Orthodox Prayers & Observances
Against the Demonic
PRAYER AGAINST DEMONIC SNARES
(To be
read prior to any ritual or exorcism)
Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of
God, having struck down the ancient serpent and bound him in Tartarus by bonds
of darkness, protect me from his snares. Through the prayers of our Most Holy
Lady, the Theotokos and Ever-virgin Mary, of the holy Archangel Michael and all
the Heavenly hosts, of the holy Prophet and Baptist John, of the holy Evangelist
John the Theologian, of the holy Martyr Cyprian and the Martyr Justinia, of St.
Nicholas the wonderworker, of St. Nikita of Novgorod, of St. John of Shanghai
and San Francisco, the Wonderworker and of all the saints, by the power of the
life-giving Cross and by the intercession of my Guardian Angel, deliver me from
evil spirits, from cunning people, from sorcery, curses, the evil eye, and from
any slanders of the enemy.
By Thine almighty power preserve
me from evil, so that I, enlightened by Thy light, may safely reach the quiet
anchorage of the Heavenly Kingdom and there eternally thank Thee, my Savior,
together with Thine unoriginate Father and Thy Most Holy and Life-giving
Spirit. Amen.
PRAYER FOR A BUILDING OR
STRUCTURE AFFLICTED BY EVIL SPIRITS (From the Russian Orthodox Trebnik)
O Lord God of our salvation, Son
of the living God, Who art upborne by the cherubim and art infinitely more
exalted than all the principalities and virtues, powers and dominions: Thou art
great and fillest all around Thee with dread; Thou art He that set heaven like
a chamber; Thou art He that created the earth in Thy might and hast ordered the
universe in Thy wisdom, Who hast shaken the nethermost parts of the earth from
their foundations and made its pillars immovable, Who speakest to the sun, and it shineth not; Who sealest
the stars; Who forbiddest the sea, and driest it up; Whose wrath melteth the
principalities and virtues; by Whose power the rocks are ground to powder! Thou
didst break down the gates of bronze, and the gates of iron didst Thou destroy;
Thou didst bind mighty [Satan] and didst shatter his vessels; by Thy Cross
didst Thou cast down the tyrant [of hell], didst draw forth the serpent with
the hook of Thine incarnation and, having set him in Tartarus, didst bind him
with bonds of darkness. Therefore, 0 Lord,
Thou confirmation of them that place their hope on Thee, mighty rampart of them
that trust in Thee: drive away, put to flight and cause to depart every
machination of the devil and every satanic assault, every attack of the adversary
and oppressive power, from this roof and from them that are sheltered thereby
and walk about beneath it, who bear the sign of the victory of Thy Cross, which
terrifieth the demons, and who call upon Thy good name. Yea, 0 Lord, Who expelled
a legion of demons and commanded the deaf and dumb demon and the unclean possessing
spirit to depart from man and to leave, never to return; Who destroyest all the
array of our invisible foes, Who hast made wise the faithful who know Thee,
[saying]: Behold, I give you power to tred on serpents and scorpions, and over
all the power of the enemy: do Thou Thyself, 0 Master, Who art beyond all
harmand temptation, preserve all who are in this habitation, delivering them
from terror by night and the arrow that flieth by day, from the thing that
walketh in darkness, from
the mishap and demon of noonday;
that Thy servants, handmaids and children, who enjoy Thine aid, may all, in
oneness of mind, faithfully chant as with one voice: the Lord is my helper and
I will not fear what man shall do unto me; and again: I will fear no evil, for
Thou art with me.
For Thou, 0 God, art my
confirmation, the mighty Lord, the prince of peace, the Father of the age to
come, and Thy kingdom is eternal; and Thine alone is the kingdom, and the
power, and the glory, with the Father and the Holy Spirit, now and ever, and
unto the ages of ages.
