>>7819898
I think we're dealing with an occult conception of consciousness that is anathema to the way most view themselves and reality.
The theatrics of song and dance are very powerful, think about African tribes in masks, drumming for hours and dancing in circles. These types of group rituals that call for a suspension of self-interest, and a relinquishing to the collective energy of the communal event are so psychologically powerful that they have persisted in many forms across many cultures throughout time. In the documentary "Wild Wild Country" they show a clip from the cult group therapy sessions, where everyone gets naked and has a cathartic session of wailing and gnashing teeth and writhing around on the ground. Anyone goes through an experience like that, that takes them out of the ordinary realm of experience and puts them in a state of heightened emotional & physical tension, will invariably describe that event as transformative and world-altering.
In the theory of consciousness, many believe our bodies act as radio receivers, but our consciousness exists beyond the physical limits of perception. In most worldviews, we see ourselves and others as individuals, with individual souls and personalities. I think some occult practices teach that we are not individuals, in the sense that our thoughts do not manifest from our own efforts, but they arise from the collective web of conscious. If you broadcast gangster rap, and show violent movies and news stories to a population constantly, that population will reflect the reality that is presented to them, regardless of personal cognition and thought patterns.
This is the basis of hypnosis/ mockingbird control/ magick. Thus, actors relinquish they're autonomy and channel the personality of another. Many actors become embroiled with the occult because they have metaphysical experiences with consciousness that don't comport with popular consensus reality.
tldr; Occultists practice rituals around the belief that the individual soul is malleable, and our bodies are vessels for a wide range of consciousness phenomena (channeling entities/people/etc)