Mandala Madness

Psychedelic Mandala Art!

2012-01-16T05:47:00.001-06:00

If these don't wake you up

I don't know what will!

Wow!

That's bright!

The above images are from this website. The one below is my own contribution - a fractal mandala you can download and use as desktop wallpaper - if your eyes can stand it!

Tired of Speaking Sweetly

2012-01-14T17:31:00.001-06:00

Love wants to reach out and manhandle us,
Break all our teacup talk of God.

If you had the courage and
Could give the Beloved His choice, some nights,
He would just drag you around the room
By your hair,
Ripping from your grip all those toys in the world
That bring you no joy.

Love sometimes gets tired of speaking sweetly
And wants to rip to shreds
All your erroneous notions of truth
That make you fight within yourself, dear one,
And with others,
Causing the world to weep
On too many fine days.

God wants to manhandle us,
Lock us inside of a tiny room with Himself
And practice His dropkick.

The Beloved sometimes wants
To do us a great favor:
Hold us upside down
And shake all the nonsense out.

But when we hear
He is in such a "playful drunken mood"
Most everyone I know
Quickly packs their bags and hightails it
Out of town.

Rumi from 'The Gift'
Translated by Daniel Ladinsky

Chaos

2012-01-14T16:38:00.001-06:00

For obvious reasons - I call this one Chaos.

I love the freaked out faces all around the circle.

A Mandala To Color

2012-01-12T17:24:00.012-06:00

Here is a really interesting and totally cool mandala for coloring.

The artist is skinnystraycat.

I think it's eally nifty the way picture illustrates the theme of harmony and cooperation!

Natural Harmony

2012-01-10T17:13:00.003-06:00

I love this picture!

It's looks like a natural mandala - and provides a great example of cooperation and harmony, as does the image below:

I do not know who the respective photographers are - if you know - please tell me so I can provide credit and a link.

The Trees and the Bees

2012-01-08T15:57:00.000-06:00

There was once a forest of trees, which lived a magnificent and beautiful life. Due to the natural development of their surroundings, the trees "climaxed," and then gradually died, giving way to smaller species that lived below them. Various groups of bees made their nests in the hollow trunks of these dead trees and became very happy making honey. Gradually, the trees, one by one, began to decay and fall.

The various groups of bees debated amongst themselves why this should be and concluded that it must have something to do with the various merits of their hives. Some felt that when a tree fell, the bees in it were being punished for improper belief. Others felt more charitable and wanted to bring the homeless bees to their hive, saying "It could have been us, after all." Still others felt that the hives of the homeless bees must have been flawed in some way from the beginning and so were predestined to fail.

The trees gradually continued to fall, one by one, and each time one fell, the bees in those trees still standing developed more speculations. Finally, all the bees were homeless and had to move on. Each group had been caught by surprise, believing their hive to be the true one destined to survive and bring in a new age. Each hive had failed to recognize that all trees fall eventually, and so it should finish its work and find another forest before it lost its tree. Each had failed to look further than its own hive and consider the effects of the tree, the soil and the rest of their ecology and its own survival.

From: The Sufi Book of Life
Art by: Lili Lovemonster

Flower Peace Mandalas

2012-01-08T15:40:00.052-06:00

Flower Peace - Attraction

Here is a collection of Flower Peace symbols I made using my mandala art as a base. Some of them are available at Cool Mandala Art (our Cafe Press Store).

Flower Peace - Beloved

Flower Peace - Deep

Flower Peace - Meditation

Flower Peace - Solarium

Flower Peace - Snowflake

Flower Peace - Daydream

Flower Peace - Festival

The Historical Peace Symbol

2012-01-08T15:18:00.001-06:00

In 1958, British artist Gerald Holtom drew a circle with three lines inside, intending the design to be a symbol for the Direct Action Committee Against Nuclear War (DAC).

The design incorporates a circle with the lines within it representing the simplified positions of two semaphore letters (the system of using flags to send information great distances, such as from ship to ship). The letters "N" and "D" were used to represent "nuclear disarmament." (The "N" is formed by a person holding a flag in each hand and then pointing them toward the ground at a 45 degree angle. The "D" is formed by holding one flag straight down and one straight up.)

Holtom finished his design on February 21, 1958 and the design was then first introduced to the public at a DAC march on April 4. The symbol quickly spread. In Britain, the symbol became the emblem for the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND), thus causing the design to become synonymous with nuclear disarmament. In 1960, the symbol migrated to the United States and began to be used as a symbol for the peace movement.

This symbol has become internationally recognized and is still used by peace activists today.

Article by: Jennifer Rosenberg
Source: About.com

Visiting Mandala

2012-01-03T14:56:00.001-06:00

mandalas, originally uploaded by sara biscuit.

Here is some lovely mandala art by Sara Biscuit.

The Guardians of his Beauty

2012-01-02T14:26:00.000-06:00

We are the guardians of His Beauty

We are the protector

Of the Sun.

There is only one reason

We have followed God into this world:

To encourage laughter, freedom, dance

And love.

Let a noble cry inside of you speak to me

Saying,

"Hafiz,

Don't just sit there on the moon tonight

Doing nothing -

Help unfurl my heart into the Friend's Mind,

Help, Old Man, to heal my wounded wings!"

We are the companions of His Beauty.

We are the guardians

Of Truth.

Every man, plant and creature in Existence,

Every woman, child, vein and note

Is a servant of our Beloved -

A harbinger of Joy,

The harbinger of Light.

- 60 Wild And Sweet Poems of Hafiz

Solar Halos

2012-01-02T13:59:00.001-06:00

A solar halo looks like a giant mandala of light in the sky.

