You dance inside my heart where no one sees you.
But sometimes I do, and that sight becomes this art.~Rumi
http://womandalas.blogspot.com/2009/03/bouquetdalas.html
If you click on the wOManDalas, you will get a somewhat larger version 8~)
gRAssieDala
William Grassie is founder and emeritus executive director of the Metanexus Institute on Religion and Science. Metanexus currently works with some 400 partners at universities in 43 countries. Grassie continues to serve as executive editor of the Institute’s online magazine, the Global Spiral, with hundreds of thousand monthly page views and over 9000 subscribers.
SpinninWheeldala
What goes up must come down
spinning wheel got to go round
Talking about your troubles it's a crying sin
Ride a painted pony
Let the spinning wheel spin
You got no money, and you, you got no home
Spinning wheel all alone
Talking about your troubles and you, you never learn
Ride a painted pony
let the spinning wheel turn
Did you find a directing sign
on the straight and narrow highway?
Would you mind a reflecting sign
Just let it shine within your mind
And show you the colours that are real
Someone is waiting just for you
spinning wheel is spinning true
Drop all your troubles, by the river side
Catch a painted pony
On the spinning wheel ride
Someone is waiting just for you
spinning wheel is spinning true
Drop all your troubles, by the river side
Ride a painted pony
Let the spinning wheel fly
zebRAstarDala
the mandala has no arms, yet it embraces us; it has no eyes, yet it sees through all illusion; it has no voice, yet it speaks the ultimate truth of the universe...
SpookyDala
In the cool of the evening when ev'rything is gettin' kind of groovy, I call you up and ask you if you want to go and meet and see a movie, First you say no, you've got some plans for the night, And then you stop, and say, "All right." Love is kinda crazy with a spooky little girl like you.
You always keep me guessin', I never seem to know what you are thinkin'. And if a fella looks at you, it's for sure your little eye will be a-winkin'. I get confused, 'cause I don't know where I stand, And then you smile, and hold my hand. Love is kinda crazy with a spooky little girl like you. Spooky!
If you decide someday to stop this little game that you are playin', I'm gonna tell you all what my heart's been a-dyin' to be sayin'. Just like a ghost, you've been a-hauntin' my dreams, So I'll propose... on Halloween. Love is kinda crazy with a spooky little girl like you.
Spooky, Spooky, Spooky, Oh-whoa, all right, I said Spooky!
TreeO'LightDala
The tree lighting and/or ornament hanging events have many different names, but the spotlight of the event is the same. The focus is on life, love, light, angels, remembering and most of all celebrating the lives of the people who have died.
WisteriaDala
WoodFlowerDala
Wisteria (also spelled Wistaria) is a genus of flowering plants in the pea family, Fabaceae, that includes ten species of woody climbing vines native to the eastern United States and the East Asian states of China, Korea, and Japan.
vessiKAroseDala
Mandala is a tool for positive transformation. These images help us to grow, to change, to find our direction and our inner peace.~Maria Leal
vinKAstarDala
My purpose for using hearts and butterflies was to represent peace and love, and the color blue represents serenity to me.~Britney Frith
ForsythiaDala
...radial symmetry – at every level of the natural world, from galaxies and solar systems, down through trees, flowers and fruits, jellyfish, spider’s webs and shells, rock crystals and snowflakes to micro-organisms, cells and subatomic particles. The recurring cycles of day and night, the seasons and the months of the year, as well as organic life cycles, reflect a similar pattern.
EarthDayDala
...a mandala is much more than a simple shape. It represents life as a whole, in complete balance from center out, and you can see this proof in every day life. Try cutting an orange or a grapefruit in half. These sacred geometrical shapes inside are a cosmic diagram that show us we are much more than mere human, that in fact we are connected to all there is, for everything, of every sacred shape is connected to the divine.
ShivaShaktiDala
In the Tantric cosmology, the whole universe is perceived as being created, penetrated and sustained by two fundamental forces, which are permanently in a perfect, indestructible union. These forces or universal aspects are called Shiva and Shakti.
The tradition has associated to these principles a form, respectively that of a masculine deity and that of a feminine one. Accordingly, Shiva represents the constitutive elements of the universe, while Shakti is the dynamic potency, which makes these elements come to life and act.
From a metaphysical point of view, the divine couple Shiva-Shakti corresponds to two essential aspects of the One: the masculine principle, which represents the abiding aspect of God, and the feminine principle, which represents Its Energy, the Force which acts in the manifested world, life itself considered at a cosmic level.
RosieWheelDala
Kālacakra (Sanskrit; IAST: Kālacakra; Telugu: Tibetan: དུས་ཀྱི་འཁོར་ལོ།; Wylie: dus-kyi 'khor-lo) is a Sanskrit term used in Tantric Buddhism that means "time-wheel" or "time-cycles".
