A Meditation about 'Possession'

This is a scene from director Ken Russell's movie "The Devils" (1971) about the 17th Century Loudun case.

Readers familiar with case studies concerning channeling and trance mediumship should have some idea about how this phenomena could be associated with 'demonic possession' by people who believe in the existence of so-called 'demons' (along with a literal Hell).  Previous blog articles have featured excerpts of transcripts documenting perspectives of the ascended realm offered by communicators speaking through an entranced individual on our side of life.

The association of the word 'demon' with wicked or evil intentions can be traced as far back as the circumstances of Socrates and his 'daemon.'  A speech by Socrates 399 BC was noted by Plato in what is now called Plato’s Apology of Socrates.  The following is from the 1897 English translation by Henry Cary.

19. Perhaps, however, it may appear absurd that I, going about, thus advise you in private and make myself busy, but never venture to present myself in public before your assemblies and give advice to the city.  The cause of this is that which you have often and in many places heard me mention; because I am moved by a certain divine and spiritual influence, which also Melitus, through mockery, has set out in the indictment.  This began with me from childhood, being a kind of voice which, when present, always diverts me from what I am about to do, but never urges me on.  This it is which opposed my meddling in public politics; and it appears to me to have opposed me very properly.

31. . . . For the wonted prophetic voice of my guardian deity on every former occasion, even in the most trifling affairs, opposed me if I was about to do any thing wrong; but now that has befallen me which ye yourselves behold, and which any one would think, and which is supposed to be the extremity of evil; yet neither when I departed from home in the morning did the warning of the god oppose me, nor when I came up here to the place of trial, nor in my address when I was about to say any thing; yet on other occasions it has frequently restrained me in the midst of speaking.  But now it has never, throughout this proceeding, opposed me, either in what I did or said.  What, then, do I suppose to be the cause of this?

Socrates was condemned to death by trial jurors.  The preserved indictment reads: "Socrates is guilty of refusing to recognize the gods recognized by the state and introducing other, new divinities.  He is also guilty of corrupting the youth.  The penalty demanded is death."

This year I researched the life and work of Mark Probert, a man whose circumstances might be surmised by some as 'demonic possession.'   A Teachers of Light published transcript of a November 3, 1963 lecture by Yada di Shi'ite through Probert included a key spiritual concept: "Christ is a state of consciousness, a state of awareness that every human individual must at some time acquire."  During the same lecture Yada commented:

Why do you come here and listen?  Because you feel there is something you may get, some key to your life.  Why do I come here and talk and also learn?  Because I am hoping I will get a key that will open some doors for me.  Oh, I have many locked doors yet.

In other transcribed lectures, I noticed that Yada himself did not have as extensive an understanding as my own concerning accounts of so-called 'poltergeist' phenomena, as details of my research about this topic may be found in several previous blog articles.  As mentioned in my September 30 review of Yada Speaks (1979), a channeled lecture by Yada di Shi-ite through the entranced Mark Probert included a statement that compared masses of people to "the living dead."  His meaning was that they were not awake to spiritual knowledge and thus when they "leave the physical structure in what is called death, [they] enter only what is called the low-level astral plane" rather than "the highest realms of being."  One of my own concerns is that people are conditioned by society to allow themselves to be preoccupied by so-called entertainment — movies, television shows and novels.

Just as it is important for people to devote time each week to improving the condition of their body; so too development is necessary for the mind and one's spiritual understanding.  I find disturbing the focus of newspapers, magazines and websites upon entertainment and celebrity news, professional sports and what are often mundanely sensational occurrences of contemporary life. 

Even the word 'possession' is thought provoking in relation to some of the obvious implications.  Movies and other forms of commercial entertainment with this subject rarely show any adherence to case studies, revealing primarily the sensibilities of writers and directors.  This year there was a local new production of a play based upon the famous horror movie "The Exorcist" (adapted from the 1971 novel).  Obviously, the producers of the play wanted to use this famous title to attract people to purchase tickets to the play when choosing from the variety of potential amusements.  Another alternative for the producers would have been to option a case study of hypothetical 'demonic possession.'  However, the 1993 account Possessed: The True Story of an Exorcism by Thomas B. Allen (purported to be a chronicle of "the best documented exorcism in history — the very exorcism that prompted William Peter Blatty to write The Exorcist") provides a far from authoritative narrative where many obvious preconceptions are noticeable.

In my own life, I have had a number of unique experiences considered categorically as forms of 'unexplained phenomena' as detailed in the case study Testament (available to be read in a free Internet edition while a description of the 1997 paperback first edition may be read at amazon.com).  Among these occurrences was an unexpected manifestly 'demonic' incident.  This is how I wrote about the incident some years ago.

I awoke when a loud noise commenced that can only be described as epitomizing demonic growling.  Horrified, I realized that this was a stunt beyond the investigative capabilities of the medical staff.  The growl was more convincing than any of the sound effects heard in "The Exorcist" but similar.  After a few minutes, the growl repeated and I realized it was coming from the throat of the slow-witted youth in the bed a few feet across from mine.  I was acquainted with the concept of Satan sleeping with the holy but couldn’t imagine how such a thing as this could be happening.  I realized that people throughout the hospital would hear the animalistic growling and probably think it was coming from me.  The next time the growl issued was particularly loud and animalistic so I quickly left my bed and nudged the youth’s shoulder.  He awoke and I declared loudly so our third roommate would be sure to understand from whom the growling was coming, "You were snoring."

After that, there was no more growling.

This bizarre and startling event reminds me there have been times when I realized just how little I know about what is going on around me during the course of daily life.  I can only speculate about the purpose and consequences of this odd demonstration.  How this impacted the people around me is not known as the incident went unmentioned during the time I was at the hospital, which was only a few days. 

Beyond this 1995 occurrence, when I have read preserved narratives associated with 'demonic possession' from previous centuries it is sometimes obvious that a range of biological maladies, mental states and emotions were associated with demons only for lack of other knowledge or better understanding.

The interview transcripts and my research journals that were published in Testament show my orientation to the words 'demon' and 'possession' at that time in my life.  The words represented noticeable diverse states and alterations in states of consciousness.

I have decided to follow this meditative article about 'possession' with several upcoming posts offering book excerpts emphasizing the variability chronicled in accounts found among the annals of what is usually expressed as 'psychic,' 'paranormal' or 'unexplained' phenomena.  This year the selected blog topics have been determined by what I think will be most illuminating for readers who have considered the variety of previous Metaphysical Articles posts.