by Nick Argall

Nick Argall was a regular contributor to alt.religion.shamanism in the early 2000s and one of its more analytically rigorous voices. A practitioner interested in the comparative anatomy of shamanic experience, he spent several years in sustained dialogue with community elders including Joseph Bearwalker Wilson.

This post, written in April 2004, applies Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) theory — specifically the concept of the Hun, or ethereal soul, housed in the Liver organ-system — to interpret the characteristic symptoms of shamanic calling: near-death experiences, severe illness, hereditary sensitivity, birth abnormalities, disconnection from ordinary reality, and the compulsion to journey. Argall is not reducing shamanism to TCM or vice versa, but exploring a possible structural homology between two traditions' accounts of the same phenomenon.

The post is speculative and offered explicitly as hypothesis, inviting critique from practitioners. Its value lies not in being definitive, but in the kind of rigorous cross-traditional thinking that characterized alt.religion.shamanism at its best.

Just developing some thoughts inspired by Joe's excellent question to me today in the "Here we go" thread.

What I'm going to try to do is describe shamanic calling and activity in terms of TCM theories regarding the soul, specifically that aspect of the soul that is called Hun.

Journeying

Journeying can be described as the separation of the Hun (ethereal soul) from the body, and the Hun then travels to a non-physical reality where it encounters other "ethereal" entities, objects, and things.

Role of Birth Abnormalities in Calling

The Hun enters the body shortly after birth. Stressful birth events, especially those of a life-threatening nature, may impair the process of the Hun entering the body. Therefore the Hun's connection to the body may be weaker in a person with birth abnormalities than in a person with an uncomplicated birth.

Heredity

The Jing (life essence) inherited from the parents may predispose a person to a weakness of the Liver organ-system. The Liver houses the Hun; if the Liver is damaged, the Hun may have difficulty residing in the body. Therefore, TCM provides for a mechanism for heredity in Calling.

Role of Near-Death Experiences in Calling

The Hun departs the body at the moment of death and goes to heaven. Reports of out-of-body experiences during near-death events can be regarded as vision from the Hun's point of view, as it begins its ascent towards heaven, and then returns to the body as life is restored. However, observations of terminally ill patients indicate that the forces within their body and soul can begin to separate several days before death. Therefore, the Hun may begin this disconnection process without the person reporting a paranormal experience.

Role of Severe Illness in Calling

The Liver is the marshal of the body's defences against disease, but it does not function well in the absence of the Hun. Therefore, a person that is Called would be more likely to experience a severe or life-threatening illness. Note also that if the illness is truly life-threatening, the Hun may separate further from the body.

Symptoms of the Absence of Hun

The Hun is directly responsible for the following spiritual functions, which may be impaired or absent if the Hun separates from the body:

• Sense of purpose
• Capacity to understand one's own mental state
• Capacity to understand the mental states of others and engage in meaningful relationships
• Balancing and regulation of emotions
• Clear eyesight
• Courage and maintenance of an appropriate level of courage
• Planning

(Reference: Deadman, A Manual of Acupuncture)

The Liver is responsible for the following functions, and it may not perform them properly in the absence of the Hun:

• Stores and regulates the "blood" (a bodily fluid that lubricates and nourishes the organs, and enables them to function smoothly — a failure of this function may be connected to bleeding or menstruation)
• Ensures the smooth flow of Qi (Qi that does not move smoothly may produce the feeling of a physical obstruction, or a pain not connected to an apparent physical cause)
• Controls the sinews (a failure in this area may result in tremors, cramps, spasms, or lack of strength in the limbs)
• Maintenance of fingernails
• Regulating and harmonizing bodily functions (a failure in this area can produce "liver wind," or a collapse of bodily functions)

(Reference: Maciocia, The Fundamentals of Chinese Medicine)

My opinion is that these symptoms correlate well to the observed symptoms of Calling.

Why the Called Shaman Must Journey

Now then, a person that is Called needs to perform journeying — or some equivalent activity — or at least to learn it and understand it.

Why does a Called shaman have to journey, when a non-Called person does not?

I refer to my theories from last year that the Called person does not have a reliable connection to this reality, and needs to learn to travel back and forth — and to control their travelling back and forth — to be able to be present in ordinary reality. Further, if the body has become inhospitable to the Hun due to damage relating to the Liver, it may be that the Hun cannot reside there, but needs to be "let out" on a regular basis. Presumably, in the non-called person, this need can be met with normal dream activity.

Practical Application

Shamanic calling appears to be correlated to injury to the Liver organ. Shamanic practitioners may benefit from the wide range of therapies developed by TCM for treatment of Liver disharmonies. Patients with severe Liver patterns that resist treatment may benefit from the application of shamanic techniques and training.

I'll be cross-posting this a bit. Feedback much appreciated.

Colophon

Written by Nick Argall and posted to alt.religion.shamanism on 27 April 2004. Original Message-ID: 408f2737$0$4544$[email protected]. Argall was an Australian contributor who brought analytical rigour and cross-traditional perspective to the alt.religion.shamanism community over several years.

Preserved from the Usenet archive for the Good Work Library by the New Tianmu Anglican Church, 2026.

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