Gratitude and Tribute to My Shamanic Mother Kim Keum Hwa (1931–2019)

"With the deepest gratitude and reverence, I honor the memory of my shamanic mother, Kim Keum Hwa, the world-renowned Manshin and bearer of South Korea’s Intangible Cultural Heritage, who led me onto a path whose significance I could barely comprehend at the time. I was Shinbyong and diagnosed with cancer. I did not know where my life was headed—without answers, without clarity, but with a deep knowing that something was calling me. And so, I followed that call blindly—without understanding its meaning, without knowing where it would lead. I had nothing but trust. Trust in Kim Keum Hwa. Trust in the gods. Trust in what I could not yet see. When she initiated me into shamanism over the course of eleven days in 2006, it was not a conscious decision—it was both desperation and surrender. I became the first European to be accepted into this ancient tradition by her. I did not ask questions but followed each step as she taught me. I did not understand—but I followed. Yet, she was far more than a teacher to me. She was my mother in spirit, my guide, my connection to a world that only gradually revealed itself to me. She embraced me—not only as a student, but as her daughter. For my children, she became like a grandmother, offering warmth, protection, and care. Some are initiated. Some come and go. But for 19 years—from 2006 until today—I have walked this path. Because she not only initiated me, she carried me. Her strength and her spirit continue to guide me, far beyond her passing. She still stands by my side. In my dreams, she appears to me, teaches me, gives me instructions—as if she never left. Her rituals, her voice, and her way of leading with clarity and love remain alive within me. The bridge she built for me, I now carry forward. It is both an honor and a responsibility to preserve her path, just as she taught me. With the deepest respect, love, and eternal gratitude."
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