RosieNovaDala
A star that ejects some of its material in the form of a cloud and becomes more luminous in the process.
RosieGrassDala
The Wheel of the Year has been important to many people both ancient and modern, from various religious as well as cultural and secular viewpoints.
RosieStarDala
The passing of time is also seen as cyclical, and is represented by a circle or wheel. The progression of birth, life, decline and death, as experienced in human lives, is echoed in the progression of the seasons.
RosieCrossDala
"I am," says Isis, "Nature; parent of all things, the sovereign of the Elements, the primitive progeny of Time, the most exalted of the Deities, the first of the Heavenly Gods and Goddesses, the Queen of the Shades, the uniform countenance; who dispose with my rod the numerous lights of Heaven, the salubrious breezes of the sea, and the mournful silence of the dead; whose single Divinity the whole world venerates in many forms, with various rites and by many names. The Egyptians, skilled in ancient lore, worship me with proper ceremonies, and call me by my true name, Isis the Queen."
HelmsWheelDala
The wheel of a ship is the modern method of adjusting the angle of the rudder, in turn changing the direction of the boat or ship. It is also called the helm, together with the rest of the steering mechanism.
PersimmonDala
A persimmon, known to the ancient Greeks as "the fruit of the gods" is the edible fruit of a number of species of trees of the genus Diospyros in the ebony wood family (Ebenaceae). The word persimmon is derived from putchamin, pasiminan, or pessamin, from Powhatan, an Algonquian language (related to Blackfoot, Cree and Mohican) of the eastern United States, meaning "a dry fruit".
FaerieGreenDala
May the source be with you.~Willow Hemphill
DarrkO'theMoonDala
Mandalas are meant to be viewed as meditative tools. By studying them, the viewer is drawn in through the centre of the piece and arrives at the quiet place within them - the place from which life issues and the BIG ALL may be contemplated.~David Rankine
Weddala
These next 4 are in honor of the 4seasons. The Persian new year, Nowruz, is held annually on the vernal equinox, as the beginning of spring. The spring equinox marks the Wiccan Sabbat of Ostara (or Eostar). Earth Day was initially celebrated on March 21, 1970, the equinox day. World Storytelling Day is a global celebration of the art of oral storytelling, celebrated every year on the spring equinox in the northern hemisphere.
MitreDala
Westerners are more left hemisphere dominated and are deficient in right hemisphere education which causes some loss of imagination and of faith in higher values. Right hemisphere education through art, dance and music is needed to restore the balance.
When you first start to meditate your mind will be very busy, and you might even feel that the meditation is making it busier; but in reality you are just becoming more aware of how busy your mind actually is. By practicing meditation patiently you can gradually calm this mental busyness and discover true mental peace.
IristarDala
If you become drowsy during meditation, first try to tighten your concentration a little. If this does not work, open your eyes slightly to let more light in, and if this does not work temporarily suspend the meditation, open your eyes and look around the room at shiny objects or sunlight. When your mind feels more alert, resume your meditation.
IrisTreeDala
Training your mind to hold an object such as the breath in meditation is like a mother training her baby to hold a ball. At first when the mother hands the baby the ball the baby will drop it. But if the mother perseveres, gradually the baby’s grip will get stronger and eventually the baby will be able to hold the ball tightly.
IrisWheelDala
In the same way, when we first start to meditate, the mind quickly drops its object and thinks of something else instead. The key to successful meditation is to be aware whenever this happens and bring the object of meditation back to mind. Eventually,through the force of familiarity, the mind will get a firm grip on it.
Side note: This is why I like active meditations like coloring and walking. The action helps you keep focus.
IrisWebDala
The word yantra is used in two or more ways in Sanskrit. It comes from the root "yam", which means supporting or holding the essence of an object or concept. The syllable "tra" comes from "trana" or liberation from bondage.
MothersDayDala09
Yantras are visual tools that serve in meditation either as centering devices or as symbolic compositions of the energy pattern of a deity as seen by Tantric seers in their vision.
TurtleCrossDala
As there is a difference between mind and body, so there is between yantra and mantra. Yantra is the body or form of the deity (devata), whereas mantra is the mind, consciousness, spirit or name. Yantra is the external, visual expression through which the deity receives devotion.
PurpleStarDala
When a yantra is adopted for worship and the energy is invoked in it, it becomes a symbolic representative of the deity and actually it becomes the deity when the person abandons his analytical, critical attitude and the energy circulates in higher centers.
ButterflyCrossDala
The mandala is the ever-evolving mark of infinity upon the human spirit, it is the fingerprint of the eternal on the substance of the self...
RAflowerCrossDala
Flowers are words which even a baby can understand.~Quentin Crisp
IrisMasksDala
Iris masks are essential in iris recognition. The purpose of having a good iris mask is to indicate which part of iris texture map is useful and which part is occluded or contains noisy artifacts such as eyelashes, eyelids and specular reflections.
