I usually like to write about my own experiences here, but today, I feel strong request from Japanese deities to share their wisdoms. So, I decided to write about what they’ve been teaching me. The ideas here are not what I can do daily. I even think this incarnation is my first time to be a Japanese human, and I am still learning what Japan is. :)
Japanese culture seems like deeply rooted in Animism. I don’t know what Animism is by the dictionary definition or from other perspectives. I am even not sure Animism is a right word to explain this. It is very nuanced. To explain the nuance, I’d like to share some words deeply related to the root of Japan.
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八百万の神 / やおよろずのかみ / Yaoyorozu-no-kami
Many Japanese people believe in something called Yaoyorozu-no-kami which means ”countless deities.” Anything you can think of in the world can be represented as a deity. Yaoyorozu-no-kami represents to see spirits in every single living, both seen and unseen, beings. Each single piece of rice has gods/goddesses inside, so treating them well is important.
There is a shrine that is dedicated to a deity of pickles and a temple that is devoted to a toilet. There are gods and goddesses who originated from the natural world, from foreign countries, Daoist/Buddhist/Shintoism traditions, and from the human realm (who decided to stay in the Earthly realm after their transition). I went to Japanese Wikipedia to look up how many gods/goddesses in Japanese culture, and I gave up counting them all. All the life is gods/goddesses. They live each one of us too.
言霊 / ことだま / Kotodama
Japanese language is very different from English with my experience. The idea of time is different, the idea of ownership is different (Japanese reduces subjects; do not always state “I” or “you”,) and there is countless onomatopoeia that deliver the feelings without clear definitions. If English is like grids, Japanese is like blood veins.
Kotodama means something like “spirit of the words.” The idea is that each word we speak has an influence on the energy field. I bet many people experience politeness from Japanese using gentle and nuanced statements. This is deeply related to idea of Kotodama. The words and the energies coming out from our mouths matter. Ideally our words are connected to our heart space and delivering the love to the space. But even the words without connection, it has strong power to effect the energy field.
丁寧 / ていねい / Teinei
Japanese culture is excellent for taking care of nature, teacup, food etc. Many ancient practices such as Dao of tea, Dao of flower, Dao of martial art rooted into this word. Teinei has a lot of nuanced meanings, and my understanding is “to treat a thing/being/life with full of intention and care.” Every movement is connected mind/spirit/body with intention, each step has meaning to it, and the only the way to master this way is to keep practicing it without losing consciousness. It is said that to master a Dao, it takes about 20 years with the discipline.
Yaoyorozu-no-kami, Kotodama, Teinei all connects to one place. “Seeing the god/goddess/creator inside of all the living beings. Honoring and treating them with care. Life is Spirit.” This is the core message I receive from Japanese deities, and this is the core belief of my own spirituality.
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As a modern Japanese, I forget this root all the time. I go to auto-drive mode very often. I forget to treat life with care easily.
The good news is that I/we can start treating life well from this moment. Every moment is an opportunity to remember the life/spirit. We can practice this with everything; like while washing dishes, combing hairs, or even watching a movie. If you are good at treating your life, you can expand the love for other people/beings. If you are good at treating others, please do the same for your life. We have right to choose to love each moment. :)
If we can be with this “state of love” for five minutes a day, it will be 30 hours within a year! And if 10 people can do it, it will be 300 hours within a year!!!
Shall we sum up tiny loves and make it to one big love?
Warmly,
Kyoko
Art: unknown