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Korean Shamanism – Muism – Dr Kim Tae-kon

The charismatic mudang's vision of god(s), the soul, spirit (s), of "this world,' and the "Future Life" after death, are contained in the mystical religious experience at the beginning of the initiation process, and finds their expression in speech, which is shaped into the songs of Muism (muga).

This mudang's speech initially is inspired (literally, the mudang's mouth is opened) by the spiritual power of the possessing god, and the mudang's religious experience of being possessed by a god is verbally expressed at the ritual for the charismatic, possessing god. As the mudang becomes more accomplished, the contents of his more sophisticated religious experiences are conveyed in a speech during the ritual expressing the possessing god's messages.

But the hereditary mudang does not have definitive insights with reference to god(s), the soul, spirit(s), "this world," or even to the Future Life after death.

This lack of clarity in the beliefs of the hereditary mudang is traditionally attributed to the “more artificial character" of his vocation, as compared to that of the charismatic mudang, and the songs (muga) of the hereditary mudangs are more formalized, mechanically memorized verses rather than an intelligent expression of thought. Thus, all or either: the mudang's vision of the god(s), the soul, spirit(s), “this world," or the Future Life after death, is based on the Archaic Paradigm of Korean Muism.