Updates 3/31

Hello to my friends, family, and readers. I just want to give everyone an update on my absence. A few of you continue to write me letters and emails and I really do apologize for not writing back. Your experiences and stories are important to me and I will get to your emails and submissions. There is so much going on this year that I barely get to sit down and spend some time reading and giving each of you a response. I want to make sure I actually spend time giving you a thoughtful response so please give me some time.

So what's been going on? The year started out optimistic and positive. But that quickly shifted over a span of a few weeks. As we know we are living among a virus that has fallen upon the Earth. People everywhere are experiencing a global pandemic. Thousands have died from what we know as Covoid-19. Many schools are closed and universities shifting direction in their curriculum. Many small businesses, mine included, are forced to close and shut down in order to mitigate the virus and its effects on our health, the economy, and long-term effects. That being said, I shut down the shop this month and am currently and actively searching for a job to still pay for bills. As covoid-19 sweeps through our towns, I'm afraid it fails to sweep through our rent.

The absence of control over an important outcome has created anxiety, fear, and panic within the entire globe. This virus has gotten out of control, taking the lives of thousands. According to World Meters, as of today 3/31, over 800,000 confirmed cases of coronavirus and over 41,000 deaths worldwide. Over the past weeks, many Hmong have taken on a superstitious belief that this virus is a cause of something evil or demonic. The result? Many have tied red and white strings on the wrists and ankles of each family member. Some families doing a "fiv yeem" to protect the family and ask the Earthly guardians to guard them. Many have created bamboo panels at the front doors of their homes. Some even go as far as doing shaman rituals. In a time where things seem so uncertain and information is not translated over, there will be fear and superstition in the community. Superstitious belief is a way for people to make sense of things they (1) cannot control or understand and (2) fear.

I have a small Bachelors degree in Psychology and spent a lot of my time doing research in group thinking and social conformity. I also have a small certificate in religious studies and the idea of religion and spirituality as a psychological coping mechanism has always been an area of interest. As a shaman I am a hypocrite most of the time; believing in something spiritual but also am skeptic about everything spiritual. In the recent days many friends, family, and readers have messaged or emailed me about the superstition around March 30 - March 31, rumored to have a rude awakening or opening of a demonic portal. The results are suppose to be detrimental and we will allegedly experience a major shift. This news came from a Hmong shaman in Laos. Many Hmong shamans have come out on social media outlets to express their concerns, some skeptics and some passionate and persistent about a portal. Interestingly, many Christians on the extreme spectrum call this portal the "Black Awakening." This is described as a movement of satan's army or "soldiers" in modern day and it describes how we as a people have stopped believing in religion and spirituality. Many believe that Satan's goal is to convince everyone that he does not exist at all. Now, what ever you believe in, believe it with a grain of salt. I advise everyone to do their own research and understand some of the extreme things that other spiritual leaders and also political leaders are saying. We as humans tend to want to find answers to things that we don't understand and we are quick to believe in the extreme because evolution wise it is a survival skill. We are evolved to conform as a way of survival. This is how people have survived all these thousands of years is because we do best in groups which creates group think and then a set of rules and unspoken norms are created. This is how culture and tradition come to be. This is why we have different people who have different beliefs and practices all around the world; it came as a result of group think and conformity in the name of survival.

So, what does this have anything to do with covoid-19? Many spiritualists claim that this virus is a war between good and evil. They believe there is a major shift in the spiritual energy of the world. So much so that a portal may open, allowing evil to increase on Earth and cause major problems. On the extreme ends of Christian believers, they believe that the Black Awakening has been around. Despite the sharp increase for Christian exorcisms in the past year, this portal or awakening will soon reach its highest point. Many Hmong believe that on March 30 - 31st, demonic entities will come through this portal and recruit the lives of many. They believe that covoid-19 is a sign of a spiritual shift.

What do I think of all this? What I've noticed when we are faced with uncertain and uncontrollable situations, either in our personal lives or on a global level like the covoid-19 pandemic, we initially respond with fear an anxiety despite evidence. Humans need anxiety and panic as a way of survival, which isn't always a bad thing. Now, we have evolved from supernatural belief. It is in each and every one of us, doesn't matter our culture or our place of origin, we have all evolved as once being supernatural people. But even spiritual explanations cannot disprove or discredit what science explains. The virus is there and a red string on our wrist is not going to stop the virus from penetrating our immune system. However, medicine cannot stop a spirit from stealing or penetrating our spirit as well. So where do we find ourselves? For me and my opinions alone, we have to be somewhere in the middle in order to successfully move and recover from things like the coronavirus. We know that washing our hands, social distancing, and not being in public places decreases our chances of catching the virus. But we also know that we can take spiritual measures to protect ourselves against spiritual entities. Spiritual entities like ghosts or wild spirits may not give us the coronavirus, but they can influence us to go out in public, they can influence us to make poor decisions during a time like this. Doing a "fiv yeem" won't stop a virus from attacking my immune system, but it can influence me to stay inside, to quarantine, and to think twice before making a non-essential trip. That is what I believe in.

During times like these I am hoping that everyone is staying safe and healthy. I hope everyone is practicing social distancing and quarantining themselves. Continue to wash your hands, keep a good hygiene, don't touch your face, drink plenty of water and take hot showers. Continue to pray and believe that this virus will be coming to an end soon. I am sending peace, love, strength, and courage to all of you.

-tflhmongshaman