![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
#096 Shinto rant
Mar. 5th, 2018 10:47 amRecently in the Shinto discord chat I am a part of shared a link to someone's shrine: http://www.livingwithkami.com/post/167693033835/wintersharlequin-i-thought-id-post-a-picture-of The actual blog itself has been deleted but the post remains. As you can see, Olivia, a good friend of mine and also a Shinto/Konko Priestess has already replied to it but it's been eating at me so bad. The disrespect in this photo, in this shrine is just... too much.
The first thing that stuck out to me was the fact they used a fox skull in the same place as a kamidana. No type of bones, taxidermy, skins or anything to do with death should be anywhere near a Shinto kamidana as it is extremely offensive to the kami. The reason is that Shinto is a faith of LIFE, not death. Items to do with death contain kegare/tsumi (pollution) and any contact with the dead needs to be purified by misogi. So having a skull in the same place as a kamidana is such a big offense.
Secondly, this person mentions having SEX TOYS on their altar? Although this may be okay with some gods, it is absolutely not okay with kami. Although sex is not frowned upon (of course, many kami are bringers of fertility and some are outright sexual), having your personal sex toys in the same place as a kami is just...?? Why would you even think that is a good idea??
This person's understanding of the kamidana 'house' is also very incorrect. They state 'At the back, we have the ‘house’ part of a kamidana - a shinto shrine. It’s a place for the gods to be when you’ve lit their shrine.'. It sounds like this person is using the kamidana as a general 'god house' while in reality, kamidana are very specific and for the housing of ofuda - sacred talismans that contain the essence of a kami. They mention that 'I do not use ofuda because I purify by other methods' which shows a misunderstanding of what ofuda are. They also state that they purify with incense - something that is not done in Shinto at all.
First they say they practice Shinto and then say they do not, that they are practicing some mysterious path taught to them by an old man in Chiba? Although it is fine to be of more than one faith, Shinto objects of worship should not be mixed with other faiths and a seperate kamidana should be created to honour the kami.
I hope that this person is just... terribly misinformed but honestly it is as it they haven't even researched even the basic guidelines of Shinto.
The first thing that stuck out to me was the fact they used a fox skull in the same place as a kamidana. No type of bones, taxidermy, skins or anything to do with death should be anywhere near a Shinto kamidana as it is extremely offensive to the kami. The reason is that Shinto is a faith of LIFE, not death. Items to do with death contain kegare/tsumi (pollution) and any contact with the dead needs to be purified by misogi. So having a skull in the same place as a kamidana is such a big offense.
Secondly, this person mentions having SEX TOYS on their altar? Although this may be okay with some gods, it is absolutely not okay with kami. Although sex is not frowned upon (of course, many kami are bringers of fertility and some are outright sexual), having your personal sex toys in the same place as a kami is just...?? Why would you even think that is a good idea??
This person's understanding of the kamidana 'house' is also very incorrect. They state 'At the back, we have the ‘house’ part of a kamidana - a shinto shrine. It’s a place for the gods to be when you’ve lit their shrine.'. It sounds like this person is using the kamidana as a general 'god house' while in reality, kamidana are very specific and for the housing of ofuda - sacred talismans that contain the essence of a kami. They mention that 'I do not use ofuda because I purify by other methods' which shows a misunderstanding of what ofuda are. They also state that they purify with incense - something that is not done in Shinto at all.
First they say they practice Shinto and then say they do not, that they are practicing some mysterious path taught to them by an old man in Chiba? Although it is fine to be of more than one faith, Shinto objects of worship should not be mixed with other faiths and a seperate kamidana should be created to honour the kami.
I hope that this person is just... terribly misinformed but honestly it is as it they haven't even researched even the basic guidelines of Shinto.
