March Festivals, Celebrations, & More

March 1, Matronalia, Roman day of honor for all women 

March 2, Saint Ceadda’s Day

March 3, Hina Matsura, Japanese Doll Festival, a celebration of girlhood

March 4, Saint Casimir’s Day, patron saint of Lithuania.

March 5, Navigium Isidis festival honoring Isis as navigator (Greco-Roman)

March 6, Kuan Yin’s birthday (Buddhist)

March 7, Bird and Arbor Day, established 1909 by Luther Burbank

March 8, International Women’s Day

March 9, Forty Saints Day in Romania

March 10, Tibet Day

March 11, Johnny Appleseed Day

March 12, O-mitzutori, “Receiving the Water Day” (Buddhist Japan)

March 13, Las Fallas Day in Valencia, bonfires to burn away the winter

March 14, Pi Day for mathematicians everywhere

March 15, Roman Ides of March; Japanese Phallus festival

March 16, Festival of Dionysus, the first day of the wild Roman Bacchanalia

March 17, Saint Patrick’s Day; Roman Libernalia

March 18, Sheelah’s Day in honor of Sheela-Na-Gig, goddess of fertility (Ireland)

March 19, San Giuseppe Day for Jesus’s father 

March 20, Spring equinox

March 21, No-Rus (Iranian New Year)

March 22, World Day of Water

March 23, Lildienas or Mara Day, named for the great goddess of Latvia

March 24, Feast of Saint Gabriel, patron saint of communications

March 25, The Annunciation, nine months before Christmas Day

March 26, Prince Kuhio Day, for the last royal prince of Hawaii

March 27, Easter, a moveable feast

March 28, Pesach, or Passover, a moveable feast

March 29, Festival of Ishtar (Babylonian)

March 30, Salus Day, also known as Hygieia, goddess of cleanliness, health, and the moon

March 31, Culture Day (Micronesia)

In March we see the more tangible signs of sprig—grass and trees begin to green, birds return from where they have wintered, and we breathe in the warmer breezes that herald summer ahead. Be careful, however—March can be a month of surprises and changes. Celebrate spring by bringing fresh flowers into your home, and take advantage of the first fruits and vegetables in the markets. March marks the vernal (or spring) equinox, one of only two days of the year where the hours of daylight and the night are balanced equally. The vernal equinox, like its partner, the autumnal equinox, exemplifies the concept of equilibrium and the idea that two halves create a whole: only with the darkness can light be seen and appreciated. 

Candlemas Ritual, February 2

Candlemas, the highest point between the winter solstice and the spring equinox, is also known as Imbolc, Brigid’s Day, and the Feast of the Purification of the Virgin. Many Wiccans use this sabbat (holy day) as the special day to initiate new witches. Brigid, the Celtic goddess and saint honored on this day, is connected with both the elements of fire and water, both with powerful purificatory powers.

Essential elements for this Candlemas ritual are a cauldron, white candles, a bough of cedar, a small bough of pine, a small bough of juniper, a small bough of holly, incense, red cotton thread or yarn, a stone for an altar, and a bowl of water.

The leader of the circle should purify the circle with the fire of the incense while invoking the four directions to raise power. Place your altar stone north of the circle and place white candles on and around the altar. Cast the circle:

Face east and say:

Welcome, Guardians of the East, bringing your fresh winds, the breath of life. Come to the Circle of Candlemas.

Face south and say:

Welcome, Guardians of the South, bringing us heat and health. Come to the circle on Candlemas.

Face west and say:

Welcome, Guardians of the West, bringing the setting sun and light rains. Come to the circle on Candlemas.

Face north and say:

Welcome, Guardians of the North, brining life-bringing rains and snow. Come to the circle on Candlemas.

Meditating on the concept of purification, make a bouquet of the four branches and wrap it with the red cord. The red symbolizes Brigid’s fiery aspect, while the four trees stand for purification. Bow with it to each of the four directions. Bow last to the north, over the altar stone, and say:

Bright Brigid,

Sweep clean our homes and spirits on this sacred day. Purify our souls of the dullness of winter, and help us prepare for the light of summer.

Brigid of the white hands, Brigid of the golden curls, Bless us all. So mote it be.

All respond:

So mote it be!

The ritual leader dips the branches in the water and sprinkles the circle, and the participants, saying:

Blessed Brigid, may your water heal us, and make us whole.

Leave the bouquet on the altar stone as an offering to Brigid.

New Moon Candle Consecration

If you are looking for love and feel like you need the physical release of sex, perform this rite and you will soon find a lover to satisfy your needs. On the night of the next new moon, take two pieces of rose quartz and place them on the floor in the center of your bedroom. Light two red candles and use this affirming chant:

Beautiful crystal I hold this night, 

Flame with love for my delight, 

Goddess of Love, I ask of you, 

Guide me in the path that is true.

Harm to none as love comes to me. 

This I ask and so it shall be.

