Tibetan sand “painting” Mandala
In the last journal entry I discussed how breathing, Pranayama practices, and other yoga practices help me when I am challenged to be patient and calm. Another practice that I have recently returned to is art. Art is a wonderful meditative practice or activity because it is when we remove the mind from the process, when we are being mind-less, we become fully open channels of inspiration, intuition, and divine love. When we allow ourselves to be mind-less, we are in full acceptance of the present moment (mindfulness), and patience becomes the natural state.
Last night I attended a mandala art gathering. Mandala, मण्डल, means circle, disk, and orb. The circle symbolizes the divine, the heavenly realm, and Source or the One that is All. Mandalas are an art form that has appeared in many cultures throughout the world. They represent sacred geometry, tell mythological stories, convey messages of the gods or the Divine, map out the Cosmos, and channel messages from the unconscious.
My Mandala
The discussion at last night’s gathering reminded me of how I would turn to art when I was a child to deal with the stress and frustrations at home, and of how easy it was and is for me to empty my mind, become mind-less, while drawing and doing creative projects. I had no plan as I started, but used the suggested Valentine’s Day theme to start me off. Then I just let the pencils flow as they wished. Without the heavy burdens of the mind, I felt like I could fly like a butterfly. At the end, we were asked to write down a title and any words that came regarding our mandalas (see left). I noticed that when I am in a patient, present/mindful, yet mind-less state, I am most expansive.
Most mandalas have an intuitive, irrational character and, through their symbolical context, exert a retroactive influence on the unconscious. They therefore possess a “magical” significance, like icons, whose possible efficacy was never consciously felt by the patient.
– Carl Jung
Monks artistically destroying a mandala
The Tibetan sand mandalas are an amazing example of patience and the acceptance of the present moment and the impermanence of this earthly realm. After spending days slowly and patiently creating elaborate, intricate, and beautiful mandalas “painted” with colored grains of sand, the Buddhist monks often destroy their works of art (sometimes the destruction is even artistic) demonstrating the impermanence of material life. In an act to spread the healing of the mandala, the sands are spread among any onlookers and also poured into a body of water to spread throughout the world.
Through patience, by cultivating mindfulness by becoming mind-less, we can all spread our beautiful and mandala-like colorful wings to spread love, light, and healing to others.
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Through the Peacock's Eyes 
Love your mandala! Oooooo patience….. Guess I have been neglecting my journal. I need some, patience that is.
😀
This is amazing how beautiful!
Big smiles on my face here Julianne… I turned to Art to find peace recently.. and even did another mandala too… So this post really resonated.. Those sand Mandala’s are truly amazing aren’t they? and the patience they take..
I have been relaxing more and going within my meditations more.. And I have resurfaced feeling brighter and stronger..
Thank you so much for your recent comment it meant a lot.. I hope also your own circumstances are less stressful.
Hugs to you.. Sue xox
Thank you Sue! 😀
I’ve seen the monks do this – it’s beautiful!
Beautiful mandala, Julianne, Looks like great meditative therapy, to release our baggage. I have native american madalas and dream catchers all over my home. I was drawn to NA art about 15 years ago, still don’t completely understand why. But i have almost a fetish for dream catchers. I had not heard of Cranio-sacral therapy until your comment. Then I accidentally, or maybe not, came across this article, http://www.yourholisticdog.com/craniosacral-therapy-for-dogs-and-horses/. Maybe this is a message from Spirit. 🙂
Thank you! I’ve been wanting a dream catcher. Maybe I will find one that draws me soon. 🙂 Messages are all around! Will check out the link now. Thank you!
Your welcome! I get the ones I am drawn to at Pow Wows or some are store bought. A few, my friend made. Haven’t attempted to make one myself, yet.
Beautiful, Julianne. I had the opportunity to witness the completion of a sand mandala by Tibetan monks here in Charleston, SC. When I first arrived, only one monk was at the mandala, tapping his tool and ever-so delicately and exactly spilling his colored sand. His technique created a steady rhythm. About ten minutes later, a second monk joined, and began tapping and spilling his colored sand to his own rhythm, immediately harmonizing with the first monk’s sound. And then a third monk came in… Soon we were not only watching the mandala be born into its completion but hearing a lovely song! Very meditative. An hour after they had finished, we observed their deconstruction ceremony- a meditation in its own right. That particular mandala represented the Buddha of Healing. They gave each of us (those who were interested) some of the sand to take home for our altars. The rest was scattered into one of our local rivers with a blessing. Really beautiful, a special moment I’ll always remember. Thank you for sharing your mandala, reminding me about the beauty of mandalas, and inspiring a return to art.
Thank you for sharing your wonderful experience, Renate! I hope to witness something like this someday too. Namaste _/l\_
Beautiful mandala! 🙂
Wow! That Mandala is breathtaking!
Love this Julie! I also use art this way and am fascinated by sandpainting and mandalas.
Patience, not so much!
Namaste,
Linda
Lovely entry, so inspiring!