On the first full moon of this new year, my altar invokes compassion and mercy for the world via Kwan Yin the Female Buddha. She is surrounded by various maneki-neko (beckoning cats) who bring good luck, good health, and prosperity to our lives according to Asian culture.
My Kwan Yin votive bust was a birthday gift from friends a decade-and-a-half ago. I bought the beckoning cats sitting beside her in various Edmonton stores over the years. The round decorative platter serving as the altar cloth was a gift from my sister a while back.
May 2026 be an auspicious year for us all!
[Photos © Debra She Who Seeks, 2026]
33 comments:
I am hoping for a clear sky for this full moon so I can go out and howl at it.
:)
Good luck and good health to you. Happy 2026!
...each month you have an interesting collection.
Beautiful moon last night, and clear cold skies to see it. Are the cats beckoning us to come open their food? I like this altar a lot and the explainer about the parts and where they came from. Do you have a second apartment to store your collection?
Happy Wolf Moon to you, too!
Being an ignorant American, I have always just called the maneki-neko "hello kitties." I may not call them by their real names but I do adore them.
@ Boud -- Oh, I know it sounds like I must live in a rabbit warren of clutter and junk, but in fact everything's all tucked away fairly inconspicuously. Someone actually called my place "minimalist" once, LOL!
๐๐ Ahwooo! Absolutely appropriate, Val Ewing!! That's why Native Americans refer to January's full moon as the Wolf Moon...'cause the howling is more pronounced in winter!! It was last night, but howl all month if you feel like it!! ๐
๐ฅบ Oh, Kwan Yin, help us! We need your compassion and mercy more than ever! No matter my politics and the fact that I didn't vote for it, I feel responsible for what we have unleashed on the world. During your full moon last night, our "America First" "no more foreign wars" monster attacked a sovereign nation, shut off electricity in its capital city, and imprisoned its leader and his wife! I'm sure the other dangerous warmongers in this world will appreciate this permission slip from the United States!! ๐ฅต๐
@ Cleora Borealis -- Yikes! I haven't seen the news yet this morning, so didn't know about this!
Good luck, good health, prosperity, compassion, and mercy. May that be the theme of 2026. Beautiful altar!
The new year is starting in a very strange fashion with the latest Tr*mp activity, however fingers crossed for a happy healthy and sane 2026. Love those waving cats.
I would love to see the full moon and do a bit of howling but we seem to have so may cloudy days and nights, Debra. I may howl anyway!
I learned about maneki neko through playing Hidden Express. I've learned several words that way!
Wishing you the best of best years ahead, Debra!
I love the lotus flower candle. I have a large collection of buddhas interspersed among my house plants. I am suddenly more interested in buddhas after our trip and discovering what the various positions mean.
I am going to spend time this year learning more about Buddhism.
I had saved a chart showing this year's moon and you have inspired me to post today.
No moon viewing tonight, it is far too cloudy.
Hello Debra, It looks like you have cornered the market on those waving cats, in the process turning the goddess Guan Yin into a little old cat lady. I love the platter your sister gave you--its pattern is so refined and delicate, yet its tooth-like border is distinctly reminiscent of Gahan Wilson.
--Jim
p.s. I just went out to look at the moon. It is a clear night for once, and the well-detailed moon is so bright it almost hurts to look at it.
Beautiful and appropriate ~ '26 can't be any worse than '25, healthwise! I completely agree w/ Cleora about the dump ~
bobbie
Happy Wolf Moon to you and a fantastic year ahead.
@ Jackie MdGuinness -- Yes, I too love the symbolism of various objects and positions associated with Kwan Yin. I have seven statues of her illustrating some of those different aspects.
@ Parnassus (Jim) -- Cat Lady Guan Yin! LOVE IT, hahahahaha!
I believe maneki-neko, or beckoning cats, originated in China. Apparently, a real cat beckoned to a traveller to get off a beaten path which saved the traveller from danger. Then inn keepers made beckoning cat ornaments as a sign to travellers that their inns were safe and good. From there, the beckoning cats became Good Luck symbols. I used to call them "Heil Hitler Cats" before learning about them, LOL!
@ Tundra Bunny -- What a charming origin story!
Blessed Kwan Yin, quiet Goddess of Compassion.
A perfect altar to start the calendar year. May the maneki neko beckon peace and sanity into our world.
Wishing you a happy new year, Debra.
I like the white lotus and the blue and white porcelain figurines alone.
Beautiful display.
"Originally a male bodhisattva in Indian Buddhism, Avalokiteshvara was introduced to China in the early centuries of the Common Era, but by the eighth century, female forms began to emerge, and by the ninth century, Kwan Yin had become the dominant representation of compassion in China."
Kwan Yin is trans.
@ Mike -- You're absolutely right! I've discussed that several times, like in this previous Full Moon Altar post --
https://shewhoseeks.blogspot.com/2021/06/june-full-moon-altar-kwan-yin.html
Love the altar! A great way to start the yer!
I was driving towards the full moon tonight, which was awesome. How long do you leave a given altar up?
I always love seeing your altars. You are very gifted in creating them and feeling the energy that they create.
@ Kathy G -- I leave them up until it is time to make the next month's altar and photograph it for the blog post.
Very nice display.
Those cats make me want to wave right back.
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