The couple has also drawn on other cultural repertoires of prophecy and omen-making that accompany a king’s rise to power and the ushering in of a new era or political dynasty. The use of yadaya has been a central tactic used by Myanmar’s generals, who believe that these rites increase one’s power over others and can bring a desired future to pass. In early February, the dark wizard monk Visipaik Sayadaw50 advised Min Aung Hlaing that the success of his coup d’état depended on violent force and predicted a positive outcome for Min Aung Hlaing if he followed the advice offered in the following couplet, “Shoot in the head. Change the era.”51 It is unknown whether the Tatmadaw high command has instructed security forces to implement this action, or whether security forces have independently chosen to align with this well-known dark prophecy. What is known is that their willingness to target protesters with deadly shots to the head seems to have become the symbolic act of terror most associated with the military’s efforts to compel the population into silence and submission. All of Myanmar’s post-independence military rulers have seen themselves as successors to Burma’s pre-colonial warrior kings. They have sought to tie their legitimacy to kingship and religion.52 The Tatmadaw and pro-military nationalists are now asserting a justification Visipaik is one of Min Aung Hlaing’s long-relied-upon spiritual advisors. He is what is known as an auk-lan (literally, under road/path) monk. Auk-lan monks are not considered legitimate monks by orthodox Sangha standards as they do not conform to the Viniya (monk’s disciplinary code) and are known for their involvement in evil or dark uses of power. Over time, Myanmar’s generals have become increasingly aligned with dark monks and wizards and other powerenhancing supernatural sources in their efforts to sustain personal power and autocratic rule. 50 51 In Burmese, ေခတ္ကိုေျပာင္းဖို႔ ေခါင္းကိုပစ္။ See Bertil Lintner, “Burma’s Warrior Kings and the Generation of 8.8.88”, Global Asia, September 2007, https://www.globalasia.org/v2no2/feature/burmaswarrior-kings-and-the-generation-of-8888_bertil-lintner (accessed 5 April 2021), and Ingrid Jordt, “Breaking Bad in Burma”, Religion in the News, 19 December 2014, http://commons.trincoll.edu/religioninthenews/2014/12/19/breaking-badin-burma/ (accessed 5 April 2021). 52 30 21-J07648 01 Trends_2021-7.indd 30 28/4/21 9:34 AM