Speaking With The Dead
My family and I visited an 'oracle' (credits to Kin Wai for suggesting this fancy name) who claims to be able to communicate with the deceased. Such practices are common among Buddist/Taoist believers in Malaysia as a part of Ancestral Worship. Seeing that my family were wishing to speak to my grandparents I decided to tag along not really knowing what to expect.
We woke up at 5am Sunday morning and drove to Pusing, a small town located just outside of Ipoh. It seems that the oracle we were going to is well known for her 'accuracy' when it comes to summoning spirits. There were people from all around the country coming to consult in her wishing to speak to their loved ones. The oracle has a peculiar system in operations though, only 10 places will be given each day at 6am and once the places have all been given out she declines to perform anymore summoning. This odd system is the reason many people wait outside her home during the wee hours in the morning despite the summoning only begins at 8am. Arriving early does not guarantee you a place either.
My family reached the oracle's home around 6am. As expected, many people were already waiting. The place was dark. The oracle's home was located at a dead end, next to an orchard. At about a quarter to 7 a window opened and a man started handing out numbers written on cardboard beginning from 1 - 10. My aunt managed to get places 8 and 9. We went back to Ipoh for breakfast and returned at 9. We waited awhile and our turn came around 10am.
I looked at the oracle and she appears to be a frail old woman. Her face was unnaturally pale, while her chracteristics and movement seem to be devoid of liveliness. She began the session by chanting and asking us about the name and time of death of the deceased. My aunt began telling her my grandfather's name and time of death. The oracle seems to be searching for my 'grandfather's spirit'. She asked a few more questions and made some predictions such as naming the relationships of the people present to the deceased. Upon ensuring that it is indeed my 'grandfather's spirit' she summons the spirit and was possesed by the spirit.
There I was looking at a woman who claims to be possesed by my 'grandfather's spirit'. Her voice was still hers, however her speech and tone resembled my grandfather's to a certain extent. The oracle was speaking to us in Hakka and now fluent Cantonese - the language my grandfather usually communicates with us. I'll skip the details but it did feel very much like speaking to my grandfather, again to a certain degree, Many things mentioned by my 'grandfather's spirit' were uncommon and were only known in the family. There was an instance where my 'grandfather's spirit' asked why didn't my sis and I address him even though we were present. We were shocked and awkwardly looked at the oracle and called 'Yeye'.
After 15 minutes or so, my 'grandfather's spirit' said he had to leave and 'left'. The exact same ritual was repeated in summoning my 'grandmother's spirit'. Upon possesion, the oracle spoke in a speech and tone very similar to my grandmother and since it was the voice of a woman it made it much more believable. My eyes started to tear a little the moment I heard that familiar tone distinct to my grandmother. Was that really my grandmother? The woman whom i've missed so much for the past year, the woman who was once and still is one of the closest person to me.
The entire session lasted about 40 minutes and we left with hearts full of memory for my grandparents.
Did I believe what really happened? Was that really my grandparent's spirit?
No, I choose not to.
I tagged along mainly because of curiosity and of course I missed my grandparents greatly. Honestly if I could contact them or be with them together in any way i'd do it. However I choose not to believe that those were my grandparents' spirit. I did not need to know what the spirits said, despite it being very accurate, it was nothing new. I know my grandparent's heart and everything the spirits had to say i've already known it. What was it then that spoke to us? I believe it was merely the spirit of that deity or any other spirit for that matter. The devil knew what my grandparents and my family went through, and he knows how much we miss them and long for their presence devising a lie that would bound us to believe that, to look away from that abundance, eternal life Jesus has prepared for us.
I don't need my grandparents to tell me how much they love me to know that they love me. I don't need my grandparents to say how happy they are so see my sis and I growing up, we already know that. Honestly there was nothing more to ask. What I want is a real relationship with them again, to see them again in person and continue spending time with them. I won't believe that Jesus did not save them and that's the only way i'd be able to communicate with them. Jesus has much better in stored for us, for that unbreakable bond and love He has fostered between my grandparents and I.
Thank you Jesus for setting me free from such bondages. If I didn't know the truth, i'd be just like anyone of those people who would wait there in the wee hours in the morning just to get a chance to speak to their loved ones for 15 minutes or so. If I didn't know the truth I would be visiting the oracle every other day hoping to continue my relationship with my grandparents.
Jesus you know how much I love them, how much I miss them. Remember that little boy who prayed silly, naive prayers silently that his life may be shorten to lengthen his grandmother's. Remember that little boy who doesn't want to live life without his grandparents.
