The Last Supper and the Holy Thursday

Today is a special Thursday before Easter.

It is usually understood as a day when the final supper - the "Last Supper" took place with Yeshwa (Jesus) and the 12 disciples. (There are other theories regarding the nature of this supper, and some are claiming that this was not the Passover Seder.)

Each year around this time, I contemplate about this sacred Thursday in relation to the mural of the Last Supper painted by Leonardo da Vinci in the church of Santa Maria delle Grazie in Milan.

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Between 1995 and 1999, I have painted the mural of the Last Supper based on Leonardo's brilliant work at the high school where I was teaching back then. I have spent around 2,000 hours total to complete this painting.
（これは私がまだボールダーのシュタイナー高校で教えていた頃２０００時間を費やして描いた、レオナルド・ダ・ヴィンチの「最後の晩餐」をベースに画いた「複製」壁画。師レオナルド大先生と私の生徒達に捧げた。）

Hikaru has created the mural based on "The Last Supper" by Leonardo da Vinci 「最後の晩餐」

I see the immaturity in my technique and the interpretation to the point that if I were to paint the mural again, I would have done it differently.

What I wanted to share today is not about my painting, but the environment where Leonardo's original is located. Back in the days of Leonardo, this room was used as a dining room for the Dominican monks. Whether the monks actually took meal or not, I do not know, and if so, I also do not know whether they ate silently or not. Either way, it must have invoked the special feelings to be in the middle of the room between the 2 large murals depicting the meaningful, intense scenes from the Gospels. 

It is easy to focus upon the now faded but magnificent mural by Leonardo, but there is another mural on the opposite (south) side of the room facing the Last Supper.

It is depicting the crucifixion of Yeshwa with 2 thieves surrounded by the multitude of people. 

This mural was painted by Giovanni Donato da Montorfano, and Leonardo was said to have painted the family of his patron, Ludovico il Moro (now also faded).

Anyone standing between the 2 murasl with the keen sense would notice that he/she is standing in the timeline between the 2 major events, one on Thursday early evening and the other one on Friday afternoon when Yeshwa had expired on the cross.

Then, what did take place between the supper and the crucifixion?

If we stick with the Gospels, we are reminded of the story of the agony in the Garden of Gethsemane followed by the "delivering-up" of Yeshwa by Judas. I say delivering-up instead of using the word "betraying" because in both Koine Greek and Aramaic, the word translated as "betraying" is actually "deliver-up".
( The word for betrayal in Aramaic is different.) 

Then, Yeshwa was challenged by Caiaphas and Pontius Pilate. Yeshwa was also mocked and shamed. 

Meanwhile, most of the disciples departed him, and Peter did deny knowing him. 

Barabus was forgiven, and Yeshwa was condemned to death. Then, Yeshwa walked along the stations of the cross (i.e., the miraculous story of Veronica's veil). 

Eventually, he was crucified and uttered the 7 Last words before he expired. 

Anyone visiting the room can contemplate what the monks in those days may have contemplated. One of the themes may be the acceptance of enormous challenges (responsibilities), agony, humiliation, and death (symbolic) in one's life before the triumphant rebirth.

Leonardo during his life also had faced numerous challenges. On some occasions, he was humiliated as well, but he kept on going and endured. 

I wonder what went on in his mind (and through his heart )while he was composing and executing this mural.

I sincerely hope that we can embrace the given challenges, whatever that may be, and not only overcoming them but to transform ourselves and keep shining our inner beauty towards the world in this auspicious year of 2012! 

Memorial Reception for the Great East Japan Eathquake

 The Consul-General of Japan, Mr. Ikuhiko Ono

Yesterday evening on March 13th, Reimi and I attended the private Memorial Reception for the Great East Japan Eathquake hosted by the Consulate General of Japan in Denver.

We were invited officially by the Consul-General of Japan and Mrs. Ikuhiko Ono.

As we all know that March 11th was the one year memorial day for this disaster in Tohoku area of Japan.

