The mandala is associated with the center of the court, the central plaza in any town, sometimes the ancient well. In any home, the emotional atmosphere is often generated inside a tranquility zone [click fountain above], shrine, or by art forms like statuary, painting, and flower arrangement. Go The Zone
for more information about the psyche center.

 

 

The mandala and labyrinth have a lot in common, because both patterns are considered maps. In the business world you could refer to the mandala as an operational flow chart of efficient energy. The image is a symbol for energy activated on three or more dimensions - simultaneously.

J. E. Cirlot says, "[The mandala] is a Hindu term for a circle. It is a kind of yantra (instrument, means or emblem), in the form of a ritual geometric diagram, sometimes corresponding to a specific, divine attribute or to some form of enchantment (mantra) which is thus given visual expression. Cammann suggests that mandalas were first brought to Tibet from India by the great guru Padma Sambhava in the 8th century A.D. They are to be found all over the Orient, and always as a means towards contemplation and concentration..."

The mandala art blueprints direct and guide according to their own unique approach, however Eastern art forms often contain an additional element known as 'akasha.' If you haven't seen THE LITTLE BUDDHA you'll find it an informative and refreshing movie. There is an illuminating explanation of an intricate sand mandala by Eastern monks.

Western art forms frequently represent akasha as concealed within one of the four Western elements, usually fire. Avant-guarde artists can employ akasha by changing the relationship the viewer experiences with regard to the art form. Some popular artists known for their unorthodox style include Jackson Pollack, Yoko Ono (see YES Ceiling Painting) and Frank Stella. The 'first' mandala we hear about in Western literature is drawn from the four rivers that flow in the Garden of Eden, described in the Book of Genesis. In the Eastern version, the first mandala was taught by our historical Buddha in the sixth century B.C. in India. The mandala and the life of Buddha are both beautifully explained in the film, 'The Little Buddha' ~
one I recommend for anyone taking up the study of mandala composition as a possible meditation and art form combined.

Informal mandalas provide insight on many levels. Study the profound versions in great architecture, or mundane keepers on manhole covers. If you are a nocturnal spirit, you may enjoy buzzing about town under the light of the moon, armed with paper and chalk. Check out the most original designs for fabulous collectable transfers.

If you prefer a pedestrian approach, just draw a circle on a page of paper and place a 'good' centre power image in the middle of the circle to get things underway. Once you have selected a centre (reference links follow article) your illustration is on track. Doodle around the image, perhaps while you are talking on the phone, waiting in a supermarket line or for a bus, or while watching TV commercials.

Working from the center image out to the edge of the paper, just remember to keep the drawing balanced at all times. Check step by step instructions in a 'how to make a mandala' picture book example.

After completing this exercise, start a mandala with your own art at the centre of the art form, perhaps based on images from a dream or a story you enjoy. Until you feel you know what would be ‘right’ to put at the centre of your design, try some possible 'trim' or ornamentation for the corners of your paper. Some art resources & helpful ideas with your art work can be inspirational as your logo and/or new business stationary.

If you aren’t a doodler, use a ruler or cut out little pictures from old magazines about varied subjects that interest you. That will do for starters. It may help to know the centre is often associated with pure jade and lapis lazuli, in Eastern thought, and according to Carl G. Jung, throughout hundreds of dreams in his file.

When you’ve completed your project, keep it with you in places where you can feel stressed – your car, desk drawer at your work station, a purse or wallet and so forth. Look at the center of it when you want to get back into harmony with your world.

The mandala is a energy mask to establish in symbolic form, what your center is, like the study of natural alchemy helps to see underneath the superficial appearances of the plant, and into its growing process. This little sideways glimpse into the sub-texture of things reminds us about links we share with all people, places and things. The mandala is a ‘middle way’ power tool that, when used during prayer and meditation, facilitates energy flow weaving all links and bridges into one – connecting all facets of the total self.

A mandala should always represent order at the higher awareness power threshold. When drawing your own mandala, keep it simple and centered, with everything in the design exactly balanced. Then your mandala helps to balance you. Avoid art forms with a claim of balancing potency when you note anything within the overall design that is off center or distributed disproportionately.

Of course, there are religious mandalas you can acquire if you wish. Religion makes it easier to locate an excellent mandala for your life today. Many orators summon, from the imagination of their audiences, an image of the twelve tribes camped in the desert, around the Ark of The Covenant. Architects in word and stone repeatedly draw on the appearance of Christ at the Last Judgment, in the center of the four evangelists. Mandalas used in secular advertising have become so mainstream and unconscious we don’t even realize what symbol we see, such as the Safeway sign, clearly the Tao symbol (yin and yang) from Eastern shores.

ADDITIONALLY, some favor an abstract mandala or zodiacal mandala derived from clan lore/history, flown as a banner or crest, worn as jewelry or utilized as a seal. Manly P. Hall published a book about symbolism and mandalas (1989) well worth acquiring for additional work with this effective tool.

 

From the 'Trusty-dusty file' Dept.

Love’s strongest conviction is of unity.
The mind can be overwhelmed to see this in a flash, but it is also there in the everyday state of things. Everyone loves his house, his child, his garden, yet taken to its conclusion, the same feeling becomes infinite:
"I love this universe, it is mine."

The idea is expressed innocently and beautifully by Swami Satchidananda:

One day I was working in the field, and I hurt my finger. I could have ignored it, but I cleaned it and bandaged it. If I had ignored it and the finger got infected, my entire body would have suffered. The same way, if we feel that we are parts of the cosmic body, the entire universe, how can we stop from loving the other parts?

From this simple reasoning springs the necessity to set life on a higher plane. If differences are an illusion produced in the head, then seeing the reality of nondifference restores reality. Love restores reality. The Swami goes on:

Once you feel that you are a part of the whole, that you belong to the whole, and the whole world belongs to you, that very feeling makes you love, and that very love brings forth healing. No healer can heal without that universal love. If you realize that you are not just an individual, but a part of the whole universe, you will not be afraid of anyone. A fearless man live always, a fearful man dies every day, every minute.

 

 

Tips from Nyll Greenhand Hobbiton Dowser in the Shire  

Meditation Mandala

Galadrial's Glade

Rainy day project ~
Make Your Own Star Tetrahedrons * Tao

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Visit easy-to-scan mandala page for basic information here!