Yours,

The Saving Goddess of Vietnam
By Don Meinshausen, 2005

Close to Hanoi, the capitol of Vietnam, lies the village of Co Me, on a traditional smuggling route. Today, Co Me is hosting a popular phenomenon that embodies the two greatest enemies of communism; religion and the market.  This paradox is a temple in honor of Ba Chua Ko, a deified real historical person,  who in the 11th century masterfully maintained supplies during an invasion by the Chinese.

During the Chinese New or lunar year, thousands of people come to the shrine, from all over Vietnam and now from all over the world. They come to honor her and seek blessings and guidance from her.  They bring food such as fruits and stuffed roosters, beer, sweets and rice.   They burn incense and also burn paper images of gold, money, cars and houses and even cell phones. They do this to help ancestors and to provide for themselves in the afterlife.  Many who come are asking for loan approvals, which are supposedly later granted if the applicant is honest and diligent.  Some ask for promotions, permission to travel, health and children.  Seven shrines, no waiting except during festivals.  The streets to the shrines are lined with booths creating a "corridor of capitalism," for Bo Chua Ko is the goddess of business and of prosperity.  

Bo Chua Ko: Lady of the Treasury

She is the Lady of the Treasury or Granary (though there are other goddesses in Vietnam with that title.)  In Co Me pig farmers rub shoulders with tycoons in pinstripe suits, communist party officials with business cards and returning,  now prosperous, refugees.   Even veterans of the wars of national liberation; the Viet Minh and the Viet Cong are there.  Most who come are traders.

There are those who might wonder how those who fought for independence for Vietnam regard the market oriented Ba Chua Ko shrine.  In a news story notes that many who tend and protect the shrine are veterans of the Viet Minh who threw out the French and American invaders.  For those who wonder how this market shrine will protect indigenous culture against Western commercialism there is more news.  Ba Chua Ko is described as not being able to understand the recently Romanized alphabet so there are traditional calligraphers who use the traditional Chinese characters to help write prayers.     

Vietnam, like China is a country that is becoming communist in name alone.  There is a stock market, advertising and a commercial tourist trade.  The Goddess helps them in their transition to ethics as well as economics.  The transition to a market economy, without a system of law caused moral chaos.  Many come to the temple to make amends for questionable dealings like bribes, tax avoidance etc. as well as making a rite of confession.  Her place here is called the "market economy shrine" and is called the best of many sites in Vietnam to pray for guidance and prosperity.

During the Vietnam War bridges, anti aircraft guns and train stations were heavily bombed by the US.  The AA gun located at the temple mount was unscathed.  During the period of neglect and repression a witch maintained the site.

I am not Vietnamese nor have I been to this shrine but I hope to go there one day.  Most of the information in this comes from a Vietnamese scholar Le Hong Ly of the Institute of Folklore Studies in Hanoi.  I have quoted liberally from him and you can look up his piece on the Internet. The libertarian and spiritual interpretations are my own and it is very unlikely that Le Hong Ly would agree with my opinions.  Yet there is much here for those worried about development issues as well protecting indigenous Goddess culture.  

"In the process (of liberalization) a figure long associated with the fertility of the soil, the Lady of the Granary, has been transformed into an emblem of the new market economy.   She is now the Lady of the Treasury, keeper of a vast, symbolic banking system." 

"The banking system attracts and is sustained by outsiders many of whom come far away.   Yet with other villages what have that have involved modernizing from shifting from an agricultural to an industrial production Co Me has succeeded beyond its wildest dreams to adjust to the policies of Doi Moi (liberalization) while retaining its basic agrarian character.  It has also succeeded in retaining its sense of retaining its communal solidarity and identity by reaffirming the role of the elderly men and women in the management of village affairs and verifying tribal customs through ostracism..."

"They have created employment for everyone from teenagers to senior citizens and even to people in adjacent areas.  New sources of income have become available to all the families in the village.  Household income has doubled"..."the rise of household income has been accompanied by renewed village solidarity because the temple related services have been organized in such a way as to promote community spirit".  Over 200 elderly women help in prayers for a fee.   There is a lively trade in services at booths owned by families.  Le also says "another important factor in the growth of religious practice is the rapid expansion of the market" The shrine donates money to village projects such as a power station, hydroelectric power and welfare."

It has also been noted that freedom of religion has accompanied increased freedom of trade.    Vietnam adopted a policy of market liberalization in 1986.  

"Particularly since 1986 when the Doi Moi policy was initially announced the reconstruction and renewal of temples and shrines has been proceeded at an unprecedented pace.    Accompanying this hectic reconstruction of religion has been the revival of religious festivals" 

By 1989 this temple became an official recognized historic site.   This market goddess is the emblem of this transition. 

The only criticism is that some consider the temple a monopoly.  Is this a plea for more freedom of religion or to have a more polytheistic society?  While the government wisely does not criticize the religion there are newspaper accounts calling it humbug.  The criticism has ironically resulted in generating more publicity and attendance as well as showing the value of a free press in helping to curb bad practices.

And this final note from Ly. 

"This has brought huge economic benefits to a village that used to be small and poor.   Some have converted to sincere devotees to the Lady of the Treasury.  The villagers of Co Me are those who have most reason to render thanks to her munificence and protection." 

So what is the importance of Goddess worship in Vietnam to others?  Goddess and nature worship can be a means of building a community, giving honor and support to the elders and building an economy while maintaining its rural character.  It can part of ecological tourism that helps sustain a local culture, language and spirituality against commercial onslaught. It can also be a bulwark against oppression and invaders.  Market economies also generate increased religious observance and respect for tradition and heritage. Those who are aware of similar or even more ancient cultures that are facing problems should inform them that preserving their worship and heritage could guarantee a prosperous and stable future.

There are dangers as well. Gods and Goddesses are sometimes seen as archetypes or symbols of a desirable virtue or a yet unknown energy.  It is a mistake to worship just the symbol itself.  Money is not to be mistaken for wealth, neither should worship of a symbol be taken for piety without recognition of what the symbol represents.  This is something that everyone needs to keep in mind.  Prayer and offerings are a way that helps to interact with that energy and to be open to it 

Religion, freedom and prosperity are returning like a rose after a long cold winter in Vietnam.   I wonder what could next happen so that they can receive more power to mobilize this transition.   Perhaps hooking up a generator to Ho Chi Minh's coffin that is now rotating at several revolutions per second could give power to the people.   

