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The Wisdom of the Shaman "What a waste of time? and good food?" I thought to myself. Every now and then, these groups of Shamans would line the streets with colorful ornaments and occupy the entire grounds in front of the inns for their rituals. Praying and connecting with the spirits or something... These rituals were also accompanied by a variety and abundance of food that I could only bill as fit for AT LEAST 3 Kings. The food was probably what attracted most of these people to the rituals as the crowds were so large that it often spilled out onto Buya's south gate. Yes, I have to give these Shamans some credit because they do share the food with all those that are gathered here after the rituals, but preparing all of this to communicate with the spirits? I always thought the whole idea was silly and wasteful. It was a tiring day and I ended my foraging early so I could relax with a bowl of soup from Yunsil. Actually, I've had to end my foraging trips early on multiple occasions for the past months because I felt especially drained and exhausted for some reason. I will have to feel better soon and pick up the pace or I don't think I could even afford the soup from Yunsil. As I was pushing and shoving my way to Yunsil's, one of the Shaman Dohsas locked eye contact and did not budge. I stared back for a while, but eventually entered the inn to order a hearty stew. As I was about to dig in, I was interrupted by 3 Shamans who bursted through the door. They quickly rushed towards me and began their interrogation. The Shaman in all white hair was creepily precise with all her questions confirming how I felt recently and where I've been in the past months. The truth is that I have been frequenting the Dark Forest near Nagnang because I've had so much success foraging ginseng as many people shun away from the area. But the Shaman was absolutely right, I definitely did not feel well these days and even days off from foraging didn't seem to help my conditions much either. The Shaman began to lecture me about why I didn't think it was strange that people specifically did not go near the Dark Forest to forage when it only made sense to do so since no one actually went there. Then the Shaman told me the story of a massacre in the village nearby the Dark Forest where everyone mysteriously died and that Dark Forest is filled with the spirits of the people from that village. Mostly importantly, that those same spirits latched onto me while I was in the Forest and weighing me down. I was speechless at first... Not because it was shocking, but because it was just plain silly. But when the Shaman pulled out a strange mirror and placed it in front of me, I jumped back and shrieked. In the mirror, I saw a kid sitting on top of my shoulders. I scrambled to ask the Shaman what must be done to rid myself of this kid or ghost or whatever this thing was. The Shaman calmed me down and explained that the spirit does not intend to harm me, but it was probably lost in the woods until it found me. The Shaman took my hand and led me outside where the ritual was ongoing. The Shaman placed me in the middle of the crowd and continued on with the ritual with all of the other Shamans. When the ritual was over, I instantly rose and approached the Shaman to ask if I was cured. The Shaman simply replied "All needs guidance. All living and spiritual. No one was cured, but one spiritual soul was guided to where it belongs." The Shaman continued to explain that the spirit did leave me and that I should feel back to normal. As the Shaman said, I did feel normal on the next day and the days after that. I never did go near the Dark Forest again, but I did begin to appreciate the occasional rituals. Because while people guide each other on all things that we can see, the Shamans guide and serve as a bridge between what we can see and what we can't see. Signed, EBITDAX | |