Misogi

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Night misogi under cold waterfall at Tsubaki Great Shrine, Japan

Misogi is a Shinto practice involving purification in a waterfall or other natural running water. Water-misogi may be likened to dousing practices.

There is the Sen Shin tei Misogi Well at the Ki Society Headquarters in Japan, where people perform misogi with cold water before sunrise. At Tsubaki Great Shrine in Mie prefecture, misogi is performed under an outdoor waterfall mornings and evenings. In Kyoto, people douse themselves under Kiyomizu Temple's famous Otowa no taki, or Sound-of-Wings Waterfall, although the majority of visitors drink from the waters rather than plunging into them (1).

Before undergoing misogi, people undergo preliminary purification practices. Women put on white kimono and headband. Men put on a loin cloth and head band. They then begin to "shake the soul" by bouncing their hand in front of the stomach to become aware of the soul's presence within. They then start warm-up calisthenics called bird rowing. Following the leader they begin to shout invocations that are said to activate the soul, affirm the potential for realizing one's own soul, and unifying the people with the Kami.

Before entering the waterfall the participants raise their metabolism and absorb as much ki as possible by a special form of deep breathing. They are sprinkled with purifying salt and are given sake to spit into the waterfall in three mouthfuls. The leader counts to nine and then cuts the air while shouting the word "yei!" to dispel this impurity. The participants then enter the waterfall while contiuously chanting the phrase "harae-tamae-Kiyome-tamae-ro-kon-sho-jo!" This phrase asks the Kami to wash away the tsumi from the six elements that make up the human being, the five senses and the mind.

Misogi is also used in some forms of martial arts, especially Aikido to prepare the mind for training and to learn how to develop your "hara", or centre. The founder of Aikido, Morihei Ueshiba regularly used this form of meditation to compliment his training and search for perfection