spirit possession, simply defined, is the seizure of a human being by the divine, or by external spirit(s). It refers to the ways in which a person is changed in terms of both identity and bodily manifestations through the presence within him or her of a spirit entity or power. Thus spirit possession is interpreted as a transcendental experience which has material, bodily manifestations. The spirit(s) might be good or bad. It is a phenomenon found across different cultures and religions.
Amongst the bodily, that is physiological, manifestations of spirit possession are: trance, muscle rigidity and/or loss of motor control, jerky movements, uncontrollable shaking, falling (often accompanied by difficulty in rising); and even various forms of sickness. Ritual possession may end abruptly when the possessed person becomes limp or falls with exhaustion. Those who have experienced spirit possession often describe this exhaustion as pleasurable, peaceful, joyful, and even euphoric. The spirit-possessed person may also speak in the ‘voice’ of the spirits: through
glossolalia, or speaking in tongues — described, in the Christian tradition, in the Pentecost event (Acts 2: 1–4), and by Paul in 1 Corinthians 14: 18; in shouts, barks, or other inarticulate sounds; by babbling; and by acting as a medium for a spirit, conveying messages to living human beings, as for example in a seance. Some might include prophecy as an example of spirit possession.
These bodily manifestations often make the rituals of spirit possession dramatic and theatrical. For in so far as the spirits are embodied, they rely both on the ‘host’, that is the possessed, and the various elements of the performance. Thus the ‘embodiment’ of the spirit(s) lies in the discrepancy between the usual behaviour of the person who is possessed (that is, the behaviour displayed by that person when in their usual state of
consciousness and as a recognized member of the community) and the transformation that occurs in their behaviour when they are possessed by the spirit(s). Thus the ‘embodiment’ of spirits impinges on the possessed person's selfhood, and raises interesting psychoanalytical questions about dissociation, and how the dissociated parts of the self might be linked in a larger whole.
Possession is a central feature of some religious traditions, as, for example, in Voodoo — in Haiti and parts of the US, and Santeria — in Cuba, Puerto Rica, and parts of the US. In these religions, possession is the means by which the deities interact with humankind, entering the human world to punish or reward human beings, to treat their ills or problems. This may suggest that all human beings have the psychobiological capacity to enter possession states, but that cultural expectations and social context determine whether that occurs or not. For spirit possession usually occurs in social — that is, community — contexts: people do not usually become possessed by spirit(s) when on their own, though the example of well-known mystics such as Teresa of Avila may stand as an exception, depending on whether we categorize mystical experiences as forms of spirit possession or not (see
mysticism).
It has been observed by some anthropologists and historians that those most frequently possessed by spirits are those marginalized in society, such as women. Thus spirit possession can be seen to have social uses, allowing the expression of discontent and acting as a safety valve in certain societies; or creating a situation in which those without a public voice can speak publicly, all the while abdicating any responsibility for their transgressive speech, for they can claim it is the spirits who are speaking. For example, wives might be able to express demands to husbands through spirits in situations where they would not be able to express those demands directly. In those cultures where women are seen as ‘naturally’ weak or vulnerable, they might be seen as more prone to spirit possession. In Victorian Spiritualism, for example, women were seen as making the best mediums because, being seen as ‘naturally’ passive, they were thought to make good repositories or vessels for the spirits, able to renounce self and thereby become good channels for divine communication. A number of nineteenth-century working-class women became star mediums, acquiring fame and the ability to speak and act publicly — at least in the context of the seance: they exemplify the ways in which the spirit-possessed, often from a marginalized position in society, can enjoy an elevated social status, at least for the time while they are possessed.
Jane Shaw
Bibliography
Lewis, I. M. (1971: new edition 1989). Ecstatic religion. A study of shamanism and spirit possession. Routledge, London.
See also
epilepsy;
mysticism.
