The mercies from mountains, trees and oceans...

When I got home from my yesterday's night shift this morning, I immediately started cooking ”赤飯” (Sekihan) to present it to my own Shinto alter at home. It's said that ”赤飯” (Sekihan) is more appreciated by the spirits than a regular white plane rice.

We change the old ”榊” (Sakaki) for a new one, and present offerings which are a bit more deluxe to the spirits of the alter because the 1st and 15th of each month are considered as an important day than the rests. 

In these days, we can find many, many boil-in-the-bag foods everywhere. At a supermarket nearby, I found the one to cook even ”赤飯” (Sekihan). For time saving, it could be very practical, but I chose not to use it. I prefer its old fashioned style in cooking stating with boiling red beans, and then cook it with plane white rice and sticky rice.

For these special days,  it would be more appreciated to present the mercies from mountains, trees and oceans. The seasonal harvests are ideal. Since my alter is very simple and small in size, and so I present it as minimized as possible making an excuse to ask the spirits for understanding... 

It is considered as a taboo to present a dish of 4-footed animals in Shinto, and we just follow it. I just wonder how the spirits would feel if we present dead fresh meat with some blood, or even cooked one... In Shinto, blood is considered as one of the highest taboos as ”穢れ” (Kegare). 

After presenting it for a while at the alter, we receive the offerings back from the spirits as a mercy, and eat it feeling gratitude for those mercies on this planet. Those offerings are exposed to the high vibration energy of the spirits at the alter, and purified. By taking it in our body, we could get the same high vibration energy as they have. 

It can be related to a study of quantum physics. As far as I've learned so far, our human beings and all other visible things on the planet are an mass of energy vibrations. However, what makes a difference between the invisibles and us, it is a matter of high and low in energy vibration. 

Sometime ago, I read an book about crystallized water exposed for a certain period to the things which allegedly have high, or low energy vibrations. For example, classical music, or positive words such as expressing gratitude are categorized as high vibrations. On the other hand, meaningless just noisy loud sound and music, or negative words abusing people are categorized as low vibrations. The results of crystallized water were very obvious in shape. Extreme result which is just "Beautiful" or "Ugly".

As for this books, some controversial disputes went on after published. Some insists that it is just nothing but a nothingness impractical theory and result. However, in the studies such as quantum physics which explore further in the world of invisibility, we could not find the truth without setting a hypothesis that it exists.   

Anyway, whatever disputes going on, it is very important for us, and for me at this moment to expose ourselves to good things (high energy vibrations). As long as we keep exposing myself to it, and then our life would go on only only with good things.

That's what I strongly believe...

Masami