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COMMENTS FROM PARTICIPANTS

I have long been fascinated with the history and symbolism of the mandala. I began to teach classes called "The Spiritual in Art," based on Judith Cornell's book, using colored pencils on black paper, guided imagery, meditation and music. They were enjoyable and meaningful. I felt inadequate, however, to paint a glorious mandala such as those I saw in museums and books, with their repetitive colors and shapes.

That world was opened to me when I attended a workshop in Mexico that gathered people from all over the world to paint mandalas for peace, in November of 2001. I was introduced to the simple tools and techniques that enable artists and non-artists alike to design and paint their own personal mandala.

I have been facilitating groups to do just that ever since. Mandalas have been a powerful tool of integration and transformation for me, helping me let go of pain and limitations. In my seminars and classes, the safety and interaction of the small groups enables the painters to fulfill their intentions, create wondrous mandalas, have fun, form new friendships, and make significant strides on their path to individuation and wholeness. I facilitate, but the mandala is the teacher.

HAPPINESS
"Lotus of the Sea"
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Mandala is the Sanskrit word for circle, the most basic form of Sacred Geometry. Circular forms have been used as tools for spiritual contemplation and representations of wholeness by both Eastern and Western cultures. They are symbols for the archetype of integration.

In Tibetan Buddhism, mandalas are believed to be the spiritual embodiment of the Buddha. Meditating on a mandala is considered a path to enlightenment. Native American traditions used circular sand paintings for healing and transformation. And in Christianity, one of the most beautiful mandalas is the stained glass Rose Window at Notre Dame in Paris