The verse

A small hearth-flame asks tending day by dayCourt not the blaze that flares then dies awayFeed it slow coals — the warmth will never ceaseAbandon the wood, and ash is all your peace

Reading

This slip bids you keep one hearth unbroken: fire lives by continuance, not by ferocity. Add a little coal each day and warmth endures; chase one fierce blaze and cold ash follows. Outcomes rest with Heaven — ask only whether you tend it daily without fail.

The temple keeper adds

The middle path. No drama from the god today — only a road you can still walk.

[ Draw another at the temple ][ Keep a traffic omamori ]