I have a plastic, possibly resin goddess on my desk. She sits on top of a pile of rocks on a bowl. The rocks came from walks on the beach with my family. She is Kwan Yin, the goddess of compassion. Z. Budapest says she may also be related to Nu Kwa, the Earth goddess. Her original temples were always by the sea and before fishermen went out on the water they would make an offering to her. So Kwan Yin, simply presented as a "nice" goddess of compassion, is also associated with the Earth and the Ocean. This certainly changes my perspective of her.
This year has been a difficult one for me. As a teacher, I have had a very demanding population. They have had many challenges they had to face in their personal lives, so academics was not always in the forefront for them. And there sits my plastic goddess. In front of the family photos. All year I have taught my students to respect other people's property and not touch things on another's desk. Yet when they grab my plastic goddess and say, "Who's this?", I never correct them. I would like to think they needed to touch her that day and maybe she passed a little of her energy their way. Sometimes they pick up the rocks and as they speak of something frustrating them they roll the rocks in their hands. I like to believe that they are absorbing the ocean's energy as they play with the stones.
I originally hid the stones and plastic goddess on my side of the desk for me to see. They were there for me to get through the day - to remind me to stay positive and grounded. Little did I know that she would extend her influence to my students. Even though she is hidden from their view, they manage to find her when they come up to my desk. When my homeless student picked her up and said, "Who's this?" - I said a little prayer that she make a difference in his life too.
Mindful May
2 hours ago
