The core beings in the shamanist religion are Father Heaven (Tenger Etseg)
and Mother Earth (Gazar Eej). In history Chinggis Khan (Genghis Khan), the
unifier of the Mongolian nation, based his power on a mandate from Tenger
himself, and headed all his declarations with the words “by the will of
Eternal Blue Heaven.” Father Heaven is worshiped for what he is, the
timeless and infinite blue sky. He is not visualized as a person, although
he is said to have at least two sons. Worship of Father Heaven and Mother
Earth is almost universal in Siberia, and is found in North America as
well.
The weather is seen as a direct manifestation of Tenger’s disposition.
Tenger is the creator and sustainer of balance in the world, and the
natural processes of weather and the circular motion of the seasons is
sustained through him. Lightning is a sign of Tenger’s displeasure or an
indication of a site of high spiritual powers. When a lightning strike is a
sign of displeasure, a shamanist ritual and yohor dance are made around the
site where the lightning hit in order to send it back up to Heaven. Objects
struck by lightning or meteorites and ancient artifacts are called
Tengeriin Us (Heaven’s hair). They contain a spirit (utha) which is a
concentrated package of Heaven’s power. Lightning struck objects (nerjer
uthatai) and meteorites (buumal uthatai) can be placed in milk or liquor to
energize the liquid with the spirit of the object. Shamans drink this
preparation to incorporate the power of the utha spirit. Another form of
Tengeriin us is the bezoar stone, which is used in rainmaking magic.
No shamanist ritual starts without the invocation of Father Heaven, Mother
Earth, and the ancestors. Everyday activities acknowledge Tenger’s presence
and is integral to living one’s life aligned with the balance of the
universe. When a new bottle of liquor is opened, the top portion of the
contents is poured into a container, taken outside, and offered to Father
Heaven, Mother Earth, and the ancestors. This ritual, called tsatsah, is a
very crucial one in the religion of Mongolia and Siberia. Housewives also
offer milk and tea in the same way, walking around the ger flicking the
liquid three times in each of the four directions. Tenger’s role in
determining fate is acknowledged in everyday speech in phrases such as
Tengeriin boshig (Heaven’s will). Women are required to keep their kitchens
and cooking utensils clean because to allow them to become dirty is an
insult to Father Heaven. Prayers and offerings are made to Tenger on
holidays and at times of sacrifices to the mountain spirits. There is also
a special sacrifice to Father Heaven in times of emergency which is a
private ritual. Rainmaking rituals directly address Tenger, and are held at
oboo shrines dedicated to Tenger and the mountain spirits. Every human
being has the right to appeal to Tenger directly for help; however when
balance has been disrupted by calamity or the intrusion of a powerful
spirit the shaman will use the power of his spirits to restore his
patient’s connection with Tenger and state of balance with the universe.
The crown of the head has a small piece of Tenger residing in it; it is the
point of connection between the individual standing in the center of his
world and heaven above. This point receives energy from Tenger which flows
down the center of the person’s soul sphere. This piece of Tenger in a
person’s crown has a counterpart star in the heavens. The star shines
brighter or dimmer according to the strength of the person’s windhorse. At
death, the star goes out.
Mother Earth (Gazar Eej), like Father Heaven, is not visualized in human
form, but for what she literally is, the earth from which we draw
nurturance and nourishment. She is also called Itugen, and the names for
shamans, especially female shamans, are variations on the name (yadgan,
utgan, udagan, etc.). This implies that shamans, have a very strong
association with the veneration of Mother Earth. Her daughter, Umai, is the
womb goddess and caretaker of the body souls roosting in the World Tree.
Umai is also known as Tenger Niannian, which comes from the Tungus word for
“soil.” Trees are a manifestation of Mother Earth’s power, and worship of
Mother Earth may be done at trees which suitably reflect her power and
beauty. Mother Earth and her daughter Umai are appealed to for fertility.
Another daughter of Mother Earth and Father Heaven, Golomto, the spirit of
fire, is spoken of as begotten by flint and iron. Sitting beneath the smoke
hole in the center of the earth, the sunlight falling upon it from above
and being created by products of the earth, minerals and plant materials,
fire is a re-enactment of the original union between heaven and earth. The
light of the fire is a reminder of the light of Heaven, and its heat
recalls the nurturing quality of Earth. Like trees, all human beings draw
strength from the Mother Earth below as well as receiving the energy of
Father Heaven through the crown of the head.
The sun and moon are the eyes of Tenger; they are also seen as two sisters,
and their essences are fire and water. Their light represents the power of
Tenger shining eternally upon the earth. The cycles of the sun and moon
demonstrate the circularity of time and all other natural processes. For
that reason, time is irrelevant from the standpoint of Siberian shamanism.
Time circles around infinitely, so each point in time is in contact with
every other. For that reason, time and distance have no meaning in shamanic
rituals, and a shaman can be in direct contact with any time or location
without moving. The center of the earth can be anywhere and in any time.
The amount of buyanhishig available from heaven seems to vary directly with
the moon cycle; the most powerful days are at the times when the moon is
new or full. The sun cycle, the solstices as well as the equinoxes, is
coordinated with the moon cycle to set dates for festivals. For instance,
the White Moon Festival which starts the year is held on the first new moon
after the winter solstice, and the Red Round Festival is held on the full
moon closest to the summer solstice.
Several other heavenly bodies are considered to have spiritual power. One
is the planet Venus, Tsolmon, which can appear both in the morning or at
night. It is often painted on shaman drums to invoke its power. Tsolmon is
the sender of comets and meteors, which are called war arrows. The Big
Dipper is called the Doloon Obgon (the Seven Old Men). Their position
points out the location of the Pole Star (Altan Hadaas), which holds up the
sky. The observation that the constellation rotates around the axis of the
Pole Star through the year led to the creation of the has temdeg symbol,
which superficially represents the swastika but actually represents the
position of the Big Dipper in the four seasons. Interestingly, this symbol
is not only found in Siberia but in several Native American cultures as
well, which may indicate a very ancient origin. The Pleiades are revered as
another group of powerful spirits, and it was also the place where the sky
spirits of the western direction met to decide to send the eagle to the
earth as the first shaman. During the White Moon festival fourteen incense
sticks are kept lit, seven for the Seven Old Men, and seven for the
Pleiades.