Kotodama is a Japanese term that originates from Shinto, Japan’s animist religion.

Kotodama broadly translates as “the soul of words” or “spirit of speech. It is a belief that words and language hold a mystical power and that can influence the physical and spiritual realms.

Words and sounds are the DNA of communication which, like love, connects us all.

Homophones, homographs, homonyms, heteronyms, definitions, and etymologies provide insights into the nature of divine consciousness or ultimate reality.

Puns are more insightful than pundits.

Kotodama 81

Nose knows no’s.

Intuition reveals invisible traps.

Kotodama 14

The apocalypse is depicted as the destruction of the world at the end of times; yet, accompanied by revelations of the truth of existence.

As the world and time are creations of the self, apocalypse is not the end of the eternal and timeless universe.

Apocalypse is the end of the self.

 

“Apocalypse” literally means “the lifting of the veil”. The veil is the self.

Upon our bodily death, the self disappears.

What’s revealed behind the self is the soul, what we are before and after a brief journey in life as a self.

This is the truth of existence: the self is but a temporary illusion separating us from ultimate reality, the oneness of every thing.

Those who know this revelation before the apocalypse revel in life.

They recognize the soul in every thing, treating every thing with reverence and compassion.

Those not knowing this truth perceive the world created by the self as reality. Life is an emotional rollercoaster ride and apocalypse is horrific destruction.

Kotodama 42

U are who U are, a self in various roles in the play of life.

U are what U are, God in the audience.

U are double U (W), self and God.

The play of life unfolds in the now.

Yet, as the now is fleeting and beyond description, U are nothing (O) in the now.

Before, in and after the now, U are WOW.

Kotodama 90

To be or not to be?

To be too or two, unity or duality.

Unity is when we are not solely our self, but the universe too; a being and being.

Duality is when we are two, a self separate from the universe; a being, not being.

Kotodama 89

IT (information technology) is a glimpse of what is otherwise simply the ambiguous “it”.

Kotodama 88

The void is devoid.

It is not nothing.

It is the absence of any thing.

Kotodama 16

Our experience of reality is shaped by the language we use to describe it.

Certain common sounds transcend specific languages to suggest universal reactions to certain experiences.

Across languages, particularly interesting are the sounds for realization (ah) and laughter (ha).

As ah and ha are anadromes (words or phrases that spell different words or phrases backward), they suggest realization and laughter are a linked experience. When realization arrives it seems so obvious we laugh at ourselves for not having come upon it sooner.

Kotodama 71

A marriage is a mirage when a seemingly happy couple has no intimacy.

Kotodama 85

The words “new” and “now” look similar, for they describe the same thing.

New is when something is unlike anything in the past. That’s the experience of being in the now.

Kotodama 84

Light makes things light.

Experiences light the way.

Perspectives makes light of the way.

Kotodama 34

The mystical experience is seeing the light through the mist.

 

Kotodama 79

The role affects the roll and the roll affects the role.

Kotodama 27

I am this.

I am that.

I am many “Is”.

The everchanging Is is is.

Kotodama 45

Sole, soul, sol.

One transcendental thing manifested by light.

Kotodama 57

No know is know no.

When we realize we don’t know anything we come to know nothing, the essence of the Everything.

Kotodama 13

As the mind cannot sense, the sense it makes of our senses is nonsense.

Kotodama 20

The etymology of “universe” is “turned into one.”

The universe is not an infinite number of unique and everchanging things. It is all things turned into one.

As every thing is the universe, no thing can be described except with one (uni) verse: it is what it is whatever it is.

Kotodama 59

“Soooo” is the sound of inhaling.

“Hmmmm” is the sound of exhaling.

Together, the cycle of breathing is “Soham”, meaning “I am” in Sanskrit.

As a mantra, “I am” implies pure being; not a specified being or self, just ultimate reality (God).

Cross-culturally, in the Bible, “I am” is how God self-identifies.

Kotodama 70

Traditional gender titles of Mr, Mrs, and Ms are self-limiting in contemporary times. Perhaps punctuations should be used to identity people and their sexual identities, such as:

Female appearance:  (:)

Male appearance:  (;)

Straight:  (|)

Gay:  (\)

Bisexual:  (<>)

Trans  (\/)

Dominant Female:  (‘:)

Submissive Female:  (:’)

Dominant Male:  (‘;)

Submissive Male:  (;’)

Weird Female in public:  (“:)

Weird Male in public:  (“;)

Weird Female in private:  (:”)

Weird Male in private:  (;”)

Weird Female every which way:  (“:”)

Weird Male every which way: (“;”)

Undecided Person:  (?)

