Spirit Possession – V
In contrast to demon possession and societal (thought form) possession, which are usually unconscious, unskillful manifestations of possession,* the spiritual path is the conscious acknowledgment and employment of possession as a tool. For people on the spiritual path who don’t have human gurus, spirit possession is about the only avenue open to self-transformation. The spiritual path is sufficiently complex an undertaking – a maze with so many dead-ends, and requiring so much strength of will – that few people could succeed in following it without the guidance and power obtained from a possessing agent, either a human guru, or a spirit.
Most religions recognize this, and provide a ritual for calling in a possessing spirit. In Christianity, the aspirant is called to “make the decision for Jesus” or “invite Jesus into one’s life” or “ask Jesus to come live inside one”. When the aspirant makes such a firm decision of his or her own free will, he or she is at that moment possessed by Jesus (or rather by the Holy Spirit, which is directed by Jesus). Similarly, the Buddhist aspirant is exhorted to “take refuge in the Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha”. The act of “taking refuge” is the same thing as inviting the spirits of Buddhism to take possession.
Two points to remember about spirit possession are 1) spirits, whether good or evil, can only possess a host by invitation; although many people who are possessed by demons invited the demons in dreamless sleep – i.e. the invitation doesn’t have to be conscious; and 2) spirits can be exorcised by the same process of firm decision to cast them out as was used to invite them in.
Like everything else, spirit possession has its advantages and disadvantages. For a person on the spiritual path who does not have a human guru, possession by a beneficent spirit such as Jesus, Buddha, Krishna, etc. is de rigueur. The spiritual path is just too tortuous and tricky to manage without a navigator who is outside of and above us, and who can take a detached and long-term view. Indeed, the essential thing on the spiritual path is relinquishment of ones’ own will (decision-making). Ironically, although possession can facilitate the relinquishment of self-will, when abused it has the effect of increasing self-will.
To be possessed by a spirit is to tap into a source of great power, and few people have the sobriety and calm to withstand enslavement by this power. Jesus, for example, is most certainly a good spirit; yet it is also true that some people who are possessed by him become intoxicated with power – with the certainty of their own salvation, with the imminent triumph of their dogma, with the compulsion to shove their trip down other people’s throats. This isn’t Jesus’ fault: he certainly tries to steer his votaries in the right direction. Nor can he unilaterally withdraw his power from those who abuse it: possession is a contract which can only by terminated from the human side. Neither Jesus, nor Mammon or Bacchus for that matter, call on their votaries to destroy other people; but this has been the not infrequent result of possession by them (only demons call for the out-and-out destruction of others).
Being possessed by a beneficent spirit is like having a bracing tonic for the heart and nerves available at hand whenever needed, to get through the spiritually dry periods when we feel like throwing up our arms in exasperation and crying, “How long, O Lord, how long?” At those times it’s helpful to be possessed by a spirit, because there’s comfort in the sense that although everything may be spinning out of control, there’s somebody up there somewhere who understands what’s happening and whispers in our ears, “Leave the driving to us.”
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* The exception is black magic, in which demons are quite consciously called and manipulated. Black magic requires great self-control and audacity, since demons will readily turn on the practitioner if given the slightest opportunity to do so. But since black magic is the road to hell, the question of how skillful it is, is debatable.