My guest today is Mudang Seonmi, an officiated Mudang or Korean shaman-priest. Mudang Seonmi is mixed Korean diaspora, having lived in Seoul, Korea, for the first handful of years before moving to the United States to be raised by her native Korean mother and Korean mixed father. She is LGBTQIA+ and diagnosed AuDHD. She went through her initiation ceremony (신내림굿) with an elder in 2017. Prior to her initiation, she had been an eclectic witch and pagan since 2001. Some of her primary gods are the War Cutter Goddess, Mudang Goddess, Prosperity God, 7 Star Gods, and Heavenly Fairy Goddess. Her pantheon contains hundreds of other gods and goddesses as well!
Her website is firelightlotus.com, and you can find her on Instagram at @themudang.
Click here for a transcript of this episode.
In this episode, we referenced a few books you may want to check out.
Shamans, housewives, and other restless spirits: women in Korean ritual life by Laurel Kendall, University of Hawaii Press, 1985.
The life and hard times of a Korean Shaman: of tales and the telling of tales by Laurel Kendall, University of Hawaii Press, 1988.
An Illustrated Guide to Korean Mythology by Choi Won-Oh, Global Oriental, 2008.
Episode 14: Mudang Seonmi & Korean Shamanism