It's impossible to explain creativity. It's like asking a bird, 'How do you fly?' You just do.
Eric Jerome Dickey
Being creative is an intense feeling. I am not always comfortable with the urge, the inner pressure to make something, to create something. That something is not necessarily clear to me - it is not a set idea or picture but rather a feeling. It is a force or energy that comes from within seeking a way out. I am faced with the unknown, something that is still forming, something I am discovering about myself. What will it come out like? What will it look like? Maybe it will be painful or unacceptable or perhaps something beyond what I imagined it could be. Can I do it?
Being creative is like giving birth. You just have to do it.
DRAGONFLY AND LOTUS MANDALA
Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.
Winston Churchill
VICTORY- self confidence, stepping forward, success
In T’ai chi the final movement representing self mastery is known as ‘picking the lotus flower’. The dragonfly represents positive force, agility and victory. Their fast and agile flight shows mastery and poise. Together these great symbols come together at a time of completion. Acknowledge what you have already accomplished and recognize that the end is in sight. Be confident that you have the skills, knowledge and experience to create a positive outcome. Remain focused and use your expertise to complete the task with great success.
I recall that this mandala was created shortly after I had been deeply hurt by someone dear to me. From that pain I became very angry. Constantly re living the situation in my mind; thinking of things that I could, should have, wished I had said or done, was making me tired and frustrated. I wanted to create as much distance between them and me as possible, to be free from the whole situation. I could not understand or accept that one so dear to me could cause so much pain. What was wrong with me? What was wrong with them? A lot of processing of unpleasant thoughts and feeling went on.
Some time passed. Life went on. The anger had been washed away with tears. The pain went away and the hurt softened. The situation had changed and so had everything else. Forgiveness emerged from the dark place where I had been. Relief. My relationship with the loved one was precious, worth it. We both learn t a lot.
BLUE LOTUS MANDALA
The soul walks not upon the line, neither does it grow like the reed. The soul unfolds itself, like a lotus of countless petals. Kahlil Gibran
HAPPINESS, PERFECT TIMING, REFLECTION.
We cannot force our unfolding. According to the divine plan we evolve in the right place at the right time. Just as the lotus is nourished by the depths of the muddy pond our difficult and dark times have enabled us to grow strong and beautiful. All parts of the plant contribute to the flower and the environment must be right. When we are ready to emerge again into the sunlight the petals of our hearts will naturally and gently open.
To learn more about mandalas and what the mean, please explore the site. If you're interested in creating your own mandala with me in a small group setting, check out the WORKSHOPS section where you'll find the latest offerings. I would love to meet you and encourage you to be a part of our next class! Contact us for more info at the CONTACT section. Happy creating!
I could not say that a single mandala represents ‘me’. I am different today from yesterday, from a year ago from 10 years ago. I see the mandalas that I create representing parts or aspects of my 'self' that is forever changing like the patterns in a kaleidoscope. Part of the fascination is the change - the constant arrangement and re-arrangement of the patterns and colours each evolving from the one before it.
My mandalas all revolve around or connect to a central point or core, which I see as a constant. It is the reference point from which the patterns and images radiate towards or away from. There is order, structure, repetition, and layers which correlate to my life journey in some way.
By creating a series of mandalas it is apparent to me that each one records a time or window into myself at a particular stage of my life.
This mandala is the second FREE mandala for you to enjoy. Each week, for the next 51 weeks, I'll be posting one of my creations right here :) Every mandala I share will also be accompanied by my interpretation. Feel free to download the high resolution image and use it as your desktop or iPhone background if you like :) I look forward to your feedback.
WEEK 2
DRAGONFLY DREAMING MANDALA
Learn to get in touch with the silence within yourself and know that everything in this life has a purpose. Elisabeth Kubler-Ross, Psychiatrist
RENEWAL, EMOTIONAL RELEASE, HEALING.
Dragonflies are symbols of transformation. Beginning in the element water (emotional world, mother) they emerge to fly (thought and ideas, father) in the air element. Relax, listen and enjoy music. Connect to the rhythm of life. Allow the child within to be immersed in the healing properties of water. Emotions stimulate thoughts which in turn effect how we feel. To renew ourselves we may just need stillness and peace and some time to sort out how we think and feel.
To learn more about mandalas and what the mean, please explore the site. If you're interested in creating your own mandala with me in a small group setting, check out the WORKSHOPS section where you'll find the latest offerings. I would love to meet you and encourage you to be a part of our next class! Contact us for more info at the CONTACT section. Happy creating!
