# Photographing Spirit Houses



## Bodlagz

Can anyone tell me is it wrong to take photos of Spirit Houses. Yesterday I was taking photos of a Spirit House, I had taken 4 or 5 photos already when one of the security guards insisted that I stop.


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## Guest

Well perhaps it would be respectful to ask first, if there is anyone around. And given that the spirit house is considered by some to contain the guardian spirits and those of ancestors and previous occupants of the property, to whom respect should be paid daily, I suppose there are some with strong animist beliefs who might take offence, or indeed think that the photographer was 'stealing souls'.


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## Bodlagz

Thanks, yeah I never looked at it like that, good point.


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## Mr. Soap

*security issue*



Bodlagz said:


> Can anyone tell me is it wrong to take photos of Spirit Houses. Yesterday I was taking photos of a Spirit House, I had taken 4 or 5 photos already when one of the security guards insisted that I stop.


If one of the security guards told you to stop taking pictures of the spirit house, I believe it might have to do with something else, security issue. I’ve never heard of the spirit house being off limit to photographers, Thais or Farangs. You are not talking about a spirit house on Sukhumvit road, right? Private property or sensitive offices with more than one security guards may not want you to take a picture of any things there at all. 

Mrs. Soap ค่ะ


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## JWilliamson

Taking a picture or should i say shooting a picture of a house with a spirit is not removing anything but only making a copy? A picture is just putting what a person saw in a form that can be reseen in a later time. JW


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## Mr. Soap

*paranoid*



JWilliamson said:


> Taking a picture or should i say shooting a picture of a house with a spirit is not removing anything but only making a copy? A picture is just putting what a person saw in a form that can be reseen in a later time. JW


What I’m trying to say is the guards at that place are over paranoid about something. Most places love to show off their spirit houses.

Mrs. Soap ค่ะ


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## JWilliamson

I see but i guess these guards want to know who you are and why you are there. maybe if they knew that they would have left you to continue.JW


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## Bodlagz

Thanks for the replies guys, the spirit house in question was outside the multi storey car park at tukcom Pattaya. I believe it is a San Phra Brahm, it has the figure with 4 faces, and all sides of the house are open.


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## JWilliamson

*Spirit houses*



Bodlagz said:


> Thanks for the replies guys, the spirit house in question was outside the multi storey car park at tukcom Pattaya. I believe it is a San Phra Brahm, it has the figure with 4 faces, and all sides of the house are open.


When i moved in Hong Kong some years ago my friend who lives in Hong Kong Island lost his wife to suicide in their bathroom. This was the first time i heard of a Spirit House. When he told me what had happened and he was going to move out because his place became a spirit house i said i would like to move into that place. Well he became upset and was offended that i said that. JW


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## Bodlagz

JWilliamson said:


> When i moved in Hong Kong some years ago my friend who lives in Hong Kong Island lost his wife to suicide in their bathroom. This was the first time i heard of a Spirit House. When he told me what had happened and he was going to move out because his place became a spirit house i said i would like to move into that place. Well he became upset and was offended that i said that. JW


People have some strange beliefs and superstitions, in Thailand nobody will move in to a house where someone has died, I think they like to leave it for a period of time, or they may have to have the blessed.


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## Bangkockney

Bodlagz said:


> Thanks for the replies guys, the spirit house in question was outside the multi storey car park at tukcom Pattaya. I believe it is a San Phra Brahm, it has the figure with 4 faces, and all sides of the house are open.



Ironic that the 4 faces represent kindness, mercy, sympathy and impartiality yet none of these qualities were shown to you!

The issue could be that these particular spirit houses often become shrines and places of worship and can therefore be considered quite sacred.

This is the only reason I can think for the security guard telling you to move along.

I've never had this problem myself and regularly photograph temples, Monks going about their business etc. Just check for any signs that forbid photography.

Were you using a flash?


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## Bodlagz

Bangkockney said:


> Ironic that the 4 faces represent kindness, mercy, sympathy and impartiality yet none of these qualities were shown to you!
> 
> The issue could be that these particular spirit houses often become shrines and places of worship and can therefore be considered quite sacred.
> 
> This is the only reason I can think for the security guard telling you to move along.
> 
> I've never had this problem myself and regularly photograph temples, Monks going about their business etc. Just check for any signs that forbid photography.
> 
> Were you using a flash?


