Today I will continue to explore ancestral worship around the world by looking at the Japanese religion Shinto.
Shintoism can be traced back in it's earliest form to the 8th cetury. At this time it hadn't stabilised as a single religion but existed as a group of folk practises throughout the Japanese countryside. Shinto translates as 'Way of the Gods' consisting of two kanji coming from the chinese 'shin' meaning spirit or 'Kami' and 'dao' meaning path. Kami tranlates as essences or deities and range from humanoid form to being synonymous with natural phenomenon and forces such as mountains, rivers, wind and rain.
Woman consecrated to a Shinto Deity |
It is a central tenet of Shintoism that life is sacred as it stems from 'Kami' but in order to perceive this we must purify ourselves through upholding the four affirmations. By upholding these the 'Kami' will be impressed and grant the cleansing necessary to be able to see the divine world.
The first affirmation is to respect tradition and family. The two are very much intertwined as it is through family ocassions such as births,marriages and deaths that traditions can be practised in the form of ritual and ceremony. The second affirmation is to love the natural world. 'Kami' reside in all things even rocks and grass so communing with nature is commensurate with communing with the gods. The third affirmation involves cleanliness.Followers of Shinto wash themselves regularly. The fourth affirmation is to worship the 'Kami' and ancestral spirits.
ceremonial offerings for Kami and ancestors |
regards,
Innersound Ancestry Team