Khwan

Khwan (Thai ขวัญ, khwan) is the life force or soul-essence of a person in Thai animism.

Multiplicity of souls. Traditionally a person is said to possess 32 khwan (ขวัญ ๓๒), each connected to a specific part of the body or life function. It is not one soul, but a whole "orchestra".

When Khwan Leaves

Khwan can "leave" (ขวัญหาย, khwan hai) due to:

• A strong fright
• Trauma or illness
• Stress

Symptoms of losing Khwan:

• Malaise, anxiety
• Distraction, forgetfulness
• A feeling of "emptiness"

Close to shamanic "soul loss". Structurally this is close to the concept of "soul loss" (T104) in shamanism, but culturally and ritually specific.

The Ritual of Return — Bai Si

Sai sinjon — threads that fix the soul. The ritual of return is called bai si (บายศรี, bai si), also su khwan (สู่ขวัญ, su khwan): an elder or practitioner recites formulas of invocation, tying white cotton threads (สายสิญจน์, sai sinjon) around the wrists. The threads "fix" the khwan in the body.

The ceremony is performed at:

• Birth
• Marriage
• Illness
• Departure and return

Comparison with Other Traditions

The Thai analog of Prana and Qi. Khwan is the Thai analog of the life force Prana (T051) and Qi (T009), but with a fundamentally different anthropology: multiple, personal and ritually recoverable.