The word "mandala" is from the classical Indian language of Sanskrit. It means "circle" and 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 itself, a cosmic diagram that reminds us of our relation to the infinite, the world that extends both beyond and within our bodies and minds.
The traditional designs known as mandalas were recognized by C. G. Jung as symbolic representations of the Self.
"The soul never thinks without an image," claimed Aristotle.
Understanding the messages mandalas convey and our attraction to them opens up a door to the secret workings of our inner selves and to a fuller appreciation of the art itself.
Mandalas are often used for spiritual growth and healing. I personally find mandalas to be a great form of meditation, allowing me to let go and just experess myself through shapes and color.
You will find many books on Mandalas for a greater understanding of the history and meaning of mandalas. You will also find mandala "coloring books" with pages of mandala designs that you can color. My favorite mandala books are by Susanne Fincher. She has 3 volumes with different designs you can color.
In addition to drawing my own mandala designs, I like to color the mandala designs that are already drawn. I use colored pencils and markers, and you can use anything that feels good to you, including crayons or paint.
It is very relaxing to carefully choose the mandala I want to color, based on how I feel at any moment. It also feels good to choose just the right colors for a particular mandala. I always write a date on the page and I can go back and see how I was feeling that day, if the colors are bright or dark or subdued.
You may also create your own mandalas. All you need are paper and color pencils or markers or crayons or paint. You can trace a CD or a small plate to create a circle on your paper.
Then just allow yourself to be creative and draw in the circle whatever you feel like drawing. You can create a geometric design or draw a face or a flower or a mountain or a tree... anything at all. Just let it flow.
It's fun to draw a geometric design - just divide the circle into sections - and then color each section a different color or draw in a pattern of dots or circles or squares or triangles or stripes... anything goes. It's all about how you FEEL.
I like to get into bed early some evenings with my mandala books and pencils and color or draw a new mandala for a while. It feels really good and very relaxing.
Try it for yourself. I think you'll like it!
Copyright 2009 Linda Miller is a successful Spiritual Entrepreneur, Internet Marketer and Spiritual Mentor. http://SpiritualEntrepreneurToday.com and http://LawOfAttractionSecrets.com