Call of the Kami

By Teresa Garcia

The world is a fine tapestry, ever worked and ever evolving upon the loom of spirit. The worlds of the visible and invisible mesh, and sometimes the unseen is glimpsed between the red posts of the torii on a walk in the woods, or at home. The Kami ever call for their Miko, and they are both within us all. The flower of a poem opens her petals to the sun, amidst a garden of other poems.

The poetry herein is the product of a Western Woman who has been heavily influenced by the East, and particularly by her researches into Shinto spirituality and Japanese folklore. Although the poems and songs speak for themselves, brief explanations of culture have been included, with a list of resources for further reading in the back.

Teresa Huddleston-Garcia is a mother of two living at the foot of the sacred Mount Shasta in Northern California. She has written poetry nearly all her life, and draws upon her love of nature and the intricate webs of life for inspiration.

Song of the Dragon Vessel

I walk the earth upon two feet
To be a path for earth and sky to meet.
A vessel for the crystal light
Shining ever with love and might.
I guide the other to see
The waiting dragons that patient be.
I search for those of my race
Though separated by time and place.
A voice for their Voice I chose to be
Until all finally grasp their Eternity.

• Language: English
• Publisher: THG StarDragon Publishing
• Release date: Sep 16, 2012
• ISBN: 9781301131112

Teresa Garcia

Teresa Garcia (once Teresa Huddleston-Garcia) is a 30-something mother of two children with special needs, raising them "alone" in the small mountain town of McCloud, CA. Just because she is on her own though, does not mean that she is "alone." Many thanks are due to the McCloud Community Resource Center, to her brother and his family, and her mother, for all their help. She loves to text role play, write stories, hike, paint, meditate, and play games or read with her kids. She also writes quests for, and helps to maintain, the online browser-based RPG Dragon Hearts. As Amehana, Teresa volunteers time for the Trotsdale Public Library in Second Life. She was raised in another mountain community, which she visits as often as she can spare time and gas, though not nearly often enough for her wishes. Her parents always encouraged her writing and artistic talents. In 2005, she decided to pick up the dream of writing and publishing a novel once more, having shelved that (and the "Shadow Chronicles" manuscript) in her early college years due to the time constraints of motherhood at the time. In 2006 she released to the public her first novel in the "Dragon Shaman" series, "Taming the Blowing Wind," and has since published a second book in the series and a poetry book. She likes to deal with multicultural themes because of her own background. Currently Teresa has several manuscripts to work on, such as her "Dragon Shaman" series of novels and her current favorite serialized story, "Selkies' Skins." She is also currently narrating "The Ian's Realm Saga" trilogy by DL Gardner, expected to be available April 2018. Teresa writes short stories for children in the Adventures of Lightning the Cat series. Her other titles are intended for more advanced readers. Her personal blog is located at http://rainstardragon.livejournal.com You can check out what she has available for her patrons at her Patreon: http://www.patreon.com/Amehana In addition to finding her in print on Lulu, she can be found at Amazon Author Central. http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B009Q938VE

Book preview

Call of the Kami

By Teresa Huddleston-Garcia

Also known as Teresa Garcia

Published by THG StarDragon Publishing

Smashwords Edition

Smashwords Edition, License Notes

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people, unless you are buying it as a gift for them. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

Copyright 2012 Teresa Garcia

Originally Published 2006

Contents

Front Matter

Dedications

Purpose

Land of the Kami

The Miko

Courting Dragons

The Broken Red Thread

A Simple Shinto Ritual

Glossary of Terms

Resources of Interest

About the Author

Dedications

As this Smashwords edition is different in energy, in some ways, from the original Lulu Edition, I feel it appropriate to redo the dedications. Therefore, this book is for my children, for the future. I thank my mate Vadise, who has deeper connections with me than I ever thought would be possible when I met him, and who has seen me through so much and helped to repair the shattered mirror of my soul after several hard lessons. Thank you also to my parents, one of which has crossed over to the land of the dead but still dwell eternally with me. For Izanami-no-mikoto and Izanagi-no-mikoto, primordial kami to whom I owe so much.

Goruden-sensei, thank you for your help and support, and for being patient and telling me the old stories as you remember them time and again as well as helping me to find books and people to further me on my own path of emergence. I must not forget my friends from childhood to present. Last, and certainly not least, I give thanks to the rest of the Kami-sama.

Purpose

In sharing this, I hope in part to raise awareness of Shinto spirituality and Japanese myths and legends. Some have said that it is a path that can only be followed by those of Japanese descent. The argument centers on the reverence given to the sun Kami Amaterasu and the Mikado as her divine descendant prior to Emperor Hirohito’s denouncement of his divinity in 1946.

The message of Shinto does not apply solely to the Japanese people as some think, but to the world at large. Each person and animal is a child of the Kami, even when they are given different labels due to different nationalities. In today’s world, this is an especially important message, and echoed by other religions throughout the world. Everyone is Divine and carries the Seed of the Divine. Each creature or object is a Mirror, a Kagami.

My intent is not to suggest one religion over another, each person must decide their own path, must heed the call of the Divine in their own way. This is but one path. Perhaps if everyone learns about all religions and grasps the Pearl of Truth that each is built around then there will be peace. If not, then it is a step in the right direction.

These poems that follow were inspired while I was learning about the myths and legends of Japan, swimming through the folklore to better my understanding of the country. Due to personal experiences, the tales of the Kami called to me the loudest, although the Youkai certainly do make their appearances. In a land were a single word can have many meanings, the lines between things blur in the mist, at least for a Western Woman.

Do not take these poems as anything set in stone. Each is a reflection on archetypes. What you glean from them may be different from the thoughts that I was seeking to record. If the stories and lore interest you, then I suggest that you make your own studies.

~ Teresa Huddleston-Garcia

Red Arched Bridge

Original Sketch 2007

Land of the Kami

Kamikakushi is the hiding of a person or object by a