We were both honored that the Consulate General of Japan had selected the Mitchell Hall of the Denver Botanic Gardens for this reception, for the interior of the great hall has been graced by the photography of late-William Corey (late-husband of Reimi Corey).  William would have been very pleased for this honor, for he had loved the people and the beauty of Japan. Two of the 6 images displayed are from Yamagata prefecture, and fortunately Yamagata was spared of the disaster even though it is located in the Northeastern part of the main island.
http://www.williamcorey.com/

You can see two of William's photos on the wall.

The State of Colorado and the various organizations within the state (especially of Denver) have been actively raising the funds and donating the large sums of money to the victims in the affected areas. This reception was held to express gratitude towards the people in America (especially of Colorado) for their kind hearts and the generosity.

One of the highlights of the event was the Taiko (traditional Japanese drumming) performance given by the world-renowned Kyogaku Drummers, The Matsukawa Kyogaku Taiko Drummers. The group had come all the way from Japan to express gratitude for the American people through their US Arigatou "Thank you" tour. It was very impressive performances. 
The terrific sound, precise rhythms, and the vibration along with the "heat" generated by the concentration and the passion welling up from each performer were, in the way, echoing the nature's tremble via earthquake. Yet, it was much more than that. It was showing of the vitality of another nature, the Human Nature, to overcome the difficulty and to rise up like the sacred Phoenix from its ashes!

http://www.nippon-kan.org/TaikoDrummers/

It is needless to say that we must always respect, honor, and serve the nature, for there could have been no human civilization without the patient support extended by the Mother Nature.

On the lighter note, the guests were given the souvenirs from Aizu-Wakamatsu of Fukushima prefecture. 

It is a self-righting Aizu Hariko doll (会津張り子). 
The self righting doll keeps standing up when it is pushed and/or falls. It is a symbolic representation of the spirits of people in Fukushima. 

Furthermore, as I have written before in my blog, the radiation is the byproduct of the "self-righting (stabilizing)" nature inherit within the nucleus of an atom. 

May the self-stabilizing nature of atoms in us correct us not in the way of emitting the devastating radiation but by radiating our inner light towards the world around us.

artma 2012

Reimi at artma

My partner, Reimi, and I went to "artma", the fundraising event to benefit "The Morgan Adams Foundation" and pediatric oncology research, in Denver last evening.

Reimi has donated her late husband, William Corey's work. William was a wonderful photographer who had fallen in love with the beautiful gardens in Japan... especially in Kyoto, and during the 90s, his work was selected as the official gift from the State of Colorado to the Emperor and the Empress of Japan during their visits here.

Consequently, William was granted, as the first foreigner, an official permission to photograph the Imperial Gardens of Kyoto.

William had courageously faught cancer, but regretfully, he had succumbed to the illness back in 2008.

Reimi herself had battled cancer before but has overcome the illness without taking the allopathic medical intervention.

Reimi and Jen (of  Photocraft)in front of William's work

Each year, many artists and the volunteers have been donating their works and time for artma, and Reimi (and William when he was alive) has been contributing to this wonderful event as well. 

I, too, have gladly helped by donating my painting in the past.

The Morgan Adams Foundation was founded honoring the memory of Morgan (July 30, 1992 – November 7, 1998), the daughter of Joan Slaughter and Steve Adams, who as a child, courageously fought the battle (3 surgeries/many rounds of high-dose chemotherapy/ many blood transfusions...) with cancer. Although, she is no longer with us, because of her and her parents, this foundation was created and had enabled to fund the important researches at The Children's Hospital Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders and other partnering research institutions.

When you enter the event center, the first thing one notice is the display of the faces of many children with cancer. Some have joined their angels, but others are still battling.

These children are the messengers from above enabling us to do good for the immediate society around us and to care for the children (...all the children!) who will be taking care of their generations and carrying the future.

