Kami

Kami are the deities, divinities, spirits, mythological, spiritual, or natural phenomena that are venerated in Ki'ism . Kami can be elements of the landscape, forces of nature, and sometimes the spirits of venerated dead people. Many are considered the ancient ancestors of entire clans (some ancestors became kami upon their death if they could embody the values and virtues of a kami in life). Each has their own essence and values that make them remarkable.

In Ki'ism, kami are not separate from nature, but are of nature, possessing positive and negative, and good and evil characteristics. Like people, none is wholly one thing or another. They are manifestations of musubi (the interconnecting energy of the universe) and are considered exemplars of their traits. Kami are believed to be "hidden" from this world, and inhabit a complementary existence that mirrors our own. To be in harmony with the awe-inspiring aspects of nature is to be conscious of the way of the kami.