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SHATNER: Bare feet,
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00:00:07,137 --> 00:00:09,965
walking on red-hot coals.
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Voodoo priests casting a spell.
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00:00:14,310 --> 00:00:17,724
- [thunder crashing]
- And ancient ceremonies
used to ward off...
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00:00:17,827 --> 00:00:20,551
- the Devil himself.
- [screaming]
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00:00:24,068 --> 00:00:29,000
Can ancient rituals really
unleash incredible powers?
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Physical powers?
Psychic powers?
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00:00:33,103 --> 00:00:36,413
There are many who believe
in the power of prayer.
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So what about spells
used to conjure the dead?
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00:00:42,275 --> 00:00:45,034
Could they really work?
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00:00:45,137 --> 00:00:48,758
And if they do...
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00:00:48,862 --> 00:00:50,827
what does that say about
the physical laws
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00:00:50,931 --> 00:00:52,103
of the world we live in?
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[chuckles]:
Well...
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that is what we'll try
and find out.
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♪
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SHATNER:
San Pedro Manrique, Spain.
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June 23, 2018.
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Here, as they have
for centuries,
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villagers gather
for an evening festival
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to celebrate
the summer solstice.
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They engage in singing, dancing,
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wearing elaborate costumes.
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But for a select group
of villagers,
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the festivities
aren't so... conventional.
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Because their evening also
includes something
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out of the ordinary:
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00:01:48,379 --> 00:01:51,000
a dangerous walk...
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- over fire.
- [flames crackling]
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Now, I've seen many
fire walking rituals
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in many different contexts
in a variety of countries.
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They have this amphitheater
around the, the place where
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the actual fire is,
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and these men
walk on the embers.
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It's five or six steps
from one side to the other.
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And they do it barefoot
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and usually carrying someone
on their shoulders.
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[applause and cheering]
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People often wonder,
is the fire walk really hot?
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00:02:32,275 --> 00:02:33,965
And the answer is yes.
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Once the wood is first laid out,
the overall temperature
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00:02:38,379 --> 00:02:41,758
is between a thousand
and 1,200 degrees.
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That's really hot.
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00:02:43,862 --> 00:02:47,896
More than enough
to burn flesh, certainly.
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00:03:02,172 --> 00:03:04,586
MICHAEL DENNIN: If you look at
the temperatures involved,
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00:03:04,689 --> 00:03:06,172
you're typically
talking temperatures
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00:03:06,275 --> 00:03:08,965
over a thousand degrees
Fahrenheit, and skin burns
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00:03:09,068 --> 00:03:11,034
at a hundred,
160 degrees Fahrenheit.
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XIMENEZ:
Walking on fire
is very, very dangerous.
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I mean, you're barefoot.
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Just one wrong move
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00:03:18,793 --> 00:03:21,758
and you can be severely burned.
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[crowd cheering]
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SHATNER:
Walking on fire.
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00:03:43,206 --> 00:03:47,482
And at temperatures hot enough
to turn metal into liquid.
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00:03:47,586 --> 00:03:49,310
No one in their right mind
would do this
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00:03:49,413 --> 00:03:51,965
and expect to emerge
unharmed, right?
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00:03:52,068 --> 00:03:56,482
And yet, the people
of San Pedro Manrique
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00:03:56,586 --> 00:04:00,413
manage to do just that,
and on a yearly basis.
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00:04:00,517 --> 00:04:03,379
But how?
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00:04:03,482 --> 00:04:04,931
Walking across hot embers
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00:04:05,034 --> 00:04:06,724
is one of my favorite
physics problems.
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00:04:06,827 --> 00:04:10,310
The trick is making sure
the embers are hot enough
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00:04:10,413 --> 00:04:13,724
that you actually get
a very thin but very real layer
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00:04:13,827 --> 00:04:18,034
of water vapor between your skin
and the hot coals.
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00:04:19,862 --> 00:04:21,517
Some of these same firewalkers,
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00:04:21,620 --> 00:04:24,827
one day,
they walk across unscathed;
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00:04:24,931 --> 00:04:29,275
another time they try it,
they do burn their feet.
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00:04:29,379 --> 00:04:34,689
My experience tells me the
difference is in their mindset.
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00:04:34,793 --> 00:04:39,241
So at my fire walks, once we've
taken the group out to the fire,
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00:04:39,344 --> 00:04:41,137
and we're getting ready to walk,
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first, I like to remind them
again about their intention.
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00:04:44,862 --> 00:04:48,482
And this helps motivate them
and get them across.
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00:04:48,586 --> 00:04:52,310
And then,
we raise people's energy
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00:04:52,413 --> 00:04:54,758
before a fire walk.
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00:04:54,862 --> 00:04:58,724
Firewalkers around the world,
regardless of tradition,
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00:04:58,827 --> 00:05:02,689
religion, they raise
the group's energy
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00:05:02,793 --> 00:05:04,827
before they walk.
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00:05:04,931 --> 00:05:08,482
So, this can be done with
meditation, chanting,
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00:05:08,586 --> 00:05:11,482
singing, dancing...
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00:05:11,586 --> 00:05:13,793
Whatever the case,
you want to get your group
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00:05:13,896 --> 00:05:17,103
into an excited, pumped-up state
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00:05:17,206 --> 00:05:18,724
before the fire walk.
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00:05:18,827 --> 00:05:22,034
There is absolutely
something about
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00:05:22,137 --> 00:05:24,655
being in an excited,
uplifted state
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00:05:24,758 --> 00:05:27,275
that helps you
get across safely.
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00:05:27,379 --> 00:05:29,482
[crowd chanting]
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00:05:29,586 --> 00:05:33,000
So what actually happens
there psychologically
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00:05:33,103 --> 00:05:35,931
is there is this
emotional buildup.
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00:05:36,034 --> 00:05:39,931
There is this highly intense
arousal that's happening,
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00:05:40,034 --> 00:05:43,172
and so you have cortisol and
other sort of endocrine hormones
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00:05:43,275 --> 00:05:45,655
flooding the system,
which will help to block
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00:05:45,758 --> 00:05:47,620
some of the pain receptors.
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00:05:50,620 --> 00:05:52,344
SHATNER:
Water vapor?
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00:05:52,448 --> 00:05:54,206
Mind control?
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00:05:54,310 --> 00:05:57,000
But can fire walking
without pain or injury
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00:05:57,103 --> 00:06:00,655
really be just a simple matter
of will power?
98
00:06:00,758 --> 00:06:05,931
Or does it require
something even more?
99
00:06:06,034 --> 00:06:08,241
We know we have the capability
to redirect pain
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00:06:08,344 --> 00:06:10,241
or even to numb pain
just by putting ourselves
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00:06:10,344 --> 00:06:11,689
in the right mindset.
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00:06:11,793 --> 00:06:14,344
But many of these firewalkers
don't even have blisters
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00:06:14,448 --> 00:06:16,620
or burns on their feet.
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00:06:16,724 --> 00:06:18,103
So, when you look at physics,
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00:06:18,206 --> 00:06:19,379
that's impossible.
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00:06:19,482 --> 00:06:20,620
If you touch something
that's hot,
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00:06:20,724 --> 00:06:21,862
you're gonna get burned.
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00:06:21,965 --> 00:06:24,344
So the question is,
are we dealing with
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00:06:24,448 --> 00:06:27,689
the magical force that
we have yet to fully understand?
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00:06:27,793 --> 00:06:29,862
HOBSON:
So in one study with
the San Pedro
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00:06:29,965 --> 00:06:31,862
Spanish fire walking ritual,
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00:06:31,965 --> 00:06:36,000
a team of anthropologists
were curious what happens to
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00:06:36,103 --> 00:06:38,517
a person's heart rate
for the individual
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00:06:38,620 --> 00:06:40,068
who's actually walking,
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00:06:40,172 --> 00:06:44,379
and for any individual
who is close to them?
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00:06:44,482 --> 00:06:47,172
Like a relative
or a family member.
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[applause and cheering]
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00:07:07,034 --> 00:07:08,758
[applause and cheering]
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00:07:18,551 --> 00:07:21,103
HOBSON:
The surprising part is that
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00:07:21,206 --> 00:07:23,689
you will still have
a state of physiology
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00:07:23,793 --> 00:07:26,034
that's similar
to the individual, as if...
