By Mary Curran

There are many ways to gather the loose parts of your self, to restore, refocus, and reintegrate.  Whether you’ve had a challenging day, face life-changing events, or go on about the familiarities of the day to day, you probably have methods that you use (sleep, walking, music, prayer, meditation, yoga, tai chi, chi gong, dance, a circle of friends, a visit to a special place, and so on). 

Sometimes I find myself fascinated by mandalas, not only as what they are, but also as an expanding concept, visible through many cultures and times, with multiple variations.  Monique Mandali, a Belgium-born, Montana living, wholistic therapist, discusses mandalas this way.  “It conveys the notion that any center is tied to its circumference and any circumference is always determined by its center.  Together, they represent wholeness - one does not exist without the other.” In other words, it is about connections, regardless of form.  Mandalas can be round, or as in the Tibetan culture, show circles within squares, within circles within squares, or, feature triangular shapes within circles. 

 Look at nature.  Mandali also includes, “every cell, the iris of our eye, a snow crystal,” and don’t forget our galaxy, shelter designs (tipis, hogans, igloos, yurts)…the layouts of old towns (and some new ones) that have a central market place, churches, or village greens that have streets with a wheel-spoke layout.  Think about earth forms, stone circles, and labyrinths.  There is also the family circle, circle of friends, circle dances, the circle of life, church domes, medicine wheels, seasonal rotations, and so on.  Don’t forget the lotus with its ever expanding petals.

 Joan and Miron Borysenko, in an introduction to Judith Cornell’s Mandala, mentions that Hildegard of Bingen, a 12^th century Benedictine nun, asked that her visions be drawn by others in the cloister.  Many were in mandala form.  Recently, in our area, if you were lucky, you got to see a touring group of Tibetan monks create a sand mandala as a way of sharing some of their spiritual tradition.  Navajos have created sand mandalas for healing ceremonies.  The simple act of plopping a stone in water creates a continuing series of concentric circles on the surface.  Look at the designs in old pottery bowls, trays, plates and baskets.  They invite us into and out of the center of the design.  Consider the Navajo “place of emergence,” and the hole that is part of the old kivas, and think about labyrinths… the mandala you walk upon.  If you want to blend sound, color, and image, close your eyes and listen to a singing bowl.  It is a mandala of the mind. 

A mandala, in whatever form we choose, helps us to make space for the sacred in our lives.  It can be a part of an effort to heal and transform ourselves and our life.  It can help make the invisible visible, and help us to see the connection to all that is.  As we consider a mandala, making one or looking at one we’ve found, we allow ourselves a moment in time…all of time, past, present, and future.  You open to let your mind show itself to you, and allow it to move into closer harmony with your body.  People find that, after working with mandalas, they feel more integrated, more “stuck together,” and often discover insights they find helpful.

 I like to look at mandalas.  I am not an expert, and I don’t always know the maker’s intent, but they do draw me in…an “ahhhh” experience.  The visual experience itself, draws you in and allows you to wander without losing your way (and remember, not all those who wander are lost).  It is an easy way to connect with your hidden river.

 Working with a mandala

The process described below can help you get ready to spend time with a mandala or to prepare to make your own.  It will be especially helpful if you like to work with music as an inspiration.

• Select a piece of music, inspirational or one of the singing bowl CDs (there is a resource list at article’s close). Test the volume…don’t blow yourself out of the saddle. Be sure to have paper and something to write with near where you are sitting. Adjust your posture (sit up, align your spine, shoulders, and hips), and breathe gently several times, all the way into your lower abdomen.
• Let the music move around you, through you, fill you, and let it move on.
• Then, welcome it back.  Allow it to lift and carry you.  Spend as much time as you like experiencing the music and the colors, shapes, and images it brings to mind.
• Rather than “thinking,” allow yourself to join with the earth, sky, light, water, your spiritual beliefs…no boundaries, no edges.
• You are not separate.  Open your eyes when you are ready. 
  • If you are working with a mandala you have, extend yourself from your heart into it. 
  • If you are going to make your own mandala, use the paper to record your impressions with notes.  Remember that the images, colors and forms are best accepted without judgment, just as they have come to mind…don’t rationalize, rather, accept them and explore them.
  • Play with the ideas.  Make a few drawings, gather your “color” materials (yes, it is OK to mix crayon, colored pencil and acrylics), and color your design intuitively.  Resist getting all analytical over it.  It is what it is.
  • Now go back to the beginning of the exercise, and listen to the music again.  Then, open your eyes and go into your very own mandala.

