Requiem is a ritualized grief project and community driven memorial to honor those that have died from COVID-19 as well as to celebrate their lives. The word, Requiem, refers to a mass said for the dead in the Catholic Church. Protestants have Transfiguration services. In the Jewish faith, the dead are remembered during the Yizkor prayer service. Prayers are said for the dead at the Salut ul Janazah by Muslims. Buddhists say mantra for the dead as they pass. All faiths and cultures have a way to recognize and honor those that died. Some people acknowledge the dead with general well wishes. No matter how individuals mark and memorialize the passing of the dead, we all have a need to grieve in order to move forward. Requiem, with a worldwide scope, gives us the necessary opportunity to grieve together while offering our support to these souls as they pass from one state of being into the next. This project consists of golden circles drawn for the deceased – one circle for each person. The names of those that passed from COVID are written on the circles. Requiem also has 108 carved wood beads that mass together to create a prayer mala or necklace.
Requiem
2021
The staggering number of people who have died due to COVID 19 since early 2020 is impossible to comprehend. Numbers tell us how many, but they do not convey who. Those that passed are our grandparents, parents, sisters and brothers, partners, children. They’re our friends, lovers and neighbors, celebrities, musicians, artists, poets, leaders and our spiritual guides. Because of the necessary restrictions, many of these people have died alone and we haven’t been able to gather and grieve in traditional and meaningful ways, adding layers of despair.
A golden circle, a symbol of eternity and rebirth, is drawn for each person who has died from COVID-19 creating life size drawings. Multiple people draw circles on each drawing during Compassion Drawing events resulting in rich tapestries marking the ritual. The illuminating qualities of gold remind us that we all glitter brightly and can offer light beyond our physical lifespan. The names of the dead (when known) are then written on individual golden circles further adding to the richness and complexity of the drawings. This is a compassionate, simple and profound act that honors each person’s individual existence. Drawing circles and writing names is a way to process the collective trauma as we move forward. One does not need to experience a death in the family circle to be effected by all the deaths and challenges caused by the pandemic. Coming together during the Compassion Drawing events allow us to pause, grieve, tell stories and reflect on the beautiful fragility of life.
Understanding the challenge of learning all 5.5 million plus names, many circles will remain without names while symbolically representing the individual. When the drawings are exhibited, viewers are invited to contribute to the memorial by writing the names of the people they know who have passed directly on the circle of their choice. Collaboratively and over time, we complete the project together.
Please help complete the memorial by sharing names of your loved ones and Tina will be sure to write them for you. She will send you an image of your person’s circle. Send names to Tina at [email protected]. If you would like to volunteer to help gather names, especially if you live outside of the United States, please get in touch with Tina at the above email.
Compassion Drawing Events
April 24, 2022 Antioch Baptist Church, Brooklyn, NY
April 23, 2022 Congregation Beth Elohim, Brooklyn, NY
April 22, 2022 Congregation Beth Elohim, Brooklyn, NY
April 13, 2022 First Presbyterian Church, San Rafael, CA
January 9, 2022 Westminster Presbyterian, Tiburon, CA
November 15, 2021 92nd Street Y, New York City, NY
September 28, 2021 St. Mary’s College, Moraga, CA
September 3 – 5, 2021 Ratna Ling Retreat Center, Cazadero, CA
August 5, 2021 Grace Cathedral, San Francisco CA
June 24, 2021 RagaYoga Studio, Walnut Creek, CA
The highly moving Compassion Drawing events invite everyone to participate in the ceremonial aspect of the project. Drawing golden circles in the company of others is quiet, meditative and soothing. Each person’s circles are highly individual, like a fingerprint. Multiple people work on the 50 x 72″ drawings creating a rich tapestry of circles expressing the collective nature of Requiem. Together we draw, mark, memorialize and honor those that died from Covid 19. We hope you can join us at one of the upcoming Compassion Drawing events. If you would like to host a drawing event in your city or town, please get in touch with Tina at [email protected].
Many spiritual traditions utilize prayer beads with 108 beads for devotional prayer, mantra and meditation. 108 is a significant number and has multiple meanings depending on the spiritual practice including the wholeness of existence and the basis of all creation. Tibetan Buddhists call the state of existence between life and rebirth, the bardo. After a person dies, their soul travels through this bardo meeting all manner of beneficial and terrifying apparitions. Buddhists believe prayers and well wishes from those on Earth can help support those traveling through the bardo, easing their transition and encouraging an auspicious reincarnation.
The Requiem Prayer Mala has 96 beads based on combinations of the circle and the square and 12 clear quartz ovoid beads for a total of 108. The circle and the square are elemental geometry and sacred architecture woven into the fabric of all creation creating harmony within and amplifying our spirits. The circle represents the divine life force and is a symbol of vitality, wholeness, and perfection. The square is the symbol of physical matter and stability. Clear quartz is believed to have the highest vibration of all the stones able to offset any negative energy and is often referred to as the “master healer.” The quartz ovoids represent fertility, rebirth, even immortality and symbolize the complete circle of life and death, of sacred potential and time. The 108 beads create a complete prayer mala carrying our prayers, well wishes and love to all those that have passed.
A project of this importance and size is a costly endeavor. Please donate in support Requiem. All donations go to materials, costs associated with the Compassion Drawing events, documentation and exhibitions. If you would like to become an official sponsor of Requiem, please contact Tina at [email protected]. By financially supporting Requiem, you become part of the project and help make it’s completion possible.