What Is Origami?

Put simply origami is the Japanese name for the art of folding paper. The word origami is derived from the Japanese words ori meaning to fold, and gami meaning paper. But, that is just a description what one does when practicing origami and fails to get into the true depth of what origami is. There are few practices that elicit as much debate as origami with regards to how to categorize it. Is it an art? Is it a game for children? Is it a mathematical exercise? Is it a spiritual meditative practice? Or is it just some strange cult for people with a geometry fetish? The short answer to all of that is of course, "Yes". The long answer is a little more complicated.