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00:07:26,137 --> 00:07:28,724
you are walking over the coals,
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00:07:28,827 --> 00:07:31,275
when in fact, of course,
you're not.
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00:07:31,379 --> 00:07:35,827
AXTELL:
It is so much more than just
an individual ritual.
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00:07:35,931 --> 00:07:38,517
It is a community experience.
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00:07:38,620 --> 00:07:43,482
Yes, it is technically possible
to cross a coal bed unharmed
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00:07:43,586 --> 00:07:44,931
all by yourself.
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00:07:45,034 --> 00:07:49,862
But it is much easier
to experience a fire walk
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00:07:49,965 --> 00:07:54,275
surrounded by people
who are there to support you:
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00:07:54,379 --> 00:07:56,827
your family, your community.
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00:07:56,931 --> 00:07:59,896
Crossing barefoot over
thousand-degree coals
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00:08:00,000 --> 00:08:02,896
doesn't make
any practical sense.
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00:08:03,000 --> 00:08:04,655
And even though
I've personally crossed
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00:08:04,758 --> 00:08:06,724
hundreds and hundreds
of coal beds,
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00:08:06,827 --> 00:08:09,724
I still don't
perfectly understand
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00:08:09,827 --> 00:08:12,137
how and why it works
like it does.
137
00:08:15,793 --> 00:08:17,551
So what about you?
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00:08:17,655 --> 00:08:19,758
Are you willing
to take your chances,
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00:08:19,862 --> 00:08:24,379
slip off your shoes
and walk barefoot over fire?
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00:08:24,482 --> 00:08:26,896
Well, if you are,
then perhaps you're also ready
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00:08:27,000 --> 00:08:29,137
to confront the unknown,
and see what happens
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00:08:29,241 --> 00:08:34,206
when you come face-to-face
with the power of voodoo.
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00:08:39,931 --> 00:08:41,379
SHATNER: London, England.
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00:08:41,482 --> 00:08:43,517
May 2012.
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00:08:43,620 --> 00:08:46,931
32-year-old author Julia Buckley
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00:08:47,034 --> 00:08:51,137
is writing in her office
when she experiences a pain
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00:08:51,241 --> 00:08:54,551
unlike any
she has ever felt before.
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00:08:54,655 --> 00:08:58,241
I was just at my desk one day
at work, typing away,
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00:08:58,344 --> 00:09:01,482
um, reached out
for a cup of coffee,
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00:09:01,586 --> 00:09:05,965
and suddenly, it was as if
my right arm was on fire,
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00:09:06,068 --> 00:09:09,137
as if someone had laid out
fireworks all the way
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00:09:09,241 --> 00:09:12,896
from my fingers up to my armpit,
and across to my neck.
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00:09:13,000 --> 00:09:16,000
I was really pretty disabled
by the pain,
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00:09:16,103 --> 00:09:17,379
'cause it was getting worse
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00:09:17,482 --> 00:09:19,931
day by day, week by week.
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00:09:20,034 --> 00:09:24,103
I couldn't do anything
with this right arm at all.
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00:09:24,206 --> 00:09:28,482
I saw three general doctors,
I saw eight specialists;
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00:09:28,586 --> 00:09:32,413
I was doing everything
that I was told to do.
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00:09:32,517 --> 00:09:35,551
So after two years, I was...
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00:09:35,655 --> 00:09:38,482
completely at my wit's end.
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So I was pretty desperate,
and in quite a dark place.
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SHATNER:
With her life virtually
in shambles,
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00:09:44,482 --> 00:09:46,827
Julia was willing to try anything.
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00:09:46,931 --> 00:09:49,620
Turning away from
conventional medicine,
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00:09:49,724 --> 00:09:52,206
she began
to investigate alternatives,
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00:09:52,310 --> 00:09:57,103
and this led her down a,
shall we say, unusual path.
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00:09:59,241 --> 00:10:00,896
Voodoo healing.
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00:10:01,000 --> 00:10:04,620
I was reading a book
about voodoo.
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00:10:04,724 --> 00:10:06,827
And reading it, I hadn't seen
anything like it
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00:10:06,931 --> 00:10:08,758
in any of the other research
that I'd done.
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00:10:08,862 --> 00:10:12,620
I just got this impression
that the voodoo priests
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00:10:12,724 --> 00:10:16,655
were probably the people who had
the most, kind of, grasp of the,
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00:10:16,758 --> 00:10:19,551
the mind-body relationship.
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00:10:19,655 --> 00:10:22,413
And I just thought if anyone's
gonna be able to help me,
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00:10:22,517 --> 00:10:23,965
it's gonna be someone in Haiti.
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00:10:26,413 --> 00:10:28,482
SHATNER:
Still fighting
debilitating pain,
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00:10:28,586 --> 00:10:30,586
Julia Buckley flew to Haiti,
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00:10:30,689 --> 00:10:32,896
and once there, arranged to meet
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00:10:33,000 --> 00:10:36,862
with Richard Morse,
a voodoo practitioner.
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00:10:36,965 --> 00:10:39,517
BUCKLEY:
I had actually read
interviews and knew
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00:10:39,620 --> 00:10:44,310
that he was a voodoo priest
as well as a hotel owner,
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and so I'd already thought,
"Oh, I need to try and ask him
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whether he can, he can
do anything for me."
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00:10:48,724 --> 00:10:52,517
So, I checked
into the hotel, met him
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00:10:52,620 --> 00:10:54,172
and then we started talking
about voodoo
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00:10:54,275 --> 00:10:56,793
and its capacity for healing.
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00:10:56,896 --> 00:10:59,137
And so, I told him
exactly why I was there,
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00:10:59,241 --> 00:11:01,724
and I just said,
"Can you help me?"
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00:11:01,827 --> 00:11:05,241
I think he said, "Are you,
are you sure you want this?"
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00:11:05,344 --> 00:11:07,689
And I was like, "Absolutely."
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00:11:07,793 --> 00:11:10,517
MORSE: No one taught me
how to do this.
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00:11:10,620 --> 00:11:13,068
I didn't go to school
to do this,
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00:11:13,172 --> 00:11:18,793
but I have a certain capacity
for something of this sort.
194
00:11:19,862 --> 00:11:22,137
My mom was a voodoo priestess,
195
00:11:22,241 --> 00:11:26,517
and my father's family
goes back to the Puritans.
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00:11:26,620 --> 00:11:28,413
I like to call my thing
Puritan-voodoo,
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00:11:28,517 --> 00:11:30,827
because I'm a mix.
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00:11:30,931 --> 00:11:33,793
SHATNER:
After learning
about her symptoms,
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00:11:33,896 --> 00:11:35,655
Morse led her
into a dark room,
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00:11:35,758 --> 00:11:38,517
one meant to summon spirits
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00:11:38,620 --> 00:11:42,068
and extract
whatever was harming her.
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00:11:42,172 --> 00:11:46,758
BUCKLEY:
There were candles and bottles
all around the room.
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00:11:46,862 --> 00:11:49,896
There were strips of cloth,
different colored cloths
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00:11:50,000 --> 00:11:52,206
that now I know represent
the different Loa, the spirits,
205
00:11:52,310 --> 00:11:53,655
all around the room.
206
00:11:53,758 --> 00:11:55,793
There were these
terra-cotta pots
207
00:11:55,896 --> 00:11:59,275
that he said were filled
with the souls of the dead.
208
00:11:59,379 --> 00:12:01,034
And there were
these little bottles of
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00:12:01,137 --> 00:12:02,931
what I found out afterwards
were holy water
210
00:12:03,034 --> 00:12:05,689
brought from shrines
all over the rest of the world.
211
00:12:06,931 --> 00:12:08,827
He went around me
a couple of times.
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00:12:08,931 --> 00:12:12,896
Then he stopped at the back
of my neck and started feeling
213
00:12:13,000 --> 00:12:17,310
from the bottom of my skull
down to my neck.
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00:12:17,413 --> 00:12:19,275
Kind of pressing on it,
almost like
215
00:12:19,379 --> 00:12:20,620
what a chiropractor might do
216
00:12:20,724 --> 00:12:24,068
before they really start
going for it.
