---
title: "From Exorcist to Hermeticist: A Journey Through Spiritual Warfare and Magic"
url: https://staging13.perseusarcaneacademy.com/post/from-exorcist-to-hermeticist-a-journey-through-spiritual-warfare-and-magic/
date: 2025-05-01
modified: 2026-07-03
lang: en
author: "Perseus Arcane Academy"
description: "Introduction We’re honored to share this powerful and personal interview with a former exorcist - Frater B - whose path led from traditional ministry into the world of Hermetics and..."
categories:
  - "Franz Bardon"
  - "Interviews"
  - "Western Traditions"
tags:
  - "exorcist"
image: https://staging13.perseusarcaneacademy.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/ChatGPT-Image-May-1-2025-10_33_25-PM-1024x683.png
word_count: 3616
---

# From Exorcist to Hermeticist: A Journey Through Spiritual Warfare and Magic

## Introduction

We’re honored to share this powerful and personal interview with a former exorcist - Frater B - whose path led from traditional ministry into the world of Hermetics and Franz Bardon’s teachings. With deep experience in spiritual warfare, inner healing, and the unseen forces behind magical practice, he reflects on years of service, the mentors who shaped him, and the metaphysical training that helped make sense of it all. Whether you practice magic, meditation, or ministry, his story offers a rare look into a hidden side of spiritual life, something that most of us only really know from the movies not real life like Frater B.

If you enjoy this interview then please do let us know in the comments and if you think others will find it interesting please share it with them.

---

Table of Contents

- Introduction- Background and History - Entry into Magic and Spirituality - Becoming an Exorcist Explore The Three Transformations – Full Course, No Cost- Modern-Day Practice- Support and Resistance - Support from Magical Arts - Major Experiences & Tips for Others - Questions on Hermetics Learn About Sixty Skills

## Background and History 

**PAA: What were some key experiences in your early life that influenced your decision to pursue magic and exorcism? **

I had an experience as a young man that I can only describe as a spiritual attack, and that might be the single biggest reason my journey led me down a different  road. I was newly 18, and I kept having these visitations from a terrifying, invisible presence at night. I could hear screaming that no one else could hear, sounds of tearing metal, it was a full-blown manifestation. I remember small objects flying around the room, the sound of footsteps, and that sense you get of a nearby person breathing on your neck. Worst of all, I would scream, and no one in my family could hear it, or at least, they didn’t wake up. 

Actually, that wasn’t the worst thing. I still remember the urgent need to reject this new reality, where the supernatural was very real, and malevolent. I was even aware of my mental gymnastics, trying anything to restore a sense of normalcy. I remember that the spirit seemed to be aware of that: during pauses between attacks I would almost convince myself none of it was real, and that’s what it seemed to be waiting for. Then the attack would begin again, but with even more intensity. 

I spent a few nights that way, just transfixed with terror, and when I brought it up to trusted adults, it was almost as if they couldn’t understand, and they definitely couldn’t retain the memory of the conversation. I thought I was going crazy. 

I finally ran across a Catholic priest who took me seriously. “It’s no big deal, we deal with this a lot,” he said. “I can come out to your house, but it’s easier if I just show you how to do this yourself.” He gave me some simple instructions for how to bless oil and use it to seal the door and windows in my room. That was the first peaceful night I’d had in what felt like forever. 

I managed to put it out of my mind until I went to University that fall, and the whole thing started up again. I panicked at first, but then I remembered I was sleeping in an unsanctified room. I repeated the priest’s instructions, and the spirit left me alone after that. 

> Fr. C was truly a gifted man. Supremely confident and deeply holy, he could literally tell you your sins by looking at you, and could frequently give you messages from the Holy Spirit. Many times he would stop and say “the Holy Spirit says you were praying earlier about such-and-such a topic, and the answer is…” He was invariably right. 
>
> Frater B

**PAA: Can you describe any significant mentors or figures who guided you in your journey? **

I felt a call to ministry some time later in life, after spending years trying to be “normal.” Early on, I found that spirits often “manifested” (showed signs of their presence) around me. This eventually led to my being mentored by Father C, who was the exorcist for our diocese. When I was a transitional deacon preparing for priesthood, I followed him on nearly every supernatural call he performed: probably between a hundred and two hundred were instances of spirit activity. 