CenturianDala
Agave americana, commonly known as the Century Plant, is an agave originally from Mexico but cultivated worldwide as an ornamental plant. It has since naturalised in many regions and grows wild in Europe, South Africa, India, and Australia.
SprinklerDala
In his poem Hyperion, Longfellow said, “Every dew-drop and rain-drop had a whole heaven within it." “Earth's liquid jewelry wrought of air.” Philip James Bailey “The dew of compassion is a tear” - Byron “What Youth deemed crystal, Age finds out was dew” – Robert Browning “I must go seek some dew-drops here, And hang a pearl in every cowslip's ear.” - Shakespeare “Man's life is like a drop of dew on a leaf.” - Socrates
“The person who doesn't scatter the morning dew will not comb gray hairs” – Hunter S Thompson
ShamrockDala
The shamrock is a symbol of Ireland. The diminutive version of the Irish word for "clover" ("seamair") is "seamróg", which was anglicised as "shamrock", representing a close approximation of the original Irish pronunciation. The shamrock was traditionally used for its medical properties and was a popular motif in Victorian times. The four-leaf clover is an uncommon variation of the common, three-leaved clover. According to tradition, such leaves bring good luck to their finders, especially if found accidentally. According to legend, each leaf represents something: the first is for hope, the second is for faith, the third is for love, and the fourth is for luck.
GrassDala
Grasses, or more technically graminoids, are monocotyledonous, usually herbaceous plants with narrow leaves growing from the base. They include the "true grasses", of the Poaceae (or Gramineae) family, as well as the sedges (Cyperaceae) and the rushes (Juncaceae). The true grasses include cereals, bamboo and the grasses of lawns (turf) and grassland. Sedges include many wild marsh and grassland plants, and some cultivated ones such as water chestnut (Eleocharis dulcis) and papyrus sedge (Cyperus papyrus). Uses for graminoids include food (as grain, sprouted grain, shoots or rhizomes), drink (beer, whisky), pasture for livestock, thatch, paper, fuel, clothing, insulation, construction, sports turf, basket weaving and many others.
BridgitsDala
Saint Brigid of Kildare or Brigid of Ireland (Brigit, Bridget, Bridgit, Bríd or Bride) or Mary of the Gael (Irish: Naomh Bríd) (c. 451–525) is one of Ireland's patron saints along with Saints Patrick and Columba. Her feast day is 1 February, the traditional first day of spring in Ireland. She is believed to have been an Irish Christian nun, abbess, and founder of several monasteries.
Brigid's cross, Brighid's cross, or Brigit's cross, often with the "Saint" prefix, or (in the Irish language) Cros Bríde, Crosóg Bríde or Bogha Bríde, though not recorded before the seventeenth century, is an Irish symbol. Though a Christian symbol, it possibly derives from the pagan sunwheel. It is usually made from rushes or, less often, straw. It comprises a woven square in the centre and four radials tied at the ends.
BerryCrossDala
The purpose of my drawing is to represent how love is the center of all chaos. No matter what tragedy is going on love will be what holds a structure together.~Shani Campbell
SpringDala
Spring is one of the four temperate seasons, the transition period between winter and summer. Spring and "springtime" refer to the season, and broadly to ideas of rebirth, renewal and regrowth.
SpringSunDala
They are so hard to explain to others, they really need to be experienced. They have so many mystical benefits!! I'm working my way into the field of art therapy where I hope to share this form of self expression, and the healing that creating mandalas can bring into ones life.~Jane Peever
ZENigoldDala
Zinnia is a genus of 20 species of annual and perennial plants of family Asteraceae, originally from scrub and dry grassland in an area stretching from the American Southwest to South America, but primarily Mexico, and notable for their solitary long-stemmed flowers that come in a variety of bright colors.
XmasDala
Green is the color of nature, fertility, life. Grass green is the most restful color. Green symbolizes self-respect and well being. Green is the color of balance. It also means learning, growth and harmony. Green symbolizes the master healer and the life force. Green contains the powerful energies of nature, growth, desire to expand or increase. Balance and a sense of order are found in the color green. Change and transformation is necessary for growth, and so this ability to sustain changes is also a part of the energy of green. Green is the color associated with the Heart Chakra. This chakra deals with higher consciousness and love.
Red is the color of blood, and as such has strong symbolism as life and vitality. It brings focus to the essence of life and living with emphasis on survival. Red is also the color of passion and lust. Red is the color associated with the Root Chakra at the base of the spine (animal or base nature). This chakra deals with life at the level of practicality. It is responsible for maintaining the body's heat and has a relationship with the circulatory system.
LeiDala
The lei custom was introduced to the Hawaiian Islands by early Polynesian voyagers, who took an incredible journey from Tahiti, navigating by the stars in sailing canoes. With these early settlers, the lei tradition in Hawaii was born.
