1 00:00:03,351 --> 00:00:06,267 walking on red-hot coals. 2 00:00:06,310 --> 00:00:10,793 Voodoo priests casting a spell. 3 00:00:10,836 --> 00:00:14,144 -[thunder crashing] -And ancient ceremonies used to ward off... 4 00:00:14,188 --> 00:00:16,668 -the Devil himself. -[screaming] 5 00:00:20,542 --> 00:00:25,329 Can ancient rituals really unleash incredible powers? 6 00:00:25,373 --> 00:00:29,551 Physical powers? Psychic powers? 7 00:00:29,594 --> 00:00:32,815 There are many who believe in the power of prayer. 8 00:00:32,858 --> 00:00:38,516 So what about spells used to conjure the dead? 9 00:00:38,560 --> 00:00:41,389 Could they really work? 10 00:00:41,432 --> 00:00:45,219 And if they do... 11 00:00:45,262 --> 00:00:47,090 what does that say about the physical laws 12 00:00:47,134 --> 00:00:48,483 of the world we live in? 13 00:00:48,526 --> 00:00:52,095 [chuckles]: Well... 14 00:00:52,139 --> 00:00:54,445 that is what we'll try and find out. 15 00:00:54,489 --> 00:00:56,404 ♪ 16 00:01:09,417 --> 00:01:13,203 SHATNER: San Pedro Manrique, Spain. 17 00:01:13,247 --> 00:01:16,293 June 23, 2018. 18 00:01:16,337 --> 00:01:18,861 Here, as they have for centuries, 19 00:01:18,904 --> 00:01:21,385 villagers gather for an evening festival 20 00:01:21,429 --> 00:01:24,301 to celebrate the summer solstice. 21 00:01:24,345 --> 00:01:27,870 They engage in singing, dancing, 22 00:01:27,913 --> 00:01:30,873 wearing elaborate costumes. 23 00:01:30,916 --> 00:01:35,269 But for a select group of villagers, 24 00:01:35,312 --> 00:01:39,229 the festivities aren't so... conventional. 25 00:01:39,273 --> 00:01:43,190 Because their evening also includes something 26 00:01:43,233 --> 00:01:44,626 out of the ordinary: 27 00:01:44,669 --> 00:01:47,324 a dangerous walk... 28 00:01:47,368 --> 00:01:49,152 -over fire. -[flames crackling] 29 00:01:50,719 --> 00:01:52,634 Now, I've seen many fire walking rituals 30 00:01:52,677 --> 00:01:55,071 in many different contexts in a variety of countries. 31 00:02:05,168 --> 00:02:08,432 They have this amphitheater around the, the place where 32 00:02:08,476 --> 00:02:10,869 the actual fire is, 33 00:02:10,913 --> 00:02:13,959 and these men walk on the embers. 34 00:02:14,003 --> 00:02:17,876 It's five or six steps from one side to the other. 35 00:02:17,920 --> 00:02:20,140 And they do it barefoot 36 00:02:20,183 --> 00:02:23,186 and usually carrying someone on their shoulders. 37 00:02:23,230 --> 00:02:25,580 [applause and cheering] 38 00:02:25,623 --> 00:02:28,452 People often wonder, is the fire walk really hot? 39 00:02:28,496 --> 00:02:30,498 And the answer is yes. 40 00:02:30,541 --> 00:02:34,632 Once the wood is first laid out, the overall temperature 41 00:02:34,676 --> 00:02:38,027 is between a thousand and 1,200 degrees. 42 00:02:38,070 --> 00:02:40,203 That's really hot. 43 00:02:40,247 --> 00:02:44,076 More than enough to burn flesh, certainly. 44 00:02:58,482 --> 00:03:00,963 MICHAEL DENNIN: If you look at the temperatures involved, 45 00:03:01,006 --> 00:03:02,660 you're typically talking temperatures 46 00:03:02,704 --> 00:03:05,359 over a thousand degrees Fahrenheit, and skin burns 47 00:03:05,402 --> 00:03:07,535 at a hundred, 160 degrees Fahrenheit. 48 00:03:07,578 --> 00:03:11,234 XIMENEZ: Walking on fire is very, very dangerous. 49 00:03:11,278 --> 00:03:13,018 I mean, you're barefoot. 50 00:03:13,062 --> 00:03:15,195 Just one wrong move 51 00:03:15,238 --> 00:03:17,849 and you can be severely burned. 52 00:03:33,038 --> 00:03:34,997 [crowd cheering] 53 00:03:37,565 --> 00:03:39,610 SHATNER: Walking on fire. 54 00:03:39,654 --> 00:03:43,788 And at temperatures hot enough to turn metal into liquid. 55 00:03:43,832 --> 00:03:45,660 No one in their right mind would do this 56 00:03:45,703 --> 00:03:48,489 and expect to emerge unharmed, right? 57 00:03:48,532 --> 00:03:52,841 And yet, the people of San Pedro Manrique 58 00:03:52,884 --> 00:03:56,758 manage to do just that, and on a yearly basis. 59 00:03:56,801 --> 00:03:59,674 But how? 60 00:03:59,717 --> 00:04:01,328 Walking across hot embers 61 00:04:01,371 --> 00:04:03,068 is one of my favorite physics problems. 62 00:04:03,112 --> 00:04:06,550 The trick is making sure the embers are hot enough 63 00:04:10,206 --> 00:04:14,166 of water vapor between your skin a very and the hot coals. layer 64 00:04:16,168 --> 00:04:17,822 Some of these same firewalkers, 65 00:04:17,866 --> 00:04:21,173 one day, they walk across unscathed; 66 00:04:21,217 --> 00:04:25,874 another time they try it, they do burn their feet. 67 00:04:25,917 --> 00:04:31,096 My experience tells me the difference is in their mindset. 68 00:04:31,140 --> 00:04:35,579 So at my fire walks, once we've taken the group out to the fire, 69 00:04:35,623 --> 00:04:37,625 and we're getting ready to walk, 70 00:04:37,668 --> 00:04:41,150 first, I like to remind them again about their intention. 71 00:04:41,193 --> 00:04:44,893 And this helps motivate them and get them across. 72 00:04:44,936 --> 00:04:48,592 And then, we raise people's energy 73 00:04:48,636 --> 00:04:51,203 before a fire walk. 74 00:04:51,247 --> 00:04:55,207 Firewalkers around the world, regardless of tradition, 75 00:04:55,251 --> 00:04:59,037 religion, they raise the group's energy 76 00:04:59,081 --> 00:05:01,170 before they walk. 77 00:05:01,213 --> 00:05:04,782 So, this can be done with meditation, chanting, 78 00:05:04,826 --> 00:05:07,742 singing, dancing... 79 00:05:07,785 --> 00:05:10,179 Whatever the case, you want to get your group 80 00:05:10,222 --> 00:05:13,313 into an excited, pumped-up state 81 00:05:13,356 --> 00:05:15,053 before the fire walk. 82 00:05:15,097 --> 00:05:18,492 There is absolutely something about 83 00:05:18,535 --> 00:05:21,016 being in an excited, uplifted state 84 00:05:21,059 --> 00:05:23,540 that helps you get across safely. 85 00:05:23,584 --> 00:05:25,760 [crowd chanting] 86 00:05:25,803 --> 00:05:29,459 So what actually happens there psychologically 87 00:05:29,503 --> 00:05:32,375 is there is this emotional buildup. 88 00:05:32,419 --> 00:05:36,379 There is this highly intense arousal that's happening, 89 00:05:36,423 --> 00:05:39,643 and so you have cortisol and other sort of endocrine hormones 90 00:05:39,687 --> 00:05:42,037 flooding the system, which will help to block 91 00:05:42,080 --> 00:05:43,647 some of the pain receptors. 92 00:05:46,911 --> 00:05:48,652 SHATNER: Water vapor? 93 00:05:48,696 --> 00:05:50,698 Mind control? 94 00:05:50,741 --> 00:05:53,396 But can fire walking without pain or injury 95 00:05:53,440 --> 00:05:57,008 really be just a simple matter of will power? 96 00:05:57,052 --> 00:06:02,318 Or does it require something even more? 97 00:06:02,362 --> 00:06:04,668 We know we have the capability to redirect pain 98 00:06:04,712 --> 00:06:06,453 or even to numb pain just by putting ourselves 99 00:06:06,496 --> 00:06:08,019 in the right mindset. 100 00:06:08,063 --> 00:06:10,587 But many of these firewalkers don't even have blisters 101 00:06:10,631 --> 00:06:13,024 or burns on their feet. 102 00:06:13,068 --> 00:06:14,330 So, when you look at physics, 103 00:06:14,374 --> 00:06:15,679 that's impossible. 