Spirit Possession Around The World

Author : Joseph P. Laycock
Publisher : Bloomsbury Publishing USA
ISBN 13 : 1610695909
Total Pages : 445 pages
Book Rating : 4.09/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Spirit Possession around the World written by Joseph P. Laycock and published by Bloomsbury Publishing USA. This book was released on 2015-05-26 with total page 445 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book provides a fascinating historical and cultural overview of traditional beliefs about spirit possession and exorcism around the world, from Europe to Asia and the Middle East to the Americas. Possession and exorcism are elements that occur in nearly every culture. Why is belief in spiritual possession so universal? This accessible reference volume offers a broad sample of the traditions and cultures involving possession and exorcism, presenting thoughts on this widely popular topic by experts from the fields of anthropology, sociology, religious studies, history, neuroscience, forensics, and theology. The entries cover the subject of possession and exorcism across all inhabited continents, from the Bronze Age to the 21st century, providing information that is accessible and intriguing as well as scholarly and authoritative. Beyond addressing the Christian tradition of possession and exorcism, Pentecostalism, and "New Age" and less widely known Western concepts about possession and exorcism, this work examines ideas about possession and exorcism from other world religions and the indigenous cultures of Asia, Africa, and the Americas. It also covers historic cases of possession and presents biographies of famous theologians, exorcists, and possessed individuals. High school and undergraduate readers will learn about world history, religious and spiritual traditions, and world cultures through a topic that figures prominently in popular culture and modern entertainment. Bibliographies that accompany each entry as well as a selected, general bibliography serve to help students locate print and electronic sources of additional information.

Author : Éva Pócs
Publisher : Central European University Press
ISBN 13 : 9633864143
Total Pages : 556 pages
Book Rating : 4.42/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Spirit Possession written by Éva Pócs and published by Central European University Press. This book was released on 2022-05-31 with total page 556 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Possession, a seemingly irrational phenomenon, has posed challenges to generations of scholars rooted in Western notions of body-soul dualism, self and personhood, and a whole set of presuppositions inherited from Christian models of possession that was “good” or “bad.” The authors of the essays in this book present a new and more promising approach. They conceive spirit possession as a form of communication, of expressivity, of culturally defined behavior that should be understood in the context of local, vernacular theories and empiric reflections. With the aim of reformulating the comparative anthropology of spirit possession, the editors have opened corridors between previously separate areas of research. Together, anthropologists and historians working on several historical periods and in different European, African, South American, and Asian cultural areas attempt to redefine the very concept of possession, freeing it from the Western notion of the self and more clearly delineating it from related matters such as witchcraft, devotion, or mysticism. The book also provides an overview of new research directions, including novel methods of participant observation and approaches to spirit possession as indigenous historiography

Author : Kenaz Filan
Publisher : Simon and Schuster
ISBN 13 : 1594779287
Total Pages : 352 pages
Book Rating : 4.82/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Drawing Down the Spirits written by Kenaz Filan and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2009-04-13 with total page 352 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: An insider’s view of the inner workings and prevalence of spirit possession in our modern world • Provides practical techniques for preparation, safety, aftercare, and aborting harmful possessions • Reveals the forms of ritual possession present throughout the world--including Uganda, Nepal, Korea, Bali, Greece, Turkey, Scandinavia, and France Drawing Down the Spirits presents an insider’s view of the inner workings, sacred traditions, and prevalence of spirit possession existing in our modern world. Spirit possession is an integral part of shamanism as well as many neo-pagan forms of worship that draw down deities or invite spirit possession. However, spirit possession is not for the unprepared. In Drawing Down the Spirits, Kenaz Filan and Raven Kaldera, both initiated and experienced in shamanic and Vodou traditions, present the practical guidance needed to participate in ritual possession. Addressing the benefits and the dangers that await the naive, Filan and Kaldera show that there is no such thing as a guaranteed “safe” possession because spirits have their own agenda--and they are much more powerful than we are. The authors provide a variety of techniques to prepare for possession and abort possession and to promote the safety of the possessed as well as the spirits and witnesses present. With a wide-ranging look at the historic forms of ritual possession found throughout the world--including Uganda, Nepal, Korea, Bali, Greece, Turkey, Scandinavia, and France--the authors also include numerous firsthand accounts collected from witnesses of modern spirit possession.

