7. Through okiyome, Mahikari claims that one becomes aware of the great influence of the unseen spiritual world.

• Is spirit movement caused by attaching spirits, or something else?

The following article and comment are reproduced here from the After Mahikari... blog.

Thoughts on so-called "spirit movement" As all kumite (and ex-kumite) know, when people receive Light on the forehead (#8, soul-spirit), sometimes they get what's called "spirit movement" or "spirit manifestation". This is when people start rocking, nodding, shaking slightly etc, or in some more extreme cases actually behaving like an animal of some sort, or a soldier, or weeping and crawling away, trying to avoid receiving Light. The Mahikari explanation of such movement is that the spirit/s attaching to the person are reacting to the Light - the movement may give some hint as to what sort of spirit is attached and their mood. Usually when spirit movement is observed in a person, a Kanbu (staff member) will arrange to give the person Light a few days later, and then conduct a spirit investigation. This involves them speaking to and "counseling" the spirit. They may sing "Chorei", a hymn for guiding spirits, and give advice about how to change etc. The whole experience is usually very draining and exhausting, and can sometimes be cathartic for the receiver. I'm not going to talk about the whole attaching spirit deal here, but I'm interested in the physical movement that is often seen when people receive Light on the forehead. I really think this is a form of ideomotor action. Ideomotor action is defined as "influence of suggestion in modifying and directing muscular movement, independently of volition", and has been proven to be a real effect, that happens without conscious thought, and to be created through suggestion. When you go into a Dojo, you often see spirit movement - people sitting peacefully receiving Light with their eyes closed, but nodding their head, or wagging their hands, or something. When you first see this, it's pretty weird. But everyone around you treats it as normal behavior! If you keep receiving Light, and get more involved, it's a part of being accepted into the group - if you start to sway or rock while receiving Light, then members will often take more notice of you, and you are drawn further into the 'mysteries of Mahikari'. It's all part of the Dojo culture. One woman who used to be a Doshi told me that in some Dojos she worked in, spirit movement was very rare - it just wasn't something that people did - while in other Dojos it was much more common - it WAS a big part of what people did, and was widespread, with lots of kumite talking with each other about their attaching spirits, and spirit investigations and stuff. I certainly used to get these movements too, and the particular spirit attaching usually managed to be tied in with my life experience at the time. If I was upset with my partner, there would be something to do with past relationships. If I was upset about the death of a friend, the attaching spirit would be related to that person. If I was having trouble dealing with Mahikari teachings (as I often did), then the attaching spirit would be very anti-Mahikari and blamed for stopping me doing divine service. And so on. I know that Mahikari would say that the reason I was having those life experiences was a reflection of the attaching spirits - but I honestly think it went the other way round. posted by KitKat at 9:22 AM Wednesday, April 05, 2006

1 Comment Joe said... I used to think about this alot too, but now I don't care...it can either be a form of hypnotic suggestion or it might be actual spirits...as far as I am concerned it is equally possible that Mahikari is only involved in CREATING the DISTURBANCE by conjuring. I guess it all hinges on whether you want to go back to Christianity. I am still hung out a little , but if Christ is the salvation, then Mahikari MUST fit the False Prophets scenario, and all of the conjuring is to create mischief. It would be a great moneymaking tool, conjuring spirits to create perpetual touble that is supposed to be "solved" by the very conjuring that creates it...a perpetual money machine! posted by Joe April 08, 2006

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• Spirit movement is used as evidence to support Mahikari teachings.

Okada taught that we all have spirits attached to our physical bodies. These spirits are supposed to be in the astral world, but he says they attach to people to escape the severe training they are supposed to be doing there. He claims that these spirits influence our feelings and thoughts. For example, a spirit who is hungry might cause an eating disorder, a spirit who is revengeful might cause us to do things that harm us in some way, and spirits who do not like okiyome (True Light) will try to influence us to reject the teachings of Sukyo Mahikari.

According to Okada, everyone has attaching spirits even though they are not usually aware of them. When people receive okiyome to the forehead (main soul), these attaching spirits also receive okiyome. He claims that many attaching spirits find this "purification" painful, and this is what causes the involuntary movements, or "spirit movement", that some people experience when they receive okiyome. These movements may take the form of crying, or trying to avoid okiyome by turning the head away. Some cases are quite dramatic. Attaching spirits may make the person receiving okiyome writhe on the floor, become violent, or get up and run out of the room.

Mahikari members regard these sorts of "spirit movement" as proof of Okada's teaching that we have spirits attached to us. However, as discussed in the previous article, our subconscious can cause us to move in various ways without our conscious volition. Another possible explanation is that receiving okiyome on the forehead is conducive to entering a trance state in which spirits can be invoked and temporarily control our words and actions (as with spirit mediums)...if spirits exist. Some former members are convinced that Sukyo Mahikari is a dangerous practice for this type if reason.

In any case, Sukyo Mahikari would have us believe that we all have attaching spirits, that these spirits influence us all the time, and that Sukyo Mahikari is the only religion that has the means to solve "spirit disturbance". Mahikari spokespeople acknowledge that other religions or practices might be able to achieve some sort of healing effects, but claim that Sukyo Mahikari is the only path that can purify attaching spirits so that they stop influencing our behavior and health.

Okada taught that the majority of illnesses are caused by attaching spirits, and that any attempt at a cure that focuses on the physical level cannot be effective in these cases. He taught that the only way to cure such health problems is to give and receive lots of okiyome, and do lots of divine service so that God will provide protection against influence by attaching spirits.

However, do attaching spirits actually exist? Please think very carefully before accepting Sukyo Mahikari's claim that attaching spirits cause so-called spirit movement. If we believe that claim, then Sukyo Mahikari can convince us of anything.

We can't see okiyome (True Light), and we can't see attaching spirits, but we can see so-called spirit movement. If we accept Mahikari's explanation for those movements, then these movements can be claimed as visible evidence of the existence of okiyome and the existence of attaching spirits. If we accept that we are influenced by attaching spirits, then Sukyo Mahikari can convince us that our thoughts and feelings are unreliable, and should be disregarded. If we do not trust our own thoughts and feelings (because we believe these are being manipulated by attaching spirits), how are we supposed to know what to believe? How do we decide what to do?

According to Sukyo Mahikari, that answer is simple. They say we should just believe and do whatever Sukyo Mahikari tells us!!!

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