Tibetan Prayer Flags Are Blessings In The Wind

Wouldn’t it be wonderful to constantly have your prayers and blessings emanating into Universe? Well, you actually can achieve this by hanging a Tibetan prayer flag. Also known as lungta and darchor prayer flags, these beautiful, colorful flags are traditionally found festooned along the Himalayan trails. They are believed to bring peace, prosperity and good fortune to all.

Although it is a Buddhist tradition, you don’t have to be a practicing Buddhist to hang your own prayer flags. Anyone can use them with the intent to spread positivity and blessings in the wind, far and wide.

One of the most beautiful aspects of Tibetan prayer flags is that they are unique in design, and calming to look at. Each flag carries a variety of prayers, incantations and sacred symbols that represent specific blessings to be carried by the wind. Each set of flags has several different prayers written on it – one even has a special prayer specifically for the person who is hanging the flag!

A set of lungta flags feature five separate rectangles that represent the five elements, to create energy and a strong connection to the Universe. They start from the top with a blue flag representing sky or space, then a white flag representing air or wind, a red flag representing fire, followed by a green flag representing water, and lastly a yellow flag representing earth.

Most often hung vertically, with the blue (air flag) at the top and the yellow (earth flag) at the bottom, these flags aim to bring good fortune, blessings of opportunities, abundance and prosperity, inner strength, compassion, and wisdom to all.

Hanging prayer flags around your home or business creates a feeling of harmony, increases the spiritual atmosphere and brings forth the teachings of enlightenment ~ Juanita Pienaar

It is also the tradition that Tibetan prayer flags should ideally not be purchased for oneself, but rather it should be received from someone else as a gift. They are a lovely, considerate spiritual gift for appropriate occasions. Over the years, I have gifted several prayer flags to friends and relatives in need, especially during times of hardship or loss.

When you choose to hang your flag it’s always good to do so on a day that is astrologically positive and fitting for you. It’s also best to hang it on a sunny, breezy day, during the morning hours, and it should be hung where the wind can carry the blessings to everyone around. The prayers and blessings that are distributed by your flags become a permanent part of the Universe.

Prayer is not an old woman’s amusement. Properly understood and applied, it is the most potent instrument of action ~ Mahatma Gandhi

In time, your flags will start to fade from the elements. But just as your life moves on and is replaced by a new chapter, Tibetans renew their hopes for the world by hanging a new flag each year alongside the old, weathered flag. This is typically done during the Tibetan New Year to welcome all of life‘s changes ahead, and  to acknowledge that we are all connected and part of a greater expanding Universe.

By the way, if your prayer flag becomes so tattered that you find you need to replace it, it is recommended to never dispose of a weathered prayer flag. When the time comes, your Tibetan prayer flag should be burnt, so that the smoke can continue to carry all of the remaining blessings to the Universe.

SOURCE: The Meaning Of Prayer Flags In Nepal by Juanita Pienaar, Zafigo, May 25, 2018.