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 92

From every position in time or space, the universe seems an infinite and endless number of unique and everchanging things.

However, the etymology of the word “universe” is literally “turned into one.” The universe is all things as one thing: the universe is the universe.

As all the seemingly independent things are unique and everchanging, nothing can be described or explained but with one (uni) verse: It is what it is whatever it is.

Kotodama 90

“Soooo” is the sound of inhaling.

“Hmmmmm” is the sound of exhaling.

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

I am the now. I am the universe.

In the Abrahamic religions, God is identified as “I am.”

Kotodama 89

As male/female titles “Mr.”, “Mrs.” and “Ms.” are out of fashion in the digital age, perhaps punctuations should be used to identity people and their sexual proclivities; to wit:

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.

 

Alternatively, 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 181

Knowing the world through our senses makes sense.

When our mind makes sense of our senses, we aren’t experiencing our senses.

Kotodama 85

“What doesn’t make sense doesn’t make cents.” — Roger Ebert

Kotodama 83

When you’re impotent, you need to be important.

Kotodama 80

If you don’t have presence bring presents.

Kotodama 78

I am what eye see.

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. Contrawise, the human mind created the word “number” whose etymology is “to divide.”

Kotodama 76

“The medium is the message.”

“The medium is the mess-age.”

“The medium is the mass-age.”

“The medium is the massage.”

Marshall McLuhan

 

“The medium is the message” means that the information carrier (TV, movie, newspapers, etc.) distorts the information such that at times it is unrecognizable to the information producer. The distortion is generally unintended, like in the game of Chinese Whispers. However, often the information carrier intentionally distorts the message for their own effect.

Moreover, the medium is often more the focus of the viewer’s attention than the information the medium provides. For example, a spiritual leader often receives more attention from his followers than the message he provides.

“The medium is the mess-age” implies the same information from different carriers can be so different that the information is more confusing than informative.

“The medium is the mass-age” means there are so many carriers conveying the same information, the viewer is overwhelmed and can’t take in other information.

“The medium is the massage” means the view seeks stress relief more than information. That is, content that makes the viewer content.

As the affects of message, mess-age, mass-age and massage are overwhelming, the viewer stops to think independently.

Kotodama 72

I + Word = World

My word creates the world.

Kotodama 13

“Sol” is the name of the Roman sun god.

From soul comes light.

Kotodama 47

All that’s your is you’re.

All you have is that you are.

Kotodama 88

The etymology of the word “universe” is literally “turned into one.”

The universe is the Everything turned into one thing.

 

The Everything is the now and what is before and after the now.

Sometimes, the Everything is called “God.”

As many people pray to God for many specific things but ultimately happiness, the workings of the universe may reveal the peace beyond near-term happiness.

God is like a shiny coin rapidly flipping and reflecting light.

One side is called “heads” and the other called “tails.” The plural is used to describe each side because each time we see the same side it is different in time and space than it was before and we are not the same person from one minute to the next.

The side we see is the now. The side we don’t see is what is before and after the now.

As God is rapidly turning, the visible side is just reflections of light. However, the mind slows down the turning and creates detailed images from the light. The images and the stories we tell about them are illusions.

The heads and tails seem a duality. However, the duality is also an illusion. All there is are two sides “turning into one,” the universe in the form of a coin.

Rarely noticed is the edge of the coin, the “third side.” The third side interconnects the two seemingly independent sides that are actually interdependent as one cannot exist without the other.

Horizontally from edge to edge is an invisible central axis, or path, around which the coin dances in perfect harmony. The path is the “Tao.”

The Tao is ultimate reality,* the underlying principle or source from which all things arise and to which they return. The Tao is the natural flow and harmony of the universe.

When we simply appreciate the coin fluttering like a butterfly, we are in tune with the Tao. We are not distracted by images and related stories we’ve created. We are in a state of peaceful harmony.

Most of us are oblivious of the Tao, as our attention is on what was now, what is now and what will be now, the visible side of the coin.

We see what is now in the context of what was and we hope to get lucky; that the next visible side, the next now, will bring us happiness.

