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Subscribe to this list via RSS Blog posts tagged in mandala

Posted by on in Culture Blogs
Clarify Your Intention
Why do you want to create a mandala? Your reason is your intention, and is the focus of your ritual. One basic guideline is that the creation of a sand mandala should be “for the greater good.” Some examples of reasons to create a specific mandala include:
 
To help create world peace
To bring renewed health to body and spirit
To bless a new home
To bless and bring joy to all people in your life
 
Sun: Its rays are a representation of light, energy, and life. A sun mandala will represent the positive and celebrate your life, the spark and flame of existence.
 
Moon: In all its phases, the moon represents the feminine and female power. Moon mandalas are wonderful for women to create in celebration of their own femininity and of woman-power throughout time. Any goddess mandala can include the symbol of the moon.
 
Heart: A universal symbol of love, this sweet design would make an excellent blessing to a romantic relationship or a gift to loved ones.
 
Triangle: It represents the Christian Holy Trinity and Egyptian spirituality and wisdom.
 
Downward-Pointing Triangle: It represents the “yoni yantra” and signifies the female, the element of water, and the mother and the ability to create. A mandala blessing for an expectant mother should include the downward-pointing triangle. Water signs Cancer, Scorpio and Pisces would do well to honor themselves with this design.
 
Double Triangle or Hexagram: In tantra, this represents all of creation, the conjunction of male and female energies. The concept of infinity is also represented by this symbol. A relationship mandala, especially in the sensual realm, will work well with double triangles. If you want to connect to the great universe, the symbol of infinity is essential. This symbol is ideal for creativity mandalas. In India, the double triangle indicates Kali in union with Shiva, and it is also the symbol for the heart chakra. If you want to create a mandala for blessing a relationship or to open your heart, the hexagram is an excellent choice. Combining the heart symbol and hexagram would be a powerful love mandala.
 
Pentagram: Other names for the pentagram include the Wizard’s Star, the Druid’s Foot, the Witch’s Cross, and the Star of Bethlehem. Wiccans have claimed the pentagram as their insignia. If you want to do a mandala for healing the earth, the pentagram will accomplish this quite nicely.
 
Square or Quadrangle: It is the sign of the four directions, and also the four elements and the four seasons. The square of the day also indicates the four significant times of day: sunrise, noonday, sunset, midnight. For the ancient Hindus, the square stood for order in the universe. You can use a square to invoke the four directions in this way, to honor the elements of air, earth, fire and water, and also to mark sacred time for prayer and meditation.
 
Octagon or Double Square: With its eight points, this is another symbol for divine order and unification. It is a good symbol for peace on earth. Essentially an eight-pointed star, the octagon is a symbol for rebirth and renewal and the wheel of the year. The octagon is believed to have magical powers, as does the pentacle or pentagram, when drawn in one line. In this case, they are believed to indicate sacred space. An octagon is a very good symbol to include in a mandala when you are embarking on a new phase of your lifea new home, job, relationship, a “new you”that can be blessed in this manner.
 
Knotwork and the “Knot of Eternity”: These are lovely symbols of unity. In Buddhist tradition, knotwork represents contemplation and meditation. Celtic knotwork symbolizes the eternal flow of energy and life.
 
Lotus: This flower represents beauty, creation, renewal, and in Buddhism, the search for enlightenment. If the lotus has twelve petals, it represents the energy of the sun. If it has sixteen petals, it is the symbol for the moon. The most spiritual mandalas will likely contain the image of the lotus.
 
Hold your hand over the mandala design you have drawn and visualize the light of the universe, of the sun pouring through you and through your hands to the sand and the design. If you feel a personal connection to any benevolent spirits such as angels, the Buddha, or gods or goddesses, you should call upon them to also bless your efforts and the material with their sacred energy.
 
You may notice a warming of your hands as you continue concentrating “in the light.” Invoke aloud or pray silently to your benevolent guardians to bless your endeavor. When you are ready, take some time to look at your mandala and contemplate the image you have created. Look deeply and quietly and “receive” any insights or messages during meditation. Close the ritual by dedicating the blessing energy of the mandala to the greater good of the universe.
 
Color Symbology for the Chakras and Mandala Design
First, root (base of spine) | red | security, survival
 
Second, sacral | orange |  pleasure

Third, solar plexus | 
 yellow | divine, personal power
 
Fourth, heart | green | abundance, love, serenity
 
Fifth, throat |  blue |  creativity, originality
 
Sixth, third eye |  indigo | intuitiveness, perception
 
Seventh, crown | violet | holy bliss, all is one
 
Color Connection
Color is a form of energy that can be broken down by individual vibrations. We use colors in our homes and at work to affect moods. The right colors can calm, energize, or even romanticize a setting. Colors promote many desired states of being. Anyone using color is tuning in to the vibration frequency of that particular color. Some psychics have the skills and training to read your aura; they can literally see the energy radiating out from your body.Other colors not in the spectrum or chakra exist in crystals and stones, and are significant in their own right: brown, gray, black, white, silver and gold.
 
