cosmology
Possession
The state of a person being controlled or inhabited by an external spirit or entity — the entity as subject acting through the person's body, rather than merely troubling them from without. Distinct from haunting (a discarnate soul or place-bound presence that interferes without necessarily entering and controlling a living body) and from spirit_conjuration (an operator deliberately commanding a spirit's appearance, the reverse relation — here the spirit is uninvited and in control, not summoned and subordinated).
32 passages · 5 traditions
western_esoteric19
The Book of Ceremonial Magic (A.E. Waite) | Page 9 (part 1)
“CHAPTER II The Rituals of Transcendental Magic § 1.
The Arbatel of Magic THE term transcendental must not be interpreted in any exalted or philosophical sense when it is used, informally and conventionally enough, in such a connection as t…”
Psychic Self-Defence (Dion Fortune) | Preface-h
“Moreover, there is a considerable literature on the subject to be found in quarters where one would least expect it - in accounts of folk-lore and ethnology, in the State Records of witch-trials, and even under the guise of fiction.
These…”
Psychic Self-Defence (Dion Fortune) | 5. Vampirism-b
“Such cases are by no of means uncommon, and clear up rapidly when the victim is separated from the vampire.
Whenever there is a record of a close and dominating bond between two people with the devitalisation of one of them, it is a good p…”
Psychic Self-Defence (Dion Fortune) | 5. Vampirism-d
“It was, in fact, the same method that I was instructed to use in dealing with my were-wolf, but it is a much more formidable task to absorb and transmute the projection of another person than to absorb one’s own, and could only have been ac…”
Psychic Self-Defence (Dion Fortune) | 6. Hauntings-a
“THERE are two forms of “haunting” which have to be considered, the one which is due to a discarnate soul who interferes with a particular person, and the one which is due to the conditions prevailing in a particular place, and which affects…”
Psychic Self-Defence (Dion Fortune) | 6. Hauntings-b
“It soon became noticeable that she, who had previously had a very lovable and gentle disposition, was gradually changing, so that not only in temperament, but in facial expression, she was growing like her late husband.
Next a curious thin…”
Psychic Self-Defence (Dion Fortune) | 7. The Pathology Of Non-Human Contacts-d
“The great Orders have their definite contacts and work strictly within them, keeping a firm hand on neophytes; outside the Orders there is a good deal of chaos and banditry, and it is unwise to venture far save in the company of an experien…”
Psychic Self-Defence (Dion Fortune) | 7. The Pathology Of Non-Human Contacts-f
“I smashed my way through two entire tea-sets and all the mantelpiece ornaments.
The ornaments just fell off the mantelpiece one by one of their own accord.
I actually saw two of them do it.
I did not know at the time that the Element of…”
Show all 19 →neoplatonism6
Iamblichus: On the Mysteries | Chapter XI-a
“Another species of divine divination which is much celebrated, most manifest and manifold, is that of oracles, about which you say as follows: “ There are some who drink water, as the priest of Clarius, in Colophon; but others are seated at…”
Iamblichus: On the Mysteries | Chapter XIII
“Let us, therefore, now direct our attention to another species of divination, which is not public, but of a private nature, concerning 147 which you say, “ that some become enthusiastic by standing on characters, as those that are filled fr…”
Iamblichus: On the Mysteries | Chapter XIV
“Concerning another kind of divination, also, you say as follows: “ Others who are conscious what they are doing in other respects, are divinely inspired according to the phantastic part, some indeed receiving darkness for a cooperator, othe…”
Iamblichus: On the Mysteries | Chapter XVII-b
“For, as he sometimes makes some stupid man to speak wisely, through which it becomes manifest to every one, that this is not a certain human but a divine work; thus, also, he reveals through things which are deprived of knowledge, conceptio…”
Iamblichus: On the Mysteries | Chapter XXIV
“In what follows, while you endeavour to unfold divination, you entirely subvert it. For if a passion of the soul is admitted to be the cause of it, what wise man will attribute to an unstable and stupid thing orderly and stable foreknowledg…”
Iamblichus: On the Mysteries | Chapter VIII-n
“As, therefore, it is possible for the tyrannic life, when suddenly changed, to become aristocratic, through employing strenuous promptitude and a divine allotment, but the gradual ascent is from a tyrannic to a democratic, and from this to…”
theosophy5
The Secret Doctrine | Page 14 (part 6)
“It comes to this: Mankind in its first prototypal, shadowy form, is the offspring of the Elohim of Life (or Pitris); in its qualitative and physical aspect it is the direct progeny of the "Ancestors," the lowest Dhyanis, or Spirits of the E…”
The Secret Doctrine | Page 14 (part 10)
“** The so-called "Spirits" that may occasionally possess themselves of the bodies of mediums are not the Monads or Higher Principles of disembodied personalities.
Such a "Spirit" can only be either an Elementary, or -- a Nirmanakaya.
[[Vo…”
The Secret Doctrine | Page 61 (part 4)
“We answer: firstly, because the knowledge of such animals is a proof of the enormous antiquity of the human race; and secondly, to show the difference between the zoological real meaning of the words "dragon," " Naga, " and "Serpent," and t…”
The Secret Doctrine | Page 70 (part 5)
“144.) Then why, in this case, should not historical man be the product of a modification on a pre-existent and pre-historical kind of man, even supposing for argument's sake that there is nothing within him to last longer than, or live inde…”
The Secret Doctrine | Page 74 (part 3)
“Let every lord of the Dazzling Face (an adept of the White Magic) cause the Viwan of every lord of the Dark Face to come into his hands (or possession), lest any (of the Sorcerers) should by its means escape from the waters, avoid the rod o…”
biblical1
The Gospel According to John (American Standard Version, 1901) | 13:27-14:11
“[13:27] And after the sop, then entered Satan into him. Jesus therefore saith unto him, What thou doest, do quickly.
[13:28] Now no man at the table knew for what intent he spake this unto him.
[13:29] For some thought, because Judas had…”
platonism1
Plato: Phaedrus | Section 1m
“For prophecy is a madness, and the prophetess at Delphi and the priestesses at Dodona when out of their senses have conferred great benefits on Hellas, both in public and private life, but when in their senses few or none.
And I might also…”