Relationship Corner

As you walk into your bedroom, the relationship corner will be the back right corner. Your love and sex energy have to be nurtured there, and you might as well consider placing your altar there to serve as your personal erotic wellspring.

Look at this area with a fresh eye—what is cluttering your love corner with dead energy? Half-empty perfume bottles or near- empty cosmetic bottles could be impairing your relationship energy. You must clear unhappiness out of this space, clear the area of any clutter by getting rid of all unnecessary objects and tidying up.

To cleanse the area, ring a hand bell anywhere clutter has accumulated, giving special attention to your bed and pillows. Here are a few tips:

• Never bring old pillows into a new home. Old pillows can cause poor sleep and bad dreams. They can carry old sexual energy and can kill a relationship.
• Never place your bed in the center of a room, as this will cause anxiety and get in the way of a healthy sex life.
• Never have the foot of the bed facing the door, as this brings very bad luck.
• To keep your lovemaking fresh, always make the bed and change the linens often.

Place these objects in your bedroom to attract loving energy:

• 2 rose quartz crystals of equivalent size r Pink, orange, or red fabric
  
• 2 red candles
• Images of two butterflies 

Personal Ritual for Renewal: Bed Blessing

Turn back the bedspread to reveal fresh sheets. In a red cup, mix a half-teaspoon of jasmine oil and a half-teaspoon of rose oil. Hold it with both hands and speak:

In this bed, I show my love.

In this bed, I share my body.

In this bed, I give my heart.

In this bed, we are as one.

Here, my happiness lies as I give and live in total joy. 

Blessed be to thee and me.

As you say, “Blessed be,” flick drops of your bed blessing oil from your fingers all across the bed until the cup is empty. Now, lie down and roll around in the bed. After all, that is what it is there for!

Valentine’s Day Observances: Attraction Altar

This is the first step to prepare for potential relationships and create a foundation for self-love in the truest sense. You can recreate your altar as a power source and a center from which to renew your erotic spirit. You can also concentrate your energy, clarify your intentions, and make your wishes come true. Incorporate a special element to enhance love in your life, for yourself, and for others. As always, the more you use your altar, the more powerful your spells will be.

Feng Shui for Love

Surely one of the main reasons for clearing space in your home and bedroom is to make room for a happy love life. Before you attempt to enhance your prospects for love, you need to improve the flow of chi, or life energy, in the environment where you express your love. Try any of all of the following to help you improve the chi:

• Remove all pictures of yourself where you are alone.
• Remove all empty cups, jars, vases, and bottles.
• Remove all photographs of past lovers, or at least relegate them to another room.
• Make sure that decorative accessories are in even numbers, not in odds or in triplets. This pertains to candles, frames, pillows, and lamps.
• Display special feng shui love symbols, such as an open red fan, a pair of crystal lovebirds, and two red hearts. On your bed, you should use rich, silky, and extremely comfortable fabrics and colors. Also be extravagant when it comes to pillows—the more the merrier. But remember to have even numbers, not odd ones, which disrupt your “love chi."

Chinese New Year

This most special holiday for Chinese all over the world is a “moveable feast,” as it occurs on the second new moon after the shortest day of the year (the winter solstice, December 21) and lasts about two weeks. According to the Western calendar, this means the holiday begins sometime in either late January or early February. Tradition holds that homes must be cleaned from top to bottom in preparation for the festivities. On New Year’s Eve, families get together for a banquet, and at this feast fish is the dish of delight, as the Chinese word for “fish” sounds like yu, or “great plenty.” Red is the color of luck and all children receive red envelopes filled with money and bright, shining moon-like coins. Adults write “spring couplets” on red paper; these are short poems that are hung around the doorway to greet the New Year auspiciously. Oranges are placed around the house in bowls and plates and blooming plants adorn the home both indoors and out. All generations of the extended Chinese family, from great-grandmother to the tiniest toddler, stay up late playing games, telling stories, and making wishes for the New Year.

Hong Bao—an Ancient Feng Shui Custom

Essential elements: red envelopes, coins, and paper money. The Chinese call the red envelopes lee sees.

On the actual day of the Chinese New Year, go around to your neighbors, friends, and family with red envelopes containing money. If you are like me, bright, shiny coins are what you can easily afford to give instead of envelopes stuffed with paper money. With each gift, greet folks with Gung Hey Fat Choy, which means “Wishing you prosperity and health."

Give every child two lee sees because happiness comes in pairs. By taking care to provide the children you know with lee sees, you are making sure the next generation has good luck. Business owners also give lee sees to employees, important partners, and associates. When you hand a lee see to anyone you may have a grudge or grievance with, you should let go of the old feeling and refuse to drag the new you down with emotional baggage in the New Year. 