PRAYER OF INTERDICTION of St. Basil the Great
(Read by a priest over one
suffering from demons)
O God of gods and Lord of lords,
Creator of the fiery ranks, and Fashioner of the fleshless powers, the Artisan
of heavenly things and those under the heavens, Whom no man has seen, nor is
able to see, Whom all creation fears: Into the dark depths of Hell You hurled
the commander who had become proud, and who, because of his disobedient
service, was cast down from the height to earth, as well as the angels that fell
away with him, all having become evil demons. Grant that this my exorcism being
performed in Your awesome name, be terrible to the Master of evil and to all
his
minions who had fallen with him
from the height of brightness. Drive him into banishment, commanding him to
depart hence, so that no harm might be worked against Your sealed Image. And,
as You have commanded, let those who are sealed receive the strength to tread
upon serpents and scorpions, and upon all power of the Enemy. For manifested,
hymned, and glorified with fear, by everything that has breath is Your most
holy Name: of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, now and ever
and into ages of ages. Amen.
PRAYER FOR PRIESTS FOR A HOME
THAT IS AFFLICTED BY EVIL SPIRITS
O Lord God of our salvation, Son
of the Living God, Who is borne by the Cherubim, being above all dominions,
principalities, authorities and powers: You are great and fearsome to all
around You. You are the One Who set the heavens like a vault and made the earth
in Your might; Who directs the universe in Your wisdom. When earthquakes occur
under heaven from the foundations, its pillars are unshaken. You speak and the
sun does not shine. You sealed the stars. You forbad the seas and dried them
up. Authorities and dominions hide from Your wrath, and the rock trembles before You. You obliterated the
gates of brass and demolished the bars of iron. You bound the Mighty One and
smashed his vessels. By Your Cross You cast down tyrants and drew in the
Serpent with the hook of Your humanity. Having cast him down, You bound him with
hooks in the gloom of Tartarus.
As the same Lord, the Hope of
those who place their confirmation on You, and the Wall of might for those
whose expectation is in You, anathematize, drive away and transform all
diabolical actions and all satanic indictments, all slanders of the Adversary,
and of the powers lying under this roof. Free those bearing the Sign which is
awesome against demons: the Cross of Your victory, and calling upon Your
gracious Name, from possession by him and from those wandering about under this
roof.
Yea, Lord, You drove away
legions of demons, and the demons and unclean spirits by which the deaf and
dumb were held. These You commanded to depart and not to return again. You have
consumed all the armies of our invisible enemies, and have made wise the
faithful who have known You. For You said, "Behold, I give you power to trample
underfoot snakes and scorpions, and all the power of enemies" (Luke 10:19).
Preserve, O Master, all who live
in the house from all harm and every temptation from below, delivering them
from fear of the feeble one and the arrows that fly by day, from things
proceeding from the darkness and attacks by demons at midday. Let Your servants
and Your children, delighting in Your help, and preserved by armies of angels, faithfully
sing with one accord: "The Lord is my Helper and I will not be afraid;
what can man do to me?" and
again, "I will fear no evil, for You are with me." As You are my Confirmation, O
God, Mighty Master, Prince of Peace, and Father of the age to come, for Your
kingdom is an eternal Kingdom, to you alone is the Kingdom, and the Power, and
the Glory, with the Father and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of
ages. Amen.
_______________
EXORCISMS or PRAYERS OF DELIVERANCE FOR GENERAL USE
by St. John Chrysostom (344-407 A.D.)
O Eternal God, Who has redeemed
the race of men from the captivity of the devil, deliver Thy servant/handmaid
from all the workings of unclean spirits. Command the evil and impure spirits
and demons to depart from the soul and body of your servant/handmaid and not to
remain nor hide in him/her. Let them be banished from this the creation of Thy
hands in Thine own holy name and that of Thine only begotten Son and of Thy
life-creating Spirit, so that, after being cleansed from all demonic influence,
he/she may live godly, justly and righteously and may be counted worthy to receive
the Holy Mysteries of Thine only-begotten Son and our God with Whom Thou art
blessed and glorified together with the all holy and good and life-creating
Spirit now and ever and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
O Thou Who hast rebuked all unclean
spirits and by the power of Thy Word has banished the legion, come now, through
Thine only begotten Son upon this creature, which Thou hast fashioned in Thine
own image and deliver him/her from the adversary that holds him/her in bondage,
so that, receiving Thy mercy and becoming purified, he/she might join the ranks
of Thy holy flock and be preserved as a living temple of the Holy Spirit and
might receive the divine and holy Mysteries through the grace and compassion
and loving kindness of Thine only-begotten Son with Whom Thou art blessed
together with Thine all-holy and good and life-creating Spirit now and ever and
unto the ages of ages. Amen.
