By Robert Kikuchi-Yngojo and Nancy Wang of Eth-Noh-Tec
Amaterasu is the Sun Goddess of Japan who was once so angered and frightened by her brother Susano the Storm God’s destruction and betrayal of her world, that she hid in a cave taking her light with her. Her world turned dark and cold. Her spirits and sprites and the many deities were left without.
Likewise, as winter days grow shorter in our northern hemisphere of our Earth, we too know the darkness. And we know not just the darkness of the longer night, but the darkness of our economy, of ongoing wars, of police violence, of complacence, and it is easy to lose faith in humanity.
Amaterasu’s world looked pretty dark also. But, the spirits and sprites, the gods and goddesses began to gather. Together they asked the Deity of Wisdom to think of a plan to bring the light back. Soon the one-eyed Metal-making Deity was asked to create a bronze mirror and the Jewel-maker Deity to string together meditation beads, both to hang from the tree outside her cave.
The Deity of Great Physical Strength stood beside the huge rock that covered the opening of the cave, so sure that the time would come for the light to emerge. Beside him the Dancer Deity Uzume began to dance! Her hair was decorated with evergreen vines. She pulled up her kimono and began to stamp wildly on an overturned wooden cask. She writhed and wiggled, she swayed and seduced. The multitude of spirits, sprites and deities began to laugh and shout!
Amaterasu could not imagine that there would be such raucous good times without her. Slowly the rock began to roll open.
“Why is there such merriment without me?” questioned Amaterasu.
Uzume answered: “Because there is a deity more powerful than you and we are laughing and dancing, singing and celebrating!”
Curious, she began to lean out. The mirror was then turned toward her. The light that reflected was even stranger to her! She leaned further and that’s when the Deity of Physical Strength caught her arm and pulled her out.
The light was returned to her world.
The light will be returned to ours as well. Let our wisdom, our self-reflection, our laughing and dancing, our will for goodness and our many strengths come together as a community of one-beingness, and turn the darkness to light. We can do this!
Happy Winter Solstice and 2012!
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