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The Magic of Eufrosina

(Exorcism Below the Border)

As told to RR Editor by
P. C. C.

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By the side of the road called the Carretera, that runs from Tijuana to Aguas Calientes, there is a "motel", a dozen or so small plain frame houses for the accommodation of travellers. In the scantily furnished room of one of these a young Mexican woman lay on a bed. She was, or rather had been until a few days past, a beauty in the manner of her race - handsome dark eyes, an abundance of soft dark hair, fine and regular features. I know her well, and shall call her, for present purposes, the senora Elena Contreras. She had sat with us in the seances of the good Eufrosina Rosas, in the little cabin where the latter lived, only two miles away. Only three weeks ago she had sat there, amid the fumes of incense and the sprinklings of the Florida water, while thru her entranced lips came the liquid Castilian of the old Hidalgos. But now she lay haggard and drawn, in a half coma, in the clutch of an obsessing spirit, and her mutterings were those of a senseless obscenity.

Eufrosina Rosas had passed the night by her side, struggling with this demon - if such it was. Eufrosina is perhaps 70 years of age, of less than average height, in perfect health, heavy and powerful of build - and her face is the face of a saint. She is, also, a trance medium of great power, and a personage among the communicating spirits. She is a magician as the primitive Christians were magicians, and her magic has this singular virtue in it, that it works. But just now and here, alas, it seemed to have failed her for the time being. All night she had invoked the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, and summoned the spirit Guides to her assistance. Desperate was the struggle around the body of the prostrate Elena, but the power of the evil thing had been too strong. "Hai, Hai, Hai!" it cried, and "Hah, Hah, Hah! She is mine! She is beautiful! Mine, Mine! And beautiful! Oh, bonita, hermosa, y mia-mia-mia!!" What now was Eufrosina Rosas to do with this demon?

Eufrosina returned to her own house, two miles distant, in the gray of the morning, and it was there we found her. Now, by we I mean the senora Moran . . . . and her daughter Maria - L., of 17 years, and the senora J., and then I who am writing this, and the lady who is my wife. We came to the house of Eufrosina that we might witness and share in the evocation of spirits. We had come there before, and we had seen, and we were all friends together, and the day was the 29th of March last past. The house is a cabin made of boards of many sizes and of pieces of tin, and one comes up to it through alleys and gates: there are corn stalks and long grass and grape vines, and vegetables, cacti, and a great many flowers growing on all sides of it. We sat in the little front room, which was full of sunshine, and considered the matter of Elena; and the senora J., who is Catolica, and pious, lifted her voice in invocation of spirit aid. And after she had prayed for a minute or two, the girl Maria fell into a trance, and began to speak in a voice far different from her own:

"I am a Messenger, and I say, no one can help Elena, for she brought this ill upon herself . . . no one can help Elena, for with the ouija board she has invited the evil one to come in . . . no one can help Elena . . . no one - no one...!"

(A desolate and lamentable voice!)

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"But it is only from the world of spirits," cried the senora J., "that help can come to her. We call upon them and call upon them for this help."

"I hear, then, and I go. I go to the Powers that sent me."

A little silence, and then a man's voice, calm, firm, impersonal, spoke thru Maria's lips:

"I am a yoga. I am a doctor. Tell me now all that you know of this matter - and where lies the afflicted woman?"

I told him then, all that Sra. Rosas had told me, and she herself added more. The entranced girl became silent. For five minutes, perhaps, no one spoke. Then suddenly a dreadful thing took place. The features of the sweet-faced Maria were transfigured. The corners of the mouth writhed, the lower lip fell loosely downward, the teeth were bared in a sardonic grin, the eyes slanted oriental-wise, the face became that of a satyr, a mask of lecherous evil. Both face and body twisted and changed, and a cacophony of horrid laughter broke from the distorted lips. "Hai, Hai, Hai," It screamed, and "Hah-Hah-Hah! She is mine! She is beautiful! Mine! Mine! Mine! Beautiful! Beautiful!"

She was in all ways an evil thing. Even those of us who had before this time looked upon the countenances of hell, were appalled by this infernal transfiguration.

