Healing and Hypnotherapy Volume - 4, issue 9 1 March 2020 | Page 6

to provide guidance and insights into existential issues of day today life like
diseases, conflicts, relationships, career, business etc. 
    Before we explore more about this mystical institution of 'Oracle' as it exists
today in the Himalayan kingdom of Ladakh, it's pertinent for me to expand a
little about the traditional Buddhist concept wherein the term 'Oracle' refers to
the spirits who give guidance and insights, through a medium or a physical
channel who maybe a male or female. The physical channel is refers to as
'Skusten' i.e. "sku(body)+Sten(dependent)"or simply 'Kuten' in the local
dialect with it's Tibetan roots. So the individual who channels the 'Oracle'
spirit is a Skusten or Kuten. Though in common usage and contemporary
literature these gifted men and women are commonly referred to as Oracles
only.
          These Oracles can be broadly put into two categories, first are the
'Monastic Oracles' who are associated with a specific Monastery and it's
traditions and are few in number. The second category is that of the 'Healer
Oracles' who are more common and easily accessible for the common
masses. 
          Through out the Himalayan
Buddhist region the 
'Monastic
Oracles' are held in high regard
and are revered by masses as the
Divine channels of the Higher
realms. They appear in public once
a year at the time of monastery's
annual mask dance festival,
wherein they come out in their
traditional brightly coloured flowing
dresses of silk and make
predictions about the year to come,
especially about natural calamities, crop yield, climate or any other event of
broader significance.
They dance and sway and do amazingly unbelievable acrobatic feats at times
in that state of deep trance which sure is a mesmerising sight to behold.
Thousands gather at these monasteries every year for the annual festivals to
witness and seek blessings of the Oracles. They receive guidance and
instantaneous healing for their issues by the blessings of the Oracles during
the festival itself.