By Nathan C. Zierlein
On a balmy Thursday evening in Prospect Lefferts Gardens, spiritual Gothamites from across the tri-state area gathered to celebrate Chant at the Moon Day held on Aug. 15. Chant at the Moon Day, a holiday originating from the cherry farmer’s of Wenatchee, W.A. is a gleeful commemoration of the cherry harvesting season wherein participants sometimes sing, or even howl, at the moon in celebration of a bountiful harvest.
Located at Gallery Particulier, a non-profit studio space dedicated to opening the doors of visual arts to the greater New York community, saw an array of people looking to celebrate. Hosted by founder Arabella Von Arx, Particulier invited holistic vocalist and multi-media artist Mei-Jen–better known as “Buddha Mei”–for a spiritual self-expression workshop titled “Sing to the Moon.” Attendees partook in a guided meditation, a sound bath, and were encouraged to experiment with face paint and lunar-inspired body art.
At 7:00 p.m., a skew of eager guests funneled into the oval-shaped gallery, seeking escape from the blistering temperatures of the outdoors. Dangling from the ceiling of the gallery were ceramic human hearts in earthy shades of red, black, and brown. The walls of the studio were adorned with some paintings from previous exhibitions as attendees began floating around to view the work.
“This is my first time celebrating Chant at The Moon Day, I was given a few days out of the month to choose from to host the event and I picked this day. I was like, chant at the moon? That’s interesting,” said Mei.
After singing a deep cut of her first single “With Ha Bowls” at an open mic in Nov. 2023, Von Arx approached Mei with an opportunity for collaboration.
“I met Mei at the community event called “7 7.” I loved her persona, her performance. I find her styling skills and talent really amazing,” said Arx.
In early Jan. 2024, Mei then released her single and performed it on the same day as Von Arx’s open mic night as a symbolic release party. A few months later, she launched her debut album “Alignment” with her partner and music producer Victor Andre. Von Arx reached out again and asked her to perform at Gallery Particulier.
“She has an extraordinary talent for creating body and face images, she’s so creative with a nice spiritual dimension to it,” said Von Arx.
Despite it being Mei’s first time celebrating Chant at the Moon Day, it was an opportunity for her to learn about the historical context of the unconventional holiday.
“It’s a learning experience for me as I’m here as a teacher and I’m also here as a student,” Mei said.
After excitedly greeting her guests, Mei directed her audience to sit in a meditative circle. In the middle of the sphere was a formation of crystals along with a selenite pillar surrounded by other special minerals, lavender, and sea shells from the beach. With harmonious intentions set, participants went around and shared their names, pronouns, and reasons for coming.
Friends of Mei, like Emily Reyes, 25, from New Jersey came to show support in her endeavors as a sound healer. Since first meeting in Jan. 2024, Reyes has been the stylist for a photo shoot and two of Mei’s short films “MEIDULOOK” and “CHURNG GOH,” while Mei has also styled Reyes’s makeup for a Puerto Rican Pride photoshoot.
“I work with sound healing a lot since Mei & I are close, I’m super happy to be here,” said Reyes.
Only the soft lull of an AC unit could be heard as a hush of silence fell upon the zen party of meditators. She began gently prompting her audience, lightly jingling her set of dried chandelier-shaped kluwak seeds.
With the hypnotic swoosh of her singing bowl, Mei enthralled meditators into an hour-long trance. Darkness fell upon the studio as fresh cherries were distributed by Mei, and guests were prompted to fill their fruit with their manifestations–such as their dreams and desires–for the new moon.
Leia, 25, and K., 30, from Flatbush, stumbled upon “Chant at the Moon” by chance while strolling down the street. For those who are already spiritual, the event promised a broader understanding of the spiritual community.
“I consider myself spiritual, I’m interested in spiritual questions and connecting with nature’s changes of phases and what that can teach us,” said K.
While most participants came to “Chant at the Moon” out of their interest for spirituality and the arts, Bee, 23, from Prospect Lefferts Gardens who catered the event, decided to learn more about different types of meditation including the unique manifestation-filled cherries.
“I didn’t really come with any expectations of what the event would be, but I’m pleasantly surprised,” said Bee. “The guided meditation that Mei did was a little different than ones I’ve done before, I have more of an appreciation for cherries as a vessel that holds energy and intention, it sort of fits.”
Mei’s interpretation of Chant at the Moon Day offered guests an enlightened perspective on spirituality and the lunar holiday as a whole. While there may not have been actual howling, attendees nonetheless let it out spiritually at the new moon, making their manifestations heard.