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Spiritual possession
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Spirit possession is a concept of paranormal, supernatural and/or superstitious belief in which spirits, gods, daemons, demons, animas, or other disincarnate entities may take control of a human body, resulting in noticeable changes in behavior. The concept of spiritual possession exists in Christianity and other contemporary religions and can also be seen in the mythology and folklore of many cultures.
In Haitian Vodou and African traditions
One way that those who participate or practice Haitian Vodou and related traditions can have a spiritual experience is by being possessed by the lwa.
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Spirit possession is a concept of paranormal, supernatural and/or superstitious belief in which spirits, gods, daemons, demons, animas, or other disincarnate entities may take control of a human body, resulting in noticeable changes in behavior. The concept of spiritual possession exists in Christianity and other contemporary religions and can also be seen in the mythology and folklore of many cultures.
In Haitian Vodou and African traditions
One way that those who participate or practice Haitian Vodou and related traditions can have a spiritual experience is by being possessed by the lwa. When the lwa descends upon a practitioner, the practitioner's body is being used by the spirit, according to the tradition. Some spirits are believed to be able to give prophecies of upcoming events or situations pertaining to the possessed one, also called "Chwal" or the "Horse of the Spirit." Practitioners experience this as being a beautiful but very tiring experience. Most people who are possessed by the spirit get a feeling of blackness or energy flowing through their body as if they were being electrocuted. According to Vodou believers, when this occurs, it is a sign that a possession is in the works. The practitioner has no recollection of the possession and in fact when the possessing spirit leaves the body, the possessed one is tired and wonders what has happened during the possession. Not all practitioners have the ability to become possessed, but practitioners who do generally prefer not to make excessive use of it because it drains immense energy from them. It is said that only the spirit/lwa can choose who it wants to possess, for the spirit may have a mission that it can carry out spiritually. Also, it is believed in Haitian Vodou and related traditions that those possessed by the lwa probably are at a very high spiritual level such that their soul is mature and at an advanced level.
It is also believed in Haitian Vodou and related traditions that there are those who feign possessions because they want attention or a feeling of importance, because those who are possessed carry a high importance in ceremony. Often, a "chwal" will undergo some form of trial or testing to make sure that the possession is indeed genuine. As an example, someone possessed by one of the Guédé spirits may be offered piment, a liqueur made by steeping twenty-one chili peppers in kleren, a potent alcoholic beverage. If the "chwal" consumes the piment without showing any evidence of pain or discomfort, the possession is regarded as genuine.
In Sudan and certain other East African cultures exists the Zar Cult, a ethnomedical healing ceremony involving possession typically of Muslim women by a Zar spirit.
In fiction
Spiritual possession, especially malign, has been a favorite theme of fictional works, especially in horror novels and films. The novel and film The Exorcist may be the best-known examples of the latter. A version of benign possession is Deadman, a ghostly superhero who uses his possession ability in the cause of justice. Jericho, a member of the Teen Titans, could also take possession of someone else's body through eye contact (and was able to control their motor skills, and sometimes speech). Powerful fictional telepaths of the Marvel Universe particularly X-Men characters such as Jean Grey and Professor X can possess other bodies.
In The Matrix agents possess people by temporarily changing them into suit wearing archetypes, fighting against their foes on a mission to stabilize the program.
The Puppet Masters is a 1951 science fiction novel by Robert A. Heinlein in which American secret agents battle parasitic invaders from outer space. These invaders have the ability to possess their hosts.
In the anime and manga Saint Seiya, spirits are able to take control in a total way of the characters to carry out theirs deeds, when this happens, the eyes of the character usually changes and the hair. With the only exception to this rule Julian Solo which was never actually possessed 100% until the end of the Poseidon Saga, Shun of Andromeda was also possessed by Hades, changing his eyes to pale blue eyes as if he were blind, then the hair to red and finally turning the hair to black, according to Shun/Hades the black hair is actually the result of the total possession of the body of Shun being the red hair a state of temporary semi-possession and finally the hair turning black the complete possession of the body (The original hair color of andromeda Shun is green, after possessed turned red), another example is Gemini Saga, who was even used as an example that Ikki used to refer to the change in Shun´s hair color, Gemini Saga´s eyes turned from blue to red and his hair to white, however in Saga's case it is unexplained the true reason behind his attitude change, the most accepted theory is that as the sain of Gemini he had a split personality that controlled him, however other things hint his possession may have some external cause as in the manga a soul is seen departing Saga after he is defeated.
Similarly, the animated hero Danny Phantom (half-ghost) and other ghosts in the series can 'overshadow' human beings, so-called presumably to avoid sounding occultic. Ino Yamanaka from Naruto uses Mind Body Switch Technique which transfers her own spirit to someone else's. Frank E. Peretti's books This Present Darkness and Piercing the Darkness deal heavily in demonic possession and spiritual warfare from an Abrahamic religious standpoint.
Spiritual possession, though not necessarily malign, also appears as a secondary theme in The Dune Chronicles, a series of novels written by Frank Herbert. The video game Geist's primary game mechanic revolves around possessing people, animals and objects in order to progress.
In fantasy literature, the term channelling is sometimes used in other ways, particularly to describe a person's ability to draw on some form of magical power. For example, the Wheel of Time series uses the term extensively (although it is by no means the only work to do so).
In the animated series South Park, Kenny was killed off for a year in Kenny Dies. Eric Cartman then drank his ashes thinking it was chocolate milk powder and became possessed by Kenny. Chef and Cartman's mom took him to Chef's Parents who exorcised Kenny. In the manga and anime series Shaman King, shamans team up with ghosts and spirits to achieve their goals. The greatest dreams of a shaman is to become the Shaman King, who is able to contact the Great Spirit (the spirit that every soul will eventually go back to) in order to be the savior of the world. Various magical and religious terms are spread through out the story but they merge into something explainable by the time the main plot arrives.
Often in the manga and anime Card Captor Sakura, characters are possessed by spirits, some examples include Rita by The Sword Clow Card, and Sakura herself in the movie by its main antagonist. In Lois Duncan's Stranger With My Face, Laurie is taught to project her soul from her body. Her sister Lea ends up taking over Laurie's body by projecting her soul. In the video game Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, Princess Peach is possessed by the final boss, Shadow Queen. However, Mario and his friends defeat her and bring the princess to normal.
In the video game The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, Princess Zelda is possessed for the first part of the final battle. She is returned to normal after Link defeats her. In Blood Omen 2: The Legacy of Kain, the Bishop of Meridian is temporarily possessed by Marcus to provide an obstacle in Kain's path to the Sarafan Keep. In Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Tom Riddle (a younger Voldemort) possesses Ginny Weasley through his Horcrux diary, where he stores part of his soul, and makes her open the Chamber of Secrets and harm Muggle-borns. In the action cartoon Dragonball Z, the wizard Babidi is able to possess Vegeta by taking control of the evil tendencies within Vegeta's heart. Also, in Pokemon Battle Frontier, Ash touches a stone ball in an ancient temple, and is possessed by the spirit imprisoned inside, the King of Pokelantis.
In Tin Man (TV miniseries), the Evil Witch of the Dark possesses the princess Azkadellia.
Many film and television shows have showcased spirit possession, including The Ghost Whisperer, starring Jennifer Love Hewitt, about a young woman named Melinda Gordon who can see and talk to spirits. Throughout the course of each episode she helps them crossover into "the light." The third season prominently showcases spirit possession as her life is endangered when her father becomes possessed by a ghost who wants revenge.
See also
External links
- Spiritual Science Research Foundation
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- , The Rosicrucian Fellowship
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