I believe many of you have been reflecting and meditating on the figure of Himiko.
From within the Himiko that lives in your own heart,
you have likely sensed the energy of one who sought to wield and display her own power—
one who used shamans for her own ends.
But on the other hand, were the shamans merely tools to be used and cast aside when no longer needed?
Were they simply left to suffer in sorrow and pain, trapped in resentment and curses that only deepened their own torment?
Please, listen to the heart of the shaman.
It is true that shamans endured sorrow, hardship, and deep pain.
But they were also raised and trained to overcome any difficulty.
That training was solely devoted to one purpose: to hear the voice of the divine.
And through that rigorous path, the spirit and energy cultivated within the shaman must have been incredibly intense.
Some may have even harbored the thought:
"I am not being used—I am the one manipulating Himiko."
"I am the true god. I shall rise above Himiko."
While outwardly serving Himiko, they directed this energy within themselves.
Let us take time now to more deeply experience that energy within our own hearts.
The heart of the shaman was no less intense than that of Himiko.
Though many were taken from their parents at a young age,
forced into strict training to hear divine voices,
the shaman was anything but weak.
Even when scorned or treated with disdain,
they developed their own means of survival.
Though many ultimately perished by the very magic they invoked,
the energy they amassed during that time was, in some cases, even greater than that of Himiko.
There were shamans whose energy and power secretly controlled Himiko from behind the scenes.
Within them surged the will to dominate all, surpassing even Himiko,
driven by dark ambition: I am the greatest of all.
Yes, their hearts too were filled with black power—
an overwhelming will to control, born of total darkness.
And they never realized it.
They had sold their hearts to the darkness without even noticing—
foolish beings, lost in the shadows.