217
00:12:24,172 --> 00:12:27,275
I was scared, because that's
where all my problems were,
218
00:12:27,379 --> 00:12:29,620
and I didn't want him
to hurt me, and I didn't want
219
00:12:29,724 --> 00:12:32,172
my neck to be cracked
or anything like that.
220
00:12:32,275 --> 00:12:33,551
I was terrified.
221
00:12:33,655 --> 00:12:37,896
He told me that he had found
222
00:12:38,000 --> 00:12:41,310
a demon in a shape
of a black cat on my neck.
223
00:12:41,413 --> 00:12:45,000
So when he had been dragging
his fingers down my neck,
224
00:12:45,103 --> 00:12:48,482
he was literally picking up
and detaching this black cat.
225
00:12:48,586 --> 00:12:50,551
He said he didn't know
how I'd got it,
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00:12:50,655 --> 00:12:52,931
when I got it or how long
it had been there,
227
00:12:53,034 --> 00:12:56,620
but he said it was nasty
and that he'd got rid of it.
228
00:12:56,724 --> 00:12:59,724
It was only when
I got to the airport,
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00:12:59,827 --> 00:13:02,482
decided I needed
a cup of coffee,
230
00:13:02,586 --> 00:13:04,931
and jumped up the stairs
to the coffee bar
231
00:13:05,034 --> 00:13:07,275
carrying my little
carry-on suitcase.
232
00:13:07,379 --> 00:13:10,000
I was standing with the coffee
and I kind of looked down
233
00:13:10,103 --> 00:13:12,034
and thought, "Hang on,
I can't normally do that."
234
00:13:12,137 --> 00:13:14,620
And I checked in with my body,
and I realized, actually,
235
00:13:14,724 --> 00:13:16,517
nowhere is hurting right now.
236
00:13:16,620 --> 00:13:18,068
This is really strange.
237
00:13:18,172 --> 00:13:21,793
It was the first time
in nearly three years
238
00:13:21,896 --> 00:13:24,586
that I hadn't been in pain.
239
00:13:24,689 --> 00:13:27,241
SHATNER:
As far as Julia Buckley
was concerned,
240
00:13:27,344 --> 00:13:31,275
voodoo had worked, after
everything else had failed.
241
00:13:31,379 --> 00:13:33,517
But how?
242
00:13:33,620 --> 00:13:35,862
TOK THOMPSON:
Voodoo is a fabulously
interesting tradition.
243
00:13:35,965 --> 00:13:37,862
We see it in the Caribbean,
244
00:13:37,965 --> 00:13:39,689
primarily perhaps in Haiti,
although certainly
245
00:13:39,793 --> 00:13:41,896
in other places
around the Caribbean as well.
246
00:13:42,000 --> 00:13:45,000
It's a part of a much larger
assemblage of religions
247
00:13:45,103 --> 00:13:47,965
with a shared
sort of worldview.
248
00:13:48,068 --> 00:13:52,413
This traces back to West Africa,
and to several groups
249
00:13:52,517 --> 00:13:54,310
and several different
religions there.
250
00:13:54,413 --> 00:13:57,448
The West African religious
tradition was brought over
251
00:13:57,551 --> 00:13:59,310
via the slave trade
to the Caribbean,
252
00:13:59,413 --> 00:14:01,586
to the Southern United States,
where it flourished
253
00:14:01,689 --> 00:14:03,379
and took on different forms,
254
00:14:03,482 --> 00:14:07,413
and blended somewhat easily
with the Catholic faith.
255
00:14:13,965 --> 00:14:17,448
You can call it God
or you can call it, um,
256
00:14:17,551 --> 00:14:19,482
how you, how you want...
257
00:14:28,896 --> 00:14:31,000
[singing, chanting]
258
00:14:44,379 --> 00:14:45,482
[laughs]
259
00:14:48,103 --> 00:14:49,758
DAVID WHITEHEAD:
So it could be
260
00:14:49,862 --> 00:14:51,896
that when it comes
to these rituals,
261
00:14:52,000 --> 00:14:55,310
that there's something
about the nature of the ritual
262
00:14:55,413 --> 00:14:56,862
that actually activates
263
00:14:56,965 --> 00:14:59,448
something within
the participant.
264
00:14:59,551 --> 00:15:02,310
But the ritual needs
to be believed.
265
00:15:02,413 --> 00:15:03,965
It needs to be true
to the participant
266
00:15:04,068 --> 00:15:07,068
in order for it to work.
267
00:15:07,172 --> 00:15:10,034
So the pageantry and the
theatricality that's associated
268
00:15:10,137 --> 00:15:14,310
with these rituals,
that's where their power lies.
269
00:15:18,482 --> 00:15:21,379
SHATNER:
Perhaps one of the reasons
voodoo's followers
270
00:15:21,482 --> 00:15:24,379
believe in its incredible power
is because they know
271
00:15:24,482 --> 00:15:30,482
it not only can be used to heal,
but also to harm.
272
00:15:30,586 --> 00:15:32,379
We hear this phrase,
"voodoo death," you know,
273
00:15:32,482 --> 00:15:34,448
that people may have cast
a spell or done
274
00:15:34,551 --> 00:15:37,862
some kind of ritual that causes
the death of another person.
275
00:15:37,965 --> 00:15:41,793
And if we're scientific,
"Well, that's ridiculous.
276
00:15:41,896 --> 00:15:43,034
That has no
causal relationship here."
277
00:15:43,137 --> 00:15:44,965
But if we dig a little deeper,
278
00:15:45,068 --> 00:15:48,000
there have been cases of voodoo
deaths where someone has said
279
00:15:48,103 --> 00:15:49,689
something or done something
280
00:15:49,793 --> 00:15:52,344
that literally affects
another person.
281
00:15:52,448 --> 00:15:55,034
HOBSON:
Most scientists,
doctors or researchers
282
00:15:55,137 --> 00:15:57,965
would just call it an anomaly.
283
00:15:58,068 --> 00:16:00,172
A physical
or psychological anomaly
284
00:16:00,275 --> 00:16:04,827
that we can't quite explain
with the data
285
00:16:04,931 --> 00:16:07,310
or the information
that are presented before us.
286
00:16:07,413 --> 00:16:12,551
BUCKLEY:
I think there's a lot of value
in things being unexplained.
287
00:16:12,655 --> 00:16:14,482
Something like voodoo,
288
00:16:14,586 --> 00:16:17,965
you're never gonna be able to
have the proof of what happened.
289
00:16:18,068 --> 00:16:20,448
I don't know what happened
in that room and I was there.
290
00:16:20,551 --> 00:16:25,241
SHATNER:
Ancient rituals that can
not only cure disease,
291
00:16:25,344 --> 00:16:26,931
but cause it?
292
00:16:27,034 --> 00:16:29,586
It seems hard to fathom.
293
00:16:29,689 --> 00:16:34,931
But then, why did Julia
Buckley's pain disappear?
294
00:16:35,034 --> 00:16:37,586
Was it all in her head?
295
00:16:37,689 --> 00:16:43,310
Or can the answer be found
by examining another ritual,
296
00:16:43,413 --> 00:16:49,000
one that is a ritual form
of brutality?
297
00:17:09,068 --> 00:17:11,655
SHATNER:
What is it about the ritual
298
00:17:11,758 --> 00:17:16,448
of watching violent, sometimes
bloody sports combat
299
00:17:16,551 --> 00:17:18,827
that fascinates us?
300
00:17:18,931 --> 00:17:22,310
Is it merely because it fulfills
a human desire
301
00:17:22,413 --> 00:17:24,793
to witness
organized competition?
302
00:17:26,551 --> 00:17:28,551
Or, does it satisfy
303
00:17:28,655 --> 00:17:33,482
a much darker,
more primal need in us
304
00:17:33,586 --> 00:17:35,862
than we like to admit?
