The invisible other: Rituals and Egyptian perception of the unknowable
Anthropology of Consciousness September 13, 2023 Peer reviewed DOI: 10.1111/anoc.12196 via Semantic Scholar
Summary
The paper examines how participation in two Egyptian rituals—the zikr (remembrance of God) and the zār (spirit exorcism)—alters states of consciousness among urban and rural communities in Tanta, Egypt. It argues that the embodied image of benevolent or malevolent invisible Others becomes visible through ritual, transforming practitioners into either majzūb (mystically attracted to God) or malbūs (spirit-possessed). The study compares how each ritual shapes participants' perception of reality through psychic and spiritual encounters.
Study at a glance
| Design | comparative study |
|---|---|
| Population | urban and rural communities in Tanta, Egypt |
| Key finding | The image of the embodied invisible Other impacts the state of consciousness of persons participating in the zikr and zār rituals, transforming them into majzūb or malbūs through embodied engagement. |
Abstract
This paper is positioned within broader scholarly debates about ritual‐religious and psychological elements underlying the phenomenon of altered states of mind in Egyptian Muslim contexts. This research examines the intricate relationships between ritual, consciousness, and the unseen/unknowable world reflected in the imagination and practices of urban and rural communities belonging administratively to the city of Tanta in Egypt. This comparative study proposes that the image of the embodied invisible Other, in both benevolent and malevolent forms, impacts the state of consciousness of persons participating in two different rituals, the zikr (remembrance of God) and the zār (the exorcism of spirits). This inquiry concentrates on the transformation of the states of people's consciousness, namely the majzūb (those mystically attracted to God) and the malbūs (those possessed by spirits), through embodied engagement with the invisible Other that is made visible through participation in the ritual performances of the zikr and/or the zār. Rituals performed by Egyptians, particularly those who experience altered states of consciousness, display both a psychic (emotional) experience and an encounter with the invisible Other that may be depicted as divine or otherwise non‐divine. Each case of the zikr ritual and zār cult relates to its participants' perception of reality.