What Exactly is a Goddess Possession
Call me what you will, but I believe in the power of Goddess possessions. These are pretty common during festivals in India, especially the festivals dedicated to our Goddesses. You know, when a person (typically a woman) becomes possessed not by a ghost or evil spirit, but rather by the very Goddess she worships.
Sounds fanatical. Superstitious even. But it makes sense when you think about it from the Goddess’s perspective. This is Her opportunity to communicate to her devotees via a medium, who is none other than one of them. And what could be more auspicious than such divine communication? It is perhaps why such occurrences are celebrated during festivals.
Have I Ever Witnessed a Goddess Possession?
Yes, twice in my life. Both during the same sort of ritual, which we call Bodhan. That is where we worship the Goddess of food, grain, and prosperity. It is an all-women event, where they assemble various food items and mix them (with their hands) in a large pot. The menfolk can watch from a distance but cannot participate.
In the first instance, it was an elderly woman whom the Goddess possessed, and she merely grew agitated as she mixed the food, scaring my then-young granddaughter. In the second instance, the medium of the Goddess possession was a young woman, who expressed her unhappiness with another woman of the household. It was perhaps the Goddess within the young lady herself speaking.
Is It Real?
The real question to be asked, I think, is what does it really mean? For women, it is a chance to finally express themselves. Perhaps to let go of the behavioural norms that society otherwise imposes upon them and become one with the energy of the event. Perhaps psychologists have more sophisticated terms to explain the phenomenon.
So what really matters is what these so-called “Goddess possessions” do. Remember, I said I believe in their power, and not in them. And I will reiterate that they contain the full power to supercharge the events wherein Goddesses are worshipped. They reinforce people’s faith in the Goddesses.
And, more importantly, they reinforce people’s belief that Goddesses do inhabit within women.