What The Shaman Says About X-Men: Days of future Past

Watching the young Professor X, the Hmong shaman would react:  “Wow.  This guy knows the pain and suffering that we feel….and he knows the powers to travel through the spirit-space continuum and speak to the spirits of wandering souls.  He even has his own neng console to get there!  But there is one major difference...” 

And this is what we will be looking at in today’s blog.

My wife and I have been anticipating the viewing of X-Men Days of Future Past.  We were finally able to do it about a month after it came out late at night, after the kids were asleep (at least most of them—except big brother) when one of the students came out to babysit.

We did not know what to expect…only that the online reviews dramatized how crazy it was going to be.  With that, I delved into the movie with no other prior knowledge.

While watching this movie, I became very keenly aware that the experience Charles Xavier (The Professor), had, as someone figuring out his own telepathic powers and learning to embrace them, was no different from that of a Hmong shaman—at least for the most part.

Due to the nature of my blogs, I will not elaborate on the plot or movements—only those relevant to my points.¹  With that in mind, I hope you will join with me as we continue to be critical of one of the many media in our world today.  For those who have not seen it, I’ll try not to spoil it for you.  If your convictions are not preventing you, I would encourage you to watch it…and even better on the big screen.

The shaman (“the ones who the spirits call” or thawj) has to go through a number of ordeals, including sickness and pain. At a certain time in their life (ranging from young children to older middle-aged adults), these sicknesses would come to them often. Although the sicknesses can go away by themselves, to hasten and properly “cure” them, the young prospective shaman is set in front of the candle.  If she was really called by the spirits to be a shaman, her feet would react by shaking and she will find immediate healing from that sickness.  If she’s not called, the candle will have no effect on her.²  

The “real” and, thus, effective shaman, then, is one who the spirits calls (a vocation) to identify with the pain of others.  She will find that the pain of others is also painful to her and be moved with great love and compassion to help others. ³  This is the only way that she will find healing from her own pain. Thus, her only choice for immediate relief is to perform the healing ceremony to relieve the suffering of the patient…and, therefore, her own.³

This may be similar to Professor Xavier’s  experience of telepathy. However, there is a stark difference in motives here. Enduring pain as his mind wanders past other people’s minds, the elder Professor Xavier narrated about why they (the X-men mutants) do what they do:  “it is because of…hope.” However, as we have seen here for the shaman, it is (in addition to self-healing) because of…love.

  

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1. This blog is in no way an attempt to encourage, discourage, belittle or elevate the practice of shamanism.

2.  The candle is a part of the spirit world console (thaj neeb) used during a shamanic healing ceremony where the shaman would shake his body with his legs, jumping up and down—even on and off benches).

3. The information of this blog is based on the following research paper:  Yang, Wayne, An Interview With a  Hmong Shaman, University of Kansas, Anthropology