Materialistic:  ($)

Into group sex:  (#)

Sexually loyal:  (&)

Mental connection priority:  (i)

Physical connection priority:  (!)

Wants children:  (+)

Doesn’t want children:  (-)

Self-conscious:  (%)

Dreamer:  (*)

Religious:  (^)

Homebody:  (@)

 

For example, a person describing themselves as:

(“$^&’:@+) is a publicly weird materialistic religious loyal dominant Female homebody interested in having children.

(‘;!<>#*”-) is a dominant Male physically focused bisexual into group sex fantasies privately weird stuff and not interested in having children.

 

It’s clearly ridiculous when the mind categorizes ourselves and others with punctuation.  Categorization rejects the truth which is that each of us is unique and yet share a oneness.

Recognizing our unity, everyone could simply be referred to as “it”. This identifier is suggested by the long-used greeting: “How’s it going?”

Ultimately, those who know the true nature of things can only describe anyone or thing as “it is what it is whatever it is “. They are at peace, as they know the devil is in the details.

Kotodama 83

He who needs to be important is impotent.

Kotodama 80

When you have presence you don’t need presents.

Kotodama 82

A shaman is a showman.

A showman is a shaman.

Kotodama 78

I am eye.

Eye see the sea.

The sea is me.

Kotodama 74

“Mathematics is the language in which God has written the universe.” — Galileo Galilei

Mathematics connects everything in the universe. The etymology of the word number is “to divide.”

The universe emanates mathematics, the mind creates numbers.

Kotodama 72

I + Word = World

My word creates the world.

Kotodama 47

Your is you’re.

All you’ve is that you’re.

Kotodama 69

As U all are U to me and I am U to U all, all beings are Us.

Kotodama 68

Naked, we are open.

With clothes, we close.

Kotodama 2

When past is passed, it’s absent in the present.

Kotodama 65

“I”, “Is”, and “Time” are the most frequently used pronoun, verb and noun.

While these words are never together as a sentence, “I is time” reveals the ultimate truth of existence.

 

“I” implies a self separate from that which is not “I”.

Yet, “Is”, unlike “am”, suggests a universal identity beyond the personal self.

The universal identity is the soul, as every thing is a manifestation of the soul.

“Time” is an intangible aspect of solely the now, as what’s before and after the now (the soul) is timeless.

“I is time” is transcendental; pure being in the now.

 

As I is time, I (the self) use time to slice and dice the now into many small pieces, creating duality.

However, the slicing and dicing is an illusion as the now is continuous, everchanging and eternal; a manifestation of the soul.

When I (the soul) am time (the now), there are no pieces; just peace.

 

I is time

Acronym: “I-it” or “Eye-it”

“It” is the most unspecific description: it is what it is, whatever it is.

As “it” can refer to anything, it is essentially every thing.

“I it”: I and the universe are one.

“Eye-it”: what I see is what I am.

Kotodama 48

A nation that gets into pissing contests is a urine-nation.

Kotodama 21

“Wow” is an instinctive sound we make when something captivates, astonishes, or delights us.

The sound of “wow” is like love, made by puckering our lips when making a kiss.

Kotodama 64

As every thing we see is but a reflection of light, take things lightly.

Kotodama 22

“The Great Way” begins with “no know” and ends with “know no.”

“The Great Way” (or Tao), a central concept in Taoism, is the natural flow of the universe and the path to harmony. It is the path to liberation from our temporary individual self to realizing our eternal oneness with the Everything.

The Everything is the soul and its manifestation in the now.

The soul is what every thing is before and after it is what it is whatever it is in the now. The soul is “no-thing,” just energy.

The now is an infinite number of seemingly separate things. Separateness is an illusion, as all things in the now are one thing: interdependent manifestations of the soul. interdependent. Ultimately, all things in the now are one thing: interdependent manifestations (expressions) of the soul.

The self is who we are in the now.

The self conceives the now as a duality: the self and that which is not the self. Upon this foundational duality, we perceive separateness between all things in the now.

The self’s perception of separateness is based on illusions (memories, stories and identities) that define who we are, not what we are (the Everything).

The path to liberation begins when we realize we “no know”: we don’t know what we are. We then dispense with basing reality on the self and its illusions.

Dispensing with the illusion of separateness, we come to “know no”; to know the “no-thing” (the soul).

Knowing the soul, we experience the expressions of the soul (the now) as an interconnectedness of all things.