305
00:17:35,965 --> 00:17:39,551
HOBSON: There's much less
killing now in modern humans
306
00:17:39,655 --> 00:17:41,137
than there were in the past,
307
00:17:41,241 --> 00:17:44,724
but there still is
that little bit left within us,
308
00:17:44,827 --> 00:17:47,931
that when you go to a sporting
event and all of the rituals
309
00:17:48,034 --> 00:17:50,379
and all that mob mentality
is pushing
310
00:17:50,482 --> 00:17:53,103
an individual
to act out violently,
311
00:17:53,206 --> 00:17:56,586
well, it turns on
that little spark of violence
312
00:17:56,689 --> 00:17:58,931
that still exists within us.
313
00:18:00,620 --> 00:18:02,379
L.A. JENNINGS:
You may not realize it,
314
00:18:02,482 --> 00:18:05,620
but an MMA fight
is very ritualistic.
315
00:18:05,724 --> 00:18:08,137
The participation in the event
and the spectacle of it
316
00:18:08,241 --> 00:18:12,103
is part of a long history
of rituals.
317
00:18:12,206 --> 00:18:14,137
FRANK TRIGG:
When people get to the arena
for a fight,
318
00:18:14,241 --> 00:18:16,965
there is a specific procedure
that happens every single time.
319
00:18:17,068 --> 00:18:20,310
This procedure is set
specifically to get
320
00:18:20,413 --> 00:18:23,689
not only the fighters ready,
but to get the fans amped up
321
00:18:23,793 --> 00:18:26,551
so they can be the most hyped
that they can possibly be
322
00:18:26,655 --> 00:18:28,827
for this particular fight
when that fight starts.
323
00:18:28,931 --> 00:18:32,793
The song comes on, that starts
at about a level three.
324
00:18:32,896 --> 00:18:34,896
"Oh, fight's about to happen."
325
00:18:37,034 --> 00:18:39,068
Then both guys walk in, the
announcements are being made.
326
00:18:39,172 --> 00:18:40,931
ANNOUNCER:
Ladies and gentlemen,
let's have a nice round...
327
00:18:41,034 --> 00:18:43,793
TRIGG:
Now you're coming up
to a nine, a ten.
328
00:18:43,896 --> 00:18:45,862
"Oh, it's about to happen."
The ring card girl comes in.
329
00:18:45,965 --> 00:18:47,724
The first round is gonna get
started for this fight.
330
00:18:47,827 --> 00:18:48,827
The referee asks
if both fighters are ready.
331
00:18:48,931 --> 00:18:50,310
I want you guys
to have a clean fight.
332
00:18:50,413 --> 00:18:52,000
Follow my orders at all times.
333
00:18:52,103 --> 00:18:54,482
TRIGG:
Now you are amped up.
This is about to happen.
334
00:18:54,586 --> 00:18:56,206
The fight is getting ready
to go.
335
00:18:58,000 --> 00:19:00,655
You're so invested in this guy
that when he's fighting,
336
00:19:00,758 --> 00:19:03,482
you feel like it's actually
happening to you.
337
00:19:03,586 --> 00:19:05,206
This is an assault
on you and your person
338
00:19:05,310 --> 00:19:07,068
when this is happening,
so this is why the crowd
339
00:19:07,172 --> 00:19:09,413
gets so into it,
because they follow the hype.
340
00:19:09,517 --> 00:19:12,689
And the ritual portion of that
happens every single time.
341
00:19:12,793 --> 00:19:15,206
[horn honks]
342
00:19:15,310 --> 00:19:16,620
SHATNER:
Las Vegas, Nevada.
343
00:19:16,724 --> 00:19:19,275
October 6, 2018.
344
00:19:19,379 --> 00:19:23,275
Mixed martial arts fighters
Khabib Nurmagomedov
345
00:19:23,379 --> 00:19:25,620
and Conor McGregor
face off in what is touted
346
00:19:25,724 --> 00:19:28,000
as the bout of the year.
347
00:19:28,103 --> 00:19:31,206
20,000 fans watch
as Khabib locks Conor
348
00:19:31,310 --> 00:19:34,655
in a brutal chokehold
and emerges victorious,
349
00:19:34,758 --> 00:19:37,310
retaining the title
of lightweight champ.
350
00:19:37,413 --> 00:19:40,931
But before the closing ceremony,
Khabib gets enraged
351
00:19:41,034 --> 00:19:42,862
by the endless barrage
of trash talk
352
00:19:42,965 --> 00:19:44,896
from his opponent's entourage.
353
00:19:45,000 --> 00:19:48,000
That's when
the real fight begins.
354
00:19:52,413 --> 00:19:55,068
WHITEHEAD: Khabib Nurmagomedov
jumps up on the cage,
355
00:19:55,172 --> 00:19:56,793
jumps into the crowd
356
00:19:56,896 --> 00:19:59,448
and starts fighting
with Conor McGregor's corner.
357
00:19:59,551 --> 00:20:00,965
TRIGG:
Most fights have a closure.
358
00:20:01,068 --> 00:20:02,758
You have a winner,
you have a closing ceremony.
359
00:20:02,862 --> 00:20:04,344
None of that happened.
360
00:20:04,448 --> 00:20:07,000
It all got stopped
because the fight broke out.
361
00:20:07,103 --> 00:20:08,827
There's no closure.
The fight's not over, like,
362
00:20:08,931 --> 00:20:10,965
now they get to go out
in the streets,
363
00:20:11,068 --> 00:20:12,689
and everyone's been drinking all
night, and so you add alcohol,
364
00:20:12,793 --> 00:20:15,103
you add testosterone,
you add a blood sport...
365
00:20:15,206 --> 00:20:16,758
So people started fighting
out in the streets.
366
00:20:16,862 --> 00:20:18,103
And in that kind of situation,
367
00:20:18,206 --> 00:20:19,482
those kind of things
are gonna happen.
368
00:20:19,586 --> 00:20:23,034
[birds chirping]
369
00:20:23,137 --> 00:20:26,000
WHITEHEAD:
If you go to an ice-skating
competition or a tennis match,
370
00:20:26,103 --> 00:20:27,620
you rarely hear about people
breaking out
371
00:20:27,724 --> 00:20:29,206
into fistfights in the crowd.
372
00:20:29,310 --> 00:20:31,965
So when we look
at what happened in Las Vegas,
373
00:20:32,068 --> 00:20:34,758
could it be that there's
something about the act
374
00:20:34,862 --> 00:20:37,655
of watching violent blood sports
375
00:20:37,758 --> 00:20:41,655
that brings us into some kind
of ritual in a way?
376
00:20:41,758 --> 00:20:44,310
TRIGG:
Everybody wants to see
377
00:20:44,413 --> 00:20:46,793
the most violent thing
that can happen to somebody.
378
00:20:46,896 --> 00:20:51,206
Everybody cheers
for the knockout.
379
00:20:51,310 --> 00:20:53,241
They don't even realize that
they're there for the violence.
380
00:20:53,344 --> 00:20:55,137
The don't understand
why they're actually there
381
00:20:55,241 --> 00:20:57,344
to watch this fight
until the knockout happens.
382
00:20:57,448 --> 00:21:00,034
We love watching violence when
it's happening to somebody else.
383
00:21:00,137 --> 00:21:03,413
And we've been doing it since
the gladiator times.
384
00:21:06,586 --> 00:21:07,965
JENNINGS:
Ancient Romans also loved
385
00:21:08,068 --> 00:21:10,241
fighting sports,
and gladiator events
386
00:21:10,344 --> 00:21:13,034
were unique in that
it wasn't trained,
387
00:21:13,137 --> 00:21:15,689
skilled athletes fighting
against each other,
388
00:21:15,793 --> 00:21:18,241
but it was often people who had
389
00:21:18,344 --> 00:21:22,655
committed a crime that made them
eligible for the death penalty.
390
00:21:22,758 --> 00:21:24,068
And the death penalty
in this case
391
00:21:24,172 --> 00:21:27,482
was fighting against a gladiator
in the Colosseum.
392
00:21:27,586 --> 00:21:31,620
The Colosseum could fit up to
50,000 people, and they went
393
00:21:31,724 --> 00:21:35,689
for the pleasure,
the cathartic experience
394
00:21:35,793 --> 00:21:37,931
of watching humans being killed.
