wOManDalas

StarDalas

2011-07-01T23:11:00.000-07:00

ColoringDalas

Sacred Circles of L...

By ShaRi

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/2009/07/stardalas.html

WingWheelDala

The wing and the wheel... they carry things away
Whether it's me that does the leavin' or the love that flies away

BlueWingsDala

Blue Wings AG was a charter airline based in Germany, focussing on serving Turkey, the Middle East and Russia from its base at Düsseldorf International Airport;the headquarters were in Bocholt, Germany.

GreenWingsDala

Green Wing is an award-winning British sitcom set in the fictional East Hampton Hospital.

PlaidWingsDala

A plaid or full plaid is a pleated cloth worn with the modern kilt, made from the same tartan and worn cast over the shoulder and fastened at the front.

FenderFlamesDala

The “Foto Flame” series was a short-lived, inexpensive attempt by Fender to compete with a growing “flame top” market.

TioRAmStarDala

Ruins of Tioram Castle seen from sea side, photo taken during holiday trip in 2007. Castle and surrounding area make perfect landscape, really beautifull place. Excellent for all-day long rest, far from any bigger town, very quiet and peacfull.

TreeStarDala

These are the colors of Xmas in New Mexico. The colors of luminarias, farolitos and softly falling snow.

SkyliteDala

Nature gives solace and recenters us back to our true self.~lisa meyer

CompassDala

A compass is any magnetically sensitive device capable of indicating the direction of the magnetic north of a planet's magnetosphere. The face of the compass generally highlights the cardinal points of north, south, east and west.

ElvenStarDala

* The heptagram is known among Wiccans as the Elven Star or Fairy Star, a sacred symbol to those who follow the Faery tradition. Similarly, it has been adopted as an identifier by some members of the Otherkin subculture. Blue Star Wicca also uses the symbol, where it is referred to simply as a septegram. The heptagram is also a symbol of magickal power in other Pagan religions.
* The heptagram was used as a symbol in the Kabbalah, and later by Aleister Crowley and the Ordo Templi Orientis where it was known as the Star (or Seal) of Babalon.
* The heptagram is also used in Christianity to symbolize the seven days of creation and became a traditional symbol for warding off evil, thus the reason that most sheriff's badges are a heptagonal shape.
* The heptagram is also the symbol of perfection (or God) in many Christian religions.
* In alchemy, a seven-sided star can refer to the seven planets which were known to ancient alchemists.

ElvenStarFlamesDala

Seven Pointed Stars, called "Faerie or Elven Stars" represent a gift from Faerie to humans to bridge the understanding between the Mortal human realm and that of Faerieland. The 7 pointed star is known as a gateway symbol, a Gate or entrance between our world and that of Faery, the Otherworld. Each point on the star represents a gateway or path of the Higher Self to prepare one for entrance into Faery.

WizardzHatDala

Pointy hats have been a distinctive item of headgear of a wide range of cultures throughout history, suggesting an ancient Indo-European tradition. They were also traditionally worn by women of Lapland, the Japanese, the Mi'kmaq people of Atlantic Canada, the Huastecs of Veracruz, the Aztec and the Kabiri of New Guinea.

SorcererDala

The sorcerer is a veil that used to hang on my bedroom door in CorralLess. It became a very frequent Sorce for my cameRA!
The essence of the wizard is transformation.~Deepak Chopra

BlueStarDala

'Flowers of my soul' intended to capture energy in their symmetry through balance and beauty.~Rob Shutter

GoldLeafdala

Wisdom is not something we strive for directly, or think up with our intellects. It is more like we learn how to tune into our own truth, our own rhythm, and listen. Then we can simply hear it. Tuning into our inner voice can be like a lightening bolt when we hear it clearly.~Jamie St. Clair

FireFoxDala

These 3 wOManDalas were created frOM a photo of a patch of sunlight coming thru my tie-dye t-shirt!

WhirlingDala

We are all cosmic Dreamers, weaving the tapestry of manifestation with our visions. Where attention goes, energy flows.~Cathryn Tezha Swann

2thePointDala

World peace can be achieved through inner peace. We need external disarmament, but first, inner disarmament is essential.~ His Holiness the Dalai Lama~November 17, 2005, Salve Regina University

SacredCircles

2011-06-15T00:00:00.000-07:00

wOManDalas 1

Sacred Circles of L...

By ShaRi

Book Preview

http://womandalas.blogspot.com/2008/03/womandalassacredcircles.html

You dance inside my heart where no one sees you.
But sometimes I do, and that sight becomes this art.~Rumi

Happiness runs in a circular motion
Thought is like a little boat upon the sea.
Everybody is a part of everything anyway,
You can have everything if you let yourself be.
~Donovan Leitch

If you click on the wOManDalas, you will get a somewhat larger version :)

GoddessDala

That's my shadow taken as she appeared on the adobe wall in CorralLess!
Bast appears as the shadow silouette of one the cats in the window at the CorralLess house.

RickDala

has such great energy, it makes me laugh! And when I zoom in on the center...amazing...wonderful maleness to it all. To me, this RickDala tells much more truth than the original photo could possibly tell, about what it meant, him in that tree in Ireland. He's saying, "I am the king of Ireland, it's mine, all mine!"
Grins, Michelle

VessiKAstarDala

The geometric image through which light was created.

swastiKAvortex

It's time to reclaim this magiKAl symbol from the evil that stole it.

TreeSwastiKAdala

SwastiKAtreeDala

The swastika is an equilateral cross with its arms bent at right angles, in either right-facing (卐) form or its mirrored left-facing (卍) form. Earliest archaeological evidence of swastika-shaped ornaments dates back to the Indus Valley Civilization of Pakistan as well as Classical Antiquity. It remains widely used in Eastern religions, specifically in Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism.

8foldPathDala

In physics, the Eightfold Way is a term coined by American physicist Murray Gell-Mann for a theory organizing subatomic baryons and mesons into octets (alluding to the Noble Eightfold Path of Buddhism). The theory was independently proposed by Israeli physicist Yuval Ne'eman and led to the subsequent development of the quark model.

MabonDala

Mabon, (pronounced MAY-bun, MAY-bone, MAH-boon, or MAH-bawn) is the Autumn Equinox. The Autumn Equinox divides the day and night equally, and we all take a moment to pay our respects to the impending dark. We also give thanks to the waning sunlight, as we store our harvest of this year's crops. The Druids call this celebration, Mea'n Fo'mhair, and honor the The Green Man, the God of the Forest, by offering libations to trees. Offerings of ciders, wines, herbs and fertilizer are appropriate at this time.

SacredHeartsDala

SwirlDala

Those who travel very slowly may yet make far greater progress, provided they keep always to the straight road, than those who, while they run, forsake it.
Rene Descartes, Discourse on the Method http://exper.3drecursions.com/2010/02/09/a-classic-spiral-swirl/

TreeStarDala

Everyone is surrounded by complex and fragile balances, complex and fragile just like a blue China artifact...Fulvio Pereda

RAinBowheelDala

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

VibrotoryDala

Vibration refers to mechanical oscillations about an equilibrium point. The oscillations may be periodic such as the motion of a pendulum or random such as the movement of a tire on a gravel road.

QuanYinDala

One of the deities most frequently seen on altars in China's temples is Quan Yin (also spelled Kwan Yin, Kuanyin; in pinyin, Quan Yin Guanyin. In Sanskrit, her name is Padma-pâni, or "Born of the Lotus." Quan Yin, alone among Buddhist gods, is loved rather than feared and is the model of Chinese beauty. Regarded by the Chinese as the goddess of mercy, she was originally male until the early part of the 12th century and has evolved since that time from her prototype, Avalokiteshvara, "the merciful lord of utter enlightenment," an Indian bodhisattva who chose to remain on earth to bring relief to the suffering rather than enjoy for himself the ecstasies of Nirvana.

phaRAohDala

Pharaoh is the title given in modern parlance to the ancient Egyptian kings of all periods. In antiquity it began to be used for the king, who was the religious and political leader of ancient Egypt, during the New Kingdom. Meaning "Great House", it originally referred to the king's palace, but the meaning loosened over the course of Egyptian history until it became interchangeable with the traditional Egyptian word for king. Although the rulers of Egypt were generally male, pharaoh was also used on the rare occasions when a female ruled. The pharaohs were believed to be the incarnations of the god Horus in life, the mythological ruler of all Egypt, and of Osiris in death.

