a spiritual art journey with Dana da Ponte
My Mandala Story
Story Art # 1
Copyright ©2015 by Dana da Ponte
Dana da Ponte
[email protected]
www.danadaponte.com
403 554 9884
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So what is a mandala
anyway…
In its simplest definition a mandala is a sacred circle. I tend to look at mandalas as sacred circles that
represent our individual and collective psyche or as Susanne F. Fincher describes them…reflections of
the self. People from all over the world for thousands of years have created mandalas to meditate, to
induce harmonious states of mind and to describe their ideas of God or the divine.
In this exercise, we will be using them to check in with ourselves and see if there are any hidden thoughts
and/or emotions that may need a little tender loving care. Without introspection it is impossible to be aware
of what is going on beneath the surface of our lives yet it is said that 90% of how we perceive what
happens to us is controlled by our subconscious. It is my hope that every time you complete this Story Art
activity, you will gain more insight into what lies in the secret corners of your own heart.
If you reveal issues you’d prefer guidance to help you move through, please check out my Intuitive
Therapy programs.
Before we begin, I’d like to share with you how I came to love mandalas. Then I’ll show you the quick and
easy Story Art project you can do by yourself or with your daughter (ideal for ages 8 – 12).
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My Journey with
Mandalas
Let me start by saying I am not an expert on mandalas. I have never studied them from some mandala
guru. In fact, I have no formal training with mandalas. The way I joined the world of mandalas is organic,
intuitive and a lot like most everything I do…without a well-thought out plan but divinely orchestrated
nonetheless.
I first became enamored with mandalas simply by seeing images of them. At one point, I collected a
bunch of mandalas, laminated them onto cards and used them in my meditations and during the angel
workshops I taught oh so long ago. I didn’t research much about them. I just fell in love with them without
bothering to find out why. That’s a nasty habit of mine. I don’t have a mind for details and usually couldn’t
be bothered to care much about the nitty-gritty nuts and bolts of things.
I didn’t start drawing mandalas until a couple years later. Then a friend bought me a book about them. I
didn’t read it (remember that nasty habit I told you about) but I did scan through it and learned some really
great things that just made me fall in love with them all over again. Some of my favorite facts about
mandalas are:
•
•
•
Tibetan monks take days painstakingly creating them from colored sand and deconstruct them soon
after they’re done creating them.
Navaho healers, when asked to help a sick person, smooth a circular area on the ground and create
a mandala with colored sand. They then put the sick person in the center of the mandala and believe
the sacred order in the mandala design will restore harmony and health.
Mandalas have been created by people of many different religious backgrounds across many
different periods of time.
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My Journey with
Mandalas cont’d
The next event in my life that brought me closer to understanding my relationship with mandalas took
place when I was developing ADIGI Therapy with Joyce Schafers. We were in her bedroom trying to delve
deeper into the principles that our ADIGI Therapy approach is founded on while the kids played
downstairs but I kept getting distracted by this unexplainable pull to get to know the work of Carl Jung (an
American psychologist). At the time, it seemed like my intuition was trying to get me to see how important
this man’s work was for me. I was too overwhelmed with creating ADIGI Therapy and homeschooling my
son to honor my intuition’s guidance so I just ignored it.
I carried on developing and offering ADIGI Therapy until one weekend, I spontaneously felt compelled to
draw a series of mandalas. The urge kind of took over and stole my weekend. I worked for three days
straight without a break. I felt obsessed but something in me just had to put the images on paper. All the
mandalas I drew that weekend are included in the Mandala Meditations for Women: A Meditation
Program and Grown-Up Coloring Book. (If you don’t have this book yet, stay tuned. I will be relaunching
a new and improved edition soon.)
