Shamans, our old friends come back home

 



Despite of its bad reputation of being tourist trap, I happened to choose Jeju for summer vacation. The southwestern corner of the island provides exotic view with nearby bellowing blue. Overlooking the seaside of the backyard of the hotel, I saw white foams scattered in the lapping water against rock shore afar. At night I came aback to my room, listening to Sajaboy’s hits and drunk a few cans of Island’s unique brand.  It has been several years since shamanisms and paganism had made come back to the influential status and recent popularity of K-pop demon hunters is just one of the phenomena.

Why does shamanism dominate our conversation regarding spirituality and pop culture? Because it may provide answers to questions that cannot be obtained by any other means. What do you mean by being a living being? To live, we must kill and destroy other things. There is no other way around. After sunset, coming back from work, we ask ourselves how things had been and will be next day, worrying about being destroyed instead of destroying. And same pattern repeats again until meet death reapers (Or the guy in black with black hat like a member of Saja Boys). We are on the wheel with a large radius constantly moving with no apparent reason or cause.



Since time unremembered, human beings try to explore the ultimate concerns arising from the deepest part of the mind. Sometimes, a lady dancing to the drum beat murmurs something that may bear useful messages from the other world, shed light on what will happen, why we suffer or ill and more. Although there is no way to prove the message is hundred percent correct, we are relieved by the fact that at least there are people who can make it possible to connect us with the invisible world behind veils of perceived reality.

We may argue that we live in the age of sciences and technology, but the fundamental uncertainties and problems that have been with us are still here. The established religions, so called guru or mentors whatever you call them are not enough to diffuse the fear and anxiety from long lasting worries. Good or bad, we need to have a working model to carry out exploration or inner journey to meet selves.


It is not easy task. I know and you know. But we need to go to the deeper rabbit hole, if we really want to find out the meaning and purpose of being in the flat circle. There are always dangerous things, creatures near the treasure troves. We already learned this when we were kids on the lap of our parents or from kindergarten teachers reading fairy tales. Not too much worry about choosing wrong way because correct one may emerge as we move along.

Now, half of the year 2025 has passed with fading memory of martial law debacle in Korea and mysterious drone craze in US with MAGA people coming to power. We will see how things will unfold in the next three months. I know there are many uncertain things there that make things more interesting. Having said that, I am ready to set out. Von Voyage!


 


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