My first Intuitive Mandala Art

(中文在英文後面)

I have heard and saw some different types of Mandala art before and have been interested to get to know more about it for quite some time. Lately, two of my girlfriends who have done it before invited me to get together to do an Intuitive Mandala Art.

The mandala is a spiritual and ritual symbol in Hinduism and Buddhism, representing the universe. A mandala, which is Sanskrit for “circle” or “discoid object,” is a geometric design that symbolizes the idea that life is never-ending and everything is connected. The mandala also represents the spiritual journey within the individual viewer. 

When somebody creates a mandala it becomes a window for exploring one’s inner self. It is used for insight, healing, and self-expression in a circular design, reflecting the wholeness of the person creating it.

Psychologist Carl Jung reasoned mandalas to be a representation of one’s collective unconscious which is a representation of a form of the unconscious that is different from Freud’s concept of the subconscious and unconscious. He claimed mandalas were a map of one’s interior world.

Mandalas are often used in therapy. … Your mandala is your sacred circle, and it tells your story. Drawing mandalas is a form of art therapy that can reduce anxiety, tension, and overall stress. Drawing stimulates creativity and is a way to release emotional blockages.

The destruction of the mandala serves as a reminder of the impermanence of life. The colored sand is swept up into an urn and dispersed into flowing water – a way of extending the healing powers to the whole world. It is seen as a gift to the mother earth to re-energize the environment and universe.

After my friend explains a bit about Mandala, I felt that creating a Mandala art is like Art Therapy or a different way of meditation but it goes a lot deeper inside you. It’s very therapeutic just like gardening or calligraphy because you quiet your mind, focus on something and go inward.

She said it’s been a year since the pandemic due to COVID-19. Many things have changed – the outside world and inside of ourselves as well. So the topic of today is “How does the pandemic have impacted our lives?

Then, the classical music radio in the background begin to play Ludovico Einaudi – Nuvole Bianche (White Clouds), and I started getting very emotional for unknown reasons for the length of the music.

White Clouds (the English translation)

After the music is over and I began to calm down, my girlfriend asks me about the music. While I was telling them how and when I know about the music, I slowly realized that the music was attached to the period of time that I was not in a good place which explains why I felt sad and start tearing.

Then, I picked up the dark purple (soft pastels) and draw a rounded doc in the middle, and using different colors to draw more rounded docs. When I filled the black paper with many rounded dots, it reminded me of a felt ball trivet.

And then, I use my finger, from the purple in the center, moving clockwise outward, to create a ripple effect type of look. And that’s it.

Before (above) and after (below) sprays clear paint.

When everyone completed their piece, we started sharing our own story behind the art piece.

When I was making the art, I wasn’t thinking much at all. I didn’t really know what I was doing. However, after I relax a bit, some thoughts just showed up and the story just rolls out of my mouth.

One year is a long time, especially since the world seems just shut down and we almost cut off all the connections with people. Maybe things have changed in a very slow and subtle way that we don’t even notice.

All the color-rounded dots represent all my emotions, different events, or experiences that have happened in my past, present, and even the future life that are all connected together. We are all connected – human and mother earth and only love can heal. With a stone throw into water that creates the ripple effect on all levels of my life – physical, emotional, and spiritual that creates uncertainty that makes me feel my life is out of focus or control.

It’s like the night after the rain. There are water drops on a window, and there are colorful street lights behind the glass. When the camera is out of focus, the colorful lights reflect on the water drops, shows a mysterious but beautiful look.

I think I am in a better place now since I used more bright colors. I just need to calm my mind, go deeper inward to find the focus in life, then do what I have set up for myself to do in this life.

I think the year of the pandemic is actually a gift that the universe gave us which forces us to slow down, rethink the purpose in life, rearrange the priority and readjust our attitude.

Most of us living in a life with competition, comparison, pursue material and fame, all the happiness are from outside, therefore, our body and mind are often under a lot of stress, unhealthy diet, and insomnia, and we ignore the SOS signal from our body. Art therapy (garden therapy and meditation) is a great way to directly connecting our inner-self. Mandala art can help you stay calm, relax and release, connecting your subconscious while you are drawing. The longer or often you do Mandala art, the better healing. When you are looking for inner-strength, creativity, and liberating potential, try Mandala.

* Below are my other girlfriends’ art work from that day.

Next Post: MY 2ND INTUITIVE MANDALA ART WITH BACH FLOWER REMEDIES

我看過不同種類的曼達拉作品 (沙畫, 線繞, 點畫), 一直想要多瞭解一點, 或者有興趣試試看, 但一直沒有做進一步接觸, 直到最近有二位做過曼達拉畫作的女友邀請我一起參加她們的直覺式曼達拉畫作工作坊. 女友準備所有畫具材料, 先簡單介紹一下曼達拉的歷史由來, 我覺得藝術的治療方式和園藝或靜坐冥想一樣, 都是為了讓我們的心靜下來, 和自己的內在連結.

