Tuesday, December 13, 2005

Sukyo Mahikari's omitama

I've come across two people recently who have left Mahikari, but still have omitama kept in a cupboard and are trying to decide what to do with it. What did you do with yours?

Come on. Don't be shy. Please post a comment, anonymously if you wish, and tell us what you did with omitama after you left Mahikari. There are no right or wrong answers. Are you still wearing it? Is it in a cupboard? Did you return it to dojo? Did you get someone else to return it for you? Is it floating around somewhere in the back of your socks drawer? Did you open it? What happened next? Did you then experience worse luck, better luck, or no noticeable change?

I'm just trying to collect some facts and figures here. I think most kumite are burdened with strong fears about what will become of them if they don't wear omitama, so it'd be nice to have some statistics (and I think they would be reassuring ones) to give them. Something like, out of 160 ex-kumite who no longer wear omitama, only one has had a car accident, three have broken a limb or had a serious health problem, and none have been hit by lightning or a bus...

In my case, I sort-of side-stepped the issue by continuing to wear omitama for several years after leaving Mahikari. It then sat on a shelf in a cupboard for another year or two. It's so long ago, I really don't remember clearly, but I suspect I then wanted the cupboard space for something else, and my life was progressing just fine without wearing it. At that stage, I still hadn't worked out exactly what I thought about Mahikari, so I just "played it safe" and returned omitama to dojo.

I really don't think it matters what one does with omitama. (Doing nothing at all with it is fine too.) Returning it to dojo suited me at the time, and these days I rather like the idea that it is one of probably hundreds of thousands of unwanted omitama at HQ somewhere. What on earth do they do with them all?

Returning it also, as it happens, worked out very well for me. The doshi I returned it to just happened to mention Garry Greenwood's book, All the Emperor's Men, which I didn't know existed at that time. Reading that was my first step towards starting to realize how deceptive Mahikari is. If I didn't know better now, I'd call that a "divine arrangement"!?!

Actually, over the years since I left Mahikari, I've experienced many lucky coincidences and examples of general good fortune...the sort of things that, when I was a kumite, I would have regarded as clear evidence of "divine arrangement" or the "protection of omitama". I've not been counting, but my subjective impression is that the number of such occurrences of good fortune have been just as higher, if not higher, than when I was a kumite.

My personal view is that omitama itself is just an object, and that it is one of the things used by the Mahikari organization to entrap us. Firstly, we are told that omitama is wonderful and will protect us. Then we are told about all sorts of possible spiritual calamities (purely fictional) and taught to fear them, so I think we all ended up with phobias about the dreadful things that might happen if we did not wear omitama and obey the rules surrounding its care.

People like Hassan write about how, if a cult controls our actions, it can then easily control our thoughts and feelings. I wonder if that is the sole reason that we had such detailed rules about how to handle omitama? The daily ritual of washing hands with special soap, etc., and also the extreme care with which we rewrapped it, inevitably made us feel like it was a precious and sacred object. Our own repeated actions imbued it with a sacredness that it does not have!

Psychologically, too, its hard to let go of the idea that omitama is important, simply because we have spent so much time taking care of it in the past. To decide, now, that we have been duped about this makes us feel very foolish indeed. Besides, it was nice, wasn't it, to feel that we had something special protecting us?

I've not heard of anyone whose life has taken a turn for the worse after getting rid of omitama. We do know that omitama doesn't necessarily protect people...you may have read the account in Garry Greenwood's book about the five dedicated Mahikari Tai people who were killed in a horrific accident? I've heard of other accidents, too, where omitama has not provided protection.

I really think this whole omitama thing was just designed to make kumite feel that they couldn't get along, or lead a happy life, without Mahikari. Mahikari mind control certainly makes heavy use of our fears (false fears which were generated by Mahikari doctrine in the first place) as a means of controlling us...as do many other cults.

The good thing about Hassan's Combatting Cult Mind Control is that it gives many, many examples of this sort of thing in other cults. It's easy to see these mechanisms at work in other cults, because our residual mind control thoughts and feeling do not kick in from our subconscious in the way they tend to if we are thinking about Mahikari itself.

Hassan's second book, Releasing the Bonds, gives practical self-help tips on getting rid of fears that have been embedded in our subconscious. Sometimes, though, I think simply reading about other people's experiences in other cults is sufficient to unlock a lot of the mind control effects.

Certainly, it would help reassure people who are wondering what to do with omitama right now if they see LOTS of comments here from former members who got rid of omitama years ago. (Actually, the vast majority of former members are probably busy getting on with their lives and are not even reading this...so, those of you who are, please comment!)

Thanks!

