[Satoru and Tsubaki's Shrine Introduction] Ise Jingu Geku ⛩️ A morning where the silence after the rain calmed my heart
Early morning at Ise Jingu Geku, with the rain from the previous day still lingering.
Surrounded by wet trees and the sound of footsteps on gravel,
my hurried heart gradually began to quiet down.😌🌿
Hello everyone.
This time, I will write about Ise Jingu Geku.
When you hear Ise Jingu,
many people might think of the Naiku,
where Amaterasu Omikami is enshrined.
However, for visiting Ise,
while it is not a strict rule,
from Geku to Naiku
is considered the traditional order
for making a pilgrimage.
We also headed first
to the Geku in the early morning.
In the shrine grounds, where the rain from the day before still lingered,
a quiet and clear air was flowing.
This time, together with Satoru😌 and Tsubaki🌼,
I would like to look back on
the quiet time we felt at the Geku.🌿
⛩️ To the Geku after the rain
When we left Ise-shi Station,
the quiet Geku approach was continuing in the early morning.⛩️
There were still few people around,
a time when the whole town
was slowly beginning to wake up.
As we walked along the quiet approach,
the torii gate of the Geku
came into view against the backdrop of a vast forest.
Tsubaki🌼
“Satoru, it’s come into view.
That is the Geku torii gate.”
Satoru😌
“It looks like it’s wrapped in a large forest.
Just standing in front of the torii gate makes my back straighten a little.”
We stopped in front of the torii gate,
bowed gently, and entered the shrine grounds.
Satoru😌
“When you bow with the feeling of ‘excuse me,’
your heart naturally turns toward the worship.”
Tsubaki🌼
“I feel like the torii gate
connects the usual place
with the place where the gods reside.”
Once we passed through the torii gate,
we were enveloped in a cool air,
a little different from the town.
On the leaves of the trees lining the approach,
raindrops from the previous day
still remained.
The leaves wet with rain
looked a deeper green than usual.
The droplets remaining on the tips of the leaves caught the morning light,
as if they were making the air in the shrine grounds
even more transparent.
Tsubaki🌼
“Raindrops are sparkling on the leaves🌿”
Satoru😌
“I wonder if yesterday's rain washed the shrine grounds clean. It feels like even the air is clear.”
Even before we started our prayers, I felt my hurried heart calm down and gradually settle into place.
🌿 The approach where only the sound of gravel underfoot echoes
As we continued further along the approach, what we could hear was,
the crunch, crunch,
sound of our feet on the gravel.
And the faint sound of the wind
passing through the trees.
Satoru😌
“It's quiet. I can hear the sound of our own footsteps so clearly.”
Tsubaki🌼“Yeah. But strangely, it's not a lonely kind of silence.”
Satoru😌“There's a warmth to it, as if the trees and the wind are watching over us quietly.”
Usually, thoughts about work
or upcoming plans
would be popping into my head.
But those thoughts,
while wrapped in the silence of the Geku,
gradually drifted away.
Tsubaki🌼
“Maybe there are all sorts of noises
flowing through our heads in daily life.”
Satoru😌
“We might be keeping our hearts busy without realizing it, thinking about what we have to do or what we need to consider.”
Nothing special
happened.
However, just by walking along the quiet approach,
the unnecessary tension I had been holding inside
gently faded away.
The silence of the Geku, rather than making me forget something,
seemed to bring my heart back to myself, walking in this place right now😌🌿
⛩️ The deities of the Geku who welcome us quietly
As we proceeded deeper along the approach, the Shogu of the Toyouke Daijingu, where Toyouke-no-Omikami is enshrined, appeared in the quiet forest.
Tsubaki🌼
“So this is the Geku Shogu.”
Satoru😌
“It feels different from being flashy; it has a quiet, straightforward atmosphere.”
We put our hands together at the Shogu and offer our daily gratitude.
After that,
we went to the Tsuchinomiya and Kaze-no-miya.
And then, we headed toward the Taganomiya, which is enshrined at the top of the stone steps.
Satoru😌
“Tsubaki, Taga-no-miya is
located in a slightly higher place, isn't it?”
Tsubaki🌼
“Taga-no-miya enshrines the Aramitama of Toyouke-no-Omikami.”
Satoru😌
“The Aramitama is said to represent
the active and powerful workings of the deity, right?”
Tsubaki🌼
“Even within the quiet Geku,
it might be a place where you can feel a slightly different kind of power.”
