15/11/2025
I started a beautiful 4 week Mandala workshop with the very talented and simply lovely Mary in last week. I thouroghly enjoyed the whole process. From origially setting an intention to choosing what materials to use ( there was so much choice, stones, shells, feathers, flowers, seeds, beans, rice, leaves, pine cones etc) to mindfully and quietly placing each piece down to create the mandala itself, to what came up for me as I worked and pausing to think and journal about what was coming up, to viewing it and meditating over it by candle light and then to disessembling it and offering the leaves and nature back to mother earth with our intention at the heart of the whole process. It was just amazing and after a recent loss I have to say I found it so therapeutic and healing. I can't wait for the next 3 sessions. Mary is such a calming, open, warm presence too and held the space for us so beautifully. I am sometimes too much in my head, overthinking everything and this really brought me back down into my body. Thank you Mary. x
What is a mandala?
Originating in ancient Indian languages like Sanskrit, the word "mandala" means "circle" and is used in spiritual practices, particularly in Hinduism and Buddhism, as an aid for meditation and spiritual focus. They can be created with various materials, such as sand, paint, or jewels, and represent concepts like the journey from the external world to an internal, spiritual self.
They are used in meditation, prayer, and art therapy. Their creation is seen as a process that can transform suffering into joy.The mandala serves as a tool for guiding people on a path to enligtenment.
For Carl Jung, mandalas are symbolic circular images that represent the wholeness of the Self and appear during periods of psychological transformation. They are a therapeutic tool used to integrate and balance the psyche, with Jung viewing them as a manifestation of the Self's attempt to create order and harmony within the personality.
