The woman who guided us through the Manjili Mazaar was a shaman. Actually, Tynara called her a clairavoiant (sp?), but I think that's mainly because everything she did deeply couched in a lot of Islamic practices, and shamanism is generally not considered very Islamic.
This woman, however, was a textbook shaman. She was called to her practice through a series of visions and other spiritual experiences. She has a few spirit guides that talk to her in holy places and let her know about the people she is with. She tells the future. I put a picture of her in the album.
Everyone was kind of suprised when I was the first one she talked about. We were sitting at the grave of Manzhili and she said that her guide was telling her that I was a sprititual person--that I had come to this site not just because it was associated with my work but because of my interest in religion and spiritual things. She said she saw my taking a long trip and meeting a man in a large building who would help me do my work.
Later, she said that I was about to take a long journey-within a month or two--but that I would return to Kyrgyzstan. This freaked out the women I was with, because they hadn't told her that I was leaving for America in a month or that I was planning on comming back to continue my research.
Fun stuff.
