Kwan Yin is the Goddess of many aspects but above all she is the Goddess of compassion, the Goddess who hears all prayers and cries for help. Her full name is Kwan Shi Yin. “Kwan” (Quan) means to inquire; “Shi” means world of people and “Yin” means cries. Thus her name means “one who sees and hears cries from the human world”
In her aspect of the Goddess of Mercy she represents the eastern ideal of womanhood and is portrayed as a tall, elegant lady dressed in white and holding a white lotus – the symbol of purity. As the “bestower of children” she is shown covered by a white veil and seated on a lotus, with a child in her arms or beside her. As patron bodhisattva of P’u-t’o Shan, mistress of the southern sea and patroness of fishermen, she is shown crossing the sea on a lotus with her feet on the head of a dragon. As omnipresent mother she is depicted with many arms and eyes, a symbol of her constant vigilance and care. In this aspect she is known as “thousand arms and thousand eyes”. In other aspects she may be seated on an elephant, nursing a child, riding a mythological beast called a Hou which is a lion-like beast representing Kwan Yin’s divine supremacy, standing on a fish or a lotus. She alone in the Chinese Pantheon has multiple aspects. Of these, the one consistent feature is her bare feet.
The symbols of Kwan Yin are the willow branch which she uses to distribute the divine nectar of life; a vase holding the nectar of compassion and wisdom; the dove for fecundity, a scroll or book for teaching, and a rosary through which she calls for succour. Her mantra “om mani padme hum” means “hail to the jewel in the lotus”.
Kwan Yin’s enormous compassion is best portrayed by her own words "Any living being who calls my name or sees me will be free from all fear and danger". "I am cultivating this method of Great Compassion and Hope to save all living beings". "I will activate that being's spiritual awareness and maintain it forever".
The traditional way to invoke Kwan Yin is by use of her mantra Om Mani Padme Hum. In the ritual for animal healing later in this article, I use this mantra to raise healing energy. Simply making an altar dedicated to Kwan Yin and spending a short devotional time before it each day will attract Kwan Yin’s presence into your life.
Kwan Yin may be approached in ritual, magick or prayer for many purposes. Some of the most common include healing, requests for peace and alleviation of suffering, prayers for fertility, prayers for children, and, perhaps most importantly, prayers for the wrong doers. Kwan Yin teaches us the power of forgiveness of ourselves and others. Through her we can ask for help for ourselves and those who do us harm. In this simple act of forgiveness we free our souls and enable our further spiritual growth. As Goddess of Compassion, Kwan Yin teaches us this very simple yet important lesson.
Preparation for prayer and ritual is essential. As well as assembling all that is required, and setting up the sacred space, it is necessary to spend some time deciding which aspect of Kwan Yin to invoke. For example, her aspect of fearlessness for courage, her aspect of the seashell for insight, her leaf-robed aspect for centring and concentration, her rock-cave aspect for relief of stress and worry; and her dragon aspect to assist in regaining personal power. Reinforce this aspect through images and symbols – for example including a seashell or a small statue of a dragon.
Magick that adheres to the wiccan rede is simply another form of prayer and may invoke the aid of Kwan Yin in a similar way. Thus magickal work may include a candle spell for healing; a ladder spell for forgiveness; creation of a magickal pouch for fertility; or creation of amulets for protection. A basic pattern of working would be to cast a ritual circle, invoke the quarter guardians (optional) and then request the presence of Kwan Yin. While casting the spell, visualise Kwan Yin watching your work and feel her power and love amplify the energy of your spell. Always remember to thank Kwan Yin and make an offering to her before opening the circle.
Kwan Yin in her many aspects offers us enormous help and guidance, care and comfort, all we have to do is reach out to her and invite her into our lives. Her love knows no bounds and through her we can achieve spiritual growth. Om mani padme hum!
Kwan Yin is the Goddess of healing and compassion. She is a bodhisattva, one who refuses to enter nirvana so that she can come to the aid of others. She appears in many forms associated with different qualities. Tonight we will call on Kwan Yin with the Willow Branch.
Guardian of Air be welcome this night, stand witness to our work herein. Bring us hope of success as we start our rite. As we greet you with love. Guardian Hail and welcome!
Guardian of Fire be welcome this night, stand witness to our work herein. Bring us strength of purpose as we continue our rite. As we greet you with love, Guardian Hail and welcome!
