Like prayers, blessings are a part of every North Asian shamanic tradition, although they are performed in different ways by different groups. The easiest way to call down blessings is to use the sacred Mongolian word of power, hurai (khurai), which specifically calls blessings and attracts them to you. Simply hold your hands out, palms facing up, and rotate them in a clockwise motion while shouting the word (Pronounced like “hooray,” but in a guttural voice) three times.[1] There are no strict rules for how to do this. I like to rotate my hands three times, repeating the word three times with each rotation, for a total of nine times.

Because this blessing is so simple, many people perform it as a daily practice. It is also frequently employed at the end of larger ceremonies, including prayer ceremonies, and can be used informally to conclude ceremonies. The hurai chant can also be performed with a prayer scarf held in both hands and rotated in a similar fashion. Some also use their sacred instruments or drums, collecting the blessings into them, then pouring the blessings over their heads to transfer them to their bodies.

[1] Julie Ann Stewart (Sarangerel), Riding Windhorses: A Journey into the Heart of Mongolian Shamanism (Rochester, VT: Destiny Books, 2000), 16.

David Shi in Spirit Voices