Driving through Williamsburg and Haydenville I noticed some Tibetan prayer flags hanging in a yard between trees. They were in various states of weather-beaten: some new, others threadbare. Recently my son had put some up in his room and when I saw these I realized how often I had noticed the colorful flags without understanding their significance. When I looked them up, I learned in simple terms they are used to promote peace, compassion, strength and wisdom which will be spread by the wind as they hang. As I read more, I learned my favorite part: Leaving them to disintegrate is part of the ritual, and one should add new ones as the old fall off as a reminder of the cycle of life. How perfect, I thought, a ritual that not only requires intention yet leaves room for deterioration.
Driving through Williamsburg and Haydenville I noticed some Tibetan prayer flags hanging in a yard between trees. They were in various states of weather-beaten: some new, others threadbare. Recently my son had put some up in his room and when I saw these I realized how often I had noticed the colorful flags without understanding their significance. When I looked them up, I learned in simple terms they are used to promote peace, compassion, strength and wisdom which will be spread by the wind as they hang. As I read more, I learned my favorite part: Leaving them to disintegrate is part of the ritual, and one should add new ones as the old fall off as a reminder of the cycle of life. How perfect, I thought, a ritual that not only requires intention yet leaves room for deterioration.

Driving through Williamsburg and Haydenville, I noticed some Tibetan prayer flags hanging in a yard between trees. They were in various states of weather-beaten: some new, others threadbare. My son had recently put some up in his room, and when I saw these, I realized how often I had noticed the colorful flags without understanding their significance. When I looked them up, I learned in simple terms that they’re used to promote peace, compassion, strength and wisdom, which in turn will be spread by the wind as they hang. As I read more, I learned my favorite part: Leaving them to disintegrate is part of the ritual, and new ones should be added as the old fall off as a reminder of the cycle of life. How perfect, I thought: a ritual that not only requires intention, yet leaves room for deterioration.

Text and photo by
CAROL LOLLIS