From the soul to the soul’s expressions and then reverting to the soul is the natural flow of the universe. Realizing this is what we are, the Everything, we are in harmony with the flow of the universe.

 

Meditation is a central practice of “The Great Way.” Through meditation, we can let go of the self which liberates us from the self.

Holding onto the self makes the hand a fist, an aggressive gesture suggestive of duality. Letting go the self, the hand opens like a handshake to connect with all things. The connection is love.

In meditation, we focus on breathing and the space between breaths. The breaths are the now and the space between breaths is the “no-thing” (the soul).

In the space of the “no-thing,” we can observe the now and come to realize we are the consciousness that creates it.

With the wisdom of knowing we are the Everything, we realize our self’s sense of separateness and the self itself are illusions. This wisdom leads us to compassion, to love all things in the now.

 

The sounds of “no know” and “know no” are the same, but their meanings distinct. The same energy vibrations (sound) from the soul is manifested as different words in the now.

Liberation is reverting from words to their sounds; from distinct to harmonious. The path back is the Tao. The Tao reveals that “no know” and “know no” are one; that we and the energy are one.

Kotodama 63

Affects are the means and effects are the ends, but effects affect affects.

Kotodama 44

It Is What It Is Whatever It Is

Acronym: II-WII-WII (pronounced: I why why)

Why do I exist? Why is the universe as it is?

It Is What It Is Whatever It Is.

There is no why. All there is is is.

Kotodama 62

Work is business, jobs are busyness.

Work implies activity. Jobs are about attendance.

Many people want jobs, not work; though appearing busy is tough work.

Kotodama 61

Each sense connects us to a facet of reality. Thoughts are a senseless connection.

Kotodama 41

The now is always the same and all ways different.

Kotodama 77

Heaven is “have-even,” where every thing is even, as every thing is one thing in the space before and after the now.

Kotodama 66

The eyes see the sea, what’s there.

The ears hear what’s here.

The nose knows.

Kotodama 53

When every day is holy, every day is a holiday.

Kotodama 52

Those who can explain “what it?” have wit.

Those who know “what is?” are wise.

Kotodama 40

Idol worshipers are idle, not working to realize divine consciousness.

Kotodama 51

God’s son is the sun.

God’s offspring is light.

Kotodama 29

Only hours are ours, as time is all we truly have.

Kotodama 50

When our tale defines us, the tail is wagging the dog.

Kotodama 36

Accepting is the path of unity.

Excepting is the path of duality.

Acceptance is a word, exceptance is not.

Kotodama 43

We chase our tales like dogs chase their tails.

Kotodama 46

In the eternal and endless universe, we are wee.

Kotodama 39

The holy is holey when some things are holy and some not.

Kotodama 33

The inside of a circle: a hole.

The inside and outside: a whole.

Kotodama 25

All Ways lead to always.

All mystical paths lead to oneness with eternity.

Kotodama 5

The definition of passion is:

Emotion.

An intense or overwhelming feeling.

An outbreak of anger.

A strong desire for some activity, object, or concept.

Sexual desire.

The etymology of passion is suffering.

Kotodama 28

Hap is the root of happiness.

Hap means luck.

Happiness is realizing that however difficult our circumstances we’re lucky things aren’t worse. Moreover, as all things are everchanging, we have another chance.

Kotodama 26

Good evening.

Have a good transition to sleep-death, where all beings (the smart, the stupid, the rich, the poor, etc.) are even.

Good morning.

Have a good time mourning the person you were yesterday, who is now no longer.

“The world is new to us every morning. Every man should believe he is reborn each day.” — Baal Shem Tov

Kotodama 15

Kindness connects things of like kind.

When we realize every thing is a facet of one thing, the Everything, we connect to all things with love.

Kotodama 58

The sole of a foot and the soul of a man are rarely seen foundations.

Kotodama 60

Before time begins, all is the NON.

Upon birth, the I of the self and the NON become the NOW.

With the I of the soul, the NOW is a WOW.

 

The I of the self is red, symbolizing emotions. We experience the now through a myriad of selfish emotions.

The I of the soul is yellow; light, the essence of everything.

The experience of the “non” with the I of self and the I of the soul is a “wow.”

Kotodama 17

“i” symbolizes the duality of body and mind.

“I” symbolizes integrity.

Kotodama 49

The etymology of “realization” is the Latin verb “realizare,” meaning “to bring back to reality, to make real.”

