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]
I am hoping for a clear sky for this full moon so I can go out and howl at it.
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😛👏 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!! 👍
DeleteGood luck and good health to you. Happy 2026!
ReplyDelete...each month you have an interesting collection.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful 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?
ReplyDelete@ 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!
DeleteHappy Wolf Moon to you, too!
ReplyDeleteBeing 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.
ReplyDelete🥺 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!! 🥵🙏
ReplyDelete@ Cleora Borealis -- Yikes! I haven't seen the news yet this morning, so didn't know about this!
DeleteGood luck, good health, prosperity, compassion, and mercy. May that be the theme of 2026. Beautiful altar!
ReplyDeleteThe 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.
ReplyDeleteI 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!
ReplyDeleteI learned about maneki neko through playing Hidden Express. I've learned several words that way!
ReplyDeleteWishing 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.
ReplyDeleteI 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.
@ 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.
DeleteHello 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.
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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.
@ Parnassus (Jim) -- Cat Lady Guan Yin! LOVE IT, hahahahaha!
DeleteBeautiful and appropriate ~ '26 can't be any worse than '25, healthwise! I completely agree w/ Cleora about the dump ~
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Happy Wolf Moon to you and a fantastic year ahead.
ReplyDeleteI 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!
ReplyDelete@ Tundra Bunny -- What a charming origin story!
DeleteBlessed Kwan Yin, quiet Goddess of Compassion.
ReplyDeleteA 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.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful display.
ReplyDelete"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."
ReplyDeleteKwan Yin is trans.
@ Mike -- You're absolutely right! I've discussed that several times, like in this previous Full Moon Altar post --
Deletehttps://shewhoseeks.blogspot.com/2021/06/june-full-moon-altar-kwan-yin.html
Love the altar! A great way to start the yer!
ReplyDeleteI was driving towards the full moon tonight, which was awesome. How long do you leave a given altar up?
ReplyDelete@ Kathy G -- I leave them up until it is time to make the next month's altar and photograph it for the blog post.
DeleteI always love seeing your altars. You are very gifted in creating them and feeling the energy that they create.
ReplyDeleteVery nice display.
ReplyDeleteThose cats make me want to wave right back.
ReplyDeleteBeckoning Cats would be a good band name.
ReplyDeleteweve had a fabulous new moon - so bright I thought it was daylight at 5am and took my cup of tea in the garden (in coat and wellies), to drink up the magical vibes. Happy New Year to you, thank you for your humour and for the funny things you share. Betty
ReplyDeleteI love the cats 🐈 Debra.
ReplyDeleteThe world needs all the compassion and mercy we can muster..Love your alter..
ReplyDeleteSomebody sent me a meme with the dates and names of all the full moons this year. As I am a Cancer AKA Moon child I want to know when they happen so I can bay at them or something.
ReplyDeleteNeed to keep aware of full moons.
ReplyDeleteSplendid and beautiful moon alter dear friend Debra 🥰👍
ReplyDeleteI am always amazed by your awesome collection and specially how beautifully you preserved them 👌♥️
It must require lots of care and energy to keep them so neat and safe and I admire your dedication 🥰👍
Loved the lady with her serenity and depth of personality she seems true inspiration 🥹♥️
I love your altars. I went out with the dog to walk under the full moon, it was like meeting up with an old friend.
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