Mandalas Nourish the Psyche!

11th January, 2010 - Posted by Maude -

Here’s a great Maude idea for you - nourish your spirit and psyche with mandalas! You can enjoy looking at them or better yet, make some yourself. The term mandala is a Sanksrit word which loosely translated means circle.  While the circle might be an ordinary shape, when a circle is filled with shapes, colors and representations it often takes on larger proportions. Curiously, mandalas have been found in many cultures across an enormous span of time. They may be one of the oldest forms of art. Looking back we find Hindu mandalas, Buddhist mandalas, Christian mandalas, Tibetan mandalas, you name it. And not only do they appear in different traditions, people have made mandalas out of just about every material imaginable - sand, stones, leaves, glass, on paper, on the earth, with pencils, with paint, woven as a tapestry, really anything goes in the mandala realm.

While the mandala might be a simple shape, somehow their effect on people is often spiritually uplifting. That’s why they appear in many religious traditions as well as indigenous cultures. In more modern times the psychologist Carl Jung used mandalas in his work and brought them to more widespread attention in the Western world. A great article about mandala history/technology and Jung can be found here

Now a little sampling to see some mandalas that might uplift you.

Tibetan monks making a sand mandala

Tibetan monks making a sand mandala

Organic Materials

Glass

Drawn on paper

Drawn on paper

Modern Impressionist Style

Modern Impressionist Style with paint

Tibetan

Hindu

Celtic

Celtic

Christian

Christian Mandala

Modernist

Beach Mandala

Beach Mandala

Some people even make animated mandalas

One of our favorite mandala artists is Sue O’Kieffe over at Sacred Circle Mandalas. She has beautiful posts over at her blog.  Many of her creations are available for sale on her Etsy shop so you can bring them home and enjoy them everyday. (Isn’t it just great to buy art from the person who made it? No middle person, just talk to Sue yourself. That’s very Maudish if you ask us.)
Maude invites you to explore these mandalas for yourself! Search google images and see how many kinds of mandalas you can find there. The supply of mandalas is endless. Which, of course, also means the supply of uplifting and celebration is endless.

Once you start to enjoy Mandalas you’re probably going to get the urge to make one yourself. And really, it’s the best way to enjoy a mandala! Here is a great video guide to making your own with conventional materials like pens/pencils and paper:

How to Grow a Mandala

Once you’ve gotten the hang of mandala making you may find yourself making them from the strangest materials and the oddest times. Of course, the beach is always a perfect place. The forest is good. Having a shovel handy makes earth mandalas more interesting. Stones are inviting but so are pencils, paper clips and post-it notes. Mandalas call us back to our center in an elemental way. You might just be surprised at the chewy caramel center you find within yourself. Come to think of it - why not make a food mandala and serve it to friends as a spiritual communion!

Marlene adds: Once I was overtaken with the urge to make a mandala with plants right on the boulevard in front of my rental house. It was fabulous because it was constantly changing with the seasons. I sure enjoyed that mandala because we interacted so much. It really was a relationship. When I left that place the next tenants had no use for mandalas. I’m not sure they recognized it at all. Sometimes I walk by my old house now and my old friend is no longer recognizable to anyone but me. But I know the basic mandala-ness is there lurking beneath the creeping growth. Sometimes I have an urge to sneak over when no one is looking and re-create that mandala. Mandalas are just like that. They get under your skin. And then they bless you.

Maude says: Go ahead and free your mandala Marlene. Don’t hold back. LIVE!

4 Comments

Michelle

January 23rd, 2010 at 11:57 am    


I adore Mandalas!! I have done these since I was a kiddo, even before I had heard the word mandala. Now, I tend to reach for my embroidery supplies when the mood strikes me for some mandala makin’. The repetition and lack of thought is so relaxing; to know there is no right or wrong and just allow something to create itself… aaahhhhhh :)

Sue O'Kieffe

January 23rd, 2010 at 6:52 pm    


Thanks for your very nice comments about my mandala art. Your friend Marlene told me you mentioned my work on your site. The sample of my work you have posted here was not drawn on paper, though. All of my mandalas are created in Photoshop using local photographs that I have taken of the beauty I see around me everyday. The source image I used for that mandala was bamboo leaves. I love the transformation that occurs when I create my art.

If any of your readers want to know more about my work, you can find me on Facebook at http://facebook.com/SacredCircleMandalas

Clare Goodwin

January 23rd, 2010 at 6:58 pm    


Hello Maude,
Great article on mandalas!
Your readers might be interested in my resource guide. I’ve been “collecting” mandala artist links since 1996. And to my delight, there are always more. In addition I publish a monthly newsletter with a free mandala for coloring. All the best to you and blessings of the circle,
Always,

Clare Goodwin

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