Fr. C was truly a gifted man. Supremely confident and deeply holy, he could literally tell you your sins by looking at you, and could frequently give you messages from the Holy Spirit. Many times he would stop and say “the Holy Spirit says you were praying earlier about such-and-such a topic, and the answer is…” He was invariably right. 

I was one of two deacons in his care, and he trained us to do our jobs remarkably well. It was a great deal like military training: we were taught to do specific things under specific circumstances, for specific reasons, and to justify why we made our choices. It was funny, though: Fr. C didn’t allow many questions. There was no discussion about the underlying metaphysics, for example. Why did the spirits we dealt with behave as they did? Why were they vulnerable to certain things? We were discouraged from asking any question that began with “why.” 

I know that the official answer is that the “why” questions lead to answers that can create an obsession with the supernatural, which the church discouraged. We were there to do a specific job in a specific way, and there was no room for error or speculation. It was really clear--if you paid close attention, and I did--that the training was not meant to make us like Fr. C, whose breadth and depth of education went far beyond what we were given. 

## Entry into Magic and Spirituality 

**PAA: What specific events or experiences sparked your interest in the magical arts? **

Maybe the easiest way to answer this question is to point to my education under my mentor priest. He passed away abruptly from the onset of a serious illness, and I’m not sure if it was by natural causes or the result of a spiritual attack. Everyone I knew from those days likewise passed away or disappeared, and it deeply bothered me that I never achieved the same depth of understanding that Fr. C evidently had. 

**PAA: How do you define spirituality in the context of your practice? **

Spirituality is awareness of unseen realities.

## Becoming an Exorcist 

**PAA: What training or preparation did you undergo to become an exorcist? Were there any particular cases that solidified your resolve to perform exorcisms? **

I probably answered most of this question, but I can go into more detail. By the way, we never, ever used the “e word;” I only say “exorcism” or “exorcist” with people who aren’t in church ministry and might not understand the terms “spiritual warfare” or “inner healing and deliverance.” As far as our preparation, we were given a thorough basic training: ask this, ask this, ask this too, and then say this or that prayer based on the answers. It was formulaic, but for simple cases, it worked remarkably well. In most situations, our authority as priests was enough. It was interesting that there were certain instructions or cautions that you might never have come up with on your own: they were the result of generations of exorcists getting better and better at the craft over time. 

We never, for example, made what Fr. C called “a reviling accusation.” He pointed to the book of Jude, verse 9, where the archangel Michael doesn’t dispute with Satan over the body of Moses, but simply says “the Lord rebuke you.” We were never angry, insulting, or derogatory towards spirits we exiled, and we never had conversations with them: in fact, we were trained exactly how to shut down all communication with spirits right off the bat. The attitude the successful priest would take was nothing like the movies: no passion or spiritual struggle. It was nothing personal: our job was to send unclean spirits away or stop their depredations on the faithful, and it was nothing personal. 

For their part, I think the spirits took it in stride too: the emotional backwash I felt from them (if I felt it at all) was something like “ah well, it was nice while it lasted.” They seemed to treat it like a write-off, like a cost of doing business. They would take advantage if we failed to dot all our i’s or dot our t’s, of course, but they didn’t seem very surprised by our showing up and doing our jobs. 

I’d like to point out that we didn’t just cast spirits out of people. That’s a flawed model for what happens during spiritual warfare, anyway. We were just as frequently interfering with hauntings or “poltergeist” activity as we dealing with inner healing and deliverance situations. 

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## Modern-Day Practice

**PAA: In what ways has the perception of exorcism changed in modern society? Do you find that people today are more open or skeptical about the practice of exorcism? Is this something that is widespread among particular religious institutions or very much underground. **

This is a great question, although I can only answer it partially. I’m out of the practice of this ministry, professionally, so I can’t answer how perceptions have changed among churches. I suspect there is the same amount of skepticism there has always been: stories of the victims of unclean spirits are all well and good in the Bible, but isn’t that sort of macabre and outdated now? Most people would just strongly prefer not to think about these kinds of things, much less talk about them. 

Within the church, the practice of spiritual warfare is very, very rarely discussed: most bishops rose to their position by being very able politicians, and good politicians avoid unpopular subjects. Most dioceses have someone like Fr. C, I think, although we never spoke with or corresponded with a similar team from another diocese. 