Libertarian Ceremonial Magick    -- or --
How to turn a Fundamentalist into a Tolerant Person using Libertarian Ceremonial Magick
by Don Chaote

Don Chaote is otherwise known as Don Meinshausen.  In the June issue of Liberty magazine there is an autobiographical article in which he describes how he invoked the libertarian movement by ceremonial magick.

"Don Chaote" is a 3 way pun.  Don Quixote is a classic romantic tale of an anachronistic (anarchronistic?) hero and fool. Chaote is a contraction of chaos and tea. Many psychedelics are served in a tea and chaos theory is well respected in science.  Coyote is known to the American Indians as a trickster spirit who brings wisdom and amusement.
 

 *******************************************************************************

Hello. Perhaps you have read by now my account of how I organized the draft card burning at the 1969 Young Americans for Freedom (a right wing group) convention with the torch of Liberty.  It is generally conceded that this was the modern beginning of the Libertarian movement.  Ancient Greek ceremonial magick is the place where drama was born.  Ceremonial magick is the manipulation of symbols with intent.  In fact in may have begun in a tent.  My intent here is to show how an intolerant fundamentalist who may harbor a deep prejudice against the goddess may learn that tolerance is good for America.

I have organized as well as participated in ceremonies at the Parthenon, the US Capitol building as well as ancient temples in Egypt, Cambodia and Bali as well as ceremonies in the primordial forests and deserts in the USA.   But enough of my drug experiences.   You want to see a magickal trick?

Now let us have a volunteer.  If not a fundamentalist, then someone who can pretend to be one.   Someone who might fit H.L. Mencken's definition of a puritan.   Someone who lives in mortal fear that someone somewhere is having a good time.   If that is you then what are you doing here among libertarians?

Now sir, one of those sins that you are opposed to is Pagan idolatry.   Is that correct?

And what difference does it make that these gods and goddesses are part of American culture.   There is room for only one god?   From your silence I can only assume that Atlas is shrugging?

And you believe that graven images should be smashed?

And all this Goddess imagery is just an assault on American manhood?

Well, I occasionally deal in iconoclasm myself (maybe that's why my dealing got me in trouble) but I do think that my goddess is sacred and powerful.  But I am willing to take a gamble or as an experiment to give you an opportunity to re-enact that ancient Christian ceremony of smashing graven images.   I have decided to give you the opportunity of smashing my favorite goddess.   The reason I am doing this is that I believe that you will have a religious epiphany and become awe-struck rather than striking her.  But it's your choice.  Are you ready sir?

Well then here is a hammer.  Take hold of it.  In my hand is a statue of my goddess covered by a pagan flag.    You might recognize it as the American flag.  The five pointed star or pentagram is an ancient pagan symbol and there are 50 of them on this flag. There are no Christian symbols on this flag; therefore one can assume that this is a pagan flag.  Does your iconoclasm extend to this flag as well or just gods and goddesses?  She is covered not because she is ugly but she only reveals her beauty and truth to real Americans.  Of course, you might want to smash her, we get all types here. 

I will now remove the pagan American flag and reveal THE STATUE OF LIBERTY. Respected as a Goddess in ancient Rome her temple was a refuge for political outcasts. When here statue was resurrected in New York City, Christians protested that a pagan idol had become the largest statue in America.  It is interesting to note that the largest outdoor statue in America is a statue of a Goddess.  The largest indoor statue in America is a statue of the Goddess Athena (42ft.) located in Nashville, Tennessee.  The statue on top of the US Capitol is a statue of the Goddess.   And they say that this is a Christian country.

Bush has announced that to protect the Statue of Liberty from fundamentalist terrorists (theirs not ours) that the statue will be outfitted with a burcqa. Complaints came from the fashionistas of NYC witch is the capitol of the world, if not the hood.  Bush announced then that there would be a competition from America's leading designers for the coveted covered girl contract with French designers excepted.  

Fashion, smashion it sounds like drape to me. 

Project Reaching Kwan Yin -
A Program for Healing Cambodia and the World

Don Meinshausen
6/02/05

During the reign of the communist Khmer Rouge, over 20% of the Cambodian people perished through executions, famine, exposure and overwork.  One aim of this mass murder was to eradicate intellectuals, so therefore people who wore glasses were executed.  There was to be no memory of previous time so that a new culture could be built.  The saturation bombing of Cambodia during the Vietnam War by the US made it easy for Pol Pot to take power.  Domination begets cruelty and insanity, which can repeat in a downward spiral.  Khmer Rouge still hold top government posts today.  

I have seen the "Killing Fields" and "Swimming to Cambodia" and met Spaulding Gray who was in both of these films. He describes some of the atrocities committed: "they tore apart the bodies of children like loaves of fresh bread". Horrified and intrigued I later visited Cambodia's killing fields.   At the site there are several pits covered by a dark green grass, ghastly fertilized.  Water buffalo graze amid signs saying so many people were found buried there, numbering in the thousands. If you look in the ground you will still find shards of bone and cloth. In the middle of the field is a stele or glass tower about a hundred feet high holding exhibits of bones and skulls found there. Soon a bunch of smiling children came looking for sweets and money from tourists. I obliged and they offered to pose holding skulls or bones of former neighbors from the stele. I declined this offer.   Many Cambodians can tell you stories of their entire families being killed in a very dispassionate, disconnected way hollowed by a grief that is hard to express. Even if they could ignore the killing fields Cambodia has the largest population of amputees because of the millions of land mines planted there during the war.   How can they find healing and closure? 

In a land where mercy was punished and viciousness commanded what can be done?  To heal these wounds there must be a way to remind people that there is always hope even in the midst of overwhelming grief. Where is the Great Mother?

Where is the Great Mother?

Imagine by the Killing Fields a statue of Kwan Yin, the most popular Goddess in Asia. There are more representations of her than there are of Buddha.  Taoists and Confucianists acknowledge her as a deity.   She is known as Green Tara in Tibet, Kwan- um in Korea and Quan-Am in Viet Nam. Her roots in Hinduism and Buddhism would be the Bodhisattva Avalokitsvara who is male.  There is even a syncretic version of her with Mary in Japan and the Philippines.  She is unifying figure of all encompassing compassion for Asia.

