Mandalas

Where did mandalas come from? "mandala” East Indian language of Sanskrit

What is a mandala? "circle" yet is more than a simple shape represents wholeness model for the connectedness of life an art piece that reminds us of our relation to the infinite, the world that extends both beyond and within our bodies and minds.

Symbols represent Represents celestial circles - earth, sun, moon *circles of friends, family, and community.

Patterns in many religious traditions Hildegard von Bingen - Christian nun-12th century, created mandalas to express her visions and beliefs.

In North and South America Indians created medicine wheels and sand mandalas Native American teepees are cone shapes built around a pole representing the "axis mundi" or world axis.

The circular Aztec calendar both a timekeeping device and a religious symbol of ancient Aztecs

Asia Taoist "yin-yang" symbol represents opposition as well as connectedness Tibetan mandalas - highly intricate illustrations of religious significance used for meditation.

Website of mandala art http://www.mandalaproject.org/What/Index.html

Making your own mandala Get white inner circle piece Decide on how many section of your life you are going to represent Optional sections: emotional, social, physical, intellectual, spiritual

Directions continued On a piece of paper = brainstorm ideas for drawing symbols that represent important components in each area of life Example – drawing music notes, violin for emotional wellness

Art directions Divide the circle into the pie pieces for each section of your wellness concepts Draw symbols and color in your sections for each component When done, mount inner circle on a background

Poem directions Create a stanza that tells about each section of your mandala Work on rhythm, word choices and phrasing to make the poem flow