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Introduc)on to Spirit Possession and Communica)on
Part 2
Precondi)ons for Spirit Possession and/or communica)on
• 1. A belief that spirits exist, and that they (can) have the desire to communicate with humans.
• 2. A belief that spirits can cross the barrier between their level of existence, however conceived, and ours, in order to take possession of or influence the human body in terms of speech, hearing, other senses, and/or the ac)ons of individuals.
• 3. A belief that a person possessed by or in communica)on with a spirit would behave as people who claim to be possessed do behave.
What kinds of spirits might exist? • a) gods & goddesses • b) devils/demons • c) angels
• d) ancestors • e) other human spirits (dead)
• f) human spirits (living) • g) animal spirits
• h) elementals • i) nature spirits
• i) aliens • What else?
Wandjina, pain)ng by Donny Woolagoodja.
What mo)va)ons might they have?
• a) to command behaviour • b) to give moral guidance • c) to teach/reveal knowledge • d) to heal • e) to affirm faith/prove their
presence/existencef) to punish • g) to cause sickness • h) to kill • i) to communicate/nego)ate • j) to experience human senses • j) to breed? • What else?
Shringar lila (Radha Krishna), Vrindavan Das
Spirits and mo)va)ons • Spirit possession and communica)on prac)ces, as found in various religious tradi)ons throughout the world, rarely include all of these types of spirits, and all of these mo)va)ons, within any one religious system.
• Religious tradi)ons generally incorporate several elements in "clusters," and exclude others, according to broader understandings about the nature of the world, humans, animals, nature, supernatural forces, etc. also accepted as true within the society.
The Spirit’s fingerprints
• For those who believe in spirit possession and/or communica)on, the human body is like a car, and the person’s soul/personality is like the driver of the car.
• It is possible to lend your “car” to another – either voluntarily, or involuntarily.
• But – not just any spirit can “borrow” your car – it has to be a spirit recognized within your cultural framework.
• The “cultural constructedness” of spirit possession
• Example: Windigo
Windigo, Norval Morrisseau
The cultural constructedness of spirit possession/communica)on
• Spirit possession and/or communica)on is like a language – some languages have certain sounds in them, others have other sounds -‐ the kind of spirits, and the kinds of mo)va)ons those spirits are understood to possess, are like vowels or consonants, like nouns and verbs, like specific vocabulary, within a given language.
• Like vowel sounds, or vocabulary, spirit possession belief elements are taken for granted – they just ARE, they are not subject to conscious choice.
Bridging the gap • Three main "types" or "ways" that spirits
are understood to "bridge" the gap between their level of existence, and ours:
• Full possession – the possessing spirit takes control of the
body, the person may or may not be aware.
– Bodily posture, intona)on, behaviour, etc. change.
– Variously interpreted as an honour, an aaack, a marriage, an imposi)on, etc – good or bad is not inherent in the experience.
– it is an unequal power rela)onship – the possessing spirit is understood to have more power than the human host
Bridging the gap
• Mediumship – the possessing spirit influences
the human host (makes them hear things, feel things, etc. but the host remains in control of their own body and remains aware of their surroundings.
– Bodily posture, intona)on, behaviour, etc. may or may not change. S)gmata may occur.
– Usually interpreted posi)vely – resistance of the host makes communica)on difficult.
– Somewhat more equal a power rela)onship – the spirit requests, the host complies.
Séance conducted by John Beafe, Bristol, England, 1872
Bridging the gap • Shamanic Possession
– The shaman exerts an element of control over the spirit – through invoca)on, coercion, etc.
– Bodily posture, intona)on, behaviour, etc. may or may not change. S)gmata may occur.
– Shaman frequently sends own soul to the spirit world, rather than opening self to the spirit in this world.
– oien an unequal power rela)onship – the shaman compels, bribes, blackmails, pays, etc. the spirits.
Shaman beckoning Sedna, Abraham Anghik Ruben Front and back views
Things to note: • These three types of spirit possession/communica)on are not
mutually exclusive, either within a given religious tradi)on or within an individual person's life)me.
