Realms of Existence

The Celestial Realm: This realm consists of the "heavenly" goddesses, gods, landlords, and immortal beings. These refer to entities like Saub, Niam Nkauj Kab Yeej, Nyub Vaj Teem, Thunder God, Dragon King, and places like Tsua Maj Tsau Mos, Thawj Thiab (reincarnation), Lav Mob Lav Nkeeg, and much more. Refer to Figure 1 below.

In addition, people who are gifted as healers receive their abilities from celestial entities. It is understood that these individuals are specifically chosen. In many times, a person's entire family lineage is chosen, this type of shamanism is referred to as "neeb txwv zeej." In this way, shamanism runs deep in the family and every other generation a new shaman rises. As an elder shaman passes away, we see a new shaman (usually a grandchild) get selected as the new shaman. There are exceptions to this as well. Below are three summarized categories of ancient Hmong spiritual healers.

Light Practice: This includes shamans and spiritual healers who are considered "transcended" or gifted to heal people. In Hmong, we refer them to as "Niam Neeb, Txiv Neeb." To some Hmong people, whether the shaman is a woman or man, they will only refer to them as "txiv neeb" which translates to "father shaman." In more recent times, we are using more inclusive terms and refer to them as either Mother Shaman or Father Shaman. Light practices include shamanic rituals, khawv koob (magic), and protection chants. The expulsion of demonic possessions can be carried out by experienced shamans and masters of khawv koob. Shamans working with light magic deal with benevolent spirits, celestial goddesses and gods, and casting out demonic and spiritual possessions and oppression by a means of spiritual rites, passages, rituals, and invocations. Shaman practicing light magic do no harm to people and their only objective is to heal.

Grey Practice: Almost all Hmong shamans do grey practice as well, but not all spiritual healers who do this kind of work are gifted as shamans. These are individuals born with medicinal gifts. In the Hmong, people who are born with medicinal gifts are referred to as "Niam/Txiv Tshuaj Ntsuab" and can be translated to "Mother/Father of Green Medicine." These individuals use their knowledge of medicine to help heal sick people. In addition, grey practitioners can also be psychics who do not perform shamanic rituals but can communicate with spirit entities and foretell future events. They can be referred to as "psychics" or saub.

Black Practice: As one would assume, black practice is considered the practice of black magic, curses, spells, and necromancy. These individuals focus on the harming of others, persuasion, and selfish gain for their own good. These masters of black magic can be powerful and learn incantations, vicious spells, cast curses, and release demons and spiritual attacks, oppression, and possession on others. They may often utilize pain, fear, guilt, and lust as a way to harm another person. A master who works with black magic will work with benevolent spirits and demons by the way of spiritual agreements, conjuring rituals, seals, invocations, and spiritual practices as a way to gain control. In other ways, some black magic masters may initiate spirits of the dead to do their deeds. Black magic practice also applies to love spells, curses, lust spells, wealth spells, and much more. Some black magic masters may use hexing dolls, commonly used in Hmong ritual practices. One of the most well known Hmong black magic masters was known as tswv xyas. He eventually turned himself into a tiger and was unable to turn back. He haunted many Hmong lives back in Laos and Southeast Asia. He is known as one of the most powerful entities in Hmong folklore.

The Earth Realm: This realm consists of time, space, and matter. Composed of energy, karmic paths, and spirits, this realm is a place for the existence of an individual's acquired life experiences. Spirits in the Earth realm consists of plants, animals, humans, the recently departed, and ghosts and goblins trapped to their karmic experiences. This realm of existence has both a material form and a spiritual form, co-existing and interacting.

The Hmong believe that each person or spirit that comes to Earth receives provisional letters or "Daim Ntawv." This letter consists of each spirit's fate and destiny and unfolds major life events, relationships, and karmic paths. This letter pre-determines the number of children you have, who you marry, your friendships, and how you die. Once the letter ends, the Hmong believe the person will come to the end of their life. In special circumstances, a shaman may perform a ritual known as "Ua Neeb Ntxiv Ntawv" to "add" time to a person's letter or "dam ntawv." In translation, Ua Neeb refers to the shamanic healing ritual and Ntxiv Ntawv translates to "add paper."