We beseech Thee, O Lord,
Almighty God, Most High, un-tempted, peaceful King. We beseech Thee Who has
created the heaven and the earth, for out of Thee has issued the Alpha and the
Omega, the beginning and the end, Thou Who has ordained that the fourfooted and
irrational beasts be under subjection to man, for Thou hast subjected them.
Lord, stretch out Thy mighty hand and Thy sublime and holy arm and in Thy watchful
care look down upon this Thy creature and send down upon him/her a peaceful
angel, a mighty angel, a guardian of soul and body, that will rebuke and drive away
every evil and unclean demon from him/her, for Thou alone are Lord, Most High, almighty
and blessed unto ages of ages. Amen.
We make this great, divine, holy
and awesome invocation and plea, O devil, for thine expulsion, as well as this
rebuke for your utter annihilation, O apostate! God Who is holy, beginningless,
frightful, invisible in essence, infinite in power and incomprehensible in
divinity, the King of glory and Lord Almighty, He shall rebuke thee, devil! --
He Who composed all things well by his Word from nothingness into being; He Who
walks upon the wings of the air. The Lord rebukes thee, devil! – He Who calls
forth the water of the sea and pours it upon the face of all the earth. Lord of
Hosts is His name. Devil: the Lord rebukes thee! He Who is ministered to and
praised by numberless heavenly orders and adored and glorified in fear by
multitudes of angelic and archangelic hosts. Satan: the Lord rebukes thee! He
Who is honored by the encircling Powers, the awesome six-winged and many-eyed
Cherubim and Seraphim that cover their faces with two wings because of His
inscrutable and unseen divinity and with two wings cover their feet, lest they
be seared by His unutterable glory and incomprehensible majesty, and with two
wings do fly and fill the heavens with their shouts of "Holy, holy, holy,
Lord Sabaoth, heaven and earth are full of Thy glory!" Devil: The Lord
rebukes thee! He Who came down from the Father's bosom and, through the holy,
inexpressible, immaculate and adorable Incarnation from the Virgin, appeared ineffably
in the world to save it and cast thee down from heaven in His authoritative power
and showed thee to be an outcast to every man. Satan: The Lord rebukes thee!
He Who said to the sea, be
silent, be still, and instantly it was calmed at His command.
Devil: The Lord rebukes thee! He
Who made clay with His immaculate spittle and refashioned the wanting member of
the man blind from birth and gave him his sight. Devil: The Lord rebukes thee!
He Who by His word restored to life the daughter of the ruler of the synagogue
and snatched the son of the widow out from the mouth of death and gave him
whole and sound to his own mother. Devil: The Lord rebukes thee! The Lord Who
raised Lazarus the four-days dead from the dead, undecayed, as if not having died, and unblemished to
the astonishment of many. Satan: The Lord rebukes thee! He Who destroyed the
curse by the blow on His face and by the lance in His immaculate side lifted
the flaming sword that guarded Paradise. Devil: The Lord rebukes thee! He Who
dried all tears from every face by the spitting upon His precious expressed
image. Devil: The Lord rebukes thee! He Who set His Cross as a support, the salvation
of the world, to thy fall and the fall of all the angels under thee. Devil: The Lord rebukes thee! He Who spoke
from His Cross and the curtain of the temple was torn in two, and the rocks
were split and the tombs were opened and those who were dead from the ages were
raised up. Devil: The Lord rebukes thee! He Who by death put death to death and
by His rising granted life to all men. May the Lord rebuke thee, Satan! -- that
is, He Who descended into Hades and opened its tombs and set free those held
prisoner in it, calling them to Himself; before Whom the gatekeepers of Hades shuddered
when they saw Him and, hiding themselves, vanished in the anguish of Hades. May
the Lord rebuke thee, devil! -- That is, Christ our God Who arose from the dead
and granted His Resurrection to all men.