“Hap” means luck. It is the root of happiness.

We pray to God to bring us luck.

Yet, when we experience the simple beauty of the Tao, we realize eternal peace rather than temporary happiness.

 

*While a coin flipping in the air seems a simple process, it’s actually extremely complicated to explain in terms of physics. It involves classical mechanics, rotational dynamics, angular momentum and precession, fluid dynamics, chaos theory and quantum mechanics. In perspective, the theory of relativity is considered easier to come to know than coin flip dynamics.

Kotodama 69

As everyone who is not me is U and I am U to everyone else, 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 in a sentence, “I is time”, they reveal the ultimate truth of existence.

“Is”, unlike “am”, suggests an identity relating to universal reality beyond the personal self.

“I is time” implies I am not a thing, emotion or characteristic. I am not one thing to the exclusion of other things; essentially, I am not the self.

“I is time” is transcendental. I is a flow of events. I is infinite, continuous, eternal. I is being, not a being.

 

The acronym “I-IT” (I Is Time) also illuminates.

“IT” is the most unspecific description. “IT” is what “IT” is whatever “IT” is.

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

“I-IT”: I, the universe.

 

I is time, the flow of the universe.

Kotodama 21

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

Love is our connection to what we react to by uttering “wow”. The sound “wow” is made by puckering our lips like 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 (which exists only in the now) 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. However, their separateness is an illusion, as all things are interdependent. Ultimately, all things in the now are one thing: the manifestation (expression) 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.” That is, our self does not know what we are. We then dispense with our heretofore perception of reality based 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 expression of the soul, the now, as an interconnectedness of all things.

From the soul to the soul’s expression and the reverting to the soul is the natural flow of the universe. Realizing that 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 in turn liberates us from the self.

Holding the self makes the hand a fist, an aggressive gesture suggestive of duality. Letting go the self, the hand opens like a handshake that allows us to connect with all things (facets of the now). 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 the now is one thing (the expression of the soul) and we are the consciousness that creates it. We are the Everything.

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 love all facets of 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 differently as 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 purposeful, goal-oriented activity. Jobs evaluations are based on whether you show up or not.

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 51

God’s son is the sun.

God’s offspring is light.

Kotodama 29

Only hours are ours.

Our time in life is the only thing we 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.

Kotodama 43

We chase our tales like dogs chase their tails.

Kotodama 46

On Earth, we are we.

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 31

I see the sea,

not the ocean which is greater than me.

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.

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 92

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. Experiencing the now as one interconnected thing is love. The experience of the “non” with the I of self and the I of the soul is a “wow.”

Happy New Year 2024, Hopefully

2024, the year of consequential choices; harmony or death.

In 2024, all roads lead to 4; 2 + 2 = 4, as does 2 x 2.

The number 2 is associated with duality, representing two complementary or opposing forces; light and dark, good and evil, male and female, or yin and yang.

Likewise, 2 + 2 is additive, complementary; while 2 x 2  (like measures of length and width) suggests intersection, conflict.

In the West, 4 represents stability, balance and harmony; the complementary. However, in China, Korea and Japan, 4 is associated with death (often what results from conflict), as the word for “4” in their respective languages is pronounced identically like their word for death.

So here we have it, 2024, the year of harmony or death; hopefully we make the better choice.

 

Kotodama 49

Whether depends on weather which depends on whether which depends on weather…

Kotodama 17

i, the duality of body and mind, becomes I as it transitions to integrity.

Kotodama 14

In our endeavors as a self, we win or lose.

As a soul, it’s one or lost; one with the Everything or a lost soul.

Kotodama 16

The soul has only a sole expression and a sole emotion.

The sole expression is the now.

The sole emotion is love, connecting every thing in the now.

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 be of 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 is what the Everything is before and after it is what it is whatever it is in 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.

With wisdom and compassion, we are 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

The whole is peace, but a piece of the whole is duality.

 

Kotodama 23

Patients need patience as time heals all.

Kotodama 11

The sounds of an awakening:

Ah. Aha. Haha. Hahahaha.

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