御み霊,どうしましたか。まだつけていますか。押し入れや引き出しの中にしまってありますか。自分で道場に返しましたか。誰かに頼んで返してもらい ましたか。開けてみましたか。御み霊をはずした後、何か(いいこと、わるいこと)変化がありましたか。
御み霊を神経を使って丁寧に扱うことが、マインドコントロールにつながっていた,と思いませんか。意見をお待ちしています。

18 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

I returned mine to the Dojo. Well, actually I felt ill at the thought of stepping onto the Dojo grounds at all, so my husband returned it for me, along with his and our son's omitamas (neither of which had been worn for some time). We put them into their boxes, wrapped them up, and he took them in, just left them at the front desk.

December 14, 2005  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

When I was still a kumite, someone returned their omitama by putting it in the rubbish bin in the women's toilet! Everyone was so shocked ;)

December 14, 2005  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

My sister hadn't been wearing hers, and it was stolen from the house when the place was robbed! She hasn't had any bad effects since stopping wearing it.

December 15, 2005  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Hello Anne,
Thanks for starting this forum, do you mind if I make a link to our mahikari information web site?

We were taught at primary kenshu that the pendant was more precious than life itself, it is connected to the supreme god through the spiritual leader, we were special people connected together through special divine arrangements. The children of light, the new generation of spirit centred seed people to herald in the new true holy century.

When my time to leave SM came around, I too wondered what to with the pendant. There I was with the advanced pendant in front of me, this thing I had worn around my neck for years, had gone to extraordinary lengths to keep it dry, safe, never dropping it, never ever putting it in a place the feet could go. For so many years starting with primary, secondary, finally tertiary , taking care of all three in the prescribed manner.

I took off all the wrapping, how many times had I done that over the years, every month, same routine. That time was different however, I went one step further and opened it. What a let down!, just a bit of paper folded up and glued in......it wasn't even folded neatly......Oh! it had a Japanese character on it as well, I'm not sure if it was hand done or printed.
I was curious to see what all the fuss is about, what made this pendant so holy? It is hard to recall what I actually felt at the time, it was awhile ago. I do remember thinking I am NOT going to have my life limited by a cheap bit of gold plated jewellery and all that goes with it any more!.....if there was any power attached to this thing......then bring it ON!. At least there would be a bit of proof that there was something in the whole thing, rather than a load of superstitious speculation.

I was quite disappointed...... no flash of lightening, the roof didn't fall in, no apparition appeared before me pointing the finger, I didn't get run over by a bus...... now that would have been impressive, a bus crashing through my front door! ............and hey! surprise!, surprise! the earth still spun in its orbit, the normal things in life still held sway over day to day activities. I would have loved to have seen something........it was just so ordinary! Although I did feel cleaner inside and a kind of tension evaporated,

To put things in perspective. A few years ago I was an officer on 50,000 ton cargo ship being pushed backwards by a force 10+ gale. The waves were about the height of 8 story buildings. The whole bow and most of the forward section of vessel would plow into the on coming mountains of water and go under. The whole vessel would shudder and groan and slowly right itself then plow into the next onslaught. If for any the reason the forward hatches were to come loose and take water the ship would not recover. I felt exhilarated to experience such a maelstrom of nature up front personal, so extreme and even better..... Mahikari free. Here I am years later writing about it and a veteran of all kinds of storms.

To experience what each day presents without the Mahikari mill stone around the neck and all the control mechanisms that go with it, is an honest way of life, it's called - being true to ones self.
Life is too short and too precious to sell it so cheaply to a quasi spiritual organisation with a very shady past like Mahikari. Living our own life is the real, relevant and probably the reason why we are alive anyway. Mahikari can be a diversion along life's journey to discover the the real person inside, some of us need to experience the effect of man made spiritual rules, to kick start our inner strength. Gaining the maturity and having the confidence to break loose from the restrictions of Mahikari.......now THAT is living.

I sometimes think that Mahikari members are babies waiting to be born without them knowing it, whether a student or a scientist they will remain spiritual neophytes if they choose to be warm and comfortable inside a familiar womb.
The day they leave the Mahikari womb, cut the omitama umbilical cord and breath the fresh air of spiritual freedom, is the day they stop being an Okada clone and continue to grow as a unique human being.

December 17, 2005  
Blogger Anne said...

Hi Steve,

Thank you for your comment, and yes, links are always good! Please feel free to put a link to this blog on your site.

What is the URL for your Mahikari information site?

December 17, 2005  
Blogger Anne said...

A senior ex-member had the following to say to me in a recent email:

"To be honest, many ex members do have a hard time after SM, but only usually for a short time as they suddenly find themselves thrown back into the real world and sometimes are not fully equipped to deal with it because of their comparitave isolation within SM.
Bad things don't happen, its just that they are suddenly confronted again with the real world which has no sympathy for ex cult members."

