Bean-Throwing Day (Japan)  
Shirata

Themes: Luck; Protection; Cycles; Happiness
Symbols: A Snowflake; Beans; White

About Shirata: This Japanese Goddess embodies the first snow, where she glistens and shines with incomparable beauty until she freely and joyfully gives herself to spring's warmth and melts away. By so doing, Shirata reminds us that while the year has only just begun, the wheel of time is ever moving and that we should make the most of every moment.

To Do Today: For happiness, cut a snowflake pattern out of a quartered piece of white paper and carry it with you in your wallet as a charm. Make sure to visualize the snowflake being filled with brilliant white light, like that which is seen when the sun shines off new-fallen snow.

In Japan, this day is a time to chase away any malevolent influences that might hinder Shirata's joyful nature within us. People scatter beans and make loud noises to banish evil and carve lanterns with wishes to light the way for a better tomorrow. For our purposes, scatter seeds on the ground or plant beans instead so something as beautiful as Shirata can replace any negativity in your life with abundant growth.

To internalize Shirata's happiness, prepare any white beans and eat them as a part of a meal today. If you hold any rituals, use beans to mark the magic circle, scattering them counter-clockwise to banish any unwanted influences.