ART & SELF PROJECT:

 What is a Mandala?

 

Mandala is the Sanskrit word for circle and symbolizes wholeness.  It is normally two-dimensional.  There is a central point of focus from which the design radiates, often in a symmetrical fashion.  Khyil-Khor, the Tibetan word for mandala refers to the centre of the universe, that place where a fully awakened being resides.

 

Sand mandalas (traditional Tibetan medium) are often group projects constructed in staggering detail and beauty, using dyed sand or crushed semi-precious stones.  After completion, Tibetan sand mandalas are ceremonially dismantled to demonstrate the impermanence of life.  The sand, which is blessed in the process of creating the mandala, is swept into a jar.  The jar is then emptied in a nearby body of water to symbolize the cycle of life.  The blessed sand is also seen to benefit the water and land it comes into contact with.  

 

 

 

Benefits of working with Mandalas…

 

As we become involved in the creative process, our attention is diverted from the external to the internal. In a busy, often chaotic and over-stimulated world it is increasingly difficult for many people to find a place of silence and inner calm. Creating a mandala is an ideal opportunity to escape the rat race for a while and connect with the Self.

 

How do you create a Mandala?

Creating mandalas is an essentially simple activity.  Mandalas can be created in any medium. If one is uncomfortable around pencils and paintbrushes, and possibly without ready access to a convenient sandpit with quantities of crushed semi-precious stones, one could work in anything from needlepoint to soldered metal, plant a mandala garden, make a collage, the imagination is the only limit.

~ Martha