Chosen by the Spirits Quotes

“As in the case of the tea serjim, the shaman prepares the juniper serjim for someone else to use. In Mongolia and Siberia, the sacred smoke arsa (juniper) is kept on hand in large quantity because a shaman will often be required to prepare such a serjim, either by itself or in addition to other types of serjim. When the shaman prepares this serjim, he speaks over a few spoonfuls of ground juniper to invoke the spirits and ask them to empower the juniper for a particular intention. The shaman then wraps up the juniper into a little paper bundle. The client will burn a bit of it every day until it is gone in order to continue to energize the intention that has been introduced into the juniper.”
― Sarangerel, Chosen by the Spirits: Following Your Shamanic Calling

“The use of liquor in Mongolian and Siberian shamanism tends to be poorly understood by outsiders. In the past, the only liquor used in ritual was arza, which was distilled from fermented milk (kumiss or airag). This sacred drink was termed the “essence of the herds” and was considered to be the perfect substance to offer to the spirits.”
― Sarangerel, Chosen by the Spirits: Following Your Shamanic Calling

“Meteorites are thought to be the carriers of new udha spirits into the world. If a non-shaman steeps a meteorite (tektite) in liquor and then drinks the liquor, the udha spirit will enter the person through the liquid and the person will be able to become a true shaman.”
― Sarangerel, Chosen by the Spirits: Following Your Shamanic Calling

“The use of stones with magical power is widespread in Mongolian and Siberian shamanism. The three kinds of power stones are the meteorite, the quartz crystal point, and the zadai. All three are believed to be buumal—that is, sent down from the sky for use by shamans.”
― Sarangerel, Chosen by the Spirits: Following Your Shamanic Calling

“A pouch stuck full of needles may be empowered as a dom for the protection of a person or household. Such a pouch hangs near the entrance of a household to protect against evil spirits and people with evil thoughts. A miniature bow and arrow may be made for a similar purpose. Another variation is the placement of sharp objects, such as knives, nails, broken glass, and needles, outside the building with their points facing outward.”
― Sarangerel, Chosen by the Spirits: Following Your Shamanic Calling

“Verbal magic is the manifesting of magical forces through the speaking of certain invocations and intentions, particularly when doing serjim spells”
― Sarangerel, Chosen by the Spirits: Following Your Shamanic Calling

“Imitational magic involves the imitation of certain actions by the shaman in order to manifest particular forces in the spiritual realm, such as the acting out of drawing and releasing a bow when shooting magical arrows against an enemy.”
― Sarangerel, Chosen by the Spirits: Following Your Shamanic Calling

“Contact magic is the ability to exert magical forces through something that is somehow associated with the object of the magic, such as hair or clothing. The use of a piece of clothing belonging to a patient in cases of remote healing (as described in chapter 6) is a typical example of contact magic. Addressed magic uses information about the person who is the object of the magic in order to form a connection between the shaman producing the intention and the person being influenced. For instance, the full name, birthday, astrological sign, birthplace, and other detailed information about a person is given to the shaman in order for him to more easily make contact and exert magical forces.”
― Sarangerel, Chosen by the Spirits: Following Your Shamanic Calling

“The Buryat shamanic teacher Boris Bazarov defines five different types of magic in Siberian shamanism: contact magic, addressed magic, imitational magic, cleansing magic, and verbal magic.”
― Sarangerel, Chosen by the Spirits: Following Your Shamanic Calling

“Shamanic power outside of magical applications is usually referred to as erdem (“knowledge” or “science”), and the energy itself is referred to as tsog or huch. Magical power is referred to by the term id shid, ilbe, or aba. Id shid is closest to what would be called “magic,” ilbe is the ability to induce hypnotic trance, and aba is probably best described as psi or paranormal abilities.”
― Sarangerel, Chosen by the Spirits: Following Your Shamanic Calling

“The Jew’s harp (hel huur) is a popular shamanic instrument throughout Mongolia and Siberia. In Russia it is considered equal to the drum as the classic shamanic instrument. Some Jew’s harps are made in the shape of a bird, usually a swan, again symbolizing the animal as a shamanic mount. Jew’s harps, like the shaman costume, are usually decorated with “snake” tassels, colorful ribbons, and sometimes jingle cones. As with hoomei, the playing of the Jew’s harp sets up a vibration in the head and throat that helps to induce an altered state of consciousness.”
― Sarangerel, Chosen by the Spirits: Following Your Shamanic Calling

