We have examined the development and conceptual definition of shamanism and divination through significant characteristics of various illnesses. However, the terrminology has been inconsitent and its real conceptual meaning is not well defined.
Divination is a historically dominant religious practice which represents the core of Korean folk culture, Despite prevalent prejudice toward its primitive nature, we cannot deny its profound relationship to our unconscious, especially our
reliance
on
its religious role whenever we face crisis or conflict. It is therefore appropriate to use the term divination in this context.
Shamanism originated as humanity's oldest mode of comunication with divine -a religion. The shaman is not a sorceress but a priestess, a healer, a spritual guide, a leader, a mystic, traditionally having a different significance from that of the
contemporary diviner or "shaman".
The traditional concept of illness has been profoundly altered to serve new functions : while the shamanistic view is based upon spiritual abduction, divination on the other hand invokes concepts of spiritual invasion phenomena such as spirit
intrusion,
taboo violations, soul loss, object instrusion, deviations from the appropriate spiritual path besiegement, and curess or predestination (the idea that the sufferer is born with his fate).
We should therefore try to understand divination from a more holistic point of view. Rather than attempting to fit it into the stadrd medical illness. We must recognize divination as a phenomenon within our culture, since most people have a mixed
conception of illness arising from a combination of divinational and modern concepts.
Since divinsation's humanistic approach is ingrained in our people, to irresponsibly ignore the spiritual aspects of treatment would exert a negative influence on our culture.
Especially now, while attection is focused on korean culture and its influence on every aspect of our livies, it is important for nurses to expand our horizions in order to create a way of nursing more suitable to Korean culture. Increased
importance is
now being given to the opinions of patients themselves about their own illness and health, so nurses should seek to understand how patients accept their illness and what particular kinds of help they expect to receive.
Consequently, an understanding of traditional divinations will enable us to utilize these characteristics on the job in order to enhance nursing care.
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