Muism & Tantra : Arcane Arts of the East
- Blue
- 11 hours ago
- 6 min read
Muism (Korean Shamanism) and Tantra are both practices from the ancient world still prevalent today. While they are heterodox in nature, they have always been part of the people's identity. Many view it as useless superstition, however, I would argue that it's more of an alternative technology for the psyche.
In the modern context where mental health is being taken more seriously than ever before, it would be rueful not to take these ancient arts more earnestly. Despite the geographical distance between these practices' origins, both intrinsically reject asceticism to weaponise one's physical body, sensory ritual and altered states to navigate cosmic forces. Muism and Tantra are more relevant and intertwined than we superficially perceive them to be.
What is Muism?
According to various texts, we understand that Muism is a concept that covers magical-religious rituals, of both, the communal and private kinds. The focus of these rituals is not only on the mudang's (shaman) individual experience, but also on their hereditary ability to communicate with the spirit world, which they achieve by numerous kinds of shamanistic gods possessing or inhabiting their consciousness.
The journey one has to take in order to become a mudang is not an easy one, hence their existence on the periphery of society. One of the first signs one encounters on this path is shinbyeong (spirit sickness). This manifests as both physical and psychological symptoms, which is hardly ever treatable by modern medicine. Symptoms may include, but are not limited to, severe loss of appetite and hallucinations. The only 'cure' so to speak of, is to enter a narim kut (sacred initiation ritual), through which the official transition into becoming a mudang is marked.
During a kut, the mudang is clad in bright colours and a special hat. She uses an array of ceremonial bells, a drummer and symbolic weapons like tridents and swords during the ceremony. It is one of many religions in the peninsula, however it is the only native belief system of the region. With its history spanning over five thousand years and its roots being traced to the shamanistic traditions of Central Asia and Siberia, Muism predates Buddhism, Confucianism and Christianity in Korea, yet it is remarkably adaptable to modern life.
Since the vast majority of the devout populace in the country follow a melting pot of religious traditions and philosophies, one does not need to explicitly identify themselves as a follower of Muism to ask for a mudang's help. Since the reassessment of Korean cultural identity in the mid-20th century, Muism was agreed upon as the earliest stratum of Korean culture. Today, we see these practices in everyday life when construction works like skyscrapers are inaugurated with shamanistic rituals, or visiting a mudang to get their blessings before an important exam or task. Fortune telling is also considered as an extension of Muism.
What is Tantra?
The word 'Tantra' comes from the Sanskrit word 'tan', meaning to weave or expand, and 'tra', which means an instrument or a tool. Through this we understand that Tantra as a practice seeks to interweave diverse aspects of the cosmos, like the material and spiritual realms.
The base ideas of Tantra are said to come from the Vedas, although they do not directly represent Tantra for what it is. However, the Vedas do lay the groundwork for the deeper esoteric knowledge that further develops into tantric practices.
Shakti, the divine creative energy of the universe, is another integral part of tantrism. At its core, Tantra is a system of esoteric practices, which includes mantra, yantra and rituals focused at spiritual realisation. If we trace the origins of Tantra, it can be explicitly stated that it originated from India around 300-400 CE when Hindu and Buddhist tantric material was first documented as poetic metaphors, alluding to divine love and oneness. These texts were deliberately kept arcane, so that it was strictly kept between the small pool of initiates. This is also why Tantra teachings were orally conveyed from masters to their disciples and kept heavily guarded.
Between the 11th and 12th centuries, Tantra was being practised widely and openly in India as it reached its pinnacle. Tantric yogis believed that the negative notion of separation is what emanated human suffering, which is why Tantra pushes for the acceptance to find the sacred within the deeply sensual.
During the counterculture boom around the mid-20th century, Tantra's influence was seen in a global context in two unmistakable ways. The first in art, through the South Asian Neo-Tantra artists who blended ancient spiritual imagery into the modern global visual language. The second in politics, where we see activists from Europe and The United States adopt tantric ideals to fuel movements linked to anti-capitalism and free-love. When seen in the modern context through the lens of philosophy and even feminism, Tantra is as prevalent as ever. Numerous tantric sites are still actively worshipped and multiple female artists have channeled tantric goddesses through the bodies of real women, evoking a new sense of strength and stability when one views their art. This living relevance is seen at Kamakhya Temple in Assam, where tantric rituals are what the divine feminine is worshipped with, rallying the faithful till today.