“Another use of mirrors is for dom (shamanic magic). There is a magical spell known as toli erguulehe, “spinning the mirror.” The meaning is understandable when you remember that the mirror is a direct connection with gol and the spinning evokes its vortexlike nature. The shaman takes the mirror he wears around his neck, twists it around on its string until it is fully wound up, and then allows the mirror to spin while he states his intention. This technique is so powerful that once it is done, reversal of the spell is extremely difficult.”
― Sarangerel, Chosen by the Spirits: Following Your Shamanic Calling

“Shamans try to collect as many mirrors as they can because they have tremendous protective and energizing power. These mirrors will be attached to the shaman costume, with at least one on the chest and one on the back. Shamans also commonly wear a mirror on a string or ribbon either over or under their clothing at all times.”
― Sarangerel, Chosen by the Spirits: Following Your Shamanic Calling

“The shaman wears a headband that is tied on before putting on the hat. This headband has a fringe of silk threads, horsehair, or ribbons that are long enough to cover most of the face. This headband is not worn at all times; it is used only when the shaman is going to merge with the spirits. The fringe will not completely blind the shaman, but it will help him to dissociate with reality when he enters a trance. It is also like a mask: I call it a “mask of a thousand faces,” for it becomes a mask for whatever spirits the shaman merges consciousness with.”
― Sarangerel, Chosen by the Spirits: Following Your Shamanic Calling

“Among the Buryats, the costume has decorations made from rabbit, sable, squirrel, ermine, or weasel skin, depending on the tribal heritage of the shaman. Miniature weapons including a bow and arrow, a knife, or an ax may be sewn on as pendants. Feathers may be attached on the back below the shoulders to represent wings for shamanic flight, and long buckskin fringe on the hem and sleeves also represents the shaman’s birdlike aspect while journeying. Bunches of round tassels called snakes are usually attached at the shoulders in front and back. These represent wings but are also a reminder of the shaman’s ability to use a snake as a magic steed while journeying. Pieces of fur of various animal helpers may also be attached to the costume; in Mongolia, many shamans use a bear paw with claws.”
― Sarangerel, Chosen by the Spirits: Following Your Shamanic Calling

“There is a special kind of rattle, however, that is believed to have magical powers. This is the raven rattle. It is made out of a cow horn, with the tip carved to look like a raven’s head. It is not normally used as an instrument to drive the shamanic trance; rather, it is a tool to direct spiritual-magical energy in a specific direction. The rattle is shaken in the direction toward which the energy is to go, with the movement imitating pecking (tonshoho). The energy then flows out through the raven’s beak. The power of the raven rattle is usually directed toward sources of negative energy or harmful spirits.”
― Sarangerel, Chosen by the Spirits: Following Your Shamanic Calling

“Shamans recognize certain parts of the drum as being the top, bottom, left, and right sides. Ribbons and hadags are tied to the top, left, and right sides of the drum to represent the crown and ears of the drum.”
― Sarangerel, Chosen by the Spirits: Following Your Shamanic Calling

“The drum (hese, hengereg) is the most famous attribute of shamans, for its sound drives the shamanic journey and its rhythm represents the hoof beats of the shaman’s magical mount.”
― Sarangerel, Chosen by the Spirits: Following Your Shamanic Calling

“The equipment of a shaman, known as tonog (“tools”), has both a physical and a spiritual component. In the unity of time within the gol, the time of the creation of the object destined to be used by a shaman and the time when a shaman starts to use it are not separate. Each piece of a shaman’s equipment is said to be amitai (“alive”) or ezetei (“having its own master spirit”), which means that it has a master spirit that entered into it at the moment of its creation. When a shaman begins to use a certain piece of equipment, he needs to contact and interact with its master spirit so that it can be used most effectively, for the ezen of a shaman’s tool will add its own spiritual power to that of the shaman. Once the shaman has bonded with the spirits of his tools, other people are not normally allowed to touch them unless the ezen of his tools allow it.”
― Sarangerel, Chosen by the Spirits: Following Your Shamanic Calling

“It is believed that the summer solstice starts a time when the amount of spiritual help available to the shaman is at its peak, and this period lasts for three months.”
― Sarangerel, Chosen by the Spirits: Following Your Shamanic Calling

“The Harvest Festival, held at the fall equinox, ends the peak period of spiritual activity and is a time of thanking the spirits for the bounty of the summer. Food offerings and feasting are a major component of this festival. In the shamanic ritual calendar, this is the new year and it was the original Sagaan Sar (White Moon) festival.”
― Sarangerel, Chosen by the Spirits: Following Your Shamanic Calling

