Horsing is a type of possession used by practitioners, pagans, witches, and other religions. It’s consensual possession, in a manner of speaking. It’s allowing your body to become a vessel, usually temporarily, for another being. Usually it’s a god or deity but pretty much any spirit can possess a human, especially if the human lets them.
Now some readers are probably super excited by this brand-new information. But wait a second, please.
First off, possession without invitation first is INCREDIBLY rare. There’s a inherent danger in horsing that the being riding you is just going to take off with your body and not give it back. They can fight you. They can destroy you so you can’t fight back. And is a possession is deeply rooted, sometimes the only way to end the possession is death. No, I’m fucking serious as shit right now. I’m not being over-dramatic. This is personal fucking experience. You. Can. Die. Because you have no control over your body. That spirit can just force your ass out into traffic just to have a giggle over how your body bounces over the roof of a car.
Terrified yet?
When you decide to horse, you should always absolutely have faith in that being. You should always make sure that being knows to get the fuck out when you tell them to. And you should always have a competent practitioner with you that can expel the being from you if necessary.
Possession is scary. I’ve been possessed and horsed. While possessed I wandered around a cemetery in absolute tears for no reason (we were at a birthday party) and with the knowledge that the spirit possessing me wanted to throw me off the ridge into the bay below. A friend came and collected me, pulling me out of the cemetery. I was immediately better and took my lesson from it – never drop my bloody shields. I’ve been horsed plenty of times, usually by spirits that are both deities and not. During those times it was part of a huge ritual and the beings were respectful and left when asked to.
Other than that, setting yourself up for it is as easy as getting into a trance, inviting them in with the understanding that they will leave when you want them to. I mean, there’s a lot that goes on for it but the practice itself it easy enough.
Consent is incredibly HUGE when talking about horsing and possession. Because if you don’t want it then it’s NOT okay. I almost never hear someone talk about consent when handling spirits, deities, or other beings. And that’s terrifying to think about when talking about horsing or possession. Don’t give up your body without a fight. It’s yours.
I recommend checking out the following links:
First, don’t call it “horsing.” To be a spirit horse is a vodoun term and should be left to that tradition. It’s called invocation in the Western tradition and it’s a common practice. That being said, you can learn a lot from spirit possession. I am a big believer in the idea that magick has no safety net. What I would recommend is practice your banishing and develop confidence in your skill as a magician. Also, find some people you trust to practice with. If you want to invoke a spirit you don’t know well or who you know is shady, have some competent people around to help you get it out if needed.