Wikipedia says: A halo (from Greek ἅλως; also known as a nimbus, icebow or gloriole) is an optical phenomenon produced by ice crystals creating colored or white arcs and spots in the sky. Many are near the sun or moon but others are elsewhere and even in the opposite part of the sky. They can also form around artificial lights in very cold weather when ice crystals called diamond dust are floating in the nearby air.

Here are more cool images collected from various sources:

Images courtesy of Way Cool Pictures, Black Holes and Astrostuff, web biz 2u, Geoff Cloake, Science Photo Library, and elsewhere around the web.

A Mandala To Color

2012-01-02T12:41:00.000-06:00

Here's a cool mandala to color!

You can view and print it by visitng Mandala Mama, the artists page on flickr.

Prayer for New Year

2011-12-31T06:36:00.001-06:00

O Thou who abidest in our hearts,

most Merciful and Compassionate God, Lord of Heaven and Earth,

we forgive others their trespasses and ask Thy forgiveness of our shortcomings.

We begin the New Year with pure heart and clear conscience, with courage and hope.

Help us to fulfill the purpose of our lives under Thy divine guidance.

Amen.

~Hazrat Inayat Khan

A Cool Dragon Mandala

2011-12-30T10:45:00.001-06:00

Here's a cool spiral dragon mandala to color.

Click to enlarge, then download, print, and color.

The artist is unknown to me.

If you created this mandala, or know who did, please let me know so I can provide credit and a link.

Have fun!

Earth Cannot Escape Heaven

2011-12-30T08:55:00.001-06:00

Earth cannot escape heaven,

Flee it by going up,

Or flee it by going down,

Heaven still invades the earth,

Energizes it,

Makes it sacred.

~Meister Eckhart

Spiral Staircases

2011-12-30T07:25:00.000-06:00

Spiral staircases - a sort of architectural mandala - remind us that we are all spiraling down into our center while at the same time spiraling up into our greater selves. Here's a cool selection of photos.

Photo credits are unavailable - if one of these amazing photos is yours we'd love to know so we can give you credit and a link.

Take a Deep Breath

2011-12-27T17:56:00.001-06:00

Take a deep breath. Feel it hitting in the middle if the chest. Feel as if the whole existence is pouring vitality and life into you, into your heart. Do it at least five times.

Now exhale deeply, again from the heart, and feel you are pouring all that has been given to you back into existence.

Do this as many times in the day as you remember, but whenever you do it, do five breaths at once.

Benefits:
This technique will help you feel more vibrant and alive, enjoying whatever life brings. It will help you shift from the head to the heart. You will become more sensitive and aware of many things that you have not previously been aware of. You will start feeling life really throbbing in you.

From Pragito Dove
Discover Meditation Training Inc.
Mandala by Trevor Nichols

Pulling Together

2011-09-05T18:50:00.003-05:00

Community
Mandala Art by Shirley Gibson

Changes

2011-09-05T18:37:00.002-05:00

"Persons and societies do not submit passively to surroundings and events. They make choices as to the places where they live and the activities in which they engage -- choices based on what they want to be, to do and to become. Furthermore, persons and societies often change their goals and ways; they can even retrace their steps and start in a new direction if they believe they are on a wrong course."

~Rene Dubos

Some Unusual Floral Mandalas

2011-09-05T17:07:00.000-05:00

Yellow Daisy,
Found at Flickr.

Orange Gerbera Daisy

Found at: Flickr.

IMG 1856b

Found at: Flickr.

Cone Flower

Found at Flickr.

Harmony

2011-01-15T05:07:00.001-06:00

Harmonious living tells of harmonious thinking. A turbulent life reveals some kind of inner turmoil or lack of resolution. We may believe that we are positive, settled people, but if we notice troubles or conflicts in our outer conditons, we must look within to see what negativity is bubbling, or bubbled at some earlier time.

If you want to know what's in your subconscious, you don't have to go to a psychiatrist or a psychic. Just look at the condition of your bedroom, your car, your house, your health, and your relationships. They are photographs of your subconscious. Outer events are simply the skin and bones of inner thoughts, and to really take control of our lives, we must treat them as one.

~Alan Cohen

My Beloved

2008-08-10T01:08:00.000-05:00

My Beloved, please ask everyone to notice how
the One Being sends rain from the sky
and immediately the fields green.
The One's sight and sense cannot be fathomed,
so subtle, nurturing, mysterious
bringing the seed-self of all beings to fruition.

~Sura 22.63, Quarain

A Beautiful Rose Mirror

2008-08-09T09:59:00.001-05:00

Just look at this beautiful mosaic mandala art mirror by Lynette Smith!

Wow! Beautiful

A Sufi Story about Competition

2008-08-08T07:18:00.000-05:00

Once upon a time, a sultan set up a competition with a very rich prize for the most accomplished visual artistry. He invited teams from around the world. Both China and Greece sent delegations of artists. Each side could order whatever materials it wanted, and the wall of a room was provided for each to do its work. A curtain separated the two rooms.

The Chinese team asked for a plethora of paints made from many different plants and minerals, which provided an unimaginable array of colors. The Greek team asked only for materials for sanding and polishing.

When the two teams were finally ready, the Chinese unveiled their wall first. They had used every color of the rainbow, in a most harmonious design. The sultan was dazzled. Then the Greeks unveiled their work, throwing back the curtain between the two rooms. They had used no paint, but had polished their wall to such a degree that it reflected the work on the Chinese side. Through the play of light and air, the Chinese design seemed to move, and was even more fantastic and beautiful.

