand the language and ritual they are chanting, enunciate clearly and without mistakes, and then ensure to pair the correct ritual with the demonic being at play - which also means they must have gleaned its name in order to attempt a fully effective exorcism - which is why we have a rule to never disclose our names on the mortal realm."

the figures continue their beautiful dance of war above them, like shimmering silk ribbons against a starlit backdrop.

"lastly, an exorcism is only as strong as its wielder's willpower and authority to command by divine blessing. and if there are any weaknesses, even hairlines, be sure that a competent demon will spot them and split those cracks wide open."

the thought seems to amuse the owl prince, memories dancing across the blood-red sclera of his four eyes as he contemplates his own share of danse macabre with exorcists; the ephemeral vision playing on loop above them dissipates then, with a grand finale for the winged demonic force engulfing and devouring the other two.

"--but remember this, my starfire: as above, so below. the forces of heaven and hell are sisters, perfectly matched and balanced. for every demon summoning there is a ritual of exorcism, for every holy relic a cursed artefact ... and so on, so forth."