Red Full Moon and Raksha Bandhan

Tonight is the full Red Moon, called that because it often appears reddish as it rises through the sultry haze of late summer - and in our valley, a sultry haze is the norm! One lovely (possibly Native American) explanation is that the moon is blushing after being kissed by the sun.

In India, this is also the Festival of Raksha Bandhan, which means “knot of protection.” Traditionally, girls tie a braided thread called a rakhi around the wrist of each brother-- a symbol of a sister's love and prayers for her brother's health and happiness, and to remind him of his life-long vow to protect his sister. Now it is also common for girls to trade rakhis with sisters, and with friends.

Agenda for today:
1. Update my altar
2. Journal queries
3. Practice stillness
4. Make rakhis
5. Send love and prayers to my sister and brothers
6. Make Kayla Halwa (Banana fudge) 

1. Update my altar:

It's time to discern what to put on my altar for the next month. (For my thoughts on altars see About Altars). I generally keep it simple and choose only things that speak to me and feed me, and reveal what I believe in. I ask, what quality of Spirit do I want to invoke? I will keep from last month-

• a sun- for clarity and yang energy
• a soapstone dog- for vigilance, and to remind me to stay loyal to my pack
• a mudball- to remember to grow above the fray

Today I added-

• a blue candle- for stillness, thought, and study
• a soapstone cat- for intuition, and to remind me to be flexible in my thinking

2. Journal queries:

I have a break from teaching this month, so it's time to gather my forces inward, and contemplate how I will grow during this next season.

What topics of study are of interest to me now?
What are some current events or issues I wonder about? 
What new skills might be useful?

Review the intentions I set 2 weeks ago, at the new moon.
Do these aims all still seem vital?
What are my next steps?

3. Practice stillness:

My theme this month is stillness. When I leave time in my daily routine for study, writing, meditation, and prayer, I honor the yin time of "being", which balances my yang times of action and doing. In the stillness, my ego disappears for a bit. I can then turn back to the outside world, seeing myself as a part of the whole rather than as an isolated individual.

I've been having a hard time settling on topics of study this summer, but now I've picked these:

• Craftivism (how to use my special powers for the greater good!)
• Art as meditation
• How to build good habits
• Introvert power

4. Make rakhis:

A rakhi is like a friendship bracelet, made with braided embroidery floss, silk thread, and with a decoration shaped like a flower in the middle. Before the festival, the markets in India are filled with dazzling rakhis, in different sizes, colors and shapes, embellished with beads, gold or silver threads, or satin ribbons.

Rhakis are traditionally red and gold: Red symbolizes protection, strength, and a promise, and gold symbolizes good luck. Many girls like to make their own rakhis for sentimental reasons, and the materials and methods they use are endlessly creative. If you do a search online for "how to make a rakhi" you will see some great ideas!

Supplies: Embroidery floss, a ruler, scissors, a bead, button, foam or cardboard flower

1. Choose two colors of embroidery floss- any colors that are meaningful to you- and cut them to 24-inches.

2. Now tape the pieces to the table and twist them together. 

The strands are twisted and folded...

and now you have a cord!

When the twist is very tight, double the strands over, holding on to the center point.

Let go of the center and let the two sides twist together- it will look like a crumpled mess, but just pull the folded end out until it's straight.

3. Rakhis traditionally have a flower shaped center. This year I found some sparkly foam flowers... we threaded on a bead, then the flower.








Other options: Cardboard covered with glitter, sequins, or jewels, or a nice button.

5. Send love and prayers to my sister and brothers:
The rakhi is given with great ceremony. On the morning of Raksha Bandhan, each sister sets out a tray with flowers, diya lamps, incense, sweets such as halwa, and the rakhi. The sister applies a tilak on her brother's forehead, then she ties the rakhi on his right wrist, and then offers him blessings to guard him against all harm. 

The notion that brothers should protect their sisters might seem old-fashioned; many sisters might say, "I can take care of myself", which is probably true. However, the thought of an expectation of protection makes me happy. I'm not sure how my brothers feel about it.

Today I spent a few minutes during my morning meditation sending blessings, love, and prayers for health and happiness to each of my siblings, picturing them at peace in their homes.

6. Make Kayla Halwa (Banana Fudge) :

The rakhi ceremony ends when the sister offers the brother sweets, such as halwa, an Indian candy made from vegetables or fruit. 

Halwa is usually served in small squares, and comes in bright colors- carrot halwa is orange, pistachio is green, mango is red, and banana is yellow! It's like soft caramel, with a strong banana flavor and nice cashew crunch.

Ingredients:

• 1-2 ripe bananas (1 c. mashed)
• 2 Tbsp. cashews
• 2 Tbsp. ghee or butter, plus some to oil the pan
• 1 c. sugar
• 2 Tbsp. rice flour
• 1/4 tsp. powdered cardamom
• yellow food coloring (optional)

Yield: Approximately 15 pieces of candy-

1- Peel and mash the bananas. Roughly chop the cashews. Butter a small cake pan.

2- Heat ghee or butter in a saucepan and fry the nuts until golden. Scoop the nuts out and set them aside.

3- Add the banana mash to the same ghee and fry for 1 minute.

4- Add the sugar and cook, stirring, until it begins to get a little thick. 









5- Add the cashews, rice flour, cardamom, a bit of yellow food coloring (optional). 

6- Keep stirring on low heat, 7 - 10 minutes. It will darken and thicken. When you can stir the mixture to one side of the pan and it stays, remove it from the heat.



7- Quickly scoop the mixture into the buttered pan and press to shape- you probably won't fill the pan with such a small batch, but it should hold it's shape anyway. Allow it to cool completely before cutting into small squares.