Mandala
Tibetan Inspired Community Art: Mandalas, Talismans and Prayer Flags
Tibetan Inspired Community Art For our 20th anniversary exhibition, Circles of Life: Making Art, Creating Communities of Hope, I wanted to pay tribute to the Tibetan Culture, as they had influenced the design of my creativity practices for at least 15 years. Curious why Tibet? Read our earlier post – Travel Inspiration: Stumbling Across the Tibetan Sacred…
Read MoreArt as Healing Communities of Hope – A 20th Anniversary Exhibit
A Tribute to Creating Hope To mark our 20th art as healing anniversary, I wanted to create something significant, something filled with celebratory hope. Lots of ideas floated around our board of directors meetings. It was a stressful time filled with the wringing of hands and gnashing of teeth. First of all, we knew wanted…
Read MoreTravel Inspiration: Stumbling Upon the Tibetan Sacred Arts in India
Finding Inspiration Outside My Comfort Zone… One of the things I have learned from my love of travel is that you never know what profound inspiration awaits around the next corner. I love that feeling, that rush, that force of inspiration that breathes a palpable life-force into my spirit. To be infused with that spark of creative…
Read MoreTranquility Practice: Creating Radiant Mandalas
There is a wonderful strangeness about meeting in a classic business boardroom for our Lunch and Learn series. A very large, stately, dark mahogany table fills the room. Two of the four walls are almost floor-to-ceiling glass. It is an elegant space that holds us well. This boardroom is transformed when we meet the first…
Read MoreCalming Practice: Creating Mandalas
When I arrived last Wednesday to set up for our new Lunch and Learn Series, Mickey and Linda were already there, setting up the registration table. Our “greeters” Donna and Mae arrived soon thereafter, and Evelyn was not far behind. These five women are our ambassadors. They are experienced, seasoned participants who are well on the…
Read MoreMandalas for Restoring Balance
Last month’s explorations took us into the complicated realm of Balance. We throw that word out a lot these days: “I need more balance in my life.” “Strive to maintain a balanced life.” Ruminating over the meaning of balance, our class came up with word associations like equilibrium, stable, controlled, static, rigidity, precise — none of which made us feel very…
Read MoreMandalas for Harvesting Gratitude
How can we remain grateful in turbulent times? How do we keep our hearts open when we are swallowed by fear and anger and chaos and doubt? During our July workshop, Mandalas for Harvesting Gratitude, we used our creative processes to dig into these difficult questions. Mark Nepo, one of my favorite thinkers and poets, provides one eloquent answer: How can we stay awake…
Read MoreReleasing Anxieties to Gather Inner Strength
As we continue this summer to explore the art of the mandala – creating within a circle – our practices begin to intertwine. Our first workshop addressed how to release anxiety through the process of intuitive mandala drawing, which we featured in our “Mandalas for Centering Strength” post. During the workshop, we discussed the importance of recognizing…
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