HeartsCrossDala

one light alone illuminates just one facet
many lights together illuminate facet upon facet
one by one many lights awaken and hands joining around
turn separate variations into bright dance making whole
Bruce Jones

EqinoxDala

The Sun is at its lowest path in the sky on the Winter Solstice. After that day the Sun follows a higher and higher path through the sky each day until it is in the sky for exactly 12 hours. On the Spring Equinox the Sun rises exactly in the east travels through the sky for 12 hours and sets exactly in the west. On the Equinox this is the motion of the Sun through the sky for everyone on earth. Every place on earth experiences a 12 hours day twice a year on the Spring and Fall Equinox. NOTE: This site has lessons for making sundials.

ElmLeafDala

We come spinning out of nothingness, scattering stars like dust~Rumi

MedicineWheelDala

A Medicine Wheel is a physical manifestation of Spiritual energy. An outward expression of an internal dialogue. A mirror in which we can better SEE what is going on within us. It is a wheel of protection and enables us, and allows us, to gather surrounding energies into a focal point and to commune with Spirit, Self and Nature (ALL elemental forces)........Creation!

MrMoonLightDala

The quest for enlightenment is a journey that can be traced along the lines and curves of the mandala's infinite complexity. There is no grand and glorious end to the quest, rather it is the journey itself that enlightens.

StarflowerDala

The circle around the outside stands for the dynamic consciousness of the initiated. This means that the center is visualized as the essence and the circumference as grasping. The totality of the whole mandala means "grasping the essence".

IvyWebDala

Cobweb can refer to: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cobweb

IvydRAgonflyDala

In the war between good and evil, an Ivy Dragon tends to walk the fine line of Neutrality….
When it comes to the powers of Chaos vs. those of Law and Order, your inner dragon walks a fine line between Law and Chaos….
As far as magical tendencies, Magical spells come as natural to the Ivy Dragon as breathe from it’s body….
During combat situations, the Ivy Dragon shows a preference for the rending and slashing of Hand to Hand combat….
Ivy dragons gain their name from the powers they have over the plants and animals in their domain. These dragons often link themselves so closely to their territory that they actually entwine part of their life force into the area.’
Because of this, an Ivy Dragons territory is almost always lush and beautiful. The sky is unusually clear and animal life flourishes in a way that seems magical. Ivy Dragons are fierce protectors and will defend their domain with their life, if need be. Ivy Dragon’s are have a deep emerald coloring, they are medium sized dragons. Ivy Dragon’s are excellent shape shifters. They can use their shape changing abilities to form tendrils or extra limbs in battle to aid them in combat.

BackseatDala

Looking at a mandala can bring you into the Now.
Take a breath, gaze into the center, and for a moment stop looking for alternatives. Stop squirming and fidgeting in your incessant quest to find a better sight to see, a better sound to hear, a more intriguing person to love. Stop searching for a better mind even, to help you make sense of the myriad and sundry bits of information that twitter in and dig holes in your stream of consciousness.

BackseatRipplesDala

We have to be willing to stand in the center of our life's experience. There, with the help of that calming breath, we just might realize there is nothing to seek. We are already standing in the middle of our sacred mandala.

dRAgonflyWheelDala

The word mantra is said to come from a root meaning “that which protects the mind.” Mantras are sounds — words or phrases — that are used as an object of concentration. The sounds may be chanted out loud, or may be heard internally.

dRAgonflyWingsDala

Illusion, the Power of Light
Dragonfly is the power of light.
The dragonfly inhabits two realms: air and water
Dragonfly is the essence of the winds of change, the messages of wisdom and enlightenment; and the communication from the elemental world. Dragonfly medicine beckons you to seek out the parts of your habits which need changing. Call on Dragonfly to guide you through the mists of illusion to the pathway of transformation.
The number 2 is important to Dragonfly, so think in terms of two year periods when you begin a change. Dragonfly brings the light and color of transformation into your life.

TreeperDala

Mantras are words or phrases that are chanted out loud or internally as objects of meditation. Throughout history, cultures have believed in the sacred power of words, and have believed that uttering certain words or names could control the external world, or control the unseen forces.

SunsetCrossDala

Because a yantra is composed of archetypical forms that are common to all existing phenomena, the very process of making a yantra is an archetypical activity that works with the encoding of the genes. During the process one moves from concrete reality to abstract truth.

LittlePineDala

Yantra also means liberation from the cycle of birth and rebirth (moksha). As a tool, yantra meditation is used to withdraw consciousness from the outer world, so as to help the student to go beyond the normal framework of mind to the altered states of consciousness known as turiya.

vessiKApineDala

The act of drawing and painting yantras teaches the mind how to concentrate, how to be one-pointed. Yantra drawing requires accuracy, exactness, discipline, concentration, neatness and patience. The geometrical forms of the yantra activate the right hemisphere, which is visual and nonverbal.
A black point on a white background forms the most precise and powerful yantra for meditation. But it is too simple to say that a yantra is a point on a surface which serves as a field for gazing. The point (bindu) is the center of the yantra. It signifies unity, the origin, the principle of manifestation and emanation.

LightRAinDala

A circle is an extension of a point. With the radius of desire, the point draws a circle around itself and expands. However, the circle also creates an individual consciousness out of cosmic consciousness. After the point and the circle the triangle is the simplest yantra form. Upward triangles draw the attention up and away from the world. In this way, yantras have a grammar of their own.

DementerDala

Demeter, in Greek mythology, is the Goddess of grain and fertility, the pure. Nourisher of the youth and the green earth, the health-giving cycle of life and death, and preserver of marriage and the sacred law. In the Homeric Hymn to Demeter, she is invoked as the "bringer of seasons". She and her daughter Persephone were the central figures of the Eleusinian Mysteries.

PersephoneDala

In Greek mythology, Persephone was the embodiment of the Earth's fertility at the same time that she was the Queen of the Underworld, the korē (or young maiden), and the parthenogenic daughter of Demeter and, in later Classical myths, a daughter of Demeter and Zeus. In the Olympian version, she also becomes the consort of Hades when he becomes the deity that governs the underworld.

DemeterPersephoneDala

The figure of Persephone is well-known today. Her story has great emotional power: an innocent maiden, a mother's grief over her abduction, and great joy after her daughter is returned. It is also cited frequently as a paradigm of myths that explain natural processes, with the descent and return of the goddess bringing about the change of seasons.

PomegraniteDala

The myth of Persephone, the chthonic goddess of the Underworld, also prominently features the pomegranate. In one version of Greek mythology, Persephone was kidnapped by Hades and taken off to live in the underworld as his wife. Her mother, Demeter (goddess of the Harvest), went into mourning for her lost daughter and thus all green things ceased to grow. Zeus, the highest ranking of the Greek gods, could not leave the Earth to die, so he commanded Hades to return Persephone. It was the rule of the Fates that anyone who consumed food or drink in the Underworld was doomed to spend eternity there. Persephone had no food, but Hades tricked her into eating four pomegranate seeds while she was still his prisoner and so, because of this, she was condemned to spend four months in the Underworld every year. During these four months, when Persephone is sitting on the throne of the Underworld next to her husband Hades, her mother Demeter mourns and no longer gives fertility to the earth.

DrumFlowerDala

"Dissimilar things were fitted together to make something beautiful and whole."
--Nippawanock, ARAPAHOE

FlowerDrumDala

Sometimes we look at something close up and it appears to be ugly; but then we drop back and look at it as a whole and it is beautiful. We all have purpose, and we are all beautiful. Grandfather, today, let me see the beauty of the whole.

ButterflyTreeDala

Here are the four circles, symbolising the enlightenment, which the meditating person must gain, before she can enter the illuminated palace:
fire of wisdom: the outermost circle consists of the purifying fire
vajra circle: the diamond circle expresses strength and fearlessness
tombs: there are eight tombs, which symbolises the eight states of consciousness*, which the person must go beyond
lotus circle: expresses the open state of devotion, that is necessary to enter the palace
*consciousness of seeing, consciousness of hearing, consciousness of tasting, consciousness of smelling, consciousness of the body, consciousness of thinking, consciousness of the I, basic consciousness

NewLeafDala

A mandala symbolizes "a safe refuge of inner reconciliation and wholeness."~Carl Jung

NewFaelDala

As for the center, that is the essence.
As for the circumference, that is grasping, thus grasping the essence.

