Future Ancestors: Asian American Shamans and Witches
A Korean Shaman photographed by Angus Hamilton, published 1904. Wikimedia
Season 1, Episode 6
GenX and Millenial Asian American and the crafting of magic and shamanism.
November 28th, 2023
Asian Americans represent a vast diaspora within the United States, but many have been separated from the traditional folk healing and shamanic practices of their ancestors. Something is changing that, and some GenX and Millennial Asian Americans are pivoting their spiritual practices to those of their ancestral homes. But this isn’t a nostalgia for a romanticized past. These practitioners are seeking, discovering, and creating entirely new ways of practicing shamanism, ancestor worship, and magic. And it’s only the beginning.
Featuring:
Practitioner and author of Spell Bound: A new witch's guide to crafting the future (2022)
Chaweon Koo is a writer on the intersection of pop culture, the occult, and futurism. Her TikTok is one of the most popular occult accounts on the platform. She also interviews some of the most distinguished occultists and witches in the English-speaking world on her podcast Witches & Wine. Her book Spell Bound details her journey from an atheist witch into one of the most visible East Asian practitioners of both Eastern and Western occult traditions.
Korean Shaman
Respected teaching artist, practicing mudang, and consultant on Muism–Korea’s ancient and enduring indigenous religion. Mudong Jenn writes, “I share my experiences as a mudang to teach about our ancestral folk magic practices to help bring in deeper connections with the natural world, ancestors, and spirits. Explore with me, a transformative journey that honors our indigenous roots, explores the richness of our spiritual heritage, and fosters a deeper sense of connection and meaning.”
Lecturer of Asian Religions at Towson University
Steven Quach is an ethnographer doing research on Buddhist therapeutic communities that collectively authenticate the biopsychosocial (i.e., biological, psychological, and social) dimensions of mental health and illness, especially related to gender, class, race, and religion. Having recently graduated and started a new lecturer job, his goals are to publish articles drawing heavily from his dissertation, Dear Sangha: Producing the Secular Mind of Mental Health in the Biopsychosocial Territories of Buddhist Therapeutics. Following that, he’s interested in researching stress acculturation and mental health in Asian American religious communities.
Practitioner and author of Spirit Voices: The Mysteries and Magic of North Asian Shamanism (2023)
David Shi is a shamanic worker and folk magic practitioner who primarily engages in traditional North Asian forms of shamanism. He is primarily of Manchurian descent, but can also trace ancestry to Mongolian, Chinese, Korean, as well as a little Tungus Siberian and ancient Central Asian Turkic heritage as well. Raised in a household that incorporated both Southeast Siberian and North Chinese practices, David has dedicated his spare time to the study of the spiritual traditions of his ancestors and of greater Eurasia. Recognized as a sagaasha/ongodtengertei, a future shaman prior to initiation, among both Mongolian and Korean shamans, David’s practices are deeply rooted in spirit work in which ancestral and land spirits are called to empower all workings. David’s readings incorporate a combination of Tarot, Runes, Bones, Jaw-harp, as well as Mongolian stone divination (known as Kumalak in Turkic Central Asia). David is the author of the new book Spirit Voices: The Mysteries and Magic of North Asian Shamanism, and currently resides in Manhattan, New York where he occasionally provides spiritual services, products, and workshops to his immediate communities.
More featured guest bios coming soon!
TRANSCRIPT - Coming soon!