104 00:06:15,723 --> 00:06:16,985 If you touch something that's hot, 105 00:06:17,028 --> 00:06:18,247 you're gonna get burned. 106 00:06:18,290 --> 00:06:20,858 So the question is, are we dealing with 107 00:06:20,902 --> 00:06:23,948 the magical force that we have yet to fully understand? 108 00:06:23,992 --> 00:06:26,211 HOBSON: So in one study with the San Pedro 109 00:06:26,255 --> 00:06:28,170 Spanish fire walking ritual, 110 00:06:28,213 --> 00:06:32,435 a team of anthropologists were curious what happens to 111 00:06:32,479 --> 00:06:34,785 a person's heart rate for the individual 112 00:06:34,829 --> 00:06:36,526 who's actually walking, 113 00:06:36,570 --> 00:06:40,704 and for any individual who is close to them? 114 00:06:40,748 --> 00:06:43,446 Like a relative or a family member. 115 00:06:43,490 --> 00:06:45,492 [applause and cheering] 116 00:07:03,335 --> 00:07:04,728 [applause and cheering] 117 00:07:14,738 --> 00:07:17,524 HOBSON: The surprising part is that 118 00:07:17,567 --> 00:07:19,961 you will still have a state of physiology 119 00:07:20,004 --> 00:07:22,442 that's similar to the individual, as if... 120 00:07:22,485 --> 00:07:25,096 youare walking over the coals, 121 00:07:25,140 --> 00:07:27,795 when in fact, of course, you're not. 122 00:07:27,838 --> 00:07:32,321 AXTELL: It is so much more than just an individual ritual. 123 00:07:32,364 --> 00:07:35,106 It is a community experience. 124 00:07:35,150 --> 00:07:39,807 Yes, it is technically possible to cross a coal bed unharmed 125 00:07:39,850 --> 00:07:41,286 all by yourself. 126 00:07:41,330 --> 00:07:46,161 But it is much easier to experience a fire walk 127 00:07:46,204 --> 00:07:50,470 surrounded by people who are there to support you: 128 00:07:50,513 --> 00:07:53,168 your family, your community. 129 00:07:53,211 --> 00:07:56,301 Crossing barefoot over thousand-degree coals 130 00:07:56,345 --> 00:07:59,217 doesn't make any practical sense. 131 00:07:59,261 --> 00:08:00,871 And even though I've personally crossed 132 00:08:00,915 --> 00:08:02,960 hundreds and hundreds of coal beds, 133 00:08:03,004 --> 00:08:06,007 I still don't perfectly understand 134 00:08:06,050 --> 00:08:08,226 how and why it works like it does. 135 00:08:12,056 --> 00:08:13,841 So what about you? 136 00:08:13,884 --> 00:08:16,017 Are you willing to take your chances, 137 00:08:16,060 --> 00:08:20,804 slip off your shoes and walk barefoot over fire? 138 00:08:20,848 --> 00:08:23,328 Well, if you are, then perhaps you're also ready 139 00:08:23,372 --> 00:08:25,548 to confront the unknown, and see what happens 140 00:08:25,592 --> 00:08:30,335 when you come face-to-face with the power of voodoo. 141 00:08:35,645 --> 00:08:37,081 JULIA BUCKLEY: I was really pretty disabled by the pain, 142 00:08:37,125 --> 00:08:39,257 May 2012. 143 00:08:39,301 --> 00:08:42,739 32-year-old author Julia Buckley 144 00:08:42,783 --> 00:08:46,787 is writing in her office when she experiences a pain 145 00:08:46,830 --> 00:08:50,399 unlike any she has ever felt before. 146 00:08:50,442 --> 00:08:53,924 I was just at my desk one day at work, typing away, 147 00:08:53,968 --> 00:08:57,145 um, reached out for a cup of coffee, 148 00:08:57,188 --> 00:09:01,758 and suddenly, it was as if my right arm was on fire, 149 00:09:01,802 --> 00:09:05,022 as if someone had laid out fireworks all the way 150 00:09:05,066 --> 00:09:08,678 from my fingers up to my armpit, and across to my neck. 151 00:09:08,722 --> 00:09:11,594 I was really pretty disabled by the pain, 152 00:09:11,638 --> 00:09:13,030 'cause it was getting worse 153 00:09:13,074 --> 00:09:15,642 day by day, week by week. 154 00:09:15,685 --> 00:09:19,994 I couldn't do anything with this right arm at all. 155 00:09:20,037 --> 00:09:24,172 I saw three general doctors, I saw eight specialists; 156 00:09:24,215 --> 00:09:28,045 I was doing everything that I was told to do. 157 00:09:28,089 --> 00:09:31,266 So after two years, I was... 158 00:09:31,309 --> 00:09:34,225 completely at my wit's end. 159 00:09:34,269 --> 00:09:37,620 So I was pretty desperate, and in quite a dark place. 160 00:09:37,664 --> 00:09:40,101 SHATNER: With her life virtually in shambles, 161 00:09:40,144 --> 00:09:42,625 Julia was willing to try anything. 162 00:09:42,669 --> 00:09:45,367 Turning away from conventional medicine, 163 00:09:45,410 --> 00:09:48,152 she began to investigate alternatives, 164 00:09:48,196 --> 00:09:52,635 and this led her down a, shall we say, unusual path. 165 00:09:54,811 --> 00:09:56,726 Voodoo healing. 166 00:09:56,770 --> 00:10:00,425 I was reading a book about voodoo. 167 00:10:00,469 --> 00:10:02,645 And reading it, I hadn't seen anything like it 168 00:10:02,689 --> 00:10:04,560 in any of the other research that I'd done. 169 00:10:04,604 --> 00:10:08,390 I just got this impression that the voodoo priests 170 00:10:08,433 --> 00:10:12,481 were probably the people who had the most, kind of, grasp of the, 171 00:10:12,524 --> 00:10:15,353 the mind-body relationship. 172 00:10:15,397 --> 00:10:18,182 And I just thought if anyone's gonna be able to help me, 173 00:10:18,226 --> 00:10:19,531 it's gonna be someone in Haiti. 174 00:10:22,099 --> 00:10:24,275 SHATNER: Still fighting debilitating pain, 175 00:10:24,319 --> 00:10:26,364 Julia Buckley flew to Haiti, 176 00:10:26,408 --> 00:10:28,802 and once there, arranged to meet 177 00:10:28,845 --> 00:10:32,675 with Richard Morse, a voodoo practitioner. 178 00:10:32,719 --> 00:10:35,286 BUCKLEY: I had actually read interviews and knew 179 00:10:35,330 --> 00:10:40,291 that he was a voodoo priest as well as a hotel owner, 180 00:10:40,335 --> 00:10:42,206 and so I'd already thought, "Oh, I need to try and ask him 181 00:10:42,250 --> 00:10:44,426 whether he can, he can do anything for me." 182 00:10:44,469 --> 00:10:48,299 So, I checked into the hotel, met him 183 00:10:48,343 --> 00:10:49,910 and then we started talking about voodoo 184 00:10:49,953 --> 00:10:52,652 and its capacity for healing. 185 00:10:52,695 --> 00:10:54,915 And so, I told him exactly why I was there, 186 00:10:54,958 --> 00:10:57,569 and I just said, "Can you help me?" 187 00:10:57,613 --> 00:11:00,877 I think he said, "Are you, are you sure you want this?" 188 00:11:00,921 --> 00:11:03,532 And I was like, "Absolutely." 189 00:11:03,575 --> 00:11:06,274 MORSE: No one taught me how to do this. 190 00:11:06,317 --> 00:11:08,885 I didn't go to school to do this, 191 00:11:08,929 --> 00:11:14,238 but I have a certain capacity for something of this sort. 192 00:11:15,675 --> 00:11:18,025 My mom was a voodoo priestess, 193 00:11:18,068 --> 00:11:22,203 and my father's family goes back to the Puritans. 