Claiming to have an
exclusive divine sanction to perform healing work, these priests used
various ceremonies, rites, incantations, etc., in order to obtain their
results. In many cases these priests were ignorant of the real psychic
forces invoked and set into operation; they merely practiced methods which
had been found to work out effectively, and which had been handed down to
them by their predecessors. In other cases, however, the priests
undoubtedly were skilled occultists, and had a very full knowledge of the
forces they were using; though, as the masses of the people were very
ignorant it was impossible to acquaint them with these things so far above
their understanding; and, consequently, the priests applied the healing
forces under the disguise of their religious ceremonies and rites.
From time to time, however, as civilization progressed, there came into
prominence persons who worked cures of physical ills by means of magical
ceremonies and other similar methods, but who were outside of the
priesthood. Some of these men undoubtedly had a very fair knowledge of the
real secret of their cures, though they disguised them to suit the mental
condition of their patients, and, also, probably for purposes of self
glorification. In other cases, however, it is probable that these healers
had merely stumbled across the fact that certain things said in a certain
way tended to work cures; or that certain physical objects seemed to have
therapeutic virtue.
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