霊気: Mount Kurama, the Birth Place of Reiki

This is going to be my last post of the year. I decided this morning to climb Mt Kurama, the birth place of Reiki. I have friends who practise Reiki and are very knowledgeable about it.  My understanding of Reiki is still pretty rudimentary, but I plan to study in the future. One thing I do know are the five precepts of Reiki, so I have tried to combine my photography on Mt Kurama with these five precepts.

 

 

Don't get Angry

 

 

Don't worry

 

 

Be grateful

 

 

Work diligently

 

 

Be kind to people

A Poem about Karma

 

 

 

Feet on the ground

Ready for the sky

Water all around

A fire to fly 

 

 

 

The destination cannot be seen

Karma keeps us on track

If you can be more than you have been

Life will watch your back

 

Experience draws a picture

Deep reflection colours it in

Past existences cast shadows

That touch us within

宮島： Miyajima, a Beautiful, Mystical and Magickal Island

 

This year I spent the Yule and Christmas period in Hiroshima. The 23rd and 25th were spent on the spiritually rich Island of Miyajima (also known as Itsukushima). It has been the seat of nature worship since ancient times. Especially the magickal Mt Misen covered in primeval forests  The island is classed as one of the three most beautiful places in Japan. The origins of the Shinto Isukushima Shrine date back to 596.  In 806 the Buddhist monk Kukai on his return to Kyoto from China made a stop on the Island. He felt the island to be holy and could feel that the island was the home of a large number of spirits. He built a Hondo ( main Buddhist Hall) on Mt Misen.  The island is also sacred to the Goddess Benzaiten (who has a special meaning to me).  It had been over 15 years since I had last visited the island, but it felt like coming home and it was a truly magickal visit.

The island is the home of a large number of deer.

The tori gate at Itsukushima Shrine, the border between the human and spirit worlds.

For me, Daishoin is the most vibrantly spiritual Buddhist temple I have visited.

Itsukushima shrine from the rear.

A boat on the approach to the island.

Statues at Daishoin.

This guy was really getting into the spirt of dressing up as a Samurai.

 

 

 

Five story pagoda

 

 

View from the slopes of Mt Misen.

 

 

Small statues at the Hondo on Mt Misen.

The eternal fire at the Hondo on Mt Misen, that has been burning since 806.  I believe the flame was used to to light the eternal flame at the Peace Park in Hiroshima, which will burn until the last nuclear bomb in the world has been destroyed.

 

View from the top of Mt Misen.

 

 

Public Scupture of Women and Children in Hiroshima’s Peace Park

 

For the last few days I have been in Hiroshima, it is my second visit, but the first was over 15 years ago. On the first day of my trip I re-visited the atomic bomb museum.  It is the most shocking place I have ever visited and even though it was my second time it was equally disturbing to know how evil MAN can be.  The museum is in the grounds of the Peace Park. The park is a truly beautiful place and seems to me to have a unique atmosphere, I do not know of an adjective to describe it, a mix of deep sorrow and unbridled hope.  What I had not noticed all those years ago was the amount of sculpture of women and children. I do not know if this is truly unique, but in this patriarchal world where sculptures of men are ubiquitous in public spaces, the predominance of images of women here is very unusual. 
 

 

 

I am not going to write the stories behind these sculptures here, if you are interested they are easy to find on the Internet. I am trying to capture their essence and feeling. But that is very difficult to do with the camera, so I highly recommend anyone to come and visit this amazing place and it's horrific neighbour.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



On the Cusp of Winter

This sparrow has great attitude, can you out stare him (or her).

The last full moon of the year has passed and now it is just a couple of weeks to Yule. The atmosphere here in Kyoto is very different from England.  In England it would now be much colder and darker, definitely winter. Whereas we are still on the cusp of Autumn and Winter here in Kyoto. I took a walk along the river today and tried to catch the atmosphere.

The water is starting to look very cold, but it does not put off this heron.

 

 

 

But still in places you can see the bright colours of Autumn.

 

 

 

 

 

But the crows in the almost bare trees give it a wintry look.

