Lets Practice to be the Musubi

One of the important God’s job is to be the musubi (結び). It is to join two or more different things and create something new. This is the core feature of the Creator.

At a Shinto shrine, there is thick twisted rope hanging on top of the front opening. This is called shime-nawa (注連縄). The shimenawa is the actual image of what the musubi is about.

Sake is also something that cannot be forgotten in Shinto tradition. Sake is made of this process of musubi of different substances and then fermented. Sake is one fine musubi art work. One of the finest symbolic god’s artwork is offered to the altar at a Shinto shrine.

Rice contains the divine energy of Amaterasu-Ohomikami and pure water. Sake that is made out of rice has the spiritual power to expel evil spirits and purify.

Rice = Amaterasu-Ohomikami
Water = Susanoo

These two divine Gods’ power is in the sake. And it is mixed with all the other eight millions gods’ power and fermented. The sake is a creation with all the Gods together.

Japanese sake is sacred. In Shinto, sake is used in many different ways for purification.

When I pore sake on the ground, I sense it cleanses the place and expel the negative energy. But like salt, it only works temporarily.

We also play the role as a “musubi” in the society. For example, we introduce a job to a friend or vise versa. This is unknowingly creating a “musubi”. When you are cooking for your family, you are also doing the “musubi” by putting together different substances.

Meeting your life partner is also a creation of the power of “musubi”. In order to be jointed, you shouldn’t just wait for it to happen. You must actively work on it. As a human being, you are here to learn to be a better “musubist”. In this World of Reality, we humans are the creators.

Ikashite-itadaite Arigato-gozaimasu

Thank you for letting us live