Lessons from a Chinese Lantern
A few weeks ago my mother and I attended a yoga restorative workshop. The woman who put it together is named Francine and in her other life she must have been a human being because in this life she is definitely some angel. It was no ordinary restorative workshop. A year ago Francine began a tradition where she, with the help of her very extra-Greek parents, offers a multiple-course, traditional, home-cooked Greek meal, prepared with imported oils and ingredients from her hometown in Crete. After dessert she shows all the participants how to light a paper lantern, also known as a “Chinese Lantern”, and send wishes up to the sky. Later, I inquired about the history of Chinese Lanterns with a close friend in New York City, who happens to also be Chinese-American, she said she didn’t have any personal knowledge about them “but that depends on which part of China one is from.” Of course she was familiar with the decorative lanterns that are now common place but nothing more.
Regardless, that night, it was all new for me and I was like a kid inside some story that I wish I had written but instead, equally as well, I was living it.
My mother and I were both quite excited. Lighting the paper lantern is a two person endeavor; naturally, my mother and I partnered up. This also meant that in the moment of actually doing it, we couldn’t take photos or videos. Of course, we could ask others, as we did do, and once the lantern was finally lit up, we were able to snap a photo or two, but these were mostly blurry and sloppy since if one really wanted to enjoy the experience he or she would have to not be doing something else at that exact moment nor even thinking about sharing it. It was literally: stop, drop, and roll-into-the-moment. It is human nature to want to share—but the digital age has now brought forth the following questions: with how many? and why? I was sharing: with my mother, Francine, her family, and others who were present.
The way these paper lanterns work is that after you light up the inside, you have to hold it just right so the paper doesn’t catch on fire, and once it starts filling up with air, it automatically takes off, defying gravity.
That special night has stayed with me and here are some lessons I learned from lighting a Chinese paper lantern.
- Lesson 1: It takes two. One person has to hold the lantern sideways and the other has to to light the inside. Although it can be done by yourself, it is not that easy do it alone and it can be a little dangerous.
This is certainly true when it comes to creating things in life. We will always need each other to launch new ideas, ignite new projects, and tilt reality sideways to create a more fulfilling life.
- Lesson 2: You have to make sure you hold the lantern just right so the paper doesn’t catch on fire.
If you are in a hurry to get things done, sometimes you burn out even if it doesn’t burn the project entirely.
- Lesson 3: Once it is lit you have to wait till the insides fill up and until they do you have to hold it just right so it doesn’t plop and fall on the ground.
It is quite something to hold an open flame. The longer you hold a flame that can lift something, the deeper the awe. Awe at the principles that govern, the very principles that transcend hype and man-made injustices. Awe at the attention that is demanded to focus on what matters or else it will crash.
- Lesson 4: You can’t push the Chinese lantern up; you have to let go just at the right time when it automatically starts moving up, precisely when it is ready and not a second sooner.
You can prepare as much as you want, but some things happen just when the time is right and no sooner and to witness this principle in action was quite reassuring. And exhilarating.
- Lesson 5: When it is ready to lift, lift, lift, you have to let the paper lantern go without fearing it will fall back down.
Some things, most things, are just bigger than you can imagine, and you have to trust. That which feels like a letting go may just be a step on the next rung of your evolution. The world is falling apart in so many ways, but who says this deep cleansing is not in order given how we have been giving value to the wrong things and looked the other way when the very people who are supposed to be in charge of solutions are creating more problems due to their lack of vision or greed.
- Lesson 6: Some lanterns go up slowly and for others the lanterns just shoot up; some lanterns can be seen for a very long time once in the sky and other just disappear into a dot.
I asked mama about her lantern taking longer than others to take off. In fact, my mother’s paper lantern, almost didn’t take off! We had some technical difficulties to launch it. I joked, “Maybe you put too many wishes on it!” My mother replied, “Or maybe they have very far to go so they took their time.”
I don’t remember my wish that I whispered to my lantern that night. This is nothing new. I am often like a deer-caught-in-headlights when it comes to making wishes on the spot. I am usually so overcome with gratitude that I forget about all that I wish was different, at least in that moment.
California is not the final destination; I still miss my family of friends in the East Coast, and I have learned to miss New York City in a different way, one without longing. Meanwhile, during these in-between days I am grateful for this abundance of love and the close proximity to my family.
“This kind of knowledge is a thing that comes in a moment like a light kindled from a leaping spark, which, once it has reached the soul, finds its own fuel.” ~ Plato