No, I wasn't using a flash, I think maybe some Thais are not used to seeing people take photos of spirit houses and they are not sure how to handle it, I took a few photos of spirit houses in walking Street previous to one at tukcom an no one batted an eye, I'm sure people probably take photos of the spirit houses on Walking Street on a regular basis and so people get used to it, that's the conclusion I've come to for now anyway.


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## GAllen

How do they know which house a spirit will stay at? do they ever roam to other houses? how about spirit streets? JW


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## Songkran

There is a believe that, if you're staying in the place that somebody just died their spirit will still be there for while and you could get to see ghost, hence no body wanted to leave in spirit house..


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## JWilliamson

why would a spirit that just lost its body wants to be gaged up in a small place?


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## dollarability

Not according to animist belief. Not sure about Thailand but this is a common belief in Africa.




JWilliamson said:


> Taking a picture or should i say shooting a picture of a house with a spirit is not removing anything but only making a copy? A picture is just putting what a person saw in a form that can be reseen in a later time. JW


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## JWilliamson

Anyways Casper is cute. JW


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## Song_Si

Bodlagz said:


> People have some strange beliefs and superstitions, in Thailand nobody will move in to a house where someone has died, I think they like to leave it for a period of time, or they may have to have the blessed.


beliefs and superstitions . . . not saying this applies to all Thailand just my local experience - my partner inherited a large hoard of timber, floorboards, beams etc much of it from the house of a deceased relative which was dismantled (not because he died, land used for another purpose). 
On Tuesday she sold 4 of the pillars - big hardwood piles the old house had been supported on maybe 3m+ in length. They cannot be re-used for another house (unlucky) and to ensure this, they were cut in half here before they were allowed to be taken off the property.
The fact that that are to be cut down for furniture inside a house does not come in to it.
For spirit houses - she said no objection to photographing them but to ask if going onto someone's property. But that's just basic manners.
Again . . .only my own exp.


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## Song_Si

More on spirit houses - in case anyone is interested









Article link: Spirit Houses: Traditional Thai Spirit Worship | Pattaya Daily News - Pattaya Newspaper, Powerful news at your fingertips


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## dollarability

So what's the fundamental idea underlying spirit houses? I readthat one puts up a spirit house for the "guardian of the land" so that they are not offended presumably by one's moving in. But what exactly is this? And do the guardians of the land multiply as land is subdivided?





Song_Si said:


> beliefs and superstitions . . . not saying this applies to all Thailand just my local experience - my partner inherited a large hoard of timber, floorboards, beams etc much of it from the house of a deceased relative which was dismantled (not because he died, land used for another purpose).
> On Tuesday she sold 4 of the pillars - big hardwood piles the old house had been supported on maybe 3m+ in length. They cannot be re-used for another house (unlucky) and to ensure this, they were cut in half here before they were allowed to be taken off the property.
> The fact that that are to be cut down for furniture inside a house does not come in to it.
> For spirit houses - she said no objection to photographing them but to ask if going onto someone's property. But that's just basic manners.
> Again . . .only my own exp.


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## JWilliamson

Why does smoke or a non physical form need to be inside a man built house? Ghosts dont get cold or wet nor get hungry so why give them human traits if they are above or different then humans or animals? JW.


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## Acid_Crow

To my understanding, a spirit house always needs to be prettier than the house they 'represent', so that any spirits would prefer the spirit house rather than the 'people house'.
You can see this outside any house, the nicer the house, the more money are spent on the spirit house. Outside shopping complexes, there will be big, very expensive spirit houses. Spirits, or ghosts or whatever, wouldn't care about the size, but focus on the luxuries and the care it is given.

I don't see any real reason as to why someone would be upset by anyone photografing a spirit house. In most cases people would just be proud that anyone would take interest in it, and it would be reassuring that the spirits would also want to reside in it. 
Most likely it was a security guard not liking that you were hanging around. Could also be, as someone said, that they consider it a place of worship, something that they believe in, but you don't, and therefor you should have no access to it.

That beeing said, there is a place on the road between Krabi and Nakhon Si Thammarat, that I pass very often. A stretch of road that is very porely constructed, a 180 turn on a slope, where people are killed many times a year.
There are plenty of spirithouses put up there, and people passing by usually honk the horn and do a wai for good luck.
Ive talked to people about stopping and taking pictures, but I've been told that disturbing the spirits in any way (exept honking the horn) would make them go after you and you would have a traffic accident aswell.

So maybe the guard thought you were harrassing the spirits?

Anyways, there is no belief that taking a picture steals a part of ones soul, as there are in other cultures.


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