These gorgeous days in the vicinity of lilac bushes and flaming red maples, I’ve been hand beating the cooked Kozo (Mulberry bark from Asia) that will form a part of the pulp used in the special calligraphy paper I am making for Lama Tsultrim Allione. Last year I made similar offerings for Choegyal Namkhai Norbu.
For this paper Lama Tsultrim sent us a large variety of sacred substances she has collected for many years.
In the photo below taken this morning, the fiber has already been cooked and soaked many hours. You can see from left to right unbeaten fiber, middle pile cooked more than the first pile and ready for beating. The third pile is almost there requiring about 5 minutes more vigorous hand beating and ready for sheet forming with a mixture to linen. Once ready--I will add the sacred substances and recycled sacred texts...
Yes, the Kozo is beaten with a stick for 20 minutes. Below is a picture of the cooking process as the first stage prior to beating. Sheryl added about a cup of soda ash (caustic) and then covered the vat with a lid and rocks to cook for several hours to breakdown the cellulose.
More to come tomorrow.......
