New Lotus Moon

Detail from "Connect", acrylic

The Chinese call the sixth new moon the Lotus Moon. The lotus is the "flower of open-heartedness", an emblem of purity, fruitfulness (because of its many seeds) and creative power. And since lotus leaves protect the goldfish under them, the lotus also symbolizes abundance year after year. 

A lotus flower grows out of the mud, and blossoms above the muddy water surface; Buddhists teach that, like a lotus, we can rise above the suffering and conflicts of life.

The Lotus Moon, then, is the natural time to sink into the mud of my life, and seek out the best ways to grow above the fray.

Agenda for today:
1. Play in the Mud
2. Make a shiny mud ball
3. Journal Queries
4. Lotus Meditation
5. Plan small steps to take

1. Play in the mud:
Last year I wanted to create a ritual to contemplate the persistence of the lotus, as it grows out of the mud--- but instead I mostly just had fun getting muddy!

First  I created a mud bath outside. I dug a shallow pit in an out-of-way spot, and soaked it with water for 10 minutes.

Then I just stepped in and squished around.

I thought briefly about the ways I'm stuck in the mud: My bad habits, my achy body, my inflexibility, and so on...

It was quite soothing to sit in the shade with my feet in wet mud. 

2. Make a shiny mud ball:
Since I had this nice mud hole, it seemed like the perfect time to try making one of these mud balls, called a Dorodango in Japan. I first read about it at this Web Japan site.

Supplies: Mud, sand or sandy soil, a plastic bag, a cloth

1. Pack some mud into your hand, and squeeze out the water while forming a sphere.


2. Add some dry sand or sandy soil to the outside and continue to gently shape the mud into a sphere.


3. As you work with the mud it will dry out. Pack it solid with your hands, and continue to pat and rub fine, powdery dirt onto the sphere.

At this point, I got lots of big cracks in my ball, and I decided it was drying too fast. I used a wet finger to gently smooth all the cracks away. 

Smoothed and ready for the bag.

4. Seal the ball in a plastic bag for three or four hours. This helps to draw the water from the center of the ball to the outside. 

5. Remove the ball, and repeat step 3, and then once again seal the sphere in a plastic bag.

6. Remove the ball from the bag, and if it is no longer wet, polish it with a cloth until it shines.


My ball isn't particularly shiny, but it's smooth and dry. Today I put it on my altar. 


3. Journal Queries:
The New Moon invites us to start a new cycle, to renew promises, and set intentions. At the new moon I write down what I hope to focus on in the next 30 days or so, and then give my ideas a period of gestation, like seeds in the soil, before I take action. Having this regular time each month to focus my goals has helped to give me clarity of purpose.

What discouragements, difficulties, and dysfunctions are holding me down?
How can I best grow above the "mud" of my life?
How can I find the passion to be persistent?

List my intentions for the next 4 weeks in these areas- Self, Friends and Family, Teaching, Artwork, Writing, Home and Garden, Work/Business, and Volunteer Work.

4. Lotus Meditation:

The Buddhist term bodhicitta means ‘completely open heart and mind’. I work always at developing bodhicitta, towards a flexible and open way of thinking and feeling- not based on certainty and security, but on really connecting with the honest, dynamic energy of everything I encounter. This meditation is a practice to help me to open my heart:

Light a small white candle. 

Center, and feel myself fill with thankfulness for all I have now in my life.

Gradually bring my awareness to the center of my chest. Visualize a lotus flower in place of my heart. The flower gently opens its petals a bit more with each inhalation. And as I exhale, I rest inside the lotus flower, feeling my love gradually expand to fill the room, then the house, the city, country, and universe.

5. Plan small steps to take:
As the moon waxes, I expand-- plant seeds, make connections, and begin new projects. Today I will plan my first small steps.