The Gospels say nothing regarding the cause of this demoniac obsession, and the preachers prefer to pass over it rapidly, or else to treat it as a delusion of the insane, notwithstanding the direct statement of the New Testament narrative and its sequel or concluding statement.  But the occult traditions have it that these two men were victims of their dabbling into certain phases of psychic phenomena, i.e., the “raising up of spirits” by the arts of Black Magic.  In other words, these men had been experimenting along the lines of Jewish Necromancy, or Invocation and Evocation of Disembodied Astral Intelligences by means of Conjuration.  They had raised up Astral Intelligences that had then refused to retire to their own plane, but which had taken possession of the physical organisms of their invokers and had remained in possession, causing the men to be regarded as maniacs, which resulted in their becoming outcasts among the caves with which the cliffs abounded, the same places being also the tombs of the dead.  We do not wish to go into details here regarding this matter, but we wish to give the occult explanation of this little understood “miracle” of Jesus, which, however, is clearly understood by all occultists.

Jesus fully understood the nature of the trouble, and began at once to drive out these invading Astral Intelligences by means of his occult power.  In a few moments, a cry was heard from the hills near by, and a great herd of swine were seen rushing down the hill, and in a moment were over the precipice and were soon drowned.  The Gospel narrative is perfectly plain on this subject—­it states that the legions of devils had passed from the men into the swine and the latter had plunged in terror into the water and were drowned.  Jesus had distinctly and positively spoken to the demons, calling them “unclean spirits,” and bidding them “come out” of the men.  And all advanced students of Occultism understand why the pigs were used as intermediate instruments of the driving back of the Astral Intelligences to their own plane of life, which reason, however, is not in place or keeping in this work intended for general public reading.

The maniacs were restored to their normal condition, and the traditions say that the Master instructed them regarding the evil courses which they had been pursuing, and bade them desist from their nefarious practices which had wrought such evil consequences upon them.

The church and its preachers, with but few exceptions, have seen fit to ignore the frequent Biblical allusions to “devils,” “demons,” etc.; their position being practically that the writers of the events of Jesus’ ministry (whom they otherwise consider to have been “inspired”) must have been superstitious, credulous people believing in “the absurd demonology of their times.”  They ignore the fact that Jesus Himself repeatedly spoke to these intelligences, bidding them depart from the people whom they had been obsessing.  Does the church wish to hold that the Master was also an ignorant, credulous peasant, sharing popular superstitions?  It would seem so.  We must except the Catholic Church from this criticism, for its authorities have recognized the true state of affairs and have warned its followers against indulging in the dark practices of Necromancy or Invocation of Astral Intelligences.