Jen, Reimi, Brooks, Valerie, and William's patrons

I was also touched by the people who had spent their money generously to buy the artworks during the auction... especially in this economy. I felt the wonderful enthusiasm from the people and the atmosphere, and just by being there, my heart was uplifted!

I sincerely hope and pray that these events would keep helping and saving as many children's lives as possible.

I wish to conclude by sharing the words by Morgan.

"I love you to aleph infinity, bigger and wider than the whole universe!"

- Morgan Courtney Adams

Please visit:

artma :   http://artmaonline.org/artma/index.htm

The Morgan Adams Foundation:  http://www.morganadamsfoundation.org/

William Corey Gallery LLC: http://www.williamcorey.com/

"Ota Shrine" (2c-16)  in Kyoto, Japan  © by William Corey Gallery LLC

Rahu - Ketu and the year 2012

Today I would like to share a story concerning the invisible planets in the Vedic mythology and its possible relevance to the year 2012.
These invisible planets are called Rahu and Ketu. If you know about Jyotish and/or Vedic astrology, basically they are the North (Caput)and the South (Cauda) Nodes. Since my purpose here has not to do with the introduction of Vedic astrology nor Indian Mythology, I shall only make the brief introduction. If you are interested in learning about the subject, there are many websites and books you can access.
Some of you may already know that there are big differences between the Tropical, Western astrology and the Sidereal, Vedic astrology. While the Tropical one has a lot to do with basing its calculation on the vernal equinox, the Vedic one bases on the constant star called, Spica. Since the Vernal equinox falls short each year by approximately 50 seconds, the currently there is about 23.5 degree differences between the Tropical zodiac and Vedic, Sidereal one. It is called the Ayanamsha.
In other words, while I am a Sagittarian in Tropical astrology, in Vedic one, I am a Scorpio.
In Vedic astrology, Moon sign and the Lagna (ascendant) are more important than Sun sign. They also use 27 sub-houses called, Nakshatras. There are also dasha systems. The dasha systems are like examining the planetary eras of one's life... and beyond.  They also consider the strength of each planet from exaltation to debilitation depending on where the planets are located and so forth. There are at least 16 different charts to consider. 
I can keep pointing many other differences, but I shall not go into that now.


Let us go back to the story of Rahu and Ketu.
Long ago (in India) there was a great war between the demons and the gods, and there was a need for the gods to obtain Amrita, the nectar of immortality. According to Brahma, they had to churn the ocean (Samudra Manthan) to obtain it, yet the job was too great for the gods alone, so they asked the demons for help and promised demons that they will also receive the Amrita.
Vasuki, the great serpent, was used as a rope and the Mandrachal, the great hill, as the pivot, and Lord Vishnu turned himself into a great turtle called, Kurma, and became the base. The gods and demons eventually produced Amrita.
Now there was a problem. Vishnu prevented demons to have Amrita by tricking them, but one demon called, Swarbanu, was able to see through this trick and did sneak himself into the areas where the gods were and drank the portion of Amrita. Vishnu was told by the Sun and the Moon about this, and he threw the divine disk/wheel, Sudarshan Chakra, at Swarbanu, and he was decapitated. Even after this, Swarbanu did not die because he had already drunk the nectar of immortality.
To make the story short, the head became Rahu, and the body became Ketu.


In Vedic astrology, Rahu and Ketu play the big part. 
The attribution to these "planets" can be vast, but Rahu is intensely concerned with the worldly matters and the manifestation of them. Rahu can be taboo-breaker and so forth.
Ketu, on the other hand, is concerned with dissolution of the worldly matters and the final Moksha, the liberation. Having fanatical, obsessive nature, both are usually considered malefic, and yet both can be extremely benefic at the same time.
If one is obsessed with obtaining high position and luxury in this world without caring for others, he/she can be influenced by Rahu. If one is concerned too much with spiritual liberation and fanatically devoted to such practices and detached from the world, he/she maybe under the influence of Ketu. However, a bit of both qualities are needed. They can represent the extremes.