194 00:11:22,246 --> 00:11:24,118 I like to call my thing Puritan-voodoo, 195 00:11:24,161 --> 00:11:26,642 because I'm a mix. 196 00:11:26,686 --> 00:11:29,645 SHATNER: After learning about her symptoms, 197 00:11:29,689 --> 00:11:31,473 Morse led her into a dark room, 198 00:11:31,516 --> 00:11:34,215 one meant to summon spirits 199 00:11:34,258 --> 00:11:37,958 and extract whatever was harming her. 200 00:11:38,001 --> 00:11:42,614 BUCKLEY: There were candles and bottles all around the room. 201 00:11:42,658 --> 00:11:45,792 There were strips of cloth, different colored cloths 202 00:11:45,835 --> 00:11:47,968 that now I know represent the different Loa, the spirits, 203 00:11:48,011 --> 00:11:49,491 all around the room. 204 00:11:49,534 --> 00:11:51,667 There were these terra-cotta pots 205 00:11:51,711 --> 00:11:55,062 that he said were filled with the souls of the dead. 206 00:11:55,105 --> 00:11:56,846 And there were these little bottles of 207 00:11:56,890 --> 00:11:58,718 what I found out afterwards were holy water 208 00:11:58,761 --> 00:12:01,068 brought from shrines all over the rest of the world. 209 00:12:02,634 --> 00:12:04,549 He went around me a couple of times. 210 00:12:04,593 --> 00:12:08,728 Then he stopped at the back of my neck and started feeling 211 00:12:08,771 --> 00:12:12,906 from the bottom of my skull down to my neck. 212 00:12:12,949 --> 00:12:14,908 Kind of pressing on it, almost like 213 00:12:14,951 --> 00:12:16,387 what a chiropractor might do 214 00:12:16,431 --> 00:12:19,869 before they really start going for it. 215 00:12:19,913 --> 00:12:23,220 I was scared, because that's where all my problems were, 216 00:12:23,264 --> 00:12:25,353 and I didn't want him to hurt me, and I didn't want 217 00:12:25,396 --> 00:12:27,834 my neck to be cracked or anything like that. 218 00:12:27,877 --> 00:12:29,313 I was terrified. 219 00:12:29,357 --> 00:12:33,709 He told me that he had found 220 00:12:33,753 --> 00:12:37,234 a demon in a shape of a black cat on my neck. 221 00:12:37,278 --> 00:12:40,847 So when he had been dragging his fingers down my neck, 222 00:12:40,890 --> 00:12:44,285 he was literally picking up and detaching this black cat. 223 00:12:44,328 --> 00:12:46,287 He said he didn't know how I'd got it, 224 00:12:46,330 --> 00:12:48,768 when I got it or how long it had been there, 225 00:12:48,811 --> 00:12:52,380 but he said it was nasty and that he'd got rid of it. 226 00:12:52,423 --> 00:12:55,513 It was only when I got to the airport, 227 00:12:55,557 --> 00:12:58,168 decided I needed a cup of coffee, 228 00:12:58,212 --> 00:13:00,823 and jumped up the stairs to the coffee bar 229 00:13:00,867 --> 00:13:03,130 carrying my little carry-on suitcase. 230 00:13:03,173 --> 00:13:05,872 I was standing with the coffee and I kind of looked down 231 00:13:05,915 --> 00:13:07,874 and thought, "Hang on, I can't normally do that." 232 00:13:07,917 --> 00:13:10,354 And I checked in with my body, and I realized, actually, 233 00:13:10,398 --> 00:13:12,269 nowhere is hurting right now. 234 00:13:12,313 --> 00:13:13,967 This is really strange. 235 00:13:14,010 --> 00:13:17,622 It was the first time in nearly three years 236 00:13:17,666 --> 00:13:20,277 that I hadn't been in pain. 237 00:13:20,321 --> 00:13:23,106 SHATNER: As far as Julia Buckley was concerned, 238 00:13:23,150 --> 00:13:26,936 voodoo had worked, after everything else had failed. 239 00:13:26,980 --> 00:13:29,460 But how? 240 00:13:29,504 --> 00:13:31,680 TOK THOMPSON: Voodoo is a fabulously interesting tradition. 241 00:13:31,723 --> 00:13:33,595 We see it in the Caribbean, 242 00:13:33,638 --> 00:13:35,423 primarily perhaps in Haiti, although certainly 243 00:13:35,466 --> 00:13:37,686 in other places around the Caribbean as well. 244 00:13:37,729 --> 00:13:40,907 It's a part of a much larger assemblage of religions 245 00:13:40,950 --> 00:13:43,823 with a shared sort of worldview. 246 00:13:43,866 --> 00:13:48,131 This traces back to West Africa, and to several groups 247 00:13:48,175 --> 00:13:50,264 and several different religions there. 248 00:13:50,307 --> 00:13:53,180 The West African religious tradition was brought over 249 00:13:53,223 --> 00:13:55,225 via the slave trade to the Caribbean, 250 00:13:55,269 --> 00:13:57,314 to the Southern United States, where it flourished 251 00:13:57,358 --> 00:13:59,229 and took on different forms, 252 00:13:59,273 --> 00:14:02,972 and blended somewhat easily with the Catholic faith. 253 00:14:09,631 --> 00:14:13,069 You can call it God or you can call it, um, 254 00:14:13,113 --> 00:14:15,028 how you, how you want... 255 00:14:24,689 --> 00:14:26,561 [singing, chanting] 256 00:14:40,009 --> 00:14:41,097 [laughs] 257 00:14:43,883 --> 00:14:45,449 DAVID WHITEHEAD: So it could be 258 00:14:45,493 --> 00:14:47,712 that when it comes to these rituals, 259 00:14:47,756 --> 00:14:50,977 that there's something about the nature of the ritual 260 00:14:51,020 --> 00:14:52,674 that actually activates 261 00:14:52,717 --> 00:14:55,068 something within the participant. 262 00:14:55,111 --> 00:14:58,071 But the ritual needs to be believed. 263 00:14:58,114 --> 00:14:59,681 It needs to be true to the participant 264 00:14:59,724 --> 00:15:02,814 in order for it to work. 265 00:15:02,858 --> 00:15:05,861 So the pageantry and the theatricality that's associated 266 00:15:05,905 --> 00:15:09,865 with these rituals, that's where their power lies. 267 00:15:14,304 --> 00:15:17,264 SHATNER: Perhaps one of the reasons voodoo's followers 268 00:15:17,307 --> 00:15:20,223 believe in its incredible power is because they know 269 00:15:20,267 --> 00:15:26,316 it not only can be used to heal, but also to harm. 270 00:15:26,360 --> 00:15:28,188 We hear this phrase, "voodoo death," you know, 271 00:15:28,231 --> 00:15:30,277 that people may have cast a spell or done 272 00:15:30,320 --> 00:15:33,541 some kind of ritual that causes the death of another person. 273 00:15:33,584 --> 00:15:37,501 And if we're scientific, "Well, that's ridiculous. 274 00:15:37,545 --> 00:15:38,938 That has no causal relationship here." 275 00:15:38,981 --> 00:15:40,765 But if we dig a little deeper, 276 00:15:40,809 --> 00:15:43,812 there have been cases of voodoo deaths where someone has said 277 00:15:43,855 --> 00:15:45,335 something or done something 278 00:15:45,379 --> 00:15:48,251 that literally affects another person. 279 00:15:48,295 --> 00:15:50,993 HOBSON: Most scientists, doctors or researchers 280 00:15:51,037 --> 00:15:53,822 would just call it an anomaly. 281 00:15:53,865 --> 00:15:56,042 A physical or psychological anomaly 282 00:15:56,085 --> 00:16:00,481 that we can't quite explain with the data 283 00:16:00,524 --> 00:16:03,136 or the information that are presented before us. 284 00:16:03,179 --> 00:16:08,184 BUCKLEY: I think there's a lot of value in things being unexplained. 285 00:16:08,228 --> 00:16:10,317 Something like voodoo, 286 00:16:10,360 --> 00:16:13,711 you're never gonna be able to have the proof of what happened. 287 00:16:13,755 --> 00:16:16,236 I don't know what happened in that room and I was there. 288 00:16:16,279 --> 00:16:20,805 SHATNER: Ancient rituals that can not only cure disease, 289 00:16:20,849 --> 00:16:22,677 but cause it? 290 00:16:22,720 --> 00:16:25,462 It seems hard to fathom. 291 00:16:25,506 --> 00:16:30,728 But then, why did Julia Buckley's pain disappear? 