It is quite common. Up until a certain point, one diligently practices, meditates, and cultivates their spirit. However, at a certain stage, various spirits appear. These are often deities who have not yet attained enlightenment, or deities who have not, but are still deities. In many cases, these are lower spirits or animal spirits.

It is a common story that spiritual practitioners claim to be "connected to a deity" and perform rituals in various places, often without fully understanding them. Explanations for these rituals often involve natural disasters or calming the Earth. I have been hearing such stories for over 30 years since I was a child. However, even a group I was slightly acquainted with 30 years ago claimed to have "performed all the rituals instructed by the deity" and that "it was all over." Despite this, they repeatedly claimed that a "major disaster was coming," but it never materialized, and the group eventually declined, becoming quite strange. I believe that they were simply being used for the deity's own benefit. In that group, the representative started saying something like, "I have finally connected with the Japanese deities," and that's when the group's direction began to go astray. Therefore, I think it is best to be cautious when someone starts talking about "Japanese deities."

Deities often do not reveal their names, and sometimes they claim to be famous deities, but in many cases, they are actually fragments of those deities, or they have a distant connection. In some cases, they are guardian spirits who use the names of famous deities to guide the person, even if they have no malicious intent. In ancient Shinto, there are "shikigami" to discern the true nature of entities. In channeling and mediumship, it is also taught that it is important to distinguish these strange entities.

On the other hand, in cults, channeling is often performed in the name of famous deities, and members of new religious movements and cults are easily overjoyed. However, if a famous deity appears, it is important to first question whether it is truly that deity. People who are new to spirituality or members of cults are easily convinced when they hear a famous name. The names of deities have become a form of marketing.

The basic method for distinguishing these entities is to use one's intuition. If the entity is strange, its vibration will be low, and it will be immediately apparent that it is a strange entity.

Even if the entity is not inherently bad, if there is doubt about whether it is truly a deity, it is often just a normal guiding presence, such as a guardian spirit or guide. A simple technique for distinguishing them is to directly ask, "Are you truly [deity name]?" Entities with a certain level of spiritual power will answer truthfully when asked. Therefore, if you ask if it is truly a deity, it will often answer, "No, I am [different name]." The reason it mentioned the name of a deity is often because it is acting in good faith, knowing that using a famous name might be helpful for the person who is not very knowledgeable.

There are people who claim to be in contact with or have a contract with certain deities, or who are mediums, and are famous for it. However, in most cases, the entity involved is using the names of famous deities. It often seems that a certain cult's medium has a guardian spirit that speaks the names of famous deities and guides them. Many people use the names of deities as a selling point for their spiritual abilities and exploit the reverence associated with famous deities.

Truly magnificent deities would not reveal their names until the individual has reached a certain level. Deities that don't care about names are more trustworthy.

Even if a deity is famous, they usually have a large following. And even when someone claims to be in contact with a famous deity, it's often just a distant relative or a guardian spirit that is speaking to them because the individual is receptive to it.

Sometimes, strange entities or animal spirits are the ones speaking the names of deities. In those cases, it can be detected through vibrations. Animals that have lived for hundreds or thousands of years in the spiritual or astral realm can acquire considerable power, so even if their vibrations are low, animal spirits should not be underestimated. There are also animal spirits that originate from the universe, but most of them have been living on Earth for a long time, so their integration is advanced, and it is difficult to distinguish between talking animals (spirits) and animal spirits that originate from the universe (of course, they also talk).

Traditionally, a spiritualist is not only judged by their abilities but also by their ability to discern spirits. However, it is common for lower-level spirits to use the names of famous deities.

When visiting shrines, there are sometimes contacts with entities claiming to be deities. When someone is undergoing training and reaches a certain stage, they may have contact with such entities, and many people then become overjoyed, believing that they have reached a stage of connecting with a deity. However, this can often be a trap.

As stated in the Yoga Sutras, the basic principle is to "reject contact from deities." Yogis who reach a certain stage are contacted by various deities and demigods, and are constantly being tempted and enticed. However, those who aspire to be the highest yogis must reject these temptations, and this seems to be true.

In particular, in this Japan, the gods themselves are quite rough. This is representative of the image of Japanese people, such as during the Edo period and the Warring States period. There are many people in Japan who are said to be reincarnations from the so-called divine realm, and there are some layers of differences in that divine realm or heavenly realm. People who are closer to the heavens and seem more like gods are generally called gods, and these people (rather, humans) are said to be the gods of Japan. And, while ordinary people don't often say "god," it's not entirely wrong. The ordinary people of the divine realm are relatively peaceful and live happily with friendly people.

On the other hand, there are also gods that are a little more frightening and rough, or have a fierce temper. This is not always the case, but in many cases, they are like ordinary people who have been strengthened.

Therefore, it is natural to avoid animal spirits, but even so-called gods are mostly not enlightened, and at the level of spiritualists, they may not understand the intentions of the gods and may be manipulated.

In my case, I have some connection to the gods of Japan, but I do not blindly do everything as the gods tell me. Nevertheless, since I am in Japan, I have a connection to them, and various paths have been prepared for me since I was a child. I have already seen what I should do and my position, and I don't think that will change.

At the same time, I need to be careful not to suddenly become connected to the gods and deviate from the path. In most cases, they end up being used and then discarded.