Bad luck, spirits and future fortunes!

In a quest to research themes for Read My Lips' new work, the team headed out to sample some local ceremony and fortune telling. 

Wat Jed Yod (Seven Spires Temple) is home to a ceremony to chase away bad luck and bad spirits. We'd all supplied our birth dates and day of the week on which we were born, which translated into an elaborate 'cake-like' construction of flags, paper figures, offerings, and candles. After connecting us all to the alter with a trail of white string, a monk clutched the ends of the threads and chanted, with our names emerging every now and then from the flow. A final prayer to bless our offered clothing, a white string tied around the wrist, and a bag of holy water to bathe in once we got home and we were set to once again face the world, free of any bad spirits lurking in our paths. 

We then sought the readings of a fortune teller, housed in a small laneway behind a wat. Here we shuffled and selected cards ("choose only with the left hand") and listened attentively as our futures were revealed. Apparently I'm always juggling money - "Yes" responded Tip from behind me, "to keep our project going!"