292 00:16:30,772 --> 00:16:33,470 Was it all in her head? 293 00:16:33,514 --> 00:16:39,128 Or can the answer be found by examining another ritual, 294 00:16:39,172 --> 00:16:44,525 one that is a ritual form of brutality? 295 00:16:50,052 --> 00:16:51,662 WHITEHEAD: There's something about watching 296 00:17:04,197 --> 00:17:06,764 SHATNER: What is it about the ritual 297 00:17:06,808 --> 00:17:11,595 of watching violent, sometimes bloody sports combat 298 00:17:11,639 --> 00:17:14,076 that fascinates us? 299 00:17:14,120 --> 00:17:17,384 Is it merely because it fulfills a human desire 300 00:17:17,427 --> 00:17:19,647 to witness organized competition? 301 00:17:21,562 --> 00:17:23,738 Or, does it satisfy 302 00:17:23,781 --> 00:17:28,656 a much darker, more primal need in us 303 00:17:28,699 --> 00:17:31,093 than we like to admit? 304 00:17:31,137 --> 00:17:34,662 HOBSON: There's much less killing now in modern humans 305 00:17:34,705 --> 00:17:36,446 than there were in the past, 306 00:17:36,490 --> 00:17:39,841 but there still is that little bit left within us, 307 00:17:39,884 --> 00:17:43,192 that when you go to a sporting event and all of the rituals 308 00:17:43,236 --> 00:17:45,412 and all that mob mentality is pushing 309 00:17:45,455 --> 00:17:48,328 an individual to act out violently, 310 00:17:48,371 --> 00:17:51,766 well, it turns on that little spark of violence 311 00:17:51,809 --> 00:17:53,811 that still exists within us. 312 00:17:55,683 --> 00:17:57,424 L.A. JENNINGS: You may not realize it, 313 00:17:57,467 --> 00:18:00,731 but an MMA fight is very ritualistic. 314 00:18:00,775 --> 00:18:03,343 The participation in the event and the spectacle of it 315 00:18:03,386 --> 00:18:07,347 is part of a long history of rituals. 316 00:18:07,390 --> 00:18:09,349 FRANK TRIGG: When people get to the arena for a fight, 317 00:18:09,392 --> 00:18:12,178 there is a specific procedure that happens every single time. 318 00:18:12,221 --> 00:18:15,529 This procedure is set specifically to get 319 00:18:15,572 --> 00:18:18,836 not only the fighters ready, but to get the fans amped up 320 00:18:18,880 --> 00:18:21,665 so they can be the most hyped that they can possibly be 321 00:18:21,709 --> 00:18:23,972 for this particular fight when that fight starts. 322 00:18:24,015 --> 00:18:27,932 The song comes on, that starts at about a level three. 323 00:18:27,976 --> 00:18:29,760 "Oh, fight's about to happen." 324 00:18:32,154 --> 00:18:34,330 Then both guys walk in, the announcements are being made. 325 00:18:34,374 --> 00:18:36,115 ANNOUNCER: Ladies and gentlemen, let's have a nice round... 326 00:18:36,158 --> 00:18:38,943 TRIGG: Now you're coming up to a nine, a ten. 327 00:18:38,987 --> 00:18:41,076 "Oh, it's about to happen." The ring card girl comes in. 328 00:18:41,120 --> 00:18:42,904 The first round is gonna get started for this fight. 329 00:18:42,947 --> 00:18:44,079 The referee asks if both fighters are ready. 330 00:18:44,123 --> 00:18:45,341 I want you guys to have a clean fight. 331 00:18:45,385 --> 00:18:47,213 Follow my orders at all times. 332 00:18:47,256 --> 00:18:49,606 TRIGG: Now you are amped up. This is about to happen. 333 00:18:49,650 --> 00:18:51,173 The fight is getting ready to go. 334 00:18:53,175 --> 00:18:55,830 You're so invested in this guy that when he's fighting, 335 00:18:55,873 --> 00:18:58,441 you feel like it's actually happening to you. 336 00:18:58,485 --> 00:19:00,400 This is an assault on you and your person 337 00:19:00,443 --> 00:19:02,184 when this is happening, so this is why the crowd 338 00:19:02,228 --> 00:19:04,665 gets so into it, because they follow the hype. 339 00:19:04,708 --> 00:19:07,798 And the ritual portion of that happens every single time. 340 00:19:07,842 --> 00:19:10,192 [horn honks] 341 00:19:10,236 --> 00:19:11,759 SHATNER: Las Vegas, Nevada. 342 00:19:11,802 --> 00:19:14,501 October 6, 2018. 343 00:19:14,544 --> 00:19:18,548 Mixed martial arts fighters Khabib Nurmagomedov 344 00:19:18,592 --> 00:19:20,724 and Conor McGregor face off in what is touted 345 00:19:20,768 --> 00:19:23,205 as the bout of the year. 346 00:19:23,249 --> 00:19:26,469 20,000 fans watch as Khabib locks Conor 347 00:19:26,513 --> 00:19:29,777 in a brutal chokehold and emerges victorious, 348 00:19:29,820 --> 00:19:32,649 retaining the title of lightweight champ. 349 00:19:32,693 --> 00:19:36,175 But before the closing ceremony, Khabib gets enraged 350 00:19:36,218 --> 00:19:38,002 by the endless barrage of trash talk 351 00:19:38,046 --> 00:19:40,135 from his opponent's entourage. 352 00:19:40,179 --> 00:19:42,877 That's when the real fight begins. 353 00:19:47,621 --> 00:19:50,058 WHITEHEAD: Khabib Nurmagomedov jumps up on the cage, 354 00:19:50,101 --> 00:19:51,929 jumps into the crowd 355 00:19:51,973 --> 00:19:54,497 and starts fighting with Conor McGregor's corner. 356 00:19:54,541 --> 00:19:56,107 TRIGG: Most fights have a closure. 357 00:19:56,151 --> 00:19:57,935 You have a winner, you have a closing ceremony. 358 00:19:57,979 --> 00:19:59,633 None of that happened. 359 00:19:59,676 --> 00:20:02,244 It all got stopped because the fight broke out. 360 00:20:02,288 --> 00:20:04,072 There's no closure. The fight's not over, like, 361 00:20:04,115 --> 00:20:06,205 now they get to go out in the streets, 362 00:20:06,248 --> 00:20:07,858 and everyone's been drinking all night, and so you add alcohol, 363 00:20:07,902 --> 00:20:10,383 you add testosterone, you add a blood sport... 364 00:20:10,426 --> 00:20:11,993 So people started fighting out in the streets. 365 00:20:12,036 --> 00:20:13,342 And in that kind of situation, 366 00:20:13,386 --> 00:20:14,648 those kind of things are gonna happen. 367 00:20:14,691 --> 00:20:18,260 [birds chirping] 368 00:20:18,304 --> 00:20:21,263 WHITEHEAD: If you go to an ice-skating competition or a tennis match, 369 00:20:21,307 --> 00:20:22,699 you rarely hear about people breaking out 370 00:20:22,743 --> 00:20:24,484 into fistfights in the crowd. 371 00:20:24,527 --> 00:20:27,269 So when we look at what happened in Las Vegas, 372 00:20:27,313 --> 00:20:30,011 could it be that there's something about the act 373 00:20:30,054 --> 00:20:32,796 of watching violent blood sports 374 00:20:32,840 --> 00:20:36,844 that brings us into some kind of ritual in a way? 375 00:20:36,887 --> 00:20:39,673 TRIGG: Everybody wants to see 376 00:20:39,716 --> 00:20:42,066 the most violent thing that can happen to somebody. 377 00:20:42,110 --> 00:20:46,506 Everybody cheers for the knockout. 378 00:20:46,549 --> 00:20:48,638 They don't even realize that they're there for the violence. 379 00:20:48,682 --> 00:20:50,466 The don't understand why they're actually there 380 00:20:50,510 --> 00:20:52,773 to watch this fight until the knockout happens. 381 00:20:52,816 --> 00:20:55,341 We love watching violence when it's happening to somebody else. 382 00:20:55,384 --> 00:20:58,387 And we've been doing it since the gladiator times. 