beingspossess

Beingspossess is a neologism used to describe the general phenomenon whereby a sentient being takes control of another host or vessel. The term is not standard in scholarship but serves as a concise label for discussions of possession across both religious, folkloric, and speculative contexts. In this sense, it encompasses instances where a being, whether a deity, spirit, alien, or other consciousness, exerts influence over a recipient’s body, mind, or object.

Anthropology and religious studies treat possession as a socially meaningful practice rather than a purely individual experience. Types include spirit possession, in which a trance state is believed to permit a non-human entity to speak or act through a person; demonic possession, often framed as harmful or disruptive; and sometimes ancestor or deity possession in which ancestral or divine beings are invoked for guidance. Objects and places may also be described as possessed, reflecting animist or symbolic interpretations in which spiritual agency resides in material surroundings.

Explanations of such phenomena range from ritual, psychotherapy, and altered states of consciousness to symbolic meaning and power dynamics within a community. Cultural contexts shape how possession is interpreted: from healing and revelation to social control or moral judgment.

In fiction and popular culture, beingspossess is a common plot device, used to explore themes of control, identity, and otherness. Related concepts include possession, trance, exorcism, and ritual containment.