I was a junior member of the team, so I wasn’t privy to everything, but I think it generally worked like this: a parish priest would run into something he didn’t know how to deal with, and would make a call to the bishop (probably the suffragan, like an assistant bishop, to keep the bishop’s hands clean). He (or someone under him) would brief Fr. C, and then we would go handle the situation. Fr. C made his report afterwards, and that was that, unless we had to do a follow-up. You can imagine that the fewer people who knew the details the better, both for reasons of parishioner confidentiality and diocesan deniability. 

> Even the people you help--no matter how grave their need was in the moment--would prefer to never see you or think about the experience of spiritual warfare again. It’s necessary--somebody has to do it--but it doesn’t make for a rewarding ministry experience.
>
> Frater B

## Support and Resistance 

**PAA: Have you faced any challenges from religious institutions regarding your work as an exorcist? What role does community support play in your practice, and how has it impacted your work? **

I have worked under several denominational banners, and one similarity is that very, very few religious organizations will openly discuss spiritual warfare. Bear in mind that for most tithing churchgoers, the church is a social community where they go to get support for their challenges in life, and to be reassured they are in the good graces of the Divine, not to hear unsettling stories about supernatural evil. It’s just not good business to bring it up, and the senior leaders of any religious organization spend most of their time trying to keep the insurance premiums paid and the lights on. Spiritual warfare is a radioactive topic in nearly any mainstream church, and there are clergy in every denomination who flatly deny it is even relevant anymore. 

It’s the kind of thing you leave off your resume, frankly. 

Even the people you help--no matter how grave their need was in the moment--would prefer to never see you or think about the experience of spiritual warfare again. It’s necessary--somebody has to do it--but it doesn’t make for a rewarding ministry experience. After a harrowing or intense spiritual experience, you can almost watch the former sufferer’s worldview beginning to close in around the memory of the experience. Many won’t ever think of it again unless they’re specifically reminded, and some can’t remember it. It’s really interesting--and unsettling, frankly--how efficiently the average person’s mindset and memory adjusts to downplay or even remove an unpleasant brush with the supernatural. 

## Support from Magical Arts 

**PAA: How do the principles of Hermetics influence your approach to exorcism? Can you discuss any specific techniques or rituals from magical arts that you find particularly helpful in your practice? **

With regard to Hermetics, the major takeaway for me has been an understanding of the metaphysics that underlie the behavior of nonorganic entities. This is really the education Fr. C had, although the Lord knows where he got it. It’s easy to conjecture about a secret school, somewhere in the Vatican, but honestly, I think he was a student of Hermetics. There are too many echoes in the SixtySkills curriculum of things I remember him saying. 

I think that many of the spiritual self-defense techniques taught in the SixtySkills curriculum probably do work, but (as you know) under stress, most people tend to revert to the practices they’ve used the most. In the rare occasion I now have to deal with a spiritual warfare situation, I still use the training I got from Fr. C. But my understanding of *why* that training works as it does has been invaluable, and that’s why I’ve never regretted becoming a private student. 

## Major Experiences & Tips for Others 

**PAA: What is one of the most challenging cases you've encountered, and what did you learn from it? Have you had any experiences that profoundly changed your understanding of spirits or possession? **

**PAA: What practical steps would you recommend for someone who believes they are being affected by negative spiritual energies? **

Well, as a priest, my advice to the church faithful is to go to your parish priest and ask for help. I don’t know for sure that a trained person will be available, but I hope so. 

For those who don’t have access to a trained person, and can’t reach me for help, I advise you to do the commonsense things suggested by your intuition. If you’re dealing with a “haunted” home, bless some oil, and anoint the windows and doors. Throw out any suspicious new possessions, and ask your kids some hard questions about any new friends or activities. You may have to play detective a bit, but you’ll often discover the cause. You’d be really surprised to learn how many people bring home ancient Aztec ceremonial relics from a vacation in Mexico, or similar, and never make the connection between their new acquisition and the spiritual activity in the home. Spirits can “ride” objects, and can be transferred from one person to another in various ways, which is the semi-secret meaning behind the Levitical cleanliness laws in the Old Testament. Often, a short interview with the family reveals that the problems started the day after a middle-school sleepover, or similar, when the kids tried a ritual in the basement as a joke. Sometimes that kind of play is harmless, and sometimes not. So invite any spirits to leave by whatever means are at your disposal (I use the Trinitarian formula, but that’s my background), and seal the home with the blessed oil. This is sort of the spiritual equivalent of first aid.

If it doesn’t work, or it only works temporarily. you’ll have to find someone like me to come in with more refined practices. I’m more or less retired, but I’m happy to help wherever I’m needed. 

