Tirza Schaefer: Romance Author & Goddess Facilitator
Amaterasu
Ancestor of the Imperial Family
Amaterasu is a Japanese Sun Goddess of the indigenous Shinto religion that worships sacred spirits in nature and was the national religion of Japan until the end of World War II. Her name means “The Great Divinity That Illuminates Heaven.” As the ruler of Heaven, she is also called Ohirume no Muchi no Kami, which means “The Great Sun of the Kami”, the word kami meaning the Shinto deities, and the word Shinto itself translates to “The Ways of the Gods.”
In Shinto mythology, Amaterasu is the daughter of the deities Izanagi and Izanami and the ancestor of the Imperial Family. She was enshrined in Naiku over 2,000 years ago and has been revered as the guardian of Japan ever since. Together with her two brothers, Susanoo (the God of Storm) and Tsukiyomi (the God of the Moon), she is one of the “Three Precious Children,” the most important ones of the creator God Izanagi.
When his three most precious children were born, the moon god Tsukuyomi from his right eye, the sun goddess Amaterasu from his left eye, and the god of the sea and storms, Susanoo, from his nose, Izanagi was overjoyed that he bestowed a necklace of jewels upon Amaterasu and placed her as the ruler of the heavenly plane.
Her name is derived from the verb amateru, to illuminate or shine in the sky. This is a combination of two words, ama, meaning sky, heaven, and teru meaning to shine. This is a literal description of a natural phenomenon, however, it in no way lessens the importance of the Goddess. Her father made her the ruler of the entire universe when he laid eyes on her first because her light was so compelling.
The Cave
The Sun is the source of all life, Goddess of Creation, and is so powerful that she illuminates both heaven and earth. Amaterasu’s light is radiant, her beauty ethereal and her presence enchanting. Without her, all forms of life would cease to exist. As ruler of the heavens, she governs over all Kami. Because of her boundless, divine powers, she founded the cultivation of rice and wheat and was also the first using silkworms and looms for weaving.
The most famous legend about the Goddess tells of the Storm God Susanoo being sent to rule the sea plane. Before he left, he went to say goodbye to his sister and, as an act of good faith, they created offspring. Amaterasu chewed and spat out pieces of the sword her brother had gifted her and Susanoo did the same with her jewels.
However, then Susanoo, always the wild one, began to treat his sister quite rudely. He broke down the divisions in the rice fields, defiled Amaterasu’s home, and finally threw a flayed horse into her weaving hall. His sister was so enraged about his disrespectful behaviour towards her that she withdrew into a cave, not to hide out of shame, but to teach all the kamis a lesson to demonstrate her powers and show them the consequences of her absence in the world.
When she entered the cave, she closed the entrance, so no one could get to her, plunging both the heaven and world into darkness. This caused a myriad of disasters like extreme cold, darkness and loss of life on earth, so the Gods gather to discuss what to do. They decide to perform a ritual that involves a bawdy dance and much laughter, in the hopes to entice Amaterasu to emerge from her cave again.
The Deception
Omoikane, the God of Wisdom, directed the ritual outside the cave. Two deities crafted a sacred mirror and beads that became two of the three items making up the Imperial regalia. During the ritual, two more deities performed a sacred divination, burning bird cherry tree bark and over it, the shoulder bone of a stag. The resulting cracks in the bone were then read. They made offerings and recited ritual prayers.
Next, the Goddess Amenouzume danced in a lewd way, bearing her breasts and lifting her skirts. This was to honour and worship the feminine as creator of life and this life force is seen as the power that could turn the world back to normality, a desperate attempt to bring life back to the universe in the absence of the most powerful of all deities, Amaterasu, the life force of the universe and all creation.
During Amenouzume’s dance, all the other countless deities’ raucous laughter rang out loud and they called to Amaterasu, telling her that there was another deity more powerful than her. Amaterasu was enticed to look outside the cave and another God held up the mirror to her face which made her think that she was looking at the other more beautiful and powerful deity instead of her own reflection.
As Amaterasu moved closer, doubtful of what she saw, another strong-armed God pulled her fully out of the cave by the hand. Thus, Amaterasu was once again outside and is shining her light in Heaven and onto the earth ever since, which is essential to life in both realms. Later, her descendants came down to the earth to rule the world as the emperors of Japan. With this myth, the early Japanese state of Yamato was legitimised as divinely chosen rulers. It is also the reason why Amaterasu is revered as the highest deity in Japanese mythology.
The 3 Items of Imperial Regalia
Additionally, several of the Gods in the story were said to be the forebears of major clans, which conveniently mirrors the image of the eighth-century emperor surrounded by supporting clans of the Yamato court in this divine myth of Kojiki, in which Amaterasu’s third item of the Imperial regalia is mentioned later on, the sacred solar sword.
When looking at these three items, we must understand their symbolism. The mirror is not used for vanity but to reflect the state of our soul. Using this mirror, it serves to take a good look at ourselves, so truth is revealed about the reasons for our struggles, which then can be used to take responsibility for creating what we want. Knowing ourselves on the deepest level sets us free to choose our own life and manifestations, rather than being the reactionary helpless victims of outer influences.
The solar sword represents Amaterasu’s martial and leadership qualities. She is the protector of the Japanese people, and these qualities are vital to fulfil this role. As an archetypal attribute, it symbolises your ability and strength to set boundaries and protect yourself from influences that harm you. They are an expression of your respect for yourself and a template for others how to treat you with respect.