“On April 20–21, when the migratory birds have arrived and mushrooms start to appear, the Great Spring Ceremony welcomes the birds and celebrates spring.”
― Sarangerel, Chosen by the Spirits: Following Your Shamanic Calling

“In Siberia and Mongolia the White Moon Festival (Sagaalgan), held in mid-February, marks the beginning of spring. It starts with the new moon of that month and usually falls close to the beginning of Lent in the Western calendar (there is a joke here in Siberia that when the Russians have to start fasting, we are feasting). The White Moon is the festival of the return of the spirits. It is believed that all the shamanic and nature spirits go to the upper world for cleansing and return at sunrise on the morning of the White Moon. The spirits are welcomed with fire, sacred smoke, and offerings of food and drink, and it is customary to avoid any conflict or hostility until the moon becomes full. Thus the White Moon season is a time of forgiveness and reconciliation.”
― Sarangerel, Chosen by the Spirits: Following Your Shamanic Calling

“In Buryat tradition, shamans were sometimes requested to become a naija, “spiritual friend,” for a child. The shaman would create an ongon or give a talisman to the child to protect him during his very young years, when he was especially vulnerable to spiritual attack and soul loss. Once the child grew older and his spiritual body became stable and “hard,” the ongon or talisman would be returned to the shaman along with gifts of gratitude for the protection work.”
― Sarangerel, Chosen by the Spirits: Following Your Shamanic Calling

“A very important element of Buryat shamanism is the idea of ezed, or spirits of place. Animals are alive and people are alive, but rocks, mountains, fields, and even cities also have their own consciousness; indeed the whole world is vibrant with life and consciousness.”
― Sarangerel, Chosen by the Spirits: Following Your Shamanic Calling

“Suld souls of the ancestors comprise the largest share of nature spirits, but there are other entities residing in nature who have never been human beings. In Evenk they are called the ojan, the “old ones,” and occasionally they can cause mischief. It is said they like to interfere with shamans on their journeys if they are not offered a share of the food set out for the ritual.”
― Sarangerel, Chosen by the Spirits: Following Your Shamanic Calling

“The upper world is also the home of two other types of powerful beings called khans and zayaans. They are considered to be less powerful than tenger but are believed to be descendants of the tenger. Some of them are the suld souls of great heroes who have been elevated to the status of upper-world spirits. Chinggis Khan is generally thought to have achieved the status of khan spirit; some of the most powerful shamans have also become khans. Khans tend to visit the earth frequently and are mediators between mankind and the higher-ranked tenger. Zayaan is related to the word zayaa, meaning “fate” or “karma.” Zayaans may be appealed to in order to change what seems to be inevitable or to reverse the harm of bad deeds. Zayaans are given great and serious respect.”
― Sarangerel, Chosen by the Spirits: Following Your Shamanic Calling

“The most powerful spirit beings are the tenger. These generally are upper-world spirits and are conceived of as being associated with the four directions. They are believed to be descendants of Esege Malaan Tenger and Manzan Gurme Toodei, who reside in the upper world. At the beginning of time they split into four groupings associated with the four directions. The tenger most often called on are Han Hormasta, the leader of the western tenger; Atai Ulaan, one of the eastern tenger; Bukhe Beligte, son of Han Hormasta; Tatai Tenger, tenger of storms; Erleg Khan, lord of the lower world; and Uha Loson Khan, tenger of the waters.”
― Sarangerel, Chosen by the Spirits: Following Your Shamanic Calling

“The ami and suns are mobile and may leave the body temporarily without any serious consequences, but the departure of the suld from the body results in death very quickly. The suld, being a middle-world entity and unique to a single life, like the body, may be the soul most closely associated with the human brain.”
― Sarangerel, Chosen by the Spirits: Following Your Shamanic Calling

“The suld soul is the unique property of human beings. The suld is non-reincarnating, but this does not mean that it ceases to exist after death. When a person dies, the suld will find a place in nature, usually a tree, a rock, a river, or a hill, that becomes its residence. It will still travel about to visit people and places it knew while alive. The suld begins its life with the birth of the child, and it is the unique personality of an individual, for it is shaped by the experiences of only the present life. Its blending with the ami and suld entities brings the complexity and depth of human consciousness. The older souls bring the knowledge and wisdom of past generations; the suld faces the world with wonder at every new discovery. After death it joins the millions of other suld souls residing in the natural world, whom shamans can invoke for assistance and advice. Some of these suld souls will mutate into udha spirits and then associate with shamans; the exact reason and process for this remain a mystery.”
― Sarangerel, Chosen by the Spirits: Following Your Shamanic Calling