No person is good or bad in and of himself, any more than a trumpet is good or bad for the music sounded out of its horn. It is the “player,” the musician behind the mouthpiece who determines these qualities by his selection of song and the manner of performance.

The same principle holds true for human beings. No one is any “better” or “worse,” “dark” or “light” than the character, or will, of the spirit present and “playing” through him or her. Where we differ from a trumpet, however, is that you and I can choose what nature it is that “sings” through our soul. This gift of God is unique to us as creatures. It is called free will.

Sadly for those deceived, and dangerous for the spiritually unwary they encounter, many humans have unknowingly abandoned themselves to dark spirits in exchange for the strong sense of self the presence of such negative energies provides as it courses through them.

These souls who are taken over don’t know their actual state as part of the “pleasure” in their condition is their certainty that these strong feelings of self are right and mandatory. But this form of spiritual sickness infects the unwitting souls it can, dragging them down to its level. Those who aspire to the Light need to recognize these sick spirits and reject their poisonous expressions.

Following is a list of five ways to stop sick spirits from infecting you. Your detection and rejection of them depends upon your awareness of their presence and your refusal to take part in the spiritual sickness they live to spread. These spiritual “darklings” must use human beings as their physical instruments, without which they have neither sound nor voice on earth.

1. The muckrakers: These negative spirits live to drag up old painful events and then revel in the anger, resentment, or bitterness that such unhappy memories must hold in the fabric of their cloth. Stay away from any spirit, in others or in yourself, that wants you to dive into some suffering over what happened in any yesterday. Never consent to stoop to resentment.

2. The dirt throwers: Certain low and malicious spirits pull themselves up by pulling others down. They love to gossip, criticize, judge or denigrate anyone who ever had the misfortune of spending time with them. The only loyalty these denizens of the unconscious worlds have is to their own pain that they feed by involving everyone they can in their dirt throwing. Beware!

3. The doom and gloomers: These fear-monger entities are forever trying to sell their not-so-goods to anyone unaware enough to lend them an ear. They are sick spirits who get their kicks crying out “the sky is falling,” and that want you to fall with them into the pit of the despair that drives their pitiful existence. Just say “no!” to them and leave them to their own dark dreams.

4. The mud dwellers: There is a group of mired spirits that thrive on low vibrations but that require a human instrument to play out their endless dark hungering. Easily recognizable, these misfortunate forces serve up dreadful mental pictures, or tell unsuitable sex jokes, for the sake of the unnatural reactions they produce. Ignore these messed-up spirits and they must take their mud-making elsewhere.

5. The life-haters: This group of sick spirits perpetuates their hold in the human soul by resisting almost every gift that life offers. They want us to listen to their complaints, agree with their envy, and accept as right their rejection of life when it doesn’t please them. These chronically conflicted spirits need us to join in their party or they can’t spread their poison!

This circle of sick spirits needs our lives to live. Without us they have no home. Our real inner work is to sweep clean the places in ourselves where such creatures reside. Remember: these evil entities have no entrance into our lives apart from where we have left the door open. And whatever has been left open in our unconsciousness can be closed consciously, if we so choose.

Begin today, this very moment, to withdraw any permission inadvertently granted these dark spirits to be in your life. Do not judge yourself, or those around you in whom any of these misdirected forces are active, but nevertheless come awake and refuse, actively, to spend one more moment of your life lending your precious force to their dark purposes.

Remember God and yourself. Stay awake and willing to discover what is true about you. When we will do our part to welcome the Light in this way, then along comes Truth to do the rest.