VessiKAorbDala

I let the creative process loose once I am within the circle, and that's when the magic happens.~Jill Rowe

TemplarDala

Drawing a mandala is a beautiful journey and meditation. Inner exploration and meditation over the past years have deepened this experience.~ Mukto Logue

FireDala

An elemental is a mythological being first appearing in the alchemical works of Paracelsus. The elements balance each other out through opposites: water quenches fire, fire boils water, earth contains air, air erodes earth.
Salamander ~ Vulcanus ~ Fire

WaterDala

The basic concept of an elemental refers to the ancient idea of elements as fundamental building blocks of nature. In the system prevailing in the Classical world, there were four elements: fire, earth, air, and water.
Nymph ~ Undina (undine) ~ Water

EarthDala

In mysticism, magic and alchemy, an elemental is a creature (usually a spirit) that is attuned with, or composed of, one of the classical elements: air, earth, fire and water. Pygmy ~ Gnomus (gnome) ~ Earth

WinDala

Elementals are commonly mentioned in grimoires dealing with alchemy and sorcery and are usually "called" by summoning. Sylph ~ Sylvestris ~ Air

BlueMoonDala

We are all circles on the great mandala, and by changing the intensity of color, we clarify the fullness of each circle. Every soul is a circle with a unique combination of color and intensity. Each circle contains two individual circles with a delicate membrane between them."
This powerful dream voice came through me in 1992 while I was painting in Hawaii. It clearly symbolizes the essence of my work as a painter where soul patterns are colorfully manifested through the ancient symbol of the mandala.
The mandala, for me, more than any other teacher in this lifetime, has opened the doorway into the symbolic language of the soul.~Paul Heussenstamm

CarLotusDala

Mandalas are passed on from the cosmic dimension and wish to touch your heart.
They will give your mind powerful energy, brilliant light and peaceful love.
Your spirit will get like a beautiful flower, which opens its colorful petals to the love for the creation of the Univers.~Marlis Ladurée

JuniperDala

Soft eyed I
focus on the center.
Willingly, I
fall in.
Looking around
I rediscover
My sacred place.~Clare Goodwin

SunSwanDala

In the center of the mandala there is fire, controlled by the power of conciousness. It is not destroying, burning everything down by uncontrolled action. I wanted to show the constructive and alchemistic character of fire when used in the right dose at the right time in the right place.

RAinBowLotusDala

TaRA is a RAinBow Goddess, as she is represented by many different colors. There4, i have used the chakRA colours to represent her multi-coloured aspects in the crystal lotus, as the lotus is also associated with TaRA.

TreeO'LiteDala

Nothing illustRAtes the Daoist saying by Joseph Rosado 'Stillness creates Movement' more than shooting a timed exposure without a tripod of Xmas lites! i hold my breath and hold as still as i can to capture the movement of these lights.

FarolitoDala

My friend and former co-worker, Jennifer Maxon took the Sorce photae up in Santa Fe i beeleaf. People use luminarias or farolitos to decorate the path to their door as well as outlining the roofline of their home with these warm inviting lights. People in Albuquerque tend to call the paper bag lanterns, luminarias, but natives from Santa Fe insist the correct term is farolitos. Historically, a true luminaria is a series of small bonfires lining the roads. Personally, i heard it The Other way around!

CrossDala

and viola!, a somewhat Christian cross becomes a somewhat Celtic cross.

Talk about synchronicity! Just came across these CirclesO'Wisdom

ProfundaPazRAflower

For me making mandalas is a spontaneous process full of surprise and wonder. It is a natural meditation from which all sorts of symbols, shapes, colours, forms, and themes unravel and combine to provide perfectly integrated and profound stories. Sometimes the themes and elements are well known but often they emerge from somewhere hidden - this combined with the here and now produces little treasures offering insight, joy and wisdom leading on to further discovery and inspiration.~Lindy Longhurst

ShaRArose

I see in it the inner world of the web merging into the outer world we inhabit and going further into the universe we try so hard to understand.The inner warmth of our feelings fighting the cold we find in the world outside, a delicate power that can conquer all our fears and lead to a peace so soft it lulls us into a dream from which we seek no release.~Terry Thornton

RAinBowTaRA

Every soul is a circle with a unique combination of color and intensity. Each circle contains two individual circles with a delicate membrane between them. ΩThe mandala, for me, more than any other teacher in this lifetime, has opened the doorway into the symbolic language of the soul.~Paul Heussenstamm

sea http://zmyztickleonion.blogspot.com/2007_03_01_archive.html 4 the sorceresses used 4 the above 3 Dalas.

SkyDala

Mandala art has been used throughout the world, Tibetan Buddhism has used mandala art for thousands of years, Navajo sand painters use them in their healing rites, many Native Americans use the Medicine Wheel to connect to earth energies and the wisdom of nature.

TempleDala

A mandala can be described as any form of circular, or square geometric design that contains symbols of a person’s inner self, guiding principles, overall ideas about life and the world.
In a mandala there is a central point or focus within the circle, a support for the meditating person. The significance of objects within a mandala are conveyed by shape, size, and color; they can be abstract designs, photos, specific drawings of people, places, and ideas that are central to a person’s life.

GreenMandala

For summer solstice, Catholic and Nordic Protestant cultures celebrate the feast of St. John from June 23 to June 24 (see St. John's Eve, Ivan Kupala Day, Midsummer), while Neopagans observe Midsummer.

JemezAutumnDala

The September equinox marks the first day of Mehr or Libra in the Iranian calendar. It is one of the Iranian festivals called Jashne Mihragan, or the festival of sharing or love in Zoroastrianism. At the autumn equinox the Wiccan Sabbat of Mabon is celebrated. The September equinox was "New Year's Day" in the French Republican Calendar, which was in use from 1793 to 1805. The harvest festival in the United Kingdom is celebrated on the Sunday of the full moon closest to the September equinox. World Storytelling Day is a global celebration of the art of oral storytelling, celebrated every year on the first day of autumn equinox in the southern hemisphere.

Druidala

The word solstice derives from Latin sol (sun) and sistere (to stand still), Winter Solstice meaning Sun standstill in winter. On the night of winter solstice, as seen from a northern sky, the three stars in Orion's Belt align with the brightest star in the eastern sky Sirius to show where the Sun will rise in the morning after winter solstice. On winter solstice, the Sun ceases to decline in the sky and the length of daylight reaches its minimum for three days, during which the sun does not move on the horizon. After such a time, the Sun begins its ascent into the northern sky and days grow longer. Thus the interpretation by many cultures of a sun reborn and a return to light.

SewBelowDala

I experience mandala making as a way of centering oneself. The concentration which is needed is like a training of the mind, learning how to focus one's attention on the here and now. I experience this as a form of meditation, a way of reaching inner peace and balance.

TargetDala

I love creating digital mandalas with Photoshop. I find a lot of peace and serenity in doing so.~Jenn McWhorter

VessiKAeyeDala

The Reality is that I do nothing but watch and enjoy when Art happens. It flows so smoothly that I can only know it to be the workings of a deeper part of myself where I no longer identify with thoughts.~Justin Russell

4seaSonsDala

Hear me, four quarters of the world -- a relative I am! Give me the strength to walk the soft earth, a relative to all that is! Give me the eyes to see and the strength to understand, that I may be like you. With your power only can I face the winds.~Black Elk

SeasonsGoRounDala

Life is like a Mandala, where order, chaos and chance combine together along the paths of Time.~Fulvio Pereda

PenitentDala

CircleO'Wisdom
At the deepest level, the creative process and the healing process arise from a single source. When you are an artist, you are a healer; a wordless trust of the same mystery is the foundation of your work and its integrity.
~Rachel Naomi Remen  

FenceDala

Mandala (Sanskrit: "circle") in Hindu and Buddhist Tantrism, a symbolic diagram used in the performance of sacred rites and as an instrument of meditation. The mandala is basically a representation of the universe, a consecrated area that serves as a receptacle for the gods and as a collection point for universal forces. By mentally "entering" the mandala and "proceeding" toward its centre, we are guided through the cosmic processes of disintegration and reintegration.
--frOM Encyclopaedia Britannica

VessiKAdala

Mandalas have been the focus of meditation, contemplation and admiration for years too numerous to count. Since before the dawn of recorded history, humanity's intimate connection to the mandala has been a vibrant link to our universal ancestry. It is a sacred diagram that displays the structure of the spirit and the interwoven nature of the cosmos. Many have studied their design, their inherent centrality, as a path toward achieving an ideal centrality in their own selves. Such interaction with a mandala is a process of approaching enlightenment. Its elements are the essence of life, the myriad layers of existence, of being, of living, so that each mandala is but one of an infinite number of possible manifestations of the self. Its creation is the gathering of intangibles, the construction of an architecture of peace and order within a swirling, chaotic world. It is a pulse point on the universal collective consciousness. The mandala represents the center of the universe and the outward-expanding awareness of the human experience. It is a quest to rediscover that center, the nucleus, the focal point for all things. The journey's conclusion, our eventual return to that center, is inevitable-- only the path may vary.

