Aloha & Welcome Back to Hawaii
It is time again for the ancient Japanese ritual,
Chinowa,
in which people pass through a ring
of chigaya grass
to receive a blessing of good health.
Dating from Nara period (710-749 CE)
the blessing initiates a process of renewal & revitalization, invoking increased flow
of Universal Life Energy,
strengthening us for the second half of the year
(New Year is the prime time for blessings!)
A Shinto Shrine grew in old Honolulu,
outside the city herself:
Hawaii Kotohira Jinsha-Hawaii Dazaifu Tenmangu.
In time, a modern city grew up around her.
A major highway passes very near.
As with everything else here in Hawaii,
we have put our own spin on Chinowa.
Here, it is an occasion to bless our
companion animals,
and lucky Ti leaves
are used in place of chigaya.
"The nature of God is a circle
of which the center is everywhere
and the circumference is
nowhere. "
Empedocles
We can judge the heart of a man
by his treatment of animals."
Immanual Kant
“Men are slower
to recognize blessings
than evils.”
Titus Livy
“Prayers go up
and blessings come down”
Yiddish Proverb
"If having a soul means
being able to feel love and loyalty
and gratitude,
then animals are better off
than a lot of humans"
James Herriot
And yes,
I got my
blessing!
Here's sharing it
with YOU- warmly, cloudia