February Holidays

February 1, Saint Brigid’s Day

February 2, Candlemas

February 3, Folklore Day (South Korea)

February 4, Porridge Day in Latvia

February 5, Fiesta de la Alcaldesa (Sicily)

February 6, Waitangi Day (New Zealand)

February 7, Ghost Exorcising Festival (Tibet)

February 8, Youth Day (Congo)

February 9, Chingay Procession (Singapore)

February 10, World Marriage Day

February 11, Kurban Bairam (Islam)

February 12, Chinese New Year (moves according to the lunar calendar)

February 13, Parentalia (ancient Rome)

February 14, St. Valentine’s Day

February 15, Lupercalia fertility festival (ancient Rome)

February 16, Heritage Day (Canada)

February 17, Tanis Diena, ancient Latvian festival honoring pigs

February 18, Spenta Armaiti festival of cultivators (Persian)

February 19, Copernicus birthday, 1473, revolutionary astronomer of the heliocentric theory—honor the sun!

February 20, Museum Day, commemorating to opening of New York’s Metropolitan Museum

February 21, Feralia, Roman festival to honor the dead 

February 22, St. Lucia’s Day (Christian)

February 23, Terminalia, honoring the Roman god of boundaries

February 24, Gregorian calendar begins, as established by Pope Gregory XIII in 1582

February 25, Day of Nut (Ancient Egypt)

February 26, Purim

February 27, Ayyam I Ha, Day of Service and Giving (Baha’i)

February 28, Kalevala Day, commemorating the first publication of the Finnish mythological poem in 1835

February 29, Leap Day and Ladies Day

Although February is the shortest calendar month, it holds many rich festivals from several cultures. Celtic Pagans celebrate Imbolc, or Brigid’s Day, as the first sign of spring in the Wheel of the Year. Imbolc translates as “in the milk,” which reflects the lambing and calving season that begins around this time. The idea of purification also runs through February festivals such as Purim, Candlemas, and Lupercalia. Take the opportunity to start “spring cleaning” a bit earlier than you usually do to help chase away the winter blues. And of course, February holds Valentine’s Day, a now-secular celebration of affection and friendship. 

Clearing the New Year: Ganesha Mudras

The elephant-headed Ganesha is the Indian god who helps overcome all obstacles. What better way to start the New Year that with this mighty deity at your side? Ganesha is beloved in India, where he is also called Vighnaharta, the “Lord and Destroyer of Obstacles.” When people seek success in work or school, they turn to this jolly elephant god. I keep a little bronze statue of a supine Ganesha on my computer.

Mudra is a type of yoga you do with your hands. It is also called “finger power points.” This is a portable yoga that you can do anywhere—on the bus, on the place, at your desk, even walking down the street. This is a marvelous way to calm yourself and handle stress. Buddha statues are usually shown with the hands in a mudra.

The very easy Ganesha mudra begins by holding your left hand in front of your chest with the palm facing outward, away from your body. Bend your fingers. Grasp your left fingers with your right fingers bent, toward your body. Move the hands to the level of your heart, right in front of your chest. Exhale vigorously and gently try to pull your hands apart without releasing the grip. This will create tensions in your upper arms and chest area, exercising those muscles.

Now relax those muscles while inhaling. Repeat these steps six times, then place both your hands on your sternum in the Ganesha clasping position. Note the energy and heat you feel in your body. Now repeat six times with your hands facing in the reversed positions.

The Ganesha mudra opens the fourth chakra and gives us “heart”—courage, confidence, and good feelings toward others. It opens us up to new encounters and new, positive experiences. Performed once a day, this is a marvelous way to strengthen your upper body. It is also believed to open the bronchial tubes and stimulate that area. 

January 11, Carmentalia, Day of Prophecy

Romans observed this day of Carmenta, beloved for her prophetic powers and for her protection of motherhood. One of Rome’s famed gates, the Porta Carmentalis, is dedicated to her. A fascinating detail of her lore is that the priests to this goddess never sacrificed animals because Carmenta forbade any kind of butchering. The ancient oracles always gave their prediction in verse, and this Arcadian deity did so as well. Her name comes from the same root as Carmen, which means “song,” and indicates a spell as well as a prophecy. One legend tells that Carmenta was the mother of Evander, who brought the humanities with him, both the arts and the foundation of the Latin alphabet; another suggests that she was the mother of the alphabet. Only the priests of Carmenta were permitted to enter her innermost shrines. Roman women made sure they visited Carmenta’s shrine during their pregnancies, especially on January 11, to hear the song spell sung for their new babies. This is a wonderful ritual for women to share so that they can know what to predict for the year to come.

Ritual for Carmentalia—Prophecies for the New Year

On January 11, gather a group of women together. Ask them to bring pens, paper, and offerings of fruit, flowers, or vegetables to Carmenta. Use these to build an altar, with the bounty placed around a black bowl filled with water that is used as the scrying mirror. Place candles around the room and turn down the lights.

