Sarangerel Odigon’s Memorial Page on Tengerism Site
Books by Sarangerel Odigon:
Chosen by the Spirits: Following Your Shamanic Calling
Riding Windhorses: A Journey into the Heart of Mongolian Shamanism
From Sarangerel Odigon’s original site (via The Way Back Web )
Visions from the Land of Baikal and the Sayan Mountains
Welcome to the rich culture of Siberia! This page is about the shamanism, folklore, history, and poetry of the Buryats
The magical land of Lake Baikal, the great Siberian taiga, and the Sayan Mountains has produced a unique culture that is world renowned for its shamanist traditions and epic poetry.
“I am the foreign outreach representative of the Mongolian Shamans’ Center, called Golomt, or Gulamta in Buryat Mongolian. Golomt means “place of the fire,” it is the place where Father Heaven and Mother Earth meet and is the symbolic center of the world in Buryat-Mongolian shamanism.
The tradition of Buryat-Mongolian shamanism is at least 5000 years old, probably much older, and Buryat culture represents one of the oldest cultural traditions on earth.
The wisdom of Siberian shamanism is applicable in the modern world today. Its basic principles are reverence for the earth and sky, keeping the world and one’s personal life in balance, and personal responsibility. I hope that as this page develops that the information that will be presented here will be interesting and useful for you.
May Father Heaven, Mother Earth, and the ancestors bring you blessing and power in all that you do!” ~ Sarangerel Odigon (Moonlight Shamaness)
Golomt Center for Shamanist Studies
Please come back soon and visit me. Bayartai !
This text is made available for religious and scholarly purposes only. This translation is pending publication, and reproduction of any part of the text without proper acknowledgement of Sarangerel Odigan as translator may result in legal action. Furthermore plagiarism of this sacred book is an offense to the spirits and the consequences of disrespectful behavior is something Sarangerel or the Golomt Center cannot be responsible for!
1997 Sarangerel Odigon
Sarangerel was a founding member of Circle of Tengerism. She was also a founding member of Golomt tuv, the Mongolian shaman’s association. She was the Foreign Outreach officer of Golomt tuv and a member of Hese Hengereg, the Buryat shaman’s association.
Sarangerel helped to organize the first Ulaan Tergel ceremony in Mongolia since the Communist regime. This Ulaan Tergel ceremony has become an annual event in Mongolia and is a testament of her dedication to keep the old traditions alive.
Sarangerel took her Foreign Outreach office seriously and spent many years teaching people in Western countries about Siberian and Mongolian traditions. She wrote books about our spiritual world view and had many articles published as well. She spent countless hours corresponding with people, trying to clear up the many misconceptions about our beliefs.
The best quality she possesed was her immense dedication to the spirits and the traditions of her people. She lived her life in complete service to the spirits.
World Mongol News reported:
Tengerist shaman Sarangerel to be missed by many.
World Mongol News – InterMongol Network 04/04/06 Boulder, Colorado, USA
An important figure of Mongolian shamanism today as well as a writer, scholar and activist, Sarangerel Odigon, who had passed away on February 28 this year, is being remembered by many around the Mongolian world. Author of two books on Shamanism, or what she and her co-practioners would prefer to call “Tengerism”, she is also the founder of Golomt Tuv, the Mongolian shaman’s association. She was also a member of Buryat shaman associations – Hese Hengereg and Han Hormasta. Finally, she was a founding member of Circle of Tengerism, the Mongolian shaman association in North America.
Born Mongol in the United States on August 20, 1963, Sarangerel later went to live in Mongolian regions of (the central) Mongolia, Buryatia and Tuva. She worked tirelessly to restore and reconstruct the ancient and the original belief system of the Mongols and to reintroduce it to the people around the globe. As a scholar and lecturer, and as the Foreign Outreach Officer of Golomt Tuv, she travelled back and forth between the Mongolias and the Western countries, giving lectures and workshops. In her first book, Riding Windhorse, she expressed that the ancient Mongolian spiritual belief system could offer a lot to help resolve some of the modern problems, such as environmental destructions and the lacking of harmony between the nature and humans.
“Tengerism” is a term that Sarangerel reintroduced and is increasingly being accepted by practitioners of Mongolian shamanism. A tribute page has been set up on the official website of Circle of Tengerism, and a collection of letters and articles remembering Sarangerel will soon appear on the site. “She spent countless hours corresponding with people, trying to clear up the many misconceptions about our beliefs,” mentions the website.
Shaman Chonobaatar, sister of Sarangerel and herself also a practitioner of Tengerism, encourages people who knew Sarangerel and are interested in writing letters in her memory, to send their letters to her directly. “Saraa was a great Mongolian patriot and believed in pan-Mongolism and cared about all Mongols no matter what country they lived in,” wrote Chonobaatar in her response to a WMN inquiry on Monday. “Her favorite place was the majestic Sayan mountains and I believe that her soul shall rest there.”
Sarangerel loved all Mongols no matter what country they lived in. One of her causes was to bring awareness of the plight of the Hazara Mongols under the reign of the Taliban in Afganistan. About 20% of the population of Afganistan is Hazara Mongol. They have suffered greatly under the Taliban, being tortured and murdered for who they are. Sarangerel thought that this was not only a Mongol tragedy, but a human one that needed to be addressed.