~Neil Douglas-Klotz

Gems From Mandala Oasis

2008-08-07T01:05:00.022-05:00

From Cheryl A Finley at Mandala Oasis we have these beautiful mandalas:

Peace... blooming out all over

Spiritual Insight

Harmony and Flow

Venus Flytrap

Ancient Portal

Powerful Beyond Measure

Listen to me carefully

2008-08-06T15:22:00.000-05:00

“Listen to me carefully,” I commanded. I walked him through it once again “Where you feel holding, let go. Where you sense strain, be easy. Where you are moved to push, hold back. When you find something that feels open and easy, stay there and breathe into it. "

~from Diary of the Lady Beloved by Grace Gibson

Peace

2008-07-16T01:26:00.001-05:00

Mandala art by Shirley Gibson

Why Religion?

2008-07-15T01:19:00.001-05:00

Religion means "to bind back." Its purpose is to turn us back into ourselves, to the well inside from which we are endlessly creative. God is a well that does not run dry. Religion is the process by which we constantly check in with God, as a child checks in with her mother. Once she feels secure, she is free to roam and wander. So do we need the constant reassurance that we are loved and protected, guided and watched over. There we have the strength and self-esteem we need to show up fearlessly in a fearful world.

~Marianne Williamson

Mandala for Coloring

2008-07-14T08:15:00.002-05:00

Here's an interesting mandala for you to color, the full size image can be downloaded here.
Have fun!

The Seed of God

2008-07-13T01:10:00.000-05:00

The seed of God is in us.

Now

The seed of a pear tree
Grows into a pear tree;
And a hazel seed
Grows into a hazel tree;

A seed of God
Grows into

God.

~Meister Eckhart

Green Peace

2008-07-12T09:44:00.003-05:00

Here is a desktop wallpaper created especially for you. Add some serenity to your workspace, and download the full size image here.

I looked for myself

2008-07-11T07:40:00.000-05:00

I looked for my self,
but my self, but my self was gone.
The boundaries of my being
had disappeared in the sea.
Waves broke. Awareness rose again,
And a voice returned me to myself
It always happens like this.
Sea turns on itself and foams,
and with every foaming bit
another body, another being takes form.
And when the sea sends word,
each foaming body
melts back to ocean-breath.

~Jelaluddin Rumi

Beautiful and Sacred

2008-07-10T08:23:00.005-05:00

From the Golden Light Centre,
we have the spiritual art of Francene Hart

Meditation for Starting Out in the Journey

2008-07-09T09:26:00.003-05:00

With one hand lightly on your heart, breathe easily and gently, feel the awareness of breath and heartbeat creating a clear, spacious place inside. Breathe with the sound of the word bismillah (BiS-MiL-LaaH). When we remember to connect our heart to the Heart of the Cosmos, we recall that, as the Sufis say, "God is your lover, not your jailer."

~Neil Douglas-Klotz

Beginning

2008-07-08T09:10:00.000-05:00

The Sufis often begin something new by breathing the Arabic word "bismillah", which can be translated poetically:

We begin by remembering
the sound and feeling of the One Being,
the wellspring of love.
We affirm that the next thing we experience
shimmers with the light of the whole universe.

~Neil Douglas-Klotz

Oops!

2008-07-07T18:52:00.002-05:00

Mandalas don't have to be serious. Here's something fun.
Art by Shirley Gibson

2008-07-06T04:59:00.000-05:00

It is too clear and so it is hard to see.
A dunce once searched for a fire with a lighted lantern.
Had he known what fire was,
He could have cooked his rice much sooner.

- Zen Saying

For Your Coloring Pleasure

2008-07-05T02:43:00.002-05:00

Here's an interesting mandala to color,
the full size image can be downloaded here.

The artist is unknown to me.

If you created this mandala, or know who did, please let me know so I can provide credit and a link.

Have fun!

Happy Fourth!

2008-07-04T08:54:00.002-05:00

Poi Circles, originally uploaded by hendriko.

Long exposure shot of poi artist Nick Woolsey from playpoi.com.The pattern Nick is spinning here is known as compound circles or flowers. For more information on this pattern see Nick's video tutorial "The Secret of Poi Flowers".

2008-07-04T01:09:00.000-05:00

The trouble with the future is that it usually arrives before we are ready for it.

~Arnold Glasow

Squaring the Circle Revisited

2008-07-03T17:53:00.002-05:00

The mosiacs from the Squared Circle group at Flickr tweaked my curiosity and I started wondering if a Mandala really does qualify as a "squared circle." My internet search for the meaning of this phrase landed me at Wikipedia from which comes the following explanation:

"Squaring the Circle is a problem proposed by ancient geometers. It is the challenge to construct a square with the same area as a given circle by using only a finite number of steps with compass and straightedge. More abstractly and more precisely, it may be taken to ask whether specified axioms of Euclidean geometry concerning the existence of lines and circles entail the existence of such a square.

In 1882, the task was proven to be impossible, as a consequence of the fact that pi (π) is a transcendental, rather than algebraic irrational number; that is, it is not the root of any polynomial with rational coefficients. It had been known for some decades before then that if π were transcendental then the construction would be impossible, but that π is transcendental was not proven until 1882. Approximate squaring to any given non-perfect accuracy, on the other hand, is possible in a finite number of steps, as a consequence of the fact that there are rational numbers arbitrarily close to π.

The term quadrature of the circle is sometimes used synonymously, or may refer to approximate or numerical methods for finding the area of a circle."

Well, that started out simply enough, and then it went right over my head. Math was never my best subject.