 If you are uncomfortable with designing, try one of these loosen-er-uppers.

1.Take a bucket of water and a broom out to the driveway…dip and swirl large strokes.  If you get something really wonderful, take a picture before it dries.  Get comfortable with the free motions.  2. Use a large brush and paper with paint to do the same kind of loose, free motions.  Get comfortable with the flow coming from your whole self, not over-thinking the brush control.  Remember to breathe!  3. Use finger paints on large paper (or pudding on a large platter…you get to eat when you’re done playing.  Don’t forget to lick your arms).  Play first, get the feel of it, then, use music to help you move the material around.  Like it? Save it (or, in the case of the pudding, take a photo after you clean your hands…then, eat).

  Parallels between mandalas and labyrinths

I think that there is a similarity in how one might approach a mandala and a labyrinth.  Both are inclusive practices; both accept all who come. Both provide the opportunity for a journey of the spirit.  Consider: 1. The Approach…let go of what you carry in your mind, release yourself.  If you have a question, or a focus, place it in your mind.  2. The Entry…open yourself.  As you walk or look, accept what flows through your mind and through you.  3.  The Center…consider the insights, thoughts, and feelings you are experiencing.  Reflect and be non-judgmental.  Take the time you need.  4.  The Journey Out… restore, reenergize, integrate what you have gathered.  5.  The Completion…say thank you.  And like the “commencement” ceremony of graduation, go forth and begin anew.

 Both are symbols of unity and completion.  They are visual representations of light and sound, and they are ways to meditate, relax, restore, and reset yourself.  They certainly are of value on a day to day basis, and can be especially helpful in times of confusion, sadness, illness, transition, and change.  They are also wonderful in times of great joy.

 A Note:

The reason I’ve chosen this focus is because it is but one of many methods of reintegration and coping with change.  Our family has been learning and relearning how to experience change.  One of our sisters, Patty, recently died after a brief and serious illness.  We are an interesting collection, including several friends “adopted-into-the-

family, and are solidly connected to each other.  When Patty got sick, we decided to “ride the change” that we knew was coming, not to resist the realities or deny their existence – to be fully present with her, her suffering, her hope, her faith, her humor, and her transition through death.  We celebrate her; we are sad in our loss, and we include her in our lives in new ways.  And, we all voice our love for each other more frequently.  We gather, and we gather ourselves up.

 Connecting and “being with” is always important, whether it is with our own self or with others.  It is also a life and spiritual necessity.  Change is a constant, and it is easy to forget that reality.  Change is normal.  Often, it is not all that easy, either.  It is easier when you embrace it as fully as you can, and do that as the change progresses.  I encourage you to really live your life, to connect with your world, your universe, and your wonderful, adaptable, creative spirit…and be there as you do it.  Go somewhere and breathe it all in as often as you can.

 A few resources:

1. a CD, Xumantra’s, Sacred Singing Metals (there are several different CDs of this type)

2. Coloring Mandalas 3, by Susanne F. Fincher (she has at least two other publications)

3. Drawing the Light from Within, and Mandalas, by Judith Cornell

4. Everyone’s Mandala Coloring Book, and Everyone’s Mandala Coloring Book Vol .2,     by Monique Mandali

 Mary Curran is an artist, writer, and creative process specialist.  She teaches, and speaks across the US.  Local classes at Swanstone Gardens, (920) 866-9367.