Brown: the color of humility and poverty; represents safety and the home.Gray: the color of grief and mourning; symbolized resurrection in medieval times; gray is the first color the human eye can perceive in infancy.
 
Black: protection and strength; fortifies your personal energies and gives them more inner authority; symbolizes fertile, life- giving, rich earth, and nourishing rain in Africa.
 
White: purity, peace, patience, and protection; some cultures associate white with death.Silver: relates to communication and greater access to the universe; indicates a lunar connection or female energy.
 
Gold: direct connection to God; facilitates wealth and ease.
 
The color spectrum is correlated with seven basic vibrations. These are the same vibrations that comprise the musical scale, and the same vibrations that are the foundation of our seven vibration chakra system. The “lightest” vibrations are at the top and the “heaviest” vibrations are at the bottom. By now you should know that the color system is composed of seven colors, all visible in the rainbow: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and violet. A great way to remember the colors is by their collective acronym, which sounds like a name: Roy G. Biv. Consult the following color guide when you are choosing a color for any aspect of your life.
 
Color management can help you on the most basic level each day. To combat feeling depressed, wear yellow to raise your energy level. If you have a business meeting and you want to put your colleagues at ease, wear earthy colors like brown or green. You can experiment with different combinations, too. Remember, the purpose here is to find your soul colors.
 
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Create Your Temple Sanctuary: Magical Mandalas and Sacred Space

Spiritual health is just as important as the other kind. Regular maintenance and what I call “inner work” is greatly abetted if you have sacred space where you feel at your best. If you don’t have access to a temple space, you can create a sacred temple space in your own home. The imprint of your own creativity is vital to your personal shrine; it should be decorated with things also made by your own hand. Ideally, your windows allow sacred light to fall upon your designs. This is an artistic endeavor; you are making sacred art. If you do your best work at night, be sure to have adequate lighting. It is also a good idea to reduce the possibilities of distractions and interruptions. It is strongly suggested to turn off phones and television, to create as peaceful an environment as possible.

Bless the space in a fashion of your own choosing with your favorite incense, candles and objects that represent deepest spirituality to you. A magical mandala will greatly enhance your sacred space. The word “mandala” is from the classical Indian language of Sanskrit. Loosely translated to mean “circle,” a mandala is far more than a simple shape. It represents wholeness, and can be seen as a model for the organizational structure of life itselfa cosmic diagram that reminds us of our relation to the infinite, the world that extends both beyond and within our bodies and minds.

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Posted by on in Culture Blogs
Creating Intention Mandalas


Mandala is a Sanskrit word for "circle" and is a sacred, symbolic diagram used for contemplation. In Buddhism and Hinduism, mandalas usually include images of Buddhas or deities. Yantra is a Sanksrit word for "instrument", and is meant to inspire inner visualizations, meditations, and spiritual experiences. However, since the two terms are often used interchangeably, the word mandala usually refers to any circular image or diagram.

You can create your own mandala for meditation, as well as for a specific intent. For example, perhaps you'd like to allow prosperity and abundance in your life. Or, maybe you'd like to be more courageous and learn how to speak up for yourself.

Click here for a full-size blank mandala template that I've created for you to print and use.
 
Creating A Mandala With Intention
 
Step 1: Gather the medium/s you choose to use for creating your mandala. You can use crayons, watercolors, chalk, colored pencils, etc.
 
Step 2: Find a quiet spot, and consider something that you'd like to allow into your life. Breath deeply, from your belly, slowly inhaling to the count of 5...then exhaling to the count of 5. Do this several times until you feel calm and centered.
 
Step 3: Working from the center, draw, paint, or color how you feel about what you want to allow in your life. There is no wrong way to create a mandala. This process is a personal one, and for your own empowerment, growth, and peace.
 
Step 4: After completing your mandala, place it in a prominent position where you'll see it often. You could buy thin magnetic strips with sticky backing to hang it up on your refrigerator or metal cabinetry. Or, frame your mandala and hang it on a wall. This will remind you of your intent, and help you focus and allow what you are wanting to bring into your life.
 
Examples Of Intention
 
Here are some intentions for creating a mandala:
 
*To allow joy
*To surrender worrisome circumstances
*To allow love into your life
*Self-acceptance
*For world peace
*To allow abundance
*For gratitude
*To release anger and bitterness
*For working through grief
*To welcome the job of your dreams
*To connect with the Divine
*To learn to say NO
*To culivate a compassionate attitude
 
Many blessings to you as you create a mandala for intent!
 
My husband, Ron, created the mandala above. Click here to see the larger version.
 
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