We climbed the stone steps one by one,
and quietly pressed our hands together at Taga-no-miya as well.
Both the main sanctuary,
and each of the auxiliary shrines,
do not speak to us strongly about anything,
they simply, quietly,
welcome us.
While listening to the sound of gravel echoing through the grounds,
I felt that warm yet
solemn atmosphere.
Satoru😌
“Even though it's quiet,
I feel like I'm being enveloped by something great.”
Tsubaki🌼
“Even without words,
it feels like they are welcoming us by saying, ‘Thank you for coming.’”
🍚 Our daily meals are made of many blessings
Toyouke-no-Omikami, enshrined at Geku,
is revered as the Miketsu-kami,
who oversees the meals of Amaterasu-Omikami.
Satoru😌
“Tsubaki, ‘Miketsu’ refers to
the food offered to the deities, right?”
Tsubaki🌼
“Yes. Toyouke-no-Omikami is also worshipped as a deity
who supports not only food,
but also clothing, shelter, and industry.”
We usually eat our meals
as if it were something taken for granted.
We have breakfast in the morning,
have lunch at noon,
and gather around the table with our family at night.
However, those meals
do not just appear before us
as a matter of course.
Satoru😌
“We eat every day, but
we might not have many opportunities to think slowly
about what it takes for food to reach the table.”
Tsubaki🌼
“The people who grow the rice and vegetables, the people who transport them,
and the people who cook the food. So many people are truly involved.”
Satoru😌
“The sun, the rain, and the blessings of the earth are also necessary.
There are so many connections in just one meal.”
While feeling the
pleasant breeze blowing through the grounds,
I quietly expressed my gratitude for being able to spend today
without any hardship in my meals.
And for being able to gather
around the table with my family.
Tsubaki🌼
“Being able to eat every day
is not something to be taken for granted either.”
Satoru😌
“Yes. That's why the ‘Itadakimasu’ before a meal
contains gratitude for many lives and people.”
Tsubaki🌼
“From today on, I feel like I want to say it
with a little more heart than usual 😌🌼”
🌿 What the silence of Geku taught me
The silence of Geku
was not something that
spoke strongly to us.
There were just trees wet from the rain,
and droplets remaining on the leaves,
along the approach,
the sound of footsteps on gravel,
and a pleasant breeze blowing through.
Satoru😌
It's not that I received a lot of words at the Geku, is it?
Tsubaki🌼Yeah. But in that quiet time, I feel like I was able to notice the gratitude within myself.
In that quiet time,
I was able to notice the daily blessings
that I might otherwise overlook.
When we spend our days busy,
there are days when our hearts turn toward
what is missing or what isn't going well.
Satoru😌
There are days when we only look at what we don't have, like wanting more time or wanting more breathing room.
Tsubaki🌼
Perhaps those are the times when it's good to remember what is already right by our side.
Being able to eat today.
Being able to spend time with family.
Being able to walk in good health.
Being able to welcome a quiet morning.
If you stop for a moment,
you might find that there are already
many blessings right by your side.
Satoru😌
Things I thought were taken for granted might actually be precious gifts we receive every day.
Tsubaki🌼
Being grateful is also about realizing the happiness you already possess.🌼
As I walked through the Geku,
the busyness in my heart settled,
and the thought, "Thank you for today,"
arose naturally from a sincere place.😌🌿
🌱 Today's Seed
The days we spend taking things for granted
are also supported by many people
and the blessings of nature.
Satoru😌
Tsubaki, when you lose your peace of mind, what should you do?
Tsubaki🌼Why don't you try thinking of just one thing that is right by your side right now?
That I was able to eat today.
That I was able to share a laugh with someone.
Being able to welcome the day safely.
Satoru😌
“Even if we don't look for great happiness,
there are things to be grateful for within today.”
Tsubaki🌼
“Yes. Perhaps those small gratitudes
gently return a busy heart
back to where it belongs😌🌼”
Thank you for reading until the end.
🌿
May a calm and gentle breeze
blow through your day as well😌🌼
Satoru😌 & Tsubaki🌼
About me (Camellia)😌
Thank you for reading until the end
this time as well.
In this note, I write about
my experiences with parenting,
work, travel, studying for certifications, and
things I have noticed in my daily life.
I hope to deliver 'hints (seeds🌱) to move forward' to those who are lost in parenting or their own way of life
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it would encourage me if you could 'like' or follow me✊
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