altar-A place of solace, meditation and prayerful communication with the Divine.
anandi-Bringer of bliss.
ananta lotus flower-Represents unlimited potentiality of divine energy.
lord Brahma-Lord of the creation and master of the Universe.
deva-Those who play in light.
dharma-Eternal truth.
five petal lotus-Represents the 5 elements: water, earth, fire, air, and space.
lord Ganesh-Represents the removal of all obstacles and brings one success.
ghanta (bell)-The symbol of the mystical primal sound from the origin of creation, which represents the sweet music of paradise. The sound of a bell inspires fear in all evil beings.
gopi drops-The Gopis are Krishna's companions, these drops represent their tears of pure love and devotion to Krishna who is the eternal lover of their soul.
Hari-A name for the Divine who removes all that is evil.
kama-Fulfillment of desire.
kamala (lotus flower)-Represents the unfolding of possibilities, purity, eternal renewal. It is the flower of our divine self, blossoming above the mud of material existence.
lord Krishna-Supreme Lord and eternal lover of the soul.
goddess Lakshmi-Goddess of opulence, good fortune and grace.
lotus bud-Represents the unfolding of possibilities.
lotus heart-The bloom within which our soul is hidden. It is said in the Vedas that the creator of all was born on a lotus flower
manipura-Name of the third chakra, also translated as 'the place of gems'. This energy centre located at the navel, is said to control our sense of accomplishment, self esteem and is the seat of our power.
Nagakanyas-Serpent maidens known in yogic culture to be the protectors of earthly treasures.
om shanti-Shanti or spiritual peace is the true nature of self, freedom from all fear.
om lotus petal-Om, is the imperishable Vedic symbol, representing divine unity, embracing creation, preservation and destruction. It is the sacred symbol of unified spiritual knowledge and existence.
goddess Parvati-Goddess of Mother nature and earthly femininity.
goddess Saraswati-Goddess of wisdom, beauty and the arts.
lord Shiva-The most pure and auspicious.
shiva lingam-The ancient and sacred symbol of Lord Shiva, it denotes the primeval energy of the Creator. This piece was designed with tantric symbolism, the lotus at the base symbolizing the yoni or Shakti energy.
Sitaram-Goddess Sita and Lord Ram represent the divine eternal couple.
thali-An auspicious wedding amulet displaying the Goddess Lakshmi, who represents opulence and good fortune for the wearer. This piece is a symbol to honour one's commitment to either their consort in 'this lifetime' or to the Divine.
varada-Fulfiller of all prayers.
lord Vishnu-represents preservation, balance and harmony.
MANTRAS
10:8 BHAGAVAD-GITA
aham sarvasya prabhavo
mattah sarvam pravartate
iti matva bhajante mam
budha bhava-samanvitah
I am the source of everything, from me the entire creation flows. Knowing this, the wise worship me with all their hearts.
GAYATRI MANTRA
Om bhur bhuvah svah
tat savitur varenyam
bhargo devasya dhimahi
dhiyo yonah prachodyat
The universe is filled with golden light of the sun, shining from Mother and Father Divine, to remind us of our true nature.
The Gayatri Mantra inspires and protects us by awakening our divine intuition, illuminating our spiritual intelligence and protecting us from all negative energies.
MANTRA SEVEN FROM ISHA UPANISHAD
yasmin sarvani bhutany
atmai vabhud vijanatah
tatra ko mohahkah soka
ekatvam anupasytah
One who sees all living beings as spiritual sparks, in quality one with the Divine, becomes a true knower of things. Such a person no longer experiences illusion or anxiety.
VISHNU'S PRAYER FROM THE BRIHADARANYAKA UPANISHAD
Om asatoma sad gamaya
tamasoma jyotir gamaya
mritor ma amritam gamaya
From the unreal lead me to the real
From the darkness lead me to light
And from death lead me to immortality.
om namo narayanaya
This mantra is chanted to invoke peace, harmony and balance. Narayanaya means the maintainer of all beings. Chanting this mantra reminds us that we are always held by divine grace and love.
om namo Shivaya
This mantra is chanted to destroy the darkness of the mind and lead one to pure consciousness
-Bowl should be short, round and with a narrower neck. It can be made from ceramic or good quality crystal.
-The bowl should be filled to the brim with the following:
-Place three or nine coins tied with red ribbon in the bottom of the bowl.