SandiaDala

The most beautiful experience we can have is the mysterious -- the fundamental emotion which stands at the cradle of true art and true science. --Albert Einstein

SandiaDalaa

Quite frequently, in the process of creation, i discover An Other Dala within the one that i was currently fusing in2 beeing. But isn't that the way of the universe?

SandiaVessiKAdala

When I create mandalas, my intention is always to bypass my mind so that I can become a hollow reed that the creative spirit of the Universe can flow through.~Robin de Lavis

StarGateDala

The titles seem 2 come frOM 2 sources. sOMetimes they are named after the location of the photae that was the Sorce of the Dala. More often than not, though, they are named after the creature, beeing or spirit that appeared to mee in their creation.

WinterDala

Why R there butterflies in this representation of Winter? Beecause in every winter, there is the promise of Spring!

WingsDala

The high mission of any art is, by its illusions, to foreshadow a higher universe reality, to crystallize the emotions of time into the thought of eternity.~
Lori Bailey Cunningham

WingsCrossDala

It is through meditation and spiritual practice that I see the symbolic imagery for my art. My purpose is to create visual resting places for the soul.~Eileen Bradley

BlurrDala

What's sew kool about this process is that there are no mistakes! This out-of-focus photae turned in2 this marvelous in-focus wOManDala! Kool huh?

TreeBerryDala

It took the triple Goddess to make this one!

SandiaCrossDala

To meditate with a mandala, gaze into its center allowing your focus to soften a little. Breathe slowly, deeply and rhythmically. If your body feels tight, try some tense-and-release exercises. Starting with one of your feet, tense the muscles as hard as you can for a few seconds, then let them go limp. Do this all the way up your body and include your facial muscles. Breathing is the key to relaxation and spiritual connection. Begin to consciously slow your breathing a little bit at a time. This should feel natural, not forced. Try to start your breath as far down your torso as you can, coming from the abdomen rather than the chest. To make sure you're doing this, put a hand on your lower belly and feel it rise and fall with your breath. This may take a little practice if you've never done it before. Feel the rhythm of your breath. Allow it to keep slowing down naturally. As you feel your breath traveling up your body, follow it in your mind imagining that it is energy (it is!) Try to keep your mind on your breath but if it wanders onto other things, don't sweat it. Just keep bringing it back to the breath. I usually meditate in 20 or 30 minute sessions but if this seems like Way Too Long, try 10 minutes. Or even 5. Eventually you'll start to feel so good after meditating that you'll WANT to lengthen your sessions and do more of them. Meditation puts me... and you, and anyone... in touch with the Collective Consciousness, the wellspring of the creative force.

SandiaCrossDalaa

Reality is not what your eyes show your mind, but what your mind creates for your eyes to see. You are not limited by logic, the past, or the world around you. You are not even of the world around you. You are supernatural, pure spirit. You came first. Magic, miracles, and luck are the consequences of understanding this, the inevitable result of dreaming and acting in spite of appearances.~The Universe

CrossingDala

And when the mist~illusion's
Finally gone
I'll welcome the brilliant
And Golden Dawn.
~Rick Allen

FeathersDala

In traditional cultures, air is often seen as a universal power or pure substance. Its fundamental importance to life can be seen in words such as spirit, inspire, expire, and aspire, all derived from the Latin spirare ("to breathe").
According to Plato, it is associated with the octahedron; air is considered to be both hot and wet. This places air between fire (four triangular sides) and water (twenty triangular sides), which Plato regarded as appropriate because it is intermediate in its mobility, sharpness, and ability to penetrate.
The ancient Greeks used two words for air: aer meant the dim lower atmosphere, and aether meant the bright upper atmosphere above the clouds. As it grows warm and rarefied, air becomes fire; as it cools and condenses it becomes water, then earth and rock. In ancient Greek medicine, each of the four humours became associated with an element. Blood was the humor identified with air, since both were hot and wet. Other things associated with air and blood in ancient and medieval medicine included the season of spring, since it increased the qualities of heat and moisture.
In Indian tradition the element Air is linked to Shani, or Saturn, and the north-west direction.
Air is not one of the traditional five Chinese classical elements. Nevertheless, the ancient Chinese concept of Qi or chi is believed to be close to that of air. Qi is a fundamental concept of traditional Chinese culture. Qi is believed to be part of every living thing that exists, as a kind of "life force" or "spiritual energy". It is frequently translated as "energy flow", or literally as "air" or "breath".
In East Asia, wood is sometimes seen as the equivalent of air and is represented by the Azure Dragon, known as 青龍 (Qīng Lóng) in Chinese, Seiryuu in Japanese and Cheong-ryong (청룡, Hanja:靑龍) in Korean. Air is represented in the Aztec religion by a snake; to the Scythians, a yoke; to the Hindus and Greeks, a sword; and in Christian iconography, as mankind.
The Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, founded in 1888, combined ideas from many different sources including Rosicrucianism and Freemasonry, the angelic system of 16th-century magician John Dee and his assistant Edward Kelley, Hermetic Qabalah, and recent archaeological discoveries of Egyptian and Greco-Roman magic and religion. Thus air, and the other Greek classical elements, were incorporated into the Golden Dawn system despite being considered obsolete by modern science. Theoricus (2=9) is the elemental grade attributed to air; this grade is also attributed to the Moon and the Qabalistic sphere Yesod. The elemental weapon of air is the dagger, which must be painted yellow with magical names and sigils written upon it in violet. Each of the elements has several associated spiritual beings. The archangel of air is Raphael, the angel is Chassan, the ruler is Aral, the king is Paralda, and the air elementals (following Paracelsus) are called sylphs. Air is considered to be active; it is represented by the Man and the symbol for Aquarius, and it is referred to the upper left point of the pentagram in the Supreme Invoking Ritual of the Pentagram. Many of these associations have since spread throughout the occult community.
In the Golden Dawn, and many other magical systems, each element is associated with one of the cardinal points and is placed under the care of guardian Watchtowers. The Watchtowers derive from the Enochian system of magic founded by Dee. In the Golden Dawn, they are represented by the Enochian elemental tablets. Air is associated with the east, which is guarded by the First Watchtower.
Air is one of the four elements that appears in many neopagan traditions. Wicca in particular was influenced by the Golden Dawn system of magic, and Aleister Crowley's mysticism, which was in turn inspired by the Golden Dawn. Common Wiccan attributions include:
* The cardinal direction of east.
* Yellow, or pastel colors. (Some associate air with green or even a light blue.)
* The wand or the athame.
* Woodwind instruments.
* The suit of Swords in the Minor Arcana of tarot. (Some Wiccans associate air with the suit of Wands, as the ritual wand is often associated with air.)
* Mind, intellect, consciousness, study, communication.
* The alchemic notion of Azoth.
* Sunrise, childhood, spring, beginnings.
* Incense.
* Birds, insects, flying creatures.
* Masculine energy.
* Many gods and goddesses, including Aradia, Athena, Hermes, Mercury, Nuit, Shu, Thoth, and Zeus.
People born under the astrological signs of Libra, Gemini and Aquarius are thought to have dominant air personalities. Air personalities tend to be cool like the wind, (: orr full of hot air:)
Enlil was the god of air in ancient Sumer. Shu was the ancient Egyptian god of air and the husband of Tefnut, goddess of moisture. He became an emblem of strength by virtue of his role in separating Nut (sky) from Geb (earth). He played a primary role in the Coffin Texts, which were spells intended to help the deceased reach the realm of the afterlife safely. On the way to the sky, the spirit had to travel through the air, as one spell indicates: "I have gone up in Shu, I have climbed on the sunbeams."

