Yatagarasu Is My New God

A few months ago I converted to the Shinto religion. Dude, it's WAY better than Christianity.

I was writing at my office away from the office: the green at the LA County Museum of Art.

I was working on a difficult scene - the entrance of the villain - and getting frustrated. The sun was setting. It was getting cold. I was ready to give up.

And then something unusual happened.

Crows began to descend upon LACMA. And not just a few - an enormous, angry flock, darkening the sky. They lazily and endlessly swirled around a grove of trees, cawing incessantly. A rondo of discord.

It was scary. So I left.

But I also took it as a sign not to give up. Because my villain - the one I was writing about when the birds arrived - is a crow.

His name is Yatagarasu. Who is he?

1) Three-legged crow.

2) Japanese Shinto deity.

3) Messenger to the sun goddess Amaterasu.

4) Mascot of the National Japanese Football team, proudly adorning the jersey I wear to yoga.

5) The dastardly villain in my screenplay Lobsters vs. Butterflies.

7) A demon who fights on your behalf in my new favorite video game Persona 3. (And yes, he is on my roster. He's got a lethal ice attack.)

As you can see, this bird is a constant companion in my life.



As if that weren't enough, I've been spending the past few weeks attempting to master the Bakasana yoga pose - also known as CROW POSE. You can see my instructor demonstrating Bakasana above (Yes, that's really her, and not some anonymous hot yoga model. She loves her leg warmers.) Every time she asks for requests during class, I'm the first to call out, "Crow!" My classmates HATE ME (when they aren't totally loving me, that is). But the upshot is that I can hold this pose for almost ten seconds.

A substitute instructor of mine said, "Bakasana can be also translated as crane pose, as well as crow pose. I prefer crane. Crows are elegant - but they're also kind of naughty."

Lady, you have no idea.

Happy Halloween.