Mandala of Moments

Movement through time.

Counting each second as we move around from

beginning to beginning.

cycles.

change.

return..

spiraling upwards through each cycle

spinning through space.

Moving through change

moment by moment

second by second

no stopping.......

During our stay in Phoenicia, each evening I did a mandala.

No music as I usually listen to. Only the sound of the river as we kept the windows open until it was too chilly.

I was more aware of my thoughts and then not, back and forth.

Sometimes, I felt my mind to be so still, I wondered if there were any thoughts at all. But then that was the thought that brought me back to "the voices in my head".

I tried often to watch these thoughts, to get in touch with the "witness", the One behind the thougthts, Me, the True Self... that One.

These mandalas were the catalyst to help me be there, in that space when the mind quiets.

Bliss :-)

Each day, Each moment... make it count, embrace it for what it is.

Gifts

It's a wonderful feeling when you find blessings in your life.

As if the Universe just keeps pouring these gifts out to you, landing on your lap.

An extreme feeling of gratefullness, unlike the everyday blessings I feel. Rather, these open one's heart even more.

They are the blessings one finds in the ordinary and the extra ordinary.

Seeing magic and mystery in all of nature, in every seed, in every drop of water.

Perfect weather. Sun. Breeze. Clear sky.

Healings.

A week of this. Following my bliss. Being in nature, reading and creating at leisure. No time limits. No watch. No tv. No computer.

This mandala was a tribute to the healing waters of Pachamama.

On arriving home, blessing continued with gifts from friends. This one (see right of blog) is from Mai-Liis, aka Chaska, and
will soon pass it on to 5 more bloggers....

The Right Triangle Mandala

During my "forced" cleaning frenzy (due to a leak) I came across some things that were tucked away deep within the recesses of other stuff... piles of stuff... layers and layers of papers and books and all the things I needed to save.

In my journey through all of this, I came across Judith Cornell's Healing Mandala book, which I didn't even realize I was missing it. It became seperated from the rest of the kit.

The other kit that caught my eye is John Michael Greer's cards and book on Geometic Transformation.

I pulled a card. Right Triangle.

So I did a mandala using the right triangle. As I began, it triggered a dream I had about teaching an art class on perspective the night before. I thought that was kind of interesting........

The card's meaning (divination reading) is Proportion. " A card of synthesis, pointing to a time when parts can be brought together to form a new oneness. Everything you see is a piece of the puzzle... what matters is how you put it together. The right triangle calls for you to sort out a wider range of factors; at the same time, it doesn't insist on equality."

What deserves my time... what are my priorities?

It was thought-provoking as I was creating the mandala. As I drew lines, it sometimes created a triangle that wasn't a right triangle.. one side needs to be a right angle.. so I played around until I was satisfied I had created all right triangles (except the area near the circle).

I jumped back and forth between coloring it as a mirror of it's opposite side or to create it as a pattern around the design, alternating colors, which made me think of a pin wheel.

I didn't like it.

So I added patterns inside the colors.... I like it better.

This seems to be more of an exercise in the left brain in the beginning. Problem solving. Attention to detail, logic.

At one point I felt smart. Only way I can explain it... like I could jump into doing some math after this.

Maybe I should do something like this before my taxes.. brain prep.

This changed when I started adding color and patterns which was more free-flowing.

Balance!

gathering stones

I collect rocks.
We vacation in Phoenicia, NY on the Esopus river. Smooth round stones are everywhere. Each time, I come back with an armful in the trunk. Instead of watching TV, I spend the evenings painting on them. Mostly mandalas.
Some of these stones were given as gifts or ended up in our pond at moms. Other's are placed around our home, piles placed on the floor or window sills.
Special ones were gathered from Lake Titicaca.
Along with the river stones, are gem stones: Amethyst, carnelian, turquoise, geodes placed strategically around as well.
I was surprised when the camp director pulled out three stones from her pocket the last day at camp. She said she felt naked without them.. always carrying them. One she had used to have words on it and were rubbed off with time. Worry stones.
What is this comfort we get from holding stones?
They are like the bones of the earth. solid. grounding. slow to change.
One more week here and then we leave for the cabin there.
I rest on rocks heated by the sun, allowing it's heat to penetrate my back as I lie down, with my feet dangling in the cool running water. Just being. soaking up the energy of the place. resting. rejuvenating.... and gathering stones.

12 moon cycles

Circle, equidistant cross and the square.
***As I am sitting here beginning to write about this, the oddest(?) thing is occurring!!!
I am watching a program on India and they are talking about mandalas... not only that but the image they showed is similar to the image ( the center part) here. .. and with the white center the same in the cross ... they say it is the most important part... representing "enlightenment"...
... so cool.
ok. now that THAT is over :-)
back to my feelings about this~
As I chose my first, third and fifth symbols to create this, (check link below for explanation)
I found my self resisting, hesitating... I think it was the square.. I kept looking at "perfection".
I even looked for some stencils. I did use them with part of this and then abandoned them.
Square to me is "structure" and I tend to have a bit of a rebellious relationship with it. It's more of a love/hate one. I need it to a degree, especially to help me get started.. to keep deadlines, etc. but when it come to the act of creating, I need more freedom, so that is where resistance was coming in. It wasn't as spontaneous as I have been with the previous mandalas.
With the square, I was also feeling that it needed to be symmetrical. (some discipline involved?)
As I moved along, I realized I was creating the Andean Cross which I have been attracted to since my first trip to Peru. The image is in the yellow square, and is made with my three chosen symbols.
I intensely observed my reactions to creating this, which is something I don't always do, at least not as much.
I began to like where it was going and my attitude was changing to one of openness, excited and then settled into this feeling of being inspired ... until one point - the moons and the background to them. Unsure what to do, I waited... and then....
...... the asymmetry comes in at last. Because there were 12 circles, I thought of the 12 months, the phases of the moon and that's where I gravitated to.
To me the square is grounding (foundation). I see it as Earth, structure, rigidity, solid, stable and it is the number 5 choice of my preferences.

This was an interesting process that can be found on Sue's blog, Sacred Circle Mandalas where you can read about these symbols in depth and some very interesting info she gathered from Angeles Arrien's book, Signs of Life. Go check it out!
I'm ready to do another one..