“Possession” is a really rare situation. It is really rare to run across a case where the individual’s will is entirely subordinate to an outside entity, partly because it would be pretty extraordinary for an entirely “possessed” individual to submit to inner healing and deliverance. So where individual connections to unwanted entities are concerned, my first advice would be to sever any negative relationships, whether those be relationships with people, drugs, alcohol, or sexual practices. I only have professional experience counseling Christians, so my advice is they command any unclean spirits to leave them in Christ’s name, and they pray that the Holy Spirit seal their soul and spirit bodies to prevent the return of any harassing spirits. This works about 70-80% of the time. 

Our process was a great deal more involved, and much of it was based on a spiritual interpretation of Matthew 7, along with some traditional practices. They’re not secret, per se, but I find most people aren’t interested in hearing the technicalities. If the simple approach above doesn’t work, or only works temporarily, it’s best to find a trained person to help. Even a well-meaning priest or other clergy without specific training can make a mess of situations like that. 

**PAA: For those interested in exploring magic or spirituality, what foundational practices would you suggest they start with? **

Without question, the best practices are Franz Bardon’s initiatory practices, and the best way to learn them is the SixtySkills curriculum. Ritual work is designed to bring a practitioner along a specific path to a specific spiritual destination, and can certainly work as intended. But what if your desired spiritual destination isn’t the place the ritual leads? In my case, I needed an understanding of the underlying metaphysics that made the practices I learned as a priest effective, and I needed a spiritual toolbox to accomplish spiritual tasks I *hadn’t *been trained to do. The SixtySkills curriculum has delivered on both counts. 

## Questions on Hermetics 

**PAA: How did you first come across Hermetic teachings, and what impact have they had on your spiritual journey?**

I first heard about Franz Bardon searching for answers on the internet, and then I ran across 60 Skills. 

**PAA: How has Franz Bardon's work specifically shaped your understanding and practice of magic, and what key teachings from his writings do you find most impactful? **

Bob frequently says “God makes systems, not exceptions.” I think about that a great deal. Most of the received wisdom within religious tradition has lost the ability to replicate the wonders performed by the founder. I think it’s fair to say that the early church father St. Jerome recognized that while the ministries of the apostles reflected much of Jesus’ wonderworking power, few of the apostles’ successors were able to do the same in his day (347-419 AD). It seems the apostles’ skillset wasn’t replicated faithfully, and that’s a huge incentive to study Bardon’s initiation, for me. 

> Bob’s approach is one of the most efficient and effective I have ever seen.  
>
> Frater B

**PAA: In what ways have the teachings from Sixty Skills contributed to your magical practices, and how do they differ from or complement the principles found in Bardon's work? **

The SixtySkills curriculum is a modern evolution of the mid twentieth-century practices in Bardon’s most important works, shaped by contemporary pedagogy and personal testimony. I don’t see it as separate from the Bardon corpus; maybe an interpretation? In any case, it took me around two years to master the skills of IIH as a private student (Perseus Edit: A Private student of Bob - Sixty Skills), which exceeded all my expectations. I doubt I would have been able to finish the coursework in Initiation without the improved pedagogy and streamlined approach in the Sixty Skills curriculum. 

A side note: Bob doesn’t consider himself an especially gifted teacher, but I beg to differ. Priests often have church jobs outside the parish structure, and I spent 13 years teaching in a classroom (and earned the Master of Education degree, in addition to my divinity studies). Bob’s approach is one of the most efficient and effective I have ever seen.  

**PAA: Is there anything else you would like to share?**

The interview brings up a lot of memories, and makes me think of the friends and colleagues I’ve lost. I never made a decision to step away from inner healing and deliverance ministry, but my ministry role was reassigned after Fr. C’s death, and it just became a thing of the past for me. When I think about all the frightened, hurting people we helped, I sometimes feel a sense of responsibility to the world and the universal church: I don’t know that Fr. C has any other living successors, and I have no idea how well the church is managing this very real need. I sometimes wish there were an opportunity to perform this ministry again, or train others to do what I once did. I don’t know if the training I received is lost to the world, the way the apostle’s power wasn’t transferred to the next generation of church leaders. I feel a sense of responsibility, but I don’t know what to do about it. It’s in God’s hands, I suppose. “All shall be well, and all shall be well,” as St. Julian of Norwich said. And I trust that’s true. Still, I miss it sometimes.

**PAA: Thank you very much for sharing your journey with us. **

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