Form a circle around the bowl and altar, and as each woman places her offering beside the bowl, she says aloud the name of her offering: 

Pomegranate [or orange or lily, etc.], Goddess’s herb,

Perform for me enchantment superb.

You give us grain and bread.

Foretell for me the year ahead.

After placing the offering to Carmenta on the altar, each woman should kneel over the mirror and look upon the water. Some people may see images, but oftentimes the information comes as an impression, thought, or meditative reflection. People should only share their visions if they feel the need to do so.

After everyone has had a turn, everyone should chant and sing together:

Daughters under this sun

Sisters under this moon

Tonight we receive your blessings 

Carmenta, goddess great and good— 

We thank you for the year to come.

Now open the circle and sit in silence for at least ten minutes, so that everyone present can record her impressions and visions from Carmenta in a journal. In years to come, if you and your circle of women decide to observe the Feast of Carmentalia annually, as I recommend, you can share and compare notes from prior years. This is a wonderful way to process the passages of your lives. Afterward, a feast is called for. The fruit and veggies from the altar should be consumed, and the flowers should decorate the dining table. Make sure to smudge very well with sage at the end of the evening, as remaining energies should scatter and not stay in the home. Water from the scrying bowl should be poured into the earth outside. 

January 1—Mayan Fire Ceremony

What you need:

• Candles in the following colors: red, yellow, green, blue, white, and black
• Herbs: tobacco, rosemary, lavender, cedar, sage, and rose petals
• Incense: copal, myrrh, or any resin-based incense r 2 cups of sugar
  
• 1 chocolate bar per person
• Bells, rattles, drums, and other noisemakers
• A firepot, fireplace, or safe place for an outdoor fire, paper for your intention

The candle colors represent the six directions: north, south, east, west, up, and down (or sky and earth). They also represent the different people of the world.

Gather your friends together at dusk on New Year’s Day and ask them to bring a colored candle (assign them a color), a noisemaker, and an open mind. Ask them also to write out what they want to purge from their life and bring the paper into the circle. The Mayan Fire Ceremony serves to bring positive new influences into our lives and also to dispel what no longer serves for good. This “letting go” can be anything. For me, one year ago, it was cancer, and this year it was too much clutter. For you, it could be an unhealthy relationship, a job that makes you miserable, or a cramped apartment.

Here are the steps to the ritual:

1. Build a fire at 5:00 p.m. and have it burning brightly as your guests arrive. Place a big bowl of herbs, flower petals, and incense near the fire.

2. Create a circle around the fire and ask the eldest in the group to slowly draw a circle of sugar around the fire.

3. When the elder has moved back into place in the circle, each person should light his or her candles from the fire and place it in the sugar circle, creating a mandala.

4. Ask the youngest person to lead the group in this chant:My life is my own

   I must but choose to be better,
   
   Vital breath of life I breathe

   No more pain and strife!

   Wise ones, bring us health and life
   
   Bring us love and luck

   Bring us blessed peace

   On this our New Year’s Day.

   Into the fire, we toss the old

   Into the fire, we see our future

   On this, our New Year’s Day.

   Harm to none and health to all!

Everyone should rattle and drum away, making merry and rousing the good spirits. The spirits of the wise elders will join you.

After the drumming, start around the circle, beginning with the eldest. Allow people to speak about what they want to release from their life, and have them toss their “letting go” paper into the fire. Then the eldest person should lead the group in a prayer for collective hopes for the coming year, and anyone who wants to add something should also speak out wishes for positive change, for themselves and for the world.

Thank the wise elders and ancestors for their wisdom and spiritual aid by throwing some chocolate into the fire. Be sure to keep some for members of the circle to share and enjoy. The Mayans held the belief that a plentitude of offerings to the ancestors would bring more blessings. They also believed that fire ceremonies helped support the planet and all the nations of the word. Gifts to the fire signal to the elders that they can return through the door and to the other world, until you call upon them for help in the future. 

365 Days of Ritual

January

January 1, New Year’s Day, Gantan-sai (Japan)
January 2, Kakosome, the Japanese Day of First Writing: Ancestry Day (Haiti)
January 3, Saint Genevieve Day
January 4, Our Lord of Chalma Day
January 5, Festival of Befana (Italian)
January 6, Epiphany, also known as Three Kings Day
January 7, Greek Orthodox Christmas
January 8, Midwife Day
January 9, Feast of the Black Nazarene
January 10, Seven Lucky Gods of Japan
January 11, Carmentalia, Day of Prophecy in Rome
January 12, Seijin no Hi, Coming of Age Day (Japan)
January 13, Glaedelig Jul, Norwegian Twentieth Day
January 14, Feast of the Donkey in Paris
January 15, Martin Luther King’s birthday
January 16, Festival of Ganesha
January 17, San Antonia Abad
January 18, World Religion Day
January 19, Baha’i Feast of Sultan
January 20, Portuguese Breadbasket Festival
January 21, Saint Agnes Day
January 22, Burgundian Winemaker’s Holiday
January 23, Buffalo Dancer’s Holiday
January 24, Bolivian Ekeko Fair for Prosperity
January 25, Robbie Burns Night (Scotland)
January 26, Indian Independence Day
January 27, Mozart’s Birthday
January 28, St. Thomas Aquinas Day
January 29, Martyr’s Day (Nepal)
January 30, Three Bishops Day
January 31, Feast of Hecate (Ancient Rome)

Any discussion of rituals for the month of January must include New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day. I remember the drama that ensued as people around the globe stood by to witness the sunrise on January 1, 2000, perceived as the beginning of the new millennium. While many other cultures observe their New Year at other times during the year, January 1 has also become a time of celebration, reflection, and an opportunity to embrace change.

