Epiphany

January 6th is Epiphany, the final day of the Christmas season. This was the day when the three Magi arrived in Bethlehem to see the baby Jesus, and recognized that he would grow up to be a great helper of people. 

Epiphany comes from the Greek epiphania, meaning manifestation, or moment of recognition. The Magi had an epiphany- a moment of recognition, when the truth became clear through something simple and striking.

Today I taught a New Year's class, and we celebrated epiphany and also Kakizome Day (January 2) and Distaff Day (January 7).

Kakizome means "first writing". On this day people all over Japan will take time to use a brush and sumi ink to write out a favorite quote or phrase- the first calligraphy of the new year. Kakizome is a way to express your positive wishes for the New Year.


Agenda for today:
1. Journal queries
2. Bake a King's cake
3. Celebrate Kakizome Day
4. Make an Omamori

1. Journal queries:
An epiphany is an insight that might take years to ripen, like when I suddenly understand something that has been hovering just out of my grasp; it's a brilliant feeling of clarity, a gift from Spirit, a moment of transformation.

At the same time, it’s no big deal- Light and grace are always in the world; what is sporadic is my ability to pay attention and be present.

What are the themes running through my life?
What might be the message or vision that is ripening in me this season?
What question do I want to shine greater light on?

2. Bake a King's Cake:

In Mexico, Día de Reyes (Day of Kings) is the main celebration of Christmas, though Christmas Day is growing in popularity. Children get presents today from the three kings, and the family shares a special bread, called Rosca de Reyes (King's Cake), which looks like a large, delicious crown.

A tiny clay doll (or an almond or coin) is placed inside the cake to symbolize the coming of the baby Jesus. Each guest cuts a piece, and the person whose serving contains the doll is considered king or queen of the fiesta, and is obligated to host another party on or before February 2 (Candlemas).

Ingredients:

• 2/3 c. milk 
• 1/2 c. sugar 
• 1-1/2 tsp. salt 
• 5 Tbs. butter
• 2 package of yeast 
• 4 eggs 
• 4 c. flour 
• 2 c. dried fruit or raisins

Sugar paste & decorations:

• 1/2 c. butter 
• 1/2 c. sugar 
• 1 egg 
• 1 c. flour 
• dried or candied fruits

Yield: 1 large cake

1- Heat milk to boiling. In a large bowl, combine the hot milk with sugar, salt, and margarine. Cool to lukewarm.

2- Meanwhile, dissolve yeast in 1/4 c. warm water. When the milk has cooled, add the dissolved yeast, eggs, and 2 c. flour.

3- Beat the dough until it is smooth and satiny then stir in another 2 c. flour and dried fruit or raisins to make a soft dough. Cover the bowl with plastic and let the dough rise until doubled, about 1 hour.

4- Pour the dough out onto a well-floured surface and gently shape it into a ring. Arrange the dough on a greased cookie sheet then hide a foil-wrapped coin in it. Let the cake rise again until doubled, about 1-1/4 hours. 

We decorated with dried apricots, cranberries, 
and golden raisins.

5-Make sugar paste: Cream butter and sugar together, beat in egg and gradually add about 1 c. flour. Press out flat on a well- floured surface, and cut into strips. Decorate the bread with this paste and dried fruits, to look like a crown covered with jewels.

After baking: The lighter strips are the sugar paste.

6- Bake your cake in a preheated oven at 350°F for 25-30 minutes.

7- Make a crown:
While the cake is baking, make a crown with yellow poster board, pens, and stick-on jewels.

This year we could NOT find the coin! We each ate 2 pieces of cake and then cut the cake into tiny slices, but it was a student's dad who finally picked the right piece and became the King.

3. Celebrate Kakizome Day:
In Japan, calligraphy is part of the curriculum in all schools. On Kakizome Day (January 2), students begin the year by practicing their calligraphy skills. You don't have to write in Japanese if that's intimidating.

Supplies: Ink stone, ink stick, sumi brush, newsprint, rice paper

Writing "Love" in Japanese.

1- Choose what to write: People usually write a favorite poem, proverb, or positive and encouraging kanji symbol, like "good health" or "tolerance and acceptance".

2- Grind your own ink (optional): Ink grinding gives you a meditative moment to reflect your thoughts and wishes for the new beginning of the year. Just add a few drops of water to the ink stone and slide the ink stick back and forth until a small amount of ink forms in the well.

3- Practice with the brush and ink: Japanese calligraphy requires skill- you have to hold the brush just so, and stroke and place the characters on the paper with precision and beauty. Try out the calligraphy on newsprint several times to get the feel for it before you use the rice paper. Practicing one positive kanji over and over helps you to develop skill and also focus on the positive theme you have selected.

I wrote "Health" in Japanese.

4- If you end up with something you like, you can mount it on heavier paper and hang it to give you inspiration all year. Or you can make it small enough to fit inside your omamori.

4. Make an Omamori:

Starting at dawn on New Year’s Day, Japanese people flock to shrines and temples to offer prayers and wishes for the New Year. While there, each person buys a new omamori- a traditional Japanese cloth charm- and returns last year’s omamori to be burned. 

Omamori is Japanese for “honorable protector”. They are most commonly rectangular, and contain a piece of wood or paper inside, with some powerful Shinto or Buddhist words for protection, or health, or luck, or a variety of other specific uses. The cool thing about omamori is that they are personal and portable. You can carry your omamori however feels right to you: It’s common to attach a safety omamori to a backpack to protect a child on the walk to school, or to keep a study omamori in a pencil case, or hold it in a pocket during an exam.

Since I can't buy an omamori at a local temple, I decided to make my own a couple of years ago, for trafic safety. And today we made a couple of new omomori's!

Supplies: Sturdy fabric, paper for the pattern, scissors, needles and thread, awl (or something else pointing), cord, nice paper for the writing, pen or sumi ink and brush

1- Draw and cut a pattern:  Mine is 2-1/2 by 4-inches. Omamori are usually rectangular with angles at the top.

2- Fold your fabric in half at the bottom edge of the pattern and cut.

3- Turn the fabric inside out (front to front) and sew up the sides, but not the angled top. (The bottom is the fold line.) You can sew by hand or on a machine.

4- Turn the fabric right sides out again and poke out all the corners. 

5- Now you are ready to write your sacred words. Omamori can have a general blessing and protection or it can have specific focus such as:

Kaiun (good luck) 開運

Katsumori (success) 勝守

Koutsuu-anzen (traffic safety) 交通安全
Gakugyou-joujo (education and passing tests) 学業乗除

Shiawase (happiness) 幸せ

Enmusubi (love) 縁結び

I'm not sure what words are usually inside an omamori, so I just wrote the words of the purpose, which was traffic safety.


6- Once you write out your words, slide them inside. (I put mine in plastic first to protect from rain). 

Then finish sewing up the angled edges and the top to totally encase your wish.

7- Omamori are hung by a cord tied with a special Japanese tassel knot. I found this great video tutorial showing how to tie it.






8- Once your knot it tied, poke a hole in the top of your omamori with an awl or something else that's poky.

Front

9- Slide both ends of your cord through the hole so that the tassel knot is resting on the front top

Back

and tie a small square knot on the back to keep it in place. Finished!

My omamori has been on my bike handlebars for three year's now, flapping around as I ride through all weather. It's still in great shape so I decided to let it work for another year.