Hello, dear reader. I am starting this post by saying a few words about the 'downsheets' -- the b&w pages that hang below the graphic panels, the place where you expect room enough to write in your dentist appointment.
This year I had decided not to note so many religious holidays -- but considered that those observed by the workforce (i.e., no mail, no school, government offices closed, etc) needed to be included, for planning purposes. Most of those are of the Christian variety. And, I made a mistake and provided two dates marked as 'Ash Wednesday', the beginning of Lent.
Just so we're clear, Ash Wednesday is indeed on February 14th, not on March 14th. These are the type of errors that result when there is no proof-reader on staff. We actually do have one, but she is also the marketing director, the research assistant, the accountant, the writer, the illustrator, and the janitor. Yes, her name is my name too.
Not being of the Catholic persuasion, I nonetheless did celebrate Lent one year by giving up ironing. And since I am not Catholic, I felt no obligation to take it back later. Consequently my wardrobe now more closely matches my complexion: an abundance of wrinkles. I like to go with precisely coordinated outfits.
So, other than the extra bonus Ash Wednesday, everyone can be responsible for inserting their own religious holidays. This calendar is pretty much BYOG (Bring Your Own God).
Several days noted in the calendar are not so much holidays as they are remembrances of specific events or existing situations, and many of these are not terribly pleasant. They are somewhat solemn, emotionally heavy, weighing on our conscience like an unreturned phone call from our better selves. They direct attention to the darker aspects of humanity, the sore spots, where we seek to improve. Examples are Victory Over Genocide Day on January 7th. At least this one has a bright spot - the word "Victory" -- but some days are not so shiny.
That being the case, I went online and found a site called 'Wacky Holidays', and threw a bunch of those in to lighten things up. They are real -- I did not make them up; and they've unexpectedly turned out to be a big hit, exposing our deep need for humor in these darkening times.
I've watched more than one of my customers search to see if their birthday has a Wacky Holiday associated with it. There's been some odd synchronicity with this: one fellow's birthday landed on International Jazz Day, and as it turns out, he IS a jazz aficionado! This happened in a few other instances, whose details now escape me. So next year, my goal will be that each and every day should be notable for something, even if it's only the start of Daylight Savings Day in Mongolia - which, if you've been lying awake nights wondering about that, falls on March 30th this year.
So never fear, even if your birthday this year was a complete blank (it wasn't even Lumpy Rug Day) -- next year, it won't be!
Graphics used in the construction of the January panel
On Lantau Island, near Hong Kong, there is a monastery, and a massive Buddha sits atop a hill accessible by a hefty hike up an extreme staircase.
Surrounding him are a series of magnificent bronze Devas, each holding forth an offering. I found them captivating.
This particular Deva was chosen for the panel because her offering reminded me of Pandora's Box -- that fabled forbidden cache filled with all manner of unforeseen consequences. It's a Greek legend, but as I write this, I feel a resonance with Eve and her Apple. It is the famous infidelity of women who ignore the restrictions handed to them by males. Don't worry, you will be blamed for whatever happens after that.
It's rather like the ironic criticism I have heard from some men, who say that all the trouble in the world is causing by the tongues of women. Don't you know that it is our excessive discussion of their behavior (sometimes devolving into sheer gossip) that makes complications for everyone? To that I say, just do something honorable, give us something to respect, and we will be happy to talk about THAT, instead of your less mature episodes.
But in the case of this Deva, I felt she was asking us to receive all that is joyous, from the abundance of our Mother ---- Nature, whose generosity is beyond all human limitations, who is our great benefactor and teacher, and is far less punitive than male God-figures. She doesn't set up any rules, as there are natural laws (from the physical plane through the higher realms) that allow us to experience our own outcomes, for better or for worse, based on our decisions. Instead of being punished, we should receive Her knowledge. An apple a day keeps ignorance away.
And frankly, this business with the apple seems like a set-up to me. Here's a delicious, nutritious fruit, but don't eat it because some shifty snake-oil salesman said so. Who does that? A dirty double-crosser serpent, and who is he working for?
My mother would say, oh hell no, you're not gonna waste any food around here. Clean your plate, children somewhere are starving. That's the guilt trip permanently engraved into my neural networks, as, to this day, I abhor seeing food wasted.
For nearly every panel this year, the 'underlayment' of the moon phases through the month is a floral by William Morris, whose incredible wallpaper patterns, designed in the 1860's, are still sold today.
The background that frames this panel is a photo of glorious Antelope Canyon near Page, Arizona. The stone looks liquid, like frozen music, that no symphony of human composition can rival.
A chunk of blue tanzanite, from a photo by Anton Watzi, became the 'water' from which our Deva is emerging, while a portion of a wave painted by Hokusai is intended to show her generosity radiating outward in all directions.
At some point, it hit me that my Deva, nestled against her field of green ivy, was derivative of Green Tara, a Buddhist icon. There are actually 21 forms of Tara (the Mother of All Buddhas), but most favored by the Tibetans are White Tara, associated with compassion and long life, and Green Tara, associated with enlightened activity and abundance.
It was then that this Deva became Blue Green Tara -- to honor the indispensable contribution of water, without which no life is possible. Perhaps she is the Mni Wiconi Tara.
The lotus flowers that drift from this Deva float gently into the hands of an unfortunate. They represent spiritual gifts, the generosity of empathy and compassion. Hidden in his corner, the pobrecito reminds us of the sufferings of others, that exist even when out of range of our perception, and may be always invisible to those of us less sensitive.
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| Pobrecito portrait by Ryan Correon Aragon |
Finally, the panel receives a few decorations from Nature:
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| Add one portion of Blue Jay Feather, and repeat |
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| Add one portion of Butterfly Wing, turned upright |
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| Add one Sacred Earth Girl who is the human vehicle for manifesting the dispensation of Divine Grace she RECEIVES |
Thank you, beautiful generous Earth, painted from the creator's pallette - You ARE without doubt
the best planet there is.
the best planet there is.
We don't want another one, we just want YOU.
~ Prayer to Tonantzin (Mother Earth) ~
I'm sorry.
Please forgive me.
Thank you.
I love you.
I'm sorry.
Please forgive me.
Thank you.
I love you.
