Shamans are men and women who are spiritually alive, and who experience different levels of existence from everyday reality. They learn to work with cosmic forces and the forces of nature.
In tribal cultures, shamans see into the sacred world and share their visions with people. They bring their sacred visions out as art, music, dance and storytelling. By this ritual art process, the shaman heals themself, others, and the earth.
It is a very highly respected profession, with the shaman serving his or her community as a spiritual leader, providing guidance through psychic skills. Shamanism is most often associated with Native American practices, but it has a long history in Anglo-European countries as well.
Josephine Chai is one of only two people in Hong Kong who give shamanic readings. She learned the art from a master three years ago. Ms Chai doesn't see herself as a shaman or medicine woman, although she practices a form of psychic reading which is based on shamanic traditions.
A shamanic reading has some similarities to a tarot reading, but rather than using cards, different objects are used. To you or I, these objects would seem ordinary and of little value, but to Ms Chai they have special meaning. In order to do a shamanic reading, Ms Chai's master asked her to collect objects from outside - either objects from nature, or things abandoned on the street - that spoke to her.
Among the 20-odd objects in Ms Chai's embroidered purse are the end of a fir cone, a leaf, a stone, a pencil and a wooden ladybird. These are all things that have special meaning for her. For example, the ladybird means happiness for Ms Chai, and the pencil means literary.