Understanding The Realm of the Ninzuwu in Shinto Cosmology

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From time to time we get an email or two inquiring about the Art of Ninzuwu and its meaning. We appreciate your questions and find delight in discussing and clarifying the work.

The Art of Ninzuwu is the cultivation of divine energy (love) for self-improvement and the advancement of the world of humanity. This is mentioned for us in The Ivory Tablets of the Crow:

“And when you receive the Dream of the Ninzuwu, you must vow to return to their realm and take refuge and service among them, even upon earth they will watch over thee for life….. It is the Sword that they will give to thee in Dreams. Know that the realm of the Ninzuwu is a place of mirrors above and below, side by side. It is a world of reflection, but the Ninzuwu walk about in this Dream as upon solid ground.”

Based on the passage cited above, the Initiate of the Art of Ninzuwu must “return” to the Realm of the Ninzuwu, which is described as a place of mirrors above and below. What is the meaning of this? We can gain some insight into this subject by first coming to an understanding of what the “mirrors” are that make up the abode of the Ninzuwu.

In Shinto cosmology, a mirror represents a vehicle that expresses the will of the divine world in the dimension of space and time. In ancient times, mirrors were noted for their ability to reflect the light of the Sun, which was considered to be a symbol of the fourth-dimensional quality. This understanding can be easily gleamed from several passages in the Nihon Shoki:

“In one writing it is said: “Izanagi no Mikoto said: ‘I wish to procreate the precious child who is to rule the world.’ He therefore took in his left hand a white-copper mirror, upon which a Deity was produced from it called Oho-hiru-me no Mikoto. In his right hand he took a white-copper mirror, and forthwith there was produced from it a God who was named Tsuki-yomi no Mikoto.”

Here we see an alternate version of the myth, involving the creation of Amaterasu Ohkami (Oho-hiru-me no Mikoto) and her brother the Moon god, Tsuki-yomi no Mikoto. Different than other versions of the creation story involving the two stellar deities, in this example we see that the Sun and Moon were called into being by Izanagi-no-Mikoto’s use of a ‘white-copper’ mirror. This illustrates one aspect of the mirror, in that it is the ability to project the will of thy “inner sun” into reality with great success. The “white-copper” mirror is described in the Ivory Tablets of the Crow as follows:

“The Ninzuwu have the stature of a man and that of a woman. It is a mysterious race. Their height is over twelve feet tall and in front they appear as a woman, and when they turn about, thou will see a face and body of a man upon their backside. They carry no emotion and walk with bright copper skin and white wings that extend the length of a man’s arm.”

The Yi Jing Apocrypha of Genghis Khan reveals that the passage cited above is a metaphor for the taijitu symbol. When we follow the Ways of Heaven and Earth our words become the mirror upon which we make our experience manifest.  This aspect of inner alchemy is covered in the Ivory Tablets under the topic Johuta the Mirror. Another use of the “mirror” is found in one of my favorite passages in the Nihon Shoki:

“At this time Ama-terasu no Oho-kami took in her hand the precious mirror, and, giving it to Ame no Oshi-ho-mi-mi no Mikoto, uttered a prayer, saying: ‘My child, when thou lookest upon this mirror, let it be as if thou wert looking on me. Let it be with thee on thy couch and in thy hall, and let it be to thee a holy mirror.”

Once the Initiate has activated the “crow,” the internal spirit, they can then communicate with other sentient creatures in different forms through the language of intuition. It is unfortunate that many dedicate themselves to forms of magic that leave them clueless about the laws of nature. The result is that they live in a world, but do not know how to communicate with any of its living creatures. Out of laziness, they seek “alien” forms of life, so as to be rescued by some “thing” with the same five senses. Meanwhile, there is boundless wisdom that can be sought from our neighbors, the plants, the trees, rocks, and even the stars themselves once the Initiate learns the language of intuition.

In one aspect, we see that the mirror symbolizes the projection of our will, in accord with the divine world, thereby shaping and creating our experience. On the other hand, the “mirror” also symbolizes our union and understanding of the divinity in nature and the starry realms, knowing their purpose and that what we see in them also exists within us.

Throughout the history of humankind there have been other mirrors used to advance human civilization and understanding of the world we live in. These “mirrors” exist as noted spiritual institutions or religions.  It is for a certain time that these groups possess the fire of life, kundalini, and are able to “bring down from Heaven” a certain form of consciousness useful for man’s development. Unfortunately, after a few generations the “fire” of this group dies and people begin to use the relics of this spiritual vehicle, as a way to make themselves out to be superior over others. These vehicles, due to the behavior of those who inherit the responsibility of caring for such, are no longer sources of “fire,” the kundalini, but become simple vehicles of life-force. In the teachings of the Art of Ninzuwu, the kundalini, the Soul of Fire, is defined as the generator of life-force. It is like the Sun, the kundalini, being the generator of life-force energy of living creatures on this plane of existence.  Please review our article (Amaterasu Omikami and the Force of Kundalini.)

The life of a star is not forever, nor is the presence of a spiritual vehicle among the humankind. The majority of people with only follow a group after the “fire” is gone. During the time that a particular spiritual vehicle carried the “fire of life” it is shunned by the masses. After the fire dies, a legend remains. People want to feel close to something powerful without doing the necessary initiatory work, so they will then join the organizations after the fact. As a result, they become stuck on this illusion that they can gain power in a world where everything is dying instead of focusing on preserving and resurrecting things that can improve life here and now. You don’t need to put on a psychological costume, or physical one just to be able to create change in the world we live in. Hollywood has invented magical covens and churches for over a hundred years now, how sad indeed.

We are not in need of quantity, but a few quality individuals to serve in the divine plan today. This is discussed in the Ivory Tablets of the Crow:

“And when you receive the Dream of the Ninzuwu, you must vow to return to their realm and take refuge and service among them, even upon earth they will watch over thee for life. “

The Realm of Ninzuwu is the science of being a part of both “mirrors,” as they look into each other. This is confirmed for us once again in the Ivory Tablets of the Crow, under the topic, Johuta the Mirror:

“The Prayer of Fire…Is the glance…When that which is Self-Aware…Stares at itself…Nine books in the Dream…Like a lightning bolt….It binds what is Self…To that which is Self.”