While elected officials are frequently called upon to perform services for their constituents, independent Changhua County Councilor Chang Syue-ru (張雪如) on Thursday last week said that exorcising an evil spirit was among her political career’s most unusual.
Chang said never before in her 10 years of public service had a spirit petitioned her for justice by possessing a voter.
Last week, she met with a hairstylist surnamed Lu (盧), 45, who claimed to be possessed by a spirit in urgent need of assistance, Chang said.
Photo: Chen Kuan-pei, Taipei Times
Lu said she is a practicing spiritualist and after returning from a retreat early this month, she started having severe headaches and coldness in her spine, Chang said.
Lu had vivid nightmares of a woman in red, pleading in a foreign language that she did not understand, Chang said.
Fellow spiritualists told Lu that she was haunted by the spirit of a Vietnamese migrant worker who was murdered in Taiwan by her Thai boyfriend, the councilor said.
The spiritualists told Lu that the spirit would not leave her in peace until she is avenged, Chang said.
Lu reported the alleged murder to local police, who did not believe her and sent her away from the police station, saying her superstitions are of no concern to police, the councilor said.
Attempts to appease the spirit by establishing a spirit tablet at Changhua’s Temple of the City God had also failed, she said.
Describing her situation as despondent, Lu asked for Chang’s help, the councilor said.
During the conversation, Lu became “highly agitated” and started screaming in Vietnamese and foaming at the mouth, Chang said, adding that she was “taken aback by the incident.”
Chang said she contacted a spiritual medium of the Empyrean Fairy (jiutian xuannu, 九天玄女), and that the Taoist goddess possessed the medium and contacted the spirit, eventually sending it away.
Speaking through Lu, the spirit said it was willing to accept reincarnation, but added that it would need proper ceremonial offerings, which were presented over the weekend, Chang said.
“I am still practicing as a mortician and have gone on spiritual retreats before. Although Lu’s request appeared bizarre, I have sympathy for her,” she said.
“Although it spooked me a lot, I would rather help her out. The ceremony did not cost me anything. I think this counts as good karma,” Chang said.
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