Shadow Puppet Charming Powder by Arjarn Jiam, Mon Raman Charming Mantra.
Since ancient times, every Likay (Thai folk opera) troupe or shadow puppet performance group has needed more than just captivating talent, they also relied on their own sacred charms or spiritual tools. It is well known among performers of Likay and shadow puppetry that before each performance begins, a ritual to pay respect to the master teachers (Wai Khru) must be performed. This ceremony is believed to ensure a smooth and obstacle-free show, with blessings from the spiritual lineage of performance masters.
Beyond this ritual, each troupe often holds its own secret practices, closely guarded traditions believed to draw large crowds and enhance the success of their performances. Among these secrets is the use of the legendary “Charming Powder”, a mystical substance known to amplify charisma and magnetically attract audiences.
Arjarn Jiam shared from his experience that performers in Likay troupes would apply the charming powder to their faces before going on stage. For shadow puppet troupes, the powder would be used to anoint the puppets themselves and sprinkled around the audience area. There are two main reasons behind these practices:
To attract audiences from all directions, drawing them in with fascination and enchantment, so captivated that they wouldn’t want to leave their seats. To protect against black magic or dark spiritual interference, particularly from ill-wishers or rival troupes who might attempt to sabotage the performance by preventing people from attending.
Inspired by the stories passed down through generations, Arjarn Jiam set out to create the Shadow Puppet Charming Powder, a sacred blend meant to preserve and share the esoteric knowledge of the great masters of old. To craft this powerful charm, Arjarn Jiam combined the traditional charming powder used by Likay performers and shadow puppet masters with his own unique, consecrated formula.
One of the key ingredients was blackboard-erasing powder, ritually prepared by a devoted disciple whom Arjarn Jiam had supported for many years. This disciple, born both deaf and mute, was someone the Arjarn Jiam deeply cared for. Despite his physical limitations, the young man inspired great compassion from everyone around him. Arjarn Jiam had him perform the sacred ritual to create the powder, believing that this act infused the substance with intense spiritual potency, especially in the form of great hypnotic influence and commanding charm (Na Chang-Ngang), capable of deeply captivating others. Once all the ingredients were gathered, Arjarn Jiam blended them together and chanted over them using powerful enchantments, drawing from both the central Thai Likay mystical lineage and the southern Thai shadow puppetry traditions. The result was a spiritually potent charm that honors the heritage of both art forms and channels their magnetic allure.
This shadow puppet charming powder can be mixed with regular face powder or cosmetics and applied directly to the skin. It is believed to enhance one’s natural charm and magnetism, making others notice, admire, and feel drawn to the wearer. People who see you may feel compelled to speak with you, help you, or take a liking to you for no clear reason. It attracts goodwill, admiration, and even patronage, making you well-liked and warmly received wherever you go. Additionally, it is believed to dispel misfortune and lift away negative energies, restoring your spiritual radiance and inner brightness. Several of Arjarn Jiam’s disciples who tested the powder reported similar experiences, sharing that: “Wherever I go, people keep asking what I’ve done to myself, why I suddenly look so good, so radiant, so different". And many others echoed the same results.
And there is yet another secret method of using this charm, one that Arjarn Jiam emphasizes should be reserved only for times of true desperation, when one sees no way out and has no one left to turn to. For those suffering from heartbreak, wives who’ve been abandoned, husbands who’ve grown distant, or couples caught in intense conflict, this shadow puppet charming powder may also be used as a powerful "Love Potion". However, this method is considered highly sensitive and is strictly reserved for dedicated devotees who have received proper guidance in its use.