Leis were constructed of flowers, leaves, shells, seeds, nuts, feathers, and even bone and teeth of various animals. In Hawaiian tradition, these garlands were worn by ancient Hawaiians to beautify themselves and distinguish themselves from others. The Maile lei was perhaps the most significant. Among other sacred uses, it was used to signify a peace agreement between opposing chiefs. In a Heiau (temple), the chiefs would symbolically intertwine the green Maile vine, and its completion officially established peace between the two groups.
RosemaryDala
Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis) is a woody, perennial herb with fragrant evergreen needle-like leaves. It is native to the Mediterranean region. It is a member of the mint family Lamiaceae, which also includes many other herbs.
The name rosemary has nothing to do with the rose or the name Mary, but derives from the Latin name rosmarinus, which is from "dew" (ros) and "sea" (marinus), or "dew of the sea" — apparently because it is frequently found growing near the sea.
Rosemary is extremely high in iron, calcium, and Vitamin B6.
Rosemary has a very old reputation for improving memory, and has been used as a symbol for remembrance (during weddings, war commemorations and funerals) in Europe and Australia.
In the Middle Ages, rosemary was associated with wedding ceremonies - the bride would wear a rosemary headpiece and the groom and wedding guests would all wear a sprig of rosemary, and from this association with weddings rosemary evolved into a love charm. Newly wed couples would plant a branch of rosemary on their wedding day. Another example of rosemary’s use as a love charm was that a young person would tap another with a rosemary sprig and if the sprig contained an open flower, it was said that the couple would fall in love. Rosemary was used as a divinatory herb-several types of herbs were grown in pots and assigned the name of a potential lover. Then they were left to grow and the plant that grew the strongest and fastest gave the answer. Rosemary was also stuffed into poppets (cloth dolls) in order to attract a lover or attract curative vibrations for illness. It was believed that placing a sprig of rosemary under a pillow before sleep would repel nightmares, and if placed outside the home it would repel witches. Somehow, the use of rosemary in the garden to repel witches turned into signification that the woman ruled the household in homes and gardens where rosemary grew abundantly. By the 16th century, this practise became a bone of contention; and men were known to rip up rosemary bushes to show that they, not their wives, ruled the roost.
DandyLionKissDala
DandyLionKissDalaa
The dandelion is a perennial, herbaceous plant with long, lance-shaped leaves. They're so deeply toothed, they gave the plant its name in Old French: Dent-de-lion means lion's tooth in Old French. Dandelions are especially well-adapted to a modern world of "disturbed habitats," such as lawns and sunny, open places. They were even introduced into the Midwest from Europe to provide food for the imported honeybees in early spring.
The modern French name for this plant is pissenlit (lit means bed) because the root and leaf tea act on the kidneys as a gentle diuretic, improving the way they cleanse the blood and recycle nutrients. Unlike pharmaceuticals diuretics, this doesn't leach potassium, a vital mineral, from the body. Improved general health and clear skin result from improved kidney function. Dandelions are also good for the bladder, spleen, pancreas, stomach and intestines. It's recommended for stressed-out, internally sluggish, and sedentary people. Anyone who's a victim of excessive fat, white flour, and concentrated sweeteners could benefit from a daily cup of dandelion tea.
Dandelion greens are wonderful in salads, sautÈed or steamed. They taste like chicory and endive, with an intense hardiness and an overlying, bitter tinge. Collect dandelion leaves in early spring, when they're the tastiest, before the flowers appear. Harvest again in late fall. After a frost, their protective bitterness disappears. Dandelions growing in rich, moist soil, with the broadest leaves and largest roots, are the best. Select the youngest individuals, and avoid all plants with flowers, although some people eat the greens from spring to fall, when they're very bitter. Others boil out the summer bitterness (and water-soluble vitamins) in two changes of water. Try sautÈing them for about 20 minutes with onions, garlic and olive oil, adding a little home-made wine before they're done. If you're not used to the slight bitterness, cook them with sweet vegetables, especially sliced carrots and parsnips.
The leaves are more nutritious than anything you can buy. They're higher in beta-carotene than carrots. The iron and calcium content is phenomenal, greater than spinach. You also get vitamins B-1, B-2, B-5, B-6, B-12, C, E, P, and D, biotin, inositol, potassium, phosphorus, magnesium, and zinc by using this tasty, free vegetable that grows on virtually every lawn.
Dandelion leaf infusion is also good at dinner time. Its bitter elements encourage the production of proper levels of hydrochloric acid and digestive enzymes. All the digestive glands and organs respond to this herb's stimulation. Even after the plant gets bitter, a strong infusion, is rich in vitamins and minerals, and helps people who are run-down. Even at its most bitter (Taraxacum come from Arabic and Persian, meaning "bitter herb"), it never becomes intolerably so, like golden seal and gentian.
