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It’s traditional in Japan to have a Shinto Priest come out and ‘appease the spirits (Kami)’ when starting big construction like we are at Treeleaf. My wife insisted.

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I don’t know so much about appeasing the spirits, but I do know about appeasing my wife. So, we had it done. You can see a few minutes of the ceremony here (those Shinto priests sure have cool Heian Age clothes, and, like Japanese Buddhist priests, some smooth dance moves). Unfortunately, it all made Leon start crying (especially when the Kami-nushi, or ‘Spirit Master’, let out a couple of cries to wake the dead … listen in the middle for that. Hope it made the spirits smile).

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Watch O-Harai Ceremony

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My attitude toward such things is, well, ‘Don’t know if it will help, but it sure can’t hurt’. Some of the rocks, trees, grounds and such around the building … even the building itself … sure feel sometimes that they might have a little spirit to them.　Who knows?　
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I don’t think I believe in such spirits, or any god, but I could be wrong. So, I call it “winking at the gods … asking for the benefit of the doubt too” …

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