December 18, 2005  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Thanks Anne, I have added a link to your discussion site to http://members.ozemail.com.au/~skyaxe/.

I have been enjoying reading your comments, please keep them coming.

When we did an internet search on Mahikari about 9 years ago...... goodness.... it's been that long! I recall it yielded 2 results. Nowdays a google search will deliver about 40,000, with the Mahikari Exposed site on the first page - so I guess the site has had some impact. At the time we had no idea of the immense interest it would generate from so many people, the support from all over the world over the years is astounding. The international interest in the experiences of former Mahikari members who contribute to the site, maintains the sites momentum.
The name of the game these days is to make informed choices, we hope we can offer a balanced view, based on the extensive ( some say expensive :) ) experience of former Mahikari members from all around the world.

Cheers,
Steve

December 26, 2005  
Blogger Anne said...

Ah...so you're the Mahikari Exposed site guy! It's good to "meet" you Steve.

You've done a great job there. Yours was the first site I came across when I started to look for former member sites. Thank you for all the time and effort you must have put into developing the site. I'm sure you've helped many people come to terms with the issues involved in leaving Mahikari.

Thanks, too, for adding a link to this blog. (I already had a link to your site in my sidebar).

December 27, 2005  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

When I left SM for a long time after I continued to wear my pendant. I was scared of the consequences of removing the it for a long time. I guess I expected the world to cave in on me or that me removing it would summon the Apocolypse or something...but when I finally did get the strength it was the most liberating expirience I have ever had. What made me do it...I suppose it was looking back at my former self; seeing who I was and who I had become. I had always prided myself on my ability to think for myself and go against the grain if that was what I believed in, regardless of the consequences. I was a strong Scorpio woman, a rebel, a independant thinker. Someone who would have never allowed anyone to control or manipulate me. Yet there I was, being control and manipulated my this tiny little object. Not even a human being, a mere necklace. My fears were controlling me, which was just as bad, if not worse, than someone else controlling me. Coming to this realization made me angry. I wanted to destroy this thing. I wanted it gone forever. To me it was evil, I know that sounds heavy and dramatic, but at the time that was truly how I felt. I started a fire in a barrell out in a field near my home. When the fire was built up I tossed the omitama into the flames. I was glad to be rid of the wreched thing. After that it has been my mission to try and remove as many kumite from Mahikari as possible. I have been speaking in junior highs and high schools about being an individual and not following the crowd, as well as telling them about my exprieince in this cult and explaining the dangers of getting sucked in by these, dare I say, terrorist groups. I have told my story to several schools throughout Texas, Louisiana, and Flordia. If I am able to help even one child from being victimized, it makes all my efforts worth while.

December 29, 2005  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

「御み霊」と別れて、包み替えに神経を減らすこともなくなり、下着に小さなポケットを縫い付ける必要もなく、下着の洗濯に神経をとがらせなくていい、「御み霊」が寝具に触れやしないか心配しなくていい、風呂・シャワーに簡単にはいれる、水鉄砲で気軽に遊べる、等々の、細かいことも含めて,真光の,「足かせ」 ならぬ 「首かせ」 から解放されました。
はずして始めて、「御み霊」が真光教団のマインドコントロールの道具の一つで、とても巧妙で効果的な代物だったとわかりました。
私の場合、目立って運が変わったということはありません。
..................火の鳥phoenix3000

January 01, 2006  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Hi everyone, I have had an interesting thought regarding Omitama. We have established that Yoshikazu Okada was a minister of SKK, although SM deny it. The letter sent to the Greenwoods in 1994 from a representative of Ms Okada, states that Okada studied SKK, but was not a member of it. When in Japan, the Greenwoods talked to SKK people who knew him and supplied a photograph showing him with a SKK group of Ministers.
Also, it seems that investigations by SKK members who have seen the Mahikari Exposed former members site, claim that he was a Minister of SKK as well. Also independent references to his membership of SKK are found in publications of scholars who have researched New Religions in Japan. The similarities of doctrine and the concept of a pendant around the neck to transmit a power from god, which was developed by the founder of SKK are too strong to dismiss.

According to SM, Okada researched other religions before falling into a coma for five days, had high fever and then claimed to receive a commandment from God to 'raise his hand'. It seems he used the same method that was developed by the founder of SKK many years before to transmit the so called 'light of god', in SKK they call it Jorei .

It is interesting that the pendant seems to be the fundamental control mechanism which binds everyone together in SM.
It is the one thing which crosses language and cultural boundaries, the one thing which every SM member has in common.