The leaf's white, milky sap removes warts, moles, pimples, calluses, and sores, and soothes bee stings and blisters.
You can also eat dandelion flowers, or use them to make wine. Collect them in a sunny meadow, just before mid-spring, when the most flowers bloom, although some continue to flower right into the fall. Use only the flower's yellow parts. The green sepals at the flower's base are bitter. The flowers add color, texture, and an unusual bittersweet flavor to salads. You can also sautÈ them, dip them in batter and fry them into fritters, or steam them with other vegetables. They have a meaty texture that contrasts with other lighter vegetables in a stir-fry dish or a casserole.
The taproot is edible all year, but is best from late fall to early spring. Use it as a cooked vegetable, especially in soups. The addition of scallions, tofu, ginger, carrots and miso makes an excellent Japanese miso soup. Pre-boiling and changing the water, or long, slow simmering mellows the root. Sweet vegetables best complement dandelion roots. Sauteing the roots in olive oil also improves them, creating a robust flavor. A little Tamari soy sauce and onions complete this unusual vegetable side dish.
Dandelion root is one of the safest and most popular herbal remedies. The specific name, officinale, means that it's used medicinally. The decoction is a traditional tonic. It's supposed to strengthen the entire body, especially the liver and gallbladder, where it promotes the flow of bile, reduces inflammation of the bile duct, and helps get rid of gall stones. This is due to its taraxacin. It's good for chronic hepatitis, it reduces liver swelling and jaundice, and it helps indigestion caused by insufficient bile. Don't use it with irritable stomach or bowel, or if you have an acute inflammation. Dandelion root's inulin is a sugar that doesn't elicit the rapid production of insulin, as refined sugars do. It helps mature-onset diabetes, and as part of a holistic regime for hypoglycemia (low blood sugar).
P.S. THE ROOTS ALSO MAKE A LOVELY NATURAL DYE~Dandelion (roots) brown
HummerDala
The hummingbird is the creature that opens the heart. The hummingbird teaches us to laugh and enjoy the creation, to appreciate the magic of being alive, and the truth of beauty. Hummingbirds awaken us to the beauty of the present moment. As they dance the four quarters of embodied existence, they bring us medicine to solve the riddle of duality. They also awaken us to the medicinal properties of plants. Hummingbirds teach us fierce independence. They teach us to fight in a way where no one really gets hurt. They teach us simple courage.
DesertWillowDala
The desert willow with its preference for wash habitats and willow-like foliage is not a true willow (Salicaceae) but rather a member of the bignonia (Bignoniaceae) family. This large shrub or small/medium tree can grow to thirty feet in preferred locations with well draining soil and adequate moisture. The desert willow has three subspecies and is widespread in the southwestern U.S. and northern Mexico occurring up to 5,000 feet in elevation. It is native to the Coachella Valley and can be found in the washes draining the local mountains. The tree is cold and drought deciduous with all leaves usually dropped by mid-December and re-emerging in the low desert sometime in March. The sculptured branching pattern adds interest during the bare stage while allowing the low winter sun to shine through. The flowers begin to appear as early as April and continue blooming into the fall months. The fragrant, orchid-like blossoms range in color from white to pink to burgundy.
DesertFirebirDala
The Firebird (French: L'Oiseau de feu; Russian: Жар-птица, zhar-ptitsa) is a 1910 ballet by Igor Stravinsky and choreographed by Michel Fokine. The ballet is based on Russian folk tales of the magical glowing bird of the same name that is both a blessing and a curse to its captor.
PampaStarDala
The Pampa, c.250,000 sq mi (647,500 sq km), of central and N Argentina embraces parts of the provinces of Buenos Aires, Santa Fe, Córdoba, and La Pampa. Cattle were first introduced to the region by the Portuguese in the 1550s. Throughout the colonial period under Spain, only a small part of the Pampa was used; economic activity was practically restricted to primitive stock raising for the exportation of hides, tallow, and jerked beef. Herds of cattle roamed freely over the Pampa, and the gaucho, the Argentine cowboy, was the region's dominant figure in the 18th and early 19th century. A new economic era was initiated in the second half of the 19th century, when a growing European market for agricultural products (along with new technology for the shipment of food products) brought immigrant farmers (mostly Italian, Spanish, French and German) to the Pampa. They spread westward with the expansion of the railroad that was built to link the increasing number of ranches with the coast. Settlement spread into the interior, and land was brought under the plow as unfriendly Native Americans were driven out of the region and the gaucho yielded to the farmer. In the 20th century agriculture remains the chief economic activity of the Pampa; livestock grazing and wheat growing are found in the drier W Pampa while corn and other grains along with dairying and truck crops are found in the more humid E Pampa. In the seaboard cities of Buenos Aires, La Plata, and Bahía Blanca and in the river ports of Rosarío and Santa Fe are the only considerable industries; meatpacking and food processing are important. The region has a dense transportation network focused on Buenos Aires. The Pampa contains most of Argentina's population.
