It was a beautiful sunny day in the gorgeous garden of the LilyGirl Jewelry studio headquarters. We created our own personal mandalas, connecting to ourselves and our intuition. We colored and chatted, and sipped prosecco. Each mandala was as unique as its creator and revealed to her what she needed to know right now. It was also so, so pretty!
Everyone was surprised and delighted by what the Glossary of Meaning (in depth little books containing the meanings of all of the shapes, colors, numbers, and symbols that might show up in your mandala) revealed. My sweet friends made such beautiful art revealing their beautiful souls! They now have an understanding about what a mandala is, how to make one, and they have their Glossary of Meaning handy to reference for each one they make in the future. So cool!
Mandala is Sanskrit for "sacred circle"
Mandalas have traditionally been used as tools for meditation, helping to intensify one’s concentration on the inner self in order to achieve meaningful experiences. Art play accomplishes a centering focus on the true self. The activity of creating your personal mandala provides a state of flow, where your focus is on the line, the shape, the color, the medium (those Prismacolor pencils are so creamy and dreamy!),...and the step-by-step process of creating something beautiful from inside yourself. Give in to the process, forget about the result. Your creativity will be your meditation, and your creation will be a reminder of your connection to yourself.
The process of making a mandala has also been described as a centering experience, which can be particularly beneficial in times of transition. The mandala helps us tap into unconscious reservoirs of strength, enabling a healing or self-discovery to occur. A sense of unity, balance and calm may be achieved merely from the act of drawing within the circle.
I'm pretty sure everyone experienced something like this as a result of making their own mandala that day. I cut my mandala out and framed it, then gave it to my friend Lori (owner of LilyGirl Jewelry) as a hostess gift. You can frame your own to give away or hang on your own wall. You can also place the mandalas into a journal of self-discovery, keeping of the process of developing self-awareness that comes from creating and interpreting mandalas.
Thank you to those who participated! It was my joy to share my creative practice with you! I hope to see you again soon!
XO
Sarah