Rochers sacrés (Green Shinto)

The Shaman’s Rock at Lake Baikal has a cave in which a monster was said to live. It’s one of the oldest shaman sites in the world.

The awesomeness of rocks
Green Shinto has written several times of the spiritual significance of rocks in Shinto (see the righthand column for previous postings).  It’s a much overlooked subject.  Why?  Partly because it is associated with the kind of primitive superstition that Meiji era Japan sought to put behind it.  But also partly, I suspect, because rock worship leads back to Korean shamanism and shows that far from being unique, Shinto is inextricably linked with continental nature worship.  Just how this conflicts with the insularity of mainstream Japan will become evident in the remarks below.

It was with some delight that I recently came across a video entitled “Okayama: the profound spirit of the rocks” (28 mins).  70% of Japan is covered in mountains and forests, so it’s not surprising that ancient Japanese felt some kind of kinship with them.  They even named tribes after the protective mountain beneath which they settled.

‘Since ancient times,’ runs the commentary, ‘people in Japan have felt a deep sense of awe towards particularly impressive rocks.’  It’s not limited to Japan, of course. The same could be said for ancient cultures around the world – you only have to think of Stonehenge, the pyramids and Machu Picchu for example.

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DÉCOUVREZ L'ARTICLE ICI SUR LE SITE GREENSHINTO.COM: http://www.greenshinto.com/wp/2016/08/06/rocks-rock/