Now imagine that unlike any other depiction of a deity she is posed as a mother about to pick up a fearful child.  She is advancing with one knee bent crouching with her arms outstretched open as if to grasp our sides to hold us to up to her breast and then raise to the sky.  She is the Great Mother.  She will comfort, for her very name means, "heeding the cries of the world".  She perpetually reaches out to enfold us with her love.  For she is the Goddess of Mercy.

When facing a crisis or searching for answers instinct as well as advice tells us to go to a "higher power."  The first higher power of our experience is Mother.  We regress to a child-like state open to compassion and the creative muse.  But our role is not purely passive.  As Kwan Yin reaches out to us, we reach in return.  Her smiles beget smiles. For that smile lets us know that things are not so bad after all.  It is then that we become open to the love that empowers like what a Mother gives to her Child. This is the body language of Reaching Kwan Yin.        

She stands about 10-16ft tall so that she is about the same ratio to an adult that a mother is to a child.  She should be portable so that she can be brought along in processions to honor her.  She could also be brought to places of tragedy, such as fires or floods to give hope to the survivors.   She could be kept in a temple or placed out of doors.  After all the Goddess is everywhere.  Like most of us she wants to be given flowers and gifts, taken out, entertained, celebrated and adored.

The statue would have a wig of long black hair.  This would be from human hair and perhaps spliced into a fall.  Hairdressing could have religious aspects as well. This hair could come from revered people or priestesses as a way of honoring them. The statue is of a nude woman but not displayed in that form except for private ceremonies of bathing and dressing. The skin color and facial features would be thoset of the local ethnicity.  The face should show loving concern but not distress for she has the power to heal all hurts. Whether the statue depicts a young mother of a toddler or a more grandmotherly aspect is something to be decided locally.  It is interesting to note that Kwan Yin has been shown historically as a male as well as female figure. All suggestions in this piece can be modified to local customs.  The maternal, reaching down to comfort us aspect is the defining feature of the Reaching Kwan Yin Project. 

Portable Goddesses are a tradition in my hometown of Hoboken just across the river from Manhattan.  From ancient Italian tradition, which is carried in other cultures, women carry a statue of St. Ann throughout the town on her feast day.  They are followed in a procession by a band, other worshippers and firecrackers.  Adorning her garb are attached watches, jewelry and currency.  She is the patroness of fertility and it seems to work in that the town is gentrified and women push strollers of twins and triplets amid condos.

Most importantly, there would be private ceremonies where priestesses would bathe Kwan Yin and change her clothing.  Some women never outgrow their love of dolls.  She is usually shown as wearing a white gown. An option would be a robe embroidered with messages, calligraphy and symbols of hope could adorn her as well as quilts.  Handmade clothing and blankets are magickal and give special warmth. After a period, (a month, a day etc) the clothes could be removed and cut up as handkerchiefs. These could be given to those as a way of drying all tears, or as bandages to heal the hurt.   As blankets for the sick and dying they could provide relief and healing. Whether these become wall hangings, vestments, quilts, pillowcases or bandages they would be certified as handmade, worn and blessed by Kwan yin at a certain time and date to commemorate events such as birthdays, funerals and astrological events.  These could be given or sold.  

There could be competition among clothes designers or schoolchildren on designing clothing for her.  It is interesting to note that among the poor in both East and West holy figures are dressed in rich or royal raimnant.  In the wealthier more cosmopolitan populations there is a discomfort for such richness and an earthier, simple look is favored.   Kwan Yin can have both since she will have a large wardrobe.  I only hope that there will be no logos, advertising or anything else that might be demeaning.  She deserves the respect of being our Mother. 

In similar fashion floral arrangements and garlands placed and charged on her could be placed on lonely graves. Later the petals could be recycled in that they could be made into perfumes, ointments or sachets.

In some of her temples she is known as the Goddess of Motherhood.  Votive offerings and charms in the shape of breasts are offered and charms are brought to assure a milk supply.  A similar trade could be done with milk containers and cakes or biscuits with her image or in the shape of breasts.   Give us our dairy bread or soy to the world if you're vegan.

Whether sold or given in hopes for a donation all these items would provide a living and income for the shrine and clergy.  Housing, upkeep of grounds and buildings including gardens and an income for those who work at the temple are needed.  

The willow tree, an ancient Chinese symbol of femininity, is sacred to Kwan Yin is the willow tree because of its flexibility in times of stress. She is depicted sometimes as holding a willow branch.   Her temple grounds might have willow trees for that reason.  Some willow trees are described as weeping, and therefore appropriate to a garden of sympathy.

Sacred to her is the flow of the waters of compassion.  There could be fountains showing her pouring her mercy from a vase into pools.  These might be used for ceremonies of cleansing or the flow of compassion.  There are many statues and fountains showing this depiction.    

In many religions people perform simple ablutions for purification in the temple atrium.  Embodying a idea in ritual gives it more power to impact the child within each of us.

Think of the last time you had a bad cut on a finger or foot. Didn't you put it under a faucet?  This helps clean the wound and provides relief from the pain.  Wounds not only are an immediate invasion of toxins from the environment but they can be toxic themselves because trauma can  release toxins long held inert in the body. 

The same is true of grief. 

To help heal the loss of a loved one with compassion takes more than a simple ablution.  A temple to the Goddess of Compassion might develop a rituals for dealing with grief, following a loss, or  a traumatic wound to the spirit.  Imagine the effect of being ceremonially bathed with a torrent of compassion from the vase of Kwan Yin.  This could be done indoors in the form of a shower bath or a waterfall in a grotto.  As in all ceremonies clergy could be available to provide what'er is needed.

As in the words of Martin Luther King let justice flow like water and righteousness flow like a mighty stream.  In a ceremony like the one previously described victims of oppression, crime and sexual abuse could be cleansed and refreshed.  Whether a torrent or a gentle pouring the same principle is involved according to the person's needs and wishes.

People at the temple could be taught or teach sewing, weaving, embroidery, counseling, cooking, gardening etc.  The temple could also be a place for funerals and a cemetery/crematorium.    Memorial services done before such a sympathetic deity could be very theatrical and therefore popular.   The fees made by providing this service could subsidize services for the needy.