The beads symbolise the beauty in life. As our bodies need nourishment, so do our souls. Beads are a symbol of that beauty you can find in life, in nature, that feeds and replenishes your soul. It can be something simple and small or something grand. In can be natural or man-made. It can be a person, a thing, or the beauty of nature, of someone’s spirit, a kind deed. You can remind yourself of life’s beauty by wearing a piece of jewellery you bought, inherited or crafted yourself. Or you can keep a few beads on your personal altar for this purpose. Make sure to form a deep relationship with it and perform a small ritual to consecrate it to this intention. Look at it everyday to remind you of all the beautiful things you have in your life, the beautiful experiences you’ve had during your day, however small.
Feel deep inside your heart and cultivate a feeling of deep gratitude and appreciation. You will find that it becomes ever easier to spot these things of beauty, intrinsic or extrinsic, and remember them later.
Women's Rights Activist
As the ruler of heaven, Amaterasu ensures the continuity of life by maintaining order. She is the embodiment of the sun and holds all of its qualities. She provides comfort and reassurance to all those who seek her guidance and protection, being both nurturing and maternal, which is also reflected in her role as mother of the imperial family.
The motif of the sun’s disappearance and rebirth is thought to be based on the natural phenomena of eclipses or the winter solstice by some. However, such rare events would not necessarily inspire Amaterasu’s legend to become permanently fixed. For the story to be passed on over generations, repetition is needed. The cycle of the seasons, the diminishing strength of the sun in winter and the brightening of its light in the summer is more likely to have inspired this myth, even if it’s less spectacular. When we look to other cultures, we see this theme of cyclical changes in seasons repeated in some form or other all around the world.
Moreover, the creation of day and night is also attributed to Amaterasu who fell out with her brother Tsukuyomi, the Moon God, with whom she was close before. Since she decreed that they would not be seeing each other and exiled her brother to the other side of the sky, henceforth, night and day were created. From Ukemochi’s body, the Goddess of food who was killed by Tsukuyomi which led to Amaterasu’s wrath, edible plants and animals were created.
In the fight with her brother Susanoo, the God of Storm, his treatment of women is the reason Amaterasu retreats to the cave. She is not only fighting for herself, but she is also protesting men’s behaviour towards women, as is shown in both these stories. Each time, a woman loses her life at the hands of a man who can’t keep his anger under control. A theme that is, sadly, still very relevant a topic to this day.
Politics & the Divine
On a political level, the legend of Amateru was used for the emperor to legitimise his power as ruler over a people of so many different values and beliefs across the Japanese islands as a unifying force, both in worldly power and religious doctrine.
When the various creation stories of the Shinto deities were first assembled in the eighth century in the books of Kojiki und Nihonshoki, having a female deity as highest ruling one of a pantheon was rare in comparison to surrounding areas’ mythologies at the time. One of the reasons was probably that the Japanese ruler at the time was a woman, the empress Jito. She may have changed the gender of the sun deity from male to female to legitimise her power in an environment that was hostile to a female empress.
However, other scholars point to the fact that there are more female sun goddesses to be found, for example, the Germanic Sunna. As we know today, the Goddess religion was eradicated by patriarchal structures of religion and power over time, progressing at different timelines in different parts of the world. So it may very well be that the original highest deity in the Shinto system was a Goddess from the start.
The Message
Amaterasu doesn’t beat about the bush, and her message is as short and precise, as clear and cutting as her sword, while her presence is as bright at the beauty of the sun itself.
Don’t hide your light. Why would you do that in reference to people who do not value and respect you? Look into the mirror of your soul. Where do these fears and wounds come from? Do the people who inflicted them on you have any value to add to your life in regard to this? Why would you listen? Why would you consider them? Why would you believe that you are less than who you really are, an all-powerful Goddess, a creator, a person so unique that there are not two of you alike in this world?
If the person or people who harmed you did so out of ignorance, there is no wisdom to be gained from that past version of them. If they have evolved from there, all the better. If they took responsibility, forgive them, build a better relationship now. If they maintain they were correct in hurting you, sever ties. Do not allow anyone undeserving have influence over your life. Set clear boundaries and do it with the respect deserving of your sacred person, for yourself and others. YOU teach people how to treat you by the way you treat yourself. If you are an afterthought even in your own mind, you will be no more than an afterthought for everyone else around you.
Step into the light of your own glory and share it with the world, unafraid, for I am protecting and guiding you each time you ask and trust that the voice in your heart or head will guide you in the right direction. I am your confidence, your unadulterated light, your undiminished power. Dare to wield it and see what happens!
Amaterasu nods, as if agreeing with herself wholeheartedly, before she waves farewell, turns around and walks away. But a part of her remains, the part that is the strength and light inside me, that I can call upon any time when needed.
“We don’t bow to bullies,” her voice states firmly in my head, reminding me of the times when I kept quiet to keep the peace, to maintain someone’s comfort by sacrificing my own peace. I inhale her golden light of power deeply into my lungs. It spreads throughout my entire body, and I thank her for what she just did. I have transformed and will never be the same again. A radiant light emanates from me now and the Goddess reminds me to keep the flame burning, to feed it, to grow it. And even though she is already gone from my vision, she is still there with me, part of me, holding up that mirror internally for me to recognise my own strength.