-While you are placing your objects in the bowl, you will be filling it in with a blend of eight types of semi-precious stones. Lillian Too recommends several stones. Jade, quartz, malachite, lapis lazuli, rose quartz, tiger’s eye, turquoise, coral, amethyst, citrine, topaz and carnelian.
-Crystals are excellent energizers for the bowl.
-Red envelope with some soil from a rich person’s home. This must be taken with their permission.
-Nine Chinese coins with the square hole in center and tied with red ribbon or string. Place in a red Chinese envelope.
-Real money in denominations of 988. For example $988.00, $9.88 or currency you would like to have from another country. For example: U.S dollars if you do business in the U.S. or vacation there. Place in a red envelope.
-Use the eight treasures. They are: a pair of elephants, the precious horse, the never-ending knot, the double fish symbol, the shell, the canopy symbol, the lotus flower or the vase.
-Add some gold ingots. Eight or nine. These are fashioned in the shape of Chinese gold. You can also add real gold such as old jewelry.
-The bowl should not be displayed in an ostentatious way. The best place is in a private room like the bedroom or home office. If it to be placed in a busy office, it would be best to put it in a cupboard.
-It is a good idea to take your bowl apart and clean and clear the contents to refresh the bowl the week before Chinese New Year. This will bring fresh energy and activates the wealth bowl for the coming year.
This very wonderful plant has many Feng Shui uses. Bamboo is believed to have the power to dissolve Shar Chi. Planting a small grove of bamboo in the east will enhance longevity and good health. Small varieties of Bamboo can be grown in the house as a houseplant, so placing the plant in the east would be very good feng shui and a great alternative if you don’t live in a home with a yard.
Chinese Coins
Tie three coins, yang side up (side with four characters), with red ribbon. This creates money luck. Put them on your computer, files, deposit books, place in purse, wallet, (but not with the credit cards, we don’t want to enhance debt) and especially in your SE corner. Place in red Chinese envelopes for added power and tuck around your house.
Dragon
The Dragon is the ultimate symbol of good fortune. It is best placed in the east but almost anywhere will bring good fortune. Do not place in the bedroom or bathroom. The bathroom is so negative that the Dragon cannot be placed in front of it or even looking at it. We have heard some real stories about the folly of ignoring this piece of advice.
Dragon Horse
The wonderful, and our favorite, Dragon Horse is the symbol of enormous riches, prosperous children, longevity and ‘great spiritual wisdom’. The Dragon Horse is a fabulous creature for your feng shui in that it will create luck in the sector they are displayed.
Fu Dogs
Fu Dogs (lions) are a symbol of protection and are most commonly displayed on either side of the driveway, entryway, etc. There is no particular ‘best’ place in the house and most rooms would be excellent. They are however too yang for the bedroom.
Kwan Kung
Kwan Kung is often referred to as the God of Wealth. Kwan Kung is also a powerful symbol of protection, used by people such as politicians, leaders and business people. I have even heard a rumor that he is the symbol used by the Triad. Display on a high table or shelf preferably facing toward the front door. Do not place on the same level as a Buddha.
Laughing Buddha
The Laughing Buddha is considered both the Buddha of Wealth and Happiness. He is often shown with a bag and/or sitting on a bed of gold ingots and Chinese coins. The bag could either be to take your troubles away for you, or to bring wealth, as in a bag of gold. You should place his image in the living room facing your front door. This Buddha should be as large as you can manage. Auspicious energy is believed to radiate from his image. Stroke his big belly every day. It will make you smile.
Three Legged Toad
This is a very popular and powerful symbol of wealth. There are as many placements for the toads as there are feng shui writers and consultants. I have found that the best placement for me is in the living room facing toward the centre of the room. Another is by the front door, but not facing it. Lillian Too has nine in her living room.
Peach Tree
The fruit of immortality is a symbol of longevity. Whenever the issue of health comes up, this is the symbol that we recommend. It is especially auspicious for married people to display peaches.
Sailing Ship
This is Lillian Too's favorite wealth symbol. The ship must be placed facing inward rather than heading toward the door. Place on a low table such as a coffee table. If you have an office, place one there. Fill the deck of the ship with gold ingots and coins. Real gold would be excellent, so you could use any gold coins that you have, but also any old gold jewellery, with or without precious gems, could be put in the ship too.