SandiaStarDala

Earth, home and origin of humanity, has often been worshipped in its own right with its own unique spiritual tradition.
Earth is one of the four classical elements in ancient Greek philosophy and science. It was commonly associated with qualities of practicality, restraint and materialism. It was also associated with the physical, sensual aspects of life.
The Platonic solid associated with earth is the cube which is formed from six square sides. This places earth between fire (four triangular sides) and air (eight triangular sides).
In Classical Greek and Roman myth, various goddesses represented the earth, crops and fertility, including Ceres, Demeter, and Persephone or Proserpina.
In ancient ancient Greek medicine, each of the four humours became associated with an element. Black bile was the humor identified with earth, since both were cold and dry. Other things associated with earth and black bile in ancient and medieval medicine included the season of fall, since it increased the qualities of cold and aridity.
In alchemy, the chemical element of salt was associated with earth and its alchemical symbol was a downward-pointing triangle, bisected by a horizontal line.
Prithvi (Sanskrit: pṛthvī, also pṛthivī) is the Hindu earth and mother goddess. According to one such tradition, she is the personification of the Earth itself; according to another, its actual mother, being Prithvi Tattwa, the essence of the element earth. As Prithvi Mata, or "Mother Earth," she contrasts with Dyaus Pita, "father sky." In the Rigveda, earth and sky are frequently addressed as a duality, often indicated by the idea of two complementary "half-shells." In addition, the element Earth is associated with Buddha or Mercury, who represents communication, business, mathematics and other practical matters. Earth is also associated with the south-west direction.
Earth is a balance of both yin and yang, the feminine and masculine together. Its motion is inward and centering, and its energy is stabilizing and conserving. It is associated with the color yellow and the planet Saturn, and it lies at the center of the compass in the Chinese cosmos. It is associated with the turn of each of the four seasons and with damp. It is believed to govern the spleen, stomach, mouth and muscles. Its negative emotion is anxiety and its positive emotion is empathy. Its Primal Spirit is represented by the Yellow Dragon.
Earth and the other Greek classical elements were incorporated into the Golden Dawn system despite being considered obsolete by modern science. Zelator (1=10) is the elemental grade attributed to earth; this grade is also attributed to the Qabalistic sphere Malkuth. The elemental weapon of earth is the Pentacle. Each of the elements has several associated spiritual beings. The archangel of earth is Uriel, the angel is Phorlakh, the ruler is Kerub, the king is Ghob, and the earth elementals (following Paracelsus) are called gnomes. Earth is considered to be passive; it is represented by the symbol for Taurus, and it is referred to the lower left point of the pentagram in the Supreme Invoking Ritual of the Pentagram.
In Wicca, earth is associated with the North (or East in some variations), Winter, and the color yellow (or green in some variations) on the physical plane. It is sometimes represented by its Hindu tattva (a yellow square), or by a downward pointing triangle with a horizontal line through it, and may be symbolized by the following: percussion instruments, animal fur, coins, a pentacle, milk, a heartbeat, jewelry, bones, or a staff. Earth represents strength, abundance, stability and femininity. In rituals, earth is represented by burying objects in the ground, herbalism, and carving images out of wood or stone.
The manifestations of the earth element are found in plants, trees, mountains, forests, caves and gardens. The stag, boar, bull, sow, bear and snake are also thought to personify the element, as are all burrowing animals, such as the mole or rabbit. The astral creatures of earth, known as elementals, are the Satyr/Faun, Gnome/Goblin, and Sylvestre/Dryad. Earth’s place on the pentagram is the lower left point.
People born under the astrological signs of Taurus, Capricorn and Virgo are thought to have dominant earth personalities. Earth personalities tend to be calm, practical, pragmatic, responsible and cautious; however, they can also be stubborn, intolerable and inflexible.
In East Asia, metal is sometimes seen as the equivalent of earth and is represented by the White Tiger (Chinese constellation), known as 白虎 (Bái Hǔ) in Chinese, Byakko in Japanese and Baekho (백호, Hanja:白虎) in Korean. Earth is represented in the Aztec religion by a house; to the Hindus, a lotus; to the Scythians, a plough; to the Greeks, a wheel; and in Christian iconography, by a bull.

TorchDala

Fire has been an important part of many cultures and religions, from pre-history to modern day, and was vital to the development of civilization. It has been regarded in many different fashions throughout history. Fire is one of the four classical elements in ancient Greek philosophy and science. It was commonly associated with the qualities of energy, assertiveness, and passion. In one Greek myth, Prometheus stole fire from the gods to protect the otherwise helpless humans, but was punished for this kindness. The ancient Greeks distinguished the destructive (aidelon) fire, associated with Hades, from the creative fire, associated with Hephaistos. Goddess Hekate was called Pyrphoros (Fire-bearing), Pyripnon (Fire-breather), Daidoukhos (Torch-bearer) and Phosphoros (Light-bearer).
The Platonic solid associated with fire is the tetrahedron which is formed from four equilateral triangles. This makes fire the element with the smallest number of sides, which Plato regarded as appropriate as the heat of fire feels sharp and stabbing (like little tetrahedra).
In ancient Greek medicine, each of the four humours became associated with an element. Yellow bile was the humor identified with fire, since both were hot and dry. Other things associated with fire and yellow bile in ancient and medieval medicine included the season of summer, since it increased the qualities of heat and aridity.
In alchemy, the chemical element of sulfur was often associated with fire and its alchemical symbol and its symbol was an upward-pointing triangle. In alchemic tradition, metals are incubated by fire in the womb of the Earth and alchemists only accelerate their development.
Fire is yang or masculine in character, its motion is upward and its energy is expansive. It is associated with the planet Mars, summer, south, daylight and heat and the color red. (Red is associated with extreme luck). It is also believed to govern the heart, tongue, and pulse. Its negative emotion is hate, while its positive emotion is joy. The Primal Spirit of fire is represented by the Red Pheasant or Phoenix.
n Chinese thought Fire is associated with the qualities of dynamism, strength and persistence; however, it is also connected to restlessness. The fire element provides, warmth, enthusiasm and creativity, however an excess of it can bring aggression, impatience and impulsive behavior. In the same way, fire provides heat and warmth, however an excess can also burn. In the conquest cycle, fire overcomes metal, and in turn is overcome by water. In the birth and nurturing cycle, fire burns to earth, and is sparked by wood igniting.
Agni is a Hindu and Vedic deity. The word agni is Sanskrit for "fire" (noun), cognate with Latin ignis (the root of English ignite), Russian ogon (fire), pronounced agon, and ogni, pronounced agni (fires). Agni has three forms: fire, lightning and the sun.
Agni is one of the most important of the Vedic gods. He is the god of fire and the acceptor of sacrifices. The sacrifices made to Agni go to the deities because Agni is a messenger from and to the other gods. He is ever-young, because the fire is re-lit every day, yet he is also immortal. In Indian tradition Fire is also linked to Surya or the Sun and Mangala or Mars, and with the south-east direction.
Fire and the other Greek classical elements were incorporated into the Golden Dawn system despite being considered obsolete by modern science. Philosophus (1=10) is the elemental grade attributed to fire; this grade is also attributed to the Qabalistic sphere Netzach and the planet Venus. The elemental weapon of fire is the Wand. Each of the elements has several associated spiritual beings. The archangel of fire is Michael, the angel is Aral, the ruler is Seraph, the king is Djin, and the fire elementals (following Paracelsus) are called salamanders. Fire is considered to be active; it is represented by the symbol for Leo, and it is referred to the lower right point of the pentagram in the Supreme Invoking Ritual of the Pentagram.
In most Wiccan traditions, fire is associated with:
* The South,
* The Summer
* The color red on the physical plane.
* The athame or ceremonial dagger.
* In covens that use the sword, it is often associated with this element.
Other correspondences include blood, candles, the guitar, rubies and incense. Fire represents energy, inspiration, passion and masculinity. It is sometimes represented in writing by a red upwards triangle.
In rituals, fire is represented in the forms of burning objects, love spells, baking and lighting candles or fires.
The manifestations of the element are found in the sun, lightning, fire, volcanoes and lava, and all forms of light. Cats of all types, especially the lion and tiger, are also thought to personify the element of fire, as are all predatory creatures, such as the fox.
The astral creatures of fire, known as elementals, are the salamander, phoenix, drake/dragon and, occasionally, the falcon (Although most associate this animal with air, instead).
Fire's place on the pentagram is the lower right point.
Fire belongs to the suit of Wands in occult or divinatory tarot, although some Wiccans associate it with the suit of Swords because the athame (ritual knife) is often associated with fire. Fire is associated with warm colours, like red, orange and yellow, but also colours like black.
People born under the astrological signs of Aries, Leo and Sagittarius are thought to have dominant fire personalities. Fire personalities are believed to have good leading qualities, and also tend to be extroverted, rebellious, passionate and enthusiastic; however, they can also be moody, hot-tempered, snappy, uncontrollable and angry.
Fire represents the creativity and passion that all intellectual and emotional beings have. It is an active force that has the passion to create and animate things. The element is also very rational and quick to "flare up" as is the personality of many "fire-children."
Fire in many ancient cultures and myths has been known to purify the land with the flames of destruction; however, it is also capable of the renewal of life through the warmth and comfort of those very same flames.
The element of fire shows up in mythological stories all across the world, often in stories related to the Sun.
In East Asia fire is represented by the Vermilion Bird, known as 朱雀 (Zhū Què) in Chinese, Suzaku in Japanese and Ju-jak (주작, Hanja:朱雀) in Korean. Fire is represented in the Aztec religion by a flint; to the Native Americans, a mouse; to the Hindu and Islamic faiths, a lightning bolt; to the Scythians, an axe, to the Greeks, an apple-bough; and in Christian iconography, a lion.