Author : Terence Palmer
Publisher : Cambridge Scholars Publishing
ISBN 13 : 1443871036
Total Pages : 375 pages
Book Rating : 4.37/5 ( download)

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Download or read book The Science of Spirit Possession (2nd Edition) written by Terence Palmer and published by Cambridge Scholars Publishing. This book was released on 2014-11-10 with total page 375 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Spirit possession, attachment, poltergeist activity and the negative impact of obsession, infestation and harassment on psychological health, together with the methods of dealing with it, are contemporary issues that demand serious scientific research and academic study. Essential reading for anyone who is presented with the problem of identifying and dealing with negative spirit influence, whether they are a health professional, a service user or a research scientist, this book presents a complementary approach that is built upon the theoretical concepts and experimental methods of Frederic Myers, together with modern research findings in quantum theory and neuro-imaging.

Author : Heike Behrend
Publisher : Univ of Wisconsin Press
ISBN 13 : 9780299166342
Total Pages : 198 pages
Book Rating : 4.41/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Spirit Possession, Modernity & Power in Africa written by Heike Behrend and published by Univ of Wisconsin Press. This book was released on 1999 with total page 198 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In Africa as well as in Europe, many spirits and their mediums are part of local as well as global cultures. Christian spirits named Hitler, Mussolini, or King Bruce (Bruce Lee) flourish in a pantheon of new holy spirits in Uganda waging war against the government. Spirits of airplanes, engines, guitars, and angels are found in Central Africa; and thunder, snakes, and rain as well as playboys and prostitutes inhabit the spirit world in West Africa. Spirit possession cults have continued to proliferate, even in the secular West, and continue to be a subject of intense interest. Despite the continuous expansion of the field, some problems are only now beginning to be explored. The experts in this volume focus on questions of power, the history and inner dynamics of cults, the role of gender and images of the other, based on research conducted during the last fifteen years in Africa. The contributors document changes taking place across the continent as possession beliefs and practices respond to new circumstances and address the shifting local implications of an increasingly global socio-economy. Gender, ethnicity, and class are examined as intersecting forces and features of spirit phenomena. The case studies presented are richly contextualized: history, social organization and upheaval, alternative religious options--all are considered relevant to an understanding of possession forms. Contributors: Leslie Sharp, Heike Behrend, Adeline Masquelier, Mathias Krings, Jean-Paul Colleyn, Alexandra O. de Sousa, Susan Kenyon, Tobias Wendl, Ute Luig, and Linda Giles Co-published with James Currey Publishers, U.K. The Wisconsin edition is not for sale in the United Kingdon, the traditional British Commonwealth (excepting Canada), nor in Europe.

Author : Michael J. Sersch
Publisher : Cambridge Scholars Publishing
ISBN 13 : 1527524159
Total Pages : 195 pages
Book Rating : 4.56/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Demons on the Couch written by Michael J. Sersch and published by Cambridge Scholars Publishing. This book was released on 2019-01-03 with total page 195 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Belief in possession, including from demonic forces, has ancient roots and continues into the modern world, especially among certain communities. This has been shown in books, movies, places of worship, and in the therapy office. This book traces the global history of possession and looks at ways contemporary mental health professionals can help a person who believes themselves to be possessed. Written especially for clinicians, but interesting to a wide variety of readers, this book uses a variety of disciplines, including cultural studies, psychology, and personal experiences, to try and understand the phenomenon from as wide a perspective as possible, including interviews with exorcists from various backgrounds. Both believers and sceptics will find this to be a fascinating study of a controversial topic.