Some might wonder about the amount of significance I am placing on income for a sacred undertaking.  The fact is that I have been to many Goddess temples in the Far East and the attention to materialist desire in their spirituality makes me blush -- and I am a libertarian.   So I put out the income possibilities knowing that poor people with families cannot always afford the luxury of asceticism.  In the Tin Hau temple in Hong Kong I notice that paper representations of money, cars, house and even cell phones sold to be burned ceremonially so that one's ancestors could be provided for in the afterlife. Ancestor worship and respect is very big there with families traditionally having clan halls or rooms for these purposes.  One can also start a bank account for one's own afterlife as well. The temples are richly furnished in gold leaf and people will help you in prayer or fortune telling for a fee.

Sacred Craft

In Southeast Asia there is also a headlong rush to automate the production of everything.  This is especially true with clothing and textiles, which are the first industry in a developing country.  In Hong Kong and Bangkok I have noticed as well a yen for western styles and logos.  So much so that you can buy logos by the meter to sew on to other clothing, including socks and underwear.   Traditional crafts and native styles are endangered. Craft bazaars do help some but much stuff in them are not only manufactured but also made outside the country.  Making things by hand for spiritual purposes like Kwan Yin's wardrobe will raise the respect of this craft in native as well in tourist eyes. 

I have a quilt that was made for me by my grandmother.  It was made from hand knit yarn squares.  This blanket gives me warmth just by having it.   I saw a documentary on the Gee Bend quilters.  They are a group of poor black women sharecroppers descended from slavery living in a remote section of the South.  They recently found artistic recognition and income for their folk art made from cast off scraps of cloth and native African patterns.  The idea of the ceremonial garments of Kwan Yin to be used to help grieving people came to me from them.  

Funerary Customs

A widow with her daughter took her husband's clothes and cut them into strips and used them in making a quilt so that his essence would still be with her and comfort her at night.  The AIDS quilt project, which began later, is similar. This could be established as a funerary process that could be simple or elaborate.   After a death a priestess would visit the family.  As part of the grief counseling, clothing and photographs and other mementoes would be gathered.   Perhaps pictures could be silk screened or drawn onto the deceased's clothing as well as calligraphy and/or onto hand woven fabric with symbols of the culture making a soul/quilt. This could be done as a quilting bee ceremony or by anyone.  In memorial services other quilts would be loosely attached to make a community of ancestors and draped on Kwan Yin.  Or the quilt could be attached to her hands making a cradle for an urn to be placed between her hands.  There are other ways to show the attachment of the soul/quilt to Kwan Yin.   A quilt could also be draped on a coffin like a flag and placed between her hands as to accept it from the earth.  It could be hung up close by as a banner.  After a time the quilts are given back to the family members who might display them at home or in a clan hall or a gallery.   A bandage becomes a new tapestry from an old loom.  These could also be digitally stored and then ceremonially burned or sold or given away at the family's discretion.

Some might wonder whether grieving family members will have the emotional capacity to put together a quilt in time for a funeral.  I must confess here a lack of knowledge on Asian funeral customs.  However I have noticed that in Buddhism there is already a custom of keeping the bodies up to a year in storage prior to a funeral.  In the West there is now a movement to memorial services where the body or even the ashes are not present. These services are also held months after death to coordinate travel plans since families and friends may be scattered all over the country as well as to give an emotional breathing space to those who would give a eulogy.  The  Jewish tradition of having a service one year after the death would give enough time to put together a quilt.  Physical appearance of mourners may become less necessary due to the improvement of electronic communications and VR conferencing with a memorial web site that people can add comments and visits over the years.  I once saw a documentary on a man who after receiving a diagnosis for terminal cancer built his own coffin.  Those with terminal illnesses could also design their own quilt as a way of summing up their life.

Reaching Kwan Yin

Another feature for the statue of Kwan Yin would be to have a hollowed/hallowed space in her midsection that would be a repository for sacred objects, prayers and plans.  They could gestate here with a womb for improvement. It could also be a temporary resting place for ashes to help warm the soul for its next re-incarnation.  A sacred space designed as a womb would also nurture the confluence of new energies being born as new ideas.  Pregnant women often refer to their fetus as one in the oven.  The mysteries of the yeast from which we are bread.  We all want to be there since it is close to the hearth. 

Kwan Yin is a "hands on" deity.   I own a depiction of Kwan Yin shows her with 8 pairs of hands in each hand is a symbol of her work. This is the way it has been shown for she does so much for us.    Many a mother must feel the same way.  Reaching Kwan Yin, the name for the design described in this article, would be just as handy and not as disconcerting or repetitive.  

The two hands of this statue would do the work of several by service bracelets placed on her that would receive attachments. Clergy and devotees to show that they too are "on duty" could also wear a form of this bracelet.  For example, in a naming ceremony a cradle or quilt to hold a baby could be attached to her hands. For a marriage her hands could hold the wedding rings. She could hold a tray with ceremonial food and drink.  For graduation or other ceremony of achievement she could hold a diploma, baton sword or other symbol.  She could be use to hold gifts, prizes or awards to be given. When not involved in ceremony she could hold a box in one hand that would accept prayers, confessions or gifts and the other could hold incense or joss sticks.  She could hold an altar if she needs to hold more than that.     

In a modern rite she could hold a computer monitor, which could play a sound/visual aid to a ceremony. With her great presence and winning smile this technology could then inspire us by invoking the power animal of our time - the mouse!    She gives and receives and has good reception. All is in her hands as always - nail polish optional.   How many times have we delighted in seeing our own mother reaching down to us with some wonderful surprise in her hands?    Whether the occasion is somber or joyful the same posture, same smile and the same pair of hands give comfort and joy to us.  All that is needed is an attachment, which she accepts because she is a Goddess and is resistant to viruses. 

Images of Kwan Yin would be a boon for sculptors.  Unlike the austere images so common in Western and Eastern iconography, this image of Kwan Yin would be comforting and approaching you like your own mother or grandmother.  In a smaller image she would be an alternative to the clichés of sculpture that one sees in cemeteries. She could be facing an urn, holding one or in one of her many historical depictions.  She is already present in many Asian cemeteries in monuments in the hope of intercession to those who have passed on.  Statuary in the West is often trapped in the confining death icons of grave markers in idols of dead generals or kings.  In Asia the yin thing is Kwan Yin, which is used as a nurturing, healing figure.  She is found in almost every temple and park as well as near playgrounds, schools and maternity hospitals.  In a temple her devotees pour water over a statue of her and scrub with brushes where they are afflicted with illness.  Those that have a headache scrub the head and so on.   In a variation of this a Kwan Yin cloth could be rubbed on her and then rubbed on the afflicted area. 

