Sarangerel - Chosen by the Spirits: Following Your Shamanic Calling

About the Author

Sarangerel was trained in the Mongolian and Buryat shamanic traditions by native teachers who are now free to practice again following the collapse of the Soviet Union. She was the foreign outreach representative of the Golomt Center for Shamanist Studies and the Mongolian Shamans' Association.

About Inner Traditions Bear & Company

Founded in 1975, Inner Traditions is a leading publisher of books on indigenous cultures, perennial philosophy, visionary art, spiritual traditions of the East and West, sexuality, holistic health and healing, self-development, as well as recordings of ethnic music and accompaniments for meditation.

In July 2000, Bear & Company joined with Inner Traditions and moved from Santa Fe, New Mexico, where it was founded in 1980, to Rochester, Vermont. Together Inner Traditions Bear & Company have eleven imprints: Inner Traditions, Bear & Company, Healing Arts Press, Destiny Books, Park Street Press, Bindu Books, Bear Cub Books, Destiny Recordings, Destiny Audio Editions, Inner Traditions en Espaol, and Inner Traditions India.

For more information or to browse through our more than one thousand titles in print, visit www.InnerTraditions.com .

I would like to thank all of the people that helped make this book possible. First I would like to acknowledge Dr. Marjorie Mandelstam-Balzer, whose translation of V. N. Basilovs Izbranniki dukhov provided me with the most apt title for this book Chosen by the Spirits.

I would also like to thank my friend Soyoltu, who encouraged me for many years to write about Mongolian shamanism.

Many thanks as well to the staffs of the newspapers Inform Polis and Buryaad Unen in Ulan-Ude for allowing me to use their computers in the research and preparation of this book. I would like to also acknowledge Drs. Ganjurov and Khundaeva of the Buryat Research Center for their support and advice in my research.

Thanks also to the shamans Byambadorj Dondog, Sumiya Tserendorj, Dawaatseren, Sanjai Khorbakov, Boris Bazarov, Valentina Baldakhinova, and Nadezhda Stepanova for their teachings and support of my work.

I also want to thank my friend Bayar Dugarov for his support, teaching, and advice in all of the work that I do.

Most of all I thank the spirits of the Sayan Mountains and of the Terte lineage who called me to become a shaman and empower me to do all of the work that I do!

In various procedures described in this book, I speak of creating a ritual space. Although a shaman may indeed do his work wherever he goes, it is preferable to work in a ritual space. A ritual space helps set the state of mind for the shaman and for the people for whom shamanic work is being done. Just as the donning of ritual clothing helps the shaman to induce the state of mind that allows the spirits to work through him, so the creation of a ritual space has the same effect. When creating the ritual space, remember that no matter where you create it, the sacred circle is actually the same place. The reason is that the gol is the center of your space, and the gol is everywhere and anywhere. In this way you have continuity in your work: you are working within the same sacred circle. It is a good idea to try to arrange things the same way wherever you set up your ritual space.

In Mongolia and Siberia the creation of a ritual space is customary in shamanic work, as it is pleasing to the spirits and gives them a specific place in which to perform their tasks. The placements of food and drink offerings, the arrangement of the ongons on an altar or sacred place, setting the shamanic implements where they are convenient to the shamanall are ritual actions that show respect to the spirits and to the shaman who is doing the work. The creation of the sacred space can be done by the shaman or by all the people involved in the ritual.

Because all rituals use sacred smoke, fire, or both, designate someone to be responsible for the fire if you are not working alone. The fire keeper is responsible for ensuring that the fire and other burning materials do not accidentally burn anything around them. This person will make sure the smudges and incense stay lit and that the fire, if a fire is being used, is stocked with wood. It is most important that burning materials do not go out, for that is a bad omen for the success of the ritual. The vigor, or lack of vigor, with which the fire and the sacred smoke burn is considered to be a reflection of the amount of windhorse being raised during the procedure. I often see fires suddenly start burning very fast and hot when the ongon spirits come into the shaman or shamans working in a ritual, a sign of the great spiritual power at work.

A ritual space should be oriented to the four directions. The back side of the sacred circle should be on the north; if that is not possible, make the back side of the circle opposite the entrance of the room in which the ritual is being done. In arranging the rest of the elements of the sacred space, place them as if the back side of the circle is the north.

The first important element of a ritual space is the hoimor, the most sacred part of the circle. Most shamans use a small, low table as an altar in the hoimor. The altar is usually covered with a nice cloth and the shamans ongons are spread on part of it. The rest of the table will be occupied with food and drink offerings. The custom is that the people for whom the ritual is being done provide these offerings. The food offerings may be fruit, candy, baked goods, nuts, cheese, and cooked meat or sausage. The drink offerings are milk, tea, and vodka or beer. If several people are participating in the ritual, only small token parts of the food are set on the altar; the rest is eaten in the meal that follows most major rituals. If the group of participants is large, the meal will be quite a feast!

Usually the shaman has his own cups for liquids that will be thrown during the ritual (one each for the milk, tea, and vodka). A wooden spoon for tossing liquids should be placed conveniently next to the cups of liquids that will be used in the libations. The ongons and food and drink should be arranged in an artistic manner. The shaman is responsible for the arrangement of the ongons and the ritual liquids, but the people for whom the ritual is being done are responsible for the arrangement of the food offerings.

The second important element of the ritual space is the representation of the gol. If the ritual is done outside, an oboo, ritual tree, or fire will represent the gol. If the ritual is performed inside, a small temporary oboo, a small fire (if it is possible), or a placement of incense sticks can represent the gol. If the room where you are doing the ritual has a fireplace or wood-burning stove, you may also kindle a fire there and use that even if it has to be at the edge of the circle rather than in the center. The most important thing is that the representation of the gol is a focus of movement and the starting point for journeying.

The third important element of the ritual space is the perimeter of the circle and the gate, customarily located on the south side. When you create the circle, you will start at the gate and move around sunwise, placing small rocks to describe the circle if you wish to do so. Otherwise, visualize the space that the circle encompasses while you are doing your work. Although you may want to create a well-defined circle within your own home for personal work, it may not be feasible to create one when you are away from home. If it is not too cumbersome, carry a small bag of stones for that purpose when you go out to do work away from home.