Creating 21 Spiritual Quality Mandalas Suchinta Abhayaratna, Th.D.

From April to November 2015, I took a Chakra Mandala workshop facilitated by Julia Weaver. Five other women and I met with Julia online once or twice a month to meditate on and create mandalas intended to heal and support each of the chakras. We started at the first chakra and worked our way up to the 7th. When I got to the Solar Plexus I felt stuck. The mandala symbol didn’t come right away as did the others, so I by-passed it and went on to create the other mandalas. Finally, on my 64th birthday, the Solar Plexus mandala showed up. Several intuitive hits connected to my relationship with myself accompanied the mandala. I felt guided to create 21 mandalas with the intention of embodying spiritual qualities to support my relationship with myself. Between August 22 (my birthday) and September 22 (Fall Equinox) I created the 21 Spiritual Quality Mandalas that supported a sort of powerful spiritual rebirthing experience I had following the creation of my Solar Plexus Chakra Mandala. Creating these mandalas was my personal celebration of my be-ing, marking 64 years of life. Although the mandalas were tiny (about 2.5" X 2.5"), they have had a profound transformational effect on me. When it comes to mandalas, size is irrelevant. I picked a Spiritual Quality that I wished to embody, then asked for an image or symbol that would symbolize it, and energetically support its manifestation. When I received it, I drew it on the black paper. When the mandala was complete, I wrote about the experience including thoughts and insights etc. The musings that accompany the mandalas are encapsulated versions of my journal entries.

I am not a trained artist by any means. At best, I doodle. My mandalas are not about technique or perfection. You may notice that many of them are off balance, but surprisingly soulful and mystical… but then, very often, so am I.

1. BE-ING(SolarPlexusMandala)

IamwhoIam,Likenobodyelse.Didnothavetobe,Butchosetobeme.

NoreasonforbeingForprovingmyself.

Formakingitworthwhile.ThatIchosetobe.

Ishoweduponearth.Itookonthisform,SteppedintothislifeWhenIchosetobe.

IchosetobehumanIwasnotafraid

Tobehereandnow.Be-inghuman…be-ingme.

2. REFLECTING

InyoureyesIseeThemeIcan’tseeWithoutyouBeingamirror.WhatIdoOrdon’tlikeaboutyouisWhatIdoOrdon’tlikeaboutme.

IseereflectionsAndshadowsOnlywhenIamstandingInthelight.

3.CREATIVITY

WhenIexpressMycreativity,

TheCreatorWithinExpressesherselfThroughme.IgivebirthtoMandalas,ideas,Poems,music,children.

Sarasvati’ssitarResonatesinmyheartPlaysthroughmyveinsSendsjoyfulsoundsIntothecosmosBringingmeandAllofcreation

Backintobalance.

4.ACCEPTINGWHATIS

NomatterWhathappens…

Iamwell.Iamhappy.Iampeaceful.Iamgrateful.Iamjoyful.Iamtruth.Iambeauty.IamWhole.IamHoly.Nomatter

Whathappens.

5.HUMILITY

HumilityisbeingAllIcanbeQuietly…Nofanfare.Noegotrip.

Oprahwillneverknow.

6.GENEROSITY

HandsreachoutFromtheheart,Giving,receiving,Sharing,touching,Hugging,connecting,BeingonewithallWithnoexpectations.

7.GRATITUDE

GratitudeisTheothersideOfabundanceNomatterwhatThismomentholdsPleasantorunpleasantArejustexperiences…Nothingmore.Nothingless.IamgratefulForthismoment!!

8.PEACE

Peaceisnottheabsenceofwar.Peaceisthestillnesswithin.

Peaceflowsfromtheinsideout.Peaceisrefusingtobetheenemy.

PeaceistreatingothersasIwishitbetreated.Peaceisseeingmyselfintheeyesoftheother.

Peaceisseeingthroughanother’seyes.Peaceisbeingstillandhearingmyheartbeat.

Peaceislisteningtomyheart.Peaceishearingmysoulspeak.PeaceisknowingIamthatIam.PeaceisbeingIamthatIam.

