Olivia Bernkastel
@livingwithkami.bsky.social
Licensed Shinto Priestess of the Konko Faith🌿教派神道金光教の神職です。I share about my life as a priestess and Shinto traditions. 📬Contact me at: livingwithkami@gmail.com | https://livingwithkami.carrd.co
Today I helped to clean up, set the altar space, and officiated a Kamidana installation and Fushimi Inari Taisha Ōmitama enshrinement today at a friend’s home ⛩🌾
Inari Inari Faith Inari Okami Shinto Torii Kamidana shrine foxes Japan Japanese religion
Inari Inari Faith Inari Okami Shinto Torii Kamidana shrine foxes Japan Japanese religion
November 12, 2025 at 5:22 PM
Today I helped to clean up, set the altar space, and officiated a Kamidana installation and Fushimi Inari Taisha Ōmitama enshrinement today at a friend’s home ⛩🌾
Inari Inari Faith Inari Okami Shinto Torii Kamidana shrine foxes Japan Japanese religion
Inari Inari Faith Inari Okami Shinto Torii Kamidana shrine foxes Japan Japanese religion
Some reflections today on a series I finished and I adored!
October 23, 2025 at 5:09 PM
Some reflections today on a series I finished and I adored!
Today, October 22nd, 2025, marks 10 years serving as a priestess and toritsugi mediator! I am eternally grateful for these past 10 years and I pray for many more years to be able to serve Kami-sama and people!🙇
October 22, 2025 at 6:21 PM
Today, October 22nd, 2025, marks 10 years serving as a priestess and toritsugi mediator! I am eternally grateful for these past 10 years and I pray for many more years to be able to serve Kami-sama and people!🙇
Nice to meet you, my name is Olivia!
I'm a licensed Shinto priestess of the Konko Faith, currently working at @yokosukakonko.bsky.social
Please feel free to contact me at livingwithkami@gmail.com🌿
(Photo is when I was graciously able to officiate a wedding in Scotland, and my shrine)
I'm a licensed Shinto priestess of the Konko Faith, currently working at @yokosukakonko.bsky.social
Please feel free to contact me at livingwithkami@gmail.com🌿
(Photo is when I was graciously able to officiate a wedding in Scotland, and my shrine)
May 22, 2025 at 6:25 PM
Nice to meet you, my name is Olivia!
I'm a licensed Shinto priestess of the Konko Faith, currently working at @yokosukakonko.bsky.social
Please feel free to contact me at livingwithkami@gmail.com🌿
(Photo is when I was graciously able to officiate a wedding in Scotland, and my shrine)
I'm a licensed Shinto priestess of the Konko Faith, currently working at @yokosukakonko.bsky.social
Please feel free to contact me at livingwithkami@gmail.com🌿
(Photo is when I was graciously able to officiate a wedding in Scotland, and my shrine)
Some old photos of the offering of Kibimai sacred dance at our shrine over 50 years ago! Not sure the exact dates, but more to come. ✨☺️
May 22, 2025 at 5:51 PM
Some old photos of the offering of Kibimai sacred dance at our shrine over 50 years ago! Not sure the exact dates, but more to come. ✨☺️
Even if you can't afford a big Kamidana, or acquire sacred items or materials from Japan just yet - I think it's good to start from the heart and have even just a space you can focus your prayers.
This was my very first Kamidana from 2011, just a little alcove in my bookshelf!
This was my very first Kamidana from 2011, just a little alcove in my bookshelf!
May 21, 2025 at 8:11 PM
Even if you can't afford a big Kamidana, or acquire sacred items or materials from Japan just yet - I think it's good to start from the heart and have even just a space you can focus your prayers.
This was my very first Kamidana from 2011, just a little alcove in my bookshelf!
This was my very first Kamidana from 2011, just a little alcove in my bookshelf!
Preparing for the Spring Grand Ceremony at our parent shrine ☺️🌸
May 10, 2025 at 4:47 PM
Preparing for the Spring Grand Ceremony at our parent shrine ☺️🌸
The cherry blossoms in bloom!🌸
April 6, 2025 at 12:34 AM
The cherry blossoms in bloom!🌸
Waiting at the okekkai (barrier seat between Kami-sama at the altar and the worshippers side for toritsugi mediation)
March 26, 2025 at 3:12 PM
Waiting at the okekkai (barrier seat between Kami-sama at the altar and the worshippers side for toritsugi mediation)
Photos from Spring Grand Mitama Ceremony yesterday at @yokosukakonko.bsky.social shrine 🌸💐 I'm very thankful to everyone who made it and even those who could not join us we prayed for them and their loved ones!
March 21, 2025 at 8:17 AM
Photos from Spring Grand Mitama Ceremony yesterday at @yokosukakonko.bsky.social shrine 🌸💐 I'm very thankful to everyone who made it and even those who could not join us we prayed for them and their loved ones!
