The Sanskrit word for “circle” or “completion”, a mandala can become a window into one’s inner self. The process of creating a mandala is a form of reflection and perhaps a meditation in itself.
PROMOTING BALANCE
Creating round, symmetrical images can be very self-soothing and relaxing and ultimately beneficial to balance oneself. It can be an efficient stress-relieving exercise, but the circle also helps to promote mindfulness, attention and focus, which in itself is very therapeutic. These are just some of the healing benefits of Mandalas.
Furthermore, Mandalas allow for true self-expression. Like art therapy, healing and transformation is found within the process of its creation.
We can witness forms of mandalas within nature. Circular patterns can be found everywhere in the form of flowers, rings of a tree trunk, sea shells, snails, or ripples in a pond. They too represent “completion”, offering balance and peace.
The mandala is a symbol for the universe and provides a nurturing feeling of wholeness, giving us a sense of belonging, while we subconsciously self-reflect and explore our own connection with the universe. Therefore, it can also be used for healing, insight, as well as self-expression.
REVEALING THE UNCONSCIOUS SELF
Swiss psychoanalyst Carl Jung described mandalas as “a representation of the unconscious self”. He spent numerous years painting mandalas and sketches that he felt represented his inner self. His book, Red Book, is a compilation of these revealing works of art, offering us a glimpse into the opposites of his psyche.
Deeply therapeutic and symbolic at the same time, Mandalas are like screenshots of our emotional, mental and spiritual wellbeing. And when analyzed and worked with, they allow for healing to occur, enabling self-awareness and a deeper more meaningful and authentic life. They give you the opportunity to truly meet yourself.
You don’t have to be a skilled artist to create a mandala. It is simply about slowing down and going within, allowing your creativity to emerge and express itself freely. Give yourself the time and space, without getting overwhelmed by the painting process. Let it flow, like a guided meditation, and allow for the symbols and shapes to expand from the central dot.
See also: Sacred Geometry Explained
PERMANENT VS. TEMPORARY MANDALAS
Mandalas can be permanent or temporary. Drawing mandalas in the sand can be very healing in that they are swept away as an expression of completion or a lesson that has been confronted and understood.
See also: Akashic Records – What are they? How do I access them?
HOW TO DRAW A MANDALA
– Put aside about an hour for the creation process
– Make sure you’re sitting somewhere comfortable
– Centre yourself by doing a few rounds of breathing
– Once you’ve done a few of these, you can even hold the intention and focus on a specific topic in your life
– Draw a cross through the center to create 4 equal segments, and divide those again to create 8 equal sections. This will keep the pattern symmetrical
– Start in the center and proceed outwards with repetitive organic and geometric forms
– Once finished, keep the mandala for future meditations, so you can continue to come back to it. The mandala is a creation of your inner self, so continuing your meditation with it can aid in gaining understanding and acceptance of all of your aspects.
See also: 8 Transformational Holistic Wellness Techniques
NON-SYMMETRICAL MANDALAS
Once you’re familiar and used to the above, you can try drawing mandalas that don’t require a specific symmetry. This eliminates any boundaries and is great for people who have the tendency to be too caught up in their mind. It deeply forces you to connect with your inner self.
Non-symmetrical mandalas might also be easier to give meaning to its different aspects. Many practitioners tend to interpret the left side as the masculine energy in the creator’s life, and the right side represents the feminine. The top part can represent the spiritual realm, and the bottom represents the earthly realm, and so on. But of course, this is all up for individual interpretation and cannot be applied to every mandala. However, it’s something to keep in mind.
See also: Healing with Sacred Geometry
CHANNELED INFORMATION FROM THE UNIVERSE
A mandala does not only have to reveal something about our inner world, but it can also be a channeled “code”, or what some people refer to as “light language”. Once you’re more familiar with the concept of drawing a mandala, you can ask for specific messages from the universe and draw this channeled information, which you can then use in your meditation to anchor these energies into this existence here on Earth.
Mandala codes channeled by practitioners and artists can also aid us on our journey, giving us the information we need at a specific time.
Mike Booth, who is the chairman of the much-loved wellness brand Aura-Soma, which is popular for its colorful bottles, is an avid mandala artist who has been creating commissioned pieces for people for the last 10 years. “These are commissions that go around the world,” Booth says. “People ask me to do things based on their birth and their bottle choices, and any inspiration for them based on their color and natal chart. People use them in their own meditative journey or on their healing journey, and in their room where they do their consultations. Many of our Aura-Soma teachers throughout the world have a mandala based on their bottles. A lot of them are commissioned pieces that have been done specifically for that teacher or that practitioner.”
A MANDALA TO AID YOUR LIFE PURPOSE
Things start to become very interesting once we start to ask the universe for messages – in particular in reference to our life purpose. After all, that’s why we are here.
Booth’s main purpose is to assist people in connecting with that pure essence and information. Having started out painting mandalas with more geometrical forms, which for him had to do with the remembrance of different incarnations, Booth now focuses on the remembrance of the first cell.
The remembrance of the first cell is above the naval and a little way inside,” Booth says. “In other words, quite close to where the connection with the mother was when we were conceived as a first cell. What that means is, all of the ingredients, the whole of who we are, the potential, the mission, the purpose, why we’re here and what we’re here to do, is loaded into that first cell. Even though that cell has died long ago, and even though every seven years, every cell in the body goes through a transformation, that energy of where that cell exists within the multi-cellular organism that we are still has an energy to connect to. So, following that which is in the golden area of our cells, is also something that as a daily practice is something I’m committed to in terms of where to live my life from, and also the consequence of what I’ve been following in terms of my paintings and the birthing of the bottles in Aura-Soma. It is a living practice to be with the star, to be the star you are. It’s like to be with that first cell…the remembrance of the potential of who we are, what we are for, the way we are to do, and what we are to do.”
See also: Allowing the Divine to Work Through You