Now the Sra. Rosas entered the combat. Old woman, simple-minded old woman with the face of a saint, with the faith of the martyrs, with the simplicities of a child - who are you to contend against the Powers of the Abyss? Who has taught you the mantras of protection, the Arte of the Circle, the Sword and the Wand? What can that incense pot of yours avail - see, it is not a gold censer swinging by three chains; it is only an old can punched with holes, now belching resinous smoke. And that bundle of leaves and flowers, white and red, with peppers and anise and sweet-smelling mints? Do you think to purge with hyssop, that we may be clean of this demon, this yelling satyr - this dog-faced lecherous demon who has stolen our Maria away from us? Sorcerers of repute have been gravelled by lesser foes. But Eufrosina is not gravelled nor dismayed. Ten, twenty, fifty times she invokes the Trinity

With what dignity and assurance she sprinkles the holy water everywhere, on all of us, especially on the unfortunate Maria, now squirming furiously on the couch. "No, no!" shouts the intruder. "I will not go. She is mine, mine, mine." And "Hah-Hah-Hah-Hah! Beautiful, and mine - all mine!" And new Eufrosina makes her swift-circling passes, and the sign of the Holy Cross again and again. "In nombre del Padre y Hijo y Espiritu Santo - I order you to leave the body of the unfortunate woman who is in all ways innocent, and the body of her who in innocence made use of the ouija board. Do you not know that your own soul will be destroyed if you do not obey? . . . . .

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How long did this strange struggle last? (In the Hammer Against Witches one might have found it: Agrippa and Luther would have held it as in the palms of their hands). By my watch, some twenty minutes, and by the time-sense which is timeless, an hour encapsuled in its twentieth part. It is enough to say how signs of victory appeared, how the voice of the evil one grew weaker, his grimaces and contortions less violent, his obscenities forced and few. Then all at once he was gone, and the face of Maria was her own face again, and her body lay at ease. A new entity spoke thru her - a female voice. "I am sent to assist the Yoga doctor; give me the direction." Five minutes more, and the Yoga himself reappeared.

"I have found the woman. I have given her aid and relief. With rest and with prayer she shall be restored to health. Yet she must remain under spiritual direction and guidance, and on no account shall she again touch the ouija board. -- Farewell."

So, all of us departed too, to visit again the house of Elena on the carretera. Here we found Elena no longer in her semi-trance, but up and moving about, tho still a little dazed in her wits. Eufrosina bade us form the circle, and Elena stood in its center holding a great crucifix with both hands, and again there was much sprinkling of Florida water and invocations of the Helpers. And then, because the medical man (who had long since abandoned hope) was momentarily expected, and because we did not wish to offend his dignity and his science, we took Eufrosina to her home, and all the others back with us across that magical "line" between our nations, and between the superstitious (?) of our neighbors and the fine hard common (non) sense of our United States.

NOTES:

The RR Editor personally knows all of the persons mentioned in the above account, and has attended the seances of Eufrosina Rosas at her cabin among the vines. The narrator, P.C.C., has a background in medical research and much experience with psychic and occult phenomena; he is an accurate and competent observer, and there is no question whatever as to the objective facts related by him. If they have been presented in a mildly dramatic style, the reader is asked to consider that far more drama inhered in the actual events: it is not the product of any would-be literary skill . . . As for Eufrosina, she is worthy of a small treatise in herself . . . Is it necessary to add that she neither asks nor will accept compensation for her Arts as medium and exorcist, though her labors are often parlous and exhausting? Now, we know that this little story has its daily counterparts in a thousand places, but still it seems to us worth telling, because here we have spiritualism at a near-primitive level, yet operating with efficiency and power, and with the cooperation of discarnate intelligences of a high order.

We draw attention to the interplay, the psychic interchange which goes on all thru this narrative, between persons and places separated by two miles of distance; to the coming and going of the Messenger, and of the "Yoga doctor", the ousting of the obsessing entity from Elena and its prompt appearance in the body of Maria, and the fact that events were observed at both ends of the line of operation, so far as possible. The account omits one important item, viz., that P.C.C. visited Elena before the group set to work in Eufrosina's house; it is this visit which supplies the information in the first paragraph; he then visited her again after the exorcism had taken effect (1).

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In the Editor's experience this is the third, perhaps the fourth case of obsession due to the use of the ouija board which has come to his attention. Some very fine material has been produced and received by this means, but it is an extremely dangerous plaything, especially for anyone disposed to psychic sensitiveness. The matter is important and should be more widely emphasized . . . We might add too, that a spirit (not named above) who spoke thru Marie during the seance, bluntly and angrily accused a women friend of Maria of being responsible for the whole affair, since she had induced Maria to experiment with the ouija . . . Both Maria and Elena, as pointed out, are natural mediums, and not well instructed in the art of self-protection.

Elena had the attention of a Mexican physician, but the latter had stated definitely that he could do nothing for her other than to apply for a commitment. We doubt whether this helplessness is in any way peculiar to the medical profession of Mexico. As for the magic of Eufrosina, your Editor may himself be committed for so much as daring to write about it, especially if it comes to the ears of the A.M.A.

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MIRABILIA