395
00:21:38,034 --> 00:21:40,551
WHITEHEAD:
We think of this life-or-death
396
00:21:40,655 --> 00:21:43,965
type of sport as being something
that's only in the ancient past,
397
00:21:44,068 --> 00:21:46,000
but there is still a sport
398
00:21:46,103 --> 00:21:47,862
where life and death
is involved,
399
00:21:47,965 --> 00:21:49,931
and this would be the sport
of bullfighting.
400
00:21:50,034 --> 00:21:52,931
[Spanish music playing]
401
00:21:53,034 --> 00:21:55,965
XIMENEZ:
Bullfighting in Spain
is not only a tradition
402
00:21:56,068 --> 00:21:58,000
or a show,
403
00:21:58,103 --> 00:22:00,310
it's, uh, actually
part of the culture,
404
00:22:00,413 --> 00:22:01,965
and it's the last part in which
405
00:22:02,068 --> 00:22:05,862
a very, very strict, uh,
dance happens around the bull,
406
00:22:05,965 --> 00:22:08,034
and this man, this matador,
407
00:22:08,137 --> 00:22:12,137
actually is risking his life
in front of you.
408
00:22:12,241 --> 00:22:14,034
THOMPSON:
The danger and the bloodiness
is a part of it.
409
00:22:14,137 --> 00:22:16,724
If the matador wins,
the bull bleeds to death
410
00:22:16,827 --> 00:22:18,310
in front of the spectators.
411
00:22:18,413 --> 00:22:22,034
Now, of course if the bull wins,
uh, the-the matador gets gored.
412
00:22:22,137 --> 00:22:25,517
XIMENEZ:
In 2016, everybody was reminded
413
00:22:25,620 --> 00:22:27,241
about how dangerous
bullfighting is
414
00:22:27,344 --> 00:22:30,137
when Víctor Barrio
got gored to death by a bull
415
00:22:30,241 --> 00:22:32,344
in the middle
of a bullfighting season.
416
00:22:32,448 --> 00:22:36,965
This was just another
bullfighting festival.
417
00:22:37,068 --> 00:22:40,344
Uh, one of the hundreds
that are in Spain in the summer.
418
00:22:40,448 --> 00:22:43,689
And Víctor Barrio
was a experienced matador,
419
00:22:43,793 --> 00:22:47,931
and he was gored to death
right there.
420
00:22:48,034 --> 00:22:51,206
It was a shocking event
for the nation.
421
00:22:51,310 --> 00:22:54,482
It was a-a reminder of
how dangerous this practice is.
422
00:22:54,586 --> 00:22:57,482
The possibility
423
00:22:57,586 --> 00:22:59,758
of a man dying before your eyes,
424
00:22:59,862 --> 00:23:02,310
it adds a layer of thrill to it.
425
00:23:02,413 --> 00:23:03,379
It's undeniable
426
00:23:03,482 --> 00:23:05,000
that it's just
part of the attraction.
427
00:23:05,103 --> 00:23:07,862
Think of it as rodeos.
Think of it as
428
00:23:07,965 --> 00:23:10,379
NASCAR races.
They have a layer of danger,
429
00:23:10,482 --> 00:23:12,103
of live danger.
430
00:23:14,034 --> 00:23:15,551
WHITEHEAD:
It's not just
431
00:23:15,655 --> 00:23:19,689
witnessing winning and losing
and some friendly competition.
432
00:23:19,793 --> 00:23:21,517
This takes it to the next level.
433
00:23:21,620 --> 00:23:26,310
And the question is,
what is it about human nature
434
00:23:26,413 --> 00:23:29,896
that would have thousands
of people wanting to gather
435
00:23:30,000 --> 00:23:32,689
in some Colosseum
or some modern stadium
436
00:23:32,793 --> 00:23:37,344
to watch this ritualistic form
of combat,
437
00:23:37,448 --> 00:23:39,206
and why they would actually want
to be involved
438
00:23:39,310 --> 00:23:41,379
in witnessing a ritualized form
of death?
439
00:23:41,482 --> 00:23:45,103
TRIGG:
It's really interesting
to watch the fans.
440
00:23:45,206 --> 00:23:47,482
People actually get
to a space where
441
00:23:47,586 --> 00:23:49,724
they lose social graces.
442
00:23:49,827 --> 00:23:51,620
They kind of lose themselves
in the event,
443
00:23:51,724 --> 00:23:54,551
which is why going to
a live event is so important
444
00:23:54,655 --> 00:23:56,275
for somebody that loves MMA.
445
00:23:56,379 --> 00:23:58,310
You'll see normal guys,
and it could be
446
00:23:58,413 --> 00:23:59,689
even someone
that you know personally.
447
00:23:59,793 --> 00:24:01,586
"Oh, he's a great guy.
He's a Christian.
448
00:24:01,689 --> 00:24:04,137
He's a super family man, doesn't
swear, hardly ever drinks,"
449
00:24:04,241 --> 00:24:06,206
but he gets to the fight
and he is cursing and swearing
450
00:24:06,310 --> 00:24:07,896
and throwing stuff down
at everybody.
451
00:24:08,000 --> 00:24:09,379
You're like,
"What? What happened?
452
00:24:09,482 --> 00:24:11,448
Oh, he's... That's his guy.
That's his fighter."
453
00:24:15,206 --> 00:24:17,620
SHATNER:
When we watch two men
fight each other
454
00:24:17,724 --> 00:24:19,103
for sport, or watch a matador
455
00:24:19,206 --> 00:24:22,000
stare down a raging bull,
456
00:24:22,103 --> 00:24:25,103
is there a "spark of violence"
457
00:24:25,206 --> 00:24:27,137
that gets unleashed
within all of us?
458
00:24:27,241 --> 00:24:32,034
A streak of barbarism that
becomes somehow satisfied
459
00:24:32,137 --> 00:24:36,206
by what is, in effect,
a ritual form of brutality?
460
00:24:36,310 --> 00:24:39,379
Perhaps the answer
can be found by examining
461
00:24:39,482 --> 00:24:42,275
another ancient ritual,
462
00:24:42,379 --> 00:24:45,862
one designed to cure,
not just a diseased body...
463
00:24:45,965 --> 00:24:49,344
- [thunder crashing]
- ...but a diseased soul
464
00:24:49,448 --> 00:24:51,482
- by casting out...
- [screaming]
465
00:24:51,586 --> 00:24:53,137
...the Devil himself.
466
00:24:57,482 --> 00:24:59,275
SHATNER: Gary, Indiana.
467
00:24:59,379 --> 00:25:01,517
April 2012.
468
00:25:01,620 --> 00:25:03,862
Father Michael Maginot,
469
00:25:03,965 --> 00:25:06,448
the pastor of Saint Stephen,
Martyr Catholic Church,
470
00:25:06,551 --> 00:25:10,103
meets with Latoya Ammons
in her home.
471
00:25:10,206 --> 00:25:13,965
But this is not a common
pastoral house call
472
00:25:14,068 --> 00:25:18,275
because Father Mike, as he
is known by his parishioners,
473
00:25:18,379 --> 00:25:20,137
is also an exorcist,
474
00:25:20,241 --> 00:25:22,793
and he has been asked
475
00:25:22,896 --> 00:25:26,241
to rid this home of a demon.
476
00:25:28,034 --> 00:25:31,482
Latoya moved into
this particular house
477
00:25:31,586 --> 00:25:35,448
in Gary in November of 2011.
478
00:25:35,551 --> 00:25:39,172
She was the mother
of three children.
479
00:25:39,275 --> 00:25:41,896
And once the family moved in,
480
00:25:42,000 --> 00:25:44,172
they were noticing
all kinds of phenomena
481
00:25:44,275 --> 00:25:46,000
happening in the house.
482
00:25:47,206 --> 00:25:48,655
Flies were swarming
483
00:25:48,758 --> 00:25:51,241
in the middle of winter.
484
00:25:51,344 --> 00:25:53,689
[pounding]
485
00:25:53,793 --> 00:25:56,034
They would hear noises
through the house.
486
00:25:56,137 --> 00:25:59,965
- [creaking]
- Footsteps coming up the stairs
487
00:26:00,068 --> 00:26:03,206
from the basement.
488
00:26:03,310 --> 00:26:06,103
They would see shadow figures
pacing back and forth
489
00:26:06,206 --> 00:26:09,241
in the living room
and turn on the light
490
00:26:09,344 --> 00:26:12,241
and see muddy footprints
491
00:26:12,344 --> 00:26:14,275
left on the floor.
