Pysanky Eggs -Ritual for Peace in the Ukraine-

June 11 2022

Please have an egg and a pen or pencil handy for a bit later. Or a blank paper and pen.

As a licensed clinical social worker and art therapist, I came to the field of Celebrancy with a focus on healing and community. Given the fact that I have traveled to and worked in Russia as an expressive arts therapist for over 25 years, coupled with activism in human rights issues, I now find myself seeking some kind of cross-world , cross- culture means of understanding and making meaning.The question emerging is how can we, from so far away, where we will never know what is like to look the enemy in the eye….instill a sense of hope or comfort…to others in Ukraine specifically and others suffering around the world. Is this even our work, our calling ?

I believe that rituals instill a sense of comfort and hope through symbolism, simplicity of enactment and witnessing. I believe that with the right intention, ritual can heal invisible wounds offering comfort..which leads to a sense of renewal and hope, which leads to a realm of possibility. It’s even possible that this can lead to some kind of peace, individually and collectively.

As Easter and Passover. approach, .the universal themes re-emerge. Rebirth, resurrection, sacrifice, persistence, breaking free of oppression and leaving for the promised land.

The theme of rebirth always coincides with the rebirth of nature in spring and what better symbol than that of the egg?

Besides the Easter Bunny, we know that the symbolism of the egg has been around for ages from pagan agrarian cultures up through religious epochs and to the present day. At my own seder next week, we will dip hard boiled eggs , symbolizing spring and all that means, into the salt water, symbolizing the tears our people suffered as slaves to the Pharaoh.

We meld these two symbols as a poignant reminder that there is almost always a cost of human suffering to peace. And we are reminded of so many people struggling for their freedom today.

In the Ukraine the Pysanky egg and its relationship to the orthodox easter, originated long before the age of Christ. The eggs are primarily considered a sacred and somewhat secretive task, created by women at night and passed on to younger generations. They use the lost wax method like Batik in India, at once time consuming and difficult to make. The surprise and beauty that emerge through this process, lend it some magic ands create bonding within communities. The eggs carry great meaning and are related to myths . Many stories and myths and symbols exist with what is called Pysanky…Ukrainian for writings. The writings which have been passed down, contain a great deal of symbolism and are intended for protection and comfort.

As early as 5000BC, in Eastern Europe the Trypillians worshiped the sun as the source of all life. Sun worship ceremonies and egg decorations were part of spring festivals. The logic was simple: the yolk of the gg symbolized the sun and the white, its moon.

As an egg hatches a living thing, so the sun awakens dormant plants in the spring. The egg was thus considered to be embued with powers to protect and bring good fortune.In early Ukraine eggs were thought to protect from fire, lightning, illness and the evil eye.Planting, burials, death of a child, building of a new home were all created with eggs as symbols and sacred objects.

An early legend said that the fate of the world hinged upon Pysanky..”Evil, in the guise of a monster, was kept chained to a cliff. Each year in the spring, the foul creature sent his minions to encircle the globe and tally up the number of Pysanky made. If the count was low, the creature’s bonds would be loosened, unleashing all manner of evils”.

Today it is believed that the lines written on the Pysanky should remain unbroken so as not to break the thread of life and to continue to protect from Evil in the world.

From this I decided to make my own version and to offer a workshop to pass along these ideas, as my offering. As they say (or could say) “One egg at a time”.

Here are my eggs

My workshop: Rhizome.og

www.pysankyforpeace

examples

Ritual

Light Candle

Break my egg- we recognized the yellow of the yolk as the sun

we recognize the white of the egg as the moon

We hold the natural rhythm of our days and of Nature as comfort and strength

To the people of the Ukraine, in our minds and in our hearts

While we can only imagine what you are going through

We want you to know that we are with you in spirit

We share the universal symbol of the egg as rebirth and renewal

and the symbolism of the Pysanky tradition where we symbolically or actually create our egg for the unbroken line of truth and resistance to

oppression

Hold your egg

Write a wish…a prayer…

Read -One word or sentence