Happy 2018! I trust all’s well in your corner of the universe.
I’ve been quiet for a while, at least quiet when it comes to the newsletter and this
blog. Even though appearances indicate non-activity, I’ve been busy. There have
been a few changes and challenges that have shaped my current reality. Mostly, I’m
creating a reality that is life-affirming. I hope the same is true for you. I love this time
of year because it always offers opportunities for reflection and for making course
corrections.
As the wheel turns once again toward a new year, one cycle ends and another
begins. My sweet partner, Don, reminds me often that I see mandalas everywhere.
He’s right. I also find myself researching their origins and meanings. Thank you for
indulging my need to share information.
The Sanskrit word for mandala means "cosmic or sacred circle". It also means "a
complete cycle through time". Mandalas from ancient cultures symbolize the
revolution of time and show the changes in nature and activities of humans. We see
this in the zodiac and in the Native American Medicine Wheel that represents
"change, life, death, birth, and learning". Mandalas can serve as calendars, marking
the passage of time, as seen at Stonehenge, in massive stone calendars carved by
the Aztecs, and the Buddhist Wheel of Life, a visual meditation created to inspire
practitioners as they strive for enlightenment. In the Middle East, the "great round of
nature" depicts the activities of planting seeds, sprouting plants, cultivation of crops,
and harvest. People separated by time, place, and culture have used mandalas to
designate sacred space and to mark the repeating cycles of nature. How do Co-
Creative Mandalas symbolize the changes in nature and within?
Since 2015 Don and I have co-created "mandalas within a mandala". Our Co-
Creative Mandalas calendar organizes the activities, dates, and events within a 12-
month cycle. The calendar also represents each stage in the cycle of nature as seen
in the flowers and plants from which the mandalas are co-created.
I’ve been quiet for a while, at least quiet when it comes to the newsletter and this
blog. Even though appearances indicate non-activity, I’ve been busy. There have
been a few changes and challenges that have shaped my current reality. Mostly, I’m
creating a reality that is life-affirming. I hope the same is true for you. I love this time
of year because it always offers opportunities for reflection and for making course
corrections.
As the wheel turns once again toward a new year, one cycle ends and another
begins. My sweet partner, Don, reminds me often that I see mandalas everywhere.
He’s right. I also find myself researching their origins and meanings. Thank you for
indulging my need to share information.
The Sanskrit word for mandala means "cosmic or sacred circle". It also means "a
complete cycle through time". Mandalas from ancient cultures symbolize the
revolution of time and show the changes in nature and activities of humans. We see
this in the zodiac and in the Native American Medicine Wheel that represents
"change, life, death, birth, and learning". Mandalas can serve as calendars, marking
the passage of time, as seen at Stonehenge, in massive stone calendars carved by
the Aztecs, and the Buddhist Wheel of Life, a visual meditation created to inspire
practitioners as they strive for enlightenment. In the Middle East, the "great round of
nature" depicts the activities of planting seeds, sprouting plants, cultivation of crops,
and harvest. People separated by time, place, and culture have used mandalas to
designate sacred space and to mark the repeating cycles of nature. How do Co-
Creative Mandalas symbolize the changes in nature and within?
Since 2015 Don and I have co-created "mandalas within a mandala". Our Co-
Creative Mandalas calendar organizes the activities, dates, and events within a 12-
month cycle. The calendar also represents each stage in the cycle of nature as seen
in the flowers and plants from which the mandalas are co-created.
Photo of sun rays shining through snow-
covered Colorado Blue Spruce.
Each month has a theme, an energetic pattern that is found in nature and
reflected within. At the root of our Co-Creative Mandalas is the human
longing to remember our Wholeness, to experience inner and outer harmony,
and to find our place in the Cosmos. We believe that our mandalas are also
especially useful for co-creating coherence. We invest quite a lot of time and
energy toward selecting the photos of plants and flowers that we remix to
create the mandalas and to listening to the messages that emerge.
