s "sakti" or creative essence.
The case of Karunavati Maniyo illustrates this sequence of events. She brings guilt upon herself by eloping with her sister's boyfriend (although she avoids responsibility for this by claiming that he used a love charm on her) and by not attending her mother's funeral. Thus, she feels she has twice betrayed her mother, feels guilty, and unconsciously decides that she must do penance. After her mother dies, Karunavati conjures her up as a "preta" who comes to possess her as punishment, not letting her eat and making her act in bizarre ways so she is unable to fulfill her roles as wife and mother. At this point, Karunavati is considered "pissu" or mad by her family and community, although it is understood by all that the madness is the result of a possessio
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