The most prominent object on a Shinto altar is the kagami—the large, round mirror resting in a yellow cedar stand carved with ocean waves. There are many layers of meaning to this beautiful symbol. The Rising Sun Looking upon the kagami set in the carved waves, we visualize the sun disc rising from the ocean. Our morning view of the rising sun, as we see from Shin Mei Spiritual Centre, affirms the daily renewal of life, the ceaseless nature of the universe. The Mitama of Amaterasu O Mi Kami Amaterasu O Mi Kami, head of all heavenly kami, sent her grandson, Ninigi no Mikoto, to descend from hea ..read more

During ritual and practice, the primary focus of our energy is vertical musubi—vertical connection—between amatsu (heavenly) kami, kunitsu (earthly) kami and ourselves. How does one accomplish vertical musubi? By daily practice. By greeting each day with gratitude and with prayer. Create a sacred space in your home and chant prayers to the kamisama. At the end of each day, close your day with prayer again. In this way, you will begin to clear away the clouds of impurities and to realize the true brightness which you have inherited as a child/descendant of the kami. Our mission beyond this, how ..read more

The Japanese word kami is loosely translated as “deity” or “spiritual being.” The difficulty in translation is that we have no word in the English language that actually equates to the meaning of kami. To complicate things even further, Japanese has a concept called kotodama, which means the soul of the word; the etymology and the actual sound or resonance of a word have great importance. Thus, understanding the etymology—the origin and the development of the semantic meaning of the word—will broaden our spiritual experience of kami as well. The term kami can mean either singular or plural; Ja ..read more

In Shinto, we recognize sacred spirit as being present in many aspects of nature, but especially in trees. In ancient times, there were no shrines. Priests recognized and marked especially sacred areas in the forest and invoked the kami to reside in the trees. Prayers and rituals were then done at these sacred sites in the forest. I’ve always felt a special connection to trees; a noble, old growth tree always called to me to touch it, to press my hands against the trunk and absorb the energy of this old wisened spirit. When I first visited Tsubaki Grand Shrine near Suzuka, Japan (Shin Mei Spir ..read more

Today was an especially auspicious day for putting up new prayer flags around the stupa. It is Chothrul Duchen (Day of Buddha Performing Miracles). Blue sky with gentle breezes and bright sunlight all came together auspiciously. We put up 24 new flags around the stupa—the fresh energy was apparent as the wind blew the flags, sending prayers around the world. Each flag has 5 colors (representing the five primary elements), and each color has a different prayer printed on it: Prayer to the deity White Umbrella, Prayer for Raising Energy, Prayer for Long Life, Prayer to Remove Obstacles, Prayer f ..read more

At Shin Mei Spiritual Centre, we have multiple paths for Walking Meditation. Since this is a popular form of practice, I thought I would share some information on how to best do Walking Meditation. Guide To Walking Meditation Introduction:Walking meditation is popular in the Zen Buddhist tradition. These days in the west most meditators do a combination of sitting and walking meditation. This is a most healthy way to do so. If you are in a monastery then the story is different. If you are only doing sitting meditation it is not particularly good for physical health. We need to train both ..read more

Beginnings carry hope and promise; with the start of this new year, we offer prayers for health and happiness for our families, our communities, and indeed for the world in these especially challenging times. To lay a foundation for this important beginning time, we have cleaned our homes and surroundings and chant prayers for purification and blessings. In Shinto ceremony, the sharp resounding sound of the taiko drum cuts through the air to dispel negative energy. By contrast, the suzu bells rung during the closing prayer, make sweet gentle sounds that soothe our spirits. 2022 is the Year of ..read more

Viewing the first sunrise of the New Year is a sacred moment.  In Japanese we refer to this as “hatsu hi no de.” 初日の出 Literally: first time 初, sun 日, come out 出.  In Shinto we strive to live in harmony with the natural world, with the ceaseless flow of Great Nature. The daily rising and setting of the sun, of course, is a significant reminder of Nature’s rhythm. And as we begin a new cycle of the Earth’s orbit around our sun, it is a special time to experience this divine renewal with “beginners mind,” to be in awe and reverence of the sunrise.  Here in Sidney, British Columbia ..read more