What a fabulous birthday experience for me! I normally travel somewhere brand new every year for my birthday… it’s been that way for I don’t know how many years now, but for some reason this year I felt compelled to stay still and be in Vegas for my 29th Birthday. To my grand surprise I found out there was a Tibetan Mandala Sand Painting at the Sahara West Library and the blessing ceremony being on May 17, the day of my bday!!! Yay!!!
Isn’t it magical?!?!!!! So breathtaking!!!
The Tibetan Lamas from the Drepung Loseling Monastery came to Vegas as a part of The Mystical Arts of Tibet Tour creating this mandala that took 4 days of patience, closing with a beautiful blessing of prayers and chants to bring forth healing energies for the earth. In Tibetan, this art is called dul-tson-kyil-khor, which literally means “mandala of colored powders.” With much presence and skill they are able to create a remarkable detailed mandala with millions of grains of brightly colored sand. In the end they brush it away, destroying what they have put so much energy into – this process being a metaphor of the impermanence of life. A portion of the sand is placed in an urn to be sprinkled into a body of water, distributing the healing energies throughout the planet and the rest of the sand distributed to everyone who wanted to take it home.
That’s how I feel when someone buys a painting from me… although it’s not being destroyed, there’s still an element of detachment involved when I part with a piece that I’ve spent hours working on.
The tour helps to promote and preserve the endangered Tibetan culture. It comprises of Sacred Dance, Sacred Music and Mandala Sand Painting. Dave and I were able to see them creating the mandala on Friday afternoon, attended the amazing cultural show at night and we were able to be a part of the blessing ceremony on Saturday.
During the ceremony I was covered with tears. The chanting is extraordinarily healing and being around the presence of such peace that emanates from the Lamas is quite inspiring for me. I felt my spirit really was supposed to celebrate my birthday this way. I am very grateful for such a memorable spiritual experience!
The Blessing Ceremony and offering of the sand mandala for healing the earth. The master cuts into the mandala from the different directions and takes from the center. He then puts the sand onto his crown allowing the healing energies to enter into the 7th chakra and throughout his spiritual body.
I love experiencing and seeing the ways that other cultures access spirit. It all leads us to the Divine Source, just different ways of getting there.
Namaste!