Advanced Luminous Mandala Workshop Student Work/May 5, 2012

On Saturday, Diane Tibbitts and I facilitated the "Luminous Mandala Advanced Workshop."  We were so impressed with the deep healing that happened in the workshop as a result of the mandala drawing using meditation as a basis for the drawings.  Here are the drawings that emerged.

 

Today, I am thinking about the restorative aspects of coloring a symmetrical mandala.  The structure works to support the person coloring and conveys that harmony is possible, even in times of chaos and challenge.  I read an interesting story in Mandala for Meditation, edited by Zoe Frances.  There was a young female doctor who had to work a year's residency in a psychiatric ward.  She was assigned to the geriatric ward where there was little therapuetic activity.  She handed out some mandala coloring designs and colored pencils to see what would happen.  Soon the entire ward was decorated with mandalas, and more and more people started to color them.  The doctor began to notice amazing changes in her patients.  They seemed calmer and more centered and the overall atmosphere became more harmonious and lighthearted.

 

This symmetrical June Moon design was colored by Susan Dunn.