383 00:21:01,521 --> 00:21:03,218 JENNINGS: Ancient Romans also loved 384 00:21:03,262 --> 00:21:05,481 fighting sports, and gladiator events 385 00:21:05,525 --> 00:21:08,310 were unique in that it wasn't trained, 386 00:21:08,354 --> 00:21:10,921 skilled athletes fighting against each other, 387 00:21:10,965 --> 00:21:13,446 but it was often people who had 388 00:21:13,489 --> 00:21:17,754 committed a crime that made them eligible for the death penalty. 389 00:21:17,798 --> 00:21:19,278 And the death penalty in this case 390 00:21:19,321 --> 00:21:22,803 was fighting against a gladiator in the Colosseum. 391 00:21:22,846 --> 00:21:26,720 The Colosseum could fit up to 50,000 people, and they went 392 00:21:26,763 --> 00:21:30,854 for the pleasure, the cathartic experience 393 00:21:30,898 --> 00:21:33,248 of watching humans being killed. 394 00:21:33,292 --> 00:21:35,946 WHITEHEAD: We think of this life-or-death 395 00:21:35,990 --> 00:21:39,254 type of sport as being something that's only in the ancient past, 396 00:21:39,298 --> 00:21:41,300 but there is still a sport 397 00:21:41,343 --> 00:21:43,084 where life and death is involved, 398 00:21:43,127 --> 00:21:45,173 and this would be the sport of bullfighting. 399 00:21:45,216 --> 00:21:48,176 [Spanish music playing] 400 00:21:48,219 --> 00:21:51,005 XIMENEZ: Bullfighting in Spain is not only a tradition 401 00:21:51,048 --> 00:21:53,268 or a show, 402 00:21:53,312 --> 00:21:55,401 it's, uh, actually part of the culture, 403 00:21:55,444 --> 00:21:57,141 and it's the last part in which 404 00:21:57,185 --> 00:22:00,971 a very, very strict, uh, dance happens around the bull, 405 00:22:01,015 --> 00:22:03,278 and this man, this matador, 406 00:22:03,322 --> 00:22:07,369 actually is risking his life in front of you. 407 00:22:07,413 --> 00:22:09,284 THOMPSON: The danger and the bloodiness is a part of it. 408 00:22:09,328 --> 00:22:11,852 If the matador wins, the bull bleeds to death 409 00:22:11,895 --> 00:22:13,593 in front of the spectators. 410 00:22:13,636 --> 00:22:17,292 Now, of course if the bull wins, uh, the-the matador gets gored. 411 00:22:17,336 --> 00:22:20,600 XIMENEZ: In 2016, everybody was reminded 412 00:22:20,643 --> 00:22:22,558 about how dangerous bullfighting is 413 00:22:22,602 --> 00:22:25,387 when Víctor Barrio got gored to death by a bull 414 00:22:25,431 --> 00:22:27,607 in the middle of a bullfighting season. 415 00:22:27,650 --> 00:22:32,133 This was just another bullfighting festival. 416 00:22:32,176 --> 00:22:35,615 Uh, one of the hundreds that are in Spain in the summer. 417 00:22:35,658 --> 00:22:38,792 And Víctor Barrio was a experienced matador, 418 00:22:38,835 --> 00:22:43,187 and he was gored to death right there. 419 00:22:43,231 --> 00:22:46,495 It was a shocking event for the nation. 420 00:22:46,539 --> 00:22:49,672 It was a-a reminder of how dangerous this practice is. 421 00:22:49,716 --> 00:22:52,545 The possibility 422 00:22:52,588 --> 00:22:54,982 of a man dying before your eyes, 423 00:22:55,025 --> 00:22:57,332 it adds a layer of thrill to it. 424 00:22:57,376 --> 00:22:58,594 It's undeniable 425 00:22:58,638 --> 00:23:00,248 that it's just part of the attraction. 426 00:23:00,291 --> 00:23:02,990 Think of it as rodeos. Think of it as 427 00:23:03,033 --> 00:23:05,427 NASCAR races. They have a layer of danger, 428 00:23:05,471 --> 00:23:06,994 of live danger. 429 00:23:09,126 --> 00:23:10,824 WHITEHEAD: It's not just 430 00:23:10,867 --> 00:23:14,828 witnessing winning and losing and some friendly competition. 431 00:23:14,871 --> 00:23:16,786 This takes it to the next level. 432 00:23:16,830 --> 00:23:21,574 And the question is, what is it about human nature 433 00:23:21,617 --> 00:23:25,055 that would have thousands of people wanting to gather 434 00:23:25,099 --> 00:23:27,841 in some Colosseum or some modern stadium 435 00:23:27,884 --> 00:23:32,628 to watch this ritualistic form of combat, 436 00:23:32,672 --> 00:23:34,500 and why they would actually want to be involved 437 00:23:34,543 --> 00:23:36,676 in witnessing a ritualized form of death? 438 00:23:36,719 --> 00:23:40,419 TRIGG: It's really interesting to watch the fans. 439 00:23:40,462 --> 00:23:42,551 People actually get to a space where 440 00:23:42,595 --> 00:23:44,858 they lose social graces. 441 00:23:44,901 --> 00:23:46,990 They kind of lose themselves in the event, 442 00:23:47,034 --> 00:23:49,645 which is why going to a live event is so important 443 00:23:49,689 --> 00:23:51,517 for somebody that loves MMA. 444 00:23:51,560 --> 00:23:53,519 You'll see normal guys, and it could be 445 00:23:53,562 --> 00:23:54,824 even someone that you know personally. 446 00:23:54,868 --> 00:23:56,783 "Oh, he's a great guy. He's a Christian. 447 00:23:56,826 --> 00:23:59,307 He's a super family man, doesn't swear, hardly ever drinks," 448 00:23:59,350 --> 00:24:01,396 but he gets to the fight and he is cursing and swearing 449 00:24:01,440 --> 00:24:03,050 and throwing stuff down at everybody. 450 00:24:03,093 --> 00:24:04,530 You're like, "What? What happened? 451 00:24:04,573 --> 00:24:06,357 Oh, he's... That's his guy. That's his fighter." 452 00:24:10,449 --> 00:24:12,799 SHATNER: When we watch two men fight each other 453 00:24:12,842 --> 00:24:14,365 for sport, or watch a matador 454 00:24:14,409 --> 00:24:17,151 stare down a raging bull, 455 00:24:17,194 --> 00:24:20,284 is there a "spark of violence" 456 00:24:20,328 --> 00:24:22,330 that gets unleashed within all of us? 457 00:24:22,373 --> 00:24:27,161 A streak of barbarism that becomes somehow satisfied 458 00:24:27,204 --> 00:24:31,470 by what is, in effect, a ritual form of brutality? 459 00:24:31,513 --> 00:24:34,385 Perhaps the answer can be found by examining 460 00:24:34,429 --> 00:24:37,519 another ancient ritual, 461 00:24:37,563 --> 00:24:40,957 one designed to cure, not just a diseased body... 462 00:24:41,001 --> 00:24:44,570 -[thunder crashing] -...but a diseased soul 463 00:24:44,613 --> 00:24:46,528 -by casting out... -[screaming] 464 00:24:46,572 --> 00:24:48,008 ...the Devil himself. 465 00:24:51,968 --> 00:24:53,796 Gary, Indiana.THOMPSON: In 2018,R: 466 00:24:53,840 --> 00:24:56,059 April 2012. 467 00:24:56,103 --> 00:24:58,453 Father Michael Maginot, 468 00:24:58,497 --> 00:25:00,890 the pastor of Saint Stephen, Martyr Catholic Church, 469 00:25:00,934 --> 00:25:04,807 meets with Latoya Ammons in her home. 470 00:25:04,851 --> 00:25:08,594 But this is not a common pastoral house call 471 00:25:08,637 --> 00:25:12,685 because Father Mike, as he is known by his parishioners, 472 00:25:12,728 --> 00:25:14,556 is also an exorcist, 473 00:25:14,600 --> 00:25:17,385 and he has been asked 474 00:25:17,428 --> 00:25:20,562 to rid this home of a demon. 475 00:25:22,564 --> 00:25:25,959 Latoya moved into this particular house 476 00:25:26,002 --> 00:25:29,876 in Gary in November of 2011. 477 00:25:29,919 --> 00:25:33,619 She was the mother of three children. 478 00:25:33,662 --> 00:25:36,578 And once the family moved in, 479 00:25:36,622 --> 00:25:38,667 they were noticing all kinds of phenomena 480 00:25:38,711 --> 00:25:40,408 happening in the house. 481 00:25:41,583 --> 00:25:43,280 Flies were swarming 482 00:25:43,324 --> 00:25:45,761 in the middle of winter. 