Possession in Wicca?

[Wolfman]

This might seem like an off-the-wall question, so brace yourself. I've recently been researching religion, especially ancient traditions. A recurring theme in shamanism seems to be asking spirits to intervene on the behalf of the shaman himself. It is said that shamans were those who had natural ability to communicate with the spirits. Another recurring theme on the nature of that communication is possession. A shaman was most powerful when he could allow the spirit to work through him.

This is still around in some forms of voodoo where the practitioners actively seek possession from their gods or saints. However, there seems to be some danger to it in that some people have claimed to be possessed against their will or to have been unable to end a once desired communication with a spirit.

My understanding is that Wiccan rituals aim to get spirit energy or energy from the world itself to attain positive effects in the life of the practitioner, much like shamans have done for thousands of years. Is there any danger of this spirit energy leading to possession in the way it occasionally tormented shamans? This may seem crazy, but it's what I've been thinking about lately. If I'm way off base please let me know.

 

[Gordian Knot]

Hello Wolfman and welcome.

The short answer is No. There is no chance of spirit energy leading to possession.

The longer answer.

First things first. Modern Wiccan faiths are just that. Modern. We have no genuine information about any ancient tradition of Wicca. Doesn't mean it didn't exist; rather that any such information of their existence has been so lost to history that nothing remains. As a result modern Wiccan groups have had to cherry pick which belief structures they wished this ancient religion might have had.

That does not make modern Wicca any less viable. Just so you know that anyone who tells you anything to the contrary does not have accurate information.

There are many rituals of raising spiritual energy. For the Shamans, part of the ritual often included hallucinatory drugs, Peyote, for example. I recommend against any such practice. The use of these drugs did achieve the effect of entering into an altered state but that state is random and completely out of your control. So essentially I am saying that tormented Shamans were tormenting themselves through their subconscious.

Raising energy, spiritual or otherwise, is best done through meditation and correct imagery. I.E. done from within yourself rather than from something outside of yourself. Rituals are, in essence, nothing more than a guided set of steps to achieve the desired results. The best result from using rituals is the energy one puts into the process. The group ritual is often more powerful because the combined energies of the people all focusing on the same thing magnifies the results exponentially rather than geometrically.

The only genuine danger inherent in any of these self guided practices is to overdo them to the point of an obsession state of mind. There is a possibility there of harming oneself and even of harming others.

But possession. Don't concern yourself about that further.

 

[Nick the Pilot]

Wolfman,

Allowing a foreign entity to possess your body is a very bad idea.

 

[Elfiet]

From my experience with a shaman, she would always first prepare by ensuring she was well grounded followed by a protection ritual. The call to spirits, angels, or gods were always chosen.... never inviting the unknown. I believe this to be a good practice.... and follow this example even through a basic prayer.

NEVER were drugs used any time.

.... yea, indeed i see this thread has past two yrs..... but took me that long to find this post.