May the Lord rebuke thee, Satan!
-- He Who in glory ascended into heaven to His Father, sitting on the right of
majesty upon the throne of glory. Devil: May the Lord rebuke thee! He Who shall
come again with glory upon the clouds of heaven with His holy angels to judge
the living and the dead. Devil: May the Lord rebuke thee! He Who has prepared
for thee unquenchable fire, the unsleeping worm and the outer darkness unto
eternal punishment. Devil: May the Lord rebuke thee! For before Him all things shudder
and tremble from the face of His power and the wrath of His warning upon thee
is uncontainable. Satan: The Lord rebukes thee by His frightful name! Shudder,
tremble, be afraid, depart, be utterly destroyed, be banished! Thee who fell from
heaven and together with thee all evil spirits: every evil spirit of lust, the
spirit of evil, a day and nocturnal spirit, a noonday and evening spirit, a
midnight spirit, an imaginative spirit, an encountering spirit, either of the
dry land or of the water, or one in a forest, or among the reeds, or in
trenches, or in a road or a crossroad, in lakes, or streams, in houses, or one
sprinkling in the baths and chambers, or one altering the mind of man. Depart
swiftly from this creature of the Creator Christ our God! And be gone from the
servant/handmaid of God ___________, from his/her mind, from his/her soul, from
his/her heart, from his/her reins, from his/her senses, from all his/her members,
that he/she might become whole and sound and free, knowing God, his/her own Master and Creator of all
things, He Who gathers together those who have gone astray and Who gives them
the seal of salvation through the rebirth and restoration of divine Baptism, so
that he may be counted worthy of His immaculate, heavenly and awesome Mysteries
and be united to His true fold, dwelling in a place of pasture and nourished on
the waters of repose, guided pastorally and safely by the staff of the Cross unto
the forgiveness of sins and life everlasting. For unto Him belong all glory,
honor, adoration and majesty together with Thy beginningless Father and His
all-holy, good and life-giving Spirit, now and ever, and unto ages of ages.
Amen.
_______________
FIRST PRAYER OF EXORCISM & HEALING
St. Basil the Great – 330 -379AD
Let us pray to the Lord.
Lord, have mercy.
O God of gods and Lord of lords,
Creator of the fiery spirits and Artificer of the invisible powers, of all
things heavenly and earthly: Thou Who no man has seen – nor is able to see;
Thou Whom all creation fears and before Whom it trembles; Thou Who didst cast
into the darkness of the abyss of Tartars the angels who did fall away with him
who once was commander of the angelic host, who disobeyed Thee and haughtily refused
to serve Thee, do Thou expel by the terror of Thy name the evil one and his legions
loose upon the earth, Lucifer and those with him who fell from above. Set him to flight and command him and
his demons to depart completely. Let no harm come to them who are sealed in Thy
image and let those who are sealed receive dominion, "to tread on serpents
and scorpions and all the power of the enemy." For Thee do we hymn and
magnify and with every breath do we glorify Thy all-holy name of the Father and
of the Son and of the Holy Spirit now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.
SECOND PRAYER OF EXORCISM - St Basil the Great
Let us pray to the lord.
Lord, have mercy.
