<P> In Shinto, kami are not separate from nature, but are of nature, possessing positive and negative, and good and evil characteristics . They are manifestations of musubi (結び), the interconnecting energy of the universe, and are considered exemplary of what humanity should strive towards . Kami are believed to be "hidden" from this world, and inhabit a complementary existence that mirrors our own: shinkai (神 界, "the world of the kami"). To be in harmony with the awe - inspiring aspects of nature is to be conscious of kannagara no michi (随 神 の 道 or 惟神 の 道, "the way of the kami"). </P> <P> Though the word kami is translated multiple ways into English, no one English word expresses its full meaning . The ambiguity of the meaning of kami is necessary, as it conveys the ambiguous nature of kami themselves . </P> <P> Kami is the Japanese word for a god, deity, divinity, or spirit . It has been used to describe mind (心霊), God (ゴッド), supreme being (至上 者), one of the Shinto deities, an effigy, a principle, and anything that is worshipped . </P> <P> Although deity is the common interpretation of kami, some Shinto scholars argue that such a translation can cause a misunderstanding of the term . The wide variety of usage of the word kami can be compared to the Sanskrit Deva and the Hebrew Elohim, which also refer to God, gods, angels, or spirits . </P>

Japanese for spirits these are associated with shintoism