A cautionary tale

I recently discovered that a book I had thought unavailable has been reprinted fairly recently.

It is called Les Farfadets, ou tous les démons ne sont pas de l'autre monde, by a gentleman who bore the resounding name of Alexis-Vincent-Charles Berbiguier de Terreneuve du Thym. It can be had from Amazon in France. I looked at a copy at the Lilly Rare Book Room at Indiana University back when I was in college, and I remember it making quite an impression. As soon as I learned that a new edition had been made, I ordered it.

This is the biography of a fellow who for much of his adult years was troubled by farfadets, or imps. He adopted the title Le Fléau des Farfadets, the Scourge of the Imps, as a result of his researches into imps and the way to drive them off. He lived during the Napoleonic years, but was much more troubled by the imps than by the several wars of those days.

Take heed: he found himself under the influence of an "evil planet" after consulting two "sibyls" named Jeanneton la Valette and La Mançot, who played the "tarot game" for him, but were in fact the agents of the imps.

Another memorable incident is told in the book when he began burning sulphur in his rooms to drive the imps away, and this attracted the unwelcome attention of firemen. He was also convinced that a Dr. Pinel at La Salpêtrière was in the employ of the imps. If I remember aright, there was a Dr. Pinel who was an early nineteenth century "alienist," or psychiatrist. This may be in fact what lies behind M. Berbiguier's belief that Dr. Pinel was among the agents of his persecutors.

I am quite looking forward to being able to read the whole thing.

Alexis-Vincent sounds like a paranoid schizophrenic; I'd be very interested in hearing how the biography ends and if he was able to successfully drive off the imps with some form of magic or ritual or exoricism. Some day, the worlds of occult and psychiatry are going to be truly reconciled and the tools of one will be demonstratively proven to facilitate healing in the other.

Laurel

don't be so quick to completely discount berbiguier! lol. when i lived in an old queen anne house, i was tormented by something.... imps perhaps.

something would pull my hair when i would sleep....just small amounts of hair at a time. i would also feel something 'pricking' my feet as well. it felt like sharp objects jabbing me.

this only occured in this one home. as soon as i moved it stopped.

I agre with Laurel: This guy oes have symptoms of a paranoid schizophrenic.

Zorya: Whilst one may be annoyed by 'things'/imps, there is a difference when you believe others around you are the agents of hese 'things'. Then, according to modern psychology, you stop being giften at attracting paranormal energies, and statr becoming mentally ill.

Not saying any of htis is my view, but I have delved alot into 'abnormal' psychology over the last 2-3 years, and schizophrenia interests me alot.

Kiama

he may well be schizophrenic. i've not read the book, nor am i an authority on such things. i just didn't want anyone to discount the possibility that such things, like what may be called 'imps', could exist.

Heya Zorya!

Keep in mind that I'm a practicing magician who believes that anything we create in our mind is at least subjectively real and *can* help or hurt us if we give it that power. I'd be the last person to disallow the existence of imps or such; however, my theory is that they don't usually exist independent of our own consciousness, until they aquire a consciousness of their own (which is rare). The fact that they are creations of our own psyche doesn't lessen their potential to help or harm, so I treat their existence respectfully.

Schizophrenics, lacking any ability to distinguish between the subjective and objective world, are particularly at risk from their own creations. So its extremely interesting and important to me to know if magical techniques such as wards, banishings, and so on are effective tools for schizophrenics to use to control harmful thought-forms or "imps" as the case maybe. My gut instinct is that they would be, in most situations. Certainly ceremonial ritual has to be healthier and self-affirming than some of the anti-psychotics on the market!

Laurel

I don't have any degrees in abnormal psychology myself. I do suspect, though, that believing that your neighbours and acquaintances are conspiring with demonic imps to work you harm may well be a symptom of paranoid schizophrenia.

My understanding is that what distinguishes the thought patterns of schizophrenia from merely eccentric beliefs is that they all revolve around the victim. Belief in demons and imps, or in the malign influence of spies and secret agents, is not madness. Believe that your neighbours and acquaintances are conspiring with the imps to harm you, or that you are at the centre of elaborate conspiracies of spies even if you have no secrets worth stealing, and this may well cross the line into madness. Imagine that the firefighters are on the side of the imps because they show up after you were burning sulphur to keep the imps at bay, and you have definitely crossed into the delusional.

M. Berbiguier is of course beyond our help or our sympathy now. What he did do for us is produce an interesting bit of literary curiosa that also sheds some small light on the early days of the Tarot revival in nineteenth century France.

This is an amazing thread...*giggle* ... I was thinking in my head of all the things I wanted to say in response to it - I had so many different thoughts pop into my head while reading along. I had to leave briefly to straighten up a little and put kids in bed and turn off lights, etc., and now that I have sat down to reply, I realize I don't really have the time to express all those things I was just thinking about. In fact, about 90% of the time I read posts here and then just reply to them in my head while showering or doing dishes, cuz reading is way faster than posting and I run out of time. So basically, I am always inspired to converse with myself. And that kind of fits in with the theme of this thread after all. *snicker* Well, actually, that's sort of sad. I am a sad sad girl. At least I don't mutter to myself yet. *sigh*

ANYWAY,

well,

actually, I still don't have time... but, um, HEY - cool thread!

I personally know three schizophrenics, who have all claimed to have demonic experiences or have dabbled in such matters. The first is in a mental institution has now has to be tied up to keep from cutting himself repeatedly. The second sees gargoyle-like things and black shadows everywhere, often circling over beds. The third, which also suffers from bipolar depression, has had a female ghost/vampire cling onto his back after one too many graveyard trips. Fact or fiction? This books sounds rather dubious, but I will not discount the fact that strange things do lurk in old, abondoned houses. There is also a belief that demons are actually the cause of schizophrenia - I have heard that when some do rituals, they can feel voices whispering in and around them, often taunting, jeering voices.

Molly said:

This is an amazing thread...*giggle* ... I was thinking in my head of all the things I wanted to say in response to it - I had so many different thoughts pop into my head while reading along. I had to leave briefly to straighten up a little and put kids in bed and turn off lights, etc., and now that I have sat down to reply, I realize I don't really have the time to express all those things I was just thinking about. In fact, about 90% of the time I read posts here and then just reply to them in my head while showering or doing dishes, cuz reading is way faster than posting and I run out of time.


Kids and family responsibilities will do that to you for sure!




So basically, I am always inspired to converse with myself. And that kind of fits in with the theme of this thread after all. *snicker* Well, actually, that's sort of sad. I am a sad sad girl. At least I don't mutter to myself yet. *sigh*

ANYWAY,

well,

actually, I still don't have time... but, um, HEY - cool thread!

Click to expand...

I don't mutter, well , not much......................but I Do talk to myself All The Time! Yes, it started when I was about 30! It goes on just about everywhere! At home, at work , at the supermarket.I have a lot to say to myself! And I find it more interesting than conversing with most people I know IRL ! No demons or imps or anything like that. Just my own thoughts.As a teenager I read some pretty hefty books on psychiatry and psychology, even thought I wanted to be one for awhile, until one day I decided it was a load of cr** !
(purplelady goes off muttering )