PampasVessiKAdala
pampas (păm'pəz, Span. päm'päs) , wide, flat, grassy plains of temperate S South America, c.300,000 sq mi (777,000 sq km), particularly in Argentina and extending into Uruguay. Although the region gradually rises to the west, it appears mostly level. Precipitation decreases from east to west. Trees are found only along watercourses. Covered by grasses whose height varies with the amount of rainfall received, the soil of the pampas is very fertile and supports a thriving pastoral and farming economy.
JungleDala
The Power of Poetry
Poetry I read to lighten my mind and enlighten my heart.
Poetry I read to sweeten my bitter mind.
Poetry I read to replace my heart's sorrows with my soul's ecstasy.
Poetry I read to transform my human mind-jungle into my divine heart-garden.
Poet and Poetry by Sri Chinmoy
DaisyBeeDala
The bee, found in Ancient Near East and Aegean cultures, is believed to be the sacred insect that bridged the natural world to the underworld. Appearing in tomb decorations, Mycenaean tholos tombs were even shaped as beehives.
Bee motifs are also seen in Mayan cultures, an example being the Ah-Muzen-Cab, the Bee God, found in Mayan ruins, likely designating honey-producing cities (they prized honey as food of the gods).
Daisy-This flower draws all faeries, elves and nature spirits.
hollyhocksBouquetDala
Hollyhock Dolls~Nip off one fully-opened hollyhock blossom at the bud. Invert it to form the doll's skirt. (Note - only the old-fashioned single hollyhocks work.)
Use a couple of closed buds to form the doll's head and the ballgown bodice. (Some people peel of the green wrapping on the bud they are using for the head, but stop when you get to the petals.)
Use broken toothpicks to link the buds and the skirt. Some doll makers simplify by using just one bud for the head and skipping the bodice bud. (That's what my friends and I did.)
Optional: Spear a toothpick horizontally through the bodice to serve as the doll's arms.
Use a single petal or small blossom for the doll's hat. I preferred to use a bell- or flare-shape for my dolls' hats.
Modern touch: Use a small-point marker to draw eyes and a smile on the doll's face.
Make many dolls with a wardrobe of glorious colors, then find a comfortable shady spot in your garden and stage a hollyhock doll ballroom dance. (Or float your dolls in water to see them bob and sway.) I prefer the one-bud dolls myself, and they float better. The two-bud dolls are top heavy, but they are good if you want to "dance" the dolls with your hands.
Hollyhocks are a must in a garden to keep the garden fairies happy. And garden angels too!
hollyhockTotem
Through the centuries, Europeans made note of which plants were attractive to wee folk and which plants offered protection from Faeries. Remember that most flower faeries will reveal themselves in the colors of the flower itself.
HollyheartDala
Hollyhock-This is a favorite of faeries, especially the pink variety.
StarHollyhockDala
Vasanta (Spring) : We are so much a part of nature, and nature is so much a part of us, that it is impossible for us not to be attuned to her moods and phases. When in spring the earth is resurgent, the blood swirls faster through our bodies, propelled by joyous spring-time momentum. Each fresh crop, each burst of flower, each replenished river becomes cause for celebration and festivity in the human community across cultures in both hemispheres, even though spring comes to them at opposite times of the year.~Rahul Gajjar
StarSeedDala
Oṃ śānti śānti śānti. Like many mantras, this one begins with "Om". Om has no meaning, and its origins are lost in the mists of time. Om is considered to be the primeval sound, the sound of the universe, the sound from which all other sounds are formed.
In Buddhism as well as in Hinduism the threefold Shanti is generally interpreted as meaning the Threefold Peace in body, speech, and mind (i.e. peace in the entirety of one’s being).
RingArounD'RosieDala
Ring around the rosy
A pocketful of posies
"Ashes, Ashes"
We all fall down!
Rose-This is one of the most sacred flowers, the faeries and spirits of this flower have strong ties to their elder brothers and sisters, the angles. They hold the secrets to time and it's exploration.
IrisIvyDala
Iris was the Greek goddess of the rainbow, and the faeries of this flower manifest in all the colors of the rainbow itself.
GloryDala
These 2 make the perfect Yin & Yang don't cha think?
Morning Glory-Repels unwanted night faeries.
TulipDala
Faeries hold knowledge of the hidden significance of events, people and things....
TulipCrossDala
If you creep softly to the spot when the moon is full and the clocks are striking twelve, you may see the stately tulip cradles bend and sway in the moonlight. Even to this day, if you listen, scarcely breathing, you may hear the soft sighs of the fairy babies as they stir in their tulip cradles, and, listening still, you may hear the soft whispering songs of the fairy mothers as they croon soft fairy music over their darlings, on their return from their dance in the dell.