• Frequently within religious contexts, full possession, mediumship and shamanism coexist, in various combina)ons.
• Frequently, within the life of an individual, possession experiences might begin with involuntary experiences, either full possession or mediumship, then move into voluntary possession or mediumship or shamanism through training.
• The issue of control -‐ who controls who -‐ may be less significant in terms of the experience of those possessed than it is to those who study and categorize the whole phenomenon.
The third precondi)on … • …the belief that people who are
possessed by a spirit would behave as the people who claim to be possessed actually do behave. What does that mean?
• Possession/communica)on is in the eyes of societal beholders – some socie)es only recognize spirit possession in illness, others only if accompanied by trance, etc.
• Failure to meet cultural expecta)ons in terms of possession-‐behaviour means, for all intents and purposes, that the person is not possessed, even if they claim to be so.
The Rake in Bedlam, William Hogarth, 1733
The Spirit’s Key • According to Goodman, a spirit cannot be said to “possess” a person,
unless the spirit has a par)cular “key” to get in the doorway. That key is the “trigger” for the possession experience.
• Although “wild” ini)al possessions do take place, part of the emphasis of religions which prac)ce spirit possession is to train the spirit possessed to go into possession trance only when culturally mandated to do so.
• Such keys, or triggers, can be any culturally validated cue: a ritual dance, a ritual phrase, ritual clothing, etc. Without the key, the spirit cannot get in the “car,” unless they break and enter, so to speak.
• All spirit possession/communica)on religions require some kind of induc)on technique that involves 3 things – ritual ac)on, expecta)on, and concentra)on.
• If an individual cannot be trained to allow entry of spirits only in response to the use of a key as based in these three things, and instead persists in exhibi)ng possession-‐like syptoms in random violent fashion, they are likely to be labeled crazy, or sick, rather than spirit inspired.
Training in possession
The Spirit’s Door
• According to Goodman, “trance” is the “door” through which spirit possession and communica)on take place.
• In order to be spirit possessed, the individual human host must undergo specific altera)ons of consciousness. Such altera)ons of consciousness are associated with specific physical changes -‐ change of heartbeat, brainwave paaern, behaviour. Without this “door,” no individual can be considered spirit possessed.
The Spirit’s Door
• Trance, or “the door”, is an altered non-‐pathological state of consciousness. It has the following indicators:
• 1. Cross cultural prac)ce and ins)tu)onaliza)on (Given that 90% of 488 socie)es have ins)tu)onalized the prac)ce, it is unlikely that all would have right pathology at right )me to prac)ce it)
• 2. Glossolalia paaerning -‐ transcends cultural language differences -‐ rhythmic, consonant to vowel syllables, emphasis/peak on third syllable of four, etc. -‐ accent, rhythm, and intona)on.
• 3. Observable physiological symptoms -‐ transcending cultural paaerning -‐ muscle tension, swea)ng, excess tears or saliva.
• 4. Medically-‐iden)fied physiological symptoms -‐ blood pressure drop, heart rate increase, beta-‐endorphin increase, theta waves.
Ini)atory illness • The“key,” and the “door,” to possession are usually the
result of religious training, but frequently in the world’s religions, such training follows a “natural” outbreak of altered states of consciousness that can be violent and unpleasant.
• People who are prone to possession experiences, or who might become good candidates given sufficient training, frequently experience a period of what is called “ini)atory illness.”
• Oien, such illness if very physical -‐ trembling fits, epilep)c seizures, dizzy spells, migraines, etc. Some)mes, such illness is psychological -‐ phobias, obsessions, compulsions.
Cultural Valida)on • In socie)es and religions which recognize such symptoms as indicators of possession, the afflicted will be “diagnosed” as spirit possessed.
• In socie)es and religions which do not acknowledge the possibility of spirit possession, the afflicted will be diagnosed as physically or mentally ill.
• Where the idiom of spirit possession does not exist, the symptoms of it do no exist either -‐ similar physiological responses are seen as indicators of something else .
• The paranoid vs the possessed – the difference lies in cultural valida)on for his or her experiences.
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