Spirits are often reborn into this realm to acquire life experiences and lessons. Some spirits may also be reborn as a part of their karma. Spirits can be born as humans, animals, plants, and insects. In this realm of existence, ghosts who have not yet moved on remain trapped and become more and more depressed, cultivating feelings of anger, despair, and madness. Wild spirits like poj ntxoog or "goblins" remain in this realm of existence, unable to move on. This is because on Earth, we live, co-exist, and interact with multi-dimensional existences. When humans come in contact with a spirit, this experience can be positive or it can be negative and detrimental. Hmong shamans tend to do light-work and their shaman guides are considered positive (although there are bad or negative shamans as well). Interactions with spirits on Earth can be summarized (but not limited to) in the categories below:

1. Sorcery and Psychic Attacks

2. Encounters with ghosts, spirits, and wild entities through physical interaction, spiritual, dream, or unconscious

3. Spirit possession and demonic possession

4. Spirit oppression and demonic oppression

5. Shamanic Trance and Rituals

The Underworld Realm: This realm is an existence of the Yin State or spirit state. According to Hmong beliefs, this is the afterlife and the many stages and places in the afterlife. In Hmong, this can be referred to as "dab teb." The Underworld Realm is a dark, depressed, and often frightening place to be, one that cannot and should not be entered by the average person. There are many stages in the afterlife and Underworld. Only experienced shamans are capable of entering such places. The Hmong believe that every spirit after the physical death of the body does travel to the underworld and undergo their journey back to the land of the dead or their ancestors. While one soul makes their path here, another soul to the grave where the body is buried, and another soul making it's way to the Celestial Realm preparing for reincarnation. Some believe that reincarnation is a part of the celestial realm (in this way, the underworld is an existence of the celestial realm).

The Underworld consists of locations such as 1. Paj Zaub Qaub Pab Zaub Qhua, 2. Tub Tuag Teb Tub Ploj Chaw, 3. Ntuj Txias Zia Teb Tsaus Nti, 4. Dej Iab Dej Daw, 5. Toj Kab Ntsuab Dawm Kab Ntsig, 6. Toj Tuag Tshaib Dawm Tuag No, and many more. At each realm, there consists of a "landlord" or "king" that guards the realm.

When each person or physical entity dies on Earth, each soul must go through the the process of returning to the land of the dead or land of the ancestors. For this reason, when a Hmong person dies, their attire plays an important role in the recognition from their ancestors when they arrive. This attire is often referred to as tshoo plob tshoo tuag and the shoes given to the dead are known as khau maj khau ntuag (khau noog). The funeral process plays a crucial role in the guidance of the deceased to the land of the dead. If there is even a slight mistake in the qeej (Hmong instrument) or funeral process, this can guide the deceased or spirit of that person to the wrong place and this can cause bad luck, health, curses, and sometimes death to the family of the deceased.

The Underworld Realm can serve as a "waiting" ground for the newly departed. In some situations if the deceased person has unfinished business or "problems," they will go to Hell Court. Hell Court is a place for individuals who were wrongfully treated or killed while on Earth. Some Hmong believe this place is also known as "Nyub Vaj Teem," a Celestial Realm. Nyub Vaj is the acting judge and has final say on the punishment, who is the wrongful individual, and what karma that spirit will endure. In cases involving spiritual problems, Hmong shamans may be requested to travel to Nyub Vaj Teem (the place where Hell's Court takes place) as an acting "witness" or attorney to the living person. The shaman must then negotiate or argue on behalf of the sick person on Earth for any wrongful deeds they may or may not have performed to the newly departed. These include things like unkept promises, domestic abuse and neglect, murder, rape, unfair and unequal treatment, robbery, unpaid debt, and much more. Some souls may be in this waiting period for a long time before a decision can be made. The judge will not only hear the case but review the archives of every action the person committed on Earth. Although only the newly departed go here, the living can also be summoned into the court of hell as well. This will cause the person on Earth to be deathly ill. At this stage, the living person may request help from a shaman and the shaman may interfere with the case.

These are three general summaries on the realm of existence according to the Hmong beliefs. The Hmong are a people with no written history and so the capture of these practices and beliefs are generally summarized and may differ from person to person.

TFL Hmong Shaman