Statuary, masks, puppetry, dolls and theater have a long tradition in Eastern religions. Shadow puppetry with religious themes goes back 2000 years in China and I have seen traditional shadow puppetry in Cambodia involving battles between Gods and Demons.   The term marionette comes from the Virgin Mary, the Goddess figure used in medieval passion plays.   This leads to the idea for the statue to have flexibility.  Kwan Yin is shown as carrying a willow branch to show this and technology has newer ways.  Imagine the ceremonial possibilities of Kwan Yin that could move, hold a torch or raise her arms.   Imagine her conducting the ceremonies.   Japan is a leader in robotics and there are two Disneyworlds in the Far East.   With the technology of Virtual Reality one could literally dance with the Gods.   In a world that moves so quickly Gods cannot stand still.  If your God can't advance can it lead?      This is a time of an evolution in theater, spirituality and psychological healing coming together in exciting new ways.   Can you imagine Kwan Yin consoling you in your hour of greatest need?  

Think of a time of overwhelming grief.  Imagine with those needs that you are standing in front of a Kwan Yin twice as big as you.   She is looking straight into your eyes with a smile and says your name.   Following a pattern from infancy you raise your arms as she reaches to take your body and bring it close to her in an embrace.   She then sings you a song of consolation.   Can you imagine a more powerful healing experience than to be cradled by the Great Mother?    There is already a "Divine Mother" Amma or Mata Amritanandamagi, a guru known for hugging devotees and running orphanages and other projects.   In one night she hugged 7,000 people.    There must be a need here.

One could also have next to Kwan Yin separate portable statues of life size men, women and children to form tableaux.   For example, older man or women figures could represent the deceased parents with Kwan Yin to receive the departed and escort the soul.  Respected departed clergy, saints, angels or other divinities could be posed giving a blessing etc.  With Virtual Reality or robotics you could design all types of pageantry.  Bread and Puppet Theater has done amazing things with their most popular image, a portable (20ft tall) Earth Mother made with paper mache for theater and protests.  Kwan Yin is even depicted as a warrior Goddess.  These are all options befitting Kwan Yin's many manifestations in history and art.  While all this may seem controversial, the first telecasts of religious services were controversial as well as services over the Internet.   The young in will make holograms into hollow-grams.

In Japan she is known as Cannon or Canon.   The Canon camera company is named after her.   Camera obscura is defined as "a darkened enclosure having an aperture provided with a lens through which light from an external object enters to form an image of the object to on an opposing surface."  Sounds like a shrine to me.  The synonym chimera has a different meaning "a fabrication of the mind."   In the West, "canon" has a meaning of dogma or accepted body of work or to sanction.  She who hears the cries of the world answers so that all can hear the sound of Cannon.   

Kwan Yin welcomes us with a smile on her face.  Our concerns are easy for her to handle.   A Goddess with a cheerful, approachable countenance can be a great place to have weddings, naming ceremonies and other cheerful occasions.  Again tableaux figures can play role here as well.   Human tableaux and pageantry were important art and ceremonial functions until about sixty years ago when replaced by films.  Human actors can replace tableaux figures when recitations are being done as someone dressed as a famous literary figure plays a role in a ceremony.  The same can be done for beings that are ancestors, historical and mythological beings.  Ceremony is theater for spiritual reasons.  While the symbol is not the idea it helps us to understand.   Better theater can win against even better ideas. Combining the two will help our craft deal with the onslaught of media to determine our mores.  I have read reports on the Internet of strippers, yes--nude dancers, performing at funerals in Taiwan.  I am not attacking or defending this practice.  I am just pointing out that in the future anything is possible and a creative, caring spirituality must lead.

One way would be Kwan Yin dolls.  Dolls have traditionally been women's way of holding a place in the world of sculpture and sacred imagery that is too often dominated by men. It is also a way of inculcating values of caring, nurture and adult role models in children.  Kwan Yin dolls whether for display or cuddling can be seen as a more human way for adults or children to relate to this deity.   The doll's clothing would also be made from the statues clothing and tagged and blessed as such. Already on the Internet ancient dolls of Kwan Yin are for sale.  The project looks forward to hearing from parents, theologians and craftspeople in how this can be a nurturing symbol with a minimal of commercialism that might erode Kwan Yin's spirituality.  

I would also like to see at some Kwan Yin sites, museums.  Important would be a museum of history focusing on the times of those buried there. Here people can have a better understanding of the world of their ancestors, focusing not just on wars and other calamities but also the personal history and culture of those there. This could be done cheaply through video and Internet sites.   The sites and videos could be part of the memorial services.  Such museums and gardens could make these necessary yet sad occurrences more bearable and educational.    

In SE Asia Gods and Goddesses are everywhere.  In Bangkok, Thailand on the grounds of the Hilton hotel stands a sacred tree occupied by tree spirit known as the Goddess Tuptim Shrine.  It is surrounded by lingams or phalluses and is constantly visited by people who pray to Her.  Inside and outside the Crowne Plaza, another 5 star hotel are statues of the Goddess. Outside a major shopping mall, there is a statue of Ganesha, a god known as the remover of obstacles whose consorts are art and business from India standing several feet tall with a pedestal of at least six feet.  In bars, restaurants, shops and brothels one finds altars with candles, incense, flowers and food offered daily.  In front of buildings even skyscrapers are miniature temples on tall posts called spirit houses to house the spirits that lost their habitation during construction.  Stories abound of western builders who scoffed and did not propitiate these spirits and suffered financial losses.  In Hong Kong I attended a festival for Tin Hau who is the goddess of the ocean, at a stadium. There Girl Guides and Boy Scouts escorted me to my seat as dragon dancers competed for prizes.  Their program book contained about a 100 pages of ads by well wishers and businesses.  In Moslem Malaysia's capitol, Kuala Lampur the temple of Tin Hau is like a cathedral and sits on top of a hill overlooking the city.  

