Ethnologists find that gods are often present in unlikely places

[icymist]

Objects are imbued with an important spiritual significance, said Viet Nam Museum of Ethnology researchers at a scientific conference held in Hong Kong.

Scientists from the museum and Dr Laurel Kendall from the Museum of Natural History in New York researched six typical objects from different Vietnamese ethnicities, as part of a project carried out from 2003 to 2005,

The objects studied include the Ritual Pole of the Thai ethnic group in Nghe An central province; Mrs Then’s dan tinh, from the Tay group in Lang Son northern province; a worship flower tree of the Thai group in Thanh Hoa; the statue of the genie Doc Cuoc (One-eyed God), which is important to the Kinh or Viet; Mau (Mother Godness) statues offered by the Phu Giay Temple in Nam Dinh Province and the amulet of the Kinh sorcerer.

The stringed dan tinh of the Tay shaman of northern Viet Nam, for instance, enables the shaman to journey to a spirit realm in pursuit of a client’s wandering soul. These dan tinh are animated by spirits and their use is hedged with precautions and taboos
Read the article

[marions ghost]

1. from the article:

Nguyen Van Huy, the museum’s director, said that the most important aim in the project is to make people understand that many objects have an importance beyond the obvious, and when people hold them in their hands, they shouldn’t only pay attention to appearances, but also to the spiritual value it holds when used.
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I think all these ritual objects and tools carry certain vibrations. I wish I knew more about it beyond the historical lore.

[Jackpine Radical]

2. Gods in unlikely places...

When I was a psychologist for Corrections, criminals were always telling me they had found Jesus in jail.
My standard reply was "How interesting. What was Jesus in for?"