492
00:26:15,793 --> 00:26:18,655
Her children, uh,
were also exhibiting
493
00:26:18,758 --> 00:26:20,448
some really odd behavior.
494
00:26:20,551 --> 00:26:21,931
[indistinct whispering]
495
00:26:22,034 --> 00:26:24,724
One of the boys was seen
talking to an imaginary friend
496
00:26:24,827 --> 00:26:28,413
that resided somewhere
within the house.
497
00:26:28,517 --> 00:26:33,448
And reports also suggest that
the daughter was seen levitating
498
00:26:33,551 --> 00:26:35,344
several feet
above her bed at night.
499
00:26:38,620 --> 00:26:41,758
MAGINOT:
And so, Latoya was convinced
500
00:26:41,862 --> 00:26:45,655
something beyond explanation
was happening to her family,
501
00:26:45,758 --> 00:26:47,758
but no one would
really believe her.
502
00:26:47,862 --> 00:26:51,931
During that time, the children,
they were getting sick.
503
00:26:52,034 --> 00:26:54,827
And then
Child Protective Services
504
00:26:54,931 --> 00:26:58,068
were getting reports that they
were missing a lot of school,
505
00:26:58,172 --> 00:27:02,758
so they actually were
investigating, um, Latoya.
506
00:27:02,862 --> 00:27:07,172
She was saying that
it was demonic possession,
507
00:27:07,275 --> 00:27:10,482
and so they were giving her
psychiatric examinations,
508
00:27:10,586 --> 00:27:15,793
but they couldn't find any
psychological illness with her.
509
00:27:15,896 --> 00:27:18,103
SHATNER:
Not only did the authorities
fail to find
510
00:27:18,206 --> 00:27:21,620
any trace of mental illness
in Latoya's behavior,
511
00:27:21,724 --> 00:27:25,655
or any inconsistencies
in her story,
512
00:27:25,758 --> 00:27:28,862
they also witnessed an event
involving her son
513
00:27:28,965 --> 00:27:31,103
that made them realize
that something
514
00:27:31,206 --> 00:27:33,448
really was happening
to this family,
515
00:27:33,551 --> 00:27:36,206
something unexplained.
516
00:27:36,310 --> 00:27:40,172
During the family's
psychiatric evaluations,
517
00:27:40,275 --> 00:27:44,965
the youngest child began rolling
eyes in the back of his head,
518
00:27:45,068 --> 00:27:47,413
growling.
519
00:27:47,517 --> 00:27:52,206
And then the case worker,
as well as several members
520
00:27:52,310 --> 00:27:57,000
of hospital staff, witnessed the
boy walk backwards up a wall.
521
00:27:59,620 --> 00:28:03,551
MAGINOT:
When they witnessed the boy
walk up the wall backwards,
522
00:28:03,655 --> 00:28:04,862
yeah, they were believers.
523
00:28:04,965 --> 00:28:07,896
They knew there was
no explanation for that.
524
00:28:08,000 --> 00:28:11,931
And so, I got called
to investigate this case
525
00:28:12,034 --> 00:28:14,482
by the hospital chaplain,
526
00:28:14,586 --> 00:28:16,758
and I went to visit Latoya.
527
00:28:16,862 --> 00:28:18,758
It was a four-hour interview,
528
00:28:18,862 --> 00:28:21,793
and it was in the midst of that
529
00:28:21,896 --> 00:28:24,103
that I placed the crucifix
530
00:28:24,206 --> 00:28:28,965
on her forehead
and she began to convulse.
531
00:28:29,068 --> 00:28:31,344
Then I took it off
and she stopped convulsing.
532
00:28:31,448 --> 00:28:35,724
And that's one of
the main things that fits
533
00:28:35,827 --> 00:28:38,137
the signs of demonic possession.
534
00:28:38,241 --> 00:28:41,793
After considering the evidence,
535
00:28:41,896 --> 00:28:44,862
I was convinced that
the only way to get rid of it
536
00:28:44,965 --> 00:28:47,896
was a church-sanctioned
exorcism.
537
00:28:48,000 --> 00:28:52,000
And so I reported that, uh,
to the bishop
538
00:28:52,103 --> 00:28:53,724
and he gave permission.
539
00:28:53,827 --> 00:28:59,068
An exorcism is a ritual,
a spiritual battle,
540
00:28:59,172 --> 00:29:03,862
and so you need to somehow
upset the demon.
541
00:29:03,965 --> 00:29:06,551
One of the instruments
that I would use
542
00:29:06,655 --> 00:29:08,068
would be a blessed crucifix
543
00:29:08,172 --> 00:29:10,758
to put on the person's forehead.
544
00:29:10,862 --> 00:29:14,724
A second thing
is sprinkling holy water.
545
00:29:14,827 --> 00:29:18,620
There are three sections
of the rite
546
00:29:18,724 --> 00:29:20,793
where you're addressing
the demon
547
00:29:20,896 --> 00:29:22,965
and a second place
where you're addressing God,
548
00:29:23,068 --> 00:29:25,793
and you could do it in English,
549
00:29:25,896 --> 00:29:27,758
or else, you could
also do it in Latin.
550
00:29:27,862 --> 00:29:30,448
- [speaking Latin]
- In Latoya's case,
551
00:29:30,551 --> 00:29:32,655
when we were addressing
the demon in Latin,
552
00:29:32,758 --> 00:29:35,206
Latoya would be convulsing,
553
00:29:35,310 --> 00:29:38,724
but when we were addressing God,
she would stop convulsing.
554
00:29:38,827 --> 00:29:40,965
I'm the only one there
that knew the Latin,
555
00:29:41,068 --> 00:29:43,482
and-and I found that
kind of amazing.
556
00:29:45,241 --> 00:29:48,655
A demonic entity will fight
for the territory
557
00:29:48,758 --> 00:29:50,827
that they have gained,
558
00:29:50,931 --> 00:29:53,896
but then, eventually,
it starts to lessen.
559
00:29:54,000 --> 00:29:56,965
With Latoya,
finally she fell asleep,
560
00:29:57,068 --> 00:30:01,034
and that was kind of
an indication that it left.
561
00:30:01,137 --> 00:30:03,862
Once she got cleared, um,
562
00:30:03,965 --> 00:30:07,448
then the children were also fine
after that as well.
563
00:30:07,551 --> 00:30:11,931
SHATNER:
What saved Latoya Ammons
and her children
564
00:30:12,034 --> 00:30:15,448
from their deep physical
and emotional torment?
565
00:30:15,551 --> 00:30:19,068
Was it really the spiritual
power of the ritual
566
00:30:19,172 --> 00:30:21,379
that Father Michael performed?
567
00:30:21,482 --> 00:30:25,379
Or was it the psychological
or psychosomatic effect
568
00:30:25,482 --> 00:30:31,103
that simply performing a ritual
had on Latoya and her family?
569
00:30:31,206 --> 00:30:32,482
Latoya's case
is really interesting
570
00:30:32,586 --> 00:30:34,931
because it's a case that
actually made national news.
571
00:30:35,034 --> 00:30:38,103
Herself and her children
were exhibiting symptoms
572
00:30:38,206 --> 00:30:40,413
that could not
be explained rationally
573
00:30:40,517 --> 00:30:43,068
by modern medical science,
but in the end,
574
00:30:43,172 --> 00:30:44,896
after all of their attempts,
575
00:30:45,000 --> 00:30:46,896
it was the exorcism itself
576
00:30:47,000 --> 00:30:49,103
that actually produced
the positive effect.
577
00:30:49,206 --> 00:30:52,034
We have evidence
of exorcism rituals
578
00:30:52,137 --> 00:30:55,758
dating back 3,000 years ago
in ancient Babylon.
579
00:30:55,862 --> 00:30:57,137
[shouting incoherently]
580
00:30:57,241 --> 00:30:59,137
CHAVEZ:
To those that say that exorcism
581
00:30:59,241 --> 00:31:02,172
shouldn't exist
in modern society,
582
00:31:02,275 --> 00:31:06,241
they really need to appreciate
just how successful
583
00:31:06,344 --> 00:31:10,724
exorcism can be as a ritual,
how it's able to help people.