Author : Adam C. Blai
Publisher : Emmaus Road Publishing
ISBN 13 : 1945125608
Total Pages : 156 pages
Book Rating : 4.07/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Hauntings, Possessions, and Exorcisms written by Adam C. Blai and published by Emmaus Road Publishing. This book was released on 2017-08-01 with total page 156 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: How do you fight an enemy you can’t see? In this field guide to defense against the demonic, Adam Blai, an expert in religious demonology and exorcism for the diocese of Pittsburgh, shares information and advice gained over years of extensive experience with the paranormal. Review the scriptural evidence about demons—who were cast down to earth, not hell—and the tricks they play to try to gain influence in our lives. You’ll also discover the tools the Church has developed for us to combat and resist the forces of evil. Written in an easy-to-read style, this book is perfect for the Catholic looking to learn more about the invisible forces hell-bent on the destruction of your soul—and how to claim the victory Christ has already won.

Author : I. M. Lewis
Publisher : Psychology Press
ISBN 13 : 9780415305082
Total Pages : 224 pages
Book Rating : 4.8X/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Ecstatic Religion written by I. M. Lewis and published by Psychology Press. This book was released on 2003 with total page 224 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: First Published in 2004. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.

Author : Susan B. Martinez
Publisher : Bear
ISBN 13 : 9781591433323
Total Pages : 0 pages
Book Rating : 4.20/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Field Guide to the Spirit World written by Susan B. Martinez and published by Bear. This book was released on 2019-03-26 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A comprehensive examination of the many ways the spirit world affects our minds and the material plane • Provides a detailed guide to the Afterlife and its inhabitants • Reveals the spirit influence behind many mental disorders as well as psi abilities and creative genius • Includes checklists of symptoms of spirit “overshadowing,” methods from the world’s top exorcists, and instructions on how to free unwanted spirits from the material plane We are spirits housed in a body, and just as houses can be haunted, so can people. When the living succumb to dissociative states of consciousness, they become a magnet for lost but clinging spirits. Known as jinn, dybbuk, daemon, wuqabi, or simply the undead, they hover unseen on the earth plane, ready to inhabit the most suitable body available. Documenting the life of wandering spirits and their impact on vulnerable human targets, Susan Martinez offers a radical departure from the standard psychological explanations for a host of pathological behaviors--including multiple personality, autism, epilepsy, migraines, obsessive compulsive disorder, depression, schizophrenia, anxiety, PTSD, self-destructive urges, and strange outbursts--and reveals that hallucinations are often true impressions of spirit input. Martinez explains how mental health comes down to the delicate balance between self-control and spirit-control. When trauma triggers an escape response, the soul takes flight, leaving the mind susceptible to possession by discarnate entities. However, the spirit world can also bestow gifts upon those whose psyches are open, such as in the case of mediums, shamans, people who communicate with angels, and many of the world’s creative geniuses. Martinez presents “overshadowing” by spirits as a universal, cross-cultural phenomenon, documenting modern and traditional accounts as well as corroborating indigenous beliefs. She examines soul decay, soul travel both before and after death, as well as how knowledge of the spirit world can offer positive treatments for disorders like schizophrenia and autism. Providing a detailed guide to the spirit world and its inhabitants, the author offers checklists of symptoms of “overshadowing,” methods from the world’s top exorcists, and instructions on how to free spirits so they can continue their journey into the beyond--all the tools necessary to forearm us against soul snatchers and other enemies of the Light.

Author : Giovanni B. Bazzana
Publisher : Yale University Press
ISBN 13 : 0300245629
Total Pages : 333 pages
Book Rating : 4.22/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Having the Spirit of Christ written by Giovanni B. Bazzana and published by Yale University Press. This book was released on 2020-01-07 with total page 333 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A provocative reinterpretation of accounts of spirit possession and exorcism in early Christianity The earliest Christian writings are filled with stories of possession and exorcism, which were crucial for the activity of the historical Jesus and for the practice of the earliest groups of his followers. Most critical scholarship, however, regularly marginalizes these topics or discards them altogether in reconstructing early Christian history. This innovative book approaches the study of possession from a different methodological angle by using a comparative lens that includes contemporary ethnographies of possession cross-culturally. Possession, besides being a harmful event that should be exorcized, can also have a positive role in many cultures. Often it helps individuals and groups to reflect on and reshape their identity, to plan their moral actions, and to remember in a most vivid way their past. When read in light of these materials, these ancient documents reveal the religious, cultural, and social meaning that the experience of possession had for the early Christ groups.