Maṇḍala मण्डल loosely translates from Sanskrit to mean ‘circle’.
"The nature of God is a circle of which the centre is everywhere and the circumference is nowhere" - Empedodes
Much of my visual expression takes the form of mandalas, so I am sharing a few words on that subject.
Through the circular oneness of it's design, a mandala is an expression of wholeness, inviting the viewer to enter a state of calm alignment, via a sense of journeying both into the centre and also outwards to the periphery. This journey is also the process by which the mandala is created and can be a powerful transformational experience.
Within the beauty of a mandala we may find a resonance with 'All that is' and discover an appreciation of geometry. Certainly I began to dream with mandalas simultaneously with awakening to the precision of geometry in nature.
Mandalas occur in wonderful variety in nature, within the shapes of plants, in cells, shells and patterns created by wind and water. Patterns are repeated on microscopic and macro-cosmic levels.
"When there is no more seperation between 'this' and 'that' it is called the still-point of Tao
At the still point in the centre of the circle, one sees the infinite in all things." - Chuang Tzu
So why make your own mandala, when nature does such a perfect job already?
To answer that question is to introduce the concept of energy awareness; how we affect the world around us on an energetic level.
As a student, teacher and practitioner of Vibrational Healing ( see Reiki ) for over 13 years, I have come to appreciate how profoundly we can alter how we feel, help other beings and improve the energy of living spaces. Through compassionate mindful attention, and clear intention we may hold sacred space and invite positive change.
A mandala holds sacred space, through conscious intention or by virtue of it's intrinsic beauty, expressing a framework of energetic pathways that expand beyond the boundaries of it's visibility.
Symbols and sacred geometry within the design hold meaning and play a part in communicating beyond our ordinary awareness.
Mandalas feature in many traditions, from rose windows in Christian cathedrals to intricate temporary sand mandalas ritually created by Tibetan Buddhist monks. It is a kind of universal symbolic language, understood by people of all nations. Circular designs that express our innate oneness with the underlying essence of life; Sacred Art: not necessarily religious, but an expression of the Divine.
‘The mandala is the centre. It is the exponent of all paths. It is the path to the centre’ - Carl Jung
