In the film The Lion King there is a lot of religion found throughout Simba's spirit quest and journey to finding his place in the circle of life. Simba’s spirit quest began when he was a child ever since he was young it was his destiny to one day become the king of Pride Land’s. Plans seemed to change when tragedy struck and Mufasa, Simba’s father was murdered by Scar. Simba was led to believe by Scar that the death of Mufasa was his fault and he was to disappear from The Pride Lands forever. After running away and meeting Timmon and Pumba Simba was taught the life motto of Hanukah Matata, it means no worries for the rest of your days.” Through maturation that’s exactly the way Simba lived his life, no worries until meeting Rafiki his shaman who teaches him and reminds him of who he truly is and what his purpose in the great circle of life is. Simba’s ultimate spirit quest throughout the film was to remember his place in the universe and what his duties were back in Pride Land’s.
Rafiki is known as the shaman of Pride Lands in the film The Lion King. Rafiki the baboon preforms activities similar to those of a human shaman but he has a great sense of humour and isn’t always the most serious shaman. Rafiki is very old and wise; he tends to speak in third person quite a bit. He pops up every so often to teach his wisdom in a roundabout way, Rafiki is capable of understanding the circle of life better than most and has the power to communicate with the great kings of the past. It was made clear that Rafiki was Simba’s Shaman when he made Simba remember what his spirit quest in the great circle of life was. Once Rafiki discovered that Simba was still alive he needed to try and set him back on the proper path to who he was supposed to be, Simba argued that being king was something of the past for him and that it would hurt too much to go back because of the shame he felt. Rafiki taught Simba that yes going back to his past is a scary thing but the past doesn’t matter the present and future is more important “yes the past can hurt, but the way I see it, you can either run from it or learn from it.”
The life and death cycle or the circle of life in The Lion King played a major role in the workings of the universe. Simba was taught at a young age by his father that all animals are connected to one another in the great circle of life and that each species plays their own important role. “Everything you see exists together in a delicate balance. As king you need to understand that balance and respect all the creatures, from crawling ants to the leaping antelope.” Mufasa says this to Simba to help him understand the balance each creature has in the universe, he explains to Simba that “When we die, our bodies become the grass, and the antelope eat the grass, and so we are all connected in the great circle of life.”