Gods came in all shapes and sizes in the old days before religion.

 

Man throughout the ancient world had their own "Supreme Architypes" or Divine Entities that they worship or take refuge in. In the Scandinavian countries there was the Norse Gods like Odin -God of War and of Wisdom and Poetry who rules Valhalla or hall of the slain worshipped by the Vikings of old with His children as demi gods like Thor - the Mighty Thunder God and his brother Loki - the God of Mischief and Baldur - the God of Light and Courage to name a few. In ancient Greek religion and mythology there were twelve Gods, namely Zeus, Hera, Poseidon, Demeter, Athena, Apollo and so forth. The Native Americans worship Wakan Tanka the Great Spirit that was responsible for creating the Universe. and Manitou - the Spirit Power inherent in nature. among others each having different names according to the tribes that were scattered all over the Americas from Alaska to Chile in the south with the Mayans and Incas predominantly worshipping the Serpent God, names like Kukulkan, Itzamna - the Creator God, Hunab KU - the One God,  Chaac - the rain God and many others. These are ancient Gods, the gods of the forefathers before the intervention of the more recent God of Christianity.

Before the coming of Buddhism the Japanese worshipped the Goddess Amaterasu Okimaki - the Sun Goddess of their Shinto religion. Shinto is an animistic religion of ancient Japan and the worship of Nature in the form of Kami or spirits. All over the rural or countryside of Japan one finds Shinto shrines dedicated to local the local kami, the Fox spirit being very common in most cases. Having lived in Japan for three years I enjoyed travelling to the rural mountainous countryside visiting these 'Jinjas' or Shinto shrines hosing local deities or spirits. The introduction of Buddhism into Japanese lives did not totally erased the practice of Shintoism which is to me most fortunate cause if it had it would have erased a wealth of myth and folklore that was and is still present in Japanese culture. Animism or Shamanism as in Korea persisted all over the Asian countries in one form or another before the arrival of the more modern religions such as Buddhism, Hinduism and Christianity and Islam. In a way these beliefs helped to preserve the awe and respect for Nature which today has almost disappeared leading on to the  wanton desecration of forests of its flora and fauna. The worse case scenario of such disregard is happening in South east Asian countries where forests are burned to make way for the growth of plantations such as oil palm and rubber. The Island of Borneo suffers from such deforestation due to the logging industry which has eradicated some of the most ancient tropical rainforest in the region. Forest are still being cleared through burning all over Indonesia causing haze sometimes for weeks on end enveloping neighboring countries. When this happens one wonders what happens to the wild life and not to mention spirits dwelling in these forest.

I am very sure I must have related the time when i had the privilege of visiting the Longhouse of the Iban tribe in Borneo to celebrate the Gawai Hantu which I was told happens every 65 years where I met the Head of the whole six Iban tribes living in the Borneo jungle. It was a very spiritual journey for me as the event was deemed  a very memorable and auspicious event. It gave me a good taste of life in the rainforest in its more spiritual side. I have grown up in Malaysia pretty much intrigued by the life of the forest people and have made every effort to indulge myself every chance i had to visit these people. I am very fascinated by how they cope with the day to day activities and how they deal with the night and the unseen/spiritual part of this life. In the later part of my life i used to visit a Kampung or village at the edge of the forest in the Belantik area of Sik in the state of Kedah which is about two hours drive from Georgetown, Penang. With the intention of staying for two days i ended up staying for two months at Kampung Lintang where an experimental organic rice growing was being carried out. It was the closest i came to living out in the wild Malaysian jungle; it was an unforgettable experience where I learned more about myself and especially how to handle fear of the dark and the unknown. I am positive that I have related this experience in this Blog ; try seaching Lintang Organic Farm.  

" The mind of man is capable of anything because everything is in it. all the past as well as the future "Quote from "The Heart of Darkness" - Joseph Conrad.