The Three Star Gods or Fuk Luk Sau
The three Star Gods, Fuk, Luk and Sau represent wealth and prosperity, rank and authority and longevity. Place them in the dining room or on a table facing the front door. It is perfect to elevate them, such as on a china cabinet or side table in the dining room.
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The following is a letter that I wrote to Lillian Too in August of 2002. Imagine my surprise when she emailed me back. I was very touched. I often tell people how much Feng Shui has changed my life and here’s the ‘proof’. I was telling Lillian how much my life had changed back in 2002, even before I quit my Provincial Government job to follow my heart into Dragon Horse Feng Shui. Lillian has this letter posted on her site, click here to view, so I thought I would share it with my Dragon Horse family too.
Erin
Dearest Lillian,
First and very quickly, thank you for starting something that has transformed my whole life. I owe you a debt of gratitude for sharing your knowledge and personal stories. Feng Shui has changed parts of my life I did not foresee, as like you did at the beginning, I was most concerned with the financial aspects. Into my life, and at just the right time, came Mark Sun, teacher of Tao, which opened up another wonderful part of my life. I had my Awakening Ceremony this past Monday. Buddhism is weaving itself into my life as well and with it a sense of calm and peace that I haven't felt before.
I would like to tell you about an idea that I have for a book that I really wish that you would consider doing. I have found several pictures of your home scattered through a couple of your books. I often squint and delve into the background trying to study and see how you place objects and just how you decorate to get that incredible effect. I would love to have a book of pictures of your home. Not of personal things or areas of course! Great quality like an art book, and lots of close ups. I have never seen anything like it in my life. It is beautiful beyond words. You must walk through the front door and just totally relax at the sight. Please consider my idea. Wishing all good and wonderful things for you.
Erin Middlebrooks
Dear Erin
it takes a person with a real big heart to sit down and write such beautiful encouraging words. thank you .. and may you continue to find wonderful new realizations about the true nature of reality. I will consider yr idea. in fact my next book FENG SHUI FOR INTERIORS is a colour book with many many pictures of my home.. it comes out next month. please look out for it on the www.wofs.com site
A Thangka is a painted or embroidered banner which was hung in a monastery or a family altar and carried by lamas in ceremonial processions. In Tibetan the word 'than' means flat and the suffix 'ka' stands for painting. The Thangka is thus a kind of painting done on flat surface but which can be rolled up when not required for display. The most common shape of a Thangka is the upright rectangular form. One does also find horizontal oblong banners influenced probably by the format of Chinese horizontal hand scrolls.
On the basis of techniques involved and materials used thangkas can be grouped into several categories. Generally they are divided into two broad categories: those which are painted (called bris-than in Tibetan) and those which are made of silk either by weaving or with embroidery called (gos-than). The painted thangkas are further divided into five categories:
·Thangkas which have different colors in the background
·Thangkas which have a gold background
·Thangkas which have a red background
·Thangkas painted on a black background
·Thangkas whose outlines are printed on cotton support and then touched up with colors
Thangkas are painted on cotton canvas with water soluble pigments, both mineral and organic, tempered with a herb and glue solution. The entire process demands great mastery over the drawing and perfect understanding of iconometric principles.
The execution of a Thangka painting can be divided into six steps:
Preparation of the painting surface
Tibetan painters pay great importance to the preparation of the painting surface since Thangka paintings are to be rolled up for storage and then unrolled for display. Any sort of defect due to neglect may cause cracks or make the paint peel off. A piece of cotton cloth of slightly open weave is stitched on to a narrow wooden frame along all its four sides. This lightly framed cotton is then tightly stretched over a larger wooden frame or stretcher with a stout thread by a system of crisscross lacing. After setting up the cloth in the frame it is treated from both the front and back with a thin layer of gesso, which is made up of glue and zinc oxide. The canvas is then burnished on both sides with a stone or conch shell to produce a smooth and lustrous surface.
Drawing
Before sketching different parts of the composition, eight major lines of orientation are drawn. These include a central perpendicular, two diagonals, a horizontal and four outer borders. Now with charcoal or graphite the rough drawing of the deity in full accordance with the canonical proportions is delineated. Within a given composition, the center stage is invariably occupied by the principal personage, while all acolytes and attendants are greatly reduced in size to further emphasize the majesty and enormity of the central figure.
