Prayers to start the year
I am quite fond of visiting temples and shrines. In Japan it is very common for people to visit religious sites to engage in a practice called 初詣 (Hatsumōde: First shrine visit of the New Year). I’ve been in Japan for a long time now and of course I take part in this practice.
These new year shrine visits are not always simply going to a single shrine and saying a prayer to start off the year. Sometimes people take part in pilgrimage type events where they will visit multiple shrines.
Last year I took part in an event where I ran around the Miura Peninsula and visited three shrines to kick off the Year of the Dragon (see my report on the Dragon 50K for more details). This year however, I stayed a bit more local.
I saw a leaflet for a 七福神めぐり (Shichifukujin meguri: Seven Lucky Gods Pilgrimage) where you needed to visit multiple shrines and temples and get a stamp at each one. People pray to these gods for luck for prosperity in different areas of their life, and I decided that I would build this pilgrimage into a weekend.
I visited seven shrines on the first day and two on the second day. It was a great way to see the area and I had some great conversations with other people who were united in the same purpose and doing the same thing.
But do I think I am going to increase my luck by running around a town, collecting stamps and saying a few prayers? I’m not sure. But it is good for your health to run around an area doing this and it reminded me of a conversation I had many years ago.
When the gods answer your prayers
Some time ago I was talking to an elderly gentleman involved with a karate club I used to be part of. There were some beautiful shrines in that area and I mentioned off hand that I had visited one of them recently. This gentleman told me that he visited that shrine every day.
Not only that that shrine but he also visited several others in the area. He would go to the shrine, throw one yen into the collection box, say a prayer for his health, then walk to the next shrine and do the same.
The action of throwing a coin into a collection box and praying for health does not bestow good health on a person. However, the act of having a solid routine to wake up, walk to multiple shines, and do something positive to start off the day absolutely will contribute to the good health of the pilgrim.
The gods really do help those who help themselves.
Final thoughts
I don’t think you need to be a particularly religious individual to do this kind of thing. This is simply a case of getting out there and doing things in a positive way to improve your life.
When I was young I wondered if it would be considered an unworthy offering to the local deities to give them a one yen upon visiting the shrine. But when you pray for your good health like this you aren’t bribing the gods to make you healthy. You are taking action into your own hands, and it is that action that makes you healthy.
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