Throughout recorded history, many cultures describe cases of spirit possession by benevolent or “good” entities rather than demonic ones. These positive possessions usually involve ancestral spirits, angels, gods, or guiding forces believed to bring healing, wisdom, or divine messages rather than harm.

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African and African-Diasporic Traditions

In Haitian Vodou, it is common for practitioners to be possessed by the Loa (or lwa), spirits that use the human body as a “horse” to communicate with the living. These possessions are considered sacred and often bring healing or prophetic revelation rather than suffering.

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Similarly, the Umbanda religion of Brazil views possession by benevolent guiding spirits—such as Pomba Gira (female) and Exu (male)—as a blessing. Possessed individuals act as mediums, giving moral counsel, answering questions, and offering guidance to others.

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In African-American Hoodoo and many Black Christian churches, being “filled with the Holy Ghost” (the Holy Spirit) during ecstatic worship is a kind of divine possession. This is believed to purify one’s heart, connect them to God, and channel ancestral power and spiritual joy.

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In Southern Africa, the Xesibe people view spirit possession (intwaso) as a divine calling to become a healer or seer. Rather than being a curse, intwaso marks the beginning of a spiritual vocation.

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Abrahamic Religions

In Judaism, the mystical tradition sometimes recognizes forms of benign possession. The dybbuk is usually malevolent, but Kabbalistic writings describe ibbur—a positive spirit that temporarily inhabits a person to help them achieve good works or fulfill commandments.

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In Christianity, many early followers viewed inspiration by the Holy Spirit as a kind of divine possession, empowering prophecy, healing, or speaking in tongues. Early Christian communities described holy possession as the indwelling of God’s presence within the believer, contrasting it sharply with demonic control.

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In Islam, spirit possession is often associated with jinn—beings made of smokeless fire. While some jinn are harmful, others are benevolent. Historical Islamic accounts include jinn guiding saints, offering inspiration to poets, or conveying hidden knowledge to mystics and soothsayers.

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Eastern and Indigenous Traditions

In Hinduism, possession by gods (devas) or goddesses (shaktis) is a ritual part of many festivals where devotees are temporarily embodied by divine forces to deliver blessings or oracles. This is seen as auspicious and spiritually purifying.

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In Buddhist traditions, certain protective spirits or enlightened beings can inhabit a person to avert evil or guide them spiritually. Tantric and Vajrayāna rituals may invoke possession by peaceful deities for healing and protection.

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In Chinese folk religion, benevolent ancestor spirits may temporarily inhabit family members during festivals to bless descendants. Possession is invited through ritual offerings and music and interpreted as a sign of continued harmony with the ancestral world.

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Angelic Possession and Benevolent Beings

According to religious texts, angels and benevolent entities often act through or within human beings. In the Book of Tobit, for example, the archangel Raphael possesses a form to guide Tobias on his journey and heals Tobit’s blindness—an important example of angelic intervention in human life.

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In Zoroastrianism, Spenta Mainyu (“Holy Spirit”) and other amesha spentas represent divine energies inhabiting or inspiring individuals to acts of truth, good thought, and immortality.