30 Where God Resides and the "Shrine"

There is a shrine in my neighborhood that I love. ⛩️✨
It seems to enshrine the water goddess, Seoritsuhime. However, officially, the enshrined deity is "Amaterasu Omikami." Apparently, the two are a married couple. I don't know much about it, but the fact that it's a water goddess really hits the spot. 😆
It was about three years ago that I started going there frequently to put my hands together and have some quiet time.
Before that, I didn't really understand what a shrine was; it wasn't that I avoided them, but I think they were just distant existences to me. In the past, I would visit shrines for New Year's visits and sometimes chant "wishes" amidst the bustling crowds and chaotic energy. I always ended up feeling exhausted from being around so many people, so I didn't have any wonderful memories associated with shrines.


A journey to suddenly remember my "true self" began, and it could be said that the place called a shrine awakened the memories of my soul. While being guided by the gods of the land that are my roots, I remembered many things. Before I knew it, I started visiting shrines more often.
But ever since I became aware of my heart's deepest wishes, I haven't been able to chant wishes in front of the enshrined deities.
That is why I started to only have them listen to my "resolutions," or ask for "guidance to move forward a little," "courage," or "hints."

At the same time that I remembered my true wishes, I realized that "a shrine is not a place to state wishes." I don't know why, even if asked. I just instantly remembered that it's not that kind of place.

In the end, when I go to that place, a dialogue with myself begins. At shrines where I feel a good connection, it is easier to hear my own voice. Because the environment is set up to assist me in descending to the bottom of my heart's water, I can dive deep and smoothly from the moment I step onto the grounds.
When you think seriously about "what God is...", sooner or later, you land on the realization that it is "yourself."

***

It started on January 1, 2020, when I made a resolution at another shrine in my neighborhood that I also love. No, my resolution was already firm, so I went on this day of repeating numbers to "declare" it.
This was at a time when I didn't even know the first thing about angel numbers. But I have loved numbers since I was a child.
I love repeating numbers because they are easy to remember, and every chance I got,
I would play by making words out of them using wordplay.

After I visited (declared) on January 1st, I drew an omikuji fortune and it was number 11, a Daikichi (great blessing).
At the time, I only thought, "It's a repeating number! 😍✨ It's all 1s! 😁☝️✨," but it left a strong impression on my memory.

The future me from a little further on gave meanings to the repeating 1s, such as "correct answer," "keep going like this," and "it feels good." This might be a different perspective from what is commonly said in town. But I decided to accept it that way.
I didn't realize it at the time when I received the answer "11" on January 1st, but I thought later, "Ah, that was exactly it."

Looking back, from this day on, whenever I put my hands together at a shrine, I would immediately receive a "signpost," "hint," or "guidance."
It always came before I reached the approach on my way home. The response was surprisingly fast and refreshing.
And I would walk forward according to that guidance, and when I finished it, I would go to say thank you, and at the same time, go to get the next hint. I have reached the present by doing things like that.
Of course, I also took action regarding other events that occurred in reality, received guidance from dreams, and walked while viewing the overall direction through visions.

God is inside you.

You might be tired of hearing it, but it is the truth.
There is no god at a shrine who will give you the answer you seek. Because the one who knows the answer is "yourself."
It's not limited to shrines.
Even if you ask your parents, friends, or lover, you won't get the true answer. No matter where you look, you won't find the answer.
The answer isinside "yourself (Higher Self)".

When that sank in for me, I realized I had stopped going to shrines. Because by then, no matter where I was, if I asked myself, the answer would come back.
I had been staying away from shrines, but I felt like visiting one for the first time in about a year and a half. I had a newly sprouted thought and wanted to "declare" it. On the new moon of October 15, 2023, I visited for the first time in a while.

The shrine grounds were in a clear autumn sky, a complete turnaround from the rain of the previous day.
I put my hands together at the same time as a family of four who happened to be there.
The mother was saying out loud, "Please let me have a healthy baby." 😌 Since she already had two boys with her, it was a prayer for a safe delivery of her third child.
As for me, I closed my eyes and powerfully "declared."
Then, a tailwind blew strongly. The sound of the cloth fluttering reached my ears, and it sounded just like a cheer for me.

As I started to go down the stairs, thinking, "Should I go to the other small shrine... what should I do?", the mother who had been next to me earlier,
the mother who was pregnant with her third child, asked me to take a commemorative photo of her family.

Say cheese♡ Click! ✨📷✨

Actually, I had a brief conversation with this family.
That fleeting interaction was a "sign" that only I could understand.
I accepted it fully and left the shrine feeling good.
Because I feel calm just being there, I want to go again in the future. I also want to have them listen to my "declarations" from time to time.
I love shrines. 😌
For me right now, that is what a shrine is.

Ayumi☽