SpringStarDala
The Medicine Wheel teaches the four directions of inner power: emotional, mental, physical and spiritual.
CircleDala
VINCA MAJOR
Common name: Greater Periwinkle
Family: Apocynaceae
Vinca Major is a magickal plant. It is supposed to alleviate things like memory loss, stops decline of natural dopamine levels, promotes circulation to the brain, helps red blood cell count, reduces high blood pressure, stops stomach irritation, helps hearing problems by stopping ringing in the ears, improves eyesight & alleviates fatigue.
wOMandalaRose
This image combines 2 of my favorite and widely used photaes gifted 2mee by the universe. The rose came frOM MAgical Mother's Day and the lotus came into beeing when
i 'inadvertently' pasted a smaller version of the crystal lotus in2 the larger version while working on an image of TaRA as a RAinBow Goddess.
vinKAdala
Mandalas are more than simply art. Every pattern is symbolic and holds a deeper meaning.~Nicolas Herres
DorjeDala
Vajra (Devanagari, Chinese: 金剛 jīngāng; Tibetan: dorje (Wylie: rdo-rje; ZWPY: dojê)) is a Sanskrit word meaning both thunderbolt and diamond. As a material device, the vajra is a short metal weapon that has the symbolic nature of a diamond (it can cut any substance but not be cut itself) and that of the thunderbolt (irresistible force). The vajra is believed to represent firmness of spirit and spiritual power. It is a ritual tool or spiritual implement which is symbolically used by Buddhism, Jainism and Hinduism.
vessiKAvinKAdala
A Mandala is circular art that represents you and how you feel.~Brennan 6
vinKAcircleDala
A mandala when seen as a psychological phenomena can manifest in dreams, in states of intense emotion and in cases of heightened awareness.
vessiKAzmosDala
Mandala is a concentric diagram having spiritual and ritual significance in both Buddhism and Hinduism. Mandala means center in Sanskrit, the ancient Indian language. Other meanings include "circle circumference" "completion" and magic circle.
DaffodilDiamonDala
In various spiritual traditions, mandalas may be employed for focusing attention, improving concentration and acts as a spiritual teaching tool. Mandalas are also an aid to meditation and trance induction.
DaffodilsInfinityDala
Merely looking at mandalas can take ones mind to the deeply alpha level and induce certain kind of hypnotic trance.
DaffodilsPoolDala
Mandalas help one to access progressively deeper levels of the unconscious, ultimately assisting the meditator to experience a mystical sense of oneness with the ultimate unity from which the cosmos in all its manifold forms arises.
DaffodilsCrossDala
Mandalas are very personal things. Carl Gustav Jung, the psychiatrist and innovator in the realm of interpersonal psychology, wrote that meditating with Mandalas was a way to tap into the source of one's own center of SELF.
DaffodilsDala
Jung wrote that the mandala points to a center of the personality, a central psychic point to which everything else is related, arranged, a sort of source for the being.
DaffodilCrossDala
Since everyone longs to fulfill their potential, to be all that they are meant to be in this life, seeing visually the center or source of their being or personality can be a very powerful and healing experience. In fact, according to Jung, a mandala can catalyze an individual towards faster realization of their potential.
KAzmicButterfly
Describing both material and non-material realities, the mandala appears in all aspects of life: the celestial circles we call earth, sun, and moon, as well as conceptual circles of friends, family, and community.
OsTaRAdala
March 21 -- Ostara -- Spring or The Vernal Equinox
Also known as: Lady Day or Alban Eiler (Druidic)
As Spring reaches its midpoint, night and day stand in perfect balance, with light on the increase. The young Sun God now celebrates a hierogamy (sacred marriage) with the young Maiden Goddess, who conceives. In nine months, she will again become the Great Mother. It is a time of great fertility, new growth, and newborn animals.
The next full moon (a time of increased births) is called the Ostara and is sacred to Eostre the Saxon Lunar Goddess of fertility (from whence we get the word estrogen, whose two symbols were the egg and the rabbit.
The Christian religion adopted these emblems for Easter which is celebrated on the first Sunday after the first full moon following the vernal equinox. The theme of the conception of the Goddess was adapted as the Feast of the Annunciation, occurring on the alternative fixed calendar date of March 25 Old Lady Day, the earlier date of the equinox. Lady Day may also refer to other goddesses (such as Venus and Aphrodite), many of whom have festivals celebrated at this time.
dalaBudd
"Someday after mastering winds, waves, tides and gravity, we shall harness the energies of love. And then, for the second time in the history of the world, man will discover fire.” ~ Pierre Teilhard de Chardin
Buddala
All of creation is moving light.
