In all cultures there is some traditional knowledge about spirits and all religions, including Christianity, have a chapter about the spirit world and spirit possession. Some Catholic priests are trained to administer exorcisms and such a practice has not been abandoned, though the number of people who ask for exorcisms has dwindled.
Our 21st century rational mind is ready to reject such notions as being superstitions, relics of the past: possessions are the reflection of severe mental conditions, paranoid delusions. At one end of the spectrum there is total belief, at the other utter disbelief. Maybe it is not such a simple case of either/or.
In my younger days I travelled extensively to Southeast Asia. Bali is well known for its trance possessions, trance dance and in general as a place where the existence of magic is never questioned by anyone. Note that people in Bali do not really distinguish between black or white magic, as those with magical power can, at a whim, do something evil.
The Balinese are in tune with the spirit world, through their everyday worship and offerings to appease the bhuta kala. If you travel on the road you will often see little shrines where drivers will stop for a short prayer and offering. They are for the spirits of those people who have met with a violent death as a result of a car accident and who haunt those corners, unable to let go and move on and thus causing others to die, out of their 'distress'.
The idea of avesha, possession, is a fundamental trope of Indic religions, says Professor Geoffrey Samuel of Cardiff University, Wales. So Tantric Buddhism and a host of other religions, originally from India, deal extensively with it, at a pragmatic level, with a number of well defined measures to counter possession by evil spirits.
So far I have mentioned Asian practices. But shamanic beliefs are not confined to Asia and the idea of spirit possession is also found in Africa and in the Americas. Think of Voodoo or Santeria, whose roots are in the Yoruban religion from Africa.
Spirit possession, especially evil spirit possession, goes hand in hand with jinxed, hexed and cursed objects. These are things imbued with evil intent given to you by someone who may want misfortune to affect you. They could be absolutely anything and the gift may be totally innocent, but soon its ill effects will be seen, or so it is believed.
When I was in Bali in the early 1990s I met an extraordinary woman, Ibu Gedong Bagoes Oka, who used to run a Gandhian ashram in Candidasa, on the eastern coast of the island. She had been a university professor, educated in Dutch, which she spoke fluently, as well as English. The ashram was a special place for local villagers. She would take young people in , teach them and would work with them on a number of ecological projects. The ashram was also open to visitors who wanted to enjoy a full break in a peaceful environment. As a visitor you did not have to join the ritual practices of the ashram but you were invited to show respect and act according to a code of conduct - i.e. non-smoking, only vegetarian food, non violent behaviour etc. At the time I travelled with my son who was a young child . The ashram was a great place for him to stay, as there was a nursery school for local children. I'd often leave him there on his own, fully protected and well looked after and go off on excursions which for him were too difficult to negotiate.
Ibu always joined her guests for dinner and one evening the conversation inevitably turned onto the belief in magic. Ibu told us that magic was the curse of Balinese villages, where people would sometimes end up poisoning each other believing that someone had summoned evil spirits. Her mission at the ashram was to get the villagers to go beyond that, teaching them that the best protection against black magic is to believe it has no power to affect you. A compassionate attitude, the belief that as a human being you have free will is enough, she said, to counter those 'psychic attacks'. What if you are given a cursed object? Oh well, she said, refuse to believe it is cursed, it will have no effect. Or bless it and recycle it, if at all possible. It will never hurt anyone but the person it was intended for.
I guess Ibu touched upon the most important point. Dont hurt anyone in your thoughts and no one will really be able to affect you, 'magically'. It is the safest and simplest way to counter the curse of black magic. And even if you do not believe in black magic, it is a good rule to adopt in life, anyway.
(All photos modelled by Alex B.)
Photographer: Eoghan Brennan
Our 21st century rational mind is ready to reject such notions as being superstitions, relics of the past: possessions are the reflection of severe mental conditions, paranoid delusions. At one end of the spectrum there is total belief, at the other utter disbelief. Maybe it is not such a simple case of either/or.
In my younger days I travelled extensively to Southeast Asia. Bali is well known for its trance possessions, trance dance and in general as a place where the existence of magic is never questioned by anyone. Note that people in Bali do not really distinguish between black or white magic, as those with magical power can, at a whim, do something evil.
Original photo by Talkingdrum Postprocessing by me
The idea of avesha, possession, is a fundamental trope of Indic religions, says Professor Geoffrey Samuel of Cardiff University, Wales. So Tantric Buddhism and a host of other religions, originally from India, deal extensively with it, at a pragmatic level, with a number of well defined measures to counter possession by evil spirits.
So far I have mentioned Asian practices. But shamanic beliefs are not confined to Asia and the idea of spirit possession is also found in Africa and in the Americas. Think of Voodoo or Santeria, whose roots are in the Yoruban religion from Africa.
When I was in Bali in the early 1990s I met an extraordinary woman, Ibu Gedong Bagoes Oka, who used to run a Gandhian ashram in Candidasa, on the eastern coast of the island. She had been a university professor, educated in Dutch, which she spoke fluently, as well as English. The ashram was a special place for local villagers. She would take young people in , teach them and would work with them on a number of ecological projects. The ashram was also open to visitors who wanted to enjoy a full break in a peaceful environment. As a visitor you did not have to join the ritual practices of the ashram but you were invited to show respect and act according to a code of conduct - i.e. non-smoking, only vegetarian food, non violent behaviour etc. At the time I travelled with my son who was a young child . The ashram was a great place for him to stay, as there was a nursery school for local children. I'd often leave him there on his own, fully protected and well looked after and go off on excursions which for him were too difficult to negotiate.
Photographer: Martin Billings
Ibu always joined her guests for dinner and one evening the conversation inevitably turned onto the belief in magic. Ibu told us that magic was the curse of Balinese villages, where people would sometimes end up poisoning each other believing that someone had summoned evil spirits. Her mission at the ashram was to get the villagers to go beyond that, teaching them that the best protection against black magic is to believe it has no power to affect you. A compassionate attitude, the belief that as a human being you have free will is enough, she said, to counter those 'psychic attacks'. What if you are given a cursed object? Oh well, she said, refuse to believe it is cursed, it will have no effect. Or bless it and recycle it, if at all possible. It will never hurt anyone but the person it was intended for.
I guess Ibu touched upon the most important point. Dont hurt anyone in your thoughts and no one will really be able to affect you, 'magically'. It is the safest and simplest way to counter the curse of black magic. And even if you do not believe in black magic, it is a good rule to adopt in life, anyway.
(All photos modelled by Alex B.)
This post reminds me of conversations I've had with some Christian brothers and sisters who are concerned about demonic influences in so many things. Some of them seem to see demons in every dark corner! But I've never been worried that way, for the simple reason that the God I serve is far more powerful than any demon. "...greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world." (I John 4:4) I feel that I am heavily protected against any demonic or magickal attacks because, as you suggest, I hold no hatred nor grudge against anyone and am committed to God's ways.
ReplyDeleteBut only once have I been involved in casting out a demon, and I was not the principal figure there. It was my sister who was attacked, and it was scary, but ultimately the demon left in response to prayers and commands from our entire church youth group and the group's leader. And some members of the Pentecostal/charismatic churches I've been involved with can tell you stories... Black magick and demons are real and active--but so is the Holy Spirit.
Hello Alex.Thanks you by these beautiful images that you give us. I am an artist and i would like paint you.
ReplyDeleteSergio.