Week 4: Spirits Spirits Everywhere: Animism and Modern Interpretations -Brittany Carlson

            In preparation for this week’s discussions, we read ““We have Len Dong Too”: Transnational Aspects of Spirit Possession” by Karen Fjelstad; “Tarot Cards: The Ancestor and The Ghost” from the Open in Emergency box and ““We are not alone” The Shamans of the World Tells Us” by The Scientific and Medical Network. In ““We have Len Dong Too”: Transnational Aspects of Spirit Possession” by Karen Fjelstad the article discusses the changes (doi moi) that the Len dong ritual is undergoing and the increasing materialism that society is currently facing regarding religious practice. This relates to the theme of the week because it shows the changes of traditional ritual to what a new modern interpretation of the ritual is. The tarot cards, “The Ancestor” and “The Ghost,” from the Open in Emergency boxare used to represent something more that is viewed on the surface. The cards relate to this week’s reading because like with the concept of animism where non-living objects are given living attributes and used to represent something more than the object itself, the Ancestor and the Ghost are used to represent something more than the surface value of the picture that is shown on the cards. In ““We are not alone” The Shamans of the World Tells Us” by The Scientific and Medical Network the article introduces the idea that shamanism and shamanistic practices should be included in the educational curriculum. This relates to the theme of the week because the idea that shaman teachings could become integrated into society can give rise to a modern interpretation of shamanism. I personally enjoyed learning more about the significance behind the creation of the tarot cards this week. I found it particularly interesting that the tarot cards were created as an artistic representation of the hidden aspects of Asian American emotional, psychic, and spiritual lives, as well as the systems of violence that are inflicted upon them as noted by the people behind the conception of the Open in Emergency box (kickstarter.com).

Question: Why did the Len dong ritual undergo a doi moi (transformation)?


Literature Cited:
Karen Fjelstad. ““We have Len Dong Too”: Transnational Aspects of Spirit Possession.”
Open in Emergency. “Tarot Cards: The Ancestor and The Ghost.”
The Scientific and Medical Network. ““We are not alone” The Shamans of the World Tells Us.”
Media Cited:

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