Goddess of the Week: Ame-No-Uzume

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What do men want? Goddesses, of course.

Hmmm...but there are so many goddesses. Which to choose? I mean it's not like buying a tie. It's not a matter of color and stripes. A goddess is more personal. She's a bit of a muse after all. She's inspiration. She's luck. She's the most direct route to your goal, but she's also like a big truck filled with flammable gas. One wrong move and kaboom. So -- as always -- one must choose wisely.

Personally, I don't think any man can go wrong with Ame-No-Uzume, also known simply as Uzume. Uzume is the Shinto goddess of the dawn and laughter. If it weren't for her, we'd all be mooning about in the dark.

Here's the deal: You may recall that Susano-Wo (the storm god) was just a nightmare. Having totally tormented the goddess of food, he had to go piss off his sister Amaterasu, goddess of the sun. He got her so mad that she went and hid in a cave, leaving the whole world in darkness. All the gods and goddess begged her to return, but you know how mad sisters can get.

Uzume was all, "Fine, Ameratsu. Pout away. You're not going to haul me into immortal gloom."

To prove it, Uzume started dancing in front of Ameratsu's cave. Now, you know those friends who really feel the music and flail around out of control and break things and look pretty ridiculous? Ok. That's Uzume, except she was a lot worse. The other gods couldn't help themselves. They burst into laughter. Ameratsu got so curious about what was going on that she left her cave, restoring light to the world.

Uzume reminds us to seek joy and to laugh even when we're trapped in the dark.

Channel this goddess: When you want to laugh, when you want to have fun, and, especially, when life gives you obstacles that shackle your laughter.

Italo: You're a funny guy. Will this one do?

Need a goddess: Hey! Guess what! I find goddesses for people. Tell me your need. I'll see what I can do.