How Does Trance Oracling ( Vaak ) Happen?

'Arul Vaaku' is a rather fluid term. To ascertain what this article highlights, I would use '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 from their incompletions.

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 ( Arul Vaaku in Tamizh or simply Deva Vaak ) 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. It is not possession.

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 of different objects, but both are capable of acting alike. This is but a poor analogy on how trance works.

Video : Channeling Mariamman. Through trance oracling, we get to communicate with the divine at a gross level. The oracler in the video is affirming in Tamizh - on 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: Shri Nallamuthu Mariamman temple, Stothard estate, Kuala Ketil, Kedah, Malaysia.

This is why those under trance present with the attributes of the invoked deity. Their brainwaves, physiological attributes and even body changes in this trance state. This is when they start helping devotees through healing and revelations.

Qualification for Vaak ( Trance Oracling )

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

Those who can heal and give vaak without getting into trance are those who have an already established consciousness. They do not need external support to heighten it. You may have heard of many such beings, especially in India.

Shri Ramakrishna - the enlightened one 

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

An enlightened being is of a different level. Shri Ramakrishna was a perfect Jivan Mukta (an enlightened being who chooses to stay in His body), yet He was not all about healing and giving vaak - although he could do it at best. Instead, He revived the Vedic culture and brought awareness to the west through his disciple - Swami Vivekananda.

His work was on spreading the seed that enabled every individual to become enlightened himself - to become God-consciousness - which we are capable of, and which is verily the goal and principle of the Vedic culture.

From my observations, I truly feel that authentic trance sessions must have originated from a Siddha. The science and precision involved in the process is so sophisticated yet applicable - something very parallel to that of the Siddha tradition.

Video : Inducing trance through 'udukai paadal'  . The song and drum produce the right sound frequency and devotional surge to induce trance at the right time. There is a very specific order in trance induction

Oracling in other cultures 



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 Vaak through inhalation of hydrocarbon which induced trance -in contrary to Indian culture where sound energy is commonly used ( mantras, drums, songs ).

Even today, vaak in Indian 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. Stern advice has transformed many alcoholics into a noble path ( chronic alcoholism is still a burden in many communities ) 

                   A village in India where Karuppaswamy 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.

Arguments such as, ' why must He walk on sharp machetes ( aruval ). It is not needed' or ' why promote future predictions ' need a deeper understanding

Stepping on a machete or sharp objects can be exhibited by the siddhi laghima - where the body becomes very light. This enables levitation and floating also. Hence, no pain is induced by the sharp ends as pressure is minimised by the extremely reduced body weight.

However, I cannot assure that laghima is particularly in use in such feats under trance. Either ways, it is something superhuman right ? 

These feats produced in a trance state - such as walking on flame uninjured, standing on needles, and climbing a flight of machete-based stairs are not some circus show. These are Siddhis which are not alien to the Indian culture. These had been always exhibited by yogis of the past and present. Shouldn't we be proud of this? When the west can acknowledge and recognize Jesus's divinity when He healed the sick, walked on water, or turned water into wine, we fail to appreciate and see the wonders of these divine siddhis in our very own culture

I see no wrong in devotees celebrating miracles performed by their deity 

The hypocrisy lies in people who beg a temple deity to heal his / her diseases or to establish a future he desires but continues to mock Vaak practitioners.

When Jesus walks on water - we wow. When our yogi next door does the same - he is a fraud.

Faking Trance

Ingenuine trance do exist, but that does not mean you gotta tarnish the tradition of Vaak 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 poor analogy ( good analogies can never exist in the aspect of divinity - as it is something to be experienced rather than explained ) , 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? Just stay empty and love all, serve all. 

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 tyagi. 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. Spend time enriching others instead.

  May the tradition of Vaak continue to enrich and benefit 

us, in its authentic form