Divine Messengers: The Untold Story of Bhutan's Female Shamans

by Stephanie Guyer-Stevens, Françoise Pommaret-Imaeda

As mystics, healers, and travelers to the netherworld, female shamans continue to impact the spiritual lives of the Bhutanese. These divine messengers act as mediums for local spirits, cure diseases through prayer, and travel to the realm of the dead. They are sometimes referred to as “sky-goers,” “reincarnations,” or “returners from the beyond,” and their stories are intimately connected with the Buddhist ideas of karma and rebirth.

Journalist Stephanie Guyer-Stevens and anthropologist Françoise Pommaret traveled to the Himalayas to meet seven living Bhutanese female shamans and to help make their stories known. Stephanie and Françoise offer an intimate narrative of these shamans’ spiritual experiences and important roles in society. This book also provides an overview of the history of this tradition and a translation of an autobiography of the famous eighteenth-century divine messenger, Sangay Choezom. This insightful and sensitive account is a rare look inside the world of these brave women.

Genres: Buddhism, Nonfiction, Health, Spirituality, Religion

189 pages, Paperback

Published December 14, 2021

Reviews

[Jules · Rating 3 out of 5]

While I think this would be a lovely introduction to an in-depth volume on this important topic, I can't help but give the work a lesser rating due to the fact that other than the one biography at the end of the book, it felt like you reached the last page with the untold story of Bhutan's female shamans still being...well... untold. This book could have been so much more.

[B · Rating 5 out of 5]

Finally a book about the amazing women of the current day Himalaya, who humbly receive so little attention and support compared to the men. Fascinating intelligent read. I hope there are many more books like this to come and possibly documentaries if appropriate. I know also from experience how these women find it so touching and empowering that worldwide people are interested in 'them'. I think some western mystic types might also find this information helpful, including people interested in NDEs and after effects. It's interesting that Dean Radin has found in his research on testing psychics/ mystics around the world, that most are female, and most are from non christian cultures. I also recommend the talk with the authors on yt with Bob Thurman.

[Mark Bourdon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating. The author, a journalist, explores the extraordinary world of “divine messengers” identified as nyenjom, rizam, khandrom, and delom. Francoise Prommarek is the coauthor of this remarkable book and she includes a shortened version of The Life Story of Sangay Choezom, a delom from eastern Bhutan.

Divine Messengers also includes a wonderful introduction to Vajrayana Buddhism and the similarities and differences between Tibetan Buddhism and Bhutanese Buddhism.

[Karenofnine · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a fascinating peek into a culture and way of understanding life that most westerners have never seen. It is particularly interesting that these shamans are women and existing at the fringes.

[Shannon Whitaker · Rating 3 out of 5]

wish it would have had more detail about the women and their stories.....