483 00:25:45,805 --> 00:25:48,285 [pounding] 484 00:25:48,329 --> 00:25:50,723 They would hear noises through the house. 485 00:25:50,766 --> 00:25:54,422 -[creaking] -Footsteps coming up the stairs 486 00:25:54,465 --> 00:25:57,860 from the basement. 487 00:25:57,904 --> 00:26:00,689 They would see shadow figures pacing back and forth 488 00:26:00,733 --> 00:26:03,649 in the living room and turn on the light 489 00:26:03,692 --> 00:26:06,608 and see muddy footprints 490 00:26:06,652 --> 00:26:08,567 left on the floor. 491 00:26:10,177 --> 00:26:13,180 Her children, uh, were also exhibiting 492 00:26:13,223 --> 00:26:14,877 some really odd behavior. 493 00:26:14,921 --> 00:26:16,531 [indistinct whispering] 494 00:26:16,575 --> 00:26:19,273 One of the boys was seen talking to an imaginary friend 495 00:26:19,316 --> 00:26:23,103 that resided somewhere within the house. 496 00:26:23,146 --> 00:26:27,934 And reports also suggest that the daughter was seen levitating 497 00:26:27,977 --> 00:26:29,762 several feet above her bed at night. 498 00:26:33,026 --> 00:26:36,377 MAGINOT: And so, Latoya was convinced 499 00:26:36,420 --> 00:26:40,207 something beyond explanation was happening to her family, 500 00:26:40,250 --> 00:26:42,296 but no one would really believe her. 501 00:26:42,339 --> 00:26:46,517 During that time, the children, they were getting sick. 502 00:26:46,561 --> 00:26:49,390 And then Child Protective Services 503 00:26:49,433 --> 00:26:52,698 were getting reports that they were missing a lot of school, 504 00:26:52,741 --> 00:26:57,180 so they actually were investigating, um, Latoya. 505 00:26:57,224 --> 00:27:01,750 She was saying that it was demonic possession, 506 00:27:01,794 --> 00:27:05,188 and so they were giving her psychiatric examinations, 507 00:27:05,232 --> 00:27:10,324 but they couldn't find any psychological illness with her. 508 00:27:10,367 --> 00:27:12,761 SHATNER: Not only did the authorities fail to find 509 00:27:12,805 --> 00:27:16,112 any trace of mental illness in Latoya's behavior, 510 00:27:16,156 --> 00:27:20,116 or any inconsistencies in her story, 511 00:27:20,160 --> 00:27:23,467 they also witnessed an event involving her son 512 00:27:23,511 --> 00:27:25,687 that made them realize that something 513 00:27:25,731 --> 00:27:27,820 really was happening to this family, 514 00:27:27,863 --> 00:27:30,823 something unexplained. 515 00:27:30,866 --> 00:27:34,783 During the family's psychiatric evaluations, 516 00:27:34,827 --> 00:27:39,353 the youngest child began rolling eyes in the back of his head, 517 00:27:39,396 --> 00:27:42,182 growling. 518 00:27:42,225 --> 00:27:46,882 And then the case worker, as well as several members 519 00:27:46,926 --> 00:27:51,278 of hospital staff, witnessed the boy walk backwards up a wall. 520 00:27:54,368 --> 00:27:58,024 MAGINOT: When they witnessed the boy walk up the wall backwards, 521 00:27:58,067 --> 00:27:59,373 yeah, they were believers. 522 00:27:59,416 --> 00:28:02,419 They knew there was no explanation for that. 523 00:28:02,463 --> 00:28:06,467 And so, I got called to investigate this case 524 00:28:06,510 --> 00:28:08,817 by the hospital chaplain, 525 00:28:08,861 --> 00:28:11,298 and I went to visit Latoya. 526 00:28:11,341 --> 00:28:13,300 It was a four-hour interview, 527 00:28:13,343 --> 00:28:16,303 and it was in the midst of that 528 00:28:16,346 --> 00:28:18,697 that I placed the crucifix 529 00:28:18,740 --> 00:28:23,571 on her forehead and she began to convulse. 530 00:28:23,614 --> 00:28:25,921 Then I took it off and she stopped convulsing. 531 00:28:25,965 --> 00:28:30,230 And that's one of the main things that fits 532 00:28:30,273 --> 00:28:32,754 the signs of demonic possession. 533 00:28:32,798 --> 00:28:36,323 After considering the evidence, 534 00:28:36,366 --> 00:28:39,500 I was convinced that the only way to get rid of it 535 00:28:39,543 --> 00:28:42,546 was a church-sanctioned exorcism. 536 00:28:42,590 --> 00:28:46,550 And so I reported that, uh, to the bishop 537 00:28:46,594 --> 00:28:48,204 and he gave permission. 538 00:28:48,248 --> 00:28:53,644 An exorcism is a ritual, a spiritual battle, 539 00:28:53,688 --> 00:28:58,301 and so you need to somehow upset the demon. 540 00:28:58,345 --> 00:29:00,913 One of the instruments that I would use 541 00:29:00,956 --> 00:29:02,566 would be a blessed crucifix 542 00:29:02,610 --> 00:29:05,178 to put on the person's forehead. 543 00:29:05,221 --> 00:29:09,225 A second thing is sprinkling holy water. 544 00:29:09,269 --> 00:29:13,055 There are three sections of the rite 545 00:29:13,099 --> 00:29:15,318 where you're addressing the demon 546 00:29:15,362 --> 00:29:17,625 and a second place where you're addressing God, 547 00:29:17,668 --> 00:29:20,323 and you could do it in English, 548 00:29:20,367 --> 00:29:22,195 or else, you could also do it in Latin. 549 00:29:22,238 --> 00:29:25,111 -[speaking Latin] -In Latoya's case, 550 00:29:25,154 --> 00:29:27,069 when we were addressing the demon in Latin, 551 00:29:27,113 --> 00:29:29,811 Latoya would be convulsing, 552 00:29:29,855 --> 00:29:33,206 but when we were addressing God, she would stop convulsing. 553 00:29:33,249 --> 00:29:35,512 I'm the only one there that knew the Latin, 554 00:29:35,556 --> 00:29:37,776 and-and I found that kind of amazing. 555 00:29:39,734 --> 00:29:43,085 A demonic entity will fight for the territory 556 00:29:43,129 --> 00:29:45,348 that they have gained, 557 00:29:45,392 --> 00:29:48,482 but then, eventually, it starts to lessen. 558 00:29:48,525 --> 00:29:51,572 With Latoya, finally she fell asleep, 559 00:29:51,615 --> 00:29:55,706 and that was kind of an indication that it left. 560 00:29:55,750 --> 00:29:58,405 Once she got cleared, um, 561 00:29:58,448 --> 00:30:02,235 then the children were also fine after that as well. 562 00:30:02,278 --> 00:30:06,543 SHATNER: What saved Latoya Ammons and her children 563 00:30:06,587 --> 00:30:10,112 from their deep physical and emotional torment? 564 00:30:10,156 --> 00:30:13,681 Was it really the spiritual power of the ritual 565 00:30:13,724 --> 00:30:16,075 that Father Michael performed? 566 00:30:16,118 --> 00:30:20,035 Or was it the psychological or psychosomatic effect 567 00:30:20,079 --> 00:30:25,736 that simply performing a ritual had on Latoya and her family? 568 00:30:25,780 --> 00:30:27,216 Latoya's case is really interesting 569 00:30:27,260 --> 00:30:29,566 because it's a case that actually made national news. 570 00:30:29,610 --> 00:30:32,787 Herself and her children were exhibiting symptoms 571 00:30:32,831 --> 00:30:35,137 that could not be explained rationally 572 00:30:35,181 --> 00:30:37,792 by modern medical science, but in the end, 573 00:30:37,836 --> 00:30:39,576 after all of their attempts, 574 00:30:39,620 --> 00:30:41,535 it was the exorcism itself 575 00:30:41,578 --> 00:30:43,754 that actually produced the positive effect. 576 00:30:43,798 --> 00:30:46,714 We have evidence of exorcism rituals 577 00:30:46,757 --> 00:30:50,283 dating back 3,000 years ago in ancient Babylon. 