ペイガンムート： Pagan Moot

 

 

イギリスではペイガンムートが多いです。ペイガンの意味は一神教（ユダヤ教、キリスト教、イズラム教）以外の宗教とかスピリチュアルな道です。例えば、ウィカ、伝統的な魔女の事とかドゥルイドです。たいてい、ペイガンのスピリチュアルな道は昔の多神教のような宗教です。ムートは昔の英語です。意味は集会です。ペイガンムートに行く人はたいてい、昔の宗教に興味深い人です。その人たちの場合、自然は非常に大切です。たくさんペイガン人はタロット、占星術、とか魔法に興味深いです。京都ではペイガンムートがないと思いますが、長い間私はそのイベントを作りたいと思っていました。今、私のイギリス人のペイガンの友達,Vickiさんは京都にいますので、突然京都のペイガンムートを作ろうと決めました。でも、もうすぐ彼女はイギリスに帰ります。でも、今から私は月に一回京都でペイガンムートを作るつもりです。今、時間と場所を考えていますが、もし興味があったら、連絡してください。ペイガン人とペイガンの事に興味がある人は来るのを歓迎します。一つルールがあります。みんなは自分のスピリチュアルな道を持っていますので、他の人の道を尊敬してください。

 

In Britain there are many Pagan moots. Pagan meaning, except for monotheistic religions (Judaism, Christianity, Islam...),religious or spiritual paths. For example: Wicca, Traditional Witchcraft, Druidry. Usually a Pagan spiritual path is like an ancient polytheistic religion. Moot is old English for gathering. Usually people who go to Pagan moots have a deep interest in old religions. For them nature is extremely important. Many Pagans have a deep interest in tarot, astrology and magick. I do not think there is a Pagan moot in Kyoto, but for a long time I have been thinking about creating this kind of event. At this time my Britsh Pagan friend Vicki is in Kyoto, so suddenly we decided to create a Pagan moot. She will be returning to England soon, but I will hold a moot once a month from now. Now, I am thinking about where and when, if you are interested, please contact me. Pagans or people who are interested in Paganism are welcome to come. There is just one rule: everyone has their own spiritual path, so please respect others paths.

 

rowan38japan@ezweb.ne.jp

Japanese Valentine's Day

Banner over a convenience store in Kyoto

Even when I lived in England, I did not like Valentine's day, the commercialisation in my opinion makes it fake. Giving a loved one a gift is wonderful: but being dictated as to not only when to, but what kinds of gifts you can give, takes away both the romance and the true spirit of giving.  Recently I saw a great video by the Welsh Pagan Witch, Tylluan Penry (linked below), she talks about both Valentine's day in regards to paganism and commercialisation.  This inspired me to write about Japanese Valentine's day.

I do not think Valentine's day really has a connection with paganism, but at least in Europe there is a connection to Christianity.  Saint Valentine was said to have married Christian couples and was executed by the Romans for this. Here in Japan there is no religious or spiritual meaning to the day. But for Japanese chocolate manufactures it is the most important day of the year. Some sources say they make half of their yearly profits from this day alone.  Valentine's day first came to Japan in 1936, when the Morozoff chocolate company aimed advertisements at the expat community in Japan. But it really started in 1958, when the Isetan department store chain started to promote it.

Basically, it a day when women give chocolates to men and not just to there boy friends or husbands. There are many different types of these chocolate gifts.  First 本命チョコ　Honmei choco, this is for someone you have real feelings for. An off shoot of this is 友チョコ tomo choco, meaning friends chocolate, where women give their female friends chocolate. But now (in my opinion) it starts to get a little strange. Next we have 義理チョコ giri choco, meaning obligation chocolate given to male co-workers, male bosses or in my case male English teachers. On Valentine's day I will receive an obscene amount of chocolate.  Some (I hope) from truly grateful students, but certainly a lot out of obligation. But I really hope none of it is チョウ義理チョコ chyou giri choco, ultra obligation chocolate.

So in Japan, Valentine's day has not been commercialised, because it was never part of the culture here. It was simply imported for commercial reasons and for the companies it has been a big success. But in the 1980s those companies realised that it could have been more successful. They had left men out of the equation, men were not spending any money.  So a new day was invented with built in meanings in regards to how much money the men spent.   The day was named "White Day"(March 14th) maybe after it's purity or maybe after it's pure commercialism.  A man in a relationship should spend between two and three times more than his partner spent. To spend the same amount is to show friendship, so in a relationship it implies a cut.  To not return a gift means the man sees himself as superior to the woman.

I think giving a gift is one of the best ways to show love, gratitude, or respect. It is also spiritually uplifting. But I would say there are 363 better days in the year, than Valentine's Day and White Day to do it.  Interestingly, Valentine's day is not the most romantic day for dating in Japan, that goes to another western import, Christmas Eve.

Youtube video by Tylluan Penry about Valentine's day.

摩利支天堂： A Shrine to the Goddess of Light

Yesterday I posted about a Sunday walk I took. One of the places I visited was a shrine with many statues of wild boar. I have been there many times, but knew little about it. A few people have asked me questions about it, so I did a little research. The name of the shrine is Marishitendou, named after an Indian goddess of light, whose Japanese name is Marishiten.  She is usually pictured riding a boar or being pulled in a chariot by two boars.

Sunday Afternoon Walk

 

My Nikon DSLR camera is an amazing piece of modern technology, but for me it is a magikal tool. When it is around my neck, I slow down and see more.  My Aries sun sign rushes me from one adventure to another at break neck speed. I am usually riding my bicycle from one job to another, the scenery constantly changing. But my camera brings out my Cancer rising sign, I take things much more slowly and think a lot more. 

 

 

I do not usually take my camera down this street, but I often use it to move from place to place. Today I had my camera and for the first time I saw this derelict old wooden house covered in dead foliage and leaves. It is surrounded by modern buildings and has a sad  neglected atmosphere. But at one time it must have been the newest building on the street, full of hope and optimism for the future.

 

 

Crossing back over the river to the east side (where I live) I looked for the kites that are usually circling over the river. They were absent today, which reminded me that I had seen them to the north east at Kyoto University on Wednesday. That day there was a festival at the nearby Yoshida Shrine and I thought then, that they were looking for the chance to steal food. So maybe today they have found another event.

 

 

I came across a fortune tellers shop, which had a sign reminiscent of a doctor's clinic. But it had moons and a star indicating times when he gives reading at other places. It made me wonder how he and his clients view fortune telling.

 

 

I dropped into Ebisu shrine and noticed that two people had left there old wallets on a special sacred stone there.  Many Kyoto people do this when they buy new ones. My old one will be there soon. I am looking for a new yellow wallet, Japanese people believe they are lucky, so I will give it a go.

 

 

I crossed the street to the shrine with many images of wild bore. I do not know the meaning, one day I should really ask, but not today. A day when I do not have my camera.

 

 

Finally a quick stop at the second hand shop and a look at the old post cards. Among them is a picture of a young beautiful woman, probably taken a long time ago by a better photographer than me. I wonder if he used a Nikon?  I will never know, but I know whatever camera he used, it was magickal for him.