How Does Trance Oracling ( Vāk ) Happen?

' Aruḷ Vāk' or Trance Oracling....

In laymen cognition, this refers to the utilization of a human body by a 'divine entity' to confer help to devotees by resolving their questions and healing them.

Mechanism of trance

Mental logic is an assumption based on what society has fed to us. Never use it to explain dimensions you have no idea of. This is what has befallen the practice of trance oracling, unfortunately. Half-baked keyboard warriors who claim to know the nut and bolts of trance slander this practice in terms of mockery like 'god downloaders'. They ask as to how a human body, impure by nature possibly 'download' GOD into itself.

 Firstly, no one 'downloads' god. What happens in a trance is a temporary heightened/elevated or mimicked consciousness in a person, which is beyond the person's control. The resultant intense and sudden energy surge is expressed in the form of flame, dance and involuntary gestures. This is what happens when people lose control in genuine trance. By the same token, there are those who fake the act or fall under the influence of spirits - which we call ingenuine trance.

When trance happens for an oracling ( vāk ) purpose, there is a mimicked and heightened consciousness, which is stable in nature. This stability is utilised for a noble purpose of helping devotees. The person's consciousness is mimicked to that of a deity. To put it in other words, a deity's enlightened consciousness or energy is reflected onto a person temporarily. No deity 'enters' a body. The practitioner's subtle body simply holds the reflection of the deity.

If you place certain nail pieces near a magnet, you will realise that the very nail pieces become magnetic after some time. The nail and the magnet are different objects, but both are capable of acting alike.

Video: Channeling Māriammaṉ. Through trance oracling (aruḷ vāk), devotees get to communicate with the deity at a gross level. The oracler in the video is affirming in Tamiḻ as to how the Divine Mother loves all equally, as all are verily Her children. At this stage, the oracler and the deity are in total oneness — for a temporary duration.

This is part of the folk tradition.

Location: Śrī Naḷḷamuttu Māriammaṉ Kōvil, Stothard Estate, Kuala Ketil, Kedah, Malaysia.

This is why those under trance present with the attributes of the invoked deity.  This is when they start helping devotees through healing and revelations.

Qualification for Vāk (Trance Oracling)

The person who channels is sometimes chosen by the deity itself. At times, a person has to undergo mastery via a guru-disciple tradition. Otherwise, it can be even inherited in a family.

Those who can heal and give vāk without getting into trance are those who have an already elevated, established spiritual consciousness. They do not need external support to heighten it. These include siddha-s and yogi-s.

These beings, even if not yet enlightened, are mature and evolved enough to access space-time dimensions to give vāk. They do not go into trance.

Video: Inducing Trance through Uṭukai pāṭal. The pāṭal (song) and uṭukai (drum) produce the right sound frequency and devotional surge to induce trance at the right time. There is a very specific krama (order or sequence) in trance induction.

Oracling in other cultures 


Image: In native American culture, trance in relation to animal spirit is common

Trance oracling was very much prevalent in all ancient cultures of the world.


Image: The oracle of Delphi - Pythia was the name of the high priestess of the Temple of Apollo at Delphi who also served as the oracle. She used to perform Vāk through inhalation of hydrocarbon which induced trance -in contrary to Indian culture where sound energy is commonly used ( mantras, drums, songs ).

Even today, Vāk in folk temples are doing wonders. Healing of the blind, mute and diseased occur even today in rural villages. Unwavering promises and faith are established in the hearts of devotees. 

                 Video: A village in India where Karuppasvāmi is channeled.

This, I believe is a gift we should value. We can make use of the divine to communicate to us on an approximate physical level.

On Par With Hinduism

The practice of trance in folk culture has a common root in other Hindu practices. When we perform a ritual according to Āgama or Tantra, there is a process called nyāsa. In nyāsa, the upāsaka (worshiper) uses mantras to consecrate his own self and transform into the devatā being worshiped. As the śloka goes:

यत् देवम् अर्चयेत् त्वात् तद् देवम् आत्म भावन

yat devaṃ arcayet tvāt tad devaṃ ātma bhāvana

Meaning: Whichever deity one worships, one must transform into that deity.

From the Mahābhārata, Karmakāṇḍa section:

न अविष्णुः कीर्तयेत् विष्णुं न अविष्णुः विष्णुमर्चयेत् ।

न अविष्णुः संस्मरेत् विष्णुं न अविष्णुः विष्णुमाप्नुयात् ॥

na aviṣṇuḥ kīrtayet viṣṇuṃ na aviṣṇuḥ viṣṇum arcayet |

na aviṣṇuḥ saṃsmaret viṣṇuṃ na aviṣṇuḥ viṣṇum āpnuyāt ||

Meaning: One who does not consider himself as Viṣṇu should not sing the praise of Viṣṇu. One who does not consider himself as Viṣṇu should not worship Viṣṇu. One who does not consider himself as Viṣṇu should not meditate upon Viṣṇu. One who does not consider himself as Viṣṇu will not attain Viṣṇu.

As you can see, in Tantra and Āgama-s, the state of oneness with the deity is central. As a Śaiva, I cannot worship Sadāśiva without mantrically transforming myself into Sadāśiva.

This very same principle is applied in trance. There is nothing wrong in identifying oneself as the deity. In fact, this is something very, very Hindu.

Faking Trance

Ingenuine trance do exist, but that does not mean you gotta tarnish the tradition of Vāk all-together. Do you avoid all doctors just because you met a quack ? 

Just because a holy person doesn't get into trance - you cannot use that as a standard to mock others. Trance is not about personality. As mentioned trance is a temporarily heightened consciousness or consciousness mimicry. In another analogy it is like asking if a person's personality is needed to light a matchstick. It is in a way calling a deity - lord Agni you know. All you need to know is the method to ignite the flame. Next, you need to know how to use the flame. If you are careless, it could burn you altogether. This is how divinity can work - like fire.

Ultimately who are we to judge another person's spirituality? 

A person who channels a deity suffers inevitably. His system accepts some of the karma from the devotees. Besides, there are considerable side-effects from the channeling itself.

A person who is willing to channel a deity in full authenticity is a tyāgi. Not everyone is willing to put himself into suffering for the sake of others.

So stop cooing mockeries on something you aren't fully aware of. 

  May the tradition of Vāk continue to enrich and benefit 

us, in its authentic form