Mandala Mosaics at Flickr

2008-07-02T17:38:00.001-05:00

From krazydad at Flickr, we have these wonderful mosaic images.

A Sufi Story

2008-07-01T12:55:00.002-05:00

One day a neighbor found Mullah Nasruddin sitting in a tree in his garden, in the process of sawing off the limb on which he was sitting.

"Mullah, you'd better stop, otherwise you'll fall down," said the neighbor, then went back inside his house. Sure enough, Mullah kept sawing, the limb broke, and he fell. Mullah ran next door and pounded on his neighbor's door.

"O, great one, please forgive me," said Mullah, "I didn't know I had a psychic for a neighbor! Could you please predict what will happen to me tomorrow?"

The neighbor tried to deny that he could predict the future, saying that what he had told Mullah was just common sense. But Mullah wouldn't listen and kept after him. Finally, the neighbor became exasperated and said, "Mullah, for heaven's sake, for all I care you can drop dead tomorrow!"

The next morning, Mullah woke and said to his wife, "Our neighbor is a psychic and he told me that I would drop dead today, so I have to prepare." He took his donkey along for company and went to the graveyard, then dug a grave for himself and lay down in it. As the day ended, he was still lying there and thought, "I must be dead now. This isn't really so bad!"

Then a pack of dogs came by and started harassing his donkey. The donkey began to bray and make a racket. Finally, Mullah yelled from the grave, "You dogs - get out of here! If I weren't dead I'd get out of my grave and give you a thrashing!"

Solstice

2008-06-22T09:40:00.000-05:00

Mandala Art by Shirley Gibson

2008-06-21T01:34:00.000-05:00

There is no need to run outside
for better seeing,
Not to peer from a window. Rather abide
at the center of your being;
for the more you leave it, the less you learn.

~Lao Tze

Maze Mandala for Coloring

2008-06-20T20:33:00.002-05:00

Here is an unusual mandala for your coloring pleasure.

The full size image is available for download here.

The artist is unknown to me.

If you created this mandala, or know who did, please let me know so I can provide credit and a link.

Have fun!

A Labyrinth Mural

2008-06-19T08:41:00.003-05:00

The 100' wide by 22' tall "Labyrinth of Lifelong Learning" mural covers the north wall of our Seniors' Education Centre at 270 Sherbrook Avenue. The labyrinth represents a symbolic pathway depicting the many faces of our community and our common humanity.

Anne Nesbitt, a long-time CRM instructor, inspired the concept with her labyrinth design. Well known mural artist Charlie Johnston of C5 Artworks designed and oversaw the painting of the mural.

The "Labyrinth of Lifelong Learning" mural project has been a very satisfying project from start to finish, with wonderful co-operation and support from West Broadway groups and residents. Many tourists, passers-by and members stopped to chat, comment on the work, and express their appreciation for the initiative taken by Creative Retirement to beautify the neighbourhood.

Exploring Energy Flow

2008-06-18T02:48:00.000-05:00

To demonstrate how energy flows where attention goes, and how thought affects physical energy, pick up a chair by its seat and feel the weight of it. Then put it back down. Now focus your attention on the very top of the chair's back and pick it up by the seat again. if your focus is good the chair will feel lighter. Regardless of how you want to explain it, the practical fact is that if you have to lift anything you will find it easier to do if your attention is focused on the very top of the object or even in the air a foot above it.

~Serge Kahili King

Attention Goes Where Energy Flows

2008-06-17T02:47:00.001-05:00

Attention is quite naturally attracted to bright lights, shiny objects, and loud noises, but we may not realize that the common factor of all three is their energy intensity. Attention is attracted to any strong source of energy that stimulates any of our senses, even those subtle senses of which most people are unaware.

Certain people, because of their emotional intensity or sensory focus, have such a strong aura or energy field that they automatically attract the attention of others whenever they come into view. On a larger scale, some geographical areas - usually areas of high earthquake activity or potential - have a higher energy intensity than others, thereby attracting greater populations, which increase the energy even more.

Much is written nowadays about sacred power spots, but I think their power is a passive one that allows you to relax and destress from the really active power spots of urban centers. The tingling sensations and psychic phenomena experienced at such places occur as you begin to relax and your bottled-up energy from the more highly active place you came from begins to flow. Human beings are such energy generators themselves, howvever, that if a lot of them move to a nice, quite, passive power spot, they can soon turn it into an active, dynamic, and possibly stressful power spot.

~Serge Kahili King

God

2008-06-16T02:04:00.000-05:00

God created all things in such a way
That they are not outside himself,
As ignorant people falsely imagine.

Rather,
All creatures flow outward, but nonetheless remain with God.

God created all things in this way:

Not that they might stand outside of
God, nor alongside God,
Nor beyond God.
But that they might

Come into God
And receive God
And dwell in God.

For this reason everything that is

Is bathed in God,
Is enveloped by God,
Who is round-about us all, enveloping us.

~Meister Eckhart

This is interesting

2008-06-15T03:00:00.000-05:00

I grew up on stories about Joshua and the Battle of Jerico, so I found this particular labyrinth image really interesting. Is it true? I have no idea. What I do know is that it was painted by Elisha ben Avraham Crescas in the 14th century Farhi Bible, and that it is titled "Map of Jerico".

How To Draw A Labyrinth

2008-06-14T06:21:00.000-05:00

From Geomancy.org comes a great little tutorial on the why and the how to draw labyrinths.

Here's a teaser: I know this is cyberspace, but I beg you to draw some labyrinths with paper and pencil (you remember those crude stick-like writing implements?). The construction of a labyrinth is a lesson in sacred geometry. If you do it just with your brain and not with your hand, you won't really gnow what it is all about.