I expel you, primal source of
blasphemy, prince of the rebel host, originator of evil. I expel you, Lucifer,
who was cast from the brilliance on high into the darkness of the abyss on
account of your arrogance: I expel you and all the fallen hosts which followed your
will: I expel you, spirit of uncleanness, who revolted against Adonai, Elohim,
the omnipotent God of Sabaoth and the army of His angels. Be gone and depart
from the servant/handmaid of God ______________. I expel you in the name of Him
Who created all things by His Word, His Only-Begotten Son, our Lord Jesus
Christ, Who was ineffably and dispassionately
born before all the ages; by Whom was formed all things visible and invisible,
Who made man after His Image: Who guarded him by the angels, Who trained him in
the Law, Who drowned sin in the flood of waters from above and Who shut up the
abysses under the heaven, Who demolished the impious race of giants, Who shook
down the tower of Babel, Who reduced Sodom and Gomorrah to ashes by sulfur and
fire, a fact to which the unceasing vapors testify; and Who by the staff of
Moses separated the waters of the Red Sea, opening a waterless path for the people
while the tyrannical Pharaoh and his God-fighting army were drowned forever in
its waves for his wicked persecution of them; and Who in these last days was inexplicably
incarnate of a pure Virgin who preserved the seal of her chastity intact; and
Who was pleased to purge our ancient defilement in the baptismal cleansing. I expel
you, Satan, by virtue of Christ's baptism in the Jordan, which for us is a type
of our inheritance of incorruption through grace and sanctified waters: the
same One Who astounded the angels and all the heavenly powers when they beheld
God incarnate in the flesh and also revealed at the Jordan His beginningless
Father and the Holy Spirit with Whom He shares the unity of the Trinity. I
expel you, evil one, in the name of Him Who rebuked the winds and stilled the
turbulent sea; Who banished the legion of demons and opened the eyes of him who
was born blind from his mother's womb; and Who from clay fashioned sight for
him, whereby He re-enacted the ancient refashioning of our face; Who restored
the speech of the speechless, purged the stigma of leprosy, raised the dead
from the grave and Who Himself despoiled Hades by His death and Resurrection
thereby rendering mankind impervious to death. I expel you, in the name of
Almighty God Who filled men with the inbreathing of a divinely inspired voice
and Who wrought together with the Apostles the piety, which has filled the
universe. Fear and flee, run, leave, unclean and accursed spirit, deceitful and
unseemly creature of the infernal depths, visible through deceit, hidden by
pretense. Depart wherever you may appear, Beelzebub, vanish as smoke and heat,
bestial and serpentine thing, whether disguised as male or female, whether
beast or crawling thing or flying, whether garrulous, mute or speechless,
whether bringing fear of being trampled, or rending apart, conniving, whether
oppressing him/her in sleep, by some display of weakness, by distracting
laughter, or taking pleasure in false tears whether by lechery or stench of
carnal lust, pleasure, addiction to drugs, divination
or astrology, whether dwelling in a house, whether possessed by audacity,
or contentiousness or instability, whether striking him with lunacy, or
returning to him after the passage of time, whether you be of the morning,
noonday, midnight or night, indefinite time or daybreak, whether spontaneously
or sent to someone or coming upon him/her unawares, whether from the sea, a
river, from beneath the earth, from a well, a ravine, a hollow, a lake, a
thicket of reeds, from matter, land, refuse, whether from a grove, a tree, a
thicket, from a fowl, or thunder, whether from the precincts of a bath, a pool
of water or from a pagan sepulcher or from any place where you may lurk;
whether by knowledge or ignorance or any place not mentioned. Depart, separate
yourself from him/her, be ashamed before him who was made in the image of God
and shaped by His hand. Fear the likeness of the incarnate God and no longer
hide in His servant/handmaid____________; rather await the rod of iron, the
fiery furnace of Tartars, the gnashing of teeth as reprisal for disobedience.
Be afraid, be still, flee, neither return nor hide in him some other kind of
evil, unclean spirits. Depart into the uncultivated, waterless waste of the
desert where no man dwells, where God alone vigilantly watches, Who shall bind
you that dares with envy to plot against His image and Who, with chains of
darkness shall hold you in Tartars, Who by day and night and for a great length
of time has devised all manner of evils, O devil; for great is your fear of God
and great is the glory of the Father, of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
THIRD PRAYER OF EXORCISM St Basil the Great
Let us pray to the lord.
Lord, have mercy.
