Crown of Thorns

Dream 4.9.18

I was home. My head was bleeding. I looked in the mirror and saw a crown of thorns tightly screwed onto my head. A strand of it went into my right eye and on it had three brass/bronze rings. There was so much blood from my head to my face. The crown was on so tight it was digging into my skin, blood gushing out onto my face and onto my shirt. The strand that went deep into my eye socket had thorns on it, poking my eyeball and blood gushing out... I heard a Hmong lady, a niam neeb (mother shaman) performing a ritual in the living room. Her names was Pog Blia or Niam Tais Blia (grandma blia). She was dressed in traditional Hmong clothes. Black shirt, pants, sev, and red and green cloth around her waist. She wore a black veil over her head performing a shaman ritual for me. When she was done she said to me (in Hmong).. "Son, the reason there is a crown of thorns on your head is because when you tried to battle the devil himself, you lost. So he tied this crown of thorns onto your head to mock you, mark you, and control you." When I woke up I had a sudden vision of me wearing my shaman veil with the crown of thorns wrapping my head with the veil...

The crown of thorns for me symbolizes great challenges ahead. I don't consider myself and other shamans suffering. Demons, ghosts, spirits, dark energy.. all of what will try to mock the strength of Hmong shamans. As with the devil himself who tried to mock Jesus, this crown of thorns is a direct symbol that I will win and despite challenges to come, I will see peace in my journey. Where there is no pain there tends to be no gain. So I welcome this crown of thorns to be placed on the heads where there is strength. The niam neeb in my dream failed in her explanation. For all I know, she was probably the devil himself. These spirits and ghosts did not conquer. They did not tie this crown of thorns on my head to mock me or other shamans. They failed to realize that even with such pain, even with a crown of thorns screwed into my head, I will come out as a free person, as an awakened soul, and someone who will find peace.