Please draw this labyrinth at least ten times! Look for the feeling you get when you draw a labyrinth and that point when you don't have to think about it any more, and your hand gnows what to do 'by itself'. Gnowing is consciously using both your analytical/left-brain and your intuitive/right-brain assets equally.

Need to see that animation in slow motion? Here ya go:

Prayer of the Chalice

2008-06-13T03:39:00.000-05:00

Father, to Thee I raise my whole being,
a vessel emptied of self. Accept Lord,
this my emptiness, and so fill me
with Thyself-- Thy Light, Thy Love,
Thy Life-- that these precious gifts
may radiate through me and over-
flow the chalice of my heart
into the hearts of all with
whom I come in contact this
day, revealing unto them
the beauty of
Thy Joy
and
Wholeness
and
the
Serenity
of Thy Peace
which nothing can destroy

The Chalice Labyrinth

2008-06-12T03:16:00.000-05:00

The Chalice Labyrinth is a 6-circuit design from the classical tradition with labyrs added to increase directional changes and to give the design the appearance of a cross (Chartres tradition). The entrance is also enhanced to resemble a "chalice" that is supporting the meditative area at the center of the labyrinth. Lastly, this design incorporates an enlarged center area to accommodate more walkers.

Please note the sacred geometric connotations in the bottom portion of the design:

- the 3 left circuits (representing heaven) meeting
- the 4 right circuits (representing earth) at
- the entrance chalice (representing the Christ consciousness)

Another interesting facet of the Chalice Labyrinth is that the walker completes the three outer circuits of all four quadrants before walking the three inner circuits. Metaphysically, the seventh chakra in the Chalice Labyrinth is the labyrinth's center.

The Chalice Labyrinth could be a viable option for those who want the simplicity of the classical design but also the beauty and directional switches (labyrs) of the Chartres labyrinth design.

The Chalice Labyrinth design is offered freely to anyone who wants to reproduce it. A comprehensive tutorial can be found here.

Another Visiting Labyrinth

2008-06-11T03:47:00.000-05:00

Labyrinths are not difficult to create, here is a nice one from Knowth.com

Garden Labyrinth with standing stone, the larger stones in the ground (at the front in the photograph) mark the setting sun at the winter solstice, equinox and summer solstice. Three stones on the east of the labyrinth (at the back in the photograph) mark the rising sun at the winter solstice, equinox and summer solstice.

When the Garden Labyrinth was first constructed, the paving bricks were placed on the grass, maintenance was time consuming, so the paving bricks were sunk to be flush with the ground.

The design is a classical 7 circuit labyrinth. The centre was changed so that there are no straight lines, like the entrance stone at Newgrange.

This is how it looks in winter.

On Walking A Labyrinth

2008-06-10T02:58:00.000-05:00

There are two basic principles:

On the labyrinth, everything is metaphor.
There is no right or wrong way to walk the labyrinth.

Walking the labyrinth is quite personal. There are many different reactions to a labyrinth walk—joy, contemplation, revelation, sadness, elation, etc. Be unselfconscious and give yourself permission to let your reaction be expressed as it chooses—crying, laughing, dancing, singing. There should be absolutely no judgement or embarrassment associated with a labyrinth experience. Don’t be surprised by your reaction. Remember, there is no right or wrong way to walk the labyrinth. Trust Spirit.

With the labyrinth, everything is metaphor—sound, waiting, thoughts, smells, body feelings, witnessing others, etc. Let the experience be what it will be.

The labyrinth is a two-way path. The walk is interactive. Do what feel natural. Follow your own pace. If you lose your way, that’s OK. Think of it as metaphor. It is OK to pass and to be passed. You may want to stop, especially at the switch-back turns. When on the labyrinth, it is important to be considerate. In the center you may want to visit each of the pedals, you may sit or lie down, and can stay for as long as you wish. There is no right or wrong way to walk the labyrinth.

A labyrinth walk is often considered a three fold path. Walking the labyrinth is a time of release, quieting, emptying, shedding (Purgation). Standing in the center is a time of awakening, receiving, opening (Illumination). And the journey out is a time of return, integrating, strengthening (Union). It is the metaphoric path home. Again, on the labyrinth everything is metaphor.

Take your shoes off unless you need them for support or medical reasons. You may want to approach the labyrinth with a centering thought or a question. You can ring a bell, wave a scarf, listen to music, or do what ever during your walk. It is common to make a ritual bow before beginning. When finished, it is again common to acknowledge the labyrinth.

Processing your experience is mostly personal. Keeping silence for a time is one way to do this. Be with your experience, your feelings (especially how you feel in your body), and your thoughts. It may be hard to express your reaction or experience in words so process things internally and symbolically. If you can, you may want to draw or write in a journal.

Consciousness

2008-06-09T02:56:00.000-05:00

Consciousness thus proceeds from the more limited to the more comprehensive, from lesser to greater intensity, from lower to higher dimensions, and each higher dimension includes the lower ones by coordinating its elements in a wider and more intricate structure of relationships. ... Thus the reality of a lower dimension is not devaluated or eliminated by the higher one, but only relativized.

~Lama Anagarika Govinda

Here's a Labyrinth Template to Play With

2008-06-08T02:44:00.000-05:00

You can visit the Flickr page to download the image full size, or you can click on this link.

Not quite sure how to use something like this, or how to color it? Here is an interesting image that might give you some ideas. It's from Heart Sounds.

