Practical Wisdom for the Modern World
SPRING
© 1981 JAPANESE DUTCH SHINZEN FOUNDATION
Tokubetsu Omamori Yamakage Shinto has a very old tradition of making powerful omamori. These are handmade and available only upon request. Before Setsubun sai (Spring ceremony) we send an invitation letter with details how to order this omamori.
SPRING CEREMONY Spring ceremony heralds the arrival of spring, the rebirth of nature after the cold winter. Spring also evokes an urge for cleaning. In the Japanese lunar calendar the arrival of spring is called setsubun. That day all over Japan ceremonies are held which are better known as the “bean-throwing” ceremony. The scattering of roasted soja beans means to chase away evil and to attract good luck. By eating an amount of beans that equals the total of your years on this planet, you will be lucky and healthy. Yamakage Shinto has a secret tradition to make a fire ceremony for setsubun, which aims to purify the individual, the family, the nation and the planet. Holland Yamakage Shinto celebrates the arrival of spring around March 21 with a purifying fire ceremony. During the ceremony newly made omamori are charged with the invigorating energy of nature. The old omamori of the previous year will be burnt and purified.