578 00:30:50,326 --> 00:30:51,850 [shouting incoherently] 579 00:30:51,893 --> 00:30:53,808 CHAVEZ: To those that say that exorcism 580 00:30:53,852 --> 00:30:56,767 shouldn't exist in modern society, 581 00:30:56,811 --> 00:31:00,815 they really need to appreciate just how successful 582 00:31:00,859 --> 00:31:05,428 exorcism can be as a ritual, how it's able to help people. 583 00:31:05,472 --> 00:31:08,388 TZADOK: Exorcisms are not just performed by one religion 584 00:31:08,431 --> 00:31:11,304 or another, they're performed by all the different religions. 585 00:31:11,347 --> 00:31:13,741 It happens everywhere because we're dealing with 586 00:31:13,784 --> 00:31:16,657 the commonality of human souls. 587 00:31:16,700 --> 00:31:20,791 We recognize that the nature of a possession 588 00:31:20,835 --> 00:31:26,014 is an earthbound soul which is unable to 589 00:31:26,058 --> 00:31:30,236 or afraid to move forward in its spiritual progression. 590 00:31:30,279 --> 00:31:36,024 And we perform rituals because the nature of ritual 591 00:31:36,068 --> 00:31:39,375 is being an expression of inner psychological 592 00:31:39,419 --> 00:31:41,725 ideas and beliefs. 593 00:31:41,769 --> 00:31:46,643 And therefore, as such, exorcisms become 594 00:31:46,687 --> 00:31:48,819 a required practice. 595 00:31:48,863 --> 00:31:50,430 [growling] 596 00:31:54,086 --> 00:31:57,959 Can ritual really be used to fight off evil spirits? 597 00:31:58,003 --> 00:32:01,745 You may say that notion sounds too outlandish to even consider, 598 00:32:01,789 --> 00:32:03,834 until you realize that, at one time or another, 599 00:32:03,878 --> 00:32:06,359 even you... 600 00:32:06,402 --> 00:32:09,188 have probably used a ritual to connect with a higher power. 601 00:32:09,231 --> 00:32:10,754 It's called prayer. 602 00:32:10,798 --> 00:32:12,800 And there are billions of people all over the world 603 00:32:12,843 --> 00:32:16,151 who believe that prayer 604 00:32:16,195 --> 00:32:19,372 is the most powerful ritual of all. 605 00:32:25,334 --> 00:32:26,422 SHATNER: Israel.TZADOK: You can have a gathering of literally 606 00:32:26,466 --> 00:32:28,424 January 2018. 607 00:32:29,948 --> 00:32:33,690 Here, in what is known as the Holy Land, 608 00:32:33,734 --> 00:32:38,043 the average temperature is almost 90 degrees Fahrenheit, 609 00:32:38,086 --> 00:32:42,830 and water is a precious commodity. 610 00:32:42,873 --> 00:32:45,224 But this is no average year. 611 00:32:49,010 --> 00:32:50,707 It's been almost five years 612 00:32:50,751 --> 00:32:53,145 since more than a few drops of rain 613 00:32:53,188 --> 00:32:56,235 fell upon Israel's thirsty sands, 614 00:32:56,278 --> 00:33:00,500 and the people are beginning to panic. 615 00:33:00,543 --> 00:33:03,329 TZADOK: The spring season in the Middle East 616 00:33:03,372 --> 00:33:07,072 is the time for the rains to come. 617 00:33:07,115 --> 00:33:10,075 As such, if the rains are not there, 618 00:33:10,118 --> 00:33:11,641 you don't have your agriculture, 619 00:33:11,685 --> 00:33:15,210 which is a life-and-death type of experience. 620 00:33:15,254 --> 00:33:16,429 Even in modern times, 621 00:33:16,472 --> 00:33:18,474 with all of our modern technology, 622 00:33:18,518 --> 00:33:20,781 rain makes the crops grow. 623 00:33:20,824 --> 00:33:23,479 No crops, no food; no food, no life. 624 00:33:23,523 --> 00:33:26,526 So when we have a drought, 625 00:33:26,569 --> 00:33:28,615 this creates crisis. 626 00:33:31,226 --> 00:33:33,272 SHATNER: Israel is one of the wealthiest 627 00:33:33,315 --> 00:33:36,536 and most technologically advanced countries in the world. 628 00:33:36,579 --> 00:33:40,931 It is also one of the most religious. 629 00:33:40,975 --> 00:33:45,632 So when facing its worst drought in close to 100 years, 630 00:33:45,675 --> 00:33:49,114 with the fate of the entire country hanging in the balance, 631 00:33:49,157 --> 00:33:51,725 what is their solution? 632 00:33:51,768 --> 00:33:55,294 -[praying in foreign language] -Prayer. 633 00:33:55,337 --> 00:33:57,861 TZADOK: In our Judaic tradition, 634 00:33:57,905 --> 00:34:00,908 we have had a long-standing history 635 00:34:00,951 --> 00:34:02,823 that when there is drought, 636 00:34:02,866 --> 00:34:04,781 the chief rabbi of the country 637 00:34:04,825 --> 00:34:08,437 can call the entire nation to prayer. 638 00:34:08,481 --> 00:34:11,614 And you can have a gathering in Jerusalem 639 00:34:11,658 --> 00:34:15,357 of literally thousands or tens of thousands of minds, 640 00:34:15,401 --> 00:34:17,446 souls, that will come together 641 00:34:17,490 --> 00:34:22,016 and pour out their collective energy, 642 00:34:22,060 --> 00:34:27,369 calling upon God in heaven to literally manipulate 643 00:34:27,413 --> 00:34:31,069 the forces of nature and bring rain. 644 00:34:34,159 --> 00:34:38,293 THOMPSON: In 2018, Israel was in a major drought, 645 00:34:38,337 --> 00:34:40,121 and this was really beginning to cause problems. 646 00:34:40,165 --> 00:34:43,385 At this point, uh, Chief Rabbi David Lau 647 00:34:43,429 --> 00:34:46,127 organized a massive ritual, 648 00:34:46,171 --> 00:34:48,695 put out a call for believers to ce 649 00:34:48,738 --> 00:34:51,654 to one of the most sacred sites in Judaism, 650 00:34:51,698 --> 00:34:56,006 -the Wailing Wall. -[praying in foreign language] 651 00:34:56,050 --> 00:34:57,704 They went to the Wailing Wall, 652 00:34:57,747 --> 00:35:00,881 and you had thousands of Jews praying for rain to come. 653 00:35:00,924 --> 00:35:03,884 [praying continues] 654 00:35:03,927 --> 00:35:06,016 TZADOK: When the individual Torah-observant 655 00:35:06,060 --> 00:35:11,544 Jewish man wraps himself in his tallit prayer shawl 656 00:35:11,587 --> 00:35:15,417 and puts on the boxes of the tefillin, 657 00:35:15,461 --> 00:35:22,032 he creates for himself a psychic bubble of energy, 658 00:35:22,076 --> 00:35:26,167 which unites the individual mind and heart 659 00:35:26,211 --> 00:35:30,954 with the collective power of the word of God, 660 00:35:30,998 --> 00:35:34,044 literally materialized before him in the form 661 00:35:34,088 --> 00:35:35,611 of the fringes of the prayer shawl, 662 00:35:35,655 --> 00:35:39,789 and literally in the form of the scrolls 663 00:35:39,833 --> 00:35:41,878 that are upon his arm next to his heart 664 00:35:41,922 --> 00:35:44,272 and on his head, close to his mind. 665 00:35:46,709 --> 00:35:50,800 SHATNER: It is one thing for us to believe the ritual of prayer 666 00:35:50,844 --> 00:35:53,629 has the ability to affect our world. 667 00:35:53,673 --> 00:35:56,893 But can the act of praying actually 668 00:35:56,937 --> 00:36:01,202 connect us to a higher power? 669 00:36:01,246 --> 00:36:04,597 A ritual is a very predictable sequence of, of events. 670 00:36:17,000 --> 00:36:19,525 But the interesting thing is, if you have two things, 671 00:36:19,568 --> 00:36:20,961 you have a boundary between them. 672 00:36:21,004 --> 00:36:24,182 And prayer and prayer rituals might be a way 673 00:36:24,225 --> 00:36:26,836 of influencing that boundary between the physical 674 00:36:26,880 --> 00:36:30,057 and the nonphysical in a way that the nonphysical 675 00:36:30,100 --> 00:36:32,190 then interacts again with the physical world. 