Chiang Mai (Northern Thailand) Tourist Guide


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THE ANGRY JAO TEE -
A true Chiang Mai story

Text & Images: GRAEME MONAGHAN

For the benefit of those who have not lived long enough in this part of the world, a Jao Tee is the spirit owner of any house or property where you or I, or anyone else, may choose to live. It would be rare to find a home that does not have a spirit house where offerings of food, drink and flowers are made on a regular basis. Most spirit houses are very much like miniature homes but in some large establishments they may be very elaborate affairs indeed. So, as long as due respect is paid to the Jao Tee he, or she, is quite satisfied and gives us residents no problem. But, as you shall see, should they be forgotten, cast aside, or ignored, there may well be a price to be paid and life can be made uncomfortable. Whether or not you believe that such things exist or not is up to you but this story may cause you to rethink your position on the subject. Read on….

Most people, at some time or other, have experienced an event that we can't quite explain. It may have been footsteps in a room where there was no one or perhaps just a feeling that someone, or some thing is close by but we cannot quite put a finger on what it may be.

Then there are those who claim to have psychic powers who say they can communicate somehow or other with the spirit world and can talk to the dead and pass their messages along.

The reactions of people to stories or situations such as these are as many and varied as the situations themselves and in the western world there are many who simply call it 'bunkum'.

Not so in Asia. Here, the spirit world is real and tangible and the interaction between themselves and the spirits is an integral part of everyday life.

Like many, I had sat on the fence neither believing nor dismissing the possibility of an active spirit world. The following events made me think again.

You see, my wife and I had just returned from an extended stay in Australia and shifted into a new home. Well, not a new home but one of the many available in the area we chose to reside in and adequate for our needs. As you will appreciate, shifting house is never a great way to entertain yourself. Carrying furniture, fixing new light bulbs, dusting, putting up pictures and all the other thousand and one things required can be a little too much and one is always glad to be finished. And so it was that at the end of what had been a long and tiring day my wife, her daughter, and her daughter's husband and myself sat down for something to eat and a quiet drink. Nothing can be more exhausting than shifting house and I, for one, absolutely detest it and always swear; 'never again'. Then fate takes a hand, as it so often does, and one finds oneself going through the whole process all over again.

The ladies went to buy food to feed the starving multitude while the son-in-law and I had one can of beer each. When my wife returned she had one bottle of soda water. The empty cans and bottle were then put on a small table to the side of the room while we turned to the food.

We had quietly chatted and eaten for about ten or fifteen minutes when suddenly; one by one, the two cans and the bottle were swept off the table and onto the floor as though flicked by some unseen hand. Down they went; 1, 2, 3. And they did not 'drop' off the table but were flung towards the center of the room. The bottle, by the way, did not break which in itself was most unusual. The four of us sat in stunned silence trying to come to terms with this somewhat dramatic event. It then became apparent that although we had occupied the house for almost the whole day, respects had not been paid to the Jao Tee, or spirit owner, of the premises. In fact, we had all sat back to relax and enjoy ourselves without actually giving it a thought.

This failure of protocol could, perhaps, be put down to the exhaustive rigours of several days of travel and house hunting but was, nonetheless, inexcusable.

Naturally, this lack of consideration was quickly rectified and the required respect paid. The Jao Tee who was obviously quite satisfied with that as there has been no problem since.

Now, for those who doubt the above in any way at all let me tell you this. There was no wind, no earth tremor, the table was not against the wall, and nobody was within arm's reach of the table. Also, the cans and bottle were not on the edge of the table but well away from it. There were four of us and we all saw the same thing; and, no, we were not drunk (on one can of beer?) and my wife and her daughter do not drink anyway.

I am sure there will be any number of cynics and naysayers out there who will have a clear and logical explanation of this phenomenon and I, for one, have certainly wracked my brain for one but cannot find it.

But for Thai people there is no problem in explaining this event at all. The simple answer is that the Jao Tee was undoubtedly irritated at having been ignored and due respect not being paid.

So there I let it rest. Skeptics may well be able to give all manner of strange explanations, some of which, no doubt, will be even stranger than the actual event I have described. Suffice to say that I saw it with my own eyes, as did my wife and family and we all saw the same thing; no dissention whatsoever.

If you have a logical explanation for this phenomena I would dearly like to hear from you! In the meantime; take care not to offend the spirits.