{"schema":"https://ver.cy/schemas/card/1.0.0","id":"vr.tr.spirit-house","code":"thing-q1442187","url":"https://ver.cy/models/thing/q1442187/","name":"Spirit house","alternateNames":[],"kind":"thing","status":"published","version":"0.2.0-wave.3","language":"en","classifiers":{"family":"Thing Registry","category":"Physical world and living systems","entryKind":"thing","plane":"PHY","domain":["PHY.BLT"],"industry":[],"navPath":"","tags":[],"facets":{}},"whatItIs":"A small shrine, usually raised on a post or pedestal and shaped like a miniature house or temple, placed outside homes, businesses and public buildings in Southeast Asia, notably Thailand where it is called san phra phum, as well as Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam, to house guardian spirits of the land and receive daily offerings of food, incense and flowers; spirit houses blend animist and Buddhist or Hindu practice and are installed with rituals at auspicious times.","purpose":"Let an agent explain spirit houses and their role, relay forms, rituals and regional variation from cultural and anthropological sources, describe etiquette for visitors, and distinguish spirit houses from temples and household altars, respectfully.","scope":{"in":[],"out":[],"boundaries":[]},"distinguishingFeatures":["Miniature house form","Guardian spirit focus","Daily offerings","Southeast Asian distribution"],"structure":{"bundles":[{"id":"understand","name":"Understand","description":"What a spirit house is.","layers":[{"id":"definition","name":"Definition","description":"Definition and role.","findings":[{"id":"definition-finding","name":"Definition","description":"Definition.","questions":[{"text":"What is a spirit house, and what spirits does it house, as practitioners and scholars describe?","kind":"definition"},{"text":"Is the question about a spirit house, a temple or a household altar?","kind":"boundary"}]}]},{"id":"forms","name":"Forms","description":"Forms by country.","findings":[{"id":"forms-finding","name":"Forms","description":"Forms.","questions":[{"text":"How do Thai, Cambodian, Lao, Burmese and Vietnamese spirit houses differ?","kind":"definition"},{"text":"Which entry fits the specific tradition?","kind":"action"}]}]}]},{"id":"practice","name":"Practice","description":"Rituals and offerings.","layers":[{"id":"rituals","name":"Rituals","description":"Installation and offerings.","findings":[{"id":"rituals-finding","name":"Rituals","description":"Rituals.","questions":[{"text":"How are spirit houses installed, and what daily offerings are made?","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"Is the presentation respectful?","kind":"boundary"}]}]},{"id":"etiquette","name":"Etiquette","description":"Visitor etiquette.","findings":[{"id":"etiquette-finding","name":"Etiquette","description":"Etiquette.","questions":[{"text":"How should visitors behave near spirit houses?","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"Which references are standard?","kind":"provenance"}]}]}]},{"id":"meaning","name":"Meaning","description":"Beliefs and change.","layers":[{"id":"beliefs","name":"Beliefs","description":"Beliefs.","findings":[{"id":"beliefs-finding","name":"Beliefs","description":"Beliefs.","questions":[{"text":"How do animist, Buddhist and Hindu elements combine in spirit house practice, as anthropologists describe?","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"Which sources are cited?","kind":"provenance"}]}]},{"id":"change","name":"Change","description":"Modern change.","findings":[{"id":"change-finding","name":"Change","description":"Change.","questions":[{"text":"How are spirit houses changing with urbanisation, and what happens to abandoned ones?","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"Which entry fits Thai folk religion?","kind":"action"}]}]}]},{"id":"context","name":"Context","description":"Culture and craft.","layers":[{"id":"craft","name":"Craft","description":"Craft.","findings":[{"id":"craft-finding","name":"Craft","description":"Craft.","questions":[{"text":"How are spirit houses made, and by whom?","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"Which entry fits Thai crafts?","kind":"action"}]}]},{"id":"culture","name":"Culture","description":"Culture.","findings":[{"id":"culture-finding","name":"Culture","description":"Culture.","questions":[{"text":"How do spirit houses appear in film, literature and tourism?","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"Which entry fits Southeast Asian folk