A short history of the labyrinth

2008-06-07T01:48:00.000-05:00

The classic eleven circuit labyrinth was laid on the floor of Chartres Cathedral in about 1201. The oldest labyrinth associated with Christianity dates from the 4th Century and is found at Repartus, Orleansville in Algeria.

A labyrinth represents a spiral approach to the Divine, through the three-fold act of release (Purgation), awakening (Illumination), and return (Union). It intentionally evokes the character of a pilgrimage, in the Christian sense a pilgrimage to the Celestial City or Jerusalem. Everything that happens on the labyrinth is metaphor and so it serves as a metaphorical doorway to personal enlightenment. The labyrinth itself is an outward expression of the inward symbol of wholeness.

The classic Chartres labyrinth is an eleven circuit labyrinth which means it is made up of eleven concentric circles connected by thirty-four turns, twenty-eight of which are 180° switch-backs. There are ten axe-like labyrs which occur on the labyrinth. When viewing the labyrinth from above you’ll notice that the labyrs emanate from the labyrinth’s center to the right and left and out the top, thereby forming a Cross with the entry/exit path at the bottom.

The center of the labyrinth is a rosette, the symbol of Mary. It is also evocative of the lotus from Eastern traditions. This rosette has six pedals. One medieval tradition associated the pedals with mineral, vegetable, animal, human, angel, and unknown. The pedals may, however, represent many things collectively or personally.

Around the outside of the classic Chartres labyrinth are one hundred and fourteen lunations—113 cusps and 112 foils—(1 cusp and 2 foils are absent at the labyrinth gate). These are thought to represent the 28½ day lunar cycle and may have been used for as a calendar. The bones of the labyrinth are an invisible thirteen point star.

A labyrinth Poem

2008-06-06T08:09:00.001-05:00

Rows of ragged rocks outline a path for healing?

Brown, decaying leaves hug the winter ground – a blanket to transform?

The labyrinth awaits the sojourner--
almost calls her name--
Will you enter my simple boundaries
and journey my paths
One Step at a Time?

Straight ahead, yet winding and crooked
The curled road beckons to be trod --
reinforcing the uplifted
blessing the downtrodden
Maybe tears, maybe joy, maybe peace
One Step at a Time.

All who are heavy laden, come stand at the gate
All who are fragmented, place one foot down
and the other in front
All who find wonder in the commonplace,
Come travel the narrow rows
One Step at a Time.

Give up your burdens, your middle of the night worries
Lay a care on a silver, craggly rock as you pass
and move on to the next,
the monotony will soothe you
One Step at a Time.

Moving inward,
The trail winds in and out
Muscles untensing,
The walker’s job seems easy,
The cares tumble down
and hit the ground with imagined force
lightening the load on contact
One Step at a Time.

Step 48, step 49, many more follow
while curling toward center like a
snail into its shell
Motionless at last,
a wooden cross is sighted,
God’s presence overwhelms
and envelopes the inner sanctum--
His peace now a cloister
on the journey half over
One Step at a Time.

The pause to discover
new perspectives to ponder
fresh eyes, lightened heart
the world is a wonder
with steps unencumbered
the pilgrimage rewinds
One Step at a Time.

The breathing is slower
the feet touch down lower,
and easier on the road well-worn
The unknown, now familiar
the end is the beginning
the sad is now glory
All happening unexpectedly
One Step at a Time.

A twist inward
A transformation outward
A fresh view from fatigued eyes
All part of a simple design
of much complexity
with the whole greater
than the sum of the steps
All the while traveling
One Step at a Time.

Suzanne Moody
March 1999
Macon, Georgia

Visiting Labyrinths

2008-06-05T01:40:00.000-05:00

People have been creating and walking labyrinths for thousands of years. Here are is a small collection of labyrinths from around the world.

"The City of Troy", a roadside turf labyrinth in the Howardian Hills of Yorkshire, England.

Labyrinth vor St Lambertus, Mingolsheim

The Boston College Memorial Labyrinth. In memory of BC Alumni who died in the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001

Serenity Studios, a private labyrinth retreat.

The Labyrinth in Holy Spirit Seminary

Gracefield Labyrinth

AKDW Labyrinth

If you are interested in visiting a labyrinth, there's a nifty little website with a Worldwide Labyrinth Locator. Here's a direct link: Verditas labyrinth Society.

What is a Labyrinth?

2008-06-04T01:27:00.000-05:00

The labyrinth is an ancient spiritual tool that has been used throughout the world for over four thousand years. A labyrinth is a circuitous path with one entrance point that leads through a series of switch-backs to its center.

A labyrinth is not a maze. A maze, by contrast, has dead-ends and blind alley ways. Its intention is confusion and mystery. The labyrinth, when followed, leads eventually and without making choices to the center. It is designed for one to find his/her way. The labyrinth may be thought of as a map, but as such it should not be confused with the territory that it represents, that is the inner Being and its relationship with Spirit.

Your life is a sacred journey

2008-06-03T01:44:00.000-05:00

Your life is a sacred journey. And it is about change, growth, discovery, movement, transformation, continuously expanding your vision of what is possible, stretching your soul, learning to see clearly and deeply, listening to your intuition, taking courageous challenges at every step along the way. You are on the path... exactly where you are meant to be right now... And from here, you can only go forward, shaping your life story into a magnificent tale of triumph, of healing of courage, of beauty, of wisdom, of power, of dignity, and of love."

~Caroline Adams

The Land's End Labyrinth

2008-06-02T01:49:00.000-05:00

From San Francisco Labyrinths,
here are some beautiful images of the Land's End labyrinth.

You are deeply appreciated!

2008-06-01T01:58:00.000-05:00

May the blessing of light be on you,
light without and light within.

