Satanism Today - An Encyclopedia of Religion, Folklore and Popular ...

210 Possession and Exorcism
Sri Lankan witch doctor (Kattadiya) holding a bottle containing
an evil demon that has been exorcised from a possessed
person. It will be thrown into the Indian Ocean
where it can do no further harm. (Fortean Picture Library)
biblical model for this type of possession is the
descent of the Holy Spirit in the form of flames
over the apostles after Christ’s crucifixion and
resurrection in the day of the Pentecost.
Reestablishing this unusual experience as the
touchstone of the Christian life was the thrust of
the Pentecostal movement, which recognized such
phenomena as the ability to speak in tongues
(glossolalia) as gifts of the Holy Spirit.
The majority of traditions outside of the
Judeo-Christian-Islamic family accept the idea
that one may be possessed by divinities and other
beneficent beings. Particularly in the context of
ritual, possession is often the means by which gods
and goddesses communicate with the human
community. Possession also represents a way by
which deceased human beings can continue to
communicate with their loved ones. In most such
cases, the possessed proffers his or her body voluntarily
and the possessing entity leaves voluntarily.
In demonic possession, however, the disembodied
entity usually takes over and refuses to leave, and
special techniques of exorcism are required to
eject the invader.
Enthusiasmós (Greek en theos, “to be in God”)
and ecstasy characterized the initiation and purification
process of the cult of Dionysus in ancient
Greece. Women, and to a lesser extent men, who
were possessed by the god and surrendered to the
possessed state could become free forever. This
ritual was widespread in the ancient Hellenistic
world, and became so popular that in Rome it was
legally suppressed in 186 B.C.
This phenomenon was not limited to the
Mediterranean world. Spirit possession is found in
different forms throughout history and across the
world, with somewhat more emphasis in traditional
Pacific and indigenous American cultures.
But it was also widespread in the western world
(famous in medieval and later reports of the
Church on possessed women), the Mediterranean
region, and Africa. The different social and
cultural backgrounds of civilizations determined
the variations that could be seen from one version
to another in ritualization and the values attributed
to such an experience. Being possessed is a
phenomenon difficult to define because of its
fluidity and many facets. It is related to certain
forms of dissociation, ritual trance and similar
altered states of consciousness, and over the years
has drawn much attention from anthropologists,
psychologists, and religious authorities. Psychologists
usually interpret claims of spirit possession
in terms of multiple personality disorders, or
related disturbances, such as schizophrenia, paranoia,
hysteria, and compulsive behaviors.
Typically, spirit possession involves a dramatic
change in the physiognomy and behavior of the
person who is hosting the spirit, and historically it
has occurred more among women and the lower
classes. It was and still is widespread, for example,
among South Asian women (who tend to explain
their problems as a result of evil spirits) and in the
ancestor worship of Vodoun (voodoo), Santeria,
and certain African religions. In shamanic
cultures, possession is viewed as an integral part of
the healing power of the shaman.
The ritual trance that leads to spirit possession
can be induced through various techniques, such
as inhaling the fumes of certain substances (e.g.,