MANDALAS

SPARK YOUR SACRED GEOMETRY

When you move deeper into the unfolding process of a mandala you enter this moment. You awaken to the formless essence of who you are.

The mandala is a spiritual and ritual symbol in Hinduism and Buddhism, representing the Universe.

In various spiritual traditions mandalas have been employed for;

• Focusing attention of aspirants and adepts.
• As a spiritual teaching tool,
• For establishing a sacred space,
• As an aid to meditation and trance induction.

In common use, mandala has become a generic term for any plan, chart or geometric pattern that represents the cosmos metaphysically or symbolically; a microcosm of the universe.

According to art therapist and mental health counselor Susanne F. Fincher, the re-introduction of mandalas into modern Western thought can be attributed to Carl Jung.  Jung observed the motif of the circle spontaneously appearing during his exploration of the unconscious through his own art making. The circle drawings reflected his inner state at that moment. Familiarity with the philosophical writings of India prompted Jung to adopt the word “mandala” to describe these circle drawings he and his patients made. In his autobiography “Memories, Dreams, Reflections,” Jung wrote:

“I sketched every morning in a notebook a small circular drawing,…which seemed to correspond to my inner situation at the time….Only gradually did I discover what the mandala really is:…the Self, the wholeness of the personality, which if all goes well is harmonious.” pp 195 – 196.

Jung recognized that the urge to make mandalas emerges during moments of intense personal growth. Their appearance indicates a profound re-balancing process is underway in the psyche. The result of the process is a more complex and better integrated personality. As Jungian analyst Marie Louise von Franz explains:

“The mandala serves a conservative purpose—namely, to restore a previously existing order. But it also serves the creative purpose of giving expression and form to something that does not yet exist, something new and unique….The process is that of the ascending spiral, which grows upward while simultaneously returning again and again to the same point.”

Creating mandalas helps stabilize, integrate, and re-order inner life. Its symbolic nature can help one get access to progressively deeper levels of the unconscious, ultimately assisting the meditator to experience a mystical sense of oneness with the cosmos in all its manifold forms.

Judith Cornell PHD pioneered a Mandalas-For-Healing modality combining meditation, light and sound to facilitate an inner shift in one’s way of being. Mandalas are not a diagnostic tool but do help facilitate one’s personal/professional growth.  They are a means for one to turn inward to investigate the mind and to help discover the inner truth about one’s essential nature.