LEFT: a male shaman rests
in between chanting sessions
next to a lovely little
waterfall and pond. Several
lit candles and a pile of fruit
with other offerings are
beside him. This is a short
distance up behind
Seon-nyeo-am.
Il-wol-san page 2: Seon-nyeo-am
[Immortal-woman Hermitage]
|
(seon-nyeo usually indicates female angels or fairies,
but in this case refers to Hwang-ssi-buin herself)
|
RIGHT: the portrait of
Hwang-ssi-buin enshrined in
the Main Hall of
Seon-nyeo-am. Her right hand
is palm-outwards in a
Buddha-like gesture of
generousity. It's hard to say
what her left hand is holding --
a long curving pole, or the end
of a rainbow...? Offerings of
watermelon, bananas and
summer-melon are on the left.
LEFT: the abbot of
Seon-nyeo-am, a senior
shaman, prays deep inside an
abandoned coal-mine shaft that
he has refurbished as his
San-shin-gak. Barely visible
above him is the uncarved
granite stone that serves as his
San-shin icon. On the altar in
front of him stand many lit
candles, open bottles of soju
(cheap Korean liquor, similar to
vodka), and bags of candy.
RIGHT: myself sitting
on a piled-stone
outdoor San-shin
shrine, built at the
confluance of two
streams ten minutes up
behind Seon-nyeo-am.