civilian BLOG

 The there was irony behind the tag line: “May we all remain civilian”. It is actually 5 (that’s FIVE) words, and the word “PEACE” is, indeed, 5 letters.. AND the traditional Tibetan Prayer flag is 5 flags, I knew that these flags NEEDED to become part of the world. The world might even need the flags to become part of the world. So knowing all of this, I knew that for the flags to be truly alive in a world that needs prayers of peace, I had to donate a part of the sale to some sort of “PEACE” organization.  I pondered this… thought… and thought and then came up with Amnesty International.. and rethought that.  Seemed too big and impersonal.  And then thought “UNICEF”… again, too big and impersonal. Then thought, “I should call my friend Michelle, because she probably donates to some organizations that she could recommend.  I picked up the phone to call Michelle, and realized.. “damn! I can’t call Michelle because she left her phone in her coat pocket in my store.”I walked passed the TV  there, before my eyes, was the Dalai Lama, bowing to me, with a voice-over saying “Give to the himalayan-foundation.org. Helping displaced and struggling Tibetans (or something like this), find their way back to their homeland and find a better life.”  Well, then there was nowhere else to look.So.. $5.00 of every flag sale is donated to the Himalayan Foundation. In January of 2008, I will make my first donation. I have about $50.00 so far, as of this date.  Maybe these flags will really make a difference in the world.

So here they are… The “CIVILIAN PEACE FLAGS”. Each letter has a different word embedded into it.P: MAYE: WEA: ALLC: REMAIND: CIVILIANStaying true to the Tibetan Peace Flag Tradition of setting up the flags in the wind to allow the elements to absorb and spread the prayer into the universe. As the flags deteriorate, the prayer becomes part of the elements.There are some in the store to buy, and now I gotta make more

Sometimes while pondering the presence of my civilian self in this world as an artist, mother, teacher, woman… I wonder if the “ART” that I am making, whether in ther form of canvases, prints, food or tee shirts, is communicating my heart and mind in ways that make bridges between people. In the way good art should create emotional and intellectual bridges between people.So the mind constantly wanders, and makes thing in it, and sometimes these “THINGS” become real, and sometimes they get displaced by other things.Last night, I went to the high school’s back to school night. Both of my kids are in high school now. I asked my son which of his teachers I should make sure I visit, and he said that he really likes his spanish class. So I though, hmmm, that is good because knowing Spanish has always been helpful to me. I asked him if he was learning more Spanish now, or if he thhought he was getting better at Spanish, and he said “NO” that he just really liked his teacher.So I went to his Spanish class. And I got it. She was not just teaching Spanish, She was teaching living in the world with Spanish as the vehicle. She was teaching communication first with Spanish as the tool. And there was a lot of humor, so as I always have felt, when you are tickled to laugh, your attention is activated, then real learning and memory begin to get charged. Boring teachers, put the learning mechanism to sleep. Most of the time, a boring teacher is just bored with his/her subject. RETIRE I SAY!! RETRE NOW!!! Get out of the way of learning al;l of you Bored teachers!!!Anyway – that was a little tangent.Really, the point of this text, was to introduce this idea, that made me laugh, of prayer flags in the shape of tee shirts. and each flag, in the Tibetan Tradition, would be one of 5 colors, blue, white, yellow, green, red – and they would be in the shape of little tee-shirts. With P-E-A-C-E ’s letters on each of 5 shirts.THE LETTER P would be made up of the word “MAY”THE LETTER E would be made up of the word “ALL”THE LETTER A would be made up of the word “CHILDREN”THE LETTER C would be made up of the word “REMAIN”THE LETTER E would be made up of the word “CIVILIAN”So there it is. Now i just gotta make them.FROM: http://www.westwindcollection.com/home/ww1/history_main.htmlPrayer flags are gentle reminders, bringing us back to our essence and helping us to open our hearts and minds. When we hang prayer flags, we create the intention for more kindness for ourselves and all beings.As they wave in the wind, prayer flags lift up and carry our wishes for compassion, peace and healing around the earth. Prayer flags encourage us to live more mindfully and help us to restore our own inner calm. A more peaceful world still must begin in each of us, one open heart at a time.It is a sign of respect to keep them off of the ground or floor and to have clear, beneficial intentions as they are being hung. The cloth frays and the printed images fade as they are released to the wind and the heavens. When they are well worn they are often burned, to release the last expression of prayer. It is also common to see old, tattered flags side by side with new ones, left to the elements.