Editing Invocation (section)

== As a form of possession ==
The ecstatic, possessory form of invocation may be compared to [[loa]] possession in the [[West African Vodun|Vodou]] tradition where devotees are described as being "ridden" or "mounted" by the deity or spirit. In 1995 [[National Geographic Society|National Geographic]] journalist [[Carol Beckwith]] described events she had witnessed during Vodoun possessions:{{sfnp|Beckwith|1995}}

{{blockquote|
A woman splashed sand into her eyes, a man cut his belly with shards of glass but did not bleed, another swallowed fire. Nearby a believer, perhaps a yam farmer or fisherman, heated hand-wrought knives in crackling flames. Then another man brought one of the knives to his tongue. We cringed at the sight and were dumbfounded when, after several repetitions, his tongue had not even reddened.
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Possessive invocation has also been described in certain Norse rites where [[Odin]] is invoked to "ride" workers of [[seidr]] (Norse shamanism), much like the god rides his eight-legged horse [[Sleipnir]].  Indeed, forms of possessive invocation appear throughout the world in most mystical or ecstatic traditions, wherever devotees seek to touch upon the essence of a deity or spirit.{{sfnp|Wallis|2003|p=96}}