#tengerism

I often see the idea being spread that according to nature-focused religious traditions everything everything exists for an essential role, be it ecological, spiritual or otherwise. And that this causes nature to be harmonic and good because everything lives according to that role. This idea assumes a top-down teleological plan imposed by a creator on the world to create a greater system for some purpose. This idea may be present in some such worldviews, but it's often generalized to all indigenous cosmologies.

These ideas are often ascribed to an indigenous tradition in ethnographies written by predominantly Cristian scholars or scholars from a Christian cultural background during the last few centuries. This is ascribed to those worldviews based on assumptions; an inability to imagine a worldview that is too different from what they know; or from an (imperialistic) idea in which they believe that the people whose culture they describe are actually mistaken about their own worldview, and that the scholars know better. So, they 'correct' or punctuate their ethnographies with their own ideas .

The ideas of essential roles is often given more prominence in modern reinterpretations under influence of said ethnographies and people returning or coming to an indigenous tradition from a Christian background, taking teleological ideas with them.

In Tengerism, and other North and Inner Asian traditions, many people will say that they belong to the place they live and play a role in nature. They cut wood, hunt, herd reindeer, etc. in turn in the clearings new plants will grow, their reindeer graze. Their actions ripple across the ecosystem.

When the local humans leave the local nature will change, different plants grow, other animals increase in numbers, and this too ripples across the ecosystem. This change is often catastrophic and causes strife for many beings.

The balance is called tegsh. All actions even out, so that they don't take more than they return; sometimes directly, often through cycles and a web of connections. Trees grow with nutrients from the soil; fungi break down trees and return the nutrients to the soil. Grouse is hunted by humans; humans herd reindeer; reindeer clear brush and grass; young plants can grow; plants feed Grouse.

So that there is a cycle and the system can exist in perpetuity.

Tegsh is not because every being lives according to a essential role or purpose, but because that's the equilibrium the world has settled in. A disruption of tegsh leads to strife and turbulence, but in that turbulence eventually a new equilibrium will be settled. But there is no guarantee that this equilibrium is found while preserving all beings that were there before. A slower change will allow the location's tegsh to adjust gradually.

(beliefs/names or terms may vary from region and/or tradition)

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spirits are a huge part of tengrism, especially in terms of nature / the ones that are in nature and shamanism. first, ill mention the land spirits. land spirits are the spirits that are spirits of mountains, bodies of water, rocks/boulders, trees, and places on earth in general. the spirit can be the personification of that particular place or simply just spirits that live at that particular place. sometimes there is conflict with them and ancestral spirits that want to live in certain places of nature that the land spirits are already living at. there are shamanistic customs that allow these ancestral spirits to live with them peacefully which involves reconciliation. there are also specifically spirits of the sky. these sky spirits live in the 4 directions; north, east, south, and west. (before these terms it was front, back, left side, right side). each direction has its own associations. sky spirits living in the east and west are associated with black shamanism and white shamanism (khar böö and tsagaan böö). western sky spirits are believed to have made humans (us!), dogs, and animals used for food and other resources. eastern sky spirits are believed to have made eagles, animals not used for food/resources/forbidden to eat, and spirits of disease and misfortune. (eastern sky spirits aren't evil as the world is a balance of good and bad and is needed to be that way for stability.) that being said, spirits of disease and misfortune generally just cause sickness, misfortune, and mental confusion/fog. you will usually go to a shaman to deal with these sorts of spirits. then there's other spirits like ancestral spirits and 'neutral' spirits. these spirits tend to be morally grey and therefore will do good or bad depending on what they want to do and what is necessary. they can also be helpers/providers for shamans, being like an "extra soul" for them. these sorts of spirits can be found in nature as well.

And this year's award for Most Beautiful Working Pagan Temple goes to...the pagan community of...(drum-roll, please)....Armenia!

The Temple of Garni, shown here, was likely built during the 1st century CE as a temple to Mihr (= Mithras). Toppled by an earthquake in 1679, it was reconstructed between 1969 and 1975, and has since become the national shrine of the New Pagans of Armenia. They hold rituals there regularly and, in fact, are in the process of planting a sacred grove of almond trees around it.

This year's full moon of the mouse month (3rd of January) is tsasan tergel sar. It marks the start of yukhen-yukhen (yes yes, in khalkh), the nine nines. Nine periods of nine days each are used to keep track of the progress of winter.

Tsasan tergel sar, is the day to call for protection against the harsh winter. Rituals with offerings to the gal (fire) and övgöd (ancestors) are performed. The winter is a period of dormancy of earth and spiritual distance heaven, so focus is on spirits of the house and community.

In many cultures winter is thought of as a time of absence, decline and demise. It may be considered as a disruption of the normal functioning of the world. In many cultures winter is mythically explained as being the result of disastrous events or moral transgressions.

But in the Tengerist view winter is harsh but not wrong or malevolent. It's seen as conserving vitality, rather than eliminating it. It is essential to many lifecycles. Plant life retreats into roots and soil, where it is preserved by the earth itself and protected by the blanket of snow cover. Any herder knows that reindeer need winter to stay healthy. Reindeer grow weaker and are more prone to disease in warm climates. Herds have to migrate north, to the cold, when a period of warmer winters strikes.