For many millennia, indigenous peoples have celebrated their own New Year in unique ways. One common element is the use of fire rituals by North, Central, and South American peoples. The Pilgrims who arrived in what was to become New England observed and documented that the Iroquois and other tribes they encountered had a New Year’s Council Fire, a time when the tribe gathered to review the past year, listen to the elders, and speak their hopes, dreams, and visions of the coming year.

In addition to your personal New Year’s ritual with the significant people in your life, I recommend the Mayan Fire Ceremony as a powerful way to bring positive change of the New Year into your life.

The Mayan Fire Ceremony was considered to open a door or portal into the spirit world that held the promise of receiving the blessings of spirit—love, healing, prosperity, peace, and anything you need for personal transformation. This ritual is also an opportunity to pay respects and make homage to your ancestors and loved ones you have lost. For this reason alone, I suggest enacting the Mayan Fire Ceremony: our culture is losing the important connection to the older people in our lives. Involving them in the rituals, ceremonies, and passages of our lives could heal a cultural rift and bring deep wisdom to all. Mayan shamans could “read” the fire in a divinatory fashion, and I hear that some modern metaphysicians can do the same. If you are fortunate enough to know anyone with such skills, invite them to your fire ceremony to share what they divine from the flames. 

Designing Your Own Air Rituals

Rituals using the element of air can be a daily energy cleansing such as smudging with a sage stick or incense. You can call forth the power of the four winds, invoke the spirits of the air to inspire you, to surround and support you, and to communicate your wishes to the world at large.

Air Deities

Invocation of the spirit of the air for ritual brings the powers of the heavens to aid your ceremonies and ritual work. Birds and insects as well as the four winds will abet your spells.

Winged Isis, the oldest of all Egyptian divinities, was believed to bear the souls of the dead to the place of eternal life.

Oya is the Yoruban orisha of the wind who gives us the breath of life.

Nut is the great sky goddess who covers and enwraps Geb, her younger brother the earth, with her body. She is the sky queen who is covered with stars, depicted as a lovely woman arched over the land in a constant posture of protection and service.

Norwan is a goddess of light and air of the Wintun Native American tribe who brought nourishment to the world. Known as “dancing porcupine woman,” she dances all day until sunset. 

Feather Messages: Symbols on the Wind

As you jog through the park or walk to work you might find a feather in your path. It could be a message. You might glean hidden meanings, for example, in the glistening iridescence of a raven’s feather. Native peoples believed feathers to be gifts of healing or “feather medicine” from the Great Spirit. The wind is a form of the change-bringing element of air.

Another type of daily exercise in mindfulness is to actively look for feathers. There is much magic that can lie within something as small and light as this.

Crow Feathers: These indicate loss and mourning. Try not to be frightened but look at them as indicators of the cycles of life, death, and rebirth. You may lose someone you know, but you will also most likely greet a new friend or baby to complete the circle.

Hummingbird Feathers: These bring joy, beauty, and bliss. Take time out to have a good time and to share time with the people you love in your life. Follow your bliss!

Swan Feathers: These are the sign of grace. As swans mate for life, a swan feather can also mean a soul mate or good relationship is on the horizon.

Duck and Crane Feathers: These serve as prayer feathers for Native American people. They come from waterfowl, which are perceived as sacred birds. Finding a duck feather may mean you need to seek advice from a Native American teacher or experience healing from a medicine wheel.

Yellowhammer Feathers: These are the symbol for hearth and home. Seeing a yellowhammer feather in your path means you will have a happy new home. Most importantly, you will feel secure and loved within your family.

Roadrunner Feathers: These are a sign of the trickster. Beware! Finding one in your path either means you have the potential to be a magician, or you need to watch out that you aren’t tricked, It is a symbol of duality.

Blue Jay Feathers: These are the bringers of light into darkness.

Robin Feathers: These are the sign of renewal and new personal growth, and are a good sign. Spring is coming both outside and inside you. It always means news is coming.

Magpie Feathers: These are just pain good medicine for any kind of illness. Magpies bring purification. If you find a magpie feather in your path, a friend who is sick will get better.

