Child of Storms

I went to Tanaka Shrine. The main kami worshipped here is Ōkuninushi no Kami. There wasn't any staff when I visited so unfortunately I wasn't able to get a Goshuin.

Fox statues @ Toyokawa Inari Shrine

I stopped by here on my way home for Christmas. The building is designed in a similar style to Izumo Taisha in Japan.

They even had instructions for how to pray here, where you do four claps instead of two. Also you can recite a special prayer at the end:

幸魂 奇魂 守給 幸給

さきみたま　くしみたま　まもりたまい　さきはえたまえ

"TO KAMI, THE SPIRIT OF HAPPINESS, TO KAMI, THE SPIRIT OF WELL-BEING, WE PRAY FOR THY DIVINE PROTECTION,

WE ASK FOR THY DELIVERANCE OF HAPPINESS AND WELL-BEING"

The komainu also had leis on, and I saw various places around Honolulu that had leis as offerings, like a Kannon statue at a store. It was nice to see.

Their omikuji had poetry and mini lessons instead of the standard Luck/Curse rankings, which was fun. I also got an Omamori and sacred rice as well!

And the Goshuin I got from them!

I'm in Ireland at the moment, and have been quite blessed with beautiful natural spaces. Truly the Emerald Isle, I have been constantly amazed by the sheer variety of shades of green while I've been here. Especially while driving in the countryside between cities. The people have also been wonderfully friendly and helpful. So what does this have to do with Shinto?

One of the basics of Shinto is the realization that kami are everywhere, and are not something exclusive to Japan. While we do not worship the kami of other countries in the Shinto manner, it doesn't mean we cannot recognize their existence. (Instead of worshiping them in a Shinto manner we encourage people to learn about the local practices regarding their own deities and such). Taking some time to go outside and just exist in nature and pray, or meditate can go a long way in helping you build your spirituality and connection to kamisama.

I think once folks understand this, they stop feeling like they can only be Shinto at home when praying a kamidana, and instead open their mind to the myriad of kami all around them, and grow closer to their local area and any place they may find themselves.

As a priest, I spend every day at the shrine. But like anyone, I also enjoy walking outside. I sense that the kami, too, are wanderers—curious beings who slip beyond the shrine’s walls to stroll through the world. They are not bound by borders, nor limited by time. (Because kami are not physical entities, their absence leaves no emptiness.) The shrine is a home: the place they always return to. And I imagine this: the kami returning with a gentle “I’m home,” brushing past the ema rack and making the wooden plaques softly rattle. Perhaps, when the spiritual resonance within the written wishes echoes in harmony with the kami’s own spirit— that is the moment when a wish comes true.

[x]

Shunmyo Masuno, Zen Priest / Garden Designer

“A moment we enjoy today will never return again. As waves beat against a shore, so do we inexorably grow older. Growing old is simply proof that you are living a natural life. Human live according to the dictates of nature. Change is a natural part of this.

Right now we have a chance to truly appreciate the joy of our life until now. But you can’t cling to the past. That will only lead to pain and struggle. Accept change and absorb whatever that is good to shape a new era.

Fushimi Inari-taisha, Kyoto

全国唯一漬物の祭礼が行われる漬物祖神萱津神社の香の物殿

昔々野菜と塩を甕に入れて供えるようにしたら偶然にも漬物になったと伝わります

その漬物を日本武尊にも献上したことから現在も熱田神宮と縁深い一社となっています