KoiDala

Water has been important to all peoples of the earth, and it is rich in spiritual tradition. Water is one of the four classical elements in ancient Greek philosophy and science. It was commonly associated with the qualities of emotion and intuition. The Platonic solid associated with water is the icosahedron which is formed from twenty equilateral triangles. This makes water the element with the greatest number of sides, which Plato regarded as appropriate because water flows out of one's hand when picked up, as if it is made of tiny little balls.
In ancient Greek medicine, each of the four humours became associated with an element. Phlegm was the humor identified with water, since both were cold and wet. Other things associated with water and phlegm in ancient and medieval medicine included the season of Winter, since it increased the qualities of cold and moisture.
In alchemy, the chemical element of mercury was often associated with water and its alchemical symbol was a downward-pointing triangle.
Ap (áp-) is the Vedic Sanskrit term for "water". In Hindu philosophy, the term refers to water as an element, one of the Panchamahabhuta, or "five great elements". In Hinduism, it is also the name of the deva, a personification of water, (one of the Vasus in most later Puranic lists). The element Water is also associated with Chandra or the Moon, and Shukra or Venus, who represent feelings, intuition and imagination. Water is also linked to the north east direction.
Water is yin or feminine in character, its energy is downward and its motion is stillness and conserving. It is associated with the planet Mercury, the north, winter and cold, darkness, night and the colour black. It is also associated with the moon, which was believed to cause the dew to fall at night. It is also believed to govern the kidneys, ears and bones. The negative emotion associated with water is fear, while the positive emotion is calmness. Its Primal Spirit is represented by the Black Tortoise.
In Chinese Taoist thought, water is representative of intelligence and wisdom, flexibility, softness and pliancy; however, an over-abundance of the element is said to cause difficulty in choosing something and sticking to it. In the same way, Water can be fluid and weak, but can also wield great power when it floods and overwhelms the land. In the birth and nurturing cycle, water spawns wood, and is spawned by metal. In the conquest cycle, water overcomes fire, and in turn is overcome by earth.
Water and the other Greek classical elements were incorporated into the Golden Dawn system despite being considered obsolete by modern science. Theoricus (3=8) is the elemental grade attributed to water; this grade is also attributed to the Qabalistic sphere Hod and the planet Mercury. The elemental weapon of water is the cup. Each of the elements has several associated spiritual beings. The archangel of water is Gabriel, the angel is Taliahad, the ruler is Tharsis, the king is Nichsa, and the water elementals (following Paracelsus) are called Undines. Earth (Water) is considered to be passive; it is represented by the eagle, and it is referred to the upper right point of the pentagram in the Supreme Invoking Ritual of the Pentagram.
In Wiccan tradition, water is associated with the West, autumn, and the color blue on the physical plane. It is sometimes represented by a white crescent, a downward pointing triangle, the chalice, the bell, shells, sapphires, lapis lazuli, tears, and the cauldron. Water represents emotions, wisdom, the soul, and femininity. In rituals, it is represented in the forms of pouring water over objects, brew making, healing spells, ritual bathing, and tossing objects into bodies of water.
The manifestations of the element of water are rivers, oceans, lakes, wells, fog, all drinks, and the rain. Animals, especially the dolphin, seal, turtle, frog, and all types of fish, are also thought to personify the element of water. The astral creatures of water, known as elementals, are the Ondine/Mermaid, Oreade/Naiad, and Sea Serpent/Dragon. Water’s place on the pentagram is the upper right point.
People born under the astrological signs of Scorpio, Cancer and Pisces being one of the two drawn elements meaning it is part of two of the classical elements are thought to have dominant water personalities. Water personalities tend to be emotional, kind, nurturing, sympathetic, empathetic and intuitive; however, they can also be needy, sentimental, over-sensitive and irrational.

HorusDala

The eyes represent the whole of the universe, a concept similar to that of the Taoist Yin-yang symbol. Spiritually, the right eye reflects solar, masculine energy, as well as reason and mathematics. The left eye reflects fluid, feminine, lunar energy, and rules intuition and magick. Together, they represent the combined, transcendent power of Horus.

AhuRAmazDala

Ahura Mazdā (also known as Ohrmazd, Ahuramazda, Hormazd,and Aramazd) is the Avestan name for a divinity of the Old Iranian religion who was proclaimed the uncreated God by Zoroaster, the founder of Zoroastrianism. Ahura Mazda is described as the highest deity of worship in Zoroastrianism, along with being the first and most frequently invoked deity in the Yasna. Ahura Mazda is the creator and upholder of asha (truth). Ahura Mazda is an omniscient, but not an omnipotent God, however Ahura Mazda would eventually destroy evil. Ahura Mazda's counterpart is Angra Mainyu, the "evil spirit" and the creator of evil who will be destroyed before frashokereti (the destruction of evil).

AhuraDala

Ahura is an Avestan language designation for a particular class of Zoroastrian divinities. Avestan ahura derives from Indo-Iranian *asura, also attested in an Indian context as RigVedic asura. As suggested by the similarity to the Old Norse æsir, Indo-Iranian *asura may have an even earlier Indo-European root.

puddleDala1111

Raindrops keep fallin' on my head
And just like the guy whose feet are too big for his bed
Nothin' seems to fit
Those raindrops are fallin' on my head, they keep fallin'

So I just did me some talkin' to the sun
And I said I didn't like the way he got things done
Sleepin' on the job
Those raindrops are fallin' on my head, they keep fallin'

But there's one thing I know
The blues they send to meet me won't defeat me
It won't be long till happiness steps up to greet me

Raindrops keep fallin' on my head
But that doesn't mean my eyes will soon be turnin' red
Cryin's not for me
'Cause I'm never gonna stop the rain by complainin'
Because I'm free
Nothin's worryin' me

HeavensDala

Inner harmony can only come about when you are not any longer 'a house divided against itself.' This is what many call 'the spiritual journey' or 'seek ye first the kingdom of heaven within.' This INNER kingdom is the divine in the centre of your being - it is BEING. It has a Voice which can be accessed, not only in the inner stillness, but at all times if the attention is focused on it in true humility.

GlowDala

Mandala creation is a form of meditation that brings us to a greater conscience of ourselves and the world that surrounds us. It promotes the inner growth and happiness, as well as the health and the emotional calm. Everybody should experience it!~Laura Podio

TaweretDala

Taweret (Taueret, Taurt, Toeris, Ipy, Ipet, Apet, Opet, Reret)~ The Great Female ~ was the ancient Egyptian goddess of maternity and childbirth, protector of women and children. She was both a fierce demonic fighter as well as a popular deity who guarded the mother and her newborn child. She was depicted as a combination of a crocodile, a pregnant hippopotamus standing on her hind legs with large breasts and a lion. Because hippos are denizens of the fertile Nile mud, Egyptians also saw them as symbols of rebirth and rejuvenation.

TaweretLaceDala

Taweret was seen as being the northern sky, the constellation roughly covering the area of present-day Draco, which always lies above the horizon.

