The last couple of weeks have been quite stressful and to my surprise I have found myself gravitating to creating mandalas to relax and regain my composure during these times. I am still working with mandalas on a smaller scale, however I am attempting to spend more time on each mandala that I do, so that they can be as neat and through as I desire. I have struggled to find a particular meaning and message that fits behind each mandala that I create, however I think as I continue this personal project an overarching theme may appear.
In Horgan’s The End of War and Nagler’s \ Nonviolence Handbook, the two authors talk about the importance of the end of war and a world of peace stemming from an inner strength and desire to engage in nonviolent behavior. To me, there lies a connection between this inner strength and the process of creating a mandala because both practices start with a center. When creating a mandala, I start by creating the most inner circles and then expanding my circle making outwards. I also start the designs on the mandala from the inside and work my way to the outside. The idea of starting from the center in a mandala creates the same impression of working from the inside to create peace and change in society.
As I continue to make mandalas, I hope to discover more connections between our nonviolence class, my life and my mandala making.
Jordan, first I want to say that your mandalas are extremely well drawn. As someone who cannot draw in any way shape or form, your drawings amaze me. I really appreciate the time and effort you have put into them. I also really like how you connect it to the class, I find it very interesting. I’m very excited to see your mandalas over the rest of the semester!