Fast forward to two summers ago where my life changed dramatically. I moved 300 miles from everyone I
know, bought a house in the most beautiful place I’ve ever lived, suffered through a sort of empty nest
syndrome as my boy became a full-fledged teenager and realized I had to start a new business from
scratch on my own (which, by the way, isn’t as fun to do when you’re 39 as it is when you are 25). One
evening, in the midst of a grand pity party, I sat in my living room and prayed for help seeing what I was
supposed to be doing with my life. The idea of painting mandalas came to me. I did that and it helped me
sort through the many difficult emotions I was experiencing at that time in my life.
It wasn’t until later that I understood why my intuition was pushing me towards Carl Jung years earlier.
Apparently, Jung is the man who introduced the idea of mandalas to modern psychology. The blend of
mandalas and psychology started with him and here we are today blending those two again (in an
organic and uncertified kind of way…I am not a psychologist or trained counselor) and adding a sprinkle
of spirituality to the mix.
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Find a quiet place where you
won’t be interrupted
Draw Your Mandala
Materials
mandala grid printed (included in this book)
pencil, pencil crayons, markers, paints, pastels or whatever you want to use
plain blank white paper
lined paper for journaling
Drawing Instructions
1.
2.
3.
4.
(adapted from Susanne F. Fincher’s book “Creating Mandalas”)
Print the mandala grid template you see on page 9.
Close your eyes and set an intention. Remind yourself that the reason you are drawing this mandala
is to bring to the surface whatever is hiding in your subconscious mind. In a way that feels right for
you, pray to receive guidance and inspiration.
Choose a section of the mandala to start with. Read the word that is a title for the mandala and
allow forms, images, shapes, or a picture to come to come to mind.
If nothing immediately comes to mind, keep repeating the title over and over again in your mind
until something pops up. When something does surface, it may be as simple as a color or as
complicated as a memory, trust whatever comes.
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Draw Your Mandala Cont’d
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
Don’t think so much as allow. Let the section title speak to you and show you what it wants to be
instead of trying to figure it out. Trust your own process. No two people create in exactly the same
way. Just have fun and don’t worry about whether or not you’re doing it right.
Pull out your pencil, markers, crayons or whatever medium you chose to use and start by drawing
and coloring your image or memory to that section of the mandala.
You can be as detailed, symmetrical, precise or loose as you want to be. There are no rules. The
important this is to be you. You can’t make a mistake.
Repeat this process for the three remaining sections of the mandala.
In the very middle circle, draw a wish.
Reflect on Your Mandala
If you are doing this Story Art project alone, pull out your lined paper and write your answers to the
following questions.
If you are doing this Story Art project with your daughter, give each other and your completed mandala.
With the other person’s mandala in your hand, ask the following questions. The person who drew the
mandala will try to answer as well as they can. There is only ONE RULE. The one holding the mandala
and asking the questions can only ask questions. You are not allowed to talk, share your stories,
judgements or opinions. Only caring, curious questions allowed.
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Reflection Questions
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
Imagine you are a teensy tiny fairy and your mandala is a great big store. Which parts of your
mandala would you like to buy and take home with you?
Imagine your mandala is a shirt. Would you wear it to school or work? Why or why not?
Do you like your mandala?
Are there parts of it you don’t like?
Did any thoughts or memories come to your mind when you were drawing that surprised you?
What was your wish?
Did you feel sad when you were drawing a certain part of your mandala? Why and which part?
Did you feel happy when you were drawing a certain part of your mandala? Why and which part?
What title would you give to this mandala if you were displaying it in an art gallery?
If your mandala was trying to tell you something about yourself, what do you think it is trying to tell
you?
*This Story Art Recipe was adapted from a mandala technique I learned in Susanne F. Fincher’s book
“Creating Mandalas”. If you’re interested in learning more about mandalas and how to use them for
personal healing and insight, I highly recommend her book.
Thanks for reading and if you enjoyed this Story Art exercise, send me some pictures or drop me an email
at [email protected] and let me know how it went.
With love,
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my
wish
www.danadaponte.com
Mandala grid template