Week 2 - Shannon Trinh

A distinctive theme that I found in the Spirit Possession reading was the idea of denial or rejection of the spirit realm and its repercussions. It was interesting to learn that spiritual leaders and experts believe that running away or blocking some sort of fate with the spirits will bring an individual sickness, obstacles, and unwanted, unexplainable phenomena. Becoming a healer seems to appear as truth, how things are supposed to be, and who these individuals are supposed to be – we cannot control or try to tamper with our fates or else the spirits and ancestors will cause trouble. On the other hand, Western ways of thinking are particularly quick to reject, shame, and deny certain phenomena, such as mental illness, and have prioritized ways to immediately stop certain behaviors and attitudes from continuing – it is the opposite of liberating. I saw this rejection of the spirit realm in the Vietnamese mediums: “Believers are convinced that avoiding mediumship, and thereby escaping one’s preordained fate, can prove harmful to other family members” (Fjelstad; Maiffret, 115). These sorts of consequences make the spirit realm out to be malicious and vengeful if not obeyed. However, I also found the role of spirits in these readings to also be understanding and guiding, which is another theme that I observed.

There is discussion about the mentorship and guidance that spirits may offer. In this, there is a close relationship between the human and the spirit, and a “bridge” that connects the two worlds together. When accepted and embraced, the mediumship life allows great insight for the human being: “A function of the spirits is to teach the medium certain lessons and guide them in their daily lives. One of the most important lessons taught by the spirits is how to control anger” (Fjelstad; Maiffret, 120-121). I then wonder if mediums that came to California from Vietnam are just using these spirits as coping mechanisms to deal with their traumatic experiences of living in a brand new country, or to fill any emotional voids and loss.

Question: What are the main behavioral and social differences between Vietnamese and Californian mediums?

Works Cited:

Karen Fjelstad and Lisa Maiffret. “Gifts from the Spirits: Spirit Possession and Personal Transformation among Silicon Valley Spirit Mediums.”