Traditional mandalas symbolize the entire universe in terms of planets and time cycles, as well as aspects of our body and mind. Initially found in Hinduism, mandalas echo the image of the lotus.  This sacred flower transcends the darkness and mud of its roots in the murky swamp to form pristine blossoms of perfectly-symmetrical petals. The mandala is a symbolic representation of the cosmic forces and is used as a meditation aid to visualize the path to enlightenment.

In Western society, the concept of the mandala is used to describe the personal world in which we live. A mandala is a plan or geometric pattern that represents the cosmos, either metaphysically or symbolically, and serves, from the human perspective, as a microcosmic image of the entire universe.

In many traditions, the mandala is employed as a teaching tool to focus the attention of those who aspire to greater spiritual depths and to establish a sacred space to aid in meditation.

The symbolic nature of the mandala allows one to progress more deeply into the unconscious and experience mystical oneness with the universal energies — Mandala’s focus on the outer, inner and innermost.

Even psychoanalyst Carl Jung saw the mandala as a representation of the unconscious self and believed his paintings of mandalas helped him to identify emotional disorders and achieve wholeness and healing of the personality.

The medicine wheel of the native North Americans represents the inner sanctum of the mandala. One strives at visualizing the complete mandala, including all its deities and ornaments in perfect detail

The word mandala itself derives from the root “manda” and means essence, to which the suffix “la,” meaning container. Thus, one obvious connotation of the mandala is that it is a container of substance. A mandala symbolizes both the mind and the body of the Buddha.

The center of the mandala is a dot and within the size of a tiny drop is a single-point of concentration, a point of focus which is symbolic of freedom.  This focus point is the starting point in which the outside energies draw in.  The outer circles represent the system of the world.

Use the four directions because they represent the interconnectedness of the universe and all its elements:  plants, animals, humans and the environment.