Today is the 7th day of the 7th month, otherwise known as Tanabata. This is often called the star festival, and it relates to wishes. According to Barrish-sensei, here is the back story to the festival:

Two stars, Weaver Princess Star and Herd Boy Star were in love. The Weaver Princess Star was very good at weaving, and her father was a heavenly ( Read more... )

Today, the Tsubaki GSA is celebrating the Great Mid-Year Purification or the Nagoshi-no-O-harai. This event is usually held in the 6th month, and it corresponds with the last day of the 6th lunar month and the protection and purification needed to get through the second half of the year.

As with all rites in Shinto, there is a heavy emphasis on ( Read more... )

I have heard Barrish-sensei say many times that we are “All equal under the sun”. To me, this is such a beautiful concept. Equality. Something that we all strive for. Something that everyone wants to feel - to be an equal among their peers. Yet despite this, there are many times that I have seen many people treat other beings on this planet as ( Read more... )

There is very little that Arizona and Japan share in common. Japan is an island that has the standard four seasons. Arizona is in the middle of the desert and is lucky if it has two seasons (hot, and less hot). However, despite their differences, there is one thing that they share in common: Hanami.


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It's a standard tradition in Japan to have a Kagami Mochi for the new year. Normally, this is placed in front of the Kamidana and serves as a reminder for the renewal and togetherness that this time of the year brings. Last year, we got our Kagami Mochi really really late. And it didn't come in until after the new year. This year, it at first ( Read more... )

As I understand it, it is a common practice in Japanese culture to
clean your house from top to bottom for New Years. Doing so more or less
clears your slate for the upcoming year. It allows you to have good
things come to you in the new year- because all of the crap has been
cleared away.

I love this concept. I use it as a part of my Shinto practice, ( Read more... )

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Most people know me as being a child of chaos- a follower of Set. And even if you don't know who I worship, or that I even have a religion, if enough time is spent around me- you'll describe me with the same words and phrases that most of my fellow Kemetics do. Despite my attempts to change people's perceptions of me, it seems that the same traits ( Read more... )

 I've finally got my hands on more Shinto based books. The first one I was able to get was "A Year in the Life of a Shinto Shrine" by John K Nelson. It's one of the only Shinto books I've seen in Barnes and Noble, so I grabbed it.

The premise of this book was more or less comments and observations that the author noted during attending various ( Read more... )