Now, what do Rahu and Ketu have to do with 2012?
I have mentioned about exaltation and debilitation of planets above, and Rahu and Ketu also have those Zodiacs that make them debilitated. For Rahu, it is Scorpius, and for Ketu, it is Taurus. Now both Rahu and Ketu being the nodes, they are always 180 degrees apart, and they are in retrograde motion.
Since last June, both Rahu and Ketu have been traveling in the Zodiacs of debilitation. When the planets are debilitated during the transit can cause problems even if they are healthy in the natal chart. Rahu and Ketu will only come out of this debilitation after December 23rd (or 24th) this year. It is interesting to note that one of the interpretation of the ending date of the Mayan calender falls on the 21st of December.


I have often wondered what do Rahu and Ketu really want. Perhaps they want to be reunited as one and be complete. Perhaps they want to become one of the immortals and remembered forever. Since they are cut in half, they are chasing each other, so to speak.
They want to be healed.


Then comes the interesting point. Rahu has been going through Scorpius, and since Rahu (and Ketu) travel in retro motion, he was in Sagittarius before. What lies between the two Zodiacs may hold the key, and it has to do with healing.


We are accustomed to seeing the 12 Zodiacs, but there is a glitch. The sun seems to travel a foot of a constellation near Scorpius (and near the Galactic Center). Because of this, some (including Nostradamus) have claimed that there are 13 Zodiacs although most of this constellation exists "above" the pathway of the sun.
In fact, depends on the view point, it shares the areas with Scorpius. By the way, according to some, Libra used to be part of Scorpius in the beginning but the gigantic chelas/claws were separated into the scale - Libra.


This constellation in question is Ophiuchus (Serpentarius), and he holds the gigantic serpents with his hands. Some have compared this being to Asclepius or even to Archangel Michael. When we see the various illustrations of Ophiuchus, we notice that although this serpent is coiling around Ophiuchus, he is not being attacked nor bitten. It almost appears as if this serpent is being "held" by Ophiuchus. As Asclepius, this serpent may be going through the healing process by being held/accepted/rescued and not feared nor attacked/subdued. It is interesting to note that this serpent is facing (or heading towards) the opposite direction compared to the direction of the path of sun. It is like Rahu (Ketu) in the retrograde motion. When the 2 extreme tendencies (Rahu-Ketu) are harmonized (scale-balance-Libra), the healing is attained. Before such healing to occur, one may need to experience the condition of debilitation (neecha). Neecha is like being drowned. Here the serpent could have drowned deep in the watery aspect of Scorpius, yet there is a way to overcome neecha through neecha bhanga, and perhaps, Ophiuchus symbolizes such helping hands lifting up the fallen one. (It is interesting to note that there is another bull constellation, Taurus Poniatowski/Poniatovii, next to Ophiuchus and above the "tail" of the serpent. Although this was "discovered" in 1777 and has nothing to do with the Zodiac, this reminds me of Taurus, the sign of Ketu's debilitation. Also, this constellation is no longer in use.)


Mayan civilization mysteriously disappeared like the bees of some colonies. They, in the end, may have realized that pursuing all of materiality (Rahu) are vanity and will be dissolved (Ketu). To fanatically wish for the everlasting (Amrit - like)civilization (as in Aztecs sacrificing thousands of lives attempting to attain immortality of its civilization) is against the natural law.


While I do not believe that the world would end this December, we all may need to reflect on our Rahu and Ketu story within. Perhaps this year the powerful water dragon may be the additional help to us, so that we can be pulled out of being drowned and welcome the year of Snake next year (2013). 
We all have the home-works to do in this life time, and one of them is to heal our wounds, and realize that we, as the spiritual being learning to live in this material sphere, are immortals already.


Of course, this is only one of the many interpretations upon pondering about the stars, but I would like to see the positive side of the scope (beyond the projection and the wishful optimism) and to have hopes in our future.


- Om Tat Sat ( हरी ओम् तत् सत्)