May the blessed sun shine on you
and warm your heart till it glows
like a great peat fire,

so that the stranger may come
and warm himself at it,
and also a friend.

-oOo-

This free desktop wallpaper can be downloaded at Flickr.
Enjoy!

Energy Mandala to Color

2008-05-31T00:27:00.000-05:00

If you enjoy coloring mandalas, here's something a little bit different.

The full size image can be downloaded at flickr.
Have fun!

2008-05-30T09:56:00.000-05:00

The only sin is limitation.

~Ralph Waldo Emerson

Starz

2008-05-29T01:03:00.000-05:00

Mandala Art by Shirley Gibson

Allow Yourself

2008-05-28T01:27:00.000-05:00

There are
worlds
beyond universes
to which you
rarely allow yourself
to travel.

Know there
go there
there there.

~Bernard Gunther

Fractal Mandala Art

2008-05-27T09:34:00.001-05:00

Annie's Charm

Orange Blossom

Tangents

Antimatter Chamber

Full Bloom

Butterfly of Love

Nexus of Nowhere

Event Horizon

Aren't these beautiful?
They are available for download as full size high resolution desktop wallpaper at Time Out of Mind.

A Simple Mandala to Color

2008-05-25T21:37:00.003-05:00

Here is a simple mandala for your coloring pleasure.
Download here.

2008-05-24T21:24:00.000-05:00

The life of a man is a self-evolving circle, which, from a ring imperceptibly small, rushes on all sides outwards to new and larger circles, and that without end.

~Ralph Waldo Emerson

Exhuberant

2008-05-23T21:21:00.000-05:00

Mandala Art by Shirley Gibson

2008-05-22T09:13:00.001-05:00

All hiding places reveal God.
If you want to escape God,
He runs into your lap.

For,
God is at home.
It is we who have gone out for a walk.

~Meister Eckhart

Rugs As Mandalas

2008-05-21T08:59:00.000-05:00

A mandala can be as ordinary as a rug...

Sit Silently and Wait

2008-05-20T20:46:00.003-05:00

A meditative awareness comes like a whisper, not a shout, with noiseless footsteps. If you are full of occupations, busyness and noise it might come and wait, but then it will leave.

Set aside some time -- 3, 5, 10, 15 minutes or longer -- preferably every day, for sitting in silence. It doesn’t matter where you are, just sit, close your eyes, and wait. Don’t do anything, just sit in great waiting with an open, trusting heart. Then if something is to “happen” you will be ready to receive it. If nothing happens, at least you’ve had this “down time” to do nothing. No matter what, after sitting silently for a while you will feel more in touch with yourself, more peaceful.

When and Where:
Most people find that it works best to do this at the same time every day. It doesn’t matter what time you choose, but setting aside a set time, say as a mid-morning break or during your lunch hour, helps make it part of your daily routine. When the inner consciousness knows that the outer consciousness is waiting for it, there is a greater possibility of a meeting.

Benefits:
As you practice doing nothing, by and by an understanding will start to arise between you and the meditative state. As this understanding grows you will start to feel a subtle quality of relaxation, of serenity woven into the textureof your whole day.

From: Discover Meditation Training Inc.

A Mandala to Color

2008-05-19T00:22:00.002-05:00

For your coloring pleasure!
Like it?
Download the full size image here.

Floral Mandala Wallpaper

2008-05-18T00:11:00.002-05:00

Floral Mandala by Shirley Gibson.

Here is a desktop wallpaper created especially for you. Add some beauty to your workspace, and download the full size image here.

Power Of The Heart

2008-05-17T00:09:00.001-05:00

"I trust so much in the power of the heart and the soul; I know that the answer to what we need to do next is in our own hearts. All we have to do is listen, then take that one step further and trust what we hear. We will be taught what we need to learn."

~Melody Beattie

Rite

2008-05-16T11:50:00.002-05:00

Mandala Art by Shirley Gibson

Being Human

2008-05-15T11:47:00.000-05:00

This being human is a guest house
Every morning a new arrival …
Welcome and entertain them all!
Even if they’re a crowd of sorrows, …
Be grateful for whoever comes,
because each has been sent
as a guide from beyond.

~Rumi

Decorate Your Body

2008-05-14T01:41:00.000-05:00

Love mandalas?
Here are some cool designs from Tattoo Me.

School of Truth

2008-05-13T01:36:00.000-05:00

O fool, do something, so you won't just stand there looking dumb.
If you are not traveling and on the road, how can you call yourself a guide?

In the School of Truth, one sits at the feet of the Master of Love.
So listen, son, so that one day you may be an old father, too!

All this eating and sleeping has made you ignorant and fat;
By denying yourself food and sleep, you may still have a chance.

Know this: If God should shine His lovelight on your heart,
I promise you'll shine brighter than a dozen suns.

And I say: wash the tarnished copper of your life from your hands;
To be Love's alchemist, you should be working with gold.

Don't sit there thinking; go out and immerse yourself in God's sea.
Having only one hair wet with water will not put knowledge in that head.

For those who see only God, their vision
Is pure, and not a doubt remains.

Even if our world is turned upside down and blown over by the wind,
If you are doubtless, you won't lose a thing.

O Hafiz, if it is union with the Beloved that you seek,
Be the dust at the Wise One's door, and speak!

~Hafiz

Fractal Mandala Wallpaper

2008-05-12T14:12:00.003-05:00

Created by Shirley Gibson to add beauty and life to your workspace. You can download the full size image here. Enjoy!

Peony

2008-05-11T14:03:00.000-05:00

For your coloring pleasure.
Download full size image here.