ScorpiusDala

Massive Stars in NGC 6357 Credit & Copyright: Johannes Schedler (Panther Observatory)
Explanation: Massive stars lie within NGC 6357, an expansive emission nebula complex some 8,000 light-years away in the tail of the constellation Scorpius. In fact, positioned just below center in this close-up view of NGC 6357, star cluster Pismis 24
includes some of the most massive stars known in the galaxy, stars with over 100 times the mass of the Sun. The nebula's bright central region also contains dusty pillars of molecular gas, likely hiding massive protostars from the prying eyes of optical
instruments. Intricate shapes in the nebula are carved by interstellar winds and energetic radiation from the young and newly forming massive stars. This alluring telescopic view spans just under 50 light-years at the estimated distance of NGC 6357.
Astronomy Picture of the Day ~ 2008 October 9

ScorpiusCrossDala

For art to truly be sacred it requires that the vehicle of it's expression, at least in the moment of its creation, has transcended self and all of its limitations.~Wes Wait

FireWorksWheatDala

The absence of ideation in the process of creation allows that which arises in the artists' awareness, manifesting through their hands to be imbued with the Divine, creating a passageway to the sacred that resides in all being.~Wes Wait

FireWorkSpinDala

Finding the order amongst chaos to comfort without limits~Rebecca McNeeley

SamhainDala

my photographs are my door to the cycles and rhythms of life~Mark Hobson

GreenScarebDala

Peace seeds take root
within each heart
Nourished & loved
Peace growth will start

Roots dig deeper,
limbs reach for the sun
Peace blossoms erupt
for everyone

The fruit of Peace
grows juicy & ripe
Like new moon to full
in a starry night

Peace seeds then fall
to the fertile ground
The circle complete
& Peace all around

~ Jennifer Star
Winter Solstice, 2004

greenbuddhala

I celebrate the boundless range of elemental combinations present in the universe. From basic substances of matter emerge presences of infinite variety that take form as planets, comets, stars, trees, human-kind, and other celestial travelers. This is a manifestation of the creativity of spirit. This is present and reflected on all levels of being.~Marjorie Kaye

KundaliniDala

My Mandala represents my Soul shining Its Light in total Balance out to the universe.~Debbie Dexter

LaceFlowerDala

Hope sustains us in times of trial. Never loose it and you will survive all. Hope springs eternal, round and round it goes.~Chris Flisher

CochitiDala

The Personal MANDALA, as a particular cosmos map, is composed by forms and symbols that portray, express and vibrate a person’s specific energies, serving as an object to catalyze secret individual forces.~marco winther

CochitiDalaa

Cochiti, the northernmost Keresan Pueblo in New Mexico, is located in Sandoval and Santa Fe Counties. The people of Cochiti continue to retain their native language of Keres. They maintain their cultural practices and have instituted programs dedicated to teaching and educating the younger generation Pueblo traditions and cultural practices emphasizing the native language. Cochiti is well known for their craftsmanship in making jewelry, pottery, (storyteller), and drums.

CochitiLaceDala

Of primary importance to the Pueblo de Cochiti are the land, air and water on and adjacent to the reservation, which is the lifeline of the Pueblo Traditions and Culture. The Pueblo is located in the heart of the traditional homeland and it would be impossible to retain peoples and culture if the environment is impacted to the point where the Cochiti decide the land is dangerous to utilize for habitat, farming, fishing, hunting, and maintaining Cultural Tradition.

FlutterbyDala

I never know what I will end up with. Perhaps that is part of the fun of mandalas. What they are, or what they might represent in the broader context of the soul's experience of life, I really wouldn't know. They do involve us however, and I feel it is a purposive involevement, that leads us ever inwards towards The Light of the great Mystery of Being.~Michael Streeton

StarliteDala

A mandala is far more than a simple shape. It represents wholeness, and can be seen as a model for the organizational structure of life itself--a cosmic diagram that reminds us of our relation to the infinite, the world that extends both beyond and within our bodies and minds.

DharmaDala

Dharma: basic principles of the cosmos, the underlying order in nature and life, that which leads to enlightenment, the principle that orders the universe, an underlying cosmic principle, the phenomenon that leads all beings to liberation from suffering to enlightenment, that which upholds or sustains the universe.

DharmaDalaa

ShaRI ! These are beautiful . They keep getting more beautiful . Do you make these? I keep sending out your email to all the people that I know ...allie

DharmaDalaaa

The experience of making it was more important than understanding it. Like life. That is why I like making mandalas.~Patricia Northcott

TreeOrbsDala

It represents the idea of wholeness or completeness; an ideal diagram that can remind us of our relation to the infinite, the world that extends both beyond and within our bodies and minds. Describing both material and non-material realities, the mandala appears in all aspects of life from the celestial circles we call earth, sun and moon, as well as conceptual circles representing friends, family and community.~bungeroosh

TreeDala

A mandala is anything that comes from a central point in a circular form.~Heather Skaggs

TreeMoonsDala

I think a mandala is a small circle that expands.~Vince Sparks

TreeHeartsDala

Mandalas are circles with a design radiating from the center.~Dwayne Wilson

TreeLaceDala

Tree wrapped in lace on centre island Toronto. I have been corrected... this tree is on Wards Island.

shakRAdala

Shakra is a Swiss hard rock band founded in the late 1990s.

shakRAwavesDala

How to open, chakra, with the benefits of brain wave frequencies towed revolutionary technology.

RAshakDala

Rasha grew up in the musical crossroads of Khartoum, Sudan, where the Islamic Nubian and Black African musical worlds collide. She hails from a musical family, one of 20 children. Rasha emmigrated to Spain a decade ago to escape the volatile civil war raging between Sudan's Muslim population in the north and its Christian and animist population in the south. Spain is also the home for Rasha's brother, Wafir, a member of the critically acclaimed Radio Tarifa. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PiImIcvUsGg

GeoCrossDala

A cross is naturally integrated into the geometric design. The cross is the most prominent shape in natural and man-made things.

BouquetDalas

2011-06-14T11:33:00.000-07:00

ColoringDalas

Sacred Circles of L...

By ShaRi

Book Preview

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

CritterDalas

2011-05-25T14:00:00.000-07:00

ColoringDalas

Sacred Circles of L...

By ShaRi

Book Preview

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/2008/12/critterdalas.html

WigdetDala

WidgetHorseHeadala

Widget, the World Watcher is an animated television series which debuted in syndication on September 29, 1990. The show focused on a 4-foot-tall (1.2 m), purple alien from the Horsehead Nebula named Widget who could shapeshift, usually by spinning like a top into different forms.

SwariWingDala

The Mute Swan is less vocal than the noisy Whooper and Bewick's Swans; the most familiar sound associated with Mute Swan is the vibrant throbbing of the wings in flight. This sound is unique to the species, and can be heard from a range of 1 to 2 kilometres (0.6 to 1 mi), indicating its value as a contact sound between birds in flight.

SpiderTailDala

AlladinsTailDala

Originally, the Tarantella (Pronounced As: târntel) was a legitimate Italian folk dance of lower to middle classes. The Tarantella has gone by many odd spellings such as Tarentule, Tarantel, Tarantella, and Tarentella . The name essentially means in English "Tarantula Spider (pronounced tranchl.") In Buzabatt, (near Kashan, Persia), it was reported that a Tarantella dance existed just as in Sicily. If the spider specified as "Stellis " had poisoned anyone, they were advised to dance to the sound of music.

RAinDeerDala

Name etymology ~ The name rangifer, which Linnaeus chose as the name for the reindeer genus, was used by Albertus Magnus in his De animalibus, fol. Liber 22, Cap. 268: "Dicitur Rangyfer quasi ramifer". This word may go back to a Saami word raingo.(i named it RAindeer BEE4 i looked it up!)

PistaStarDala

Ballet Manila opens its new season with a highly festive choreographic program fusing classical, contemporary and Filipino folk dance nuances set amid colorful Filipino Christmas traditions in “Paskong Pista.”

CrowDala

a RAven flew over me today in the park

CrowCathedRAlDala

RAven magic is a powerful medicine that can give you the courage to enter the darkened of the void. Raven is the guardian of ceremonial magic and in absentia healing. It is the power of the unknown.~frOM The Medicine Cards Written by Jamie Sams and David Carlson

TiggerFlowerDala

This rare melon is a beauty to grow with dark orange zigzag stripes over a bright yellow surface. With a wonderful fresh fragrance similar to Queen Annes Melon, Tigger is a unique offering for specialty and farmers markets.

AladdinsDreamDala

Aladdin (Arabic: علاء الدين, ʻAlāʼ ad-Dīn; literally meaning in English; "nobility of the faith") is one of the tales in The Book of One Thousand and One Nights (Arabian Nights), and one of the most famous, although it was actually added to the collection by Antoine Galland.

SnakesOnaWalldala

The Rainbow Serpent (also known as the Rainbow Snake) is an important mythological being for Aboriginal people across Australia, although the creation myths associated with it are best known from northern Australia. The Rainbow Serpent is seen as the inhabitant of permanent waterholes and is in control of life's most precious resource, water. He is the underlying Aboriginal mythology for the famous Outback "bunyip". He is the sometimes unpredictable Rainbow Serpent, who vies with the ever-reliable Sun, that replenishes the stores of water, forming gullies and deep channels as he slithered across the landscape, allowing for the collection and distribution of water.

SsserpentDala

Serpent is a word of Latin origin (from serpens, serpentis "something that creeps, snake") that is commonly used in a specifically mythic or religious context, signifying a snake that is to be regarded not as a mundane natural phenomenon nor as an object of scientific zoology, but as the bearer of some symbolic value.