Guardian of Water be welcome this night, stand witness to our work herein. Bring us the powers our love will raise, as we reach the pinnacle of our rite. As we greet you with love, Guardian Hail and welcome!
Guardian of Earth be welcome this night, stand witness to our work herein. Bring us stability and strength as we finish our rite. As we greet you with love, Guardian Hail and Welcome!
Lady Kwan Yin with the Willow Branch, we greet you with love and with honour. Please aid our work and understanding in our work this night. Lady, we bid you Hail and Welcome!
Join me now in a visualisation. Let me transport you to Ancient China, to a fantastic, unspoilt world of beauty, a world of fantastic plants and trees, of wonderful plants and animals, and exquisite artistry, and architecture. We come to this world at dawn, standing on a high outcrop looking over a valley shrouded in early morning mists to a pagoda standing tall on the other side of the valley. There is a quietness and stillness, a sense of expectation, a knowledge that something momentous is about to happen.
Let us make our way down into the valley, following a deer track through the trees, and down into a thicket of bamboo. Look around and admire the wonderful vegetation, listen to the birds as they start to sing, and keep watch for glimpses of the shy animals of this land. We can hear the gentle murmuring of a brook, the bubbling sound of fast flowing water, and we make our way towards this as we come to the floor of the valley. We find ourselves on the banks of a small river, the water pure and clear, shining a beautiful blue in the early morning light. As the last of the mists dissipate, we are momentarily blinded by a flash of sun on the water. As our vision clears we see a globe of golden light above the rocks in the centre of the river. Within this globe we see the Lady Kwan Yin. She is dressed in a flowing white robe and is seated on a rock. Her wrists and neck are adorned with gold jewellery and her dark hair is held up with an ornate, golden clasp. She holds a small willow twig in her hand. Her smile shows her pleasure in our presence.
She starts to sing, and the sound of her voice transports us to a higher plane. Within her voice, feel the true glory of creation, experie"nce the joy of life in all its aspects, appreciate truly on all levels the gifts of the Goddess, gifts of beauty, food, warmth, light and of life itself, come to understand the divine power of the Goddess, embrace it and feel it fill you. Recognise the Goddess power within and learn how to use it. Spend a moment just absorbing all this wonder.
As the singing stops, we find ourselves once again on the banks of the river before Kwan Yin, but the knowledge we have gained remains with us. Kwan Yin smiles at us, pleased that we have accepted her gift, and then, as we watch, she fades back into the globe of silver light, and is gone.
Our journey is done, let us return to our circle, and here, let us draw on that Goddess power within, on the gift of Kwan Yin and use it to send healing to the animals of our world. To do this, let us use the mantra of Kwan Yin “Hail to the Jewel in the Lotus” “Om mani Padme Hum” to yourself or out-loud. Repeat this chant and feel the energy build inside our circle. See it form into a huge globe of silver light filled with tiny green and gold sparkles. Use the energy of the mantra now and let us together project this energy out into the world. See it spread out over the whole Earth bringing healing to all animals. See the energy doing its work and know it will be so. So mote it be!
And now, return to normal consciousness as I prepare to thank the Lady on behalf of us all, by blessing the chalice of wine.
Lady Kwan Yin, we thank you for your presence and gifts this night. Till we meet again, with love we bid you hail and farewell!
Guardian of Earth, we thank you for standing witness this night. Till we meet again, with love we bid you Hail and farewell!
Guardian of Water, we thank you for standing witness this night. Till we meet again, with love we bid you Hail and farewell!
Guardian of Fire, we thank you for standing witness this night. Till we meet again, with love we bid you Hail and farewell!
Guardian of Air, we thank you for standing witness this night. Till we meet again, with love we bid you Hail and farewell!
Let our circle be open, but forever unbroken. Let the gifts of Kwan Yin endure, and let love forever be with us
Blessed be!
Gadon, Elinor (1989) The once and Future Goddess. Harper Collins ISBN 978-0-06-250354-1
Karcher, Stephen (2001) The Kwan Yin Oracle. Time Warner Paperbacks. ISBN 0
7515 3531 1
Schenker, Daniela. (2007) Kwan Yin, Accessing the Power of the Divine Feminine. Sounds True Press ISBN 978-1-59179-621-3
Web Sources
http://www.purifymind.com/KuanYinPrayer.htm
http://www.geocities.com/zennun12_8/kuan-yin.html
http://www.purifymind.com/Kuan.htm
http://www.geocities.com/isisdownunder1/index.html
Photos courtesy of http://commons.wikimedia.org