A Journey Into a Living Mandala

Thinking About the Meaning of a Mandala
When I started browsing mandalas in the coloring books for adults I found them enigmatic. They are usually circles or squares that contain figures inside arranged in a symmetrical order. They are commonly used to relax and to meditate. Actually, the word mandala means circle in Sanskrit and it is usually related to Eastern religious practices, such as Buddhism and Hinduism.

The coloring books for adults have templates that you can work as you wish. However, drawing your own mandala can help you to release stress and tension related to feelings that we can't express with words. The mystery behind is why mandalas are relaxing.

I am not an expert on the deep meaning of a mandala in a religious context, but I started thinking of possible answers to this question. The literature says that the circle is a universal symbol. A circle conveys a message of wholeness, completion, eternity, security and safety. When you draw inside a circle you can freely express your emotions inside a safe space with a soft boundary that it is not complicated by intricacies.

I thought about familiar objects that are represented as circles and I found the Sun, the Moon, the planets. We usually cook or eat in pots and dishes that have a circular shape from one's perspective. The tables where we eat, work, discuss are often circular or squared, also our eyes, and mirrors remind me of a mandala. Of course, flowers and butterflies also came to my mind, they are perfect designs found in nature. The time that runs day after day inside the clock in the wall marking the seconds in an exact manner or the wheels that move us from place to place, even a pizza, and a cappuccino are actually similar to the concept of a mandala.

The Clock, The Mystery of Time Inside of a Circle

It is Fun to See a Pizza as a Mandala

A Mandala-like Design on Top of a Cappuccino.

Folklore and Mandalas
In a therapeutic context, the child round is perhaps one of the most beautiful associations that came to my mind when thinking about the mandala. Several children taking their hands together, singing and moving in a circular fashion is generally a good memory for most people. In the same lines, folklore displays beautiful choreographies where people dance to form geometrical patterns to tell stories about a specific culture.

I selected some videos showing Colombian folklore from diverse regions. I can see these dances as living mandalas. The dresses, the movements, the patterns, the symmetry are an expression of energy, harmony, life, eternity, happiness, communication and cooperation rooted in the past and present of people over the world. If you have some time, please watch these videos, they are fascinating.

These dances are not related to the coloring books for adults but I could easily use a mandala to express the story, movement, harmonic movements, pirouettes and color enclosed in an imaginary circle drawn by humans dancing.