In the world business media the biggest news is the alacrity of SE Asia embracing the market and its booming economy as the result.  Many industries are relocating to Asia since the area is more exempt from the stringency of the Kyoto protocols.  Half of the population of the world lives within the triangle India, Japan and Indonesia.  Jim Rogers; author of Investment Biker, which was made into a documentary for PBS and a recognized investment guru, has hired a Chinese nanny for his 2-year-old daughter so that she can teach Mandarin, the business language of the future.

The predominant spiritual traditions of this region are Goddess-oriented or at least friendly.  It is a fallacy to think that Goddess worship is a belief form of primitives or a New Age fad.  Christianity, Islam and Judaism come from the same desert monotheistic origin and are known for religious wars and persecutions. The crucifix is a symbol of the victimhood of their dominator beliefs in a reverse strategy to show compassion despite its history.  The absence of a human figure or complete absence of a symbol, as in Islam, says much of their humanity.  Class distinctions are seen in icons as to how remote or approachable a divinity seems to be.

Christian evangelicals are increasing their centuries long effort to proselytize even broadcasting into China and translating religious texts into native languages.   They have had success as Asians are adopting Western culture to obtain the freedom and knowledge that they see here. This is ironic since the West is moving toward Goddess concepts such as the Gaian Hypothesis, feminism, tolerance and holistic healing.   

The wave of innovation, which began in the East or Mid East spread westerly to Egypt, Greece, Rome and then through Europe to England and then, to America. This same wave is now a tsunami and has come to Asia's shore.  We need to connect with Asian and Asian Americans so that we can connect to continuous Goddess traditions that have adapted to modernity so that we can plan for the future.   At the many gatherings I have been to I have seen Celtic, Native American, Norse, African, Greek and Roman traditions explained, but rarely Asian ones even though there are large numbers of them in the US especially in universities.  I respect all of these traditions but none are continuous with large populations that are technologically literate.  I hope that we can see articles and discussions with people who are practitioners and familiar with Western and modern cultural situations. My awareness and knowledge is limited and I do not yet speak the languages.   Since our ancient European heritage was cut off by witch-hunts we have a need for many roots that will project into today and the future. 

The Kwan Yin Project can be our benevolent link to Cambodia and can be replicated all over Asia and the world. I favor beginning it in Cambodia since because of the tragedy which has shattered their culture and peace of mind.  Tragedy and deprivation can make one open to new ideas. This might be the reason for Buddhism's appeal as its philosophy is based on the acknowledgement of suffering and illusion.  Shrines to a goddess are often found on the sites of Buddhist temples.  The Kwan Yin Project is simple, efficient and cheap and is part of Eastern culture.  It draws upon the talents and good wishes of people to comfort each other.  It will provide almost immediate spiritual, emotional and economic aid to those giving and receiving these services. Interest and capital will appear as we get drawings, a model of the suggested statue and forward to interested parties. Then we visualize all this as already being done with the Goddess.  Couple this with fund and talent raising, prayer and contacts in the Cambodian, Pagan, Hindu, Buddhist, Taoist and other interested communities. Other localities are possible especially those that have been hit by the recent tsunami of December 26^th. 

There are so many benefits to this plan that I see this as spreading world wide. These Kwan Yin shrines could become large institutions with the shrine/temple, funeral and embalming services, cemetery or crematorium, museum/art gallery/family hall, catering hall, hospice, hospital/healing center/spa, counseling services, gardens including sculpture gardens. There will also be teaching and careers involving weaving, clothing and textile design, calligraphy, embroidery, perfume making, painting and sculpture, film and website design, museum curating, catering as well as priestly functions including ceremonial design and counseling.  These careers will have a spiritual and artistic aspect not found anyplace else in the world.   Having all these practitioners and courses might qualify such a site to be a college or theological school.

Probably the greatest benefit of shrine of Kwan Yin will be a rekindling of pride and art that will inspire pilgrimages and tourism from all over.  Bands and processions of her with floats containing quilts among floral arrangements will stream through streets in the Spring in a holiday of re-birth.   Families, lodges and associations will have booths to show art, videos, sites and quilts in a glorious art fair of remembrance and reconnection.  Knowing that they will be remembered and celebrated in way that surpasses previous times people who aspire to greatness will give more attention to their life.   In their ethics, accomplishments, art and relationships will improve as they aspire for the attention that is a form of immortality.   Writing my autobiography helped me to understand my life's theme.  I see the threads of my life becoming a quilt.

Do not forget how important spiritual traditions and art have been to those who strive for liberty.  They are both sanctuary and root.  They are also tools of change and the expression of hidden longings.  The shrine of the Goddess Libertas in Ancient Rome was a sanctuary for dissidents until its destruction.  It then miraculously reappeared in America as its symbol and its greatest example of spiritual art.  It has made another manifestation, though briefly in Tiananmen Square.  Expect another appearance in China when the current oppressive state withers away.  Material success can erode the concrete of tyranny.  At the same time, it can fertilize the seeds of a new beginning.   However, the seeds must know that they were planted in love and liberty will ensure a future of goodness and Goddess. 

Project Kwan Yin integrates the traditional feminine aspects of compassion, celebration and art with the discretion and power of a spiritual refuge.  Temples have always functioned as a way for excluded populations to maintain their power and identity. Kwan Yin does the same and without the burden of the history of religious wars and oppression.  She is also portable and can be brought to scenes of tragedy and loss.  She would be ideal for funerals of martyrs and respected leaders with emphasis here on healing the loss rather than vengeance.  It is for this reason that the shrine be close to a park, cemetery or in a large open area to handle large rallies and services.   In order that Kwan Yin not be overused or misused she should not be present at anything that might be political unless it involves death or some calamity. Events such as plague, flood or famine are appropriate as well. Politicians will use every opportunity to appear even at funerals as soon as Kwan Yin catches on as a popular shrine.  Discretion is advised.

Kwan Yin shrines would be a boon to environmentalists and animal rights activists alike.  Many of Kwan Yin's temples in Japan are concerned with saving living things, animals, trees etc.  Every fall the Japanese hold a ceremony where fish, birds and other animals are set free back into the wild.   She is associated with vegetarianism and her statue is often shown in Chinese vegetarian restaurants.  Can there be a more befitting deity for the compassion of those who would save the earth and its creatures?  