SssnakeDala

The serpent is one of the oldest and most widespread mythological symbols. In some instances, serpents serve as positive symbols with whom it is possible to identify or to sympathize; in other instances, serpents serve as negative symbols, representing opponents or antagonists of figures or principles with which it is possible to identify. Serpents also appear as ambivalent figures, neither wholly positive nor wholly negative in valence. An example of a serpent used as a positive symbol is Mucalinda, the king of snakes who shielded the Buddha from the elements as the Buddha sat in meditation. An example of a serpent used as a negative symbol is the snake who tempted Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, as described in the Book of Genesis.

HairsO'MineDala

MineHairDala

These were made frOM shots of my very own Hair!

MineHairDalas 1 & 2

MineHairDala3

Sometimes there are so many variations on a theme!

MineHairDalas 4 & 5

frOM DeAnna Dimmitt's~http://www.facebook.com/home.php?ref=home#/album.php?aid=2018900&id=1495990860&ref=mf~photo of Dakota frOM Wild Spirit Wolf Sanctuary~http://www.wildspiritwolfsanctuary.org/

comes ShamandalaDakota

and RAvenDala

and ShamandalaRaven

EyeOfRAkuDala

These 'critter portraits' come from close-up shots of the markings on the critter portrayed. I love the warm fuzzy earthy feel of these wOMandalas that I have not adjusted the color on. They remind me of Navajo blankets/rugs.

RAkuStripesDala

AlladdinsDala

A classic Two Grey Hills rug, prized for its hand-spun, hand-carded wool, natural colors and extremely tight weave.

AlladdinsCrossDala

Most weavers shy away from the sand painting subject, fearing retribution from the gods. This tapestry-quality example is by Ruby Manuelito, last re-maining weaver in the family of famed medicine man/weaver Hosten Klah.

RAkuDala

Quite often, one photo renders many variations...

WhiskersDala

frOM http://cunningtonfarms.com/pages/navajo-rugs.php

RAkuEyesDala

frOM http://cunningtonfarms.com/pages/navajo-rugs.php

RAkuWhiskersDala

frOM http://www.radianteguide.com/web_pages/states/arizona/sedona/sedona.html

PunkkuDala

Of course, I can't resist playing....

FuzzikuDala

These seem to resemble traditional Navajo clothing.

RAkuWebDala

JaguarSpinDala

Sometimes one photo geneRAtes a seemingly endless variations on a theme. Sew it is with this magnificent photo of a jaguar by my friend Rose. An e-mail called Spins on Reality frOM Michelle Miller Allen McCallum: Your mandalas are so amazing, I am in awe. You found it! Beautiful website!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Endless bottomless potentials...and makes me think of all the dimensions we don't know about, of our existing...

InfinityRoseCrossDala

Look closely. The jaguar is in this too!

JaguaRoseDala

The spots on the edges of this leaf inspired the use of the jaguar in this wOMandala.

"May the Rose on its
Golden Cross of Light
Disperse the Darkness of the Night"~Rick Allen

JaguarStarDala

Sew beegins the variations on a theme formed by zeroing in on the spots of the jaguar.

It's like using the computer to peer into the structure of nature, gaining access to it's essential beauty.~Joseph Wentland

JaguarStarDala2

Mandala-making is an exploration of the indelible geometry that is part of nature.~Karel Sloane

We cannot exist on our own, every piece is important to the whole. We all reflect each other and yet we emit uniqueness.~Victoria Toth

JaguarWheelsDala

I have settled into the format of mandala in my expressive interactions with the computer. I find that the mandalic form contains my ideas and visions in a way that allows them to feel whole and complete and to express their spiritual source.~Cynthia Baxter

JaguarWheelDala

To me, unity means that we are all connected with nature: the heavens, the earth and all of its creatures and plants. When we truly feel that connection, we will choose to live in harmony with nature. We will come to understand that when we harm another or abuse our natural environment, that we will also harm ourselves.~Marian Osher

JaguarTreeDala

Color stimulates and heals through its warmth and presence in our lives, brightening our way and illuminating our path.~Chris Flisher

JaguarTreeDala2

After all to love yourself is to heal yourself. I think that a mandala is the roadmap to our selfconsiousnes.~Cora Dupuis

SnowballDala

To me a mandala is a circle of life and feelings.~Dustin Poore

KowabungaDala

It is with these wOMandalas that I began to explore the use of critters as the basis for mandalas.

KowabungaDala2

Life forms evolve from a Geometric Sequence, the molecules of our DNA; even our Solar system has a divine Geometric pattern.~Nicolaas Maritz

BastDala

Not only did this kitty silhouette make a good background, she also made a lovely wOMandala of her own!
In ancient Egypt the cat was worshipped as a sacred animal - the mother or creator. Bast is the Egyptian Goddess and protector of cats, women and children. She is Goddess of sunrise. Her goddess duty changed over the years, but, she is also known as a goddess of love, fertility, birth, music and dance.

BeeDala

After many tries, I finally got this shot of a bee on a purple mountain aster!
The purple mountain aster radiates integration and harmony of all paths.

May the Blessed Bees bee fruitful and multiply, and forgive us our trespasses against nature.

KittyDala

The reflection of this shot of a car fender reminded me of the silhouette shot of my kitties staring out the front door which forms the background of this wOMandala.

KowaMamaDala

A totem is any entity that watches over or assists a group of people, such as a family, clan or tribe (Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary and Webster's New World College Dictionary, Fourth Edition)

LaceButterflyDala

We are isolated entities, but integral parts of an unified whole.~David Chaplin

MamaDala

Mother nature, our provider, is going through a cycle of change. Humanity, her caretakers, are experiencing the effects of that change. As disruption occurs a ceremony begins. The primary source of a person's ill health is not in the body. It is due to a fundamental imbalance in the spirit. Mother nature, our mirror, is inviting us to step inside the circle and experience the ceremonial dance of reunion. The choice is yours.
When I was a child my father, a Cherokee Indian, often took me into the woods so I could discover the many little sounds of life awakening. This gift from my father opened my heart to the birds, plants, rocks and animals, which have become my allies. Sharing simple pleasures is a part of the Indian way. I would now like to share a small gift with you. Each day upon arising step into nature, physically or mentally. The first thing you see, become it. Take on its characteristics for a few moments. Breathe into it and allow it to become a part of you. In this way a deeper insight about yourself is gained, as you discover the heartbeat of life awakening.

PapillonDala

The Mandala is at once a cosmic blueprint, a diagram of countless universes, our world, the earth and our bodies. It is presented as a tool for spiritual growth and mystical experience, a map for your journey to awakened enlightenment, alive with sacred possibilities.~Leon Woods

RAvensDala

When you contemplate the mandala, you are harmonized inside.~Joseph Campbell

RAvensWheelDala

Each mandala that I make reminds me that the same thread of life travels through each and every one of us. Our lives are bright and sparkling, though just a small spark in the great web of creation; each one unique thought crafted by the same forces. Each of us is needed to complete this thing we call creation, each one of us holds things together and gives life it's shape and color. All of us are given value in the mandala of life as both an individual and as so much more than the sum of our parts. No part is greater than the next and none so great as what we all make when unified.~Amy Olsen

SaltDala

Since time immemorial, animals have served as harbingers of personality traits we, as humans, all aspire to achieve. This makes animals some of the most powerful symbols in our spiritual toolbox.
Animals afford us visions of how our lives could be if we lived more simply and lived with purity of thought and emotion. Therefore, incorporating animal totems into our lives affirms our spiritual goals.
By focusing on the attributes of our totems, we internalize these traits and thus begin to externalize the very character we absorb from our totems.

StanleyDala

Webster's Dictionary defines a totem as: "A natural object, usually an animal that serves as a distinctive, often venerated emblem or symbol – usually a means of personal or spiritual identity."

BatLeafDala

Sometimes these wOManDalas come from the actual critter, and sometimes they come frOM something that reminds me of a critter.
I believe the purpose of any mandala is to provide some pattern to pull the mind in and away from whatever external inputs are distracting the mind and causing stress in the body.~Scott Syphrit

BatsDala

"...it is said that the seed of enlightenment
in each person's mind is nourished
by the dynamic process of visualizing
and contemplating a mandala." Venerable Lobsang Samten

SwanDala

It expresses and shows deep feelings about ourselves and relates to our center of energy or our inner self.~Shayne 5

PortalDala

When working on the background 4 one wOMandala,

An Other one is often born!

Can you sea a dRAgonfly in this one?

MountDala

Through the All Forever
Wee are Soaring
~Rick Allen

WhaleDala

What can i say? i saw a whale's tail whilst forming this wOMandala :-)
The mandala form seems to offer an unlimited opportunity for integrating depth of meaning with surprising visual beauty.~Chuck Thurston