What are the facts of psychic possession?

The person who departs from this physical world with any strong earthly or bodily desire unsatisfied naturally seeks every possible avenue through which to gratify that desire. 

And if it is a desire, which can be gratified only in the physical world, it naturally seeks an instrument—or physical body through which it can obtain such gratification. 

This desire for renewed physical expression holds such minds close to the physical world in the slums of the ethereal—or astral world, which is the world just beyond and an octave higher in vibration than the physical world. 

The discarnate personalities thus held close to the earth by their desires and thoughts constitute the earthbound, while those not so held by earthly desires naturally and unconsciously rise into the higher, finer and brighter realms of manifestation, according to the Law of Spiritual Gravity.

To obtain the desired expression in the physical, the disembodied spirit must find some person whose body and mind are abnormally open to such suggestions, impressions and thought-transference to the point of at least partial possession—or obsession. 

Such persons are found among the mentally unstable, the neurasthenic, and especially among the alcoholics and narcotic drug addicts. 

However, just as the majority of humanity is protected from the invasion of infectious diseases by a natural physical immunity until that immunity is broken down by fatigue, destructive emotions, abnormal living, and so, just so is the human mind protected from the invasion of psychic suggestions and thought-forms from the invisible worlds by natural psychic immunity. 

Let no normal mind fear psychic invasion.

You possess an ethereal and astral body as the substratum—or model into the meshes of which the physical body is built. 

And between this finer and the physical body, there is a special layer of etheric matter, which normally prevents vibrations and thought-forces from the unseen world from reaching and registering upon the physical body. 

But this protective and immunity-conferring layer is dissolved by alcohol and is paralysed and rapidly disintegrated by narcotic drugs, thus exposing the addict to obsession from the invisible just as one whose physical immunity is destroyed is open to infection by invisible pathogenic bacteria. 

The alcohol radical of all the higher alcohols—methyl, ethyl, propyl, butyl—is really an ethereal substance normally belonging in the ethereal world, but temporarily materialised in the physical. 

When its bonds to the physical are released, it naturally tends to fly back to the world and octave of vibration to which it normally belongs. 

In the alcoholic, it passes into the ethereal world through certain outlets—or centres, which connect the physical with the astral, and in doing so, it dissolves the etheric wall, which normally confers psychic immunity, and thus exposes the victim to all the horrors to be found in the slums of the astral world. 

The horrid visions of delirium tremens are, therefore, not the mere ravings of a disordered imagination, but actual sights of very real things in the astral world.

The narcotic radical in drugs acts similarly, exposing its victim not only to his own physical craving for the drug, but also to the much greater and more sinister force of obsession by disembodied addicts who seek such abnormally opened channel, for the gratification of their still persisting desire. 

This accounts for the powerful and all-compelling—or so-called irresistible impulse, which overwhelms the weakened wills of even those who are seemingly cured by the proper institutional treatment the moment they are released into the outer world, where the drug can be obtained.

This fact of psychic obsession also accounts for those crimes of irresistible impulse of which the perpetrator knows nothing after the obsessing influences pass away and he returns to his normal consciousness. 

All such belong to the same class as the drug addict, namely, the self-indulgent, weak-willed—or hypersensitive individuals who allow the doors of their minds to swing idly to and fro in negative mental states—or those whose psychic immunity has been weakened—or destroyed, both of which make them easy victims to the inrush of any outside, but positive and determined thought-force. 

There is a vast difference, however, not only in degree, but in kind between strong telepathic suggestions from the mental and spiritual worlds, and a definite psychic invasion from the astral world—all the difference between an uplifting spiritual inspiration and a demonical possession.

It should be remembered that sudden and strong impulses from the invisible—good and evil—constructive and destructive—inspiring and depressing—do not come in words unless one is clairaudient, but by the inrush of a new idea—or current of thought-force, which makes a compelling and often overwhelming impression. 

Those of positive mentality developed wills and high moral character are able to check and control such inrushes until they can examine them and decide what their reaction should be. 

But those of weak mentality—or will who are hypersensitive to outside impressions tend to give way to and express such impulses without due consideration. 

They respond to the negative—or evil suggestions more readily because such usually appeal to some form of self-indulgence—or because they require less exertion of positive will than the good and constructive impulses. 

Hence, mental poise and acute discrimination is a vital point to be taught in any campaign of education on any subject.

Other drugs, which produce sleep, also open the door to the invisible world and permit the consciousness to leave the body, but with less corroding and degenerating effects upon its psychic immunity.

Some Fundamentals in the Psychology of Narcotic Drug Addiction