Even the whole issue of succession when Okada died, depended on who got his Omitama. To understand the power SM has over the members minds, is to understand the control mechanisms that were developed surrounding the pendant. The acceptance by SM members that they are spiritually weaker and cannot save the world without the pendant around their neck generates a reliance that permeates every aspect of their life. The Omitama needs to be protected at all costs ect... ect.

I would like to hear what others have to say about this aspect. It was interesting to read the Japanese persons experience that they practised Mahikari without anything inside the pedant for seven years.

January 08, 2006  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I haven't decided yet what to do with it--but I sure have plenty of ideas!

At the top of my list, I intend to have it shipped via FedEx or DHL to Suza, addressed to Keishu Okada, with a declared value of the minimum allowable amount and with a note that the item is "defective."

It might also serve as a good keychain.

I did open it--but saw nothing fancy about it!

February 02, 2006  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Sounds like a plan! Perhaps you could ask for a refund since it is "defective"?

February 03, 2006  
Anonymous Annie said...

Hi there.

I still have mine. I wanted to take it to someone spiritual (like in the tv show where someone was dealing with "cursed objects") and discover what magic was in there that makes light work. Even as I type that it sounds a bit crazy. But I am new to leaving Mahikari, so I am enjoying a bit of crazy and internal Mahikari bashing right now. My other option is to burn it. And the third is to open it.

I am so happy to read about other people leaving Mahikari and sharing their stories. Until yesterday, I felt so alone.

May 05, 2009  
Blogger Anne said...

Hi Annie,

That is an excellent idea!

I've spoken to some ex-kumite who seem to think there is some sort of black energy embedded in omitama, and probably an equal number who think it is just a pendant and does nothing at all (except manipulate us because we were taught it has power). It would be really very interesting to have one examined. I'm sure many readers here would be interested to hear the outcome.

Do you know of someone that you could take it to? If not, please send me an email - I do have one idea.

Also, I'm glad to hear you no longer "feel alone"! Yes, there are lots of us former kumite out here...feel free to email also if you just want a "chat" or whatever. My address is: anne_9_8 [at] yahoo.com

Best wishes,
Anne

May 05, 2009  
Blogger Ekompute said...

Hi, has anyone ever tried giving light without wearing the omitama before?

March 30, 2010  
Blogger Anne said...

Hi Ekompute,

Sure, but they perhaps call it something like "healing energy" rather than "light". I've heard of quite a few people who still radiate energy from their hands in some way or other even though they have left Mahikari and don't wear omitama. For one example, see the Logans' website (it is at http://home.earthlink.net/~delogan/index.htm#ExpStory).

Also, quite apart from Mahikari members or ex-members, there are a number of other Japanese religions that practice a similar/same technique but without wearing omitama or anything similar. One example of this is the Makoto no Michi group from which it seems Mahikari evolved....no, Okada's spiritual activities did not just start with that 1959 revelation. If you are interested in details, have a look at http://www.nanzan-u.ac.jp/SHUBUNKEN/publications/jjrs/pdf/798.pdf

Best wishes,
Anne

March 31, 2010  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Hello.
I grew up with SM.
At the time I was born, my mother was a deeply fanatic member, therefore educated me and my four older siblings in the manner Mahikari cherished.
Of course we all were asked if we wanted to become Kumite as soon as we were "old enough", having reached the age of 10 years.
I remember it even was my birthday-present that very year to become Kumite. And I remember lying on a mattress all three days of Kenshu, because I had a high fever and therefore couldn't sit...

I think I stopped wearing my Omitama when I was about 12-13 years old. I just left it in the "Omitama-cupboard" and started puberty... Which wasn't easy, considering the social pressure of a mother and all the people you grew up around.
So leaving Mahikari was really some kind of struggle for growing-up, to make own opinions and it sometimes still is. To me SM is a massive contribution to childhood-memories, which at times pull a trigger and make me furious, but it is (unfortunately) also a part of my present, having a Kumite-Mom (which I -despite the past- do love, don't get me wrong there).
My mother is still a very active member, unlike me and my siblings.
My two oldest sisters kept their Omitama for years after they stopped wearing it. They even moved between countries, always making sure, that their Omitama was cared for the way it was supposed to be - as oh so often described here :) - and didn't tell our mother that they had stopped using it for a long time.
But in the end they opened it. They were on the phone talking to each other and opening their Omitama simultaneously just to see this ragged old peace of paper in a cheap gold-amulet...
So mine was brought back by our mother, while they picked theirs apart. And both are still alive, just like me.

March 04, 2012  

Post a Comment

Click << Home to see articles posted more recently.