Maw (Thai หมอ, mo — "the knowing one", "healer") is the general name for a Thai specialist working with invisible forces. Maw Phi (หมอผี, mo phi) is a shaman who communicates with Phi spirits.

Main Specializations

• Maw Phi (หมอผี) — shaman, medium working with spirits through trance and ritual
• Maw Du (หมอดู, mo du) — astrologer, "the seer": reads destiny by the day of birth, time, and the position of the stars in the Thai astrological system (#33)
• Maw Tham (หมอธรรม, mo tham) — knower of sacred texts (ธรรม, dhamma), rituals and mantras
• Maw Ya (หมอยา, mo ya) — herbalist working with medicinal plants

Combined roles. One person may combine several roles. A village Maw is often a shaman, an astrologer and a herbalist all at once.

A Holistic Approach

Neither doctor nor psychotherapist. A Maw is not a doctor in the Western sense and not a psychotherapist. His "patient" is the whole system: "person + karma (bun/bap) + spirits (phi) + place".

A Maw's diagnosis includes:

• Divination
• Reading of signs
• Direct contact with the spirits

Significance for Errarium

A key figure for two methods. In the Errarium context, the Maw is the key figure for methods #33 (Thai astrology) and #36 (Thai shamanism). This is the analog of the shaman (T102) in the Thai cultural frame.