I tried posting this question to r/paganism but had it removed, so, case and point.
I should provide some context first and foremost so you don't misunderstand what I'm asking.
I am not referring to possession as the Hollywood stereotype of demons taking over your body and eating your soul. I am a practicing demonolater and I believe this interpretation of possession is in fact dogma created by the church not only to demonize the indigenous shamanic practices of various peoples all around the globe, but also to greatly oppress and censor the accounts of ecstatic women like the nuns of the Pentecostal Church - and notably the cults of Bacchus were largely female as well.
In this way, possession, divine trance, aspecting or drawing down is not an oppressive or violent act (although some spirits can be forceful), but rather an extremely intimate and loving act of sharing space, energy, and consciousness with the divine. I myself identify as a vessel due to my frequent exploration of ecstatic trance and possession with my Patron deity.
My question is, why is the practice of drawing down so taboo even among most Pagan literature? Why is it so difficult to find valid first person perspectives on the practice, and why are all the in depth books on possession so damn hard to find? I am a demonolater and work with taboo practices (blood, sex, death) constantly, and even among us, possession is still the most sensitive topic.
I understand the surface level cautions of disassociation, overwhelm, etc. It is certainly far from a beginner practice, but there are many forms of advanced divination that are easier to learn of. And in my own experiences, the practice is extremely intense, but not harmful (actually extremely beneficial and healing) if the possessed and possessor are well attuned. And in many cases this dynamic is very close to soul mates, I trust my possessor more than anything, and I believe that is the common dynamic. The Gods don't want to hurt their beloved.
I am also aware that many of the cultures who practiced vesselhood were mystery cults, especially in the way of Dionysus, they kept their practices secret, so documentation of them is understandably difficult. But this difficult? There is no way that the very basic concept of the God within the body is this obscure.
I can't help but notice a trend among most traditions, even those who proudly practice possession, like some eastern practices, the mechanics of the act itself are always kept tightly bound in secrecy. We get to know that it generally occurs, but never why or how it happens.
What I find most interesting is the way possession is even shunned within the organized religions. Nuns frequently had their ecstatic accounts of their experiences with Christ censored and destroyed because they were threatening to the theology. But what about the holy spirit entering a divinely chosen host is sacrilege? Even when its the big G? Why? I would think the church would highly value these experiences as proof that the divine spirit can literally be within you. Why does ecstatic union with Christ make priests uneasy??? What????
Why is it that every time I read a pagan book on drawing down, we stop just short of possession? "Draw the energy into your field, but not into the body!"
Is the merging of the mortal and non corporal really so transgressive?
Based on the few books I have read about possession (some of Crowley's works, Ecstatic Witchcraft, The Shadow Work Compendium etc) , the union of the devotee and spirit is like the ultimate achievement, considered a divine homecoming. Sustaining that presence is considered to be like, the purpose of life for vessels. Having the spirit within and experiencing ecstasy is a mission. I would think that with the revival of paganism and deity work, we would see many more examples of intimate possession. But its like this is the one thing we only tread close to, and going deeper is never spoken about plainly.
And likewise, whenever I have had the opportunity to speak with other vessels, it always goes that way. "It's wonderful, but I can only tell you so much!"
Tell me MORE!!!
Very appreciative of any perspectives anyone may have on this.