Remind that boy of the precious relationship shared between him and his grandparents.
Remind that boy of that everlasting life You have prepared for him and his grandparents.
Remind that boy that You love Him.
We woke up at 5am Sunday morning and drove to Pusing, a small town located just outside of Ipoh. It seems that the oracle we were going to is well known for her 'accuracy' when it comes to summoning spirits. There were people from all around the country coming to consult in her wishing to speak to their loved ones. The oracle has a peculiar system in operations though, only 10 places will be given each day at 6am and once the places have all been given out she declines to perform anymore summoning. This odd system is the reason many people wait outside her home during the wee hours in the morning despite the summoning only begins at 8am. Arriving early does not guarantee you a place either.
My family reached the oracle's home around 6am. As expected, many people were already waiting. The place was dark. The oracle's home was located at a dead end, next to an orchard. At about a quarter to 7 a window opened and a man started handing out numbers written on cardboard beginning from 1 - 10. My aunt managed to get places 8 and 9. We went back to Ipoh for breakfast and returned at 9. We waited awhile and our turn came around 10am.
I looked at the oracle and she appears to be a frail old woman. Her face was unnaturally pale, while her chracteristics and movement seem to be devoid of liveliness. She began the session by chanting and asking us about the name and time of death of the deceased. My aunt began telling her my grandfather's name and time of death. The oracle seems to be searching for my 'grandfather's spirit'. She asked a few more questions and made some predictions such as naming the relationships of the people present to the deceased. Upon ensuring that it is indeed my 'grandfather's spirit' she summons the spirit and was possesed by the spirit.
There I was looking at a woman who claims to be possesed by my 'grandfather's spirit'. Her voice was still hers, however her speech and tone resembled my grandfather's to a certain extent. The oracle was speaking to us in Hakka and now fluent Cantonese - the language my grandfather usually communicates with us. I'll skip the details but it did feel very much like speaking to my grandfather, again to a certain degree, Many things mentioned by my 'grandfather's spirit' were uncommon and were only known in the family. There was an instance where my 'grandfather's spirit' asked why didn't my sis and I address him even though we were present. We were shocked and awkwardly looked at the oracle and called 'Yeye'.
After 15 minutes or so, my 'grandfather's spirit' said he had to leave and 'left'. The exact same ritual was repeated in summoning my 'grandmother's spirit'. Upon possesion, the oracle spoke in a speech and tone very similar to my grandmother and since it was the voice of a woman it made it much more believable. My eyes started to tear a little the moment I heard that familiar tone distinct to my grandmother. Was that really my grandmother? The woman whom i've missed so much for the past year, the woman who was once and still is one of the closest person to me.
The entire session lasted about 40 minutes and we left with hearts full of memory for my grandparents.
Did I believe what really happened? Was that really my grandparent's spirit?
No, I choose not to.
I tagged along mainly because of curiosity and of course I missed my grandparents greatly. Honestly if I could contact them or be with them together in any way i'd do it. However I choose not to believe that those were my grandparents' spirit. I did not need to know what the spirits said, despite it being very accurate, it was nothing new. I know my grandparent's heart and everything the spirits had to say i've already known it. What was it then that spoke to us? I believe it was merely the spirit of that deity or any other spirit for that matter. The devil knew what my grandparents and my family went through, and he knows how much we miss them and long for their presence devising a lie that would bound us to believe that, to look away from that abundance, eternal life Jesus has prepared for us.
I don't need my grandparents to tell me how much they love me to know that they love me. I don't need my grandparents to say how happy they are so see my sis and I growing up, we already know that. Honestly there was nothing more to ask. What I want is a real relationship with them again, to see them again in person and continue spending time with them. I won't believe that Jesus did not save them and that's the only way i'd be able to communicate with them. Jesus has much better in stored for us, for that unbreakable bond and love He has fostered between my grandparents and I.
Thank you Jesus for setting me free from such bondages. If I didn't know the truth, i'd be just like anyone of those people who would wait there in the wee hours in the morning just to get a chance to speak to their loved ones for 15 minutes or so. If I didn't know the truth I would be visiting the oracle every other day hoping to continue my relationship with my grandparents.
Jesus you know how much I love them, how much I miss them. Remember that little boy who prayed silly, naive prayers silently that his life may be shorten to lengthen his grandmother's. Remember that little boy who doesn't want to live life without his grandparents.
Remind that boy of the precious relationship shared between him and his grandparents.
Remind that boy of that everlasting life You have prepared for him and his grandparents.
Remind that boy that You love Him.
posted by Jonathan Wan at
10:51 AM
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