2024 Author: Harry Day | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 15:43
The information that you will get acquainted with below will be of interest to specialists who want to explore the method of creating mandalas, people who are engaged in self-development and everyone who has heard something about mandalas, but does not know what they are and why they are needed. You will get acquainted with the basic techniques of working with mandalas, with the researchers of this method and with ideas why they still work.
The shortest way to know and understand for yourself what a mandala is is to create it. The range of application of mandalas is so wide that it is difficult to think of an area of psychological counseling in which this method would not be useful. When I started to study this method for myself, I asked myself certain questions, the answers to which I want to share with you now.
So let's get started …
What is a mandala?
Translated from Sanskrit, the word "mandala" means a circle, a disk. Mandala is a sacred schematic image or construction used in Buddhist and Hindu religious practices. [1] The rituals and religious meaning of the mandala is a separate topic. In psychology, the ritual meaning of the mandala is not used. According to Jung, "… a mandala is always an internal image, which is gradually built by (active) imagination at a time when mental balance is disturbed, or when it is necessary to understand a position …" [2]
Mandala (in psychology) is one of the methods of art therapy. At its core, a mandala is a drawing (or a construction from scrap art materials), which is enclosed first in a circle and then in a square. The size of the circle is also important, it should be about 28-29 cm in diameter.
How does the mandala method work?
Mandala works by implementing several effects
Mirror effect
The mandala reflects the state of the person who created it. This is a kind of mirror, and contact with the finished drawing helps to understand the meaning of the reflection. After drawing, it is important to distance yourself from the mandala and look at it as if from the side. In the process of contact, it is important to plunge into the inner world and speak out all the associations and feelings, fantasies and stories that arise spontaneously. Subsequently, this mental material can be associated with a real situation or a request with which the client came.
The effect of the structural elements of the mandala
A circle symbolizes the spiritual realm, the divine. “In mystical systems, God is interpreted as a circle with an omnipresent center in order to show perfection and incomprehensibility with the help of human senses such concepts as infinity, eternity, the Absolute. The circle corresponds to God and the sky”[3] The symbolism of the circle helps to feel a deep connection with the Overself, with its deepest essence. The circle with its borders symbolically helps to feel safety and promotes self-disclosure and the manifestation of hidden tendencies.
Square symbolizes rationality, clarity and everything earthly and real. “Quadrature brings with it a principle that, apparently, is innate in man and, in the spirit of a dualistic system, opposes the circle intended for the heavenly forces. The legendary “squaring the circle” symbolizes the desire to bring both elements “heavenly” and “earthly” to a perfect match”[3]
Center inside the circle symbolizes the Ego or the center of the self. The center is the symbolic essence of the entire mandala. The most important and valuable thing is always placed in the center. This is the starting point, the starting point leading to the development of all events and meanings. The center in the mandala structures and "assembles" the drawing.
The effect of meaning
For each mandala, you can create a specific meaning. You can create thematic mandalas, exploring the concepts of "love", "relationship", "happiness", "peace". Using this method, one can "raise" a certain topic and investigate its state. Also, by interpreting the mandala, a person allows a specific inner deep meaning of its creation to be. This meaning is individual and unique.
The effect of contact with art materials
This effect is identical for all methods and techniques of art therapy. Contact with shapes, symbols, colors. The effect of the influence on the human psyche of various colors, shapes and symbols can be found separately in authoritative sources on art therapy.
What are the goals in counseling can be achieved with the help of mandalas?
Mandalas can be used when a person needs to plunge into his inner world in search of answers to questions, when it is necessary to realize many ways to solve a problem. You can immerse yourself in the mandala in search of psychic resources and new discoveries. Due to its ability to "collect" the Ego, the mandala can be used in times of crises and difficult life situations. You can adjust the instructions for creating mandalas, adapting them to a specific client's request, in order to actualize the necessary meaning. It is also possible to create large group mandalas to study group dynamics. Can be used in family counseling to address relationship issues.
Mandala techniques:
Freehand Mandala Creation Technique
To create a mandala, you need to take a sheet of A3 paper and write in a circle with a diameter of about 28 cm. After that, describe a square around the circle and cut the paper along the contour of the square. Put a point in the center of the mandala and you can start creating it. In order to immerse yourself in the whole creation, surround yourself with a calm atmosphere, you can turn on calm music and light scented candles. You can paint with gouache, watercolors and pastel crayons. It is important to relax and allow yourself to paint without criticizing or evaluating the result. You can put a piece of paper next to you on which you can write down your ideas, associations and insights. After drawing, you can rest for a few minutes and look at the mandala from the side in order to understand it more deeply and realize its meaning.
Circle of mandalas by Joan Kellogg
This technique was developed by Joan Kellogg and is based on the circle she created, consisting of the basic states that a person experiences in the process of development and activity. There are 13 total of these states, or rather, stages of 13. To complete this technique, you will need a guide and special cards that graphically depict these stages.
Thematic mandalas
This technique differs from the free creation of mandalas only by pre-setting on a specific drawing topic. Using this technique, you can explore a variety of concepts, feelings, relationships, immerse yourself in a specific topic and explore its individual meaning.
- Carl Gustav Jung "Psychology and Alchemy" M AST 2008
- Hans Biedermann "Encyclopedia of Symbols", M "Republic" 1996
- Materials of the Ministry of Health Wikipedia
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