Page:Occult Japan - Lovell.djvu/249

From Wikisource
Jump to navigation Jump to search
This page has been validated.
PILGRIMAGES.
227

To be a club nakaza is pretty hard work. He must be possessed at least two or three times a month, and may be called upon to be somebody beside himself much oftener. It depends upon how much divination work there is to be done. This work is of two kinds. There is first the regular routine business of the club in the way of prophecy: the foretelling of drought, storms, earthquakes, and other general catastrophes affecting the interest of the club. Some clubs have to interview the gods once a month on such matters; others manage to get along on two questionings a year, at the two great semi-annual festivals. This is probably due to club-temperament, just as it suffices some people to ask a question once for all, while others have to be perpetually putting it under indistinguishably different forms. In addition to this routine work there are the inevitable extras: the unavoidable illnesses, to be cured by divine prescription, and incidentally any other misfortunes to which flesh is heir, all of which the god is expected to relieve on application. Between these various duties the god, and incidentally the poor nakaza is kept pretty