religion?","kind":"action"}]}]}]}]},"agentConduct":{"may":["Describe spirit houses and the beliefs and offerings around them, noting differences between countries.","Advise visitors to follow local customs, such as not touching offerings or a shrine.","Help an owner who asks to find a recognised practitioner for placing or moving a spirit house."],"mustNot":["Mock or present the practice as superstition.","Move, damage or remove a spirit house or its offerings without the owner's consent.","Treat a spirit house as a temple or ancestor altar.","Sell or advertise spirit houses using sacred imagery in a way the community would find offensive."],"requiresHuman":["Relocating or disposing of an old spirit house, which follows its own ritual."]},"ethics":{"considerations":["Spirit houses are part of living religious practice and deserve respect.","Careless handling by outsiders can cause real offence and distress."],"affectedParties":["Households and businesses that keep them","Local religious practitioners","Visitors"]},"owners":{"steward":"The household or business that keeps the shrine.","roles":[],"masterSystems":[]},"relations":[{"target":"Q123159276","type":"parent","note":"registry parent class"},{"target":"Vietnamese temple","type":"related","note":"in registry terms, though spirit houses are found across Southeast Asia"},{"target":"shrine","type":"related","note":"in general terms"},{"target":"guardian spirit","type":"related","note":"of the land"},{"target":"Thai folk religion","type":"related","note":"and neighbouring traditions"}],"interaction":{"identity":{"applicability":"required","items":["Vercy registry: vr.tr.spirit-house","Wikidata: Q1442187 (https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1442187)"]},"properties":{"applicability":"required","items":["typical height: about 1-2 m - on pedestal"]},"recognition":{"applicability":"required","items":["Miniature shrine for land spirits","Thai san phra phum, Cambodian, Lao, Burmese and Vietnamese forms","A temple is a full building; a household altar honours ancestors or deities indoors","A miniature house or temple on a pedestal, often ornate, with offerings and figurines."]},"capabilities":{"applicability":"required","items":["explain the shrine and role","relay forms and rituals","describe regional variation","distinguish from temples and altars"]},"hazards":{"applicability":"required","items":["Disrespectful presentation of living practice","Confusing with temples or ancestor altars","Overgeneralising across countries"]},"interfaces":{"applicability":"required","items":["No legal regulation; ritual conventions for installation and disposal","Heritage protection for historic shrines in some places"]},"context":{"applicability":"required","items":["Housing guardian spirits and receiving offerings.","Thai san phra phum and san chao thi","Cambodian spirit houses","Lao and Burmese nat shrines","Vietnamese spirit shrines","spirit houses for businesses, hotels and public buildings","modern and abandoned spirit houses"]}},"sources":[{"title":"Wikidata item Q1442187: Spirit house","url":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1442187","note":"identity and sense of the item"},{"title":"Wikipedia: Spirit house","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spirit_house","note":"general description of the item"}],"openQuestions":["Should san phra phum be a separate entry?","How should anthropological sources be linked?","Is the registry parent Vietnamese temple appropriate?"],"resources":{"spec":"/models/things/publications/thing-q1442187/spec.json"},"provenance":{"origin":"thing registry research (pass 2)","builtFrom":["models/things/publications/thing-q1442187/spec.json"],"providers":["Claude"],"researchStatus":"unreviewed","generatedAt":"2026-09-13T03:39:09Z","builder":"tools/build_cards.py@1.0.0"},"completeness":{"sections":{"classifiers":"filled","whatItIs":"filled","purpose":"filled","distinguishingFeatures":"filled","structure":"filled","agentConduct":"filled","ethics":"filled","owners":"filled","relations":"filled","interaction.identity":"filled","interaction.properties":"filled","interaction.recognition":"filled","interaction.capabilities":"filled","interaction.hazards":"filled","interaction.interfaces":"filled","interaction.context":"filled","sources":"filled"},"notes":{"_gate":"Published through the thing publication gate 1.0 on 2026-10-06T19:51:54+00:00: completeness 1.00; sense: Wikidata description; 2 live sources; review by codex: pass"},"score":1.0}}