Chegeen Chebdeg Khan, the lord of winter, being between belonging to the tsagaan tenger or to the khar tenger symbolises the effects of winter. Khar tenger often promote change, and may employ terrifying, ruthless and unmerciful means; while tsagaan tenger often maintain order, purity and rest. Winter maintains the cycle of life and balance on earth, but is coupled with privation and hardship.

The traditional dates in the progress of winter are as follows:

The full moon of the wolf (9th) month is the day that Bayan Khangai and other spirits of the forest are honoured. This period is the advent of winter, as around this time the first snow falls in Siberia.

Övliin tuil (winter's peak, the winter solstice) is an important day for ritual. On that day people call for a good winter and the speedy return of warmth.

Tsasan tergel sar (the snow moon) is the full moon closest to övliin tuil, it marks the start of yukhen-yukhen. On that day people call for protection against winter.

81 days after tsasan tergel sar, övliin tögsgön (winter's completion) is the day the yukhen-yukhen ends.

On the new moon of the first month of the new year is sagaalgan (white moon). It marks the advent of spring.

(Since these days are dependent on solar and lunar cycles their ordering may differ. Övliin tögsgön often occurs after sagaalgan for instance.)

Upcoming dates for the yukhen-yukhen in the Gregorian calendar:

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for inside altars: to start off, we dont use things on our altars that dont have a purpose in practice/worship. so things for aesthetic purposes shouldnt be used. although an altar cloth is fine. but things like fake plants or decorations should be kept somewhere else. make sure the place you will be setting up your altar on (preferably a table that is dedicated to the altar only) is clean and tidy. it is preferred that you keep the altar somewhere like your bedroom or the living room. what is recommended to use are offering bowls made from brass, an incense holder for offering, a candle holder for offering preferably made out of brass, candles separate from the ones you use in the holder/container as you will light these when you are interacting with spirits, and tools you use during worship like a tsatsal, khadag, etc.

a tsatsal is a type of spoon specifically used for providing liquid offerings and is usually only used when offering outside. although throwing the liquid or sprinkling the liquid with your fingers is good as well. a khadag is a long piece of fabric often made out of silk mainly used on outside altars, as offerings, and during ceremonies. they come in different colors that signify various things. for example, blue represents the sky and is the most common one used on outside altars, while white symbolizes milk and pure kindness, often given as offerings. they also are used as gifts as they generally symbolize compassion.

outside altars: we call our outside altars ovoo/oboo. the shrine is made up of a bunch of rocks/stones/boulders over time and branches which usually have khadags hanging from them. they are usually located on more higher ground. when you pass an oboo you are meant to circle the oboo 3 times clockwise to have a more safe journey. it is recommended to also add more rocks to the oboo. offerings are also given at the oboo like money, forms of sweets/pastries, vodka, different types of milk, tea, etc. in order for the oboo to be housed by spirits, a shaman must go through a ritual for spirits to be enshrined/housed there. although using it as a dedicated place to worship Tengri will suffice. although keep in mind that you dont need an oboo to worship Tengri. while there are people trained in shamanism you can find online in engrist communities that are willing to do this said ritual somehow long distance, you can still offer things to spirits. one way is providing liquid offerings to the spirits of each direction (north, east, south, west).

i hope you enjoyed reading! <3

The full moon of the month of the horse (in 2025 on the 10th of July) is the day of the lus. Lus are water spirits that inhabit the landscape in places such as springs, rivers and lakes.

The day is an important moment for lus veneration. Offerings, like tea, liquor, and grains are given.

In many places bodies of waters are polluted and waste is littered in them. Cleaning up is a way to honour the water and the lus and I'd encourage people to do so on lus day.

Lus day is on the full moon of the month of the Horse because that is generally the time of the year when there is most rain fall and snowmelt in Inner Asia. So during this period bodies of water are the most full and lus most active.

Heralded by the cuckoo. In the wake of Sesege Nogoon flowers bloom. The daughter of the lord of winter, Chegeen Chebdeg Khan, is the maiden of spring. She gently wakes the beings that slept during winter, so the world may enter it's time of growth again.

wake up before sunrise and get ready along with a nice outfit. its usually traditional clothing, but putting on a pretty outfit is just fine.

make suutei tsai (mongolian milk tea) and give some to the nature/land spirits first as they are just waking up for the spring. i also offer it to Father Heaven (Tengri) and Mother Earth (Etugen). make sure to greet the spirits and deities beforehand as well.

how i personally make suutei tsai is by first boiling black tea. remove the leaves and add whole milk, 1:1 ratio. then boil once. after, add a pinch of salt or even a bit more depending on how much you made. some even add a bit of ghee, so if that seems to strike your fancy you can add that as well.

watch the sunrise. my grandmother would tell me that watching the sunrise reminds us of a new beginning for the new year and the return of spring.

clean your house. i personally like to do a deep clean of the whole house alongside removing clutter. if you live on a farm, you should clean up your farm as well.

thank the gods and the spirits. i personally like to burn herbs and dried flowers and/or light a candle or two as an offering. then i thank them for always providing me with support and blessings.

make food! it doesn't have to be traditional mongolian food, it can just be foods and dishes you enjoy. although if you do want to make traditional foods, i recommend making gambir (basically mongolian pancakes) and/or khailmag since theyre quite easy to make. you should also share the food with your loved ones as well!

set goals and acknowledge what you appreciate in life. this isn't inherently traditional but my father would make me write down such things as a way to teach me how to be grateful and ambitious.

amaar baina uu? ("are you living peacefully?", a greeting on tsagaan sar). thank you for reading!!