Auspiciousness, Inauspiciousness and the Kami

An inauspicious day is not a day without the kami. Auspicious and inauspicious indicate different ways in which their work is manifest.

Two phases of one sacred movement

The movement of Taiitsu has a phase that gives, grows and brings to fruition, and a phase that cuts back, gathers and restores order. Autumn does not wither plants merely to destroy them; it stores the harvest and prepares the next cycle. Both phases are indispensable.

Auspicious days are times when expansion and fruition may appear more readily. Inauspicious days favour restraint, review and correction. Neither is permission to abandon judgement or responsibility.

What favourable days ask of us

Ichiryū-manbai-bi is likened to one seed growing into ten thousand: what grows is the seed we ourselves sow. Tensha-nichi is understood as a turning point at which heaven gives life, forgives past error and allows a renewed beginning. These days call for gratitude, reflection and a good first step, not passive expectation that every wish will be granted.

Virtue, hardship and daily practice

Tradition teaches that reverence allows divine virtue to become manifest and that good conduct shapes the path ahead. Yet human suffering must never be reduced to a judgement of a person’s morality; much lies beyond human understanding.

Begin with gratitude on favourable days. On difficult days, proceed carefully, put life in order and correct what should be corrected. The calendar is not an instrument of fear, but a guide for returning to a sound path.