January 20, 2025 is Inauguration Day in the United States. It is also Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
It is not a co-incidence that the two are happening on the same day this year.
While it is true that what is coming is darkness, it is also true, as Martin Luther King Jr reminded us, “Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.”
Light. Love. Hope!
Light can drive out darkness! Love can drive out hate!
Let us not lose sight of the hope that is is Light and Love.
Are the kids / grandkids getting mischievous? restless? can’t wait for Santa? How about having them make some Dot Mandala tags? They’re easy and fun to make – look great on gifts, the Christmas trees and as a Jewish friend told me – on her Hanukkah bush. 🙂
Here’s how …
In a nutshell … the paint: acrylic paint (the stuff from the Dollar Store) … the ‘dot’ tools: can be special dot mandala tools which can be purchased on-line OR you can use the eraser end of pencils, embossing styluses, straight pins (if you’re doing really ‘fine’ work), dowels, different-size round brushes heads, etc. In other words, look around at your home/the Dollar Store and see what different things you have that will make different sized ‘dots’.
Get some black cardstock/watercolour paper (I like working on dark navy or black, but any colour background will work). This technique also works great on rocks, CD’s and records which are best first painted (acrylic) in a solid colour and then dried before dotting the surface.
Steps: The Dot Mandalas are made from creating a circle. Then divide it into various ‘even’ sections (quarters / eighths) and into smaller circles (if you want some guidelines) all using a white erasable pencil – white charcoal pencils work great as do tailor’s marking pencils.
Put a little bit of each acrylic paint colour you’re going to use in a small paint tray or on a dish. I like the idea of just using white on black for Christmas, but did do some with colour. To begin, put a dot in the centre of your circle and add dots working outwards. Remember to refresh your paint with each dot … change dot sizes and clean your tool/pencil end between each dot. If you want to make smaller “dots” in a line, don’t refresh your paint each time. The paint does the magic on its own. 🙂
A bit of a warning <g>, this can become addictive! But, it’s a very inexpensive art form with all sorts of possibilities (design / colour / original shape / turning into a handmade card).
I’ve found making Dot Mandalas to be a gentle meditative process. Hope you do, as well.
Somewhere this moment, there is a wee one, uttering a prayer for Two-Legged creatures she sees on her travels.
“O Creator-Of-Us-All, I pray for the Two-Legged creatures who foolishly ignore the signs that are all around. Signs which, if they aren’t acted upon, will result in even more damage to the environment.
Thee-Who-Is-Truth, I pray for those Two-Legged creatures who hear truth about climate change and yet choose to ignore it.
O Holy-One-Who-Celebrates-Life, I pray for wisdom and compassion for all in the Two-Legged world so the spread of untruths will be stopped and the devastation of this planet we share with them will come to an end.
Thee-Who-Loves-All-Creatures, I pray for unconditional love to move in the hearts of the Two-Legged creatures whose hearts are cold and whose minds are focused on selfish ways.
May this prayer be heard and may the Two-Legged ones exercise wisdom, compassion and kindness to us and to one another.
This day, this night, this moment … Creator … Holy One … Hearer of Whispered Concerns … Listener of Unspoken Fears … Gentle Bearer of Grief remind the Two-Legged creatures that this earth is sacred the waters are sacred the sky is sacred the animal, plant, fish, mammal, insect kingdoms are sacred and they, Two-Legged creatures are sacred.
This day, this night, Sacred Friend Who Loves Unconditionally, remind the Two-Legged creatures of your call to them to be good stewards of the lands, the skies, the waters, each other, and themselves.
And remind them that if they don’t change their ways they will not survive and neither will I.
The United States – it’s not very “united” these days. But then again, other countries are experiencing great division – families are experiencing fractured relationships – friendships are in jeopardy. There is a lot of darkness in the world – not just in the United States, or Ukraine, or developing countries, but here in this little Valley where I live.
The darkness is troubling yet I find hope in light.
I am grateful for the lighting of candles that forms an integral part of a number of traditions in various faiths and countries – like the Moravian Star. First introduced to children in Moravian schools as a geometry lesson in the mid 1830’s, it was soon adopted throughout many parts of Europe, the West Indies, Greenland, Suriname, Labrador, Central America, South and East Africa and in parts of India where Christianity was evident because of its representation of the Star of Bethlehem. What makes a Moravian star unique and distinct from other stars is its symmetrical shape which is based on a three-dimensional solid with flat faces, straight edges and sharp corners.
I hadn’t heard of the Moravian Star until it found its way into my life through my beloved Dutch-born husband, Hans.
Each year, I loved it when Hans would open the little box, put the pieces together and the Moravian Star was placed in our kitchen window during the Season of Advent. Though Hans died in 2016, he is still with me in many intangible ways – and through this Moravian Star still hanging in the kitchen window and lit during the Season of Advent.
Whatever we use — Christmas tree, Moravian Star, Menorah, string of lights across our window, candles in an Advent log, a single candle burning in a home/apartment in Ukraine where power and heat don’t work .. let us light a candle … discourage darkness. Let us shine light in the world … let us Be Light in the world.
