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Today we will use the framework of Intentional Creativity to paint watercolor mandalas. Intentional Creativity creator, Shiloh Sofia, describes the practice as, “simply working with mindfulness in whatever we set our hands to. Whether it is creating a soup, a garden, a business plan, or a painting. We are more present because we choose to be and the results are different than if we are not paying attention. It is an approach to creating that yields greater access to who we are now and who we are becoming, and what is possible for us and our unfolding future.” By approaching our art practice with such intentionality and mindfulness, we blur the line between secular and sacred and engage ourselves in a meaningful spiritual journey.
Mandalas are present in cultures across the world. The word mandala in sanskrit simply means 'circle' and can be an incredibly simple or profoundly complex circular design. Hinduism, Buddhism, Shintoism, Christianity, and even Ancient Mayans and Aztecs have all used mandalas to establish sacred space or guide personal meditation. Some Buddhist sects create ornate sand mandalas which are swept up a few days or weeks after creation and sprinkled in nearby flowing water as a meditation on impermanence.
Throughout history circles have been seen as particularly sacred shapes; by creating mandalas we will contemplate the symbolic shapes embedded within the myth of The Buried Moon.
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