Summoning Souls: A Shaman’s Approach to Spiritual Healing
Website design By BotEap.comMention the word “soul” and it is likely to elicit a wide variety of responses. For contemporary Americans, for example, the term can evoke images of wildly popular African-American music, a festive celebration of Halloween, or even a delicious Southern-style meal. And for people with a religious bent, ideas about personal salvation and the afterlife are likely to come to mind.
Website design By BotEap.comIn Mongolia, however, the term has a unique history of its own. Its meaning is similar to the contemporary English word, but there are very specific ideas about the relationship of souls to the state of health of individuals.
Website design By BotEap.comLike the medieval ideas of evil spirits that were part of many European communities, Mongolian tradition provides detailed examples of malevolent forces that can enter the body and cause physical harm in the form of disease. Religious elaborates for the exorcism of these evil spirits were common in many parts of the world. However, Mongolia has a very intriguing ritual that is perhaps separate from these traditions and has had a lasting impact on many of its inhabitants to this day.
Website design By BotEap.comNot only malevolent spirits can infiltrate the body, but also an individual’s soul can be summoned by evil spirits to leave the body, as in the case of death. As a means of countering these threats, local shamans perform elaborate religious rituals to call the soul back into the person’s body.
Website design By BotEap.comSpiritual Remedies
Website design By BotEap.comIn a fascinating account of this activity, a British anthropologist, CR Bawden, documented a shaman’s attempt to call the soul home. The shaman said:
Website design By BotEap.com“In your wisdom, go no further but come here. Why will you go to Erlig*?
Website design By BotEap.comCome leaning on the arms of the demons and goblins of the south. Don’t let your soul sink into the ground.
Website design By BotEap.comTake and partake of this pure wounded water.
Website design By BotEap.comQung** You… is here. Your mother is here.
Website design By BotEap.comYour homeland is here. Your older brother is here. Your little brother is here.
Website design By BotEap.comDon’t go beyond, beyond. Come here, here.
Website design By BotEap.comWhy will you go to the kingdom of Erlig? Oh dear, come here!
Website design By BotEap.comQung! Your sister is here. Your father’s older sister is here. Your good clothes are here. Don’t go beyond, beyond.
Website design By BotEap.comCome here, here. Oh dear, come listen.
Website design By BotEap.comGood clothes of yours are here. Your loved ones are here. Why will you go to the kingdom of Erlig?
Website design By BotEap.comDon’t go beyond, beyond. Come here, here.”
Website design By BotEap.comThe social meaning of summoning souls
Website design By BotEap.comA. Amarsanna, a cultural anthropologist at the Mongolian National University, says of the process:
Website design By BotEap.com“The invocation of souls is a very important social phenomenon since it is the product of an ancient culture. The soul is tied to a person’s relationship with their ancestors. This is very significant, as there is a widespread belief that departed souls, and particularly the souls of ancestors, can have a tremendous influence on daily life.
Website design By BotEap.comWhen evil spirits cause the soul to leave the body, a shaman will perform various rituals not only to restore health, but also to reduce any fear that the onset of disease may cause. From a psychological point of view, this is very important for the mental state of individuals and also for the well-being of the community in general.
Website design By BotEap.comThese rituals are performed because there is a belief that diseases are caused by spirits or malevolent forces. This contrasts with modern scientific theories about the chemical and molecular causes of disease. And because Mongolia is influenced by a wide diversity of ideas, both traditional and modern, concepts like these often coexist.”
Website design By BotEap.comA contemporary shaman at work
Website design By BotEap.comB. Zorigtbaatar, a local shaman, explains his attempts to summon the soul back into the body of a sick person: “The soul can escape when someone is shocked or frightened. This can cause great harm to the person or even cause death.” death. And because I have special powers, I can call the soul back into the body to restore the person’s health. I receive my abilities from heaven… I can see the soul in a person’s eyes. And I can see the souls of our ancestors… my special power comes from the moon, stars, and sun.”
Website design By BotEap.comWhile Zorigtbaatar spoke in a garbled and even incoherent voice, he certainly seemed not to lack conviction about his ability to communicate with souls, spirits, and a variety of celestial bodies. During a crowded ceremony, he acted like a man possessed by some kind of supernatural power. He beat his drum and called out in a deep, gravelly voice, “Spirit, please come back! Come back to our hearth and home! Again, spirit, please come back! Come back to our home and home!”
Website design By BotEap.comPerhaps the most striking feature of Zorigtbaatar’s performance was his imposing, even intimidating appearance. The stocky bearded shaman weighs perhaps 300 pounds. And while he was performing a series of short dance steps, someone with an active imagination might even claim to have heard thunder.
Website design By BotEap.comHowever, it was Zorigtbaatar’s emotional intensity that left the deepest impression. While his hoarse voice rose and fell with tremendous differences in volume, hers was accompanied by a quavering tone that seemed to be associated with some kind of religious fervor. And as he watched the alternating facial grimaces that perhaps indicated excruciating pain and blissful ecstasy, I wondered if this shaman was in touch with some kind of deep magical experience.
Website design By BotEap.comI also wondered about the people who had come to witness this most surreal event. Were they in serious trouble? Were they simply trying to bring good fortune to themselves? Or were they just drawn in by the sheer spectacle of this colorful fluke?
Website design By BotEap.comSummoning souls in the 21st century
Website design By BotEap.comWhen I left the shaman’s sweltering ger after witnessing this dramatic event, my feelings were quite difficult to describe. I wondered about the significance of such a ceremony in our very modern world. I was also wondering about its impact on the local people, whether good or bad. And I also wondered to what extent this ceremony coincided with similar rituals that had been performed in other places in the very distant past.
Website design By BotEap.comWith all this in mind, it is fascinating to consider the thoughts behind this ancient ritual. Ideas about the material existence of humanity are surely part of this event. A tendency to apply supernatural causes to explain ordinary everyday events would seem to be part of this process. Perhaps they are just ancient rituals performed as a means of providing concrete answers to various human problems, in a world that can be too bewildering.
Website design By BotEap.comAnd for modern people who enjoy the prospect of trying to understand the psychology behind these behaviors and, more importantly, the ancient traditions of a nomadic people, the opportunity to witness such a ceremony is truly rewarding. At the same time, it is somewhat ironic that such activities are once again becoming more frequent as Mongolia enters the 21st century. We can only reflect on what these activities could mean in the not too distant future.
Website design By BotEap.comFountain:
Website design By BotEap.comBawden, CR, Calling the Soul: A Mongolian Letany, Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London, vol. 25, no. 1/# (1962), pp. 81-103.
Website design By BotEap.comFootnotes
Website design By BotEap.com* Erlig: a) king of the underworld, the underworld, die, kill; b) a demon of the underworld, angel of death; C) enemy, ruin.
Website design By BotEap.com** Qung: There is uncertainty about the transcription of the term “Qung” in the mentioned text. There may have been an error copying the term from the original transcript. The author believes that it is most likely an exclamation point.