StaRoseDala
After SyderwOMan led me to this site, http://mandalaproject.org/Index.html, i began to explore the individual mandalas. That exploRAtion led me Earth Mandalas, where Komra Atari Cheyenne Moriko was gracious enough to share her process of creating mandalas, and even provided templates. And thus it began...
Unfortunately, her site seems to have disappeared 8~(
Rosebuddhala
Buddha by Joe Cabaza
AroseDala
Most of the wOMandalas are made by inserting a piece of a photo into a slice o' pie template, then rotating them into place next to one another.
BouquetDala
"Contemplating and creating mandalas can help heal our sense of spiritual and psychic fragmentation, manifest creative energy and optimism, and reconnect us to our essential being." ~ Judith Cornell, PhD
seaKingDala
Je t'adore
Steal me away to your secret garden
Which lies beyond the sleeping dolmens
Ancient mysteries seen stay invisible
Weak minds cannot comprehend
The truth that stares us down
Overcome by their fantastic glory
Pull me down to kiss every petal
The moss agrees to cushion our altar
Two souls as one sacrifice
Delights the ways of old
DancingDala
Now take me to your warm river flowing
To kiss every blossom with dew drops
Falling eternally never to waste
The living water rushes
To take us both again
~H. Quick
The circular shape symbolizes perfection.
DiamonDala
The circle is the cosmic shape that organizes our existence, encircling the endless space surrounding us, our bodies and our very thoughts.
TrumpetDala
Circle and its center is the basic model of creation itself and can be found on all levels, from the macroscopic grandeur of the cosmos to the microscopic splendor of the tiniest systems in our bodies.
GreenLeafDala
Within every living cell on earth – you will find a mandala.
a green frog
on a green leaf -
that's it!
RufflesDala
Wherever one finds life, one finds a center from which life radiates, energies flowing in and out – this is the mandala’s perfection.
PaneDala
The act of making a mandala draws on the essential movement of the cosmos and creates empowerment on all levels.
ArrowDala
The circle is one and is all, it has no beginning nor end, just like creation itself.
FlowerDala
Mandalas express the plentitude that lies within the soul.
BlossOMdala
The holy shapes of the square, the circle and the point, were correspondingly taken to symbolize the male, the female and the creator.
StarrDala
The Mandala is a mirror of the soul.
Wheeldala
The process of creating a Mandala is one of meditation in motion.
Meditation – An inner introspection that provides deep empowerment; and
Motion – The natural expression of our body's energy, which is a measure of our vitality.
ReflectionDala
When one comes to create a Mandala:
There is no preset goal
There are no errors
There are no comparisons
There is no competition
There are no fatal decisions
There is no criticism
The dimension of time does not exist
GuardianDala
ChakRA Guardian Meditation ~ Meet the aspects and elements of your inner self. A meditation process for meeting your chakRAs as beings or as the Guardian animal that is most realized in each one. Then you can have conversations in meditation circles with them to find ways to meet your needs and understand and harmonize your life energies.
SpiRAlsDala
It may be fairly unusual to meet all the chakRA beings in one session though it can happen. Some chakras may have two beings or more for the front and back aspects and other parts of themselves. The kind of animal you might meet varies greatly. It could be a swan, bear, snake, temple dancer, elk, lion, angel, ~ anything!
BerryDala
First relax completely and visualise waves of relaxation sweeping through your body.
Use the method of deep relaxation and spiritual centring that works best for you.
StagDala
When you are completly relaxed bring your attention to your Root ChakRA at the tailbone. Ask that chakRA to reveal itself as the guardian totem animal that is most representative of it at this time. Be open to receive impressions. When you get an impression, greet the being and ask them what they need from you and also ask what gift or information they have for you now ~ allowing time for the answers to come. When you have finished meeting your root chakRA animal, thank them for coming into your awareness and their work on your behalf.
LeafDala
Move your focus up to the next ChakRA, and repeat the process. Continue with each of the chakRAs until you have gone to all of them. If you do not meet them all that is alright, for you may not need their help for your current inquiry. In a circle, ask each guardian what you need to do to get that chakRA into the most healthy condition and request their assistance in helping you do this. Pay close attention to the relationships between the different chakRA guardians that have come to you and ask what is needed to help harmonize your working together.
LeafGreenDala
When you are done, dissolve the circle and thank the beeings and centre yourself, returning to your oneness. This is just the beginning of working with the ChakRA guardians and beeings. The possibilities are endless. Your chakRA guardians change and evolve over time. It can be pretty extraordinary and revealing to see how the different chakRAs have a voice and a personality and a presence all of their own which are all a part of you.
~Original work Copyrighted to Peggy L Jentoft 1996
Wizardala
The way of the wizard doesn't exist in time--it is everywhere and nowhere. It belongs to everyone and no one.~Deepak Chopra
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