Small vs Big Altar - Hmong Shamanism
Hmong shamans will typically go through a series of two phases. The first phase happens after their confirmation ritual and an elder shaman officiates their journey as a shaman. The elder shaman, or master shaman, typically sets up a small altar like the one you see below. The one in the picture below was my small altar, the first and initial altar following the confirmation ritual. I had this altar for a year and half. The master shaman helps set up the small altar in similar ways as a big altar, with the same amount of rice bowls and enchanted water bowls. You follow what your master tells you to do because you both share the same lineage. Trust is very important because you should trust your master to guide you in the right direction, and they trust you with the knowledge they give you. A master should not be worried about their student "advancing" passed them and a student shaman should not have to worry about being misguided. During this phase, a master shaman helps guide the student shaman in their journey. They share advice, tips, secrets, and even what to say during some healing rituals. They guide you into your trance and make sure that you do not harm others or yourself in the process. They help interpret your dreams, visions, and are there for you to ask questions. A master shaman is suppose to pave a path for you to discover on your own. With a small altar, you can perform diagnostic rituals (ua neeb siab) and do readings.
Note. My small altar
After practicing on a small altar for some time, and when you feel "ready," you will begin the second and "final" stage. This is the "tsa thaj" stage, in which you will put up your big altar. The picture below is a photo of my altar. There is no expiration or timeline to when you start your big altar. It depends on when you feel ready and want to set up your big altar. The difference with the small and big altar, besides the physical size of it, is that you are no longer a "student" shaman anymore. Consider the tsa thaj stage as a graduation. Although you always continue to learn, you move pass the student phase. From this day on, you can perform big healing rituals, compared to a small altar where you cannot yet perform healing rituals. Another difference from the small and big altar is that on the big altar you also have your herbal / medicinal altar, which is the smaller section on the right side of the altar. The bigger section on the left side is your shaman altar. Almost all big altars have two - three sections, depending on how you separate things. Some altars have different number of shelves, which depends on your lineage and your master. Another difference from a small and big altar is that the big altar has yarn that is threaded at the top, to the middle of the house, and all the way to the front door. We call this the "shaman bridge" or we also call it "sab neeb" or "choj neeb." It is a bridge that connects from the universe to your altar. Each shaman has their own unique way of designing the joss paper on the altar. This depends on each individual shaman and/or their master. For the most part, shamans can design their own.
Typical colors of the sab neeb can be white, black, or a combination of both. This depends on your lineage and your master. At the end of the year, shamans will perform a "tso qhua neeb" ritual, also known as "release ritual" where they release the sacrificed animals to reincarnation and release their shaman guides as the old year ends and new year begins. At this time, the shaman will put up their big shaman bridge, which are the two big cloths that hang alongside with the yarn (see image below). It is stretched from the front door, to the middle of the living room , and to the altar. Below is a photo of my tso qhua ritual from a few years ago. Notice the black cloth at the top as it is hung to the front door, welcoming incoming shaman guides. After the release ritual, shamans must do another ritual called "tos qhua neeb" which entails retrieving your shaman guides. Some shamans will leave this up for three days, while others leave it up for a month.
A tsa thaj ritual is a very unique experience for the shaman and family members involved. With a big altar, it requires special attention. It is important to ensure that people and young children do not touch it, bump into it, or take items off the altar. Do not place random items underneath the altar and place it in a way that is door facing and not in a high traffic area in the home. An altar should not be placed on the same side as opening doors or windows. It took me a few years to get my altar right. I tried putting on red fabric on the altar and my shamans did not like that. I tried keeping the original design that my master used and my shaman guides did not like that. I tried to use shorter red and white strings for my shaman bells and my guides wanted longer strings. It took me awhile to get my gong right as well, as I now currently have four gongs. Since I started my shaman journey, there were many of times when I felt like I did not know what I was doing. I was afraid of misleading anyone, or misdiagnosing people, or even letting people down. I have done rituals for people who were at the end of life, and we just have to preserver through the death of a person. The hardest part is knowing it and not able to tell anyone. I have felt like just a nobody and often wondered to myself, "why would anyone come to me? I don't know what I'm doing..." My shaman guides have taught me that it's okay to not be ok sometimes. It's ok to feel doubt or to feel like I'm not good enough or capable. But that at the end of the day, to still believe in myself and push through these imposter feelings. We can either be defeated by it or overcome it. My big altar is a daily reminder that we can get through anything in life if we just hold on through the storm.
tfl hmong shaman