Also….
Celebrations today Wednesday April 29, 2026. Mercury’s day.
Harmony at the heart of conflict & chaos, Ray 4 Day.
Libra moon day – harmony & balance & beauty.
Taurus Sun – more beauty thru illumination.

Celebrations Today –
Peace Rose Day.
International Dance Day.
World Wish Day.
Day of Trees.
World Stationary Day.

Today in Fayetteville, Ark, (& the entire week ’til Saturday, May 2) at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, on Dixon St. (near the square), Tibetan monks are creating a sand mandala (an ancient Tibetan art form.

The Sand mandala is known as dul-tson-kyil-khor, embodying compassion, healing, and the unity & interconnectedness of all life.

Millions of grains of colored sand made from precious & semi precious stones, form an intricate and highly symbolic sacred design.

Each element of the mandala follows a precise spiritual tradition, creating a sacred work of art.
From today ’til 2:30pm next Saturday, May 2 (day after Wesak). Afterwards, the monks will travel north to Eureka Springs to create another Mandala –

Love & Compassion Mandala:
Love & Compassion sand mandala created by Tibetan monks from monasteries like Drepung Gomang or Namgyal, is a sacred, intricate art form intended to promote global healing, compassion, and harmony.
Using a special tool containing millions of colored sand grains, monks spend days crafting these designs before ritually destroying them to symbolize the impermanence of life

Symbolism: the “four harmonious friends” (unity), a white dove, olive branches, and symbols from major world religions to promote harmony.

Purpose: a meditation emanating healing energies to the surrounding environment and those who view it.

Symbolism: It represents the palace of a deity, with colors and designs representing various virtues. The four doorways represent the “four immeasurable thoughts”: love, compassion, joy, and equanimity.

Creation & Dissolution: Monks create the design over several days using colored sand, placing it grain-by-grain. Upon completion, it is ritually destroyed (dissolved) to represent that all things in life are temporary, with the sand often distributed or released into water to disperse the blessing.

History:
Well over 1000 years ago, Tibetan Buddhist monks began crafting elaborate Mandalas in sacred and secret rituals to offer space, or a “palace” for various aspects of the Buddha.
Chanting mantras and meditating to Buddha to bring that power to living beings, and to alleviate the suffering of humans, the monks worked tirelessly, crushing precious and semi-precious stones to fine sand and then meticulously placed the sand into shapes to create the colorful Mandalas.

In 1959, the Chinese invaded Tibet and forced the Dalai Lama to flee to India to save his own life and the traditions and knowledge of Tibetan Buddhism. Thousands of Tibetans were forced to flee their homes and the lives they knew to escape certain death at the hands of the Chinese.

This tragedy had one positive outcome. The ancient knowledge the Tibetans had held sacred and secret for thousands of years was now being brought into the rest of the world. In 1988, the Dalai Lama decided that Mandala art was to be introduced into Western society, and Nangval Monks from Dharamsala, India, constructed the first public Mandala in New York City.

Since that time, this sacred ritual has been created very sparingly in our country. The Mandalas offer reflection, contemplation, clarity and wisdom to all who venture near.

Preparing for Wesak – we hold to the middle Way, the Noble Truths of the Buddha. Working in the Light of the Soul, thus working in White Magic. A narrow razor edged path – fine line of demarcation between pairs of opposites. Two streams – one to heaven, the other to the netherworld. The disciples choose the path of the heavens. To bring down into the world, the light for humanity.
Disciples endeavor to stand with Hierarchy, spiritual forces, elder brothers & Masters guiding humanity along the Path of Life. And so here we are. The Buddha’s Festival of Wisdom. The Christ who expressed the Love of God.
These two Great Beings stand with Disciples at the Wesak Festival. Great rocks of stability in a weary land.

Let us gain control of speech during these Wesak days. Remember the most powerful factor in control of speech is a loving heart. All wrong words, attitudes, etc, that seperate people, bring the world to a state of distress. It is easy to drift into negative speech & thoughts, attacking with a spirit of hate. We are to guard ourselves against this with care.

Hate breaks the Law of Love.
It is LOVE only that saves the world.
Disciples stand in the silence of a loving heart.
Preparing for Wesak, gazing in meditation at the Love & Compassion Mandala – love, Risa