During  the last year I was fascinated with mandalas. At first, I just got a book so I can color it, the idea of creating one was not ringing a bell at that point. Slowly I found myself craving for simple coloring process, to my surprise, I was finding myself feeling different, after I spent about 40 minutes for making one piece.

So what is Mandala and how it is defined by experts?

Mandala from ancient Sanskrit means “circle”. According to Tibetan Buddhists  mandala is ” An integrated structure organized around a unifying center” ( Lipman & Peterson, 1987). It is used as a tool of spiritual meditations by monks on a daily basis who sees it as a representation of the cosmos. Drawing mandala requires focus and continuous attempt to see the drawing as the representation of the world through it.

Jung used mandala as a way to connect with himself:

” When I began drawing the mandalas, however I saw everything, all the paths I had been following, All the steps I had been taken, where leading back to a songs point -namely, to the mid-point. It became increasingly clear to me that the mandalas is the center. It is the exponent of all paths. It is the path to the center, to the individuation”. For Jung, individual was represented through his parts and the integration of them all was the ultimate goal: “

“The self, I thought , was like the manad which I am, and which is my world. The mandala represent this monad, and corresponds to the microcosmic nature of the psyche”.

There are so many fascinating observations one makes about himself and his experience. As for me, I found that when I draw or color mandala, I simply become at piece with myself, all: self -expectations, self-criticism, self-pity and many other elements become quite within and reflection of myself occurs with clarity and compassion… I find that at times it helps me to think about difficult subjects or life situations that I don’t know how to handle or go about. When I feel emptiness or lack of connection with myself from : trying too hard, running too fast and loosing a sense of purpose, focusing too much on black and white, the circle helps me to come in terms with myself as if it presence or my process filling it in with colors or patterns brings a sense of serenity… Gandhi once said: ” My life is an invisible whole, and all my attitudes run into one another; and they all have their rise in my insatiable love for mankind”.

 I don’t know why it works and how it works, the only thing I know that I enjoy the process.

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