Tree of Life Mandala Workshop

Here are the process photos of the Tree of Life Mandala Workshop that we led last Sunday.

I love to  the witness the process people go through during these mandala experiences.  This image is of our beginning small mandalas where we  practice the scale of light in a circle. We always stop and put them up on the wall, to get a better overview of what we have done, as well as to stretch, and rest our eyes.  It helps to stand back from one's work.

Here is an image of everyone drawing around the large tables in the middle of my studio.  It was  a wonderful group of people, with such good energy.

The following photos are a sampling of everyone in the midst of starting their larger mandala.

Although our focus was the Tree of Life, everyone had permission to go in their own personal direction in their mandala.

This mandala was an honoring of the hope of the one tree that was left after the tsnumani and earthquake that happened in Japan.

                                               Another Tree of Life Mandala.

                           Keeping the pencils really sharp really helps in this drawing process.

                              It is always amazing to see what emerges for people in their mandalas.

By the afternoon we did some color blending exercises to give people the courage to dive into color.

             Here are some more of the black and white mandalas......I am sharing the evolution of pretty much everyone's mandala's here.

I love to see how they change as more and more scale of light shading brings depth, light and life to them.

                        And now comes the color, vibrant, brilliant rainbow scales of color....

It is often difficult at times,  to add color to these powerful black and white mandala's... some people really hesitate and it is not uncommon for some folks to either love or hate these first tentative steps into adding color.

                                                                             Hope

It is amazing how different each one becomes, and how unique everyones use of color is.

Only one person completed their mandala that day, everyone else was in different stages of the process.
This is a slow and meditative process, about being in the moment with what is coming up internally, as well as how it is mirrored in the mandala that is drawn.

This is Doris's powerful healing mandala, here sharing was a rich and deep model for where the mandala process can lead.

This final mandala is my Tree of Life Mandala in different stages of development.

I am now just beginning to add color to my mandala and I will share it here when it is complete.

Hopefully, the mandala group will send me images of their completed mandalas.  If and when that happens I will post it here for the world to see.  Until the next time....Ciao

Journey Center Mandala workshop-

Patricia and I facilitated half day, introduction to the mandala process workshop,

 at the Journey Center, in Santa Rosa  yesterday. 

 The Journey Center is a place to come for spiritual renewal, and 

we were very impressed with its beauty, energy and sense of spirit filled possibility.

 Here are the photos of the amazingly beautiful mandalas that were created in that short amount of time.

                                                Although most of them are still in  process,

                                    the experience  of creating them was  calming,

                                                                     focusing

                                                                       mindful

and filled with insight.

Hopefully, some of the women who attended will send photos of their completed mandalas.  Nevertheless, I love to share the powerful images that are created, each  mandala unique and stunning. whether complete or in process.  

This hopefully will be the beginning of doing more mandala classes at this beautiful, healing spiritual center.

Color, Color and More Color - Color Wheel Mandala Day

Well, there were a total of 8 of us, drawing in the heat of the approaching summer this past Sunday, in my studio in Santa Rosa  CA.  As the weather heated up, so did the vibrancy of color that emerged in everyone's mandalas.

Here we all are at the beginning of the morning, as we began our day.  Not everyone is shown here.

In the beginning stages of creating mandala's, drawing with white prismacolor pencils on the black paper, using the scale of light to illuminate the essence of the image, 

out from the dark ground of the paper.  Always so, powerful!

In the afternoon, we began to add color, and our images heated up 

along with the temperature of the room.  

Often times it takes an act of bravery to add color to the already developed black and white mandala, which is always so stunning.

But it is always worth the risk, and takes everyone to a new level of engagement and satisfaction.

I love watching the image and colors emerge and how excited everyone becomes as their mandala's come to life.  Here they are in the beginning stages of emergence, as color starts to blossom.  We place them on the wall periodically, to stand back and view them, giving our eyes, hands and bodies a chance to rest from this very detailed work.

This is a small Virgin of Guadalupe mandala, that Sue, drew along side her larger one, to honor an image  that she photographed recently.

Almost complete.

Working with the color wheel is a simple yet powerful way to create a beautiful mandala, that allows spirit to come through in a striking way.

This is Patricia's mandala with all the color down, now she will develop it more fully.

This is my mandala, I didn't get too far on the day of the workshop, I was feeling under the weather, and worked slow and since the workshop was at my studio, I had the luxury of taking an extra long lunch break and a nap that day.  I will post its development in later posts.

This is Lake's mandala, also still in process, I am so drawn to the quality of energy and movement in it.  I look forward to seeing it as she puts more time into it.

Yes! So powerful and with such a wonderful sense of movement.

I love how this process, transcends peoples early art woundings, and allows people to see their creative potential.  This mandala was done by Rusty, who didn't think she could create something new. What a stunning and expressive mandala.  She left feeling renewed and ecstatic about her creative possibilities.

And lastly Sue's mandala, I love how the energy emits from the hand, radiating out in all directions. After initial hesitations about the hand, it worked out so perfectly.  

So thats it for now.  If I get images back of completed mandala's I will post them here, as well as my mandala as it progresses.  Blessings to all.