Mandalas are created in many
cultures for many purposes. The first thing usually mentioned is that Mandala is Sanskrit for "Circle.The circle has
no beginning and no end. It is the Alpha, it is the Omega. The Snake eating it's own Tail.As in the beginning,
so shall it be in the end.
Paradise Waits.
Mandalas are created by Native American Tribes as Medicine
wheels. They are a visual prayer, drawn with colored sand by the Medicine Man to invoke the healing spirits. The
symbols of animals are powerful totems. The use of them gives great power to the healing visualization. They recognize
the importance of visualization to reach a desired effect.
There are mandalas created to represent the universes
of the deities in Tibetan Culture. They too are visual prayers. One can meditate from the outside in, and
then back out again.This is like the path of the Hermit in Tarot. The Hermit journeys out to experience, in to learn
about it , and back out again to show others the way.
There are Tibetan Monks who journey all over the world
creating their mandalas with crushed precious stones. They go to a community to pray and to show the world their beautiful
way of life and educate others about the opression currently occurring in their homelands. They release their mandala into
the nearest body of water at the end of the visit. With it goes a prayer for Peace.
Mandalas are found all over
in nature. The circle is a recurring theme. It represents the cyclical nature of our planet.
It is the Earth's rotation, the planet's orbits, the rings of trees, the ripple in still water. It is the sun, the moon and
the stars. We experience patterns in our everyday existence. We often take them for granted. Drawing mandalas,
for me makes me realize that these things are all connected.
Carl Jung, the famous Swiss-German psychoanalyst utilized
mandalas in his therapy sessions. Jung used the mandala as a window into the inner workings of the patient's mind.
Dr. Jung recognized that certain symbols and archetypes tended to be universal, and that by having his patients draw their
dreams, visions, hopes and fears, he could get at that which might be troubling them. Symbols are an important part
of any mandala.
I have created a mandala for each sign of the western
zodiac. In each one I drew the picture for each sign, it's "glyph"( the symbol), and added the symbol for
each sign's ruling planet. You can find out information for each sign by clicking on each one on the Zodiac Mandala
page.
I am currently working on a mandala for each Chakra.
The chakras are energy centers at seven different points of the body. The first connects you to the earth, the seventh
connects you to the "heavens." There are five points in between. They all correspond to the seven colors of the
rainbow and they each have a sound and a note that belong to them. I will post them and information on each of them
as they become available.