584
00:31:10,827 --> 00:31:13,689
TZADOK:
Exorcisms are not just performed
by one religion
585
00:31:13,793 --> 00:31:16,620
or another, they're performed
by all the different religions.
586
00:31:16,724 --> 00:31:19,137
It happens everywhere
because we're dealing with
587
00:31:19,241 --> 00:31:22,034
the commonality of human souls.
588
00:31:22,137 --> 00:31:26,137
We recognize that the nature
of a possession
589
00:31:26,241 --> 00:31:31,379
is an earthbound soul
which is unable to
590
00:31:31,482 --> 00:31:35,517
or afraid to move forward
in its spiritual progression.
591
00:31:35,620 --> 00:31:41,344
And we perform rituals because
the nature of ritual
592
00:31:41,448 --> 00:31:44,827
is being an expression
of inner psychological
593
00:31:44,931 --> 00:31:47,068
ideas and beliefs.
594
00:31:47,172 --> 00:31:52,000
And therefore, as such,
exorcisms become
595
00:31:52,103 --> 00:31:54,379
a required practice.
596
00:31:54,482 --> 00:31:56,137
[growling]
597
00:31:59,448 --> 00:32:03,275
Can ritual really be used
to fight off evil spirits?
598
00:32:03,379 --> 00:32:07,137
You may say that notion sounds
too outlandish to even consider,
599
00:32:07,241 --> 00:32:09,379
until you realize that,
at one time or another,
600
00:32:09,482 --> 00:32:11,655
even you...
601
00:32:11,758 --> 00:32:14,655
have probably used a ritual
to connect with a higher power.
602
00:32:14,758 --> 00:32:16,172
It's called prayer.
603
00:32:16,275 --> 00:32:18,172
And there are billions of people
all over the world
604
00:32:18,275 --> 00:32:21,724
who believe that prayer
605
00:32:21,827 --> 00:32:25,137
is the most powerful
ritual of all.
606
00:32:31,310 --> 00:32:32,517
SHATNER:
Israel.
607
00:32:32,620 --> 00:32:34,758
January 2018.
608
00:32:36,000 --> 00:32:39,689
Here, in what is known
as the Holy Land,
609
00:32:39,793 --> 00:32:44,000
the average temperature
is almost 90 degrees Fahrenheit,
610
00:32:44,103 --> 00:32:48,793
and water
is a precious commodity.
611
00:32:48,896 --> 00:32:51,379
But this is no average year.
612
00:32:54,965 --> 00:32:56,724
It's been almost five years
613
00:32:56,827 --> 00:32:59,034
since more than
a few drops of rain
614
00:32:59,137 --> 00:33:02,413
fell upon Israel's
thirsty sands,
615
00:33:02,517 --> 00:33:06,586
and the people
are beginning to panic.
616
00:33:06,689 --> 00:33:09,517
TZADOK:
The spring season
in the Middle East
617
00:33:09,620 --> 00:33:13,068
is the time
for the rains to come.
618
00:33:13,172 --> 00:33:16,241
As such, if the rains
are not there,
619
00:33:16,344 --> 00:33:17,689
you don't have your agriculture,
620
00:33:17,793 --> 00:33:21,344
which is a life-and-death type
of experience.
621
00:33:21,448 --> 00:33:22,482
Even in modern times,
622
00:33:22,586 --> 00:33:24,551
with all of our
modern technology,
623
00:33:24,655 --> 00:33:26,793
rain makes the crops grow.
624
00:33:26,896 --> 00:33:29,551
No crops, no food;
no food, no life.
625
00:33:29,655 --> 00:33:32,586
So when we have a drought,
626
00:33:32,689 --> 00:33:34,931
this creates crisis.
627
00:33:37,172 --> 00:33:39,172
SHATNER:
Israel is one of the wealthiest
628
00:33:39,275 --> 00:33:42,551
and most technologically
advanced countries in the world.
629
00:33:42,655 --> 00:33:46,931
It is also one
of the most religious.
630
00:33:47,034 --> 00:33:51,517
So when facing its worst drought
in close to 100 years,
631
00:33:51,620 --> 00:33:55,310
with the fate of the entire
country hanging in the balance,
632
00:33:55,413 --> 00:33:57,793
what is their solution?
633
00:33:57,896 --> 00:34:01,482
- [praying in foreign language]
- Prayer.
634
00:34:01,586 --> 00:34:03,827
TZADOK:
In our Judaic tradition,
635
00:34:03,931 --> 00:34:06,931
we have had
a long-standing history
636
00:34:07,034 --> 00:34:08,827
that when there is drought,
637
00:34:08,931 --> 00:34:10,827
the chief rabbi of the country
638
00:34:10,931 --> 00:34:14,551
can call the entire nation
to prayer.
639
00:34:14,655 --> 00:34:17,482
And you can have a gathering
in Jerusalem
640
00:34:17,586 --> 00:34:21,448
of literally thousands
or tens of thousands of minds,
641
00:34:21,551 --> 00:34:23,586
souls, that will come together
642
00:34:23,689 --> 00:34:28,034
and pour out
their collective energy,
643
00:34:28,137 --> 00:34:33,448
calling upon God in heaven
to literally manipulate
644
00:34:33,551 --> 00:34:37,344
the forces of nature
and bring rain.
645
00:34:40,172 --> 00:34:44,206
THOMPSON:
In 2018, Israel was
in a major drought,
646
00:34:44,310 --> 00:34:46,068
and this was really beginning
to cause problems.
647
00:34:46,172 --> 00:34:49,482
At this point,
uh, Chief Rabbi David Lau
648
00:34:49,586 --> 00:34:52,000
organized a massive ritual,
649
00:34:52,103 --> 00:34:54,724
put out a call
for believers to come
650
00:34:54,827 --> 00:34:57,689
to one of the most sacred sites
in Judaism,
651
00:34:57,793 --> 00:35:02,034
- the Wailing Wall.
- [praying in foreign language]
652
00:35:02,137 --> 00:35:03,551
They went to the Wailing Wall,
653
00:35:03,655 --> 00:35:06,862
and you had thousands of Jews
praying for rain to come.
654
00:35:06,965 --> 00:35:09,965
[praying continues]
655
00:35:10,068 --> 00:35:12,000
TZADOK:
When the individual
Torah-observant
656
00:35:12,103 --> 00:35:17,689
Jewish man wraps himself
in his tallit prayer shawl
657
00:35:17,793 --> 00:35:21,413
and puts on the boxes
of the tefillin,
658
00:35:21,517 --> 00:35:28,000
he creates for himself
a psychic bubble of energy,
659
00:35:28,103 --> 00:35:32,103
which unites the individual
mind and heart
660
00:35:32,206 --> 00:35:36,931
with the collective power
of the word of God,
661
00:35:37,034 --> 00:35:40,034
literally materialized
before him in the form
662
00:35:40,137 --> 00:35:41,724
of the fringes
of the prayer shawl,
663
00:35:41,827 --> 00:35:45,827
and literally in the form
of the scrolls
664
00:35:45,931 --> 00:35:47,862
that are upon his arm
next to his heart
665
00:35:47,965 --> 00:35:50,482
and on his head,
close to his mind.
666
00:35:52,655 --> 00:35:56,827
SHATNER:
It is one thing for us to
believe the ritual of prayer
667
00:35:56,931 --> 00:35:59,724
has the ability
to affect our world.
668
00:35:59,827 --> 00:36:02,965
But can the act
of praying actually
669
00:36:03,068 --> 00:36:07,206
connect us to a higher power?
670
00:36:07,310 --> 00:36:11,000
A ritual is a very predictable
sequence of, of events.
671
00:36:23,103 --> 00:36:25,655
But the interesting thing is,
if you have two things,
672
00:36:25,758 --> 00:36:27,000
you have a boundary
between them.
673
00:36:27,103 --> 00:36:30,137
And prayer and prayer rituals
might be a way
674
00:36:30,241 --> 00:36:32,931
of influencing that boundary
between the physical
675
00:36:33,034 --> 00:36:36,068
and the nonphysical in a way
that the nonphysical
676
00:36:36,172 --> 00:36:38,482
then interacts again
with the physical world.