Saul Alinsky points out in his book Reveille for Radicals that clergy are important in community organizing.   They must be appealed to on practical matters like fundraising as well as ceremonies and morality.  Ceremonies and celebrations help a religious institution take root as well as pay the bills. This is also true for all belief systems as they all rely on symbolic identification and performance for there is much competition for spirituality of any type.  TV, film, radio and other types of art all compete for attention. All these forms even within one program can be remote and personal, rich and austere, somber and joyful as well as having many images within the same archetype.   

Our Kwan Yin can do the same and still be done in rich and poor areas, cosmopolitan and simple alike.  The image of a mother reaching out to those who need her is universal. In this mobile age it is important to have a simple symbol that is easily adaptable to culture, migration, economics, innovation and political change.  Adaptable as a willow and flowering like a lotus from the mud is Kwan Yin as her symbols tell us.  After it is established in the East it will be easier to have such shrines all over the world.

It is quite possible that the Kwan Yin Project will not begin in Cambodia.  Differences in traditions, trauma, poverty and other reasons might delay it.  More innovative, wealthier freer regions such as Japan, Taiwan or Hong Kong might be first.  It is hoped that Kwan Yin shrines will aid each other.   China is experiencing amazing growth and has recently built a Kwan Yin 108 meters high, taller than the Statue of Liberty.  China is no stranger to tragedy.  During the reign of Mao Tse Tung about 40 million people died through war, executions and famine caused by his economical and environmental destructive Stalinist policies.  All of Asia suffered during WWII.  Because Kwan Yin is worshipped all over the world this project can start anywhere.  

The Athenia Project
A Proposal for the Promotion and Display of Creative Ritual

 I believe that the aesthetic experience is the key to the spiritual.  Drama came from ancient Greek ritual.  Powerful art is the vehicle for spirit, catharsis and change.  No idea can triumph without great art to illustrate its attributes

Yet we live in ritually dead society. Commercialism, the breakup of family and the increasing rate of change have greatly diminished the meaning of Christmas, Easter and even patriotic holidays.   Young people cringe and roll their eyes when called upon to participate in even the simplest of ceremonies.  They are right, for too long ritual has been a code word meaning boring, trite and stuffy.  The dead hand of the past controlled by old men is no longer sufficient.  This alienation can destroy whatever is precious in our tradition and spirit.   

However, ceremony can be powerful.   It is the most underappreciated powerful art form.  Changes are happening.  Couples write their own wedding vows and design naming ceremonies.   Coming of age ceremonies are adopted by many faiths, including Christians, as a way to curb delinquency and integrate youth into responsibility.  Memorial services and funerals are being revised to the point that many are seen as entertaining and historical.    And at many of these rites people bring camcorders.

Community ceremonies are changing as well.   New holidays like Earth Day are celebrated in ways that would honor ancient Earth based religions because they are written by those who are rooted in this past as well as modern theater and protest.   Out of this forge comes new images.   People are shouting theater in a crowded fire.

Ceremonies mark a significant passage of time or a significant event.  While ceremonies like myths are rooted in time their forms change as well.   New insights, staging and emphasis happen in new productions of old works.  Sometimes there is a complete re-rite.   It is time to give ceremony the attention we give theater.   These rites must be video recorded, studied and great works must be acknowledged and honored. 

I believe that it is entirely appropriate and exciting for the Unitarian Universalist Church to inaugurate this field. In fulfilling this task it is important that this is open to all spiritual paths.   Uuers have long made a practice of visiting other faith's churches and acting as networkers and defenders of religious peoples.  Among our numbers are some of the top thinkers and artists of the times.  We have always been among the cutting edge in courage, creativity and open-minded spirituality.   Other institutions such as universities, museums and arts centers could also do this and probably will.   It takes vision and the support and recognition of an institution to do this on a grand scale.  

This is a call for a video library or database of great ceremony.  Books, articles, music and artwork are also important.  The criteria here will be primarily aesthetic as in judging any art.  Notation should be kept if the work manifested in some work of healing or social change and popularity within an audience.  There should be more of a focus on innovation rather than production values so that we do not lose the grass roots focus.   Works that include a large amount of audience participation should also be acknowledged.  Innovation as well as respecting folklore and tradition will be recognized.  This collection should be open to all faiths.   Even fundamentalists should be invited to submit so that we may learn from each other and further the dialogue.   On this we will not stand on ceremony

One benefit will be a permanent collection of great ceremony for those who wish to study or create great ceremony or drama.  The Pagan Institute has volunteered to be a repository for this collection. Media such as television, documentary producers and internet reporters will have a better depiction of the Craft whether craft refers to drama or spiritual practice.   This will encourage creativity, stagecraft, writing and the discipline of rehearsing.  Privacy concerns can be easily taken care of by selective blurring of faces, editing and/or masks.   

There can be many classifications and award categories.    In a data base there can be many ways of classification.    There can be based on a specific holiday or purpose of ceremony such as weddings, ethnicity or tradition, music, dance or drama.    There should also be ones for amateur and inexpensive and others for more professional with larger production values.   We should be democratic enough to acknowledge that great art can come from anywhere.   At the same time we should respect our values that we allow only the best in what can inspire awe and creativity.  Even people who are not conservative know that there has been a debasing and commercialization of all art.   Recognition of sacred art may end up rescuing art itself.      

The first poetry came from eulogy.   Drama came from Ancient Greek ceremony.   The first art and statuary came from worship.    Psychodrama has its roots in exorcism.   Anthropologists, sociologists and psychologists would be very interested in our database.

Expect wedding planners and dramatists who will regard our database as a treasure trove.    Poets and dramatists may find new work in ceremonial design.   This database could be the birth of many new disciplines.

Ceremonies are moving in more ways than one, but objects too have their place. Masks, sculpture, sacred tools, paintings, stained glass, ceremonial garb and jewelry are all part of sacred art.   In an increasingly secular society art still commands devotion.   It is also being trivialized and commercialized.   To recognize that art is what inspires us exhibits of images as well as performances are called for.   Again aesthetics and innovation are the guide.    Margot Adler has said that if she were to design a curriculum for pagan clergy at least 30% of it would be dramatics.

