Oh yes. I believe in spiritual attacks, and I believe that I have been spiritually attacked.Peony made that comment over at Et Tu, Jen on a post which was soliciting questions about whether spiritual attacks were real or imaginary. That has always been my experience also, of the small temptations. Sometimes, oddly enough, I actually can step back mentally, look at my feelings and behavior and recognize that I am being "pushed" to think one way or another ... or at least it feels like it. That is enough for me to be able to shove the thoughts and emotions away and move on. Now, if only I could always recognize such times ... or did not contribute myself without any spiritual attacks at all. Oh well ...
I do not think such attacks are rare. But I think the devils rarely use the showy stuff. Why shout when whispering will do? And when they bring out the showy stuff they risk calling too much attention to their own existence...
As for the quite spectacular spiritual attacks, I have never been privy to those. Thank the Lord! I believe I mentioned Recovering Dissident Catholic's post about a spiritual attack. It linked to a story of attack that I remembered, that of Adoro Te Devote's encounter via tarot cards. They are quite frightening accounts.
Then on Saturday night I had a nightmare that was so vivid, so evil, so completely horrifying that I woke up terrified to even turn my head in case I would see what I had been dreaming about. I am used to bad dreams. I remember many of my dreams and quite a few have to do with stressful situations or even scary things. Everyone in our family is used to hearing that I had another "haunted house" dream. These come out in times of extreme stress.
This was different. I have never been so terrified. Somehow I was both wakeful and also half asleep. Every time I began to sink back into sleep the dream would pick up at the same exact spot that scared me awake in the first place so I would pop awake and away from it instantly. The first thing that flashed across my mind when I woke was "attack" and never has anyone so fervently prayed Hail Mary's, Our Father's, and ... especially ... the St. Michael prayer. This was the prayer that finally did it for me. I could see, in my mind's eye, St. Michael and my guardian angel with large, business-like swords held high in a state of readiness. And when I went back to sleep the dream continued but in a more normal fashion.
Was it a spiritual attack? Or just a very vivid dream? I don't know. However, whatever it was I never have been thrown into the arms of prayer such as I was that night.
I was unsettled and upset the entire day which is also not a normal occurance. I know a dream is just a dream and don't let them bother me later. I was afraid to go to sleep last night. Tom, bless his heart, felt for me (although I didn't mention the "spiritual attack" factor that kept flashing through my mind) and whenever I woke up in the night, he did too, asking, "A bad dream? Are you ok?" What a guy!
Before I went to sleep I said the St. Michael prayer and also put my guardian angel on alert. No problems at all. Normal sleep and dreams resumed.
This is a prayer that it is good to know no matter what sorts of dreams you have. If I can memorize it then so can you, believe me!
St. Michael the Archangel,
defend us in battle.
Be our defense against the wickedness and snares of the Devil.
May God rebuke him, we humbly pray,
and do thou,
O Prince of the heavenly hosts,
by the power of God,
thrust into hell Satan,
and all the evil spirits,
who prowl about the world
seeking the ruin of souls. Amen.
defend us in battle.
Be our defense against the wickedness and snares of the Devil.
May God rebuke him, we humbly pray,
and do thou,
O Prince of the heavenly hosts,
by the power of God,
thrust into hell Satan,
and all the evil spirits,
who prowl about the world
seeking the ruin of souls. Amen.
I need help. I am being spiritually attacked. I am Catholic and getting back into the faith. I sing for a church choir and it's getting to the point where I want to tell someone about it because it's really bothering me. It's like it whispers fowl language and I can tell you straight in the face it's not me thinking this fowl stuff!! I want it to go away!!!
ReplyDeleteWell, telling others will help. Ask them to pray for you. Talk to your priest. Pray the Rosary and St. Michael prayer from above.
ReplyDeleteI came back into the Church and suffered as well. I am under a spiritual attack now too, and today I went to a talk on icons, and the spiritual symbolism, etc. But then as soon as I sat down to listen to a talk (with obvious visual aids of icons) my eyes starting burning and it felt like gravel was in my eyes. I also became extremely sleepy and felt drugged. I kept putting eye drops in and even excused myself. But, then after I had washed my hands and redid my contact lenses and put the eye drops in again - with no relief - I said, "Why am I playing with eye drops? I know what this is." I prayered, standing there in the bathroom and my eyes stopped burning and hurting and I was able to go finish listening to and viewing the talk.
I told the ladies and some of the women prayed over me after the women prayed over a mom having scary issues in her pregnancy. Another friend pulled a scapular out of her purse for me to wear. It has helped so much.
Tell those that you think might be open to praying for you, go to mass, pray, pray, pray. I will pray for you.
curlyq5
Thank you. I had a nightmare that scared me like nothing else. Once I woke up I was scared to open my eyes and turn my head to look around. I'll be using this prayer to help me.
ReplyDeleteI can truthfully say that "St Michael" will help. Sleep with a rosary also. I've had two bad dreams this week, and with the first I remember holding up a St Michal Medal" above me, and after that I felt calm. Last night anther dream, and I said the St Michael Prayer and imagined him standing with his upright sword. It helped! Pray to the Blessed Mother - She is POWERFUL, Say the Our Father
ReplyDeleteKeep Holy Water and if need be in a spray bottle. Before you go to bed spray around you. It would seem as if you are putting repellant. And it is so for demons and evil spirits. Ask your guardian angel to protect you while you are sleeping and say three Hail Mary's before you go to sleep. It works. With me nightmares normally mean a warning of some sort. Every time I have had one it means someone evil or nasty was going to pull a stunt and usually it does happen.
ReplyDelete