Full Snow Moon and Lantern Festival

Photo by Alan Gillespie

Tonight is the full moon called the Snow Moon; also called the Atchiulartadsh, or "Out of Food" moon by the local Kalapuya.

We've not had any snow this month, and we are not out of food, but it is a lean time: Lean on light, barren garden beds, and (still) not much social interaction.

Tonight is also Yuan Xiao, the 15th and last day of the Chinese New Year Festival. Yuan xiao means "first night", meaning the first time that the full moon is seen in the New Year. This festival's other name is the Lantern Festival, because folks will make or buy lanterns of all kinds - shaped like flowers, or boats, or birds; made of bamboo, silk or paper; decorated with paintings, embroidery, paper cuts, tassels, and fringe - and tonight everyone takes to the streets to display their lanterns. It’s like a carnival: Children dress in costumes and watch parades with lighted floats, fireworks displays, puppet shows, and dances.

We are now at the peak of the strong-energy yang phase of the waxing moon, and will soon begin the quiet-energy yin time of the waning moon. The February Full Moon is a good time to ponder what new seeds you want to invite into your life.

Agenda for today:

1. Vision walk

2. Celebrate receptivity

3. Read about loving-kindness

4. Make tang yuan, sweet dumplings
5. Hang a lantern
6. Riddle guessing

1. Take a vision walk:
The full moon shines a bright light on everything, and I might experience intuitive and creative breakthroughs. I might be shocked by the clarity of my insights. I might see some ugliness - the full moon illuminates all the things I've left in the shadows, some heavy truths and some embarrassing mistakes.

Today I'm going to settle in to silence and access my intuitive mind - my connection to the Creator and the Inner Guide - by putting myself into a relaxed, trance-like state, and seeking a leading of the spirit with an open mind and heart.

Today I call on the Spirit of Light to guide me, bring me clarity and open my eyes. What is the Truth that is coming into focus for me now? 

What seeds (of inspiration, leading, friendship, love, wisdom...) am I holding inside me that might take root and grow? 

What new seeds do I want to invite?

How do I prepare my heart to receive new seeds?

How do I nurture these tender seeds?

2. Celebrate receptivity:

My theme for this Holiday Moon continues to be receptivity; like the earth - accepting the seed, and willing to nurture it. Receptivity requires that I be open and available, and also requires that I do the work to care for what I receive. I've been spending time with family, and keeping in touch with friends. I'm also taking lots of time for contemplation, and working on my patience skills. 

Today I get to celebrate my accomplishments and reaffirm this theme for the next two weeks. To celebrate receptivity I will:

• Read a loving-kindness book.
• Worship with my Quaker community, and remain open to what comes.
• Open to a new painting and collage project, and gather inspiration.
• End the day with a full moon gathering with friends, on zoom, to share on how we nurture our seeds!

3. Read about loving-kindness:

I'm reading "The sacred Art of Lovingkindness; Preparing to practice," by Rabbi Rami Shapiro (2015). Last week I read about the first two attributes of Loving-kindness: Realizing the divinity of self, and realizing the divinity of others; and I began to practice remembering that, since I am Godly, I can behave with loving kindness.

This week I read chapter two: God as Creative Force: Cultivating Creativity. Rabbi Shapiro says, "Let me be very clear: By creativity I am not talking about being able to draw, paint, write, dance, or any other activity. ... the creativity that is essential to lovingkindness is the realization that you in and of yourself are a creative act. ... Because realizing your own creativity takes you out of the past, out of the known, beyond the labels of gender, race (etc.) ... Creativity is the breaking down of all you know so that the new, the unknown, may emerge."

He says, basically, that unless I can tap into a creative way of thinking, and engage the moment fresh and unmarked by my past, I will not be able to let go of my need for self-preservation or my desire for achievement; I cannot be truly loving unless I approach life with humble, expansive openness, and authenticity. To honor my Godly identity, I need to go within myself to find my uniqueness, then engage the world in a way that is uniquely and creatively mine.

"When we step outside of fixed and narrow mind, we see all things as astonishing. We know that God is all and engage life from a pace of effortless creativity that gives rise to effortless lovingkindness.

When you see that you are coming from narrow mind, simply be aware of this fact. ... Do not think that your responses to each moment are automatic and instantaneous. They may be grounded in habit, but there is always a moment between an action and your reaction to it in which to look and see if you are reacting from conditioning or creativity. What are the signs? 

If you are coming from narrow, conditioned, and clever mind, you will find yourself experiencing anxiety and fear. If you are coming from spacious, unconditioned, and creative mind, you will experience tranquility and compassion. It is simple. But you have to look".

4. Make tang yuan, sweet dumplings:
It is a tradition to eat these round sticky dumplings on the Lantern Festival to symbolize the full moon and also family togetherness.

They are delicious, but very rich, so only cook a few for each person, and freeze the rest to cook later. I have used two different fillings - sweet bean paste (you can buy it ready to use at Asian Markets), and one made with black sesame seeds. The recipe is here.

5. Hang a lantern:
In China, the lantern is a symbol of eternal hope. I make a new lantern each year to hang on the front porch.

I used a yellow cellophane around the jar on the left, and white tissue
on the small jar in the center.

Supplies: A clear jar, tissue paper (optional), red paper (we used butcher paper), double stick tape, wire, gold cord

1. Choose a clear jar, big enough to hold a votive candle.

2. Cut a strip of yellow or white tissue paper to wrap around the jar and overlap just a bit (I used cellophane). Tape the strip where it overlaps. Or you can leave the jar clear.

3. Cut many 1-inch strips of red paper a bit longer than the height of the jar; you will need between 11 and 20 strips.


4. Put a small piece of double stick tape at the top and bottom of each strip and attach them one at a time to the rim and the bottom edge of the jar, overlapping each strip by about half.

5. Add a wire around the top rim if you want to hang it outside. Decorate with gold cord around the top.

6. Riddle guessing: 
It’s a custom at the Lantern Festival to have riddle-guessing contests; people copy out a puzzling riddle onto a paper lantern, and hang it at the door, with the promise of a reward to any who may succeed in unraveling it. 

Here are some of my favorite riddles:

• What always goes to bed with his shoes on? (A horse)

• What has feet but can't walk? (A yard stick)

• What has eyes but can't see? (A potato or a needle)

• What has hands but can't feel? (A clock) 

• What has ears but can't hear? (Corn) 

• What has teeth but can't chew? (A comb)

• Take off my skin - I won't cry, but you will! What am I? (An onion)

• There is an ancient invention still used in some parts of the world today that allows people to see through walls. What is it? (A window)

• What gets bigger the more you take away from it? (A hole)

• At night I come without being fetched. By day I am lost without being stolen. What am I? (A star)

• The more you have of it, the less you see. What is it? (Darkness)

• What must you keep after giving it to someone else? (A promise)

• What is lighter than a feather yet harder to hold? (Your breath) 

• If you have it, you want to share it. If you share it, you don't have it. What is it? (A secret.) 

• When you say my name I disappear. Who am I? (Silence)

• What is always coming, but never arrives? (Tomorrow)