Monthly Archives: July 2012

Pagan connections 6) Sacred mountains

Posted on July 31, 2012 by John D.

  Olympic heights The opening of the 2012 Olympics on Friday night showcased England’s most sacred mount – Glastonbury Tor.  It featured as the pastoral paradise of William Blake’s visionary poem, before the country became despoiled by the ‘satanic mills’ … Continue reading →

Posted in Animism, International, Mountains, Paganism | 1 Comment

Pagan connections 5) Purity

Posted on July 30, 2012 by John D.

Shinto purification In Shinto there’s no good and evil in a moral sense, but instead there is the idea of purity and pollution.  Whereas the kami live in a realm of absolute purity, life in the material world inevitably results … Continue reading →

Posted in International, Paganism, Purity and pollution | Leave a comment

Pagan connections 4) Intuition

Posted on July 28, 2012 by John D.

Mystery circles Yesterday I went on a crop circles tour which led me to reflect on the nature of intuition.  The general feeling on my tour was that the number and complexity of crop formations mean that some if not … Continue reading →

Posted in International, Japanese culture, Paganism, Social values | Leave a comment

Pagan connections 3) Sacred water

Posted on July 26, 2012 by John D.

Water deities Gratitude for the blessings of water plays a big part in Shinto, and there are many shrines dedicated to water deities.  Sujin is a composite deity of water, and Ryujin a water dragon particularly associated with the sea.  … Continue reading →

Posted in Animism, International, Paganism, Purity and pollution | Leave a comment

Pagan connections 2): Sacred trees

Posted on July 24, 2012 by John D.

Shinboku Go to visit a Shinto shrine and you’ll surely find a shinboku – a sacred tree favoured by the kami.  But what makes some trees sacred and others not?  It’s a question I’ve often asked priests about, and the … Continue reading →

Posted in Animism, Green issues, International, Paganism | Leave a comment

Pagan connections 1) Sacred rocks

Posted on July 24, 2012 by John D.

  Avebury stone circle There are sacred rocks (iwakura) all over Japan, but I’ve never seen a date put on them. The supposition is that they date to the Yayoi Age (300 BC-300 AD), when waves of immigrants brought new … Continue reading →

Posted in Ancestor worship, Folklore, International, Paganism, Rocks | 2 Comments

Joseph Cali on Shinto Shrines

Posted on July 23, 2012 by John D.

Joseph Cali is the main author of the forthcoming title, Shinto Shrines. (Publication date: Nov. 30, 2012.  For further details and pre-orders, please click here.) 1) When and why did you first conceive of the book? When I first began … Continue reading →

Posted in Interviews | 2 Comments

Renewal

Posted on July 18, 2012 by John D.

One of the key points of Shinto is the notion of renewal, in tune with the perennial ability of nature to renew itself.  Here Kevin Short, naturalist and cultural anthropologist, writes of his visit to Shinobazu Pond in Tokyo. (Daily … Continue reading →

Posted in Festivals, Kanto, Purity and pollution, Rites and celebrations | Leave a comment

Shinto Shrines: forthcoming publication

Posted on July 10, 2012 by John D.

It is with great pleasure that Green Shinto is able to announce the forthcoming publication of Shinto Shrines: A Guide to the Sacred Sites of Japan’s Ancient Religion by University of Hawaii Press this autumn…. * comprehensive overview of Shinto … Continue reading →

Posted in Book Reviews, Shrine types, Shrine visits | 3 Comments

Green breakthrough

Posted on July 9, 2012 by John D.

The Greening of Shinto Last weekend I went to a talk on Sacred Landscapes in Britain by Martin Palmer who runs an organisation called ARC (Alliance of Religions in Conservation).  There were many fascinating aspects, but the most striking in … Continue reading →

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Posted in Green issues | 1 Comment