677
00:36:41,344 --> 00:36:44,172
SHATNER:
To those more secular
and cynical-minded,
678
00:36:44,275 --> 00:36:48,827
praying is a rather quaint,
if not irrelevant pastime.
679
00:36:48,931 --> 00:36:52,482
There's no reason
it should work, right?
680
00:36:54,517 --> 00:36:56,965
- [praying in foreign language]
- Except that in the case
681
00:36:57,068 --> 00:36:59,931
of ending
Israel's drought in 2018,
682
00:37:00,034 --> 00:37:04,068
many believe it did.
683
00:37:04,172 --> 00:37:08,172
- [praying continues]
- [thunder rumbling]
684
00:37:20,413 --> 00:37:21,620
[thunder crashing]
685
00:37:27,517 --> 00:37:30,310
AMIR HUSSAIN:
You can say that it's just
simply correlation--
686
00:37:30,413 --> 00:37:33,758
yes, you prayed and yes,
three days later there was rain,
687
00:37:33,862 --> 00:37:35,206
but the one thing
didn't cause the other.
688
00:37:35,310 --> 00:37:38,206
I mean, that's
the scientific approach.
689
00:37:38,310 --> 00:37:39,655
The religious approach
is a little bit different
690
00:37:39,758 --> 00:37:42,689
to say, well, maybe we did,
maybe we did influence this,
691
00:37:42,793 --> 00:37:46,137
maybe God listened
to these prayers.
692
00:37:48,206 --> 00:37:51,758
[men singing, clapping]
693
00:37:51,862 --> 00:37:55,689
TZADOK:
In Judaism, there are rituals
that augment the power
694
00:37:55,793 --> 00:37:57,827
of the individual--
695
00:37:57,931 --> 00:38:02,137
the passion, the desire,
the thought, the idea,
696
00:38:02,241 --> 00:38:06,206
creating, if you will,
a psychic field,
697
00:38:06,310 --> 00:38:11,103
which combines to give
great psychic spiritual energy
698
00:38:11,206 --> 00:38:15,482
for the fulfillment of that
which the individuals seek.
699
00:38:15,586 --> 00:38:19,586
But when we come together
as a collective,
700
00:38:19,689 --> 00:38:24,275
we find that it does have
the power to influence change.
701
00:38:24,379 --> 00:38:28,586
They prayed for rain.
And the prayers were answered.
702
00:38:28,689 --> 00:38:32,931
[praying in foreign language]
703
00:38:33,034 --> 00:38:36,034
SHATNER:
Of course, there's always the
chance that it wasn't prayer,
704
00:38:36,137 --> 00:38:39,931
but coincidence that saved
the Israeli people.
705
00:38:40,034 --> 00:38:42,137
The drought would have ended
at some point.
706
00:38:42,241 --> 00:38:46,241
But then, why take chances?
707
00:38:46,344 --> 00:38:48,551
Perhaps the faithful
know something
708
00:38:48,655 --> 00:38:51,344
that nonbelievers don't.
709
00:38:51,448 --> 00:38:54,034
And this could also help
to explain the rituals
710
00:38:54,137 --> 00:38:57,068
associated with the event
that, for all of us,
711
00:38:57,172 --> 00:39:00,758
really is the final frontier...
712
00:39:02,034 --> 00:39:04,172
...death.
713
00:39:07,931 --> 00:39:09,379
SHATNER:
Indonesia.
714
00:39:09,482 --> 00:39:12,586
High in the mountains
of the island of Sulawesi,
715
00:39:12,689 --> 00:39:17,344
the residents of a small Torajan
village gather for a funeral.
716
00:39:17,448 --> 00:39:20,344
But are funeral rites a sign
717
00:39:20,448 --> 00:39:24,931
that mankind has difficulty in
accepting the finality of death?
718
00:39:25,034 --> 00:39:29,344
Or is it because our
subconscious minds
719
00:39:29,448 --> 00:39:33,793
know that death is not really
an end, but a beginning?
720
00:39:33,896 --> 00:39:35,931
THOMPSON:
Every culture in the world
721
00:39:36,034 --> 00:39:38,827
has some sort of death ritual,
and studying those will tell you
722
00:39:38,931 --> 00:39:40,620
a lot about
what those people think
723
00:39:40,724 --> 00:39:44,655
of the afterlife,
about the soul, about society.
724
00:39:44,758 --> 00:39:48,655
So, in the Toraja communities,
when somebody dies,
725
00:39:48,758 --> 00:39:51,896
they preserve the corpse
so it doesn't rot, and then
726
00:39:52,000 --> 00:39:54,034
they treat it
as if it were alive.
727
00:39:54,137 --> 00:39:58,068
Even the term they use
for a recently deceased person
728
00:39:58,172 --> 00:40:01,103
in this state is,
actually, means sick,
729
00:40:01,206 --> 00:40:03,827
so they don't acknowledge that
the person has really died yet.
730
00:40:13,310 --> 00:40:15,034
They will talk to them,
they will fill them in,
731
00:40:15,137 --> 00:40:16,758
in what's happening
in the world...
732
00:40:18,827 --> 00:40:20,827
WHITEHEAD:
They do mock dancing sessions
733
00:40:20,931 --> 00:40:23,413
with them,
they parade them around.
734
00:40:23,517 --> 00:40:26,517
It's as if they're trying
to stay in touch with the dead
735
00:40:26,620 --> 00:40:29,482
or, or somehow
relate to the dead.
736
00:40:29,586 --> 00:40:32,137
THOMPSON:
What is the relationship
737
00:40:32,241 --> 00:40:35,103
between your body and your soul
and what happens at death?
738
00:40:35,206 --> 00:40:37,137
These are
the elemental questions
739
00:40:37,241 --> 00:40:40,034
that studying different funerary
traditions can tell us.
740
00:40:40,137 --> 00:40:43,413
So, all these different
traditions seem
741
00:40:43,517 --> 00:40:45,793
very, very focused
742
00:40:45,896 --> 00:40:48,034
on maintaining strong links
with the dead.
743
00:40:48,137 --> 00:40:50,724
Some cultures, like,
for example, Indonesia,
744
00:40:50,827 --> 00:40:53,034
you may do things with the body
745
00:40:53,137 --> 00:40:56,379
that to us may seem
very strange.
746
00:40:56,482 --> 00:40:58,965
But it's no different than
a funeral, where the person
747
00:40:59,068 --> 00:41:02,241
has been dead for ten days,
and the mortician
748
00:41:02,344 --> 00:41:06,137
makes them look like they're
alive and they're just sleeping.
749
00:41:06,241 --> 00:41:09,137
There's this amazing connection
that we have for the deceased.
750
00:41:09,241 --> 00:41:13,655
I can never call up my best
friend again who passed away,
751
00:41:13,758 --> 00:41:15,689
but I'm still in connection
with that person.
752
00:41:15,793 --> 00:41:17,931
I still think about that person.
753
00:41:18,034 --> 00:41:19,689
Sometimes I still talk to them.
754
00:41:19,793 --> 00:41:23,068
And I think these rituals
help us to understand
755
00:41:23,172 --> 00:41:26,344
that we're still informed
by these people.
756
00:41:26,448 --> 00:41:29,275
We're still in relationship
with those who have passed.
757
00:41:29,379 --> 00:41:32,517
It's just a different
kind of relationship.
758
00:41:34,758 --> 00:41:39,068
So, do rituals really work?
759
00:41:39,172 --> 00:41:40,620
Well, many of us certainly
believe they do,
760
00:41:40,724 --> 00:41:42,965
even if we don't know how.
761
00:41:43,068 --> 00:41:46,310
Whether it's to acquire
superhuman abilities
762
00:41:46,413 --> 00:41:51,000
or to ward off evil,
rituals help to connect us
763
00:41:51,103 --> 00:41:54,448
to a world
very different from our own.
764
00:41:54,551 --> 00:41:57,862
It's a world of the spiritual.
765
00:41:57,965 --> 00:42:03,103
It's a world
of the supernatural.
766
00:42:03,206 --> 00:42:05,586
It's a world of The UnXplained.
61529
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