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Friday, March 1, 2013

Sacred Circles - Mandala Art


This is my new creative endeavor – creating and painting mandalas - also known as “sacred circles,” or Yantras, using sacred geometry, as taught by Guada in a Free Class at Guada’s Circle.

In a recent previous post – Focus As A Gateway – I was explaining how I felt a need for focus and balance as a way to bring the mind to a place of stillness.  Creating and painting this mandala gave me that focus and balance, and an inner meditative Stillness of Being.  I’m hooked! :)

Geometric mandalas are a sacred anciet art based on the language of patterns, like an underlying cosmic blueprint, an art form of the cosmos, revealing that our existence is inseparably and inherently one with the matrix of the Infinite – an inseparable, *inherent* union;  the circle being the symbol of this wholeness, or Oneness.  My limited understanding is that this oneness with the Divine, the interconnectedness of matter and spirit, is symbolized in the space where two circles cross each other forming what is called a Vesica Piscis – symbolically where Divine Consciousness and Human Consciousness are One; reminding me as I make the mandala that the Sacred is intimately present within – is both Here and Everywhere in the Universe simultaneously - meaning everything is sacred.

The seed of life at the center of many mandalas represents the heart of Existence itself, expanding into form; a symbol of sacred propagation of Life ItSelf; the Vesica Piscis symbolizing the Womb of the Universe from which all life arises.  Of course not all mandalas start with the seed of life pattern; but are obviously just as sacred, using other sacred symbols, such as the sanskrit OM(AUM) symbol at the center.   Buddhists and Hindus have used sacred geometric mandalas as symbols of the interconnectedness of the workings of the cosmos and meditative aids – or Yantras.  The Buddhists are also well known for their incredible sand mandalas that are “destroyed” after being meticulously created by monks over days and days as a symbol of the impermanence of life, and non-attachment.

I love creating mandalas as an art form; the creative design using the precision of sacred geometric patterns, and the detail of painting them in; the focus in the creating of it, and the balance that emerges in the design.  Just like the “spiritual path” – a combination of focus/practice, balance/equanimity, and the meditative Silence of just Being.  In most of my art experience I seem to work in circular fashion naturally, either circles, spirals or vortexes, as if it is primordial. See Something About Circles for an explanation and a look at my early Vortex art.


This is the basic seed of life pattern made with a compass:

See the Vesica Piscis in each intersection of a circle

From this template you can create a different design by erasing lines and adding other lines to make different shapes and designs.  The possiblilities are infinite. :)  In the mandala that I created, I added straight lines and a star pattern emerged, so I just went with it, making it a focal point; erasing parts of the outer circular lines around it, except the ones surrounding each point of the star.  I also created a wave line through each petal of the seed of life at the center, giving it a more fluid look.



I darkened this so you could see the design better

I then outlined each petal, and started filling in on one side with a water color pencil, which turns into water color paint when water is applied with a brush!  Quite amazing actually.  I like the effect in the purple star points.  They look like amethyst crystals with varieties of shading and light…


Not quite complete?

I contemplated filling the rest of the circle in with more color, but intuitively it felt complete.  Part of the process is listening intuitively to how the “painting” expresses itself, how it speaks to you, as in any artistic process….

Be sure to check out Stacy Wills’ mandala creations at A Magic Mom and Her Mandalas.  Some of them look like stanined glass windows!    Be sure to scroll down to see a variety of her mandalas using geometric design patterns.  She has recently begun using a different creative style and technology to create a more fluid affect.  


~*~

“In reality only the Ultimate (Infinite) is…
the rest is a matter of name and form.

Nisargardatta



14 comments:

  1. a beautiful mandala. and i love it that you have found a form of art that speaks to you. I am going to look up marianne's blog adddress as she does manadala's too. from the Netherlands.

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  2. it's mandarianne.blogspot.com sometimes she does sort of tutorials. or posts one step one week, another step another week.

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    1. Thank you for marianne's blog address! I will certainly check it out! So many amazing mandala people out there!

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  3. So happy to see your beautiful mandala in this setting...like a shining jewel! Looking forward to seeing more from you. Thank you so much for the blog mention, too! :-)

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    1. :) Thank you Stacy! You're the one who got me started, my mentor :) and pointed me to Guada.

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  4. Beautiful! I feel very calm and centred when gazing at the final photo of your mandala.

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    1. Thank you Lynne... Yes, creating them and painting them has the same effect on me as well. Incredible. And of course then viewing them afterwards...

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  5. Thanks for visiting my blog.
    What a beautiful mandala you created and so funny you said you started this and my thought was you will get addicted (like I am) and after a few sentences I read you are hooked already ;)
    Mandalas has brought so much joy and good things in my life. I wish you the same ♥

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    1. And thank you for visiting :) And thank you for your kind words on the mandala (my first one). Yes, I am hooked! Although I am only on my second one. Having a hard time finding good time slots to work on them, so many interruptions! :) Yes, they definitely bring joy! Christine

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  6. http://dalaigrandma.blogspot.com/2013/03/how-to-find-your-path.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+TheDalaiGrandma+%28The+Dalai+Grandma%29

    Hi, Christine----I saw this embroidered mandala of an apple and thought of your beautiful painted one.

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    1. Ah, very interesting! Another star pattern, with the "seed of life"! Yes, the star pattern is found in nature, as are all the geometric patterns. That's what's so magical about creating these mandalas :) You know, actually, maybe your fellow blogger could benefit from creating these mandalas, they seem to have a beneficial affect on the mind/brain. Thanks for sharing it!

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  7. This is SO AWESOME and looks very engrossing and relaxing. I've always wanted to try doing mandalas by hand. It seems like a perfect practice for you and I love this one you're working on, it's just exquisite!

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    1. Thank you Uma! :) Yes, it *is* a perfect practice for me! This one is actually done :) but I am working on a second one, that I had hoped to have finished and posted today, but... :) Thanks for coming by,,,

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