Chapter Five - Empowered Amulets and Spirit Possession: Material and Ritual Dimensions of the Thai Cults of Wealth

Summary

Introduction: Autonomization and Contextualization of Modalities of Modern Enchantment

Followers of the cults of wealth engage with the deities at the centre of these ritual forms in a number of ways. Each deity and spirit in the cults has a dedicated khatha, a mantra or incantation usually composed in a mix of Pali and Sanskrit that is chanted by the devotee when worshipping or requesting a boon or blessing. These khatha are often written on boards attached to the base of public shrines that house images of the deities in order to facilitate ritual worship by the faithful. If a requested boon is granted, then it is incumbent upon the devotee to recompense and thank the deity in a ritual called kae bon. Each deity is believed to have a set of personal preferences, and the type of kae bon ritual performed will depend on the particular likes and interests attributed to the boon-granting spirit. Some deities, such as Brahma at the Erawan Shrine in Bangkok, are believed to enjoy being entertained by Thai classical dance and music, and a troupe of professional dancers and musicians is always present at this shrine ready to be hired to perform for the deity by devotees whose boons have been granted. Other deities are believed to enjoy particular forms of food or drink, and offerings of these items may be placed at the deity’s shrine in a ritual expression of thanks.

Thailand’s cults of wealth also lie at the intersection of two other major phenomena that are distinctive emergent features of the Thai religious field and which reflect novel modalities of ritual enchantment; namely, the cult of amulets sacralized by magic monks and professional spirit mediumship. One of the most widespread and popular ways of demonstrating attachment to a deity, or to request a spirit’s helping presence, is to own or wear an amulet bearing an image of the god. Sacralized amulets are an especially notable category of ritual objects that represent the deities and spirits of the cults of wealth. As Justin McDaniel notes, the cult of amulets in Thailand has expanded well beyond representing figures that relate directly to Theravada Buddhism:

[T]here are many amulets of Chinese deities and bodhisattas.