TFL HMONG SHAMAN

As a child, I knew I was different. There was a constant feeling that something was missing, that I didn’t quite belong anywhere. I carried a quiet loneliness I didn’t have words for yet, just a deep sense that there was more to life than what I was seeing. I struggled to fit in, especially with boys my age. Their way of being felt foreign to me. I was drawn instead to spaces that felt gentler and more emotionally open. Even then, I was deeply affected by other people’s pain.

In Hmong, "ua neeb"  means shaman, "tsa"  means to raise, and "thaj"  means altar—together forming ua neeb tsa thaj , which translates to...

When I was fifteen, my friend died. He was someone I deeply cared about; maybe even someone I loved. But I never got the chance to tell...

The tiger has followed me since childhood. Before I knew its source, before I understood its name, I felt it lurking in the shadows of my...

The Hmong people have always understood that the unseen world is just as real as the one we live in. Our ancestors passed down stories of...

Xee Tong Yang was born into a world where the spirit and the living were never far apart. He grew up in a home where the scent of burning...

Hmong shaman lineages are uniquely characterized by a series of variables that define the spiritual, cultural, and personal dimensions of...

Taking a moment to talk about my altar and Hmong shaman terminology. It's always been my philosophy that we share information so that we...

In Hmong shamanic traditions, animals hold profound significance as connectors between the human and spiritual worlds. Folklore tells of...

In my eight years as a Hmong shaman, I have witnessed countless spiritual phenomena—ancestral visitations, restless spirits, and...