Talisman
Objects having supernatural energies may lead to negative impacts in some cultures, but this might not apply to the talismans I received and given in my autoethnographic awareness. The White Tara made of copper from Tibet resonated Fontijn （2013） in a surprising way, and the story of the talisman folded by a shaman is as below:
My mom was introduced to this guy claiming himself possessed by a pine tree from Paektu Mountain, a sacred mountain for Northeast China folk belief. He talked in different ways when getting possessed and sang to me during the ritual he completed having me in the middle of a circle of candles, having two copper objects in hand, and him burning cigarettes and a ‘letter’ to the gods in charge on that day in heaven. My parents paid for the ritual to solve my diagnosed bipolar disorder as an alternative to pill consumption. He then gave me the first talisman, which I used the cash in a Shengen-visa application. My mom went to him again shortly before I came to the UK, and the talisman I have now is for free since he became our friend.
A third talisman shown up in life this week. But this time, I bought them as gifts for my mom and cousin, according to the new lunar year zodiac signs, That’s the picture I have chosen. Further interpretations of this Taoism talisman may still need time to sound rational.
Contributed by ConnieWang on 23/01/2023