< Disclaimer >
The information and interpretations of these mandalas are for entertainment purposes only. By utilizing and accessing interpretations and information you agree to release mandala magic from any and all liability with regard to the contents of the site and/or advice received.
You agree to take full responsibility for any and all consequences acted upon in utilizing the information provided.
Over the past 30 years I've explored many mediums in a search to express my creativity. From china painting to icons; painting massive murals and creating mosaics on the walls of buildings, to smaller things like cooking in the kitchen :) The point is, I'm always looking for new ways to express my inner thoughts and feelings creatively, in a way that words cannot do justice.
Along this fascinating journey there has always been a constant - Mandalas. I created my first mandala when I was 16 and have learned a lot since then! When I say I've learned a lot, I'm not talking about brush techniques or painting skills either, I'm referring to what I have learned THROUGH painting mandalas, about myself and the world around me. From personal projects to community collaborations, I've painted hundreds of mandalas myself and taught others to make thousands of mandalas (not that I'm counting). Today I've decided to share some of my work with you, 52 mandalas in fact!
Each week, for the next 52 weeks, I'll be posting one of my creations right here :) Every mandala I share will also be accompanied by my own interpretation of the mandala itself. Feel free to download the high resolution image and use it as your desktop or iPhone background if you like :) I look forward to your feedback.
WEEK 1
UNITED UNICORNS MANDALA
"Love is composed of a single soul inhabiting two bodies." Aristotle
LOVE, COMPLETENESS, REFLECTION
In mythology the unicorn is rendered helpless by his love for the young maiden. The magnet force of love draws two souls together for a purpose. Beyond our control the power of love creates feelings for another that are often greater than those that we may have for ourselves. They reflect our wholeness and mirror our potential – our other half. Love is that magical quality that allows us to find our self within another. The love between two halves makes a whole.
To learn more about what they mean, please explore the site. If you're interested in creating your own mandala with me in a small group setting, check out the WORKSHOPS section where you'll find the latest offerings. I would love to meet you and encourage you to be a part of our next class! Contact us for more info at the CONTACT section. Happy creating!
< Disclaimer >
The information and interpretations of these mandalas are for entertainment purposes only. By utilizing and accessing interpretations and information you agree to release mandala magic from any and all liability with regard to the contents of the site and/or advice received.
You agree to take full responsibility for any and all consequences acted upon in utilizing the information provided.
Creating art for me is about sharing. I am expressing something that I feel strongly or deeply or intensely about in a visual form. The expression of art takes it 'out there'. The feeling may not be clear logically....I just want to do it and in so doing, it becomes.
Making art is very personal. Others can see it. Being 'out there' is risky.....I am sharing my experiences, my ideas, my stories, my self. What will they think? Who will see it? What will they say?
I am creARTing....changing things, rearranging ways of being, exploring, experimenting, interpreting and taking risks.
Creating art creates new spaces for us to share. It contributes to our community. It opens up conversations, invites others to experience something new or different, reaches out touching the hearts of others.
Art is sharing.
Making mandalas is about the process…is about life.
Tibetan monks create intricate sand mandalas over days and then respectfully sweep the image away.
They see that the essence of the creation is held within the grains of sand and so they are now returning that to the earth. The essence cannot be destroyed – only the image. The image is built up daily and is ever changing, a process which is similar to the development of our ownself image (takes a life time, involves a lot of people and is an intricate work of art)
Finally we release even the image of ourselves.....
It is the new year, first month, first classes back and my birthday. A new beginning and welcoming in new creations. I was excited to see my students again and realized how much I had missed everyone; missed the creativity that we share, missed the art support and enthusiasm.
I feel something special happens when creative people come together. We put the everyday 'stuff' aside and a new energy comes into play. I hear hums of conversation, laughter and encouraging words and sounds. It was great to be back!
Inspiration comes at all different times. Unexpected it arrived when I was feeling disconnected . I felt like I was performing my daily activities in a fog. Kept going but not really feeling present I saw an oil mark on the wet ash felt of a car park. The colours were iridescent and beautiful and the shape extended out from a central area reminding me of a peacock feather. I wanted to grab that image and paint; the fog lifted.
My painting time is so precious. I have to work at making that space in my busy life - I have to fight off the 'musts' and 'shoulds' and all the other family, friend, pet, garden, home maintenance and business demands. (naming just a few) So, precious painting time means so much to me.
After getting to the studio and painting for a few hours I was so disappointed. Firstly it took a lot of effort to get there and I put in a lot of energy to paint and I do not like what I have created! I hate it.
