Personalizing Prayer Flags

A customer wrote to me last week asking how to "personalize" a set of prayer flags. Any prayer flag, horizontal sets as well as vertical pole flags, may be dedicated to an individual using a simple method taught to me by the Acharya Lama Dawa Chhodak. You simply write the person's name, their age symbol, and the words "Victory! Victory! Victory!" on the bottom of the flag.

HS-5 Mixed Set of 5 Designs on 5 Colors Set of 5 $18, Set of 10 $27, Set of 25 $48

Because of the small image size, the sample inscription is barely visible in the photo above. There's a detail photo below. I usually use a fine point "Sharpie" to print the inscription. Black ink doesn't show up well on the green and blue flags, but the inscription is there none-the-less.

A person's age symbol is the element and animal for the year they were born. There a 5 elements in the Tibetan calendar: Wood, Fire, Earth, Iron & Water. There are 12 animals: Hare (Rabbit), Dragon, Snake, Horse, Sheep, Monkey, Bird, Dog, Pig. The combiniations continue year after year in a 60 year cycle (120 years if male and female are added to the combinations. This year is (Female) Water-Rabbit so every one born this year will have Water-Rabbit as their age symbol.

If you're not sure what your age symbol is, there's a great TIBETAN CALENDAR website that calculates the Tibetan calendar for every year. It should be noted that the Tibetan year does not begin on January 1. It doesn't even begin on the same westen month and day every year, so if you were born in January, February or March, you should look up the exact day you were born.

Besides putting the inscription across the bottom of the The Large Wind Horse Prayer Flag, there are 7 additional spots to write a person's age symbols. These spaces are indicated with green and red rectangles on the images above and below. Below is the Large Wind Horse in Tibetan script and above is the English translation of the prayer flags. Both prayer flags are avaible on the the website. The spaces are proceeded by the words "MAY THE ONE WHOSE AGE SYMBOL IS".............you may have to use a ball point pen to squeeze in the age symbol words.

When putting up personalized prayer flags someone, be check the date on our Baden Days calendar to make sure it's not an inauspicious day..It also helps to wave the flags over incense smoke to purify them and to recite an Offering Prayer for Raising Prayer Flags.

Our line of vertical prayer flags for poles now has a sleeve along one edge for slipping over a pole, as well as cloth ties for tieing on a pole. Some customers prefer one method, some the other. For a while we only offered the ties and we still have 60 of those in the 42" tall size taking up storage space. I'm putting those on sale for half price. Other than lacking a sleeve, they are identical to our standard 2 print verticals. We have 9 yellow ones, 5 Green ones, 22 red ones, and 25 blue ones. They will all be on sale until we run out

Health and Longevity 40"x20" $11.00

Wish Fulfilling Prayer 40"x20" $11.00

Compassion and Protection 40"x 20" $11.00

Wind Horse Victory Banner 40" x20 " $11.00

Fifth Lunar Month (June 19 - July 17):

During this month, the Nagas are preparing for their summer season. If you make offerings to them on a teb day, in turn they will help you fulfill your wishes. If you make offerings to them on a dok day, your offering becomes poison, pus and blood and they will surely flee. While there are many good days to perform offering ceremonies this month, the best day is July 3 (full moon).

Sixth Lunar Month (July 18 - August 15):

The sixth month is when the Nagas harvest their food. If you make offerings to them on a teb day, then the nagas will bestow children, wealth, and livestock. If you make offerings to them on a dok day, then your offerings become rotten. During the sixth lunar month, there are five especially good days to make offerings: July 26 (Medicine Buddha day),Aug. 1 (Buddha day-full moon), Aug. 11 (dakini day), Aug 15 (Dharmapala day), and aug. 16 (new moon). The day to especially avoid is the Aug. 2.

If you have any questions or comments, I try to answer your emails. I appreciate getting photos and videos of prayer flags on display, especially the flags you got from us.

Email us at: prayerflags1@gmail.com

Thank you for taking the time to read my newsletter.

Timothy Clark

Owner of Radiant Heart Studios