Recently an online friend started a prayer flag project, and I'm finally able to participate. This whole concept was new to me, but basically prayer flags are part of the ancient Buddhist Tradition. Prayer flags are 5 by 8 inches, and are a prayer for something or someone determined by the creator of the prayer flag. It is said that the prayers on the flags are lifted to God and spread throughout the universe as they wave in the wind. Further, anyone touched by the wind, is touched by the prayers.This is a beautiful concept to imagine. Today I made my first one.....my prayer was for gratefulness and serenity for everyone.....I made this quite spontaneously with scraps. Click on the photo for a larger view and you'll see I drew a tree in the background, added some hanging strips with words, then various threads and yarns to catch the wind. I found an old bamboo piece to hang it from, then created a hanger from yarn. The second photo shows the prayer flag hanging outside my home. We are in the midst of a heat wave with very little breeze, so I'll try to leave it out a few days or until I make my next one to hopefully catch some wind. This was so much fun I'm looking forward to making more! There are countless things to pray for, people and places, that I doubt that there will be a shortage of prayer intentions. If you're not using fabric in your art, make one from paper, hang it near an open window, and watch your flag as it wafts in the breeze. Here's the photo: 
