“Dude, I’m not enabling your sick habit. You’re like one of those lab rats that push the pleasure button instead of the food button until it dies.” - Sam Winchester, Supernatural
“I know in my heart that only you can restore me to sanity. I humbly ask that you remove all twisted thought and addictive behavior from me this day.” - Second Step AA
There are many movies today where unsuspecting heroes cast out or kill demons in order to save themselves and others. They always include difficult journeys, incantations, and charms. While their quest seems initially successful, there is always another demon rising. So too lies the path of modern day addiction groups. Although at first glance it seems implausible, there is a strong correlation between the chants and charms of the fictional, the real journey of the addict, and tenets of Medieval Christianity. For example, amber was highly praised by Albertus Magnus in The Book of Minerals as holding the power to cast out demons. The found remnants of both amber and jet amulets, especially cruciforms, provide ample evidence that Medieval Christians used charms to ward off evil (Baug, Ashby, 118). A recent search on The Token Shop yielded a magnitude of glitter-filled chips; at first this glitter and shine seemed inappropriate for the life altering quest of addicts fighting inner demons and staying sober “One Day at a Time.” On the other hand, the sparkling products of this healthy business may be just the thing and also mirror the precious gems and minerals that formed the early Christian “magical” amulets, as they are potent charms and tokens used to drive out evil spirits; indeed, it appears as if both groups are in the business of serving a real need with the power of protective charms.
About the presenterDena Hughes Arguelles
Dena Arguelles, MA is a full-time lecturer at Kean University. For the past decade, she has taught Composition, Literature, Great Books, and Interdisciplinary Courses such as Creating AnOther: The Construction of Monsters.