Mandala  (中譯為曼達拉或曼陀羅)，是一個靈性記號，在印度教和佛教裡代表著宇宙, 梵文的意譯 “壇”、“聖圓”、“中心”、“輪圓具足”、“聚集”等，在古印度常被用來做為協助靜心與集中心念的一種工具。一個曼達拉代表一種特別的思想或是概念的精華，它造就了一體感，透過它的設計及色彩，可以更完整地把意識帶到該概念當中。每一個圓都包含有一個中心，象徵和諧完整的宇宙，而我們每一個人的內在，也是一個獨立的小宇宙，所以我們可以透過Mandala的圖形與顏色來啟發自己更高層次靈感與能量。這些幾何圖形設計，代表著生命是永不止境，一切事物都是相連的。藉由曼達拉來打開內心的窗口，進而可以認識自己， 療癒自己， 抒發自己。

著名的心理學家榮格 (Carl Jung) 便認為曼達拉能代表內在的潛意識自我，在一個圓形結構中，用不同的顏色作畫或自由塗鴉，能幫助內在釋放壓抑的情緒，或更了解內在的真實情緒狀態及情感需求，進而整合失序的內在，以獲得療癒並更趨完整。 在現代藝術治療的過程中，創造、認識、並接受屬於自己的圓，就是一個很重要的環節。

最後女友問我們, 疫情至今已經超過一年, 這一年對我們造成什麼影響? 而這就是我們今天直覺式曼達拉畫的主題.

更巧的是, 話才說完, 古典音樂廣播台接著放的音樂就是Ludovico Einaudi – Nuvole Bianche (White Clouds), 而我沒有原因卻不由自主地開始流淚. 等到音樂結束, 我稍微平穩後, 女友問我有關這首歌, 就在我開始分享我是在哪個時間和哪個場景知道這首歌的當下, 我慢慢地意識到, 這首歌剛好出現在我人生很低潮的那一段, 難怪我聽到這音樂就感到悲傷 (我從來沒去找歌詞, 原文是義大利文, 這次因好奇才去找英文翻譯版, 原來也是一首傷心的情歌).

冷靜之後, 我選了黑色的紙, 拿起深紫色的粉彩筆, 在黑紙的中心點畫了一個圓點, 然後拿起各種不同顏色的粉彩筆, 在紙上畫滿了原點. 乍看下, 讓我想起用毛氈球做的隔熱墊. 接著, 我用手指, 從中心的紫色圓點, 按順時鐘方向, 由內往外螺旋式的把所有的圓點連在一起, 因為粉彩的關係, 產生一個模糊的視覺效果. 畫完後, 朋友幫我的粉彩畫噴上定型液, 因此顏色變得更鮮艷.

當大家都完成了自己的作品後, 開始分享自己畫作背後的靈感和故事.

其實, 當我在畫畫的時候, 其實很放空, 腦袋裡並沒有任何想法, 對於要畫什麼, 要怎麼畫, 並沒有太多的計畫, 真的是以直覺來畫, 粉彩筆拿起來就畫了. 所以當我要分享時, 我深呼吸, 讓自己放鬆, 讓內心深處的那個我, 來說故事.

新冠肺炎疫情發展一年多來, 很多事的改變, 都是在無形中, 一點一滴慢慢的改變, 我們可能沒有意識到, 但很多事情已經不在一樣了.

所有的彩色圓點代表著我的情緒, 不同的事件和體驗在我的過去, 現在, 甚至未來的生命中, 其實全部都是連結在一起的. 我們人類和大自然都是連結在一起的, 只有用愛, 可以療癒. 當一顆石頭丟進水裡所造成的漣漪, 對我的身心靈上的影響是很大的, 讓我覺得我的人生似乎有點失焦或失去控制. 有點像是一個下過雨的夜晚, 在窗戶上的水滴, 經由背後街燈的反射, 產生出許多明亮的顏色. 當相機沒有對焦的時候看, 就產生出那種模糊神秘的美.

從我所選的顏色都是比較明亮鮮豔的角度來看, 我想現在的我身處在比較好的狀態了. 我只是需要讓我的腦子盡量處在平靜的狀態, 往內心深處去找人生的重點, 然後去做我在投胎前為自己設計這輩子該做的事. 我想全世界的人都因為新冠肺炎疫情這一年來, 被迫放慢腳步, 思考人生意義, 重新調整心態和順序, 所以也許是老天給大家的一個禮物. 

我們大部分的人都活在互相比較, 競爭, 追求物質和名利的生活, 所有的快樂都外求的境況下, 身心長期處在壓力, 飲食和睡眠品質差的環境裡，經常忽略或無視來自身心所發出的求救訊號。藝術 (園藝和靜坐) 都是和內在自我最直接的連結方式，和擴展自覺的好方法。『曼達拉』可以讓你的內心沉澱、放鬆和紓壓；可以在畫圖的過程中和潛意識連結，找到方向。曼達拉的使用時間愈長，治療效果愈深。當你渴望在內心找到自己的力量，想要尋找創意和解放潛能時，可以試試『曼達拉』彩繪。