9.TRUST

NomatterhowdarkitisThesunisalwaysShiningsomewhereIdon’tneedtoseeitToknow it’sthere.ToknowthatIamalwaysintherightplace,attherighttime

doingtherightthing,withtherightpeople.I’mabundantlyblessed,andstronglysupportedFulfillinglife’spurpose.TrustingthatIamlovedandaccepted

UnconditionallyforbeingwhoIam,EvenwhenmymindtellsmeI’mnot.WhenIamchallenged,IasktoknowWhymysoulchosetheexperience

Ofdarknessinsteadoflight.WhenItrust,theanswercomes.

10.STRENGTH

Symptomsshowmewheretofocus,

TodiscoverthecauseOfwhat’sgoingonwithme.ThephysicalissymbolicOfissuesunderthesurface

Thatarecallingoutforhealing.Physicalistheshowandtell

Fortheemotional,mentalandspiritual.Iamstrong.

NothingcomesmywayThatIcannothandle.

11.HARMONY

IoftenwonderhowMyeightsiblingsandICouldpossiblycome

Fromthesamegenepool.DespitethedifferencesWhenwesingtogether,

Beautifulharmonieshappen–Diverseelementscomingtogether

Tocreatebeautifulblends–Aworldatpeace…family.

12.INTEGRITY

l

AnimalsinthewildDon’tneeddoctors.TheirbodiesknowHowtoheal...HowtoliveHowtodie…Andgoback

ToMotherEarth.Onlyhumanshang

OntolifeAtallcosts.

IntegrityistruthWholenessOneness.

13.COMPASSION

CompassionisnotStealingfeelings

Thataren’tmyown.CompassionisAcknowledgingAndwitnessingWithoutclaimingAnother’spain.

14.FREEDOM

WhenIlefthomeattwentyIflewacrosscontinents

AndlandedontheothersideoftheglobeIwasanonymousIwasfreetobe

ToexpressthetruthofwhoIamWithoutsomeoneworryingaboutWhattheneighborswillsay.

15.GRACE

SunlitmountainsGlorioussunsets

BlueskiesLovingpresence

KindwordsThoughtfuldeedsNoconditions

ThisgracewaswaitingFormetoclaimitJustbecause

Iam.

16.ENIGHTENMENT

WithgraceandeaseFromthecenterAprofoundinsightDropsquietly

Intoconsciousness.Its alwaysbeen there.

Waiting for me To turn on the light.

17.BALANCE

IusedtohaveVertigosobad

WhenImovedmyeyesIhadtothrowup.I’moverthat.Butbalance

Doesnotcomeeasy...yet.

18.CONTROL

WhenIletgoOfmyneed

TobeincontrolIaskedforWhateverisFormy

highestgood.Andthen

Ithappened.

19.JOYINUNITY

Youare…Iam…Weare

EveryoneEverything.Greatgalaxies,AgrainofsandFatherSunMotherEarthBreathingBreathing.DiverseOneOm.

20.INSIGHT

Sightcomesfromthetwoexternaleyes.Insightcomefromtheoneinternaleye.ConsciousnesscomesfromGialCells

Heart,brainandcolonAllhaveGlialcells.

21.LOVE

IpatientlywaitedforLove.ItcamequietlywhenIwasnotexpectingit.WhenIinhaledLoveThespiritualqualitiesIwishedtoembodyCameintome.

LovegaveeachoneAspecialplaceInmyheart.

MybloodcarriedLoveIntoeverycell

Body,mind,soul,me.IamThat…IAm…ThatIAm!!!SoHum!HumSa!SoHum!

AFTERWORD

MyintentionwasfortheSpiritualQualityMandalastosupportthehealingandstrengtheningofmySolarPlexus,representingpersonalpower-myrelationshipwithmyself.Andthenitcametome:LovecontainsALLthespiritualqualities.SoallthemandalastogetherrepresentedLOVE.IhadlovedandhonoredmyselfenoughtokeepmypromisetomyselfbycreatingallthesemandalajewelsinthemonthbetweenmybirthdayandtheFallEquinox.There’snoIandThem.IAMTHAT.WeareOne.LOVEisnotanyonething,andcouldnotberepresentedwithonesymbol.NothingcamebecauseitwasEVERYTHING.