The placement of sacred objects on an altar (sacred geometry) can be an art form just the setting of a beautiful table with flower arrangements, pottery and silverware. Instead are sacred tools or icons with an altar cloth with attention to placement and décor.   The same can be said of interior design and architecture.   This could be integrated with stage or set design for a ceremony or play.

There should be sacred arts festivals, as if other arts have festivals.  Imagine a festival that had video performances, live performances of great ritual with panels and discussions of experts and designers about their work and the goals of their rites.  In hallways and exhibit areas there would all types of sacred art.  The honor and commercial opportunities for a sponsoring community would be enormous.

There are many directions to go.    I would favor allowing the sale of artwork and the awarding of cash and valuable prizes if they can be found as long as the integrity of the festival can be maintained.  There is also the spectrum of professionalism vs. amateur public participation.   Humor can have a role as much as tragedy in religious expression like in theater.   Laughter is the food of the Gods.   Here Noh plays of Japanese theater might be instructive.   Noh Theater is tragic and can be depressing.   To alleviate this between acts or plays are intervening humorous pieces.   Scheduling light palate cleansing courses between heavier fares is the style of classical dining.  

Controversy and didactic elements that emerge in political theater can also emerge in ceremony.    The swearing in ceremony or political vows are the most common and most commonly abused.   Get it in writing with a penalty for non-compliance is an idea that has not been tried since we last sacrificed kings. But I digress.

What will happen is a hiving off which is the consequence of all successful ideas.   Other spiritual paths, especially the more conservative will be among the first to do so.   Art can be a mobility of spirituality.  It will be seen as a means of proselytization but it is much more.  It will be a better language to understand ideas and interpretations.  Through the use of archetypes, symbols and myth it has always done so.  Through technology and the wealth that accompanies it everyone will be able to participate.  Art with its spiritual accompaniment will inspire as well as and define us for the tasks to come. 

There is one more art form that will add an even greater dimension to these festivals. It is the defining art of our age - film.  Movies, video, TV are the metaphor by which one culture can best and most quickly be understood by others.   Great film illustrates the great decision points of our age.   If you were to ask the average intellectual or the average person the last time when they had cried (or had a catharsis) they would probably say they had lost it at the movies. This is the greatest reason that church attendance is down for all faiths during the 20^th century.  Sermons were the main transmitters of ethics and culture a hundreds of years ago.  The Reformation was made possible by the printing press that made Bible study and the writings of Luther etc. widely available.  The next spiritual revolution will be made by film, TV and the internet.  Spiritual institutions must make allowances for this and integrate some aspect of this into their worship or be thought of as antiquated or irrelevant.

The evangelicals saw the mega hit "The Passion" as their Hollywood salvation.  This follows a long tradition of biblical blockbusters from DeMille's silent films.  I am amazed that that these folk have not integrated these films as part of their worship.  Probably the preachers know that they are no match for this competition.

We have our own films.  Films that inspire as well as raise important questions about ethics and such.  "The Mission" which received the Golden Palm award at Cannes raises the question of the ethics of the use of violence to defend the innocent.   The film is one sense a defense of Liberation Theology.  The Gates of Heaven is being reviewed as a critique of American Mid East policy and religious intolerance.

There are others.  "Princess Mononoke" by Miyazaki is an animated film that is the most viewed film in Japan.  It is an animated film set in medieval Japan that addresses the dilemma of industrial progress vs. natural preservation.  It has the best evocative depiction of the Godhead I have ever seen and won many awards. 

There are more.   "At Play in the Fields of the Lord" shows the conflict of progress vs. the cultural extinction of native tribes.   Even comedies such as "Citizen Ruth" show the conflict of abortion and showed a wonderful Moon Goddess ceremony that was absolutely transcendent.

Here is where the Spiritual Arts Festival movement can start.  Congregations can show such films in the above spiritual and artistic class with a panel or speaker who can explain the historic, artistic, spiritual and ethical points the film makes with Q & A from the audience.  When a body of work is agreed on a festival is arranged with people invited who participated in the making of these films who will participate in discussions.  New entrees can be considered as well.  This will attract film buffs to our events as well as aspiring filmmakers, actors and potential backers and distributors knowing that they can have a guaranteed audience and venue with our denomination if they win an award.   The intersection of art and spirituality can be a powerful one in social change as well as other areas. This important crossroads deserves a festival.

My expectations would be a crossing of political, theological and cultural boundaries not just to increase audiences but also to break new ground.   One example is the friendship of Michael Moore and Mel Gibson.  While politics can be dominated by one faction or another culture can be a marketplace for all.  

The ideas presented here will do this and promote thought, awareness and understanding.  I hope that this project will inspire you in your own creations. The coming together of art, social change and spirituality is the fulcrum of our movement.  Great art inspires.   Let us create a fountainhead where all can be refreshed.  This will be an evolving document.   

The Ganesha Project                                                          
By Donald Meinshausen

When one studies the literature of social change one can not help but notice the fact that most of it is Anglo-American.  The Ganesha Project is a way to show that there are other roots -traditions, philosophies, folklore, religions, old and new cultures from other lands that reflect green and libertarian values.   By examining these other roots we not only help stabilize the libertarian institutions of the West but we help develop and market liberty in other cultures.   This shows the universality of liberty and helps defend against the slander that markets and democracy are only applicable in the west.

Probably the most important reason is that through this research we might find ideas that can help save liberty, the environment and our souls.  Those not in America may not realize this but because of America's attempt to police the world our empire has become like its vanquished opponents.  One sometimes becomes like one's opponent in the attempt to conquer.   In America a version of this is called "Washingtonitis."   That after years of dealing with bureaucracy some activists unconsciously develop the power-mongering, negativity, pettiness and obfuscation of the opposition.  In the American mindset after having the world policeman role thrust upon it, it now becomes comfortable even a duty.   It is important then to have other cultures as models where this does not happen.

It is important that lovers of peace and liberty all over the world develop their own resources; art, traditions and such as America loses its reputation of being the beacon of freedom.  As technology and freedom spread around the world let us all inspire each other and spread libertarian cultures throughout the world.

Ganesha is a God in India and is known as the remover of obstacles.  He is a being that stands on two legs and has the head of an elephant.  His two consorts are business and art.  In many shops all over Southeast Asia as well as in Indian owned shops in Europe and America one can see shrines for Ganesha.  Gods and Goddesses are ways of expressing powers and virtues. By giving them form as in a