The Convergence of Muism & Tantra
While Muism and Tantra are their own unique arts, there are times when their practices coincide. One instance of this can be seen between sickness and taboo. In Muism, the mudang alters spontaneous internal sickness - shinbyeong, into localised spiritual power through the kut, while in Tantra, external social taboos (Vāmācāra), are transmuted into cosmic liberation through unconventional ritual mastery. Both systems reject the idea of spiritual growth through 'safe' or 'peaceful' means; instead, they prove that facing our deepest psychological fears is what urges us to grow stronger and gain control over life according to these teachings.
Another instance where we see an intersection between the two traditions is how these underground, unorthodox systems granted women "absolute" spiritual power. While Brahmins held a strict patriarchal leash over women in ancient India, women in pre-modern Korea faced a dominant, male-led Confucianist structure. Therefore, when female mudangs command and channel spirits to lead their profession, or when male tantric practitioners bow down to recognise complete power in active feminine energy to achieve liberation, the practice is by nature—just like Muism and Tantra themselves—"unorthodox", but prevalent and immensely empowering. This switch in hierarchy and power structure is another reason many feel uncomfortable with these systems even today.
The world has many such nonconformist approaches, but this blog was specifically to explore Muism and Tantra a bit more intimately. The divine feminine energy and the uncompromising belief in experiencing hardships and tribulations in life to truly understand oneself is an integral part of both traditions. Many have overlooked these quiet but unshakable truths of life, and it is time to bring these back to center stage. There is a reason Muism and Tantra have never faded through history, regardless of how opposing schools of thought and philosophies tried to diminish them, and in that lies their true strength.
REFERENCES
Core Blog Reference
Priyanshi. 2018. "Shamanism & Tantra: The Battle of Intentions." Medium. October 26, 2018. medium.com.
Muism & Korean Shamanism
Burns, Jennifer. 2010. "Korean Shamanism Today." Educational Curriculum Materials. The Korea Society. Accessed August 9, 2026. koreasociety.org.
Choe, Sang-Hun. 2007. "In the Age of the Internet, Korean Shamans Regain Popularity." The New York Times, July 6, 2007. Republished in The Korea Society. nytimes.com.
Gucciardi, Isa. 2022. "To Weave a New World: Shamanic and Tantric Practice." Sacred Stream Center, Applied Shamanism Archives, March 25, 2022. sacredstream.org.
Kendall, Laurel. 1987. Shamans, Housewives, and Other Restless Spirits: Women in Korean Ritual Life. Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press. Excerpted in The Korea Society.
Miettinen, Jukka O. 2018. "Korean Shamanism, the Origins of Indigenous Culture." Asian Traditional Theatre & Dance. Helsinki: Theatre Academy University of the Arts Helsinki. URN:ISBN:978-952-7218-23-5. teak.fi.
Pariona, Amber. 2017. "Korean Shamanism - Muism." WorldAtlas, April 25, 2017. worldatlas.com.
Wikipedia Contributors. 2026. "Korean Shamanism." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Last modified August 8, 2026. wikipedia.org.
Tantric Traditions & Philosophy
British Museum. 2020. "Tantra: Enlightenment to Revolution Timeline." The British Museum Exhibition Archives. Accessed August 9, 2026. britishmuseum.org.
Samma Karuna School of Tantra. 2018. "Origins of Tantra – What You Should Know About?" Samma Karuna Blog, October 26, 2018. sammakaruna.org.
Yogacharya Rakesh. 2024. "The History and Evolution of Tantra: From Vedic Roots to Its Diverse Expressions." Samyak Institute of Yoga & Ayurveda, October 25, 2024. samyakyoga.org.
Shin, Jae-Eun. 2015. The Goddess Kamakhya Temple Complex: Symbolism, Sacredscape and Festivals. ResearchGate. researchgate.net.
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