Scissortail Feathers: These represent the four directions. If you come across a scissortail flycatcher in your walk, you need to do a ritual invoking the four directions. It is a sign you are in need of grounding and should reconnect your spirit.

I suggest you keep a written record of your feather findings— where and when you find them. Secure a blank journal and a feather quill pen for your records. Meditate upon the meaning and the message the feather is bringing to you. Journal your thoughts and feelings. Years later, it will be fascinating to look back at the proof of divine providence in your life. 

Color Guide

Color: Red
Chakra: N/A
Soul: Passionate and intense
Healing Characteristics and Associations: Security and survival; matters of the body; strong physical connection
Crystal Connection: N/A

Color: Rose Red
Chakra: Root
Soul: Loving
Healing Characteristics and Associations: Motherhood, home, grounding, money
Crystal Connection: Red gems and crystals aid in matters of the body. Jasper, amber, and agate in shades of red can help shy people feel stronger.

Color: Clear Red
Chakra: N/A
Soul: Angry
Healing Characteristics and Associations: Related to sense of smell
Crystal Connection: N/A

Color: Red Orange
Chakra: N/A
Soul: Passionate
Healing Characteristics and Associations: Sexual Passion
Crystal Connection: N/A

Color: Red Coral
Chakra: N/A
Soul: Vitality
Healing Characteristics and Associations: Skeleton and bones
Crystal Connection: N/A

Color: Pink
Chakra: N/A
Soul: Nurturer
Healing Characteristics and Associations: Boosts self- esteem
Crystal Connection: N/A

Color: Orange
Chakra: Sacral
Soul: Ambitious
Healing Characteristics and Associations: Hunger and sex; lucidity and orderliness; potency and immunity; stimulation and motivation
Crystal Connection: Orange stones can help home and build focused energy.

Color: Yellow
Chakra: Solar Plexus
Soul: Intellectual
Healing Characteristics and Associations: Personal power, freedom, control; fire; the eyes; mental activity
Crystal Connection: Yellow stones such as citrine carry healing energy and can help with nightmares and indigestion.

Color: Green
Chakra: Heart
Soul: Caring nurturer and healer
Healing Characteristics and Associations: Relationships; the heart and lungs; the element of air; sense of touch; will to live; balance of overall health
Crystal Connection: Green stones such as emeralds can represent healing and salvation, as well as closely guarded secrets; green is also the color associated with wood in Chinese astrology.

Color: Blue
Chakra: Throat
Soul: Teacher
Healing Characteristics and Associations: Communication, listening; intuition; the ears; creativity and mind control
Crystal Connection: Blue stones help maintain calm and protect the aura.

Color: Indigo
Chakra: Third Eye/Intuition
Soul: Spiritual Growth
Healing Characteristics and Associations: Opens third eye; promotes clear-headedness
Crystal Connection: Indigo stones can aid in psychic work

Color: Violet
Chakra: Crown/Entire Universe
Soul: Deep connection to the spirit
Healing Characteristics and Associations: Helps rid deep pain; works on deep tissue, hypersensitivity; promotes stability and contentment; secrecy
Crystal Connection: Amethysts are good for sensitivity issues. They keep energy from draining. Purplish agates guard stability and contentment. 

Color Connection

Color is a form of energy that can be broken down by individual vibrations. We use colors in our homes and at work to affect moods. The right colors can calm, energize, or even romanticize a setting. Colors promote many desired states of being. Anyone using color is tuning in to the vibration frequency of that particular color. Some psychics have the skills and training to read your aura; they can literally see the energy radiating out from your body.

Other colors not in the spectrum or chakra exist in crystals and stones, and are significant in their own right: brown, gray, black, white, silver, and gold.

Brown: the color of humility and poverty; represents safety and the home.

Gray: the color of grief and mourning; symbolized resurrection in medieval times; gray is the first color the human eye can perceive in infancy.

Black: protection and strength; fortifies your personal energies and gives them more inner authority; symbolizes fertile, life-giving, rich earth, and nourishing rain in Africa.

White: purity, peace, patience, and protection; some cultures associate white with death.

Silver: relates to communication and greater access to the universe; indicates a lunar connection or female energy.

Gold: direct connection to God; facilitates wealth and ease.

The color spectrum is correlated with seven basic vibrations. These are the same vibrations that comprise the musical scale, and the same vibrations that are the foundation of our seven-N/vibration chakra system. The “lightest” vibrations are at the top and the “heaviest” vibrations are at the bottom. By now you should know that the color system is composed of seven colors, all visible in the rainbow—red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet. A great way to remember the colors is by their collective acronym, which sounds like a name: Roy G. Biv. Consult the following color guide when you are choosing a color for any aspect of your life.

Color management can help you on the most basic level each day. To combat feeling depressed, wear yellow to raise your energy level. If you have a business meeting and you want to put your colleagues at ease, wear earthy colors like brown or green. You can experiment with different combinations, too. Remember, the purpose here is to find your soul colors. 

