#kamunagi

“    can't   a   man   simply   exist   for   the   pure   sake   of   it?    ”       (    .   .   .    )       PERHAPS   NOT,   TO   SOME,   LURKING   BY   ONE'S   LONESOME   OFT   INVITES   UNWANTED   COMPANY.    maybe   that   is   why   the   other,   this     (    .   .   .    )    enigma   comes   to   him   with   curiosity   by   their   will.   he   sighs,   and   taps   the   cigar   betwixt   digits,   where   ashes   fall   from   bud   to   ground   beneath.   only   to   look   upon   the   other   with   a   raised   brow   of   unamused   indifference.       “    better   question   is   whether   or   not   yer   followin'   me   around   just   for   the   sake   of   escapin'   boredom.    ”       a   plume   of   smoke   escapes   soft   tiers   as   the   hunter   speaks   and   honey    -    earthen   eye   blinks   before   holding   contact.       “    maybe   i   came   here   to   think,    ”       atticus   admits.       “    or   i   came   here   to   be   left   alone   to   think   ‘n’   had   it   disturbed   by   a   certain,   nosy   individual.   who   knows.    ”       bringing   the   cigar   back   to   his   lips,   the   hunter   hums   as   he   huffs   and   puffs   stream   and   plume   of   earthy,   spice   smoke.       “    what   i'm   more   curious   about   is   why're   you   out   here?    ”

I had lunch with the original Wakamiya Inari Shrine preservation committee today and got to sit down and talk to some awesome people (not only do they ALL have doctorates, they have been working in academia since the 60’s and 70’s). I am so honored I have an opportunity to work with these amazing individuals on a project that they helped facilitate. It all started in 1979 when a group of people came together with a sincere hope to save a shrine on the verge of demolition. I definitely have big shoes to fill. #shinto #wakamiyainarishrine #kamunagi #shinshoku #volunteer #kamisama #kami #gods #miko (at Honolulu, Hawaii) https://www.instagram.com/p/CPe9iaNnUx5/?utm_medium=tumblr

Let’s talk about Fox familiars in Shintōism. I love foxes. I’ve loved foxes for many years now. Of course, just loving foxes doesn’t automatically make one a servant of Inari Ōkami. Kitsune are not always subordinates (御先) of Inari Ōkami, nor is Inari Ōkami a Fox. Foxes can be good or morally ambiguous; They’re like people with independent wills and desires. As I am not a member of a 飯綱使い family lineage that has the bond and skill to control Foxes, nor am I one who thinks I can control a Spirit by exerting my will and pushing the issue without a special bond, I do not have Kitsune familiars (and even then, those families got a bad rep and were stigmatized because controlling Foxes has been traditionally viewed as inherently “evil”). Inari Ōkami is one of my Gods but I do not have Kitsune familiars. I’ve learned that it’s ok to love foxes and to be drawn to Shintoism and Inari Ōkami, but out of respect for Shintō tradition (it’s different for other traditions), my safety and well-being, and the safety and well-being of Spirits, I don’t do it. I keep soft and squishy familiars like these instead. 😊 Thank you to my all besties (and my mom lol) for gifting me these adorable “spirit” buddies over the years and this year ❤️🥰😍. #fox #kitsune #foxeyes #shinto #kamunagi #kannagi #ujiko #kami #misaki #familiars #izunatsukai #inari #shintoism #foxfamiliar #foxfamily #kaminomichi (at Waipahu, Hawaii) https://www.instagram.com/p/CNE3QJTnxG9/?igshid=1j4yeoh1kdjob