O God of the heavens, God of
Light, God of the Angels and Archangels obedient to Thine Authority and Power;
O God Who art glorified in Thy Saints, Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, Thine
Only-begotten Son, Who delivered the souls which were bound to death and Who
enlightened them that dwelt in darkness; He Who released us from all our misery
and pain and Who has protected us from the assaults of the enemy. And Thou, O Son and Word of God, has
purposed us for immortality by Thy death and glorified us with Thy glory; Thou
Who loosed us from the fetters of our sins through Thy Cross, rendering us
pleasing to Thyself and uniting us with God; Thou Who didst rescue us from
destruction and cured all our diseases; Thou Who set us on the path to heaven
and changed our corruption to incorruption. Hear Thou me who cry unto Thee with
longing and fear, Thou before Whom the mountains and the firmament under the heavens do shrink; Thou Who
makest the physical elements to tremble, keeping them within their own limits;
and because of Whom the fires of retribution dare not overstep the boundary set
for them but must await the decision of Thy Will; and for Whom all creation
sighs with great sighs awaiting deliverance; by Whom all adverse natures have
been put to flight and the legion of the enemy has been subdued, the devil is
affrighted, the serpent trampled underfoot and the dragon slain; Thou Who has enlightened
the nations which confess and welcome Thy rule, O Lord; Thou through Whom life
hath appeared, hope hath prevailed, through Whom the man of the earth was
recreated by belief in Thee. For Who is like unto Thee, Almighty God? Wherefore
we beseech Thee, O Father, Lord of mercies, Who existed before the ages and
surpasses all good, calling upon Thy holy name, through the love of Thy Child,
Jesus Christ, the Holy One, and Thine All-powerful Spirit.
Cast away from his/her soul
every malady, all disbelief, spare him/her from the furious attacks of unclean,
infernal, fiery, evil-serving, lustful spirits, the love of gold and silver,
conceit, fornication, every shameless, unseemly, dark and profane demon. Indeed, O God, expel from Thy
servant/handmaiden _________ every energy of the devil, every enchantment and
delusion; all idolatry, lunacy, astrology, necromancy, every bird of omen, the
love of luxury and the flesh, all greed, drunkenness, carnality, adultery,
licentiousness, shamelessness, anger, contentiousness, confusion and all evil suspicion.
Yea, O Lord our God, breathe upon him/her the Spirit of Thy Peace, watch over him/her and produce thereby
the fruits of faith, virtue, wisdom, chastity, self control, love, uprightness,
hope, meekness, long-suffering, patience, prudence and understanding in Thy
servant/handmaiden that he/she may be welcomed by Thee in the name of Jesus
Christ, believing in the co-essential Trinity, giving witness and glorifying
Thy dominion, along with the Angels and Archangels and all the heavenly host,
guarding our hearts by them; for all things are possible to Thee, O Lord.
Therefore, we ascribe glory to
the Father, and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto the
ages of ages. Amen.
_______________
PRAYER AGAINST THE EVIL EYE
Let us pray to the lord
…Lord have mercy
O Lord Our God, the King of the
ages, almighty and all powerful, who create and alter all things by your will
alone; who changed into dew the flames of the furnace in Babylon that had been
heated seven times more than usual, and preserved in safety your three holy
youths; the physican and healer of our souls; the security of those who hope in
you; we pray you and beseech you: Remove, drive away and banish every diabolical
activity, every satanic attack and every plot, evil curiousity and injury, and the evil eye of mischievous and
wicked men from your servant (Name); and whether it was brought about by
beauty, or bravery, or happiness, or jealousy and envy, or evil eye, do you
yourself, O Lord who love mankind, stretch out your mighty hand and your
powerful and lofty arm, look down on this your creature and watch over him(her),
and send him(her) an angel of peace, a mighty guardian of soul and body, who
will rebuke and banish from him (her) every wicked intention, every spell and evil
eye of destructive and envious men; so that, guarded by You, your supplicant
may sing to You with thanksgiving: The Lord is my helper, and I shall not be
afraid; what can man do to me? And again: I shall fear no evil because You are
with me. For You are God my strength, the powerful ruler, the Prince of Peace,
the Father of the age to come. Yes, Lord, our God, spare your creature and save
your servant (Name) from every injury and brought about by the evil eye, and
keep him (her) safe above every ill. For your are our King and all things are
possible to Thee, O Lord. Therefore, we ascribe glory to the Father, and to the
Son and to the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto the ages of ages. Amen.