676 00:36:35,280 --> 00:36:38,239 SHATNER: To those more secular and cynical-minded, 677 00:36:38,283 --> 00:36:42,722 praying is a rather quaint, if not irrelevant pastime. 678 00:36:42,765 --> 00:36:46,204 There's no reason it should work, right? 679 00:36:48,554 --> 00:36:50,947 -[praying in foreign language] -Except that in the case 680 00:36:50,991 --> 00:36:53,950 of ending Israel's drought in 2018, 681 00:36:53,994 --> 00:36:58,041 many believe it did. 682 00:36:58,085 --> 00:37:01,828 -[praying continues] -[thunder rumbling] 683 00:37:14,101 --> 00:37:15,363 [thunder crashing] 684 00:37:21,500 --> 00:37:24,285 AMIR HUSSAIN: You can say that it's just simply correlation-- 685 00:37:24,329 --> 00:37:27,680 yes, you prayed and yes, three days later there was rain, 686 00:37:27,723 --> 00:37:29,290 but the one thing didn't cause the other. 687 00:37:29,334 --> 00:37:32,206 I mean, that's the scientific approach. 688 00:37:32,250 --> 00:37:33,729 The religious approach is a little bit different 689 00:37:33,773 --> 00:37:36,515 to say, well, maybe we did, maybe we did influence this, 690 00:37:36,558 --> 00:37:39,822 maybe God listened to these prayers. 691 00:37:42,172 --> 00:37:45,915 [men singing, clapping] 692 00:37:45,959 --> 00:37:49,528 TZADOK: In Judaism, there are rituals that augment the power 693 00:37:49,571 --> 00:37:51,747 of the individual-- 694 00:37:51,791 --> 00:37:56,056 the passion, the desire, the thought, the idea, 695 00:37:56,099 --> 00:38:00,147 creating, if you will, a psychic field, 696 00:38:00,190 --> 00:38:05,065 which combines to give great psychic spiritual energy 697 00:38:05,108 --> 00:38:09,548 for the fulfillment of that which the individuals seek. 698 00:38:09,591 --> 00:38:13,595 But when we come together as a collective, 699 00:38:13,639 --> 00:38:18,339 we find that it does have the power to influence change. 700 00:38:18,383 --> 00:38:22,474 They prayed for rain. And the prayers were answered. 701 00:38:22,517 --> 00:38:27,087 [praying in foreign language] 702 00:38:27,130 --> 00:38:30,003 SHATNER: Of course, there's always the chance that it wasn't prayer, 703 00:38:30,046 --> 00:38:33,833 but coincidence that saved the Israeli people. 704 00:38:33,876 --> 00:38:36,096 The drought would have ended at some point. 705 00:38:36,139 --> 00:38:40,274 But then, why take chances? 706 00:38:40,318 --> 00:38:42,363 Perhaps the faithful know something 707 00:38:42,407 --> 00:38:45,366 that nonbelievers don't. 708 00:38:45,410 --> 00:38:47,977 And this could also help to explain the rituals 709 00:38:48,021 --> 00:38:51,067 associated with the event that, for all of us, 710 00:38:51,111 --> 00:38:54,462 really is the final frontier... 711 00:38:55,811 --> 00:39:01,208 ...death. 712 00:39:01,251 --> 00:39:02,862 SHATNER: Indonesia. 713 00:39:02,905 --> 00:39:06,126 High in the mountains of the island of Sulawesi, 714 00:39:06,169 --> 00:39:10,565 the residents of a small Torajan village gather for a funeral. 715 00:39:10,609 --> 00:39:13,786 But are funeral rites a sign 716 00:39:13,829 --> 00:39:18,312 that mankind has difficulty in accepting the finality of death? 717 00:39:18,356 --> 00:39:22,795 Or is it because our subconscious minds 718 00:39:22,838 --> 00:39:27,103 know that death is not really an end, but a beginning? 719 00:39:27,147 --> 00:39:29,279 THOMPSON: Every culture in the world 720 00:39:29,323 --> 00:39:32,239 has some sort of death ritual, and studying those will tell you 721 00:39:32,282 --> 00:39:33,893 a lot about what those people think 722 00:39:33,936 --> 00:39:37,984 of the afterlife, about the soul, about society. 723 00:39:38,027 --> 00:39:41,988 So, in the Toraja communities, when somebody dies, 724 00:39:42,031 --> 00:39:45,339 they preserve the corpse so it doesn't rot, and then 725 00:39:45,383 --> 00:39:47,428 they treat it as if it were alive. 726 00:39:47,472 --> 00:39:51,519 Even the term they use for a recently deceased person 727 00:39:51,563 --> 00:39:54,566 in this state is, actually, means sick, 728 00:39:54,609 --> 00:39:56,872 so they don't acknowledge that the person has really died yet. 729 00:40:06,665 --> 00:40:08,536 They will talk to them, they will fill them in, 730 00:40:08,580 --> 00:40:09,755 in what's happening in the world... 731 00:40:12,105 --> 00:40:14,281 WHITEHEAD: They do mock dancing sessions 732 00:40:14,324 --> 00:40:17,023 with them, they parade them around. 733 00:40:17,066 --> 00:40:19,895 It's as if they're trying to stay in touch with the dead 734 00:40:19,939 --> 00:40:22,811 or, or somehow relate to the dead. 735 00:40:22,855 --> 00:40:25,553 THOMPSON: What is the relationship 736 00:40:25,597 --> 00:40:28,600 between your body and your soul and what happens at death? 737 00:40:28,643 --> 00:40:30,645 These are the elemental questions 738 00:40:30,689 --> 00:40:33,518 that studying different funerary traditions can tell us. 739 00:40:33,561 --> 00:40:36,738 So, all these different traditions seem 740 00:40:36,782 --> 00:40:39,175 very, very focused 741 00:40:39,219 --> 00:40:41,526 on maintaining strong links with the dead. 742 00:40:41,569 --> 00:40:44,137 Some cultures, like, for example, Indonesia, 743 00:40:44,180 --> 00:40:46,487 you may do things with the body 744 00:40:46,531 --> 00:40:49,969 that to us may seem very strange. 745 00:40:50,012 --> 00:40:52,493 But it's no different than a funeral, where the person 746 00:40:52,537 --> 00:40:55,627 has been dead for ten days, and the mortician 747 00:40:55,670 --> 00:40:59,544 makes them look like they're alive and they're just sleeping. 748 00:40:59,587 --> 00:41:02,590 There's this amazing connection that we have for the deceased. 749 00:41:02,634 --> 00:41:06,942 I can never call up my best friend again who passed away, 750 00:41:06,986 --> 00:41:09,075 but I'm still in connection with that person. 751 00:41:09,118 --> 00:41:11,381 I still think about that person. 752 00:41:11,425 --> 00:41:13,079 Sometimes I still talk to them. 753 00:41:13,122 --> 00:41:16,561 And I think these rituals help us to understand 754 00:41:16,604 --> 00:41:19,825 that we're still informed by these people. 755 00:41:19,868 --> 00:41:22,784 We're still in relationship with those who have passed. 756 00:41:22,828 --> 00:41:25,700 It's just a different kind of relationship. 757 00:41:28,094 --> 00:41:32,533 So, do rituals really work? 758 00:41:32,577 --> 00:41:33,969 Well, many of us certainly believe they do, 759 00:41:34,013 --> 00:41:36,406 even if we don't know how. 760 00:41:36,450 --> 00:41:39,845 Whether it's to acquire superhuman abilities 761 00:41:39,888 --> 00:41:44,502 or to ward off evil, rituals help to connect us 762 00:41:44,545 --> 00:41:47,809 to a world very different from our own. 763 00:41:47,853 --> 00:41:51,334 It's a world of the spiritual. 764 00:41:51,378 --> 00:41:56,514 It's a world of the supernatural. 765 00:41:56,557 --> 00:41:58,777 It's a world of The UnXplained. 766 00:41:58,820 --> 00:42:00,996 CAPTIONING PROVIDED BY A+E NETWORKS