Research Paper On Korean Shamanism

Korean shamanism is a religion which includes many communal and private magic rituals. The rituals rely on the shaman’s individual experience as well as her abilities to contact the spirit world where the shamanistic gods live. By communicating and placating the gods, the shaman can predict and change the future. For over 40,000 years, people have believed that there is another world where all the spirits live. It is this idea that Shamanism is based on. The roots of this religion in Korea date back to ancient, prehistoric times. In many cultures a shaman has been known by many different names including medicine man, psychopomp, mystic, poet, and magician. Unlike many of these similar people, the shaman does not use drugs to enter a trance. She can enter a trance on her own free will. During the trance, the shaman’s soul leaves the body and travels to the spiritual realm. It is there that the shaman comes into contact with both helpful and evil spirits. Sometimes the shaman enters into a life or death struggle with these spirits as they attempt to harm the people that the shaman is in the trance for (New World Encylopedia). …show more content…
The shaman reviews her clients on a holistic level. She considers the whole body and soul as well as how the person is interacting with the inner and outer worlds. The shaman knows that the soul is where a person’s life breath is located and it is the entire essence of the person. Physical illness is caused by spiritual affliction and most of the shaman’s work is centered around curing illness of the soul. When illness of the mind occurs it is due to the loss of a soul, an intrusion or full possession by a spirit (New World Encylopedia). By communicating with the gods, the shaman can counsel her clients on what needs to be done in order to appease and placate unhappy gods