Chasing after the past, as in past life

• West Nile Papyrus by The Dejunair Project

When it comes to a reincarnation story, I don’t have many to share, and some of you might have heard this one before. My mom told me this story when I was little. She was from Thailand, and didn’t move to Laos until she was in her late teens.  Back then she lived in a small village, and when she was little, people would barter rice or other items for food, sort of trade instead of buying, my grandmother had all kinds of stuff that people would come and trade, like rice, coconuts, and betel chewing.

Then one day, there was a 16 year old girl that came with her mom, they came to barter for rice at my grandmother’s house, and she saw my mom’s neighbors, 2 elderly ladies in their 60s and she started calling them by their names, using the term EE in front and that upset everyone because that’s very rude for a young person to do that, that’s like saying ‘Yo!.’  Then the young girl told them that she was their mother and asked for her items that they didn’t give her when she passed away, it was her Betel chewing basket.

She was able to tell everything about them in great detail, and had everyone convinced that she was really the reincarnation of their mother, which my mom had no doubt that it was really her.  They went back with her to her new family and she was happy that she got her Betel basket back.  My mom said that 3 days later, she got sick and passed away.  It was believed that she only came to get her basket. It was a sad story, happily reunited for only a brief moment, then parted again the second times around through death.

Of course, this is not very strange for the Thais and Lao as most are Buddhists and believe in reincarnation. But when I read about a Briton artist, Nileen Namita whom believed that she was the Queen Nefertiti in her past life, Queen of the Nile sort of left me speechless. In an interview with the Daily Mail, she began her transformation in 1987 after deciding that in a past life she had lived as Nefertiti.

She said: ‘Throughout my childhood and teen years I had constant vivid dreams of this ancient queen.

‘They were visions of incredible intensity – I could see where she lived, her servants, her rooms, even the food she ate – and although at first I found the dreams frightening, I began to research what they meant.

‘Aged 23 I underwent psychoanalysis with a counselor. Slowly I began to realize that I was having these dreams because I am a reincarnation of Nefertiti.

‘A few weeks later I saw a picture of Nefertiti for the first time and I was struck by how familiar it was.

‘I know some people will find it hard to understand why I have put myself through so much surgery, but by then the visions had become even more powerful, I decided to remodel my face so I looked like a modern version of Nefertiti.’ Read the rest of her interview here.

The Messenger of Death

• Thoranee Kansaeung

Since ancient times, it is believed that birds are a spiritual symbol of the divine because of the birds connection to the sky, they have been thought of as a supernatural link between the heavens and the earth. If that were the case, then who send the messenger of death, the bird that Thai people called Nok Sack.

Barn Owl photographs by Steve Rendell

Photo source.

Nok Sack made me think that it’s a Barn Owl.  This bird is believed to be the messenger of death, if it were to land on anyone’s rooftop then someone that’s ill in that family will pass away in the next few days. Sad but true, this bird landed on my car’s rooftop 3 years ago.

My mom was ill of cancer at the time, and I went somewhere with my dad.  I parked my car in my parent’s driveway, and took my dad’s van instead.  That afternoon, my second sister came home from work and saw this strange creature sitting on top of my car’s rooftop. She looked at it, and it stared back at her.  She said that its face looked very much like a cat with big eyes, in my mind when she first told me this I kept thinking that it was an eagle.  It must have come to visit her fishpond, so not strange to me at all.

Several days later my mom passed away.  This bothered my second sister so bad that she asked the local monk, and he said that it was the messenger of death. As I was searching for the name of this bird, I learned that it’s not just the Thais or Lao that believe this, the Westerners also believe that the Owl is a symbol of death and darkness, but also wisdom, insight and virtue.  The hoot of an Owl denotes disappointments and forewarns that death or deceit creeps closely in the wake of joy and health (source).

Odd to see it in broad daylight, the one that my second sister saw must have been sent by the dark force in nature because as we all know that it hides in darkness and fears the light and here it showed itself in the middle of the day. I wish it never came, but I guess it was only doing its job as the messenger of death.

Be Careful if You Asked for a Child From a Sacred Place

I hope that the introduction post of May the Force be With You will give you a little insight that Animistic beliefs are still widely practiced in Laos.  As for our neighboring country Thailand, they also share this belief because Buddhism in Thailand is also closely tied to animist beliefs and belief in ancestral spirits.  I found an interesting article from Koosang Koosom Magazine written by the mother of Nong Mou-Nong Mot from Maha Sarakham, Thailand that I like to share, this story will make you think twice before making a wish.  This article is written in Thai language, translated by Nye.

Erawan Shrine Photographs by Kiteion

Photo source

Going back to 1990 (Thai year 2533), my husband and I were working in Krung Thep at the time, I was 3 months pregnant with my first child, my husband was ecstatic and so he went to visit the Erawan Shrine at the 4-intersection of Ratchaprasong to ask for a son.  Then the day of my delivery came and we had a son just like he asked, my husband and I were very happy.  We went back to give offering to Thunthou Phra Phrom Erawan (Erawan Statue),  we did everything that we promised if our wish were granted.  But one thing that we didn‘t do was to bring our son to pay respect to Thuntou Phra Phrom Erawan, not even once.

This was because my sons were raised by my parents in another town, they were good kids, easy to raise and I had 2 sons, the oldest was born in 1990 (2533), and the second in 1992 (2535), this one we didn’t ask for.  Then in 1998 (2541), we moved back home since the boys were getting older and about time that we lived as a family.  I kept thinking that I want to bring my sons to pay respect to Thunthou Phra Phrom Erawan, especially my oldest son, but since I was busy working, trying to make ends meet, and could never find the time.

During school breaks, my sons would help us at the clothing store in town to earn extra income, I worked there as a head cashier, and would get off work at 8 pm, and it’s considered late in the rural area, we did this for several years. My sons were good kids, they helped with household chores, including helping out in the rice paddy. I taught them not to forget their roots, the trade that has been passed down for many generations, we’d help each other farming during our day off, and hired out the things that we couldn’t do ourselves.  Who said that having a son the mother has to do all the work, I say not true at all because ever since they were in the 5th and 6th grade, I didn’t have to wash dishes, nor clean the house because my sons did it all, they felt sorry for their mom that I had to work so late.

I was very happy and proud of my sons, but my happiness short-lived because in 2008 (2551), my oldest son had a late class and wouldn’t get out until 7 pm, he called to ask if he could stay at his friend’s dorm, I didn’t mind and only asked him not to disappoint his mom.  He promised that he wouldn’t, and that was the last time that we spoke.

Naga Fireballs 2009

I was fascinated with Bang Fai Phaya Nark, also known as Naga Fireballs as long as I could remember, and last year I had a chance to stand at Wat Prabath Phonsanh looking out to the Mekong River, this is the Wat (Temple) that has the legend of Phraya Nark (Naga) to come up every year. I was there a month after the event, but I’m glad that I had a chance to see the Naga staircase that lead up to the temple.

Bang Fai Phraya Nark or Naga Fireballs is still scientifically unexplained, and usually happens on the first full-moon night of October coinciding with the end of Buddhist Lent. The locals believe the fireballs come from a mystical Naga or Phraya Nark living in the Mekong River who is spitting them high up in the air. Some scientist assume that the fireballs might be caused by bubbles coming up from a combustible natural gas deposit in the river bed which ignite when shooting up, and many now believe that it is just a hoax, nevertheless, the story of Bang Fai Phraya Nark or Naga Fireballs still fascinates many.

Nong khai - Phaya Naga Festival 2007

Photographs by ceejay19N