I’m about half way through a series of novels by Phil Rickman featuring an Anglican priest by the name of Merrily Watkins. Although these are mystery novels, they are also well researched in areas of mystical Christianity versus New Age religions, paganism, Pentecostalism and much more. The main character being an ordained woman and single parent of a teenage young woman is especially intriguing and more than a little close to my own history. I am enjoying them immensely and learning various historical nuances of New Age and other religious practices. For example, I did not know that Wicca arose in the 1960’s as a conglomeration of celtic pagan practices.
An older set of novels by Susan Howatch have long been be my favorite. The series on the Church of England and various ministries of healing and deliverance are probably the only books I have read two or three times. These novels are set in the 1920’s through the end of that century and therefore do not deal with more recent challenges to the ways of Christ. However, the quotes at the beginning of each chapter and some sections of the novels themselves are so profound and challenging that I re-read them as spiritual food.

The following is a prayer used by the Anglican church in it’s ministry of deliverance. This is a powerful prayer to counteract any sense of psychic attack. You will also find it in more traditional hymnals.

I bind unto myself today
The strong Name of the Trinity,
By invocation of the same
The Three in One and One in Three.

I bind this today to me forever
By power of faith, Christ’s incarnation;
His baptism in Jordan river,
His death on Cross for my salvation;
His bursting from the spicèd tomb,
His riding up the heavenly way,
His coming at the day of doom
I bind unto myself today.

I bind unto myself the power
Of the great love of cherubim;
The sweet ‘Well done’ in judgment hour,
The service of the seraphim,
Confessors’ faith, Apostles’ word,
The Patriarchs’ prayers, the prophets’ scrolls,
All good deeds done unto the Lord
And purity of virgin souls.

I bind unto myself today
The virtues of the star lit heaven,
The glorious sun’s life giving ray,
The whiteness of the moon at even,
The flashing of the lightning free,
The whirling wind’s tempestuous shocks,
The stable earth, the deep salt sea
Around the old eternal rocks.

I bind unto myself today
The power of God to hold and lead,
His eye to watch, His might to stay,
His ear to hearken to my need.
The wisdom of my God to teach,
His hand to guide, His shield to ward;
The word of God to give me speech,
His heavenly host to be my guard.

Against the demon snares of sin,
The vice that gives temptation force,
The natural lusts that war within,
The hostile men that mar my course;
Or few or many, far or nigh,
In every place and in all hours,
Against their fierce hostility
I bind to me these holy powers.

Against all Satan’s spells and wiles,
Against false words of heresy,
Against the knowledge that defiles,
Against the heart’s idolatry,
Against the wizard’s evil craft,
Against the death wound and the burning,
The choking wave, the poisoned shaft,
Protect me, Christ, till Thy returning.

Christ be with me, Christ within me,
Christ behind me, Christ before me,
Christ beside me, Christ to win me,
Christ to comfort and restore me.
Christ beneath me, Christ above me,
Christ in quiet, Christ in danger,
Christ in hearts of all that love me,
Christ in mouth of friend and stranger.

I bind unto myself the Name,
The strong Name of the Trinity,
By invocation of the same,
The Three in One and One in Three.
By Whom all nature hath creation,
Eternal Father, Spirit, Word:
Praise to the Lord of my salvation,
Salvation is of Christ the Lord.

“He whom the entire universe could not contain was contained within your womb, O Theotokos.”

From a Hymn of the ancient church

“O Marevlous Palace of the Master, make me to be a house of the Divine Spirit.”

From a Russian Orthodox Prayer Book