Photo of Colorado wintry sky and
snow-covered Colorado Blue Spruce
The Co-Creative Mandala, "Stillness", from our 2018 calendar for January,
invites us to remember the power of listening to our inner guidance and the
importance of silence. A beginning (the new year) is also an ending (the old
year). It's a paradox to begin activity in a place of stillness. The journey
requires surrendering to and trusting in nature's process working through us
as we rest in the darkness. The natural rhythm of this time is slow. It's a time
to welcome, appreciate, and accept the gifts of deep rest. During this time,
activity in nature and within is like the swelling and softening of seeds planted
in rich soil just before germination begins. We don't see this above the
ground, but we know it's happening; subterranean/subconscious energies
are stirring...
Many of us start this annual cycle with setting intentions for the year ahead. I
like to think of the process as making promises to myself. The Mandala
Message for January honors our processes of letting go and welcoming.
Throughout the month of January, we invite you to use the "Stillness"
mandala as a focal point and for reflecting on its message.
reflected within. At the root of our Co-Creative Mandalas is the human
longing to remember our Wholeness, to experience inner and outer harmony,
and to find our place in the Cosmos. We believe that our mandalas are also
especially useful for co-creating coherence. We invest quite a lot of time and
energy toward selecting the photos of plants and flowers that we remix to
create the mandalas and to listening to the messages that emerge.
Photo of Colorado wintry sky and
snow-covered Colorado Blue Spruce
The Co-Creative Mandala, "Stillness", from our 2018 calendar for January,
invites us to remember the power of listening to our inner guidance and the
importance of silence. A beginning (the new year) is also an ending (the old
year). It's a paradox to begin activity in a place of stillness. The journey
requires surrendering to and trusting in nature's process working through us
as we rest in the darkness. The natural rhythm of this time is slow. It's a time
to welcome, appreciate, and accept the gifts of deep rest. During this time,
activity in nature and within is like the swelling and softening of seeds planted
in rich soil just before germination begins. We don't see this above the
ground, but we know it's happening; subterranean/subconscious energies
are stirring...
Many of us start this annual cycle with setting intentions for the year ahead. I
like to think of the process as making promises to myself. The Mandala
Message for January honors our processes of letting go and welcoming.
Throughout the month of January, we invite you to use the "Stillness"
mandala as a focal point and for reflecting on its message.
Be In the Stillness…and Remember:
Start by taking deep, relaxing breaths; find that place within where you feel
grounded and centered. As you allow the mandala energy and its message
to fill your heart, ask: What does my inner guidance reveal? What is my
Truth? Remember, Invite All Of It In (the thoughts, emotions, body
sensations)! Listen and trust...
When you’re ready:
Allow your vision for 2018 to emerge throughout the month. This is an
ongoing experience that deepens over time. If you feel inspired, write in your
journal as you witness and reflect on your experiences in “Stillness”.
We believe that honoring ALL OF IT, while also feeling compassion for
ourselves and each other, and gently making inner shifts will change what's
“out there”. This is an inside job. The only thing we need to change is our
mind...one thought at a time. Steadily, slowly, staying in the present moment,
allowing what is to emerge, and remembering our Wholeness—the
foundation of inner and outer Coherence…and for co-creating peace,
abundance, and well-being!
Peace and joy to your seeking heart.
Blessings,
Start by taking deep, relaxing breaths; find that place within where you feel
grounded and centered. As you allow the mandala energy and its message
to fill your heart, ask: What does my inner guidance reveal? What is my
Truth? Remember, Invite All Of It In (the thoughts, emotions, body
sensations)! Listen and trust...
When you’re ready:
- Express your gratitude to the Universe for everything you experienced in 2017 (even those circumstances, events, and people you resisted)
- Set your intentions and energy for 2018--(what promises do you make to yourself; who would you like to be in the year ahead?)
- What would you like to let go of in 2018 that you clung to so tightly in 2017? (you’re creating space to experience more joy, peace, and abundance)
Allow your vision for 2018 to emerge throughout the month. This is an
ongoing experience that deepens over time. If you feel inspired, write in your
journal as you witness and reflect on your experiences in “Stillness”.
We believe that honoring ALL OF IT, while also feeling compassion for
ourselves and each other, and gently making inner shifts will change what's
“out there”. This is an inside job. The only thing we need to change is our
mind...one thought at a time. Steadily, slowly, staying in the present moment,
allowing what is to emerge, and remembering our Wholeness—the
foundation of inner and outer Coherence…and for co-creating peace,
abundance, and well-being!
Peace and joy to your seeking heart.
Blessings,
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