Application of Color
Color is more than a visual proposition in Sacred Buddhist Painting. The five basic colors white, yellow, red, black and green have different symbolic meanings. Black symbolizes killing and anger, white denotes rest and repose, yellow stands for restraint and nourishment, red is indicative of subjugation while green is the known hue of exorcising practices. The palette of the Thangka painters has been classified into 'seven father colors' and one 'mother color'. The seven father colors are: deep blue, green, vermilion, minimum orange, maroon, yellow and indigo. The mother color is white which interacts perfectly with all these hues. The lighter shades resulting from the mixture of 'father' and 'mother' were referred to as their sons. Written evidence from the eighteenth century identifies fourteen such 'sons'.
For any large project, the master painter first visualizes the final color scheme and indicates them on the sketch with an abbreviated notation system.
While applying the colors the painter proceeds from the distant parts to those parts stationed near him.
Shading and Color Gradations
After laying the initial coats of flat color the painter proceeds to apply thin coats of dyes diluted in water. Shading in Tibetan Thangkas is always done to add effects of volume and dimension to the form be it a human figure, an anthropomorphic image of some deity or clouds, water, flames, rocks, flowers, curtains, seats, etc. Cast shadows and highlights are unknown aspects of the pictorial imagery of the Thangka. Very often the empty green field of the foreground is shown fading gradually into the horizon and such effects are obtained with 'wet shading', a technique of gradual blending of two adjoining areas of wet paint.
Outlining
In an essentially linear pictorial expression like the Thangka, the art of outlining plays a significant role. To set off objects from the background or to demarcate subdivisions of a certain form, or to emphasize a swirling mass of flames, painters select the indigo and lac dyes for perfect results.
Finishing Details
At this final stage the facial features are finished and the eyes of the deities are painted. For this 'eye opening' an elaborate consecration ritual on an auspicious full moon day is fixed and only after the vivification ritual does the painter complete the eyes in swift sure strokes. The whites of the eyes are softened with orange and red at the corner ends, eyelid edges are darkened and then the iris is added according to the required stance of the deity. The two most commonly fashioned varieties of eyes are 'bow eyes' and grain eyes' besides a few fearsome looking ones for the wrathful deities.
In order to turn the areas of gold shiny they are burnished gently with an onyx tipped tool after placing a wooden support against the back of the canvas.
Next, the cord fastenings are cut with a knife and the painting is removed from the stretcher. The Thangka is then mounted with Chinese silks. Often the Thangka is provided with a cover of gossamer silk. When the Thangka hangs on an altar the cover is gathered up to the top and acts as a curtain. Two narrow sticks are attached to the top and the bottom so that the Thangka can be easily rolled up for storage or for a journey.
Most Tibetan artists do not sign their works. Every act of creation is considered to be divine with the artist simply serving as a mortal instrument, and so his own identity is inconsequential. Also, attaching one's name to a work is considered an egotistical act, and it is the duty of the artist, like all pious Buddhists, to destroy the ego.
We all know just how good green tea is for us and especially Matcha Tea. Matcha is the only tea that the whole leaf is used. It contains an astounding 7 times the antioxidants of orange juice. Matcha tea can be 'whipped up' very quickly using a fork, but the ceremony of making your Matcha Tea makes the occassion very special and can set the tone for the whole day!! Here is a crash course on Matcha Tea making.
Ceremonial Matcha: Please note that in order to brew Ceremonial Matcha you will need a set of Japanese tea ceremony tools. (Bowls, scoops, and a whisk).
1. Prepare tea bowls by warming them with boiled water.
2. Prepare your Matcha whisk by soaking the tip in the boiled water in one of the bowls for about 10 seconds.
3. Pour the water out and dry the bowl with a paper towel.
4. Using your teaspoon, add 2 scoops of Matcha to each bowl.
5. Pour 1/3 of a cup of your hot water into each bowl.
6. In a slow "m' motion, submerge any loose bits of Matcha that may be floating on the surface of the tea.
7. Whisk the tea more briskly in a back and forth motion until the surface of the Matcha becomes frothy.
8. Consume immediately. (In Japan, it is customary to drink the entire bowl in 3 quick slurps).
You may find the taste of Matcha Tea a bit strong at first. It can be an acquired taste. The purists may cringe but we have found that adding a bit of soy or almond milk to the frothy tea makes it more of a Matcha Latte. Vanilla is particularly yummy.
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