A Morning That Begins with Gratitude to the Gods and Buddhas
Hello! This is Iomama.
Thank you so much for finding Iomama among the many no+e posts!
Just as I, who used to hate myself, was able to
turn things around completely,
a day will surely come
when you can accept yourself, too.
**be yourself**
Through card reading, crystals, and astrology,
the simple happiness of
【loving your true self】
is placed into your hands...
I aim for my no+e to be the catalyst for that.
The spiritual work I do—
crystal healing, card reading, astrology... it is healing work.
In any case,if I am not in a centered state myself,I cannot possibly heal anyone else. That is what I believe.
That is why centering myself is very important to me, and something I never fail to do every day.
Having said that, I am not doing anything grand.
I am simply incorporating ordinary things into my important daily habits, that is all.
Today, I would like to talk aboutmy five habits.
1. Expressing gratitude to the gods
The first thing I do when I wake up in the morning.
I refresh the water on the Shinto altar.
I press my hands together and express my gratitude.
On the 1st and 15th of every month, I replace the rice, salt, sake, and water with fresh offerings.
There are various opinions on how to maintain a Shinto altar, and some people change the offerings every day.
The priest at the shrine I always visit told me the following.
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It is fine to follow the rules strictly, but rather than doing it out of a sense of obligation that you 'must' do it, find a way you can do it quickly every day...
Continuing is what is most important.
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That was a real 'aha!' moment for me.
So, I continue to maintain it in my own way every day.
2. Expressing gratitude to the Buddhas
I offer water and rice (cooked rice).
I light incense, press my hands together, and express my gratitude.
For incense, I use Kojurin.
This is the incense my grandmother loved, and I have used it ever since.
I replaced the Buddhist altar last year when we renovated our house.
It bothered me that we were renovating our own home while the Buddha's home remained the same.
Until then, the altar was dark (and the light was broken so it wouldn't turn on), so I couldn't see the principal image well, and before I knew it, it would get dusty... sweat
I thought, 'This won't do!'
Old altars are large, and I couldn't reach the principal image enshrined in the very back with my eyes or my hands.
The new one is a light color, and the inside is easy to see.
Also, it is shorter than my height, so it is easy to keep clean.
In the past, people used to say, 'If you are going to replace your altar, get a bigger one than the one you have now!'
But the monk at my family's temple said that it is fine to let it fit into the lives of the people living now.
What is important is not the size of the altar, but the feeling of reverence, he said.
That is absolutely true.
3. Centering my inner self with warm water
Once I have finished offering my gratitude to the gods and Buddhas, I have a glass of warm water.
When I drink warm water at about 40 to 50 degrees Celsius, I can feel the warmth slowly flowing from my mouth to my throat, esophagus, and stomach, making me feel warm from the inside out.
I love coffee, so I would normally want to have a cup as soon as I wake up, but since I switched my first morning drink to warm water, it helps keep my body warm even in winter.
4. Morning Meditation
Ideally, it would be best to do this as soon as I wake up.
I know that, but I have the important mission of sending my family off to work and school (oh, and I also have to make lunch for my eldest daughter...), so the morning is super hectic!
Once I have sent everyone off and have some time to relax, I do a simple meditation.
Even just five minutes can leave you feeling refreshed, so I highly recommend it.
Morning meditation is just about closing your eyes and focusing on 'feeling the present'.
Focusing on your breathing and your heartbeat.
The cool sensation of the floor against the soles of your feet.
The sound of birds and the wind coming from outside.
The electronic sounds of home appliances.
When I just feel those things and let myself go, I feel the tension draining away, and it puts me in a very comfortable mood.
5. Reflection Time Before Bed
I try to think about what kind of day today was.
There were good things, and there were unpleasant things.
I recall each and every event.
Regarding the 'unpleasant things,' I ask myself, 'Why was that unpleasant?'
・I didn't say 'I don't like that' at the time, and I dislike that about myself.
・I felt irritated by what the other person said, but in reality, I was deeply hurt and sad.
Various things come up.
Often, when these events happen, I don't even realize these feelings myself.
And then I tuck them deep into my heart, thinking I have 'forgotten' them.
If those kinds of muddled feelings keep piling up, they will probably explode 'bang' one day...
'Clean up the day's dirt within the day.'
This is a phrase often used in the context of cleaning, but I think it applies to the heart as well.
Clear up the day's muddled feelings within the day.
I haven't been able to do this very well, and one day, it will go bang...
It is important to let out unpleasant emotions rather than bottling them up.
What I disliked, how I felt, and what I really wanted to happen.
Just by acknowledging to myself that I have the emotion of feeling 'I don't like this!', I feel much more at ease.
Feeling 'I don't like this!' is not a bad thing.
Since we are alive, it is natural to have both good things and unpleasant things.
What is important is to firmly acknowledge the feelings you had at that time.
For that reason, taking time at night to reflect on the day has become my habit.
Five daily habits might sound like, "Five!? That's too much trouble..." but what I do is all very ordinary.
Each one can be done in 5 to 10 minutes.
I'm just using a little bit of the time I would spend scrolling through social media for this instead.
It's not exactly a "precious daily habit" I can boast about, but by continuing this, I am always able to stay calm and centered.
Gratitude, every day.
With healing and love,
Iomama
#PreciousDailyHabits