 

 

 

 

A Poem for The Full Cold Moon

A pregnant moon

In a wintry sky

The last leaves fall

In a sad goodbye

But soon a promise will be kept

The child will make her

Forget she wept

 

 

Herons Revisited

Often herons are the theme of my photography and writings. Probably because they are birds I see everyday. Many live by the river, just as I do. I also often visit gardens with ponds, as they do.  I watch them a lot and I really respect them, as with all animals there is a great deal you can learn about life from them.  Herons are always graceful and elegant in everything they do. They move slowly, but with amazing confidence. Their eyes are so clear and intelligent.  They are also brave. the first three pictures in this post were taken from less than two metres from the bird, but it showed no fear. When eventually I did get too close, it slowly and beautifully flew to a nearby rock and with perfect equilibrium carried on confidently with it's day.

 

 

 

A circle within a circle, never ending never begining.

 

 

虹: Rainbow

 I believe rainbows are deeply magickal, I always feel fortunate and grateful to see them.  It is amazing that pure white light splits into all the colours of the spectrum. White contains all colours, except black, which is the absence of colour.  My interest in Tarot came before my interest in Wicca. Early in my path to learn the Tarot, I went to a Tarot workshop held by a local Wiccan Witch.  She called herself a Rainbow Witch, which I thought was both beautiful and wise.  These days I often here people say they are Grey Witches, which is great if it allows them to follow there path clearly.  But for me Rainbow is brighter and clearer, white magick has all the colours it should need, naturally within it.  So if someone was to ask me, what kind of Wiccan I was, I would most probably say Rainbow.

夢： The Dream

There is a beautiful album by the British band The Moody Blues called "On the Threshold of a Dream". I have loved this album since the late 1970s, but it was first released in 1969. I have not had the album for a number of years, but recently I remembered it, because of a beautiful Autumn poem called "The Dream" which is featured on it. I really wanted to make a slide show using that poem. A few days ago I was passing a second hand music shop, where I have been lucky in the past. I was not planing to go there, but I suddenly decided to go in and look for this album. It was a real long shot, but amazingly the first CD I saw was "On the Threshold of a Dream".  It was just boldly standing there.  So here is my slide show.

 

 

 

 

Jack O'Lanternの物語

昔々農家の人がいました。彼の名前はJackでした。彼は怠け者で意地悪だった。ある日、悪魔は`Jackを訪問しました。悪魔はJackに騙されて木に登りました。悪魔は「助けて」と叫びました。Jackは「もし僕が君を助けたら、君は僕が地獄に行けないようにしなければなりません」と言った。悪魔はしぶしぶ約束をしました。ある日Jackは亡くなりました。地獄に行ったけど，入れませんでした。天国にも行ったけど、入れませんでした。その日からJackの魂は一人で住む所を寂しく探しています。もし旅行者がJackの魂に会った時にいい物をあげなかったら、Jackはひどい意地悪をします。気をつけてね。

 

Crescent Moon over Kyoto

 

 

Today when I put my camera bag over my shoulder I had no plans to take pictures of the moon. I was planning to use the fading light to take images of the Autumn leaves along the river.  But first I was side tracked by seeing the local primary school were having races along the river, so this gave me a great opportunity to get some good pictures. I then noticed the herons, I have had a lot of luck taking their pictures in the past, but today's low light pictures just gave me a lot to think about for future shoots.

 

 

So by this time the light was too low for the foliage. But then I noticed the crescent moon high in the sky. This year I have been able to get some good full moon shots, but waxing and waning moons are much more difficult to shoot. But I had my trusty tripod with me, so I had a go. Taking pictures of any natural thing has a spiritual meaning for me, but the spiritual feeling when taking images of the moon is more intense.  I am fairly pleased with these images. I hope you like them.

Early Autumn Colours

 

I love the gradual cycle of seasons, both here in Japan and in my homeland England.  For me Autumn is the most beautiful season, a vibrant beauty, tinted with an exquisite sadness. In England, Autumn seems so brief, before you know it you are in the depths of a long winter. But here in Kyoto, Autumn takes it's time and slowly and beautifully makes it's changes. We are still three to five weeks away from the spectacular reds and yellows of the maples and ginkgo, but there are many changes to be seen.