Spiritual
Governance
To avoid
any
ambiguity spiritual governance of SNS is characterised as
a
unique
example of sui generis applied to an ontic
landscape/site
that is typically
inhabited and governed by a numina, genius loci or spirit
of place. The numina
spirits own the locale,
are
de facto/de jure custodians of the flora/fauna, and
their modus operandi of governance is on the basis of
contractual reciprocity
with
their animistic clients (Nicholas 2006, Hou
2016, Studley and Awang 2016).
Furthermore
spiritual governance is not principally part of a textual
tradition (or
mainstream religion) and is predicated on in/direct
communication
between a
numina spirit and his/her clients through dreams, visions,
omens, calamities,
theophanies typically with
the
assistance of shaman, trance medium or
divination master.
Ontic
landscapes in this context is used because uniquely for
the clients of the
numina the site engenders “being, belonging,
authochthony
(nativeness)”
and cult participation which are often
alien concepts within the context
of the epistemic “sacred”
landscapes
of many mainstream religions which are
typically virtual, visionary, contrived, or imposed (Eliade
1957, Lightfoot
1983,
Valentine
2002).