Painting with Sand

With your intention set clearly in your mind and being, pour sand into a funnel (or a small bag with a tiny hole in the bottom) and let it fall gently upon the design you have drawn, one color at a time, allowing the divine to guide you. If you are creating a specific image, you can copy its color and design; otherwise, allow creation and inspiration to flow through you. Creating the design slowly and carefully is key, but in case of accident a damp sponge applied with care will remove any random sand. It is important to remember that there are no “mistakes” in this art; you are in the safety of the sacred space you create with the help of the celestial.

When you have finished your sand mandala, you will see it and feel it and know it in your heart. However, physical completion of the sand mandala is not the end.

Dismantling Your Mandala

While dismantling the sand mandala is counterintuitive to the Western mind, it is actually the next step in the ritual. When you are ready, take some time to look at your mandala and contemplate the image you have created. Look deeply and quietly and “receive” any insights or messages during meditation.

Offer thanks to the divine beings who helped you in this ritual and who help you in your daily life. Now take a small brush and move the sand to the center of the mandala.

Scattering the Sand

When I learned the art of creating a sand mandala, the monks who taught me carried their sand to the Pacific Ocean. It is in accordance with the Tibetan tradition that the scattering take place at the nearest body of water, accompanied by chanting and song. If you have no water nearby, but there is a garden or park near your home, you might feel like performing the scattering aspect of the ritual there to keep the blessing energy nearby.

Close the ritual by dedicating the blessing energy of the mandala to the greater good of the universe.

Meditation

Tibetan monks also suggest doing a meditative movement, such as tai chi or yoga, to stretch and relax both body and mind prior to entering the intense mental stillness and physicality demanded by the construction of the sand mandala. Essentially, you are bent over for quite a long time in deep concentration, and you need to prepare yourself physically and mentally for this direction of your energies. Movement is a way of centering yourself.

In addition to the movement, you should also meditate and surround yourself with the energy of light and love. Sit on the floor, lotus fashion, and in a whispered chant, repeat the Sanskrit word Om over and over again. Manage your breathing, slowly and deeply. You will soon feel your heart and mind surrounded by energy. Now, focus on your intention again and ponder any new clarity of thought.

Preparation Rituals

Tibetan monks perform fairly intricate rituals prior to the construction of the mandala. They create sacred space with rites of purification, and bless the site where the mandala was made. Even the materials such as brushes, funnels, and sand receive blessings. Meditations upon the Buddha and other deities take place as the monks invite them to inhabit the mandala.

Mandala Designs

If you are feeling particularly ambitious, you can create the Kalachkara Tantra, or the “Wheel of Time,” which is the sand mandala the Tibetan monks created in San Francisco. This mandala is an example of the Buddha’s teachings that the Dalai Lama now shares with the Western world. However, you might not have days to devote to this ritual, and so you can design your own mandala instead. Other designs for mandalas include:

Sun: Its rays are a representation of light, energy, and life. A sun mandala will represent the positive and celebrate your life, the spark and flame of existence.

Moon: In all its phases, the moon represents the feminine and female power. Moon mandalas are wonderful for women to create in celebration of their own femininity and of womanpower throughout time. Any goddess mandala can include the symbol of the moon.

Heart: A universal symbol of love, this sweet design would make an excellent blessing to a romantic relationship or a gift to loved ones.

Triangle: It represents the Christian Holy Trinity and also Egyptian spirituality and wisdom.

Downward-Pointing Triangle: It represents the “yoni yantra” and signifies the female, the element of water, and also signifies the mother and the ability to create. A mandala blessing for an expectant mother should include the downward-pointing triangle. Water signs Cancer, Scorpio, and Pisces would do well to honor themselves with this design.

Double Triangle or Hexagram: In tantra, this represents all of creation, the conjunction of male and female energies. The concept of infinity is also represented by this symbol. A relationship mandala, especially in the sensual realm, will work well with double triangles. If you want to connect to the great universe, the symbol of infinity is essential. This symbol is ideal for creativity mandalas. In India, the double triangle indicates Kali in union with Shiva, and it is also the symbol for the heart chakra. If you want to create a mandala for blessing a relationship or to open your heart, the hexagram is an excellent choice. Combining the heart symbol and hexagram would be a powerful love mandala.

Pentagram: Other names for the pentagram include the Wizard’s Star, the Druid’s Foot, the Witch’s Cross, and the Star of Bethlehem. Wiccans have claimed the pentagram as their insignia. If you want to do a mandala for healing the earth, the pentagram will accomplish this quite nicely.

Square or Quadrangle: It is the sign of the four directions, and also the four elements and the four seasons. The square of the day also indicates the four significant times of day—sunrise, noonday, sunset, midnight. For the ancient Hindus, the square stood for order in the universe. You can use a square to invoke the four directions in this way, to honor the elements of air, earth, fire, and water, and also to mark sacred time for prayer and meditation.