The etymology of “actualization” is the Latin verb “actuare,” meaning “to make something happen” or “to bring something into effect.”

In the context of their etymologies, self-realization is a noun and self-actualization is a verb.

When a tree knows it’s a tree, it is self-realized. When it bears fruit, it is self-actualized.

The self-realized are enlightened. The self-actualized are enlightening.

Self-realization is wisdom. Self-actualization is love.

IAWIA

“I am what I am.” — God, Exodus 3:14, The Bible

 

According to the Bible, Moses encountered a “burning bush” whose flames were not devouring its branches.

The burning bush was the manifestation of God; everchanging and eternal.

Moses asked God: “What is your name?” God said (depending on translation): “I am who I am” or “I will be what I will be”.

In the now, God manifests as a “who”. In the time after (and presumably before) the now, God is a “what”.

Encapsulating all times, we can paraphrase God: “I am what I am”.

 

In the now, God is a nameless “who”, implying God is not one person/thing but every thing.

As “what”, God is an unspecified transcendental potential of infinite manifestations.

God also self-identifies as “I am”; as being, not a being.

God is flow of the Everything.

 

“I am what I am” as an acronym (IAWIA) can be pronounced two ways:

“I WHY” (first vowel pronounced and second vowel silent).

“A-WAY” (first vowel silent and second vowel pronounced).

 

I WHY

Why do I exist?

The etymology of the word “universe” is “all things turned into one”; hence, I am the universe.

To ask why I exist is to ask why does the universe exist.

Reasons/explanations imply cause (a thing) and effect (another thing) are independent things.

However, the independence of things is illusionary; all things are interdependent as the “universe” is “all things turned into one”.

Simply, the universe just is.

 

A WAY

The written word for God is YHWH which may be pronounced as “A WAY”.

“A WAY” can be likened to the Tao (“the Way”), suggesting common revelations in Western and Eastern thought.

The Way is the underlying natural order of the universe, an eternal and ineffable force that flows through all things.

The Way is a nameless cosmic force that binds and releases all things; the energy of action and existence.

Aligning oneself with “A WAY”, one realizes harmony and balance; as all the pieces of the universe come together as one peace.

Kotodama 9

Awareness is like clothing.

It comes in two styles: “A-ware” and “B-ware.”

“A-ware” is open, loose fitting and comfortable.

“B-ware” is buttoned up and uncomfortable.

When approached, those wearing A-ware ask: “How can I help?”

Those wearing B-ware ask: “What do you want?”

Kotodama 32

Children are, unlike adults, unadulterated.

Kotodama 8

Upon awakening, every day is not everyday.

Kotodama 6

The Everything is no-thing and now-thing.

No-thing before and after the now-thing.

Kotodama 18

The two letters in the Hebrew word for “life” have a numerical value, in terms of sequential order in the alphabet, of 8 and 10. Added together, they total 18.

The number 18 is symbolic of life. Monetary gifts between Jews for various rites of passage (birthdays, weddings, holidays, etc.) are always given in multiples of 18 ($18, $54, $180, etc.).

The number 18 also informs us that life is finite and eternal.

1 is finite as it’s drawn from top to bottom, from heaven to Earth, from birth to death.

8 is eternal as it’s continuous, with no beginning and no end.

In life, the eternal soul is expressed as a finite self.

Moreover, 1 implies that every thing is essentially one thing: the expression of the soul. 8  implies every thing is interconnected.

Upon realizing all things are one interconnected thing, we treat every thing as we treat ourselves. That’s compassion.

Our oneness with every thing allows us to view the world from infinite perspectives. That’s the essence of wisdom.

Wisdom and compassion characterize a fully realized life.

Kotodama 3

Life is a present we receive when we are present.

Kotodama 24

Hear here.

Sound is the presence of the now.

Kotodama 1

A piece of a whole is the essence of duality.

The whole is peace.

Kotodama 11

Ah…Aha…Haha…Hahahaha

The sounds upon awakening.

Ah — joy.

Aha — the realization that joy is the purpose of life.

Haha — laughing at the simplicity of this realization.

Hahahaha — laughing at how silly we were for not realizing this earlier.

Kotodama 55

We have it backwards. Man’s best friend is not the material (dog), but the transcendental (god).

Kotodama 7

The present is the pre-sent, not the now.

The present is the space where every thing is before it is what it is whatever it is in the now.

In the present every thing is absent.

When we are in the present, we can observe the now and realize we are consciousness that creates the now.

Kotodama 35

“Real eyes realize real lies.” — Tupac Shakur