Earlier in 2022, I took the opportunity to submit a fabric art piece to participate in the Lift the Sky Message Project.
The project: Lift the Sky is a global art project organized by Julie Weavering which invites you to share your message to the world. What’s important to you? What message do you think could be important for someone to hear?
How it works: Once you choose your message you will create a long vertical art piece. The Lift the Sky messages will be attached to others creating long panels which will hang as installations. These Installations will be seen at Front Porch Gallery in Carlsbad, CA as well as other venues such as museums and public spaces.
For my panel I chose the word “equanimity” reflecting an aspect of my Japanese Reiki practice meaning; “go placidly amidst praise and blame”.
I painted the word “equanimity” in black ink onto the rainbow fabric and I hand embroidered Tibetan prayer flags and ribbons. The rainbow fabric reflects joy and hope, together with Tibetan prayer flags to flutter their sacred messages on the wind.
My message is that we may understand as “seeing with understanding.” A form of equanimity, “being in the middle” refers to balance, to remain centered in the middle of whatever is happening. This balance comes from inner strength or stability. This strong presence of inner calm, well-being, confidence, vitality and integrity can help to keep us upright, like a ballast keeps a ship upright in strong winds.
Tibetan prayer flags are used to promote peace, compassion, strength and wisdom. These traditional unhemmed Tibetan prayer flags are hand made in Nepal, the frayed design adds to the authentic character and charm of the flags. The colours of the prayer flags represent the elements and are arranged from left to right in a specific order: blue (sky), white (wind), red (fire), green (water) and yellow (earth).
The primary purpose of the prayer flags is to carry the blessings of the prayers and sacred symbols printed on the flags to the world. They are placed outdoors and are designed to move with the wind. Hanging prayer flags around the home or business may impart a feeling of harmony and generate peace and good wishes.
The sun, wind and rain will fade the prayer flags and wear them out over time. This provides a subtle reminder that all things are impermanent . It is customary to place a new string of prayer flags over the old flags rather than replace them continuing to strengthen the blessings over time. Tibetan tradition considers prayer flags to be holy because they contain sacred texts and symbols and they should be treated respectfully and should not be placed on the ground or put in the rubbish.