Within the tradition, a directed breath (exsufflation) drives out or renounces evil or the devil from a person or object; a directed inward breath (insufflation) infuses or blesses the person or object with good or the Holy Spirit. In baptismal rites, a priest's triple breathing is held to effect ritual purification/renunciation for the candidate.
Insufflation and exsufflation are paired ritual gestures consisting of blowing, breathing, hissing, or puffing performed by an officiant. Historically they appear in Christian liturgical and exorcistic contexts — for example, a priest or assisting exorcist blowing to expel an evil spirit, and a priest breathing on a baptismal candidate. The gestures function symbolically and performatively: exsufflation signifies expulsion or renunciation of evil or the devil, while insufflation signifies infilling or blessing with good. Sources indicate variation across rites: in some baptismal texts the priest breathes three times on the candidate (a threefold action), while exorcistic accounts describe breath used directly against an evil spirit. The precise spoken formulas, orientations, and rubrics vary by rite and are not preserved in the provided fragments; some rites pair the breath-act with accompanying words.
- 01Determine contextual form: identify whether the act is exsufflation (breathing out to expel/renounce evil) or insufflation (breathing in to bless/infill with good).
- 02Officiant approaches the person or object requiring the rite (historically: a priest or assisting exorcist in exorcistic contexts; a priest in baptismal contexts).
- 03Perform the breath-act: the officiant blows, breathes, hisses, or puffs upon the person or object. (Source descriptions use the general verbs 'blowing, breathing, hissing, or puffing'.)
- 04When in baptismal usage: the priest breathes on the baptismal candidate three times. (Source reports: 'the priest breathed three times on the baptismal candidate and said to...' — exact words not provided.)
- 05Where indicated by the local rite, accompany the breath-act with the rite's prescribed words or formula. (Sources note that words accompany the breathing in some rites, but the provided excerpts do not record those words.)
- 06Conclude according to the liturgical or exorcistic rubric in force for that tradition (sources do not preserve further specific procedural steps in the provided excerpts).
- ⚠No contraindications or risks are recorded in the provided source excerpts.
Community Record
- [1]Insufflation. Wikipedia, 'Insufflation' (summary: 'In religious and magical practice, insufflation and exsufflation are ritual acts of blowing, breathing, hissing, or puffing that signify variously expulsion or renunciation of evil or of the devil, or infilling or blessing with good.')wiki
- [2]Exorcism, Exorcist - Biblical Cyclopedia. Biblical Cyclopedia (fragment: '[...] the priest or assisting exorcist blows out the evil spirit by the breath, exsufflation, and also breathes on the...')other
- [3]New Liturgical Movement (December 2025). New Liturgical Movement (fragment discussing baptismal rites: 'The, exsufflation, on the other hand, was when the priest breathed three times on the baptismal candidate and said to...')other