Yesterday's cemetery visit and grave cleaning as part of the traditional Spring Equinox memorial to the ancestors and those who have gone before us 🌸🙏🏼 this time, we cleaned up all of the pebbles in front of the grave too. It was such a peaceful and warm day
March 21, 2025 at 8:04 AM
Yesterday's cemetery visit and grave cleaning as part of the traditional Spring Equinox memorial to the ancestors and those who have gone before us 🌸🙏🏼 this time, we cleaned up all of the pebbles in front of the grave too. It was such a peaceful and warm day
Opening the Mitama altar doors for tomorrow 🙏🏼
March 19, 2025 at 5:10 PM
Opening the Mitama altar doors for tomorrow 🙏🏼
Preparation of the offerings for tomorrow's Spring Grand Mitama Ceremony! 🌸
March 19, 2025 at 5:07 PM
Preparation of the offerings for tomorrow's Spring Grand Mitama Ceremony! 🌸
Around the Spring and Autumn Equinoxes, the Sun will set with the light shining directly on Kami-sama's altar, and it's always so beautiful to see! 🌸
March 10, 2025 at 11:49 AM
Around the Spring and Autumn Equinoxes, the Sun will set with the light shining directly on Kami-sama's altar, and it's always so beautiful to see! 🌸
Our shrines little mascot Oni-chan, and his friends, were the hosts for the oni visiting today and tomorrow to relax and enjoy some food and drink and relax after a long day touring other shrines and temples and getting shooed away from them😅!
February 2, 2025 at 5:55 PM
Our shrines little mascot Oni-chan, and his friends, were the hosts for the oni visiting today and tomorrow to relax and enjoy some food and drink and relax after a long day touring other shrines and temples and getting shooed away from them😅!
Our shrines Setsubun altar ! 👹🫘 In Konko Faith one of the Kami-sama we honour is Konjin-sama, who was said to be such a fierce Kami-sama like an oni. But even with such fierceness means also such great power, and so we should have reverence for even the rough sides of nature.
February 2, 2025 at 5:55 PM
Our shrines Setsubun altar ! 👹🫘 In Konko Faith one of the Kami-sama we honour is Konjin-sama, who was said to be such a fierce Kami-sama like an oni. But even with such fierceness means also such great power, and so we should have reverence for even the rough sides of nature.
Today I attended Tsurugaoka Hachimangu's Gochinza Kinen Sai 御鎮座記念祭 "Shrine Foundation Ceremony" where "Gochinza" 御鎮座 is the term for Kami-sama to rest and dwell upon a place.
It was my first time attending as a Suukeisha of Tsurugaoka Hachimangu!
It was my first time attending as a Suukeisha of Tsurugaoka Hachimangu!
December 16, 2024 at 2:23 PM
Today I attended Tsurugaoka Hachimangu's Gochinza Kinen Sai 御鎮座記念祭 "Shrine Foundation Ceremony" where "Gochinza" 御鎮座 is the term for Kami-sama to rest and dwell upon a place.
It was my first time attending as a Suukeisha of Tsurugaoka Hachimangu!
It was my first time attending as a Suukeisha of Tsurugaoka Hachimangu!
I had a wonderful time yesterday with friends listening to my friend Dr. Ugoretz's (@kaitlynugoretz.bsky.social) presentation on the Globalization of Shinto at Kokugakuin University! I really hope she'll get more opportunities to do this presentation or similar presentation on the topic elsewhere!
December 16, 2024 at 2:18 PM
I had a wonderful time yesterday with friends listening to my friend Dr. Ugoretz's (@kaitlynugoretz.bsky.social) presentation on the Globalization of Shinto at Kokugakuin University! I really hope she'll get more opportunities to do this presentation or similar presentation on the topic elsewhere!
Tomorrow we are hosting a small Winter yakitori and bonfire gathering with some new and longtime friends of the shrine ☺️I took some time to clean up the garden .. it's not perfect but I'm really happy with it!
December 13, 2024 at 6:43 AM
Tomorrow we are hosting a small Winter yakitori and bonfire gathering with some new and longtime friends of the shrine ☺️I took some time to clean up the garden .. it's not perfect but I'm really happy with it!
I cannot share many photos, but I attended and observed for the first time a Konko Faith and Shinto style Wake today for one of our long, long time parishioners. He always took the most beautiful photos during our shrine's ceremonies. It was a beautiful service.
December 4, 2024 at 12:25 PM
I cannot share many photos, but I attended and observed for the first time a Konko Faith and Shinto style Wake today for one of our long, long time parishioners. He always took the most beautiful photos during our shrine's ceremonies. It was a beautiful service.
Today is our first of the month ceremony! A worshipper kindly offered fresh daikon, sweet potatoes, bananas, and leeks! 🍠
December 1, 2024 at 4:07 AM
Today is our first of the month ceremony! A worshipper kindly offered fresh daikon, sweet potatoes, bananas, and leeks! 🍠
Beautiful waters of Tamadare Falls 🐉
November 21, 2024 at 2:06 PM
Beautiful waters of Tamadare Falls 🐉
I was in Hakone for a few days and on the last day I attended a ceremony of Tamadare Jinja! (Fron Hakone Jinja) It was to give thanks to Kamisama for the blessing of the clear waters we drink, bathe, and clean with.After the ceremony we were able to partake in the spring water too. It was so lovely!
November 21, 2024 at 1:59 PM
I was in Hakone for a few days and on the last day I attended a ceremony of Tamadare Jinja! (Fron Hakone Jinja) It was to give thanks to Kamisama for the blessing of the clear waters we drink, bathe, and clean with.After the ceremony we were able to partake in the spring water too. It was so lovely!
Today's preparations for the mid-monthly ceremony ☺️ (月次祭 Tsukinamisai or 月例祭 Getsureisai) the oranges /mikan were all harvested from our mikan tree in the shrine garden! 🍊
November 16, 2024 at 1:42 AM
Today's preparations for the mid-monthly ceremony ☺️ (月次祭 Tsukinamisai or 月例祭 Getsureisai) the oranges /mikan were all harvested from our mikan tree in the shrine garden! 🍊