Steps in a Mandala design Read every step before beginning

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Hilary Shields
6 years ago
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2 Mandala Mandala' (Sanskrit for "circle" or "completion") is a term used to refer to various objects. It is of Hindu origin, but is also used in other Dharmic religions, such as Buddhism.

1 2 Mandala Mandala' (Sanskrit for "circle" or "completion") is a term used to refer to various objects. It is of Hindu origin, but is also used in other Dharmic religions, such as Buddhism. In the Tibetan branch of Vajrayana Buddhism, they have been developed into sandpainting. In practice, mandala has become a generic term for any plan, chart or geometric pattern that represents the cosmos metaphysically or symbolically, a microcosm of the universe from the human perspective. A mandala, especially its center, can be used during meditation as an object for focusing attention. The symmetrical geometric shapes tend to draw the attention towards their center. Psychiatrist Carl Jung saw the mandala as "a representation of the unconscious self," and believed his paintings of mandalas enabled him to identify emotional disorders and work towards wholeness in personality. Mandalas describe material things (sun, moon, earth) as well as conceptual ideas of unity (family, community, and friends). The mandala is a creation that represents all of the aspect of our lives in a very personal way. The "circle with a center" pattern is the basic structure of creation that is reflected from the micro (small) to the macro (large) in the world as we know it. It is a pattern found in nature and is seen in biology, geology, chemistry, physics and astronomy. On our planet, living things are made of cells and each cell has a nucleus which is a circle with a center. The crystals that form ice, rocks, and mountains are made of atoms. Each atom is its own mandala which is part of a much larger mandala. Flowers, the rings found in tree trunks and the spiraling outward and inward of a snail's shell all reflect the primal mandala pattern. Wherever a center is found radiating outward and inward, there is a mandala. The mandala pattern is used in many religious traditions and is seen in many cultures. Hildegar von Bingen, a Christian nun in the 12th century, created many beautiful mandalas to express her visions and beliefs. In the Americas, Native Americans have created medicine wheels and sand mandalas for centuries. The circular Aztec calendar was both a timekeeping device and a religious expression of the ancient Aztecs. In Asia, the Taoist "yin-yang" symbol represents opposition and interdependence. Tibetan mandalas are often highly intricate illustrations of religious significance that are used for meditation.

Think of something that represents you and then think about why that represents you. This is the first circle. The next circle is thinking about what the first circle represents.

2 3 Steps in a Mandala design Read every step before beginning Come up with your symbols for your mandala. Symbols are pictures that represent something else, usually a feeling or something that is intangible. Examples of this are using hearts to represent love, skulls to represent death, etc. Think of something that represents you and then think about why that represents you. This is the first circle. The next circle is thinking about what the first circle represents. Example: Footballs represent playing a sport that you love, you love it because it is fun so you use smiley faces to represent this. Why is it fun? It is fun because it gets you outside which can be represented by trees or grass. Why do you like being outside? Because you love the sunlight or don t like your house, both of which can be symbolically represented. Keep doing this line of reasoning until you cannot go any farther, but be certain to take it at least five circle sin to the center. Draw out every circle using a compass from the center of the paper. Use paint, colored pencils and markers to draw in your symbols. Pay as much attention to detail as you want. When your mandala circles are completed, be certain to fill in the center which represents the overall theme of the mandala. You can also use a repetitive pattern to form your circles all the way into the center if you do not want to examine yourself on a personal level.

3 4 Define the following: Mandala Mandala Worksheet Turn this in to me at the beginning of the project Symbol Macro Micro What Western psychologist used the mandala for himself and his patients? What is the name of the Christian nun in the 12 th century who used the mandala? What does the Taoist symbol yin-yang represent? Bonus: What is an archetype?

4 5 Self assessment Turn this into me at the end of the project Name: Project: Mandala Check all that apply. Symbolism: Your symbolism is clear and well defined. Craftsmanship: Your mandala has at least five circles, is well colored and is neat. Your symbolism is unclear and has to be explained. Your mandala has less than five circles and is poorly colored. No symbolism at all. Your mandala has less than five circles and is not colored at all. Staying on task: Worked everyday for the entire period. Worked a few days of the week at most. Hardly worked at all. Waster my time and yours. Your grade: My grade: Final grade: Describe one thing you like about this project and why you like it: Describe one thing that you would do differently and why: What were you trying to accomplish or say with this project?

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Map Skills: Continents and Oceans. Map Skills: Continents and Oceans

Map Skills: Continents and Oceans Our Earth is made up of continents and oceans. A continent is an enormous mass of land. There are seven continents on our planet. The continents include North America,