Excited, I began with an idea, a mind picture of what I want to make. Full of enthusiasm I forgot already that ‘the mind picture’ is not going to be what I will end up with. The work and my ‘self’ go through a series of changes. Frustrating and challenging with emotional shifts from feeling connected to the mandala to feeling that I have lost it, I tried different techniques exploring mixing mediums and some new ways of applying the paint. I am attached to the original mind picture but already I can see that it is not happening. It is just not working out that way. I liked what I had before and now it is changed. It has gone and I cannot go back.
Frustrated I have to let go of that idea to progress. I know I need to go beyond it and so I decide to just do the next thing......whatever!
Now I come to a point where I can leave my mandala to rest. I think that right now this matches how I feel in my own life journey. I need to rest.
Caring for my ‘self’ so often comes last. The many demands in my life has taught me to ignore the need stop, be still, rest and heal - to ignore the need to be creative! Sad.
Even though I realize something is not quite right, or incomplete surprisingly I ignore the signs and 'soldier on'. By not listening to my 'self' I become separate from my being and break my ‘self’ up into pieces to serve the many demands that life, and others in my life, demand or need. When I try to sleep I wonder why I feel out of balance, exhausted and disconnected. When I wake I feel the same because I do not need to sleep I need to heal and to integrate those parts of me that have become separate. I need to connect to my inner self; to connect with the core of my being because that is where my energy comes from. It is the central point of my life force and through the mandala I can navigate my way and journey to that center.
The psychiatrist Carl Jung wrote about the mandala as….. “a center of personality, a kind of central point within the psyche, to which everything is arranged, and which of itself is a source of energy. The energy of the central point is manifested in the almost irresistible compulsion and urge to become what one is……..” Dr. C.J. Jung 1875 1961
Although it is hard to accept I can care about my self, FIRST.
Today I am going to listen to my creative spirit and be creative - all day!
At times we can get locked into dualistic thinking when everything is either right or wrong, acceptable or not acceptable. We see things as black and white with no other option. Holding such tight viewpoints can be very stressful.
This meditation helps us to learn to tolerate a more realistic view where two seemingly opposite ideas on a situation can exist simultaneously with out being judged as right or wrong. It helps us to release the need to control the situation and have it all our way.
Step 1 Think about a situation of conflict where you can see only two opposingsolutions.
Strep 2 Sit quietly in a space that is 'yours'. Relax and watch your breath for about 3 minutes.
Step 3 Think about how anxious and frustrated you have felt because you wanted something or someone to be a certain way and it is not working out as you would like. Observe your emotions such as anger, hurt, disappointment or fear.
What might you loose if both points of view exist simultaneously?
Step 4 Visualize both parties being in a situation where your survival depends on both having their needs met. Imagine a creative way in which that might happen. Perhaps both can meet half way. Look for the middle road or shared ground.
Step 5 After you have found a shared 'space' or solution you can accept that each person can now have their needs met in some way. Become mindful of how you are feeling. Notice if your stress is less, if you feel more at peace.
Have you found some balance?
Allowing layers of myself to unfold is an interesting process that is mirrored in the mandala. Like a lotus it gently opens, bit by bit and so slowly that often I am not even aware of what is happening or how things have developed into what they are. I really could not tell you what made me who I am.
Like shapes in a mandala one thing has led to another. Different points connect to others and something forms.
How quickly I forget that I have been in some very dark places - the muddy bottom deep underneath the distractions of my so called 'surface life' . I have had to trust the urge to move upwards through the shadowy waters of life's expectations even though I cannot see the way clearly. Did I know where I was going? Not really.
Trust (easily said), determination, and accepting the darkness because it is part of how I have become has been my way through.
I find that the making of mandalas represents this process of evolving so that I can understand more of myself. The dark is not so frightening - in a strange way it nourishes me.
I have had to trust the urge to move upwards even though I cannot see through the muddy waters of life's expectations.
My partner and I have been together for 30 years. Being very familiar with each others ways I noticed that we were not looking into each others eyes very often. We had developed a habit of communicating without eye contact and I was feeling less close than I would like. I was missing those 'togetherness' moments - moments of intimacy that go deeper than words and moments of understanding and acceptance.
I decided to began to be aware of this and sat quietly with my partner to look at him. We laughed and smiled at one another. We connected our hearts and reaffirmed that looking deeply into another persons eyes can be a wonderful meditative experience. I am mindful of looking into his eyes often to
listen with my heart to what he is saying.
It has had a wonderful effect!