Octagon or Double Square: With its eight points, this is another symbol for divine order and unification It is a good symbol for peace on earth. Essentially an eight-pointed star, the octagon is a symbol for rebirth and renewal and the wheel of the year. The octagon is believed to have magical powers, as does the pentacle or pentagram, when drawn in one line. In this case, they are believed to indicate sacred space. An octagon is a very good symbol to include in a mandala when you are embarking on a new phase of your life—a new home, job, relationship, a “new you”—that can be blessed in this manner.

Knotwork and the “Knot of Eternity”: These are lovely symbols of unity. In Buddhist tradition, knotwork represents contemplation and meditation. Celtic knotwork symbolizes the eternal flow of energy and life.

Lotus: This flower represents beauty, creation, renewal, and in Buddhism, the search for enlightenment. If the lotus has twelve petals, it represents the energy of the sun. If it has sixteen petals, it is the symbol for the moon. The most spiritual mandalas will likely contain the image of the lotus.

If you don’t have access to a Tibetan temple space, you can create a sacred temple space in your own home. Ideally, your windows allow sacred light to fall upon the design. This is an artistic endeavor; you are making sacred art. If you do your best work at night, be sure to have adequate lighting. It is also a good idea to reduce the possibilities of distractions and interruptions. It is strongly suggested to turn off phones and television, to create as peaceful an environment as possible. 

Bless the space in a fashion of your own choosing. Tibetan monks always use Tibetan incense and have images of Buddha to venerate his memory and teachings. 

Grains of Nirvana—a Sand Mandala Ritual

Mandalas are sacred symbolic images traditionally used in Buddhism and Hinduism as aids for meditation. Mandalas have come into wider use in the West for healing, for spirituality, for art.

When His Holiness the Dalai Lama was in San Francisco, to honor his esteemed presence, the Asian Art Museum had a Tibetan cultural exhibit that was truly wonderful. One of the most moving aspects of the exhibit was the creation of an intricate, mosaic-like sand mandala by two Tibetan monks over a period of several days. Most astonishingly, at the end of the exhibit, the monks took the gorgeous, multihued masterpiece and simply threw it into the wind at Ocean Beach. We Westerners were thunderstruck. How could they possibly destroy this beautiful, spiritual art piece that took so long to create? The monks were quite jolly about it, laughing a lot and seeming quite unconcerned. They explained to the confused onlookers that “all of life is ephemeral and this act emphasizes nonattachment.” While the sands are now mixed into the sands of the entire world, the wisdom associated with it has remained.

This six-step ritual taught by the Dalai Lama and his Tibetan monks has been handed down through centuries in the Himalayas. The process for making sand mandalas is a reflection of the concept of the “sacred circle.” These mandalas are actually a way of “initiating” large groups of people, as the monks believe that Buddha intended enlightenment for all beings. 

Murcha—The Euphoric Breath

Murcha in Sanskrit means “to retain,” so murcha is the “retaining breath.” Murcha will help you hold on to some of your natural energy that business drains away. Restore yourself through this ritual. Pranayama is the fine art of breathing and controlling the flow of oxygen in and out of the lungs. Conscious breathing can vastly improve your health and make you more alert. This is a yoga exercise for achieving a state of ecstasy through pranayama. Done properly, murcha will enhance your mental capacity, center you, and create a sense of euphoria.

Sit down on the floor or a mat and make yourself as comfortable as possible. Now close your eyes and calm yourself completely. Begin the process of murcha by taking a few mindful breaths. Breathe through your nose. Don’t hold your breath; just breathe in and out in a natural manner, but remain aware of your breathing.

When you are ready, take a deeper breath through your nose and visualize the new air and oxygen traveling throughout your body, cleansing and relaxing you. Hold that deeper breath, bend your neck, and bring your chin as close to your lungs and chest as possible. Keep this position as long as you can do so comfortably. When you need to, raise your head again and slowly exhale through your nose. When your lungs are empty, repeat the murcha breath. Repeat this cycle of breathing five times only. After the fifth breath, notice how you feel and be “in the moment.” Like most breathing meditations, you will experience a subtle sort of ecstasy with raised energy and a sense of bliss.

In pranayama, it is important to remember not to place any stress on your body. Don’t hold your breath beyond your comfort level. To do so would be to go against the grain of the technique and teachings of pranayama.

With practice, you will notice you can hold your breath naturally and comfortably just a little bit longer each time. As with all things, pranayama yoga breathing gets better with practice. The beginning breath cleanses the pulmonary system and raises your energy level. 

The Element of Air

Air possesses the power of transformation. We often refer to the “winds of change.” Air also uplifts the emotions and the spirit. Air is the sound of the song as it travels on the breeze. A breath of air refreshes and renews both body and soul. Air is the element associated with communication and the arts. Mastery of communication occurs through correct use of the power of air. Singing, talking, chanting, and conscious breathing are all invocations of air.