Pollyanna Mandala

2008-05-10T14:00:00.000-05:00

Art by Shirley Gibson

Pollyanna

2008-05-09T13:52:00.000-05:00

Do you recall the time and place
You traded wonder for wit and wisdom?
When surprise went out of fashion
And your point of view turned sharp and trendy?

You called it self preservation
But you have been the injured party ever since…

Come back here and be the smallest one in the room
The one who gasps at the ordinary
The one who cries when it's sad and laughs at the littlest thing
Walk into this place where you don't know what to think

What grievance could possibly follow you
Into this house of joy?

~Grace Gibson

Peace Buddha Girls

2008-05-08T13:32:00.000-05:00

I liked the Peace Buddha Girls from Turtle Moon so much that I made a slide show, and I thought I'd share it here.

The Peace Buddha Girls Gallery Archive

2008-05-08T13:25:00.000-05:00

If you're not big on slide shows, here is an image archive of all the Peace Buddha Girls in the show. Enjoy!

Truth

2008-05-07T13:31:00.000-05:00

Truth is within ourselves.
There is an inmost center in us all,
Where the truth abides in fullness; and to know
Rather consists in opening out a way
Whence the imprisoned splendor may escape
Than in effecting entry for a light
Supposed to be without.

~Robert Browning

Peace Pie

2008-05-06T13:15:00.001-05:00

Not all mandalas are circular symetrical forms.
Here is a wonderful Peace Pie mandala from Turtle Moon.

Wow!

Unwinding

2008-05-05T12:47:00.000-05:00

Here is a mandala for your coloring pleasure.

It can be downloaded at Flickr here.

Cosmic Butterflies

2008-05-04T12:25:00.000-05:00

Desktop wallpaper by Shirley Gibson.

Add beauty and color to your workspace, and download the full size image here.

A Bucket Story

2008-05-03T12:18:00.000-05:00

A water bearer in China had two large pots, each hung on the ends of a pole which he carried across his neck. One of the pots had a crack in it, while the other pot was perfect and always delivered a full portion of water. At the end of the long walk from the stream to the House, the cracked pot arrived only half full. For a full two years this went on daily, with the bearer delivering only one and a half pots full of water to his house. Of course, the perfect pot was proud of its accomplishments, perfect for which it was made. But the poor cracked pot was ashamed of it’s own imperfection. And miserable that it was able to accomplish only half of what it had been made to do.

After two years of what it perceived to be a bitter failure, it spoke to the water bearer one day by the stream. “I am ashamed of myself, and I want to apologize to you. I have been able to deliver only half my load because this crack in my side causeswater to leak out all the way back to your house. Because of my flaws, you have to do all of this work, and you don’t get full value from your efforts,” the pot said.

The bearer said to the pot, “Did you notice that there were flowers only on your side of the path, but not on the other pot’s side? That’s because I have always known about your flaw. So I planted flower seeds on your side of the path, and every day while we walk back, you’ve watered them. For two years I have been able to pick these beautiful flowers to decorate the table. Without you being just the way you are, there would not be this beauty to grace the house?

Moral: Each of us has our own unique flaws. We’re all cracked pots. But it’s the cracks and flaws we each have that make our lives together so very interesting and rewarding. You’ve just got to take each person for what they are, and look for the good in them.

Blessed are the flexible, for they shall not be bent out of shape.
Remember to appreciate all the different people in your life.

Charisma

2008-05-02T01:12:00.000-05:00

Mandala Art by Shirley Gibson

Beneath the surface

2008-05-01T01:05:00.000-05:00

As with all my work, whether it's a leaf on a rock or ice on a rock, I'm trying to get beneath the surface appearance of things. Working the surface of a stone is an attempt to understand the internal energy of the stone.

Ideas must be put to the test. That's why we make things, otherwise they would be no more than ideas. There is often a huge difference between an idea and its realisation. I've had what I thought were great ideas that just didn't work.

I enjoy the freedom of just using my hands and "found" tools - a sharp stone, the quill of a feather, thorns. I take the opportunities each day offers: if it is snowing, I work with snow, at leaf-fall it will be with leaves; a blown-over tree becomes a source of twigs and branches. I stop at a place or pick up a material because I feel that there is something to be discovered. Here is where I can learn.

Movement, change, light, growth and decay are the lifeblood of nature, the energies that I try to tap through my work. I need the shock of touch, the resistance of place, materials and weather, the earth as my source. Nature is in a state of change and that change is the key to understanding. I want my art to be sensitive and alert to changes in material, season and weather. Each work grows, stays, decays. Process and decay are implicit. Transience in my work reflects what I find in nature.

~Andy Goldsworthy

Natural Mandala Forms

2008-04-30T01:38:00.000-05:00

Natural art by Andy Goldsworthy. His craft, including arches, serpentine and seed figures, holes, color gradients are all created from and in nature - most to then be destroyed by nature herself again.

His mastery of patience as he constructs his living art is coupled by his desire to make something that takes incredible amounts of time look effortless. These are just some examples of his work.

2008-04-29T11:31:00.000-05:00

It is the artist's mission to penetrate...in the womb of nature, in the primal ground of creation where the secret key to all things lies hidden.

~Paul Klee

Hypnotic Yin Yang

2008-03-27T22:11:00.000-05:00

Wrapping up the Yin Yang series with this hypnotic slide show.
Enjoy!

Yin Yang Mandala Gallery Archive

2008-03-27T21:53:00.000-05:00

I've compiled a small image gallery of all the Yin Yang mandalas here at Mandala Madness. To view the mandala full size, you can click on the thumbnail.