Mandalas
The word "mandala" is drawn from the classical Indian language
of Sanskrit. It means "circle" when loosely translated, but a
mandala is far more than a simple shape. It represents
wholeness; the connectedness of all things, and is a model for
the organizational structure of life itself--a universal model
that reminds us of our relation to the infinite; a world that
extends both beyond and within our bodies and minds.
The circular or cyclical form is clearly evident in all that nature enfolds. From the shape of the planet, to the cyclical patterns of seasons and time itself, the circle is a universal symbol of beginning and end. The strains of our basic evolutionary DNA are entwined within. The mandala appears in all aspects of life: the celestial circles we call earth, sun, and moon, and all planets as well as conceptual circles of friends, family, and community; and throughout patterns in nature and the universe.
While Eastern religions have long used the mandala as a spiritual tool, Westerners have also found value in the restorative power found in the circular form. Through the expressive creative process, one develops a wholeness that is alive and restoring.
Psychologist Carl Jung extensively explored mandalas during his work with the human subconscious. The circle is representative of the cycle of humanity. The "circle with a center" pattern is the basic structure of creation that is reflected from the micro to the macro in the world as we know it. It is a pattern found in nature and is seen in biology, geology, chemistry, physics and astronomy. On our planet, living things are made of cells and each cell has a nucleus -- all display circles with centers. The crystals that form ice, rocks, and mountains are made of atoms. Each atom is a mandala.
Within the Milky Way galaxy is our solar system and within our solar system, is Earth. Each is a mandala that is part of a larger mandala. Flowers, the rings found in tree trunks and the spiraling outward and inward of a snail's shell all reflect the primal mandala pattern. Wherever a center is found radiating outward and inward, there is wholeness--a mandala.
The circular or cyclical form is clearly evident in all that nature enfolds. From the shape of the planet, to the cyclical patterns of seasons and time itself, the circle is a universal symbol of beginning and end. The strains of our basic evolutionary DNA are entwined within. The mandala appears in all aspects of life: the celestial circles we call earth, sun, and moon, and all planets as well as conceptual circles of friends, family, and community; and throughout patterns in nature and the universe.
While Eastern religions have long used the mandala as a spiritual tool, Westerners have also found value in the restorative power found in the circular form. Through the expressive creative process, one develops a wholeness that is alive and restoring.
Psychologist Carl Jung extensively explored mandalas during his work with the human subconscious. The circle is representative of the cycle of humanity. The "circle with a center" pattern is the basic structure of creation that is reflected from the micro to the macro in the world as we know it. It is a pattern found in nature and is seen in biology, geology, chemistry, physics and astronomy. On our planet, living things are made of cells and each cell has a nucleus -- all display circles with centers. The crystals that form ice, rocks, and mountains are made of atoms. Each atom is a mandala.
Within the Milky Way galaxy is our solar system and within our solar system, is Earth. Each is a mandala that is part of a larger mandala. Flowers, the rings found in tree trunks and the spiraling outward and inward of a snail's shell all reflect the primal mandala pattern. Wherever a center is found radiating outward and